men to arrest the sergeant, telling them, if he resisted,
"to knock him down with the butt-end of their
carbines." He, however, went quietly off to the barracks,
and now awaits a court-martial, which has been
ordered, to take his trial for "breach of discipline, and
using violent language"—but virtually for preventing a
breach of the peace. On Saturday evening the mayor
and sitting magistrates assembled in the council chamber
to inquire into the matter, when evidence was adduced
confirmatory of the above facts, so far as they referred
to the incidents of the morning. Cornet Baumgarten
was present, and at its conclusion entered into his own
bond, in the sum of £1000, to appear before the bench
on Monday to answer the charge of illegally meeting to
fight a duel with one Evans. Cornet Evans not being
in attendance, a warrant was issued for his apprehension,
and on Sunday last Superintendent Clements
proceeded to the barracks to serve the warrant, returning
to the station-house with the officer in his charge. The
officer was taken to the superintendent's private room,
and the mayor and magistrates' clerk sent for; on their
arrival Cornet Evans was set at liberty after entering
into his own recognisances to appear to answer the
charge on Monday.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

A SHOCKING Catastrophe happened on Loch Gowna
on the 3rd instant. Mr. Dopping, of the Royal Marines,
stationed at Arva, invited the officers of the Longford
Rifles to a day's pleasure on board his yacht, at Lough
Gowna, near Granard. Those who accepted the
invitation were—Capt. F. White (son of Mr. H. White,
the colonel of the regiment and lieutenant of the
county); Capt. R. A. Dopping (son of Mr. Dopping);
Lieut. Fox (son of the county member, Mr. R . M.
Fox); Lieut. Shuldham, Lieut. Bolton, and Ensign
Gregory, of the Rifles; and Lieut. Irwin, of the revenue
police, stationed at Arva. Everything went on well
till evening, when the yacht neared the land at
Derrycassen, and it became necessary to get into a small
rowboat to reach the shore. In their eagerness to
return, too many got into the boat, when she
unfortunately upset, and Mr. Dopping, Capt. White, Lieut.
Fox, and Lieut. Irwin, were drowned. Lieut. Shuldham
and Ensign Gregory were also immersed for some time,
but were fortunately saved through the exertions of
Lieut Bolton and Michael Roddy, a servant of one of
the officers.

The Isabella Anderson, of Inverness, has been
wrecked and all on board have perished. A bottle,
containing a letter written in pencil, found by a young
fisherman on the beach of Golspie, has disclosed the
melancholy catastrophe. The sheet was rolled cross-
wise, as if done hurriedly, and put into the bottle in
such a manner that it could not be taken out without
breaking the bottle. The letter will be read with a
mournful interest:—"December 19—ship Isabella
Anderson, of Inverness. Our canvas has given way!
The raging waves dash with fury round our helpless
barque! The rocky coast of Norway will soon tell our
fate. This is my last work, and I accomplish it with the
braveness of a British sailor. My love to my affectionate
wife. The same to my beloved family. Evermore
farewell! John Sanderson."

The Annual Register of Shipwrecks states that the
lives lost during the year 1854 on and off the shores of
the United Kingdom were no fewer than 1,549; there
having been 689 in 1853, and 920 in 1852. The
following are the larger or more notable of these
calamities: "Thirteen were lost in the Embla, wrecked
near Blyth in a snow storm, on the 7th of January;
290 in the Tayleur, wrecked at Lambay Island,
January 21st; 23 in the W. H. Davies, wrecked at
Vatersa Island, in the Hebrides, on the 27th of
January; 16 in the Charles Jones, wrecked on a rock
off Esha Ness, Shetland, January 31st; 10 by starvation
on board the wreck of the Bona Dea, which was
boarded off Mizen Head, and the survivors rescued,
February 11th; 11 by the upsetting of the life-boat of
the Liverpool Steam-tug Company, when trying to save
the crew of the Cherokee, stranded in a gale in the
West Hoyle, February 18th; 14 in the Essex, lost on the
Scroby Sand, on the same day; 480 in the City of
Glasgow, steam-ship, missing since the 1st of March,
on which day she sailed from Liverpool for
Philadelphia; 11 in the Bonato, which foundered off the
start, in collision with the Ann Kimball, in the night
of March 24th; 199 in the Favourite (of Bremen),
which sank near the same spot, in collision with the
Hasper, in the night of March 29th; 21 in the Europa,
transport which was burned at sea, May 31st; 11 in the
fishing lugger, Happy Return, lost near the Dudgeon,
October 18th; 12 in the Oxefia, wrecked on Hashro'
Sand, November 17th; 23 in the Mary Graham, wrecked
at Sunderland, in the night of November 22nd; 40 in
the Nile, steam-ship, wrecked near Portreath in the
night of November 30th; 16 in the Rovigno, which
sank near Hasbro' Sand in the night of December 4th;
and 14 in the London, wrecked on Burnham Flats, at
night, December 6th. The remainder were lost in
smaller numbers exclusive of many more lost in ships
that are missing."

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS.

The Early Closing Association has circulated a sketch
of the progress and present state of the movement, which
deserves the most extensive publicity that can be given
to it. The following particulars are of great and general
interest. Since this association was formed in 1842, it
is estimated that at least 150,000 young men and young
women are more or less directly interested—physically,
morally, socially, and religiously—in its efforts. This
is quite irrespective of the large measure of influence
it is known to have exercised, and is still exercising
throughout the provinces, in originating and in various
ways assisting branch associations. Previous to its
establishment, the hours of employment in nearly every
department of industrial life were excessive: in many
cases almost incredibly so; for instance, it was a very
common practice for the linen drapers to keep their
shops open during a large portion of the year till 11 and
12 o'clock at night, it being often 1, and sometimes even
2 o'clock, before the assistants were really free. On
Sunday mornings they not unfrequently were kept at
work till 3, 4, and even 5 o'clock, and numerous have
been the instances of young men, instead of retiring to
bed, preferring going off to bathe, it being broad
daylight when they left their respective shops. Seven o'clock
in winter and 8 o'clock in summer, are the hours which
it is desired should be adopted in the retail trade.
Through the agency of the Early Closing Association,
the hours of employment in many departments of
business have already been materially curtailed. Since a
partial reduction in the period of employment has thus
taken place, very many valuable institutions, for the
special mental and religious benefit of young men, have
been formed, which before were not so much as heard
of, and, indeed, but for the success of the Early Closing
Association, could not possibly have existed. Reference
is here made more particularly to the Young Men's
Christian Association, the Church of England Young
Men's Society, and the Evening Classes for Young
Men. But there are, notwithstanding, at the present
time many thousands of young men, and also of young
women, who are utterly cut off from the many privileges
offered by these excellent institutions. The Early
Closing Association is the only organised agency in
existence for extending to the over-worked population
of the metropolis opportunity for healthful relaxation,
and the culture of their mental and spiritual nature.
Its efforts are designed to apply to every department of
industrial occupation, where the period of employment
is unduly and unnecessarily protracted. Those efforts
have recently been employed—and with considerable
success—in promoting the Saturday half-holiday movement
in connexion with the various wholesale trades.
The attention of the board is at present particularly
directed to the case of the assistant chemists, whose
hours of employment extend, for the most part, from
about 7 o'clock in the morning, till half-past 10 and