the door of the carriage and got out. The parapet of
the viaduct on that side was within a very short space
of the carriages, and it is supposed that owing to the
darkness of the night, instead of getting down in the
narrow space between the train and the parapet of the
viaduct, they stepped upon the top of the parapet.
Immediately afterwards an alarm was given that they had
fallen over, and the shocking fact was soon afterwards
confirmed by the discovery of their bodies in the valley
below. They had fallen from a height of seventy-five
feet. Two of them, John Healy, aged 23 years, and
Jane Hadfield, who were lovers, and had been to Belle
Vue Gardens, Manchester, were quite dead when found.
The other man, Thomas Priestnall, a weaver, aged 29
years, residing at Freetown, was taken up in a state of
insensibility, and died in about an hour afterwards.
Priestnall had attempted to persuade another young
woman to get out with him, but, fortunately, she had
not complied with his request.

A deplorable accident, resulting in the Death of Three
Quarrymen, occurred in the Llanberis slate quarry on
the 17th instant. Four men, named Henry Roberts,
Owen Roberts, Evan Rowlands, and John Price, were
sinking a shaft in order to work a level. A very extensive
blast had been discharged, and the men, having
waited the customary time, prepared to descend.
Rowlands went first, and, nothing being heard of him, the
second followed, being heard to say as he went down,
that Evans lay at the bottom. A third then descended,
calling, as he did so, to the two to rise up. He then
fell, suffocated by the smoke remaining from the blast.
The fourth man then went partly down the shaft, but,
seeing the lifeless bodies at the bottom, he returned and
obtained help. One of the men, on being brought to
the surface, exhibited signs of life, but though the poor
man lingered twelve hours he expired without evincing
the slightest consciousness. An inquest was held next
day in the Quarry Hospital, and a verdict accordingly
returned.

Mr. John Shepherd, landlord of the Oxford Arms in
Westminster-road, and brother of one of the lessees of
the Surrey Theatre, has been accidentally Killed while
out shooting with his brother and Mr. Creswick. When
about to pass through a gap, the keeper recommended
the party to put down the hammers of their guns. Mr.
Creswick had done so with one barrel, and was letting
down the hammer of the second, when by some means
the piece went off, and shot Mr. Shepherd dead.

Mr. Nicholson, organ-builder, Macclesfield, has Lost
his Life by a Singular Accident. He was in the act of
"voicing" or "sounding" a pipe, and applied his ear
to it, when, from some unknown cause, a splinter flew
out, entered his ear, and gradually penetrated to the
brain. After three weeks' illness he expired, suffering
great agony.

A fatal Fire has occurred in Wolverhampton. Messrs.
Booth and Co. recently erected premises in the town
for the manufacture of naphtha and creosote oil; and
legal proceedings were about to be taken to get rid of
it as a nuisance. On the 14th inst. by some means
unknown, a quantity of naphtha ignited; the flames
spread; in a little time the whole place was a roaring
furnace, streams of liquid fire pouring out to ignite
the surrounding buildings. The manufactory was, of
course, completely ruined; two adjoining houses were
gutted; and other damage done. A man who was
attending a furnace was unable to escape—his body
was converted to a mere cinder. A mother and child
perished in one of the dwelling-houses. Seven other
persons were burnt, but not fatally. It is stated that
vast bodies of flame shot up into the air from the burning
spirit; at a certain altitude portions of flame
separated from the mass, and, descending like water-spouts,
burnt up everything inflammable upon which they
alighted.

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS-

BIRMINGHAM has subscribed for and erected a statue
of Sir Robert Peel. It was designed by Mr. Peter
Hollins, is composed of bronze, and was cast in the
foundry of Messrs. Elkington. The figure, eight feet
six inches in height, stands on a granite pedestal, resting
on the right and advancing the left foot. The right
hand grasps a scroll, the left rests upon the hip. On the
pedestal is the single word "Peel." It stands nearly
opposite the town-hall. On the 27th ult. this statue
was uncovered and delivered over to the Mayor by the
Testimonial Committee, in the presence of the municipal
authorities and a great crowd.

Some time since, Mr. Adderley, M.P., offered ten
acres of land at Saltley for the formation of a park for
the people of Birmingham; but he desired a nominal
rent to be paid to him, to have a voice in framing the
regulations, and a guarantee for the proper laying-out
of the ground: apparently from some misunderstanding
of the scope of these conditions, the Town-Council
declined Mr. Adderley's offer. "Determined that the public
shall not suffer from this, Mr. Adderley has announced
that he will set aside the ten acres as a playground for
all classes, not attempting to fence or plant the plot.

Emigration from the North of Scotland to the Canadas
continues in full force. About 600 people will shortly
leave Aberdeen and neighbouring ports. Agricultural
labour has advanced in value in consequence of these
thinnings of the population.

The Edinburgh Courant declares that Forbes
Mackenzie's Act has given rise to much private profligacy
on the Sunday; young people clubbing together to lay
in a store of liquors to be consumed while the taverns
are closed: and then scenes occur that would not be
tolerated in a public-house. To meet this evil (it is
added) another has been created—a police "spy"
system.

The annual meeting of the Liverpool Chamber of
Commerce took place on the 27th ult.; Mr. Heath in
the chair. The proceedings were confined to the reception
of a report, stating the legislative changes made in
laws bearing on commerce during the session. In the
course of a speech on the report, one of the Borough
Members, Mr. Horsfall, told an anecdote connected with
the passage of the Bills of Lading Act, which amusingly
illustrates midnight legislation. A bill was drawn by
the American Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Baring,
Mr. Cairns, Mr. Brown, and himself, presented it; and
as the law now stood the holder of a bill of lading had
not only a right to the property to which it referred,
but the right of recovery should it be damaged, or in a
case of short delivery. The promoters of the bill were
desirous that power should be taken under the bill to
detain any foreign vessel until the claim had been settled
for damage or short delivery. To this the Vice-
President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Bouverie, objected;
and, on a division, the House rejected the clause. In
looking over the list of the majority who voted against
the clause, he found eighteen members of the Government,
and two members who intended to vote with
them, but did not. The bill did not come on before one
o'clock in the morning, and the Scotch Education Bill
had occupied the whole of the evening. It was not an
interesting subject to many honourable members; many
were fast asleep; and two admitted to him afterwards,
that in voting for the Bill of Lading they thought it
was the Scotch Education Bill. This anecdote was
received with great laughter.

An official paper just published shows the enormous
amount of the Parliamentary Expenses of Railway
Companies. It appears from a return to an order of
the House of Commons, at the instance of Mr. Hadfield,
that the legal, engineering, and parliamentary expenses
of 160 railway companies in the united kingdom have
amounted to £14,086,110. There are 45 railway
companies that have made no return, including the Bristol
and Exeter, the Dublin and Belfast Junction, the Great
Southern and Western, the Newport, Abergavenny, and
Hereford, the Shrewsbury and Birmingham, Shrewsbury
and Chester, and the Whitehaven and Furness.
The expenses of the 160 companies who have furnished
the returns for legal and parliamentary expenses
average £88,000 each; and taking the 45 other
companies to average but £30,000 each, or £1,350,000, the
total amount would appear to be £15,436,110 for law,
engineering, and parliamentary expenses of 205 railway
companies in the united kingdom, the chief portion of