the meantime the burglars endeavoured to escape, but
fell through a skylight, and cut themselves severely
with the glass. They, however, succeeded in gaining
the roof, and the police were soon in pursuit. They
took a course over the houses in Trinity-square, where,
after a long chase, they were captured. On returning to
Messrs. Magnus and Marshall's premises, the officers
found the place in a state of the greatest confusion—
bank notes, gold, and silver being strewed over the
floor; and on a further search, two five-pound notes
were discovered on the floor of No. 2, close to the
broken skylight; the notes were covered with the blood
from the two men, one of whom, Amos, had sustained
very considerable injuries.

Cowell, the principal leader of the Preston Strike, with
five other "delegates" have been arrested on the charge
of conspiracy for the purpose of sending back work-
people brought by the manufacturers from Manchester.
They have been examined before the magistrates and
committed for trial, but have been admitted to bail.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND DISASTER.

The dreadful Colliery Accident near Wigan on the
18th ult. (see Household Narrative for February, p. 43)
has been made the subject of a coroner's inquest, and
the jury have returned the following verdict: "We find
that the deaths of the eighty-nine persons under
consideration were occasioned by an explosion of fire-damp
occurring within the workings of the Arley Mine, at the
Ince-hall Colliery, on Saturday, the 18th ult. We find
that the explosion occurred in or close to Pilkington's
drift, and was ignited, as we conceive, from Pilkington's
shaft. The cause of the gas exploding, was, we believe,
a sudden and accidental outburst from some point not
far from the seat of the explosion, and we would point
to the fall in Woodcock's place, as the only likely source
shown for the emanation of such an outburst. We give
it as our opinion, also, that the general management and
ventilation of the mine in question, from the time of the
former lamentable explosion to the present, have been
satisfactory, and the system of working, under the
peculiar circumstances of the pit, uncensurable. Under the
circumstances of these awful explosions, we would
strongly recommend to the managers that, as far as
possible, the use of gunpowder in the working-places
within the mine be wholly discontinued."

On Monday evening the 6th inst., a terrific Explosion
took place at Coton's fire-work manufactory in the
Westminster-road. About six o'clock Mr. Coton and a
boy proceeded to the top floor to prepare some fire-
works, leaving his wife and children in the basement.
The two former had scarcely time to reach the premises
when an explosion took place which shook every house
within a quarter of a mile. The neighbours who came
to the house found Mrs. Coton's sister-in-law and the
children in the basement struggling to get out, and their
rescue was effected by tearing up the iron grating. This
had hardly been done when Mrs. Coton rushed out into
the street, exclaiming that her husband and three other
persons were in the upper part of the house. She had
hardly spoken when the first floor and the parlours took
fire instantaneously, a dozen explosions in succession
ensued, and a number of Roman lights and rockets shot
across the road and fell amongst the people, several of
whom were knocked down. Several engines quickly
arrived, but while the firemen were directing the water
upon the burning premises, a more fearful explosion
than any of the previous ones took place, which blew
the upper part of the house, nearest Charles-street, to
the ground, and at the same time rockets, Katherine
wheels, signal and slow lights, were projected across the
wide road. The firemen, although exposed to so much
danger, kept to their posts, but they were unable to get
the mastery of the flames until the whole stock of
composition took fire and blew up with terrific force, causing
myriads of sparks, blue lights, and other combustibles,
to fall in such volumes, that the whole locality was
placed in jeopardy. The firemen, however, at length
prevailed over the conflagration. It has been ascertained
that Mr. Coton and. a boy, named Charles
Berkshire, were the only persons killed. The rest of the
persons in the premises at the time fortunately escaped.
The remains of Mr. Coton and the boy were found in
the ruins. It was stated by one of the men employed in
the manufactory that there was upwards of half a ton of
manufactured composition in the warehouses.

News has arrived of the Loss of the "Staffordshire,"
a Liverpool and Boston packet-ship, off the southern
extremity of Nova Scotia, with a lamentable sacrifice of
human life. She left Liverpool in November, with a
cargo valued at £20,000, and 198 passengers, mostly
emigrants, including several ladies. At the end of
December she encountered dreadful weather; the master
was blown off the foremast, broke his ankle-joint, and
was obliged to resign the command to the mate. The
weather moderated, and the ship neared Nova Scotia.
One night, after eleven o'clock, the ship struck on the
Blonn Rocks off Seal Islands. Two boats broke adrift;
the remaining two put off with the four mates, twenty-
one seamen, and twenty-five passengers, including one
lady. They had hardly got clear of the ship when she
went down, carrying with her 175 persons, including
the master. The people in the boats gained Seal Islands
next day, where they suffered much from hunger and
cold. The loss of the vessel is attributed to the rapid
current running into the Bay of Fundy.

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS.

The late census gives some remarkable results as to
the Relative Proportion of the Sexes in Great Britain.
The number ot the male population, excluding those
absent in foreign countries, is 10,223,558, and the female
population 10,735,919; consequently the females are in
excess of the males by 512,361, or as many as would
have filled the Crystal Palace five times over; how
many of these were spinsters cannot be known until the
second portion of the census is published. The proportion
between the sexes in 1851 was 100 males to 105
females, or about the same as in 1801. The births
during the last thirteen years give a reversed proportion,
viz., 105 boys to 100 girls. The disparity in the
proportions of the sexes is greatest in Scotland, there
being no less than 110 females to 100 males in that
country.

At a meeting of the Metropolitan Commissioners of
Sewers on the 27th ult., the report of Mr. Bazalgette
and Mr. Haywood, recommending a scheme for the
main drainage of London on the plan of the late Mr.
Foster, was presented; and also a report from Sir
William Cubitt, approving of the scheme. But before
it could be put to the Board, the Secretary read a letter
from Mr. Henry Fitzroy, stating that he had been
directed by Lord Palmerston to enclose a letter from
Mr. F. O. Ward relative to the comparative value of
the systems of drainage advocated by the Commissioners
of Sewers and the Board of Health respectively: and
adding that, in his Lordship's opinion, the system of
drainage recommended by the Board of Health is that
which ought to be adopted, as combining the greatest
degree of efficiency with the greatest degree of economy.
Upon this, Colonel Dawson moved, and Mr. Hawkshaw
seconded the motion, that the court adjourn sine
die. After the expression of that deliberate judgment
by Lord Palmerston, said Colonel Dawson, "in opposition
to the principles and practice of this Commission,
sanctioned by the highest engineering authorities of the
day, it is not consistent with our reputation, or with
the best interests of the public, that we should continue
longer in office than until this board is reconstructed, or
our successors are appointed." This motion was
unanimously carried, so that the Metropolitan Commission is
virtually at an end.

At a general meeting of the Crystal Palace Company,
it has been resolved to increase the capital by £250,000
—making it £1,000,000. The addition is wanted to
make good losses by accidents, extra labour, the
reconstruction of the water-towers, and some other necessary
but unforeseen expenses.