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FENIAN ALARMS.
FENIAN ALARMS. ¥ There seems to be an uneasy feeling on the sub- ject of possible Fenian outrage in many parts of the country and in some places, especially in the great manufacturing towns, special precautionary measures have been adopted. At Middlesborough the authorities, warned by some suspicious meet- ings of the Irish, and by written communications L, they have received, are adopting every means Z, I whereby they may be enabled to act with energetic promptitude in case of need. They have already procured a considerable supply of six-chamberad revolvers, which are part of 100 such weapons that are to be served out to the constables. Two hun- dred special constables, consisting of riflemen (many of whom have offered themselves), shopkeepers, and others, are to be sworn in. A guard has been placed over the armoury of the volunteers. The policemen are all armed with cutlasses. The Irish men, who are employed in large numbers at the ironworks in this locality, are reported to openly boast that they have plenty of arms hidden. Among the letters that have been received by the police is one in which the writer says that the Fenians drill secretly on the marshes in the vicinity of the town, and that he was present at one particular meeting -when it was decided that a number of persons in Middlesborough should be shot; among others the Superintendent of the police. This officer a short time since observed with suspicion that large num- bers of Irish crowded on a particular occasion into the Dundalk public-house in Durham-street, Mid- dlesborough. He went to the place, where about 200 men were Assembled, and applied for admission, but he found all the doors locked. He was informed at last that they were listening to an Irish priest, who had come over to thiscountry to collect money for church purposes. The superintendent commu- nicated with the authoritities, and went to the ad- dress given him as that where the priest in ques- tion lodged, at North 'Ormsby. When the priest named came to the lodgings, and was questioned he said that he had come to England with the view' of collecting money for a benevolent purpose. An other similar meeting of Irishmen took place at Linthorpe, and no satisfactory account can be ob- tained of what took place there, or of the purpose for which the assembly was held. Last week a letter, which bears the post-office mark of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and which was ad- dressed to a person in Manchester, accidentally fell into the hands of the officers connected with the detective police force in London, and which Minutely detailed a plot for the purpose of seizin"- the armouries at Berwick-upon-Tweed. The lettei* Tvith the omission of names and initials, is as fol- lows Dear Received yours; can make short work of them; no guard kept at night; barrack walls easily scaled there are 300 or 400 carbines, and about 80 rifles kept in the armourv, also six field pieces and seven 32 pounders; be- sides ammunition for the volunteers. No one in barracks but the militia staff and families, about 13 soldiers in all. and a number of them generally out at night. We will easily manage it in one night, and (here follows particulars as to the; movements of certain members of the Fenian body, which are suppressed for obvious seasons). We can number 33 with and ——, all true. Be here as soon as possible. Just one gunboat here. I am making arrangements with (several persons and towns mentioned) to bring the bags, -which will come during the week. We°cau muster from 150 to 200. We will settle and be at peace in about a month. We are sure of success. Don't expect resistance from the soldiers and the barracks, but if they do, we will do the usual. We hope to have it settled by this time next month.' After this sentence followed some writing- in cypher, which of course is unreadable. On this letter baiug received by the police authorities in London, Sergeant Langley was despatched to Ber- wick-upon-Tweed. On his arrival hs found that the statement relative to the armoury was mi- nutely and particularly correct, and that the formid- able garrison of thirteen was the number of soldiers who guarded it. After receiving this com- munication from London, the Mayor, James Purvis, Esq, immediately convened a meeting of the magistrates to take steps to protect the°ar- moury. This meeting was attended by the com- mander of the armoury and also the commander of the gunboat, and measures were promptly carried out which entirely removed any appre- hension that might arise as to any Fenian attack. We have already reported some of the measures taken to protect the armouries of metropolitan volunteer corps against possible Fenian surprises. It appears that some of these were singularly in- secure. The drili-shed and armoury of the Cen- tral London Rifle Rangers (40th Middlesex),' King s-head-court, Gr.»y's-inn-lane, was one such. This court is separated by a low dead wall from Ball's-court, which swarms with Irish. In this wall, exactly opposite to the door of the armoury there is a pair of large wooden folding doors. A couple of vigorous kicks from an able-bodied Irish- man in Ball's-court would have forced these doors open. Then men, four or five abreast, could have rushed in. Ball's-court, moreover, consists of houses three and four stories in height, which cluster together in a very odd fashion? There is a row of houses facing the armoury and the ser- geant-major s dwelling, which contains some sixteen windows. From these every room in each of the bouses in King's-head-court could have been riddled with shot; and it certaiyly was a suspicious circumstance that the windows exactly facmg the armoury had the lower half of their frames. takep out. Had the armourv been built specially for its purpose it could not lon<r have resisted an attack placed where it is As soon Is the volunteers learnt |that their armoury was selves for duty008Aerabl6HnU?1^er °ffered them" l j m °f fourteen stalwart men was selected. The building bein- itself un tenable, the men were located elsewhere in such positions that had an attack been made com- manded as every room was by the windows of the houses in Ball's-court, no one placed in the build- ing could have escaped with their lives. Had any stranger presented himself at any window in Ball's-court, at the folding doors in the dead wall or at the little iron wicket in the entry by the public house, and not replying to his challenge, displayed a weapon of any sort, he would have been shot at once. There was only one incident in any way suggestive of an attack. There were in Ball s-court at the time mentioned several lads snapping caps on pistols. Their laughter at first disarmed suspicion, but after a time they were hoisted at the top of the wall, and then very coolly thrust lighted lanterns over, and, looking up, the volunteer guards saw that they were wearing masks over their faces. Whether the lads were prompted simply by mischief to do this, or whether they were put up to it by some men, many of whom were heard at the windows of the houses, it is impossible to determine. At the sergeant- major's request some police went into the court, and told those they met that if the lads wished to avoid being shot they bad better put out their lanterns and keep at home. But the caution had to be given twice before a stop was put to the an- noyance, The police arrangements were equally effective. A real danger b.l threatened the peace of the metropolis, and the Commissioners of Police had taken most complete measures to quell any rising that might have taken place. The police patrolled in twos and threes the streets where the greatest danger was apprehended. But the numbers that were seen were small compared to those held in reserve. The rifles from the ar- mouries in Gray's-in-lane and some other ex- posed positions have since been removed to the Tower.
SERIOUS EXPLOSION IN WOOLWICH…
SERIOUS EXPLOSION IN WOOLWICH ARSENAL. On Saturday morning, about half past eleven o'clock, a serious explosion took place in No. 6 Shed of the East Laboratory, in the Royal Arsenal, where about thirty lads were engaged in the haz- ardous work of filling 'pellets' or cartridges under the direction of the foreman, Mr Halliday, whereby nearly all within the building were much injured, and thirteen seriously so. It appears that on the explosion being first heard an alarm of fire was raised, when the fire brigade, under Chief Inspector Carnellev, immediately turned out and hastened to the spot with their engine and four reels, when they found that what little conflagration there bad been quite extinguished with paiis of water thrown on by the workmen close at band at the time, and the walls, roof's, and windows of the building, which is of a rectilinear form, with benches for filling running round the interior, nearly all blown away. The screams from the poor lads, found dreadfully burnt and blasted inside the building, were most piteous to hear, and those who could move about, ran and jumped and groaned, as if deprived of rea- son for the moment; but as Colonel Boxer, Capt Magendie, Mr Malhien, with the managers, Messrs Tozer and Davidson, soon arrived on the spot, orders were immediately given for their removal on stretchers to the surgery, where they were at I once promptly and kindly attended to by doctors Briscoe and Temple, under whose instructions four- teen of the sufferers were directly enveloped in sheets of wadding saturated with oil and chloro- form. The excitement in the towns around, on hearing of the sad disaster, was very great, and the wildest reports spread terror among the friends of Arsenal artisans who crowded the higher and lower gates all the rest of the day till late, asking all'sorts of questions, and in many instances begging to be admitted to see the sufferers. According to the order received no one was allowed to enter the Arsenal for the purpose of seeing the sufferers, and consequently the scenes at the gates were, in some instances, very painful, and the lamentations of the mothers and sisters of the poor lads were most piteous. The exclusion, however, was deemed Eecessary by the medical men for the safety of their patients, and the rule was rigorously en- forced, except in one or two instances, where the fathers of the lads were near at the time, remained behind to render assistance as nurses. After the poor lads had been removed, and the fire quite considered to be put out, Captain Boxer and the other officials immediately instituted a searching inquiry into the cause of the catastrophe, when it was stated by the two lads, W. Ansett, W. Archell, and Stephen Clare, an engineer, that the lad Kellow, who is also much hurt, was seen playing with one of the caps attached to the pellets, by knocking the percussion pin down bard with sharp forcible blows, which was highly dangerous, and he was told so, but as remonstrance seemed to have no effect, and one of the parties was about to go away for the purpose of reporting it, the foolish fellow gave the pin another hard blow, and the consequence was that the cap exploded in his hand, firing the pellet and the heap of finished pellets on the tables in rows as well. Nothing more was known till the smoke cleared away and the fearful result of his folly presented itself, as it did on the arrival of the men with the buckets of water. It appears that four lads, named Donnelly, Pier, gery, Webb, and Lynch, are in the most imminent nt danger, and very little hopes are entertained of Piggery's recovery at all. It also seexs that Hal- liday, the foreman, received serious burns about the face and hands, and that ten other boys were sent home after being attended to at the surgery. The sufferers appear to have been chiefly injured about the face, hands, and chest, but one lad has a frightful blister at the back part of the neck and is in a very critical position. Among the escapes one or two cases were very extraordinary one man, who was sitting at a .desk at the time of the explosion escaped entirely scot free, while the boy, Ansett, who is very short, al- though close behind the lad Kellow at the time he exploded the cap, received no hurt at all; but an. other boy, who came up the time with an apron full of these pellets, was dreadfully burnt by the whole of them exploding at once. The 'pellets' are for the Snider gun, and are composed of powder damped and compressed with a sort of spirit, after which they are placed in paper cases. The boy Kellow, it seems, exploded the cap with a mallet. It is a strange fact that has been much com- mented on that during the four years there have been four serious explosions in the Arsenal and at Erith, all of which have been in the first weeks of October of each year. The explosions at Favers- hara Works have also been more general about this time of the year. WOOLWICH, SUNDAY NIGHT.-The lad Piggery, one of sufferers, has just breathed his last, at the Infirmary of the establishment, in the presence of his father, who is a workman employed in the dockyard. It is feared that, of thirteen boys now remaining at the Infirmary, three cannot survive during the night. « The Official Gazette of Florence publishes an advertisement from the Ministry of War for the supply of 300,000 breech-loading muskets. A NEW ROYAL FOREST.—It is rumoured that her i ajesty may become the purchaser of Ballochbuie rorest in order to prevent the cutting down of the f,wt,0 tlm^er which is now so great an adornment 5XerSer P°rtion of the Deeside Valley.—Dundee writing fro mM addeTshr'™ ,COrr,esP°ndent' paper relates tho Si S.hroPsblre> to a local news- persti'tion, for the truth"In? instafe of «u- ino- into » ot whlch he vouches. Go- found one of the °I'l!i 0ne *ast wee^ he found one of the children suffering from a verv severe cough, and expressed his opinion Sa it was a case in which medical assistant tTa t tained. The father of the boTSeed tW f very bad, but said that before caflino- i„ a docto^he intended to try a cure which he had°lont used n similar cases, and never found to fail °On b Im- pressed to communicate the prescription to "he writer he gravely informed him that the charm consisted in cutting a few hairs from the part of! the patient's head where it joins the neck, placing them between two thin slices of bread and butter and giving them to a dog. If the sandwiches took no effect upon the animal thepatient would recover- but if the dog sickened the case was critical, and a doctor should be called in forthwith. THE OUTRAGE ON THE REV. ALBAN CRADOCK, AT STOURBRIDGK.—A few weeks ago when Murphy was ecturing at Stourbridge the Rev Alban Cradock, Roman Catholic priest at Kidderminster, was set upon in the streets of Stourbridge by an infuriated mob, and compelled to take shelter in the Talbot Hotel. He returned home, but has never been wel) since, and a short time ago was taken most dan- gerously ill, and is now dying, it is feared, from internal injurips received from the attack of Murphy's followers.—Birmingham Gazette. ATTEMPT TO UPSET A TRAIN.—A most wanton attempt was made on Tuesday night to upset a train on the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, but happily without success. The train which left Manchester at 10.15 p.m. proceeded all right until about halfway between Timperley and Altrincham, when the engine driver, Alfred Truswell, and his stoker was astonished to see a cloud of ballast and rubbish thrown up from the line, and felt sure that something must have been on it. After slacken- ing speed a little and finding nothing in the way, the driver proceeded to Altrincham and Bowdon, at both of which stations he reported the occurrence, and as soon as the passengers, none of whom knew of the occurrence, had left the train, steps were taken to ascertain what was the matter. On visiting the spot it was found that a fifteen feet metal had been carried from the side of the up line, where it had been deposited, and laid across the down line on which the train was travelling. The engine was travelling tender first as they sometimes do on this line. for convenience in returning. The metal laid across the rails had evidently been caught by the life guards of the tender and thrown forward a distance of thirty-seven yards, alighting on the other line. Had the life guard not been low enough to catch the rail and throw it off, the consequences might have been of the most disastrous character. No clue has as yet been obtained to the perpetrators of this diabolical act. THE REV. C. H. SPURGE, ON.-In reply to an invita- tion to attend the Baptist Union autumnal meetings at Cardiff, the Rev C. H. Spurgeon has written the following letter under date Clapham, October 2nd. Mr Dear Friends—I feel very deeply the kind feel- ing which prompted you to send to me a renewed invitation in so considerate a shape, and performed with so much Christian affection. Although, from painful recollection of matters connected with my last visit to South Wales, I have almost vowed never to enter that region again, your persuasive letter would have drawn me over that barrier, but another difficulty lies in the way which none'of us can surmount. I am quite unfit to undertake such a journey, and it would be downright insanity to try. 1 dread very much the idea of a relapse, and who would not who has suffered as I have ? It would be a case of wilfully tempting Providence to try to reach Cardiff when I can scarcely walk across my bed room. Do not, therefore, consider that I decline to come, but that I am a prisoner. I am pained to be away from the Union meetings, which I enjoy, and from which I shall never be absent when I can by any possibility be present. I am doubly sorry to be away when an invitation so warmly pressing has been sent me but, it is the Lord, let him do whit I seemeth Him good.' Should an opportunity occur, when it would be seemly to say as much, will one of you please to observe that I am with the assembly in spirit, and that the Baptist Union and Baptist deno- mination have not a more devoted friend and servant than yours most truly, C. H. SPURGEON. THE WHEAT CROP.—Mr J. B. Lawes writes to the Times giving his estimate of the wheat crop of 1867. He fears that the corn crops of the country are greatly deficient in quantity, though stored in good conditon, and of more than average quality. The writer has made some experiments in the growth of wheat, and now describes the results. Wheat has been grown on his land for twenty-four years in suc- cession part of it has been left entirely without manure, another part has had twenty-four tons per acre of farmyard manure applied to it, while another has been manured with artificial dressing. The land has been prepared in the same way, and the results are thus summarised :-On every plot the produce of 1867 is not only inferior to that of any one of the four preceding years, but it is also-very inferior to the average of the preceding fifteen years. The produce without manure is unusually low (indeed lower than in any year of the twenty-four, excepting 1853), in- dicating that the season was specia!ly unfavourable for the crop on lands out of condition. The plot manured with fourteen tons of farmyard manure per acre each year (the crop of which is probably less affected by variations of season than that of any other) gives one quarter less wheat per acre than on the average of the previous fifteen years. The plot artificially manured, and which represents extremely high farming, gives one quarter less per acre than the average of the fifteen years, and more than three quarters less than was obtained by exactly the same manure in 1863. The quality of the grain, as shown by the weight per bushel, is much more satisfactory, being above the average in every case excepting where there was no manure employed. On none of the plots was there any deficiency of plant. The straw was, upon the whole, abundant, and on the average of seasons would be accompanied with about one-third more corn than was actually obtained, and in favourable seasons even much more. THE REV C. H. SPURGEON.—Mr Spurgeon has so far recovered from his recent attack of illness as to be able to take his place again on the platform of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. After an absence of four successive Sundays he appeared thpre on Sun- day morning, and his immense congregation exhi- bited, in becoming ways, their delight at his partial recovery. He is still very feeble, and his face re- tains some signs of what must have been intense suffering. On Sunday his lameness was so great that he could only limp slowly across the platform and during that part of the service in which he did not take the leading part, he remained in his seat. Mr Varley, of Nottiog Hill, assisted in the service Mr Spurgeon's labour being restricted to the prayer'and the sermon. In both the prayer and the sermon he called attention to the spread of Ritualism in the Church of England. He prayed that God would preserve our land from judgments, which, he believes, I will assuredly fall upon her if the attempts now being made by Romanists and Ritualists to place her again under the bondage of Rome shall prove suc- cessful. In the sermon he expressed an earnest wish that the faithful ministers of the Church of England would repudiate these Rome-ward and hell-ward devices,' and would manifest more of their faithful- ness by coming out of a Church where such things are done. Before commencing the sermon he thanked the congregation for the many special remembrances he had received from them during his illness, and for the handsome offerings which had been made to the college during his absence. Mr Spurgeou preached with his usual fervency, but with less action than he is in the habit of using. His illness does not seem to have affected his voice, as each word of the ser- mon, which occupied about an hour in the delivery, was heard in all parts of [the immense building. He did not preach in the evening, his strength not yet being such as will enable him to preach twice in the same day. ARMED POLICE.—The police authorities have just determined that the cutlas drill shall be prac- tised by the constables in the metropolitan force. A certain number of officers will be sent to one of the military barracks each day for drilling pur* poses. THE DRY EARTH SYSTEM. — The Rev Henry Moule has just received from the Indian Govern- ment a gratifying and substantial recognition of his system of dry earth sewage. The following is an extract from a letter addressed to him froOl the India Office in London, dated Sept. 25, 1867 —'I am directed by Sir Stafford Northcote to fqr' ward for your information copies of reports wbieb have now been received from the government Of India, on the successful and general adoption Of your dry earth sewage system in India. In consi- deration of the very satisfactory character of these reports, and on the recommendation of the govern ment of India, the Secretary of State for India II) Council has much pleasure in authorising the pay- ment to you of the sum of £ 500 DEATH OF THE UNDER-SECRETARY FOR TIIIi HOME DEPARTMENT—We regret to announce tbff death of the Right Hon. Horatio Waddington, his 69th year. He was for many years tTnder. Secretary for the Home Department, and re signed that office only a few weeks ago in conr qnence of declining health, being succeeded bY the Hon. Augustus Liddell. Mr WaddingtoB being a permanent Under-Secretary, i.e., not eating his seat on a change of Government, aS the parliamentary Under-Secretary does, he a(> quired considerable experience of his department, and it is not too much to say that the bulk the work rested upon his shoulders. Of late thfiS6 duties have been more onerous than usual duties have been more onerous than usual, 111 consequence of the Reform agitation and of &e. Fenian conspiracy. The loss~ of his services 8' the present time, v/hen Fenianism is becoio*0^ daily more bold and reckless, is much to be rjj' gretted at the same time there may be an a"' vantage in substituting a young and vio-ot"01}5 man for an official who had nearly reached b'5 three score years and ten. < THE SICILIAN BRIGANDS.—The Corrie Sicil of Palermo of the 26th ult. says Some even' ings back six mounted brigands, one onl/| whom had his face uncovered, made a prisof^ of M. Canatello, aged IS, and 'the only son of* widow, in a country house at six miles fro" Girgenti, and in presence of twenty perso"3, Ihe brigands made the captive get on a horse his own, and then led him away to a where they compelled him to write to his motf>er a letter asking for 3 000 onzas (lis each) a3* ransom, mentioning the place where it was to deposited. The unfortunate woman, after a sa^ fice of everything she possessed, succeeded$ getting 200 onzas, which she sent to the brig* by two trustworthy persons. On the morning the 2.ttb the two messengers found at the sP, e" mentioned four brigands, who received the Wone)' They however insisted on having the entire and delivered to the bearers a second from the prisoner; begging his mother to cortf? with their demands. She is, however, quite una"1 to pay the money asked for, and has little of ever seeing her son again alive. The s,lI?j band, at the end of July last, made prisoner of1 Paolo of Musernone, of Caltabellotta, and manded a ransom of 500 onzas for him 5 \t nephew having delayed to send the money, J? body of the captive was found drowned a (lavs after in the river which passes beloW' Calt3' beftotfa. THE MURDER TN BLOOMSBURY.-DEATH OF VICTIM. Kdwm M'Donnell died on Friday noon at University. College Hosoital troffl ft effects of the injuries he received on S»turi morning week. He was attended in his last ments by his mother, who had been with since Saturday. He had passed a bad night, ate ;Do, soon after ten o'clock on Friday morning changed decidedly for the worse, becoming rap' weaker, and continuing to do so until his which took place at 2.45 p.m. His sinking co0° tion was telegraphed to Windsor at eleven a-?'" v the surgeons of the 2d Life Guards. On Fr# shortly after one o'clock, Colonel Marshall to the hospital, and remained with the unf°r nate deceased, who was conscious to the last- is only an act of justice to record the express' of the deceased's oft-repeated thanks for the 1\ bounded kindness of the authorities at the hoSJj.0 tal, and especially of Mr Edward Sboppee, tur house surgeon. The British Medical 0 f says. Jiv Mr Shoppee, the house surgeon* » are informed that the bullet had entered the en C' at the cartilnge of the fifth rib in front, had pellal 1 trated the lung, escaped at the inferior } the h!ade-bone on the same side, and was resting upon the clothing at that part. The is conical, about four lines in diameter, and vreiSp two drachms. No bleeding from the lun2" ."j; curred until 24 hours afterwards, when the began to be troubled with cough, and the sput° was tinged with blood.' II ANOTHER OUTRAGE IN two and three o'clock on Thursday morning other very serious outrage was committed 9 Bloomsbury, the snfferer in this case be ftjfl pohce-constable. About two months a?0 officer on the beat, which comprises 9 and Bedford-square, made himself obnoxioUs gang of ruffians, who would insist upon ^oXtl]creU about the corners of the streets. The 0 jjtf in accordance with his instructions, clearing the footpaths of the loung ers; a & j ruffians seem to have made up their minds » revenged. Without knowing precisely what > been going on, Police-constable Moore j# upon the beat, and was made the victim £ 0,ji gross an outrage as was ever perpetrated. tSe what the officer states, it would appear that t» ,j men went up to him early in the morning* after a few words bad passed between thern suddenly «ran in' upon him and knocked down. The fall rendered him insensible, aI,fr0cK men, taking advantage of his helplessness, him with their fists, kicked him, and then jt, his truncheon from his pocket beat bim fine They next rifled his pockets, stealing four or shillings, and left him lying in the "road* They next rifled his pockets, stealing four or qp. shillings, and left him lying in the "road* parently dead. After a little while a c»D'$0 who was driving through the square, fo«nV *5' officer in the roadway, and having obtaine | sistance be was removed to the police"s*a Mr Ross, the medical officer to the forcei ife sent for, and on examining Moore bruises found upon the back of his head, his fore be to and his left check. He was in a very weak stvro' and will not be fit for duty again for a day or ,o The staff, after having been used, was an area, where it was found the follofl'in» ^nti^1} ing. Moore has been able to give a dese of the ruffians who attacked him, and it is that they will be apprehended. — Printed and Published, on behalf of the Pf0 i" by JOSEPH POTTER, at the Office in High.st of fit the Parish of Saint Mary, in the County 0f Town of Haverfordwest. Wednesday, October 9, 1867, Jt.