A serious Railway Collision took place on the 20th
inst. at a place called Clifton, about five miles from
Manchester where there are two junctions. The first,
called the Mullyneux Junction, is where the London
and North Western Patricroft Branch runs off the East
Lancashire line, down a rather steep incline to the right.
The other is about three hundred yards nearer to
Manchester, where the East Lancashire comes upon the
Lancashire and Yorkshire line from Bolton to Manchester,
and is called the Clifton Junction. The Mullyneux
Junction is not much used, and there is no station, but
merely a pair of self-acting points. The train to
Manchester was passing the points at the Mullyneux
Junction when the carriages passed on to the Patricroft
branch, whilst the engine and tender kept the line
towards Manchester. There were nine carriages following
the engine, with a luggage van immediately behind it.
All the carriages passed on to the branch, and kept the
rails for about thirty yards, where they went off the
line, and came to a stand in the form of a semicircle.
The first carriage had nearly regained the East Lancashire
line when they stopped, notwithstanding the higher
level of that line, which is there about a yard above the
branch. The engine was brought up without getting
off the line, or the driver and stoker receiving injury.
The carriages, however, came in collision at the corners,
and the passengers were thrown about, and a good deal
bruised. The guard, a man named Tyson, from Colne,
was found to have received a blow on the head, which
rendered him insensible, and, up to yesterday morning,
fears were entertained for his life. There were six
passengers injured, some of them severely, but none
fatally. The carriages were broken at the corners,
where they came in contact with each other, and the
luggage van was thrown over. The train had to stop
at the Clifton Junction, that the tickets might be
collected, so that it was probably not going at a speed
exceeding twelve miles an hour, when the accident
happened, or the results might have been fatal.

Mr. Jackson, a respectable painter, of College Street,
Chelsea, has Lost his Life in a humane attempt to save
the lives of fellow-creatures. On Saturday afternoon,
the 18th, as he was walking along Sloane Street, along
with his wife, he saw a poor woman with two children
attempting to cross the road immediately in front of a
cab, which was coming along at a furious rate. Thinking
that they must be run over, he tried to stop the
horse, but was knocked down with great violence, and
the wheels of the cab passing over the lower part of his
body, he was taken up in a state of insensibility. He
was conveyed to St. George's Hospital, where he died
shortly afterwards, plunging a wife and seven children
into the deepest distress at their sudden bereavement.

A Fatal Coal-pit Accident occurred on the 18th in
Messrs. Baldwin's colliery, near the Pothouse Bridge,
Bilston. It appears that the engine belonging to the pit
is used for the double purpose of pumping and winding.
At night it has been customary to detach or "throw out
of gear" the winding apparatus, to allow the pumps to
work without interruption. On the evening previous to
the accident the bands had been thrown out of gear as
usual. In the morning the night engineer, finding the
water out, stopped the engine, and threw the bands in
gear, as he thought, ready for operation upon the arrival
of the day engineer, Alexander Jones, whose duty it was
to lower the men on their arrival at six o'clock. At that
time seven men and two boys placed themselves in the
skip to descend, and after being lowered about ten or
twelve yards they began to descend with such fearful
velocity that it became evident to those on the bank that
the engine was out of gear; and the nine individuals
were precipitated to the bottom of the shaft, a depth of
120 yards. The band chain became detached from the
sudden jerk at the extreme end from the engine shaft,
and the whole chain, about 160 yards long, and near two
tons weight, fell upon and buried in its iron coils the
unfortunate creatures at the bottom. Nearly an hour
elapsed before the chain could be removed from off the
sufferers, when it was discovered that the two boys were
dead, and that the whole of the men were most seriously
mutilated. At the inquest the jury considered that the
responsibility rested upon Jones, and returned a verdict
of "Manslaughter" against him.

A lamentable Accident from Gunpowder occurred on
the evening of the 24th at Pendlebury, near
Manchester. A collier walked into a small shop to purchase
some gunpowder, which he wanted for blasting. Mrs.
Musgrove, the shopwoman, gave him 6 lb. of
gunpowder out of a cask. He had scarcely left the shop
when the remainder of the powder exploded, from what
cause is not known. The explosion was followed almost
immediately by that of two other casks of powder in
different parts of the house. The house and shop were
destroyed, Mrs. Musgrove and her two children being
buried in the ruins, where they were found soon
afterwards by the neighbours. Mrs. Musgrove was rescued
and carried to a neighbouring public-house, where she
still lies in a very dangerous state, and is not expected
to recover. The two children—a girl aged seven years,
and one still younger—were both more or less burnt
and bruised. The accident occurred at half-past
six o'clock in the evening, and, as Mrs. Musgrove had
a candle in her hand at the time, it was probably caused
by a spark falling from it into the cask.

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS.

A summary has appeared of the proceedings of the
Encumbered Estates' Court in Ireland, from its
commencement, 25th November, 1849, to the 23rd September,
1851, from which we extract the following particulars:
23rd September, 1851: Number of petitions presented
by creditors to 23rd September, 1851, 1,348; numbers
lodged by owners of estates to same period, 385; number
dismissed by the commissioners, 212; total number of
petitions presented, 1,945. Total amount of
incumbrances, as stated in the schedule to said petitions,
£22,458,576 7s. Net annual rental of the estates sought
to be sold by said petitions, and applicable to pay said
incumbrances, £1,141,090 10s. 8d. Number of estates
sold in court to the last auction day, 17th July, 1851,
333; number sold in the provinces to 13th August, 1851,
61; number sold by private contract, 46; total number
of estates sold, 440. Amount realised by sale of said 333
estates in the court, £2,322,953 0s. 6d.; ditto by private
sales, £236,916 11s.; ditto by provincial auctions,
£1 094,631 0s. 6d.;  total amount of sales, £3,654,500 12s.
Total amount distributed to creditors up to 23rd September,
1851, £1,798,000. Total number of conditional
orders made to 23rd September, 1851, 1,450; total
number of absolute orders to same day, 1,253; total
number of miscellaneous ditto, 3,383. Total number of
titled persons for the sale of whose estates petitions have
been presented to the commissioners:—One marquis,
thirteen earls, three viscounts, four barons, one lord,
five honourables, twenty baronets, five knights, seven
members of parliament, five ex-members of parliament.
—As an example of the very moderate sum for which
an estate can be sold in this court, we may mention the
case of Samuel Dopping, owner, which estate was sold,
and the amount, £76,225 distributed for the small sum
of £321 1s. 5d. Another in the matter of Arthur
Robinson, owner, sold for £9,200, the costs of which,
including survey, printing rentals, and distribution of
the fund, amounted to but £197 1s. 11d.

In the case of a Galway gentleman, whose property
was brought by petition under the Encumbered Estates
Court, in the course of last month, the rental of the
lands to be sold is but £50, while the encumbrances,
principal and interest, exceed £15,000.

Lord Leigh has given the whole of the game and
preserves upon his manor of Little Leigh, in Cheshire,
to trustees, for beneficial and charitable purposes
within the township, including the school, and other
public charities. The owners of property, and the
freeholders who are resident, have all agreed to join in
the same liberal object, as the occupiers of the land.
The whole of the game has been let on the most
advantageous terms, and it is hoped that this laudable
appropriation of a property which is so often a source
of annoyance and evil will be of great and general
advantage.

A very important defect has just been discovered in