The Cambrian

Mr. Pearson. of Pall-mall, has discovered in a weekly "f,^sPaPfr 1812 a political ode by Byron that was not hitherto known to be his It will shortly be printed, with a copy of the poet's letter relating to the same THE NONCONFORMISTS AND THE BURIALS BILL -The °f tbe following short notice of the B^ials Bill which appears in Sword and the Trowel, for October with the well-known initals of C. H. S. might well be emulated in some other quarter :-At_ last N^onform vts have gained the exercise of their rights to bury their dead in the national grave-yards. The concession was so long in comin„ that there remained no room for grace m making it, aJd u0 0™rt?nity for thankfulness in receiving it. That has been yielded which could not have been withheld and this is the sum of the matter. However, the struggle is over, aud we are grateful for it: one less cause ofSblingnow remains among Christian men. Our earnest desire is that in no instance may auy- worthv6 faid °r done at the graVe ^oOhr^tian charity" worthy of our princiDles or contrary to charity We cannot enter the^'grave-yard with the tramp of victors, for oUr d^d are with us and must be borne along at a more solem pace I^the tombs of °°r Jrethren let &X s'jcs' sleep by sIde upon foolish fears whiclTha- Pl^ .maVrr, a.°j may be wiselv fastening 8°r occasions. It would be wiseTn tyy,Leftf0'Trlprv Dissenting minister to officiate in the M,Par £ vletlV as he would have done in the plot of meeting-house. Let him make no alli,a; ? I;ear r mentary conflict, but act as though he felf v." i.6 o intheenjoyment of what hasawVbe^T30" f/Tet him «eek the comfort of the mourners 18 rl nf the careless, the ediSca- tion of belTfi;*heC.?nvef10n°f God. and nothing else. Here and tK gl°!T n indulge in taunt and sneer butw„T ,^ld oSr brethren, as a whole will h confident that rteou8 0r unkind. We w'onli received nothing leasant that our FnW this change so lit" We not Red ffi1 brethren may can lay our deceased relative °r Nihilists, and w insulting those from wlin n tomb without wa 9jutr them a single iustifiablA111 We ay, without £ consecrated iaSS? *3SVl of .the grave- £ as-- bet-ee° THRlapBT8ha11 be impossible. cheap as is ought tobe en1? 0F BREAD.-Is bread as cne^ wheae ,8 sellin'o- inStheriUg the very loW ^"tion is now creatinR 3 th.e market? This que^wn centres of industrv » ^°c discu9sion at 8?Vmade it would almost annear HiTa the statements ye what would allow a fair Pri°VS ^^r^central-lOO lbs. of good flonr for Pr0^" thirty-four to thirty- six auaH-o w^lch will make from 4 at Liverpooi for from 12s tin b\P the sale of thirty-five such the bakers gi ve their Cust' or can It Wd e tage of Trieste flour, costs 16 omera the a van t..ed real reason ^lny j 1 ^me well-baked quartern loaves, free fromTd°ulteTatSn °should not be purchasable at 6d. DuringTast week wheat only averaged a fraction over 42s.per qLrter^a^ 47s.or 48s. at the sam? penod last year, but in working-class localities there is little appreciable difference between the bread then and now. Farmers know to their cost that they are heavy losers by the fall in prices; consumers are equally con- vinced that the fall has brought them no good, who then are benefited? Public suspicion alights °°theheadsof bakers and milliners coniointly, and credits them with being in a plot to take on the one hand instant advantage of any rise in the price of flour to enhance that of bread, and on the other, to hold up the latter as long as possible against every fall in the wheat market. Very possibly this vevr of the case is somewhat exaggerated; once arouse popular suspicions and they are wont to rush into extremes. But .the assailants certainly seem to have established a prima facie case against the ring, as they style their opponents, and it therefore rests with the latter to show that they are not victimizing their cus- tomers in order to make a larger profit for themselves. Co operative stores came into existence though a trading policy of that sort, and we should not be surprised to see the system extended to hI ea.rl, should the trade continue deaf to the teaching of the tim-Farmer.

THE BAPTIST UNION. The meetings in connexion with the autumnal sessior: of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland were continued and concluded on Monday. In the morning, at 10, t:1e delegates assembled in large numbers at Bloomsbury Chapel. The devotional exercises were conducted under the temporary presi dency of the Rev. John Aldis, sen., and special prayer was offered for the Rev. C. M. Birrel, from whom a grateful acknowledgment of the message of sympathy, sent to him the day before, had been received. On the arrival of the president, the Rev. Dr. Trestrail, tbe deputation from the Congregational Union of England and Wales was introduced to tbe assembly. The representatives chosen were-1 be Chiirman of tli^it body, the Rev. Principal NeJVth. D.D., '1T1d the Rev Drs. Kennedy and Allon. Dr. Kennedy expressed deep regret at the unadvoidable absence of Principal Newtli, and reminded those to whom they had been charged to convey the Christian greetings of the kindred union of the close brotherly bonds wrrch had always united the two denominations. They had one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. Dr Allon said the only difference between them was merely that between wet and dry Congregationalistg. The president, in the name of the Baptist Union, reciprocated these friendly sentiments. The Rev. H E. Stone, of Nottingham, then read a p.tper on Tbe Spirit and Method of Evangelistic Work Tile reference was to spfcial preachers, distinct from the pastorate, who should travel throughout large districts, as evangelists to the many hundreds who would not listen to the regular ministry. The need of such evangelists must be felt, if they were to do any good, and it was for them to deal with young men poisoned by sceptical literature and tbe gospel of negation In this work they could not hope to succeed, unices the local churches, who sent them forth, were themselves instinct with a vigorous spiritual life ever manifesting itself in action. This living Christianity the evangelist was to be the organ of breathing into the dead world outside. His method must be that of exclu-ve reliance on the truth, eschewing all sensational effort". Hence none but the best men tbe churches could find should be engaged in the work, and only men apt in pastoral duty. Only in response to the call of a united group of Christian societies was it expedient to under- take such missions, and these churches must provide for tbe filling of the pulpits of the evangelists during their temporary absence. Like the early disciples, they should go forth two and two. They should take the utmost care not to seem to slight the ordinary pastors or their work. The paper exci ed much interest. The discussion upon it was introduced by tue Rv. W. Barker, of Hastings. One branch of the same suhj: ct, The Reality and Power of Evangelistic Work Depen- dent on the Spiritual Life of the Churches, was treated in a second paper by the R-v. J. W. Lane, of Newport, the discussion on which was initiated by the Rev. J. Drew, of Margate. In the evening the closing meeting of the Union was held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The attendance was very large, nearly every part of the building being crowded. Sir S. Morton Peto presided, and there were present on the platform the Rev. C. H. Spurijeon. the Rev. Dr. Trestail, the Rev. Dr. Hugh Stowell Brown, the Rev S. Newman, of Edinburgh, &e. The Rev. C. H. Sampson, the secretary of the Unio". stated that £:200 had been subscribed that afternoon towards the Augmentation Fund, which was established for the purpose of helping poor ministers and poor churches. The Chairman then address d the metting, and dwelt on the progr-ss the Union had made during the last few years. Referring to the Irish Mission, he stated that the number of Baptist churches and members in Ireland had decreised. He then referred to the difficulties that had to be contended with there, and stated that during the last few weeks an experiment had been made in tent preaching. He urged them to support the Home Mission Fund, which he stated was far below what it should be in England, for in York- shire alone the Home Missionary contributions had been more than £300 in excess ef the whole of Engird. He therefore thought it was not desirable to go on in the old lines, but thought they should consider the best means of doing more for the Mission Fund. (Cheers ) The Rev. Mr. Spurgeon greatly regretted that illness had prevented him from taking such a part in their exercises as he should like to have done. He expressed his deep gratification at the highly satisfactory nature of the facts disclosed in their annual report, and the character and harmony of their late meetings. After a casual reference to the political outspokenness of some ofctbe Baptist brethren, which he excused on the ground that they would always he the Radicals of the Radicals, he went on to refer generally to the salient doctrinal points which concerned them as a body at the present time. A loud outcry was now heard against unbelief. Well, that at least proved the existence of some belief somewhere. He was afraid, however, that much of their preaching was of a watered-down" description, resembling the wine brought into Rome from the Campagna. For himself he believed in God and in the gospel, because he should be a fool if he did not, and there was no known process bv which he could ever be brought to disbelieve those great realities. There were some things about which a man was quite certain, and he was not to be reasoned with about these. To those of the present day who would say to him Oh, possibly there is a God possibly the Gospel is true," he would reply," Oh, possibly, my dear Sir; possibly I have a wife. I have spoken to her a short time since, and I have spoken to God since then." Regarding the doctrine of prayer, and its merely reflew influence on man, he could only say that he was not yet reduced to such a state of mental imbecility as to accept that doctrine. He would as soon go and whistle to Vesuvius as he would think of praying to a God who did not in his belief both hear and answer him. Touching on denominationalism, he advocated the merits of holding firmly to their sound doctrines. Were they, he asked, prepared to join the Church of England ? (" No, no.") He loved his brethren of the Church of England and would co-operate with them in good works, but he was not prepared to join a Church subject to a Parlia- ment which did not acknowledge Christ. Mr. Spurgeon concluded his address by an eirnest exhortation to lead lives of holiness, and earnestness so that if theirs were lives short in duration, they might also be lives of long and lasting power. The Rev. J. W Ashworth, of Plymouth, and the Rev. S. Newman, of Edinburgh, afterwards addressed the meeting.

James C. Loggie, acting commandant at Sherbro, one of her Majesty's African possessions, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment for embezzlement. The defalcations are said to have amounted to £1,700. UNSINKABLE SHIPS.—The problem of rendering ships unsinkable has from the earliest times received careful attention from inventors and others, and various propo sitionsfor effecting this object have been advanced from time to time, although, so far as we are a*are, none of them have ever been introduced in practice. This question has founnd another advocate in Mr. Lamb, of 4 Finsbury-circus, who has had a steam launch built to illustrate his system. This launch was inspected and a short run was made in her a few days ago at North Woolwich by a party of gentlemen interested in steam navigation. The principle consists in attaching to the sides of the hull of a vessel a series of flat-air-tight me- tallic cylinders or drums, the inner heads of which are built into and form part of the framing and inner skin of the vessel. These drums project on either side of the ship and are cased in, the under sides of the castings normally resting upon the surface of the water and becoming slightly immersed under a load. The result is a light drought with great freeboard, and it is claimed that a greater stability under canvas and a higher rate of speed under steam or sail are thereby attained, besides several other- contingent advantages. The system is illustrated by means of a steel-built steam launch, 37 ft. long, 6 ft. deep, and 5 ft. 8 in. beam internally. She has seven cylinders fitted on each side, each cylinder being 3 ft. 6 in. in diameter and 1 ft. 8 in. deep, and which give her a width on deck of 9 ft. over all. She draws 2 ft. of water without her load, and has a freeboard of 4 ft. The principles of the system and the construction of the launch, which has no pretensions to beauty, were explained to the visitors during a short run, in which a fair speed was maintained the vessel moving very steadily. There can be no question of the safety of such a vessel under most circumstances as regards her immunity from sinking, although in applying the principle in practice several questions of detail will have to be met which have not been consi- dered in the launch in question. It is, however, only fair to state that the vessel is the first of its kind, and so far is only experimental. THE EMBEZZLEMENT OF £ 38,000.—The clerk to the Oswaldtwistle Local Board (Mr. Sandeman) has, by way of challenge to the netices served by the bondholders upon the members of the Board for the recovery of the JE38,000 embezzled by the late clerk, issued notices threatening to claim damages for injury done to his credit in consequence of the publication of the alleged claims. The communication which Mr. Sandeman has caused to be issued, after reciting the allegations con- tained in the notices served by the bondholders, points out that at the time he is alleged to have acted in the negligent and improper manner described, he was not connected with the Board. He notifies that he cannot permit such falsehoods to pass unchallenged, and de- mands from the bondholders who served the 186 notices the fulfilment of the following conditions :-1. An im- mediate withdrawal of the notice in question. 2. A full and ample apology in such form as may be described, to be published in daily and local newspapers. And 3. The payment of all costs. The adoption of this course, it is pointed out, will be without prejudice to any claim Mr. Sandeman has for special damages. Eighty of these notices were received on Friday and the remainder on Saturday. Another member of the Board intends to take similar proceedings in 52 cases. This procedure has caused some consternation among the bondholders, many of whom are East Lancashire farmers. Whatever be the result of these counter notices, it will not affect the case in which the bond- holders seek to recover in their combined capacity the B38.000 which William Gourlay embezzled, and for which, it is contended, the members of the Board in the years during which the respective sums weie lent are collectively responsible. There promises to t e consid t- able litigation over the affairs.

-RR^KIN ON LIBERALISM.—Mr. Ruskin replying to j jroaspd to him respecting the Lord Rectorship of a letter T^grgitv says: What in tbe devil's name Glasgow U ejj.her Mr. Disraeli or Mr. Gladstone ? have you w 0 students, and have no more to do with You are univer. etching. I care no more for Disraeli politics than wit • bag-pipes with the drones or Gladstone than ^ate ajj Liberalism as I do going by steam beelzebub." Tn Considerable pressure has, it THE ATSTBIAN LLO\J- brought to bear on the is understood, been for so™ tQ have tbe route of the Directors of the Austrian ^{rom Trieste to Constanti- fast steamers, which now should call at the nople, via Syra, changed so TO Qn f u Congldera- Piraeus instead of Syra bu e lies with the exist- tion, that the balance con™ ha8 been quite aban- ing route, so that theideaofcMg to put on a doned. The directors bavr howeveer;larlv from Corfu to special steamer which shall run g Athenf) wlll no the Pir»us. In this waJ' while the general longer be compelled to <»11 at 5 'by a ditour to the traffic will not be inconvenienced uy Piraeus.

MONDAY. [Before His Honor Judge Falconer.] At this court there were for hearing fresh plaints, 845; adjourned plaints, 30 fresh judgment summonses, 196 ;—total, 1,071. The whole of Monday and Tuesday was taken up in the hearing of undefended actions and judgment summonses.

A suggestion for «I "4SSSSS and Art Department, what it terms a promised to give due consicte » Works of high "useful suggestion." Thenumberof artistic merit obscurely scattered throngnou th g d is enormous, and it is thought that.bringing q{ public notice would lead to the identifi historical celebrities.. TlR LOOOCK'S CURE OF 10 YEARS' ASTHMA (THIS WEEK) BT JF D PULMONIC WAFERS.-Mr. Welch Bookseller, Cam<mora, writes Mr. Burnard, St. Juliott, Cornwall, many suffered very much from Asthma, and afte' TOOOOK'S medical men and medicines, was induced to take Dr. WAFERS, and the resuit has been marvellous: nothing ever tried has done him the tithe part good that these w have." They instantly relieve and rapidly cure Asthma, oon sumntion, Coughs, Colds, Bronchitis, Rheumatusm a:nd all nervous complaints, and taste pleasantly. Sold by all druggists at II, lid., 2s. 9d., 4s. 6d., and Us. per box.

COALMINING IN WALKS. (Abridged from The Colliery Guardian.) The! coal trade of Wales is its oldest and best known industry, and there is every reason to believe that it I will last the longest. In many other respects, also, it is unique—in its geological formation, in its liability to gas explosions, and in the fluctuations of its industrial condition. It is divided into two portions—north aud south,—uach of which have dissimilar feitures. The North Wale" coalfield lies in tne counties of Denbigh- shire and Flintshire, and it is represented by geologists as a prolongation of the Sou h West Lancashire coal- field, separated therefrom hy the great Pendle line of upheaval, which stretches through Blnckburn and near Onnskirk, in a south-westerly direction. The S>>uth- West coalfields mostly lies in Glamorganshire; but small quantities are also raised from the outcrops in Carmarthen, Breconsbire, and Pembrokeshire. It con- tains m ire coal than any other district in the United Kingdom. Few districts present such facilities as it does for computing its contents, and accordingly the estimate of the Royal Commissioners, in this case, may be rehed on. In the report, South Wales is said to contain 32,400,000,000 tons of coal at depths not ex- ceeding 4,000ft. This is fully one-third of the total quantity of coal estimated to be contained in the United Kingdom. The next largest coalfield, in point of latent contents is the Midland, with 10,000,000,000 tons. North Wales contain-, scarcely 2,000,000,000 tons. In South Wales he chief geological feature is the great anticlinal upheaval extending from Risca, on the east, throughout the entire length of the coalfields into Pembrokeshire. This upheavel sometimes brings the deepest seams of the basin to the surface. Notwithstanding its inexhaustible resources and facilities for shipping coal, the production in houti Wales has not increased during the last ten years at the same rate as in Lancashire, Yorkshire, or the Midlands. It rather resembles, in its rate of increase, the similar industrial district of Northumberland and Durham, with this additional distinction, that its in- crease though slow, has been continuous. Its produc- tion last year was. therefore, the largest on record and it showed an increase of over 3,000,000 tons, as com- pared with 1870. The distribution of labour in South Wales has fluc- tuated much more than the production. In 1870 the number of men employed in raisin-; coal was reported as 29 000; in 1874 it was 51.513. being an increase ot 22,513 in three year. In 1871 the number was given as 37,900, and in 1873 the inspector for the district c-n- sid, red such a great and sudden increase as well mgh impossible. The increase that was then considered in- credible was, however, nearly equalled in the very y^ftr in which the inspectors cast doubts upon it. In 1871, the increase was over 8,000 men in 1873 there was an increase of over 7,000 men, and in the following year of nearly 6,000 so that these leaps and bounds in the employment of labour that appeared at the time to have been incredible, now appear to be perfectly con- sistent with the character of the period. For tour years prior to 1871 the number of men employed was yearly returned as 29,000, and the production given at about 9 000,000 tons. It is not, therefore, surprising that an increase of 8,000 men in 1871 perplexed those then con- versant with the previous history of industry in that coalfield. In 1870 the average output per man was 321 tons, which, after the great increase of colliers in 1871 fell to 240 tons. In 1874 the average output per man'fell to 222 tons and as 1875 could be accepted as a fairly active year, instead of one seriously affected by strikes, it might be said then to have reached the mini- mum of 195 tons. From 1875 the number of men decreased, although the production increased, till last year, when there was again a slight increase. The number in 1878, the lowest since 1873, was 43,934, and the average production per man was 280 tons. Between 1870 and 1875, the average output per man decreased 12G tons, and between 1875 and 1878 it increased 85 tons. We must repeat, however, that 1874 is a fairer standard of comparison than 1875. Tne average pro- duction per man last year was 262 tons in South Wales and 226 tons in North Wales, were 10,142 men were employed. The number of collieries at work has fluctuated from year to year, and at distant periods the variations ap- pear great. More especially is this the case m the lasu few years. In 1871 the number of collieries was L99, and'in 1875,382; but that maximum fell again to 288 in 1878 The fall was greater than the rise, and was the more remarkable because it took place when the production was increasing. Thu., in 1875, the average production per colliery at work was only 26,000 tons, while in 1878 it was 42,000 tons, which is rather remarkable, as occurring at a time when complaints of working short time were so loud and abundant. The number working last year was 316, as compared with 328 in 1870; so that the production in the beginning of the decade averaged 29,000 tons, and last year 40,000 tons. It is well known that South Wales con- tains some of the deepest and largest collieries in the kingdom. Some of them consists of several pits. In North Wales, on the other hand, one-half of the col- lieries are small. The difference in the productiveness of the various districts is best shown hy a statement of the situation of the collieries and the output. In Carmarthenshire last year there were thirty-eight collieries, and they produced 631,967 tons, or an average 16,630 tons each. In Denbighshire there were also thirty-aight collieries, but they produced 1,500,000 tons, or neatly 40,000 tons each while Flintshire, which has also thirty-eight collieries, only produced 721,700, or 19,000 tons each. In Glamorganshire, there were 2G5 collieries, which produced 11,663,140 tons, averaging, 44,000 tons per colliery. In the productiveness of its collieries, in proportion to their number, South Wales is only surpassed by West L:vno ishire, Northumberland Durham; and on the other hand, it surpasses these districts with larger mines in respect of the number of men employed in its collieries. In South Durham, last year 17 000,000 tons of coal were raised by about the same' number of hands as were employed in South Wales to raise 12,400,000 tons; while the number of collieries in South Wales was, in proportion to produc- tion double the number in South Durham. Last year there were 219 lives lost by colliery acci- dents in Wales. Of that number 195 occurred in South TOM? that number give, an „,«.*> nl one d».h for every 246 persons employed and, from this poi >f view, that is by far the greatest death-rate in the ing dom. The average for the United Kingdom was one death for twice that number of persons emptoyed. There was also one death in South Wales for every 64,730 tons of coal raised, as compared with an average of one for every 149,400 tons throughout the United Kingdom. Last year, however, the death-rate from accidents in South Wales was greater than usual even for that district, but we have given the details of it as showing that there are no such signs of improvement there as are to be seen in the statistics for several other districts. The average of recent years has been one death for every 380 persons employed, and for every 98,000 tons of coats raised, which, as compared witn one for every 433 persons employed tbrougbou the United Kingdom, is still too high. Only twice durmg the last ten years has the average death-rate tor We United Kingdom been so great as that for South In North Wales, last year, there were twentr-four lives lost by twenty-three separate accidents, which among 10,142 persons employed, gives one death for 5 0' but in proportion to the quantity of coal raised it is one death for every 95,679 tons. The total exports of co d in the United Kingdom 111 1870 were about 12,000,000, and last year there were 16,000,000 tons being an increase of 4,000,000. We, therefore, see that the ratio of increase of exports in South Wales has been greater than in tbeUoited King- dom. While the increase in the latter has been 33 per cent., in South Wales it has been over 70 per cent. It is worthy of remark, also, that the total shipments in 1870 equalled 61 per cent. of the production, while last year they equalled 70 per cent. The railweys also carried 1,000,000 tons out of the district last year. The iron trade is generally looked upon as the next largest consumer. If so, there has been a ereat falling off in this branch of the trade. In 1872, the quantity used in smelting iron was 1,333,64, whilst last year it was 684,249 tons, being just about one-half the quantity of the former year. Of course, this is not the total consumption in the trade, but merely what is used in the blast furnace. For refining and manufacturing purposes, we may assume that at least as much more was used. If this assumption is correct, the exports of the iron trade last year consumed nearly 10,000,000 tons of the 12,400,000 produced. In 1872 the iron trade of South Wales consumed more coal than that of Mon- month; but now the balance has turned the other way. In 1874, the crude iron trade consumed 713,555 tons in qouth Wales, and 879,932 in Monmouthshire; and, last year the consumption was 684,249 in South Wales, d 769,894 in Moumouthshire. In North Wales os 804 tons were used in the iron trade. As to the condition of the iron trade which has led local decrease in consumption, South Wales has Vt*le of depression to tell. It is well-known that 8ad whole works hare been standing idle, and fw°nmIof these have been resumed during the pre- 11 tr » n?e ™<i« began to revive. In 1871-2 of Z788 bla»t furnaces built in tha dmmet, including Monmouthshire, 120 were in operation and there were also 1,338 puddling furnaces. Last-year, there were only fifty-seven furnaces in blast, and 30o p furnaces. In the former period, the production 0 was 620,000 tons in South Wales, and 481,342Mon- mouthshire. Last year the production was South Wales, and 337,700 in Monmouthshire. Witn the exception of Staffordshire, no other distr'ct has ex- perienced such a reverse in the iron trade. The other industries that consume coal to any note- worthy extent, are copper smelting, tinplate works, and lead works. This is the only district that has manu- factured patent fuel in any quantity but even here it has not made much progress. The domestic consump- tion is comparatively small, for there is not much more than a million of population throughout the whole of Wales, one person in every twenty on the average, being a collier. The prospects of early improvements are, howerer, better here than "in some other coalfields. I The iron trade is reviving quickly. and the exports of coal are increasing still more rapidly, so that though Wales has not so many sources of consumption as most other coalfields have, the two mainstays of this dis- trict are again showing their old vitality and expansive- ness, and their improvement cannot fail to be eventually reflected in the coal trade. Wages in Wales have generally followed the move- ments which we have described as taking place in other districts. The area over which the coal extends, its great variety of qualities, and the virying condition under which it is worked, make it difficult to state an average wage for the whole district, but generally speaking wages are rather lower there than in other dist.rictsof similar industrial character In the prosperous years, at the opening of the decade, the wages did not rise so quickly as in some other dis'riots but when tbe upwnrds movement f >irly set in, it continued rill, in some instances, the wages were nearly doubled. On the whole, however, the increase may be stated as 50 per cent. In Monmouth and Glamorgan, there was an advance of 10 per cent. given in 1870, because the wages were lower there than in other coalfields; and they continued at this rate till 18.72. At the commence- ment of that year the masters wanted a 10 per cent. reduction, and after a fortnight's strike a reduc- tion of ;5 per cent, was accepted. Towards the end of 1872, the upward movement, began with full force. In a few m rnths two advances of 10 per cent, each were given to the colliers, and in some parts higher rates than the average were paid for a short time in erder to increase the production, so as to meet the urgent requirements of the ir >n trade of that time. Since then, there, as elsewhere, there has been a dis- tressing reverse both in wages and prices. Generally speaking, there has been good feeling maintained between the employers and employed, and if the latter have now learned to avoid resort to those losing struggles by which they have sought to effect their pur- pose in the past, and will in future allow the trade to advance with the course of events, they may not have long to wait before the depression will he turned into prosperity. There is, undoubtedly, a bright future in store for the coal trade of S^rh Wdes.

THE FLEET IN THti MEDITERRANEAN. Two hundred thousand rounds of Nordenfeldt ammunition has been issued for the use of her Majesty s ships In the Mediterranean squadron, and is now in course of transmission from the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich to Portsmouth forimmfdiatfdespatch. The order was received unexpectedly, and the ammunition had to be drawn from the magazine at Upnor, and contrary to prrtCtice, during the night. Two sailing barges were loaded with the cartridges, and, in order to save time, the first of these was towed to Woolwich by the steam tlJg M0„key, which was lent by the miralty for the purpose. At the Royal Arsenal the jNordenfeldts are now being transferred to railway trucks. which will proceed direct to Portsmouth. The cartridges, which are the newest thing in the service, are contained in boxjs of 96 each, so that rather more 2,000 b >xes are required for the present consign- ment. The bullets are of steel, and weigh 7i oz. (or nearly half a pound) a piece. The Nordenfeldt "/file gun, from which they are projected consists our barrels, with bores one inch in diameter, liieir chief object is the attack of torpedo boats, and is believed that, with a good lo »k-out, and one of tnese gUng WeU gerved> jt wjI1 be impossible for any of tnose dangerous craft to eet within striking distance ?X a 8tYP thus protected. The most recent experiments nave shown that steel plates of f-inches thick are of no count in the way of resistance, for every shot passed ciean through, and other plates up to H-inch thick are f PrePared in order to ascertain the fall power ?| ':be new weapon aud its heavy shot. Although none ch'll S<-)F • have yet b3en issued, bullets of pxn t AVOn are beinS now manufactured, and are 11n?^ted t0 display equal power of penetration but, steel Stee1' tkey wil1 break UP in Pas9inS through the vess lJ?Ur' and scatter their fragments inside the Ars Cartridges and bullets are made at the Royal so Jl0nal» where, their preparation has been the source of to a number of men and boys for we" 3 ^aSt' ever s'nce arrangements for that purpose tridjje11 6 the inventor and patentee. Each car- uercus ^arri'es i.ts own ignition in the shape of a small with b310n:CaP inserted i" tbe base on the plan usual at nres 6u?;0a(lers. The machine guns are supplied tha T?n contract, being received and proved at tuallvth rnaH Arms Factory, Enfield, where even- j. e^hole of those required will be manufactured, ^-barrelled weapon pivots upon the apex of a oni a stand, formed of wrought-iron plates, and of a manipulation. It is worked by three men, one of whom watches the delivery of the cartridges into the feeding trough, while the second works a lever btckwards and forwards, firing all four barrels in momentary succession at every moment, and the third points the gun upon the object attacked, and changes its direction at will by means of well-devised aPParatus. It is also provided with racking gear, by which a sweeping movement is automatically imparted y t e firing level. In most respects the Nordenfeldt mitrai leu8 difFerg from the Gitling gun of the service, eve^ the hopper from which it is supplied with car- n ^gt s is square instead of round like that of the Gat- ln" a w,is ProP^sed to make the guns with an in- crease^ number of barrels, up to ten but the Royal 18Jer:V Wel* satisfied with them as they are. ine Assist,ance, troopship, Captain Buckle, with more than fifty Nordenfeldt and Gatling guns and ninety tons of ammunition, for the Mediterranean fleet, sailed on Monday for Malta, where she will receive H £ rd,>rs- A detachment of the 1st Battalion of tne 4th Resriment, a number of supernumeraries, and a new crew for the Flamingo, on tbe North American station, who have gone out in the Assistance, will be left at Gibraltar for conveyance by another vessel.

-7 SWANSEA HARBOUR TRUST. At the monthly meeting of this Trust, held on Monday, there were present—Messrs. G, B. Strick (in the chair), John Buse, Thomas Cory, W. H. Francis, Dr. Rogers, L. L. Dillwyn, M.P., Thos. Davies, Lawrence Tulloch, E. R. Daniel, Wm. Thomas, Charles Bath, W. R. Smith, and J. R. Francis. FINANCE. The minutes having been received and adopted, the report of the Finance Committee were read, of which the following is a summary General Harbour Estate. REVENGE. £ s. d. £ s. d. Shipping Rates 2427 3 0 Rates on Goods 1062 15 11 Bridge Tolls 305 4 5 Ballast Rates 71 10 2 Rent of Harbour Railway. 250 0 0 Low Level Railway H6 3 7 Canal Lock Tolls 52 1111 Wharfage and Craneage 128 7 6 Sundry Rents 370 7 6 4784 4 0 EXPENDITURE. Interest 1909 6 10 Wages 1014 14 7 Ballast 142 15 11 Salaries 138 16 1 Stores. 89 18 8 Monthly Bills 207 8 11 Rents,Ra.tes,&c. 423 3 0 ————— 3926 4 0 South Docks Estate. S858 0 0 REVENUE. Rates on Goods 248 14 1 Ballast Rates 162 18 5 Rent of Wharves & Coal Drops 441 1 1 Extra Layerage Dues. 6 3 4 Wharfage, Craneage, & Railway 350 0 8 Sundry Rents. 135 8 11 ————- 1344 6 6 EXPENDITURE. Interest. 500 0 0 Wages. 18116 0 Balla.st. 9910 8 Salaries, 51 18 11 Monthly Bills 164 18 2 Rents, Rates, &c I06 17 H g JE239 4 10 Credit balance on Revenue Account as at 30th June, 1880 £ 16153 18 8 Add Surplus to date, as above 2371 19 6 £ 18525 18 2 Balance in hands of Treasurers on the 30th September, 1880 JE3356 8 10 Mr. Charles Batb, in moving the adoption of the minutes of the finance committee, said the accounts of the Trust presented the usual encouraging appearance. The surplus on the working of the general harbour estate during the past month was £1,297 4s. 10d., as com- pared with E126 9s. 7d. in the corresponding month of last year. There was an increase of 258Y in the amount of shipping rates received, which was very satisfactory as compared with the corresponding month of last year. In spite of all that was said about the depression of the coal trade—which be supposed was the largest ratepaying trade in the port-the quantity which seemed to be going out of the docks was very large. The amount of tonnage showed an increase of nearly £ 900, over the preceding month, and of £ 484 over September last year. He thought they had every reason to congratulate them- selves upon their improving financial condition. Look- ing to the future they might anticipate a still greater increase in trade when the new docks were completed, more especially if a scheme which had been projected for bringing down the Rhondda coal to Swansea was carried out. The surplus standing to the credit of the Trust on the revenue account amounted at present to JE18,525 189. 2d. This was extremely satisfactory. The whole aspect of the accounts, as far as he had been able to ascertain from a rapid glance over them, gave the same encouragement. Mr. Tulloch seconded the motion. The Executive Committee reported having received from the Board of Trade plans of a new bridge for carry- ing the Great Western Railway over the Tawe at Landore. The bridge is to be substituted for the present wooden one. The Ex-mayor moved the adoption of the report. Mr. Buse seconded the motion. Mr. Dillwyn, replying to the Ex-mayor, said the pre- sent bridge was not unsafe or ricketty. He was speaking as a Great Western Railway director. The motion was agreed to, and this finished the business. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SWANSEA AND THE RHONDDA VALLEY. Mr. J. Richardson Francis, rose to make reference to the scheme for joining the port of Swansea with the Rhondda Valley for the purpose of facilitating the coal trade. He did so because he had been re- quested to mention the subject to the Trust, and so get the matter ventilated. The general ques- tion, he said, had been before the public on former occasions, but the two or three schemes which were then shadowed forth had been allowed to drop. Last year it was proposed to tap the Rhondda Valley at Treherbert, carrying the coal to Cymmer, on to Port Talbot thence by the Great Western to Neath, and so to Swansea But, as most people in Swansea saw, this scheme was far too roundabout, whilst there were various difficulties in the way, one of them being the expected opposition of the Taff Vale Railway Company. In the scheme which he was now introducing it was proposed not to tap the Taff Vale branch, but to continue it or meet it at Treherbert. It was thereby expected that the Taff Vale Railway Company would not have such a. locus standi to oppose as formerly might have been the case, if, indeed, they would have any locus standi at all. It was now proposed to go away from their line, this scheme being simply a continuation. By this means a certain amount of traffic might often be offered to the Taff Vale Railway. It was proposed, instead of proceed- ing down by Port Talbot, to buy up the existing South Wales Mineral Railway. There would be a tunnel above Glyncorrwg to Treherbert, and another tunnel on theSouth Wales Mineral Railway, which was already made. The great objections to having anything to do with the South Wales mineral railway last year and previously, for any- thing like large traffic, was owing to the incline just above Briton Ferry. But during the past year it had been found practicable to escape that, and to go at one side of it, by Altering the Eaglebush estate. From there it was proposed oldown to Briton Ferry, and, if possible, in conjunction with Earl Jersey-who gave this scheme his hearty sup- port-and in conjunction with the Great Western Rail- way Company, carry the line so as to make it join the Great Western Railway on the Burrows a little below Briton Ferry-road station, whence it would be taken on to Swansea Docks. This was by far the most practicable and the cheapest scheme of brining the Rhondda coal into the Swansea Docks. The object of bringing this forward to-day was in order that a discussion might take place upon it between the present and the next meeting, or at any such meeting as might be called. The promoters in- tended to give notice of their Bill in Parliament in November, and it was therefore essential that the Har- bour Trust, as a body, should have an opportunity of dis- cussing the matter. c i Mr. E. R. Daniel: Is it proposed to cross the Neath ^Mr ^J- R' Francis: Just in front of the present Briton F0MJ Daniel • By means of a tidal bridge ? rvsnris • That would be a matter for the engineers. Hv- navies said that Rhondda coal was already Swansea and was shipped at that port very brought into S™f'an ate company. He did not lately, but ouly p rjKht in stating that the think that Mr. Francis omLny would give their Great Western Railway they entertained in adhesion to this scheme. shadowed forth by Mr. Joshua William's time, was th Treherbert to Mr. Dillwyn—to cross by tunnel fiom lien Resolven, down the valley of Neath, and a .0d An by the same way as the Aberdare coal was_ entirely independent line was a very difficult tning When the promoters of this scheme called upon him, told them that the only way he knew of carrying it ont would be to make the line in conjunction with the Great Western, from Neath to Swansea. Tn TPDIV to a question, Mr. Francis said that the T?>ir>nflria coal had to be carried 24 miles to Cardiff, whilst P°nd_0 °-! need be conveyed only 18 miles. M^Dillwyn was sure that the Great Western Company i A pither scheme—whichever one might be would supp tj10 public at large. It would be the most desir Neath river, and he might remind necessary to cross tn „ Wales line wanted to cross the Trust that when t Neath line and several per- it some years ago, the v a Wales Company were eons opposed them. The S ^-0 doubt that defeated, the Bill being thro Spenjs very doubtful opposition would be repeated, and it seems whether they would be able to cany_th of navi_ Mr. Charles Bath remarked that the co Admiralty, gable rivers had passed out of thehandsofth who and was now conducted by the Board of Tra would look upon the question with a commercial ey hoped that the movers of this scheme would indue Great Western Railway Company to join the in making a vigorous attempt to cross the Neath river' a8 he thought that a great boon would result to the people 0fM:J9R.Francis said that the Vale of Neath Company, who opposed the crossing of the river, had ceased to ex- ist and the railway and dock were now m friendly bands. This closed the discussion, and the matter was referred to the Executive Committee.

WEDNESDAY. ACTION FOR SACK HIRE.—Gospill, Brown, & Sons, v. Thomas Powell. Mr. Cooke, solicitor, of Gloucester, appeared for the plaintiffs, who are sack contractors at Gloucester, and Mr. Lewis was counsel for the defendant, who in a potatoe dealer at. Bryn- nman. It appeared that in 1878 and 1879 the defendant ordered several quantities of potatoes in Swansea, which were to be forwarded to his, place at Hrynaman. Messrs. Ley, of the Strand, sup- plied the potatoes, which were put in bags belonging to the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs sent to the defendant a delivery note for the bag", at the same time enclosing a label for him to affix to the bags for their return to the plaintiff. A quintity of the sacks the defendant had received had not been returned to the plaintiffs, and they therefore claimed £538. 9d. For the defence, counsel called the station-master at Brynaman, to prove that certain bags had been sent from there consigned to the plaintiffs. He (witness) didn't see them himself. He only knew from the books kept at the station. The defendant was sworn and denied that he had ever re- ceived a delivery note from the plaintiffs, but in cross- examination he admitted he had received several. He had sent back all the sacks he had got. His Honor save a verdict for the plaintiffs for the amount claimed.

♦ LONDON GAZETTE. (From Friday's Gazette.) BANKRUPTS.—Walter Henry Bacon, trading as the Kensington Fine Art Association, The Mall, Kensington also trading as Messrs. Norman and Co., at The Mall, Kensington, and at High-street, Notting Hill Gate, all Middlesex and trading as Messrs. Stone and Co., at Little Britain, Aldersgate-street, London, picture dealer John Thomas P. B. White, Waltergate-street, Deptford, Kent. William Henry Child, Deal, and Seven Oaks, Kent, builder. Robert Meredith, Llandudno, Carnar- vonshire, lodging-house keeper. Wrn. Morton Stanley, formerly of Ipsley, Warwickshire, now residing at Redditch, trading as William Morton Stanley, James Milward, and J. Millward and Co., needle, fish-hook, and fishing tackle manufacturer. Maria Petit and Matthew R. Petit, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, book- sellers and stationers, trading as Case and Co. George William Rogers, Norwich, carpenter and builder. Chas. C rtoys Bath, brewer. Sam Goodacre, of Lowdham, No&mshire. miller. Thomas Astle, Blackfordby, LeT°e NMARTONS ^^ARRANGEMENT.—T. Green, Twyning, LlQUIDA farmer and market gardner. J. Horlick, Gloucestershir jane> Bristol, grocer, corn and Richmond-road, Hobbs' Buildings, Newtown, flour factor. A. ^0ClST > d late Corbet-street, now Bristol, cooper. O. -O-. retailer an(i licensed Derby-street, St. George Merionethshire, hawker. Richard Evan., o Hooper Pontypridd, licensed victualler and farmer. • |bion'j £ 0tel, Glebe- boot and shoe maker. T. Griffiths Aiwon street, Penarth, near Cardiff, mak^e p miller, corn Melincourt Mills, Resolven, Glamorgansh factor, and farmer.. (From Tuesday's Gazette.) Toojwr>rics BANKRUPTS.—Jabez Jones, Southwark LeadworK Emerson-street, Bankside, Surrey, lead merchant, ana Wansey-street, Walworth-road, Surrey. Thos. Morgans, Pentwyn, parish of Nantmel, Radnorshire, farmer, Robert Verdin, of Leftwich, near Northwich, Cheshire, waterman and publican. James Walker, trading as James Walker and Co., Swansea, iron merchant. Mary Holdswortb, late of the White Bull Hotel, but now of the Old Bull Hotel, Church-street, Blackburn. James Williamson, Jun., Ardwick, Manchester, brewer. John TTindson Summer-street, Liverpool, trading in co-part- nership with Thomas Gudgeon, as a brewer at Spring- S 1 or^ Bevington Bush, Liverpool, licensed victualler. LIQUIDATIONS BY ARRANGEMENT. J. Tilbury, of Ton- i fthondda Valley, Glamorganshire greengrocer. ?aDr> «♦+ nf Pentre, Ystradifodwg, Glamorganshire, Ke.» Jo™, Tyg.yn, Ll».„, Carmarthenshire, farmer.

■■ (Seneral ^uttlUgcncr. FIBE NEAR STALEYBRIDGE.— A large woollen mill at Mill at Millbrook, near st.Ueybridge, belonging to Mr. Robert Hyde, was totally destroyed by fere on Monday morning. The damage amounts to £ i.5,000 or £ 2^.000 which is partly covered byinsuranse. RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An acciden- O'curred on MOD. day "n the Glasgow and S uth Wei-tora Railway, at Greenock, whereby the engine aud tender, vvhicn was being shunted, came against the parapet of the wail of tn, fidge across Brougham-street. A portion of the masonry a id a wo "ien barricade fell into the street. No person was in. j urfd. SHOCKING OCCCRUENCE. On Monday afternoon, while a numberof boys were playing to^th r in H'>llnii:ST<);id, Bradford, one of them, James Cunroy, proiuctd i loaded pistol. One of his comp^nio'is, uained Kdw-irl Crjorit-y borruwe 1 the pistol, and beiug apparen'lv under the iru- pression that it WHS not cbanr-d, pulled the trigg r and a boy named Jnhn ftod^ers, a mill hand, was shot on the left temple. He W<lS taken to the Infirmary, but expired on the way. Tbe boys Coumy and Chorley, were at once apprphen ted by the police fluthoriti!,lI. fHE DUKE OF EDINGBVRGH.—The Dukp of Edinburgh, who is a guest of Mr. thkes, at Brantin^ham Thorpe, near Hull, arrived in Hull on Monday morning, and inspected the Guard-ship Audacious, and "ther vessels in the har- bour, which were gaily decked with flags. An address was presented by the Mayor, at the Town-hall, to which a suitable reply was made. His Royal Highness afterwards partook of luncheon with tbe elder brethren of Hull Triniry- bouse, who presented him with a gold casket and created him a brother. The Duke afterwards planted a number of trees in the Botanic-gardens, and then returned to Bran linjrham Thorpe. ARRIVAL OF A SHIPWRECKED CREW AT BRISTOL —The chartered steamer Ashburne. of the Great estern Line, wbich arrived at Avonmouth Dock yesterday, had on board the crew belonging to the Norwegian brig Bets, which ran ashore in a dense fog, on tbe 15th of last month, at Cape Breton, and became a total wreck. Tbe whole of the cre.v took to the boats. and rowed to the Poletscho settlement, Clara river, and from there made their way to Sydney. The consul at that port made arrangements for their passage to Eneland in the Ash- burne. The Beta left Sharpness Point in biilast on August 16th, bound for one of the lower Canadian ports. Tbe crew were sent on from Avonmouth to theSulors' The crew were sent on from Avonmouth to theSulors' Home, Bristol and those of them wbo have n >t already been provided with a ship will start this morning for London, and be sent from there to tbeir (lwn country. GENERAL ROBERTS AND HIS TROOPS —Before proceed- ing to India, Sir Frederick Roberts presented distin- guished service medal to the men of the 72!J(1 and 92nd Highlanders and 5th Goorkhas. Tne Times of India gives General Roberts's address to the men as follows :— I am glad to have this opportunity of giving medals for distinguished conduct in the field to you men of the 72nd and 92nd Highlander and 5th Goorkhas. One thing I am sure of, no men could deserve them better. You showed the other day what material the Highlanders and Goorkh:1s are made of. I only hope it will always be my good fortuue to have such brave forward soldiers with lroe, The 72nd Higblauders bave to mourn the loss of their colonel, as fine a leader of men as I have ever seen. With him fell an equally gallant spirit, Captain Frome, and many brave men, among them, I regret to hear, Sergeant Cameron. a grand specimen of a Highland sol- dier. The 92nd lost heavily also, Colour-Sergeant Fraser heing among the slain. Fourteen gallanr fellows were laid in one grave on the evening of the 2nd September, aud many more are lying wounded in the hospir.al hut, men, you have the satisfaction of knowing you did your outy nobly. I have seen a good deal of hard fight- ing, but I never remember noticing a greater look of determination to win a battle than I observed tn your faces on the morning of the 1st of September. No Afghans could stand against such a steady, bold attack. You beat them at Cabul, you have beaten them at Can. dabar.and you can now leave the country, feeling assured that the very last troops the Afghans wisb tn m- et in the field are Highlanders and Goorkhas. You have made a name for yourselves in Afghanistan. You will never be forgotten here. and you may depend on it you will never be forgotten by me." THE NEW RUGBY.—The British Colony which Mr. T. Hughes i" establishing in Tennessee, IS- at rac'ii g great notice. The object is bping- Cltrrieri out by a ^ooietv. which bus for tide The Aid to Landownership Soci-tv. The Company have secured" 400000 acr, s of land, of which 50,000 acres have been boughi and paid for. A',ollr 150 men nave been employed on the land in prepar tion for the settlers. Already there have been erected on t ie siie of the future town a hotel, and a store, besides saw mills, and a brick kiln. The Company are to provide roads. s"h<>ol- buuses, and a church building "for 0.11 de IOllIinHtions," with a town-hull. A road is being made to the revest railway line, which is6"" mile" distant. Som" spare energy h IS b. en expended on tbe f ,rmation of a ti nnis ground, and already the settlers bave sent a challenge to Cincinnati, from which the new station is eight hours' istm^e. "ffering to play a matco with any club. We must not oini to SItY that Ihe town has already g-ol a nllmp. It is to Ie called Rugby, alter the English town is which was edu- cated, aud witb the records of whose famous 8chool he has associated his name. The settlers are to be, if possible, of tbe English middle class, IInd be8ides farmers, are to com- prise mechanics, mill hands, and professional men. The lerms ot plircbHsP for the land Hre moderate, being only ís. per acre, payable by instalments of 25 per cent. < n entry, Hud the remainder within three years. A ridge of land near the town is to be appropriated to fruit gardens, and is to be divided into small home-steads of from 40 to 50 acres in extent. The ground is stated to be very fruitful, a crop of potatoes this season yielding over 250 bushel; per acre. The new settlement will have its own difficulties. Tbe usu 1 estimate ill that the first settlers are in Ii great measure sacri- ficed in the struggle with Nature, and only theirsucoessors enjoyanytbing like comfort. The project i5 conducted under good auspices and it is believed that the difficulries of the settlers of the new Rugby will be fewer than those usulilly encountered by colonists. The progress (If tbe settlement will be watcb, d. and if the result be satisfactory, it may be calculited that Rugby will only be the first of a series of similar attemptll. RAILWAY ACCIDENT—Just after midnijht on Satur- day intelligence reached Leicester that the 9.15 p.m. Scotch Express from St. Pancras for Edinburgh and Glasgow, which was then half an hour overdue, hid been wrecked near Kibworth, and that a great many passengers had been injured. It was requested that doctors should at once be despatched to the s"ene of the disaster. Mr. Michie, the station-master, sent for Drs. Lmkesteraud Johnston, and had a special train made up as soon as possible. On the special train reach- ing Kibworth, everything was found in a great state of confusio", the passengers running about wildly, while Dr. Macaulav, Mr. Jones, the Kibworth station-master, and other volunteers, were helping the injured and doing thtir utmost for the unfortunate sufferers. An examina- tion of the train showed that the two Pullman cars, in the centre of the train, one of which was for Edinburgh and the other for Glasgow, had had their ends smashed in and frightfully damaged while two composite bogey carriages, between the Pullman cars and the rear van, had literally been smashed up and telescoped one into the other. The doctors at once got to work to dress the wounds of the injured. At first it was reported that some of the passengers were killed, but this turned out to be incorrect, tbe most serious case was that of an elderly gentleman, a commercial traveller, named James Scott, ot Loudon, representing the firm of Mr. C. Brown- ing, Smithfield, who had both legs broken. The train left St. Pancras in good time, and was little late when nearing Leicester. It appears that something had gone wrong with the driving gear of the engine-a very powerful one, No. 809, with 6ft. driving-wheels. To examine the engine the driver (William Hill, of London) applied the Westinghouse vacuum brake, with which the train was fitted, and pulled up the express in a very deep and dark cutting, a little north of Kibworth station. An examination ot the engine showed that all was'right, but what took place after this is very difncullt to explain. From some cause or other, however, the driving gear was reversed, and on the steam being turned on, the engine, instead of going forward, sent the train back- ward at a rapid rate. Meanwhile an iron-stone train which had been shunted at Kibworth station, had got on to the main line, and was standing just at the Kibworth starting signals. The most extraordinary part of the affair is that neither the driver, stoker, nor guard, all of whom had perfect control of the train by means of the continuous brake, discovered the terrible mistake that had been made uutil it was too late to prevent a collision. Luckily, however, the mistake was discovered just in time to admit of the powerful brake being applied, and, had not this effected a great reduction in the speed, a much more terrible disaster must have happened. As it was the force of the collision was very great. The guard's van bounded off, and several carnages were crushed up. The passengers were terribly alarmed, but those in a Glasgow carnage next but one to the rear van suffered the most. Mr. Scott was sitting in the corner of the carriage, when the buffers of the carriage behind came dashing through the end of the carriage, breaking both his legs. The man who sat next him, however, was uninjured. More persons must have been injured if it had not been for the fact that care is taken, as far as possible, on the Midland line to allow only four pas- sengers in each compartment in the night expresses, so as to allow all to lie down. The train was made up of an engine aDd nine carriages, and of these four were wrecked. Another train having been made up, all the passengers were taken to Leicester, where every kindness and attention were shown to them. The train left Leicester, at 3.30 am., three hours and 40 minutes late. All the passengers went forward with the exception of Mr. Scott, who was conveyed in the ambulance to the Leicester Infirmary, where part of the bone of one of his legs was cut off. Meanwhile the breakdown gang were hard at work, and at 4.5 a.m. the wreckage had all been removed. The following is a list of the injured Mr J. Scott, commercial traveller for Messrs. Browning and Co. oil merchants, 26, St. John-street, Smithfield, Lon- don, compound fracture of both legs Mr. W. Clarke Royal Gardens. Sterling, forhead cut Mr. J. Watson, 106, South Portland-street, Glasgow, bruise on right armu' i Thompson, 46, Ockendon-road, London, sbghtiy grazed on both legs Mr. J. B. Borthwick, Pol- loksnield, Glasgow, contused nose. Several passengers complained of being shaken, but they did not require surgical aid. On inquiry late last night Mr. Scott was repotted to be going on as favourably as could be ex- pected in the circumstances. Some additional particulars have since come to light as to the cause of this remarkable accident. It is stated that there was a loud knocking on some part of the engine, which made the driver, Hill, pull up to examine the cause. The train stopped for several minutes, and the guard walked forward to ascer. tain what was the matter He was on his way back to his van, when, to his surprise, the train began to back. He jumped into his van, but before he could apply the brake the collision occurred. It is supposed that the driver had become anxious as to the knocking on the en- gine. and had become so absorbed in lis ening to ascer- tain if all waa right that he failed to notice that the engine was running back instead of forward. He has been impended pending an inquiry into the accident.