Monmouthshire Merlin

BRECONSHIRE ELECTION". The election of a member of parliament for th" county of Brecon, in room "ftl:e lite Sir Joseph Bailey, Bart., of Glanusk Park, took place in pursuance of proclamation, on Tuesday last, at the county hail, in the town oi Brecon. The only candidate '.v!, come forward on the occasion was Godfrey Charles .Morgan, Esq., of Ruperra Castle, eldest surviving son of Sir Charles Morgan, of Tredegar Park, and the knowledge of the fact that no opposition was offered from any quarter deprived the event of its usual excitement and bustle, and as it was also known that the member elect was prevented from attending by an attack of illness of a very serious character, the anticipated proceedings were still further divested of interest. The attendance was, therefore, very limited, and with the exception of a few of the neigh- bouring gentry, was principally composed of inhabitants of the town. The proceedings were commenced by tbe u^ual forms, such as reading the writ by the Under Sheriff, Henry Maybery, E.-q., and the administration of the bribery oath to the High Sheriff, Major-'Jencrai Wood, who pre- sided as returning officer on the occasion. The High Sheriff then informed the electors present that in obedience to her Majesty's writ, he had assembled them for the purpose of electing a representative, in the room of the late lamented Sir Joseph Bailey, He re- marked that their late ropres:nla'ive had raised himself from what might be considered a very humble situation in life to a position of very great distinction. This fact was as much to his honour as it was to the commendation of our free institutions. lie had raised himself hy aiding to develope that industry which was as much the off- spring, as the defence of the national wealth. As the representative of his native county, he had filled the proudest situation that an Englishman could aspire to- and which any man might be ambitious of not for his own pers nal aggrandisement, but for the power which it conferred of achieving for his fellow countrymen the greatest amount of good. Their other late representative had served them Very faithfully f)r the very long period of 40 years, (ioud and continued applause), and though now worn out with age and suffering, of which they would be sorry to hear, still, thank God, he yet lived. (Renewed cheers.) lie was certain that the electors he was addressing needed no words of his to stimu- late them to the free and enlightened exercise of a duty n which the interests of their county were so deeply concerned. It was not for him, holding the situation he now tillel, to enter i ;to political controversy, bat he would say that the present movement was pregnant with^ events for good or for evii, It"hidl would go far to deter- mine the fute of this great country. The result very much depended on the manner in which various parties in the legislate e would act with regard to the great questions of the day. (ilear, hear.) He would say no more, but state the course of proceedings, first caling upon any electors who nrght have candidates to propose, and if, as he expected, there would be an unopposed I return, it would still bo competent for any elector to put return, it would still be competent for any elector to put any questi n or make any explanation he might think necessary. (Applause.) John Parry de Winton, E'q., of Maesder.ven, then came forward and said that he rose with some pain on account of the cause of the absence of the gentleman whom he was about to praise, but with much pleasure on account of this gentlema 's claims to their favourable consideration. He had recency known from the best authority that he was a dutiful and affectionate son, and they all knew that lie had been a gallant soldier. The man who had exposed I;is life t<> imminent danger in the most daring charge ever performed by the cavalry of England, was not likely to neglect the honour or interests of England on the fl.,or of the Ilonse of commons. He should have said more had Mr. Morgan been present, with regard to some points in what lie would e dl his manly, eloquent, and liberal address, which contained everything that he could wish to see carried out. He could say that he was happy to propose a scion of the ancient house of Tredegar, after so long an adsence from the representation of this county. He had known the county for full 60 ye irs, and knew who had served them best. The family of Tredegar had made them a present of the town hall, they had built a very handsome ball- room at the Castle Hotel, for the benefit of the ladies, and had given a commodions race-course for the amusement of the gentlemen. (App!un?e and laughter.) They had given a site for the county gaol, and only a few days ago Sir Charles Morgan had offered a site on is ground for the handsome building intended for the school of Christ's College, for the education of the rising generation, but he (Mr. De Winton) was unfort':na'c!y one in a minority of governors opro.ed to its being built in what he considered the worst site in the neighbourhood. Whenever any imp ovement. in roads was proposed, in the times of the old turnpike trust the late Sir Charles Morgan never asked a question, but granted whatever was required without hesitation. :\11. Morgan, in his address, expressed an opinion that his politics were those of the county of Brecon, nnd he (Mr. De Winton) thought so too. He believed that they were not extreme in any opinion. They wanted neither a Tory nor a R tdi- cal, but wished to steer between extremes. Whenever the question of Reform was brought forward, he hop-'tl Mr, Morgan would vote for a bill that would be berr ficial to the country. Reform had often been brought forward previous to 1831, when William the Foutth put his name to a document by wliieh they had g t rid of rotten bo- roughs, and had divided the seats among populous consti- tuencies. This was a great boon, but what they wanted in the way of reform now he did not very well under- stand. They must k ep p.c? with the progress of ,0' ciety and with the increase of intelligence, but he be- lieved that universal suffrage meant universal destruc- tion. Wherever it had been adopt"d it had been followed by anarchy and ruin. The cruelty f the French Revo- lution was due to this, and it required the strong arm of the first Bonaparte to keep the nation from destruction. They remembered that when more recently a member of the House of Bourbon had been diiven from the throne, they were obliged in 1852 to place themselves under a Dictatorship to keep the country from sedition and ruin. Happily, we did not require such extreme measures, as we enjoyed the best constitution in the world, c existing of Queen, Lords, and Commons, which he hope: would be transmitted to latest posterity. He concluded 'y pro- posing Mr. Godfrey Charles Morgan. Juhn Lloyd, Esq., of Dinas, rose to second t' omi- nation. He said it was a truism that every L iiter ■who lived many years in the world naturally became more Conservative in character, and still more so iu pro- portion to the amount of success that he had been able to secure but it did not follow that he became one item less a Liberal in spirit. Hes,;okehisown feelings, and never would utter a sentiment which did not come from the bottom of his heart. If he had the same course to run over again, with similar objects to attain, he would show the same zeal and fervour in endeavouring to attain those objects as he had shown in an earlier period of his life. He had made those remarks in justice to himself and in justice to the situation he had then the honour to occupy. He now wished to explain the reasons which induced him to come to the conclusion that Mr. Morgan was the most eligible person to repre- sent this county. In the first place, he considered that Mr. Godfrey Morgan possessed a liberal spirit with refe- rence to public measures. Secondly, he believed that he possessed considerab!e ability-sufficient to create hopes that he would become a useful member of the most dis- tinguished body in the world in the third, and most important of all, he felt convinced that he was actuated by personal principles of integrity and honour that would induce him to carry out any professims or promises he made with the most scrupulous good faith. He had stated that Mr. Morgan was actu .ted by liberal senti- lnects with regard to public measures; he would admit that those terms were rather vague, and wou'd proceed to a more close definition of what he meant. He believed that if anv abuses were proved to exist to bis satisfac- tion, he would not only feel it his duty but a positive pleasure to remedy them. If it was soown that any extension of any privilege could safely be concedeu, l. woulJ be his pleasure to support it. There were some Liberals in the world who were n t Conservatives., and some Conservatives who were not Liberals. As an illustration of the first class, he, perhaps, could not do better than cite that member of Parliament now on a tour of agitation iu Scotland —Mr. Bright al. must admire his talents, which had rendered him about tue best speaker of the ape but he spoke sincerely when he gaid that in his opinion nature had given him every qualification, but had forgotten the organ of conservatism. In his impracticable search for perfection, he was willing to throw the whole of our pditical institutions into chaos, and to peril the very existence of that constitu- tion which was the envy and admiration of the world. In the spirit of perfect fair play he would give a speci- men of the Conservative who was not liberal—he would cane those members of parliament who, having opposed Cc'rolic fmancipation to the last, now continued to bring fCTlVdrd the question of the Maynooth grant. He was happy and proud to say-and here he spoke from positive knowledge-that v bile Mr. Morgan would not join Mr. Bright in Americanising our institutions, he would not j dn Mr. Spoon-:r in rescinding the Maynooth grant. (Applause.) The High Sheriff had alluded to the approaching measure of Reform he shou e < ecemng approaching measure of Reform he should be decking them if he did not express the opinion he ent .itained, tLa, let them establish whatRef.rm they pleased, ttey never eou'.d have a better House of Commons than t..e During the past session it had removed the usabilities of members of the Jewish persuasion, and had removed the property qualification, which prevented many from coming forward as candidates for the representation of the people; and he must say that the present House of Commons deserved well of the country. Mr. Lloyd then proceeded to explain what he considered would be a safe and moderate measure of ref>rm. The great "Re- form Dill of 1831 was formed on two principles, the dis- franchisement of small boroughs, and the extension of the franchise. He hoped that the next measure would be counted to the same principles. With regard to dis- franchisement, he referred to 32 boroughs with a popula- tion of less than 8,000 persons, each returning two nombera. The three of those nearest to this county were Leominster, Ludlow, and Evesham, and they, with a population of IJSS than 16,000 persons, returned as many members as the City of London and the great town of Liverpool. If those boroughs were allowed to retain one member each, they would still have 32 scats to confer on new constituencies. He found by the same returns that there were 19 counties ur portions of coun- 'e ties that possessed more than 220,000 inhabitants, and by giving 19 members to those districts, they would enlist a much greater number of persons in defence of our institutions. They might create a new metropolitan borough in Chelsea, and give additional members to such cities and towns Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, and Shef- field, or create new boroughs, such as Birkenhead, Lea- mington, and Clifton. Those 32 seats wonld probabiy be found sufficient to meet the wants of the present ge- neration, and as they had two Reform Bills in 40 years, they could leave other small boroughs as reserves for fu ure contingencies and the growth of future consti- tuencies. He now came to tile more important part- the extension of the franchise. He agreed with the proposal of Mr. Locke King, which appeared to him to be founded on a basis of equity, for he could not under- stand why a tnan living in the streets of this town should enjoy a privilege denied to a man occupying a similar position in point of oecupation at a distance of two or three miles in the country. On the same ground he would give votes for boroughs to forty shilling free- holders within towns, and make the franchise strictly equal in boroughs and counties. lie had thus bumblv expressed his own opinions, considering meetings of this kind fit and proper places for the discussion of such questions. Some Reformers thought the Ballot essential, but he must confess that for several reasons he should be sorry to see it adopted in this country. He thought it would tend to promote corruption it would proclaim to the wcrld that there were a great many Eng- lishmen tyrants, and a great many who were slaves for, without mincing the matter, he was a tyrant who would seek to compel a man to vote against his will, and he was a slave who would be intimidated to vote against his con- | science. Mr. L. referred to France as a proof that the ballot was not a preventive to despotism, and to the re- cent message of the American Preeident to show that it was proclaimed by the highest authority of the United States that it might co-exist with a degree of corruption that threatened the safety of the State. In this country he was himself a proof that every individual possessed not merely freedom of thought and speech, but of action aLa; let them therefore show by their conduct that th"y did not require the shelter of the ballot. Let the land- lord and tenant, employer and tradesmen, determine that they would neither intimidate, nor be intimidated. He had already stated the grounds which had induced him to give Mr. Morgan his earnest support. He did so because he represented his own sentiments. Himself the son of a sailor, he also felt a great interest in Mr. Morgan as the lineal descendant of a naval hero, almost equal to Nelson —the great Lord Rodney. Ho would not allow such a consideration to balance againsta political principle, but when they were agreed on other points, lie thought they should show respect foj the descendants of great men, who had distinguished themselves by services ren- dered to their county, either in the senate or the field. He assured the electors that lie was performing an honest I duty while gratifying his feelings in cordially seconding the nomination of Mr. Godfrey Charles Morgan. (Much applause.) Xo other candidate being proposeJ, the High Sheriff declared Mr. Godfrey Charles Morgan to be duly elected. Sir C. Morgan thanked the electors for the high honour they had conferred upon his son, who was unable to attend, as ho was sufferilJg from severe iilness, and his physician had certified that lie could not cornu to Brecon at present without endangering his life. At school, in his regiment, and at home, his son had been beloved and respected, and ha had given promise that he would per- form his legislative duties in a way that would be satis- factory to his constituents and honourable to himself. (Cheers.) As fir as he (Sir Charles) understood his son's politics, they agreed with the principles which had been so ably enullciated by his friend, Mr. Lloyd. I' A vote of thanks to the High Sheriff terminated the proceedings.

♦ — CONSUMPTION OF FLESH MEAT IN FRANCE.—It ap- pears fro/n an account recently published that the con- sumption of meat in France, which in 1812 only averaged seventeen kilogs. for each individual per annum, is now fifty-four kilogs. In comparison to the number of inhabitants, tbe consumption is greater in the towns than in the country parts. Paris consumes ten ¡¡IIIlgs. each person more than any o her place. Next in quantity comes the north of France, where the average is sixty-four kilogs. each; the two provinces of Poitou a .d the Limousin are those which onsume the least, the quantity being only forty-one kilogs. It is singular that ill the departments where the most meat is pruduced, the consumption is the least. DISTKESSING SUICIDE.—The festivities of Christmas at Kettering were some vhat saddened by the following distressing event:—A yuung man named Frank Baxter, son of a respectable tradesman, was, although only 18 years of age, affi inced to a girl two years (lis junior, named Sarah Mom's, the daughter of a neighbour. Pieparations had been made for the marriage on Christ- mas morning. At the hour appointed for the ceremony the clergyman was in attendance, and the couple not making their appearance, he sent the sexton to ascertain the cause, who returned in a short time with the melan- choly tilings that the intended bridegroom had put an end to his life by shooting himself through the h. ad. His bcdy was found on the bed intended for the nuptial couch, a ghastly spectacle, his brains having been !itu)aHy blown out and scattered over the bed, which was sat ur..ted with blood. Apocketpistutlayciosotohia left hand, an open Prayer-bo )k was on his pillow, and tiie portrait of ids betrothed on the chair by the bedside. Out c evening before he was quite cheirful. It ap- pe ired, however, that he afterwards went to his pirezite I house, and "n alte rcation took place between him and his father, the latter being opposed to the mitch, principally on ut count of the extreme youth of the parties. It is thoug.it that this led to the rash act. Deceased was a steady and well-conducted youth As may be supposed, his intended bride is overwhelmed with grief. "There seems to be little doubt," it is remarked, in the city article of Tuesday's Times, "that the introduc- tion of a Russian loan on the London Stock Exchange is contemplated in the course of the coming year. The impression is that it will be for a considerable amount— probai ly £ 3,000,000. The expectation of an Austrian loan also gains strength, and in that case, too, the total is likely to be large. Possibly there may be some rivalry between Austria, and Russia to see which can obtain the first hold upon the market." THE LEVIATHAN.—Messrs. Martin, the bank rs of Mr. Scott iiussell, in whose yard the Leviathan or Great Eastern was built, and remained so much longer than was convenient, have brought an action against the owners of the gi eat ship, to recover compensation for the extra use of the premises, which the bankers now, it seems, hold by virtue of a mortgage made to them by Mr. Russell. Messrs. Martin claimed rent at the rate of £10,000 a year, but ultimately the Judge, Mr. Justice Willes, was requested to say what he thought a fair sum, and he named for six months of extra occu- pation £ 2,500. Two sergeants of a regiment of dragoons in garrison at Dijon, fought on Saturday morning a duel with swords after a few passes, one of them, named Galbois, received the point of his adversary's sword in the breast; he fell into the arms of one of his seconds, ex- claiming, "It is nothing;" but he died on reaching the hospital, to which he was at once carried. The duel took place with the permission of the officer commanding the squadron to which the men belonged, but the cause of it is not stated. The deceased was the son of a gene. ral, and twenty-seven years of age. BURNING OF THE PACKET SHIP "ISAAC WIUGHT," AT LIVERPOOL.—On Thursday morning, about two o'clock. some of the officers, who were walking on the landing stage at Liverpool, observed several blue lights and rockets ascending from a. vessel in the river, and judging this to be a signal for assistance, they manned a boat and pushed off to a steam-tug then lying opposite the stage, with her steam up, and asked the captain to run down to the ship. On getting alongside, the captain of the tug found that the vessel was the Isaac Wright, Captain Marshall, of 1,500 tons, belonging to Messrs Baring Brothers' line, and that she was on fire—the smoke issuing in dense volumes from various parts cf the deck, hatchways, &c. One or two tugs shortly afterwards arrived and took all the Isaac Wright's passengers—upwards of 200--who were going to New York in the unfortunate ship Mr. Ilodson, the harbour mister on hearing of the occurrence,gave directions that the engines from Ilatton-garden; and other fire-police- stations, sh mid be brought to the landing stage, shipped on board the steam-tugs, and conveyed alongside the blazing ship, which was then burning very rapi >, the flames could be seen very distinctly ioni e own. This was done, and on the arrival of the tugs, wi le engines, they commenced to play upon the sup, v\i i but little effect, as the fire seemed to increase every moment, instead of being subdued. In order to take her out of the line of traffic across the river, some tug-buats got round her, and towed her up the river as far as New Ferry, where it was decided that an attempt should be made to scuttle her. In the meantime the passengers, who, for the most part, were in their night-clothes, were conveyed to the large shed on the great landing stage. The boxes and luggage of these poor people, being in the fore part of the vessel, where the fire is supposed to have originated, ere all destroyed, and they are left destitute of everything but what they stood in. After the burning ship was brought as close to the shore as the state of the tide would permit, an application was made to Cap- tain Mens, of H. M.S. Hastings, for the purpose of having the ship fired into, as the more speedy and effectual means of scuttling her. This was done and the vessel was soon sunk, but in such a position that at low water she will be high and dry. Accommodation will be pro- vided for the destitute passengers until such time as uwhec vessel can be got ready for them.

Stetwt ITeutf. CAPTURE OF BURGLARS. — The Gloucestershire con- stabulary have bcensuccessf-il in oapturing two desperate fellows who had long been suspected of being principals in a gang of thieves and burglars. On3 of them is named Williams, and the other Atkins; but the latter is better known by the nickname of'' Tom Stocking." In the course of Thursday night tli,-si! fellows broke into a house in the neighbourhood of llambrook, and while they were engaged in their work of plunder the constable upon whose beat the premises were situate had his attention directed to them by seeing a light. He watched for a short time, and then sa.v a man at the top part of the house. Being satisfiel that a burglary was being com- mitted, the officer kept a sharp look-out for the thieves, and, on their quitting the place, made an attempt to seize them. They offered a desperate resistance, and one of them produced a large knife, with which he made a dash at the throat of the policeman, who luckily saw the a:m, and throwing his head aside was wounded in one of his ears. The burglars immediately decamped, but fortunately very shortly afterwards a butcher's cart on the way to market came along the road. The constable unarmed the butcher of what had transpired and got a lift in the cart, in which he lay down and was driven on until he overtook the objects of his pursuit, who were pushing on in the direction to Bristol. Upon the officer reappearing, the men again bolted and ran into an ad. jacent wood. There they were followed, and after a short time secured, a considerable sum in copper money and a quantity of tobacco, forming part of the proceeds of the burglary, being found upon them. Both prisoners have been previously convicted, and one of them is a returned transport. ) FREAKS OF A LUNATIC.—An invalid, named Coombes, living in a small cottage in Diglis Fields, near the Severn, performed some strange freaks on Sunday morning last. The poor man had been suffering from rheumatic fever, and lately his brain had become afiected. While alone in his chamber at the back of the house he opened the window, and in a state of nudity, caught hold of the spouting immediately above, by which he unaccountably managed to reach the roof. Greatly to the terror of the neighbours he then ran up the slates to the ridge, along which he paced backwards and forwards for several minutes. An alarm was raised, and the assistance of P.O. Hunting procured, but the officer was nonplussed to determine ho>v he had best secure the unfortunate man without injuring him. AfteFthe lapse of several minutes, Coombes made his way round a chimney, near the gable, and then darting down the roof, sprang on to a workshop contiguous, but slightly lower. From thence he jumped on to another building, the slates of which gave way and one of his legs sank through, but was withdrawn badly cut. before JIunting.could grasp it. His next essay was on the top of a pig's cote, and into the stye, when, as he was in the act of boun ling over the wall he was seized by the policeman, who held him tightly. With a hideous grin, the poor fellow exclaimed, Loose me, loose me,— you've only got my spirit—my body's np stairs." Ue was conveyed into the house, and again placed in bed, where his wounds were washed and dressed, and medical aid was sent for. In a little time afterwards he became quiet, and has not since evinced any inclination to repeat his dangerous frolic. BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE. — On Monday a Sheriff's Court was held at Worcester, E. Gillam, Esq., Under Sheriff, presiding. The sitting was held in pur- suance of a writ of inquiry, to settle the damages irj an action for a breach of promise of marriage. Ihe plain- tiff, Harriet Perry, is a good-looking fresh-coloured damsel, who has followed the occupation of a cook. The defendant, Mr. Reuben Key, a farmer, residing between Bewdley and Cleobury Mortimer, did not appear, nor did any one else represent him. Mary Pountney, sister of tl,e plaintiff, said the plaintiff and defendant were lovers, and the courtship went on at my house in the early part of the present year. The plaintiff left her service to be n.arried. The defendant told me he was g-oing to be married to the plaintiff on the drafter Cleobury fair (the fair was held on May 31st). We were ultimately told to prepare the wedding breakfast, which was done, but the defendant never came. When I again saw him, he told me he did not mean to marry; that was his only excuse for not marrying my sister. I be witness was shown various letters, which she stated to be in the defendant's handwriting. The letters, nine in number, scarcely went further in themselves in estab- lishing a promise of marriage than the celebrated epistle from Mr. Pickwick, in the suit against that worthy gen- tleman by the widow Bardell, but they were eloquent enough of the writer's passion for the plaintiff. Osmond Pountney went with the defendant to the Registrar of Marri iges, at Bendley, in April last, and lie obtained a license to marry the plaintiff. The jury gave a verdict f,) r C, 17 5. SHOCKING AND FATAL ACCIDENT AT LLANGOLLEN.— A shocking and fatal accident occurred on Tuesday, at the house of Mrs. Allen and Miss Lolly, near this town. On the morning in question, two young men, named George Barrett and Henry Evans, were painting the greenhouse, and shortly before one o'clock they went to Lie saddle-room to eat their dinners, after partaking of which, the latter p'-rson took hold of a gun, which had been lying loaded about the place for time, and while he was examining it and showing his companion how they used such things in the militia, it went off and shot him in the mouth, causing instant death. We believe we are correct in saying that not the slightest blame can be attached to his companion. The deceased was about sixteen years of age. SOUTH WALES RAILWAY.—John O'Connor, Esq, formerly secretary to the Waterford and Limerick Rail- way, has been appointed by the South Wales Railway, general manager of their traffic for Ireland, and it is ex- pected that, under his management, the trade from this port to Milford will experience a considerable increase.— Waterford Mail. Loss OF THE OAKLAND.—Mr. Samuel Ward, United States' Consul at Bristol, has received a despatch from Mr. A. B. Harries, United States' Consular agent at Milfoid Haven, advising him of the loss af the Americii* bark Oakland, of Bath, 650 tons register, which vessel sailed from Chariest.iii on the 24th of November, bound for Liverpool with cotton. On the 19th inst., in lat. 49 48 N., long. 13 30 W., during a heavy squall, the Oak- aud was struck by lightning, which penetrated to the cargo by her foremast, setting fire to the cotton, which burnt rapidly. At 8 a.m of the 20th the flames having uurot out in all directions, Captain Hunter, with the crew and one p senger, took to the three b)ats. Ab)ut 20 minutes after they had left the foremast went overboard. The boats kept company, steering f, r Cape Clear until the night of the 21st, when they separated in a fog. At 11 a.m. of the 22:1d the boat, containing W. II. Thomp- son, mate, and five seamen, was picked up by the French rig Emiiie, Captain Chanvelon, who landed them at Mil- ford Haven OIl the 23d inst. The other boats, containing Captain Hunter, one passenger and eight seamen, have not yet been heard of. The warmest thauks are due to Captain Chauvelon for his kind treatment of the men of the Oakland, who had saved nothing from the wreck but the clothes they wore. TESTIMONIAL TO A COUNTY COURT JUDGE. — The alteration made by Government in the distribution of the vari JUS districts of the County Courts, has taken from Mr. Johncs, the Judge of the N.W.Wales County Courts several cf the t ^wns comprised in the North-West circuit. The officers and the professional gentlemen practising in Mr. Johnes's courts though it a favourable opportunity to present him with a testimonial of their respect. A subscription was made amongst them, which was ex- pended in an elegant silver Epergne, value jSSO. On Tuesday a deputation from the several Courts which he vacates' visited Mr. Johnes at the Castle Hotel, Conway, he having held his 1.st Court in that town, under the old regime, ra the previous day. The testimonial was duly presented, and a dinner to celebrate the occurrence subse- quently took place. FATAL BOATING AOCIDENT. -A melancholy accident occurred on the Avon, ne,r Bath, on Monday afternoon, involving the death of one young gentleman and placing the lives of t'o others in extreme jeopardy. The de- ceased is Mr. Francis Collisson, son of the Rev. J. B. Collisson, llector of Walcot, Bath, who has recently taken up his residence in that city. Mr. Collisson. who was 19 years of age, had just returned from Oxford University, where he was a student, for the purpose of passing the Christmas vacation with his family..Being fond of boat- ing, he had on soveral occasions taken trips up the river, the last of which was attended with the distressing results about to be described. On Monday afternoon the de- ceased, accompanied by his brother.Mr. Reginald Collisson and Mr. Hall, of Camden-place, Bath, hired a boat for the purpose of proceeding to Warleigh. The river was much flooded at the time, owing to the late rains, and the current was in consequence unusually strong but the young men, being expert rowers, arrived safely at War- leigh, and set out on their return. On reaching the mill at Bathampton the boat was lifted from the water, carried round and launched again below the weirs, and the party once more embarked. The current accelerated, by the weirs, proved too much for their strength the boat was driven rapidly onwards and almost instantly the ferry rope struck against Mr. Hall, causing the boat to capsize, and plunging its occupants into the water. Mr. Hall who is a good swiamer, was enabled to reach the land, and Mr. Reginald Coliisson, though like his brother, unable to swim, succ?ededin catching hold of the boat, and after- wards of a stake diiven into the bed of the river. Mr. F. Collisson, who was observed to rise some distance from the boat, struggled hard to keep himself afloat, and ap- peared to be making for a small island near the spot, but, unhappily, be'ore reaching it, or before any assistance could be rendered him, he sank and rose no more. In the meantime, Mr. Hall, who had landed in safety, procured additional aid. and after the lapse of some time succeeded in rescuing Mr. R Collisson from his perilous situation. He was afterwards conveyed in an exhausted state to the George Inn, at Bathampton, and was removed on the fol- lowing day to the residence of his father in Somerset p!ace.°Tidings of this distressing accident were forwarded to the home of the deceased, and his father, the Rev. J. B. Collison, and Captain Randle Ford proceeded imme- diately to Bathampton. Ever effort was made to recover the body, but without sucoess, and the search was con- tinued on the following day with the like results. Mr. Francis COIUSSQU was a scholar ot Qaeeu's College, Oxford,

TIlE SEC:Œ L' SOCtKTIliS IX IRELAXD. Tne official investigation into the charges preferred against flic youthful patriots from Skiobereen and oantry, ot being members of a secret and illegal society, commenced on Liev.iay morning, in the Cork County (j.ioi. It was conducted with strict privacy the press oeuiff excluded. The. Examiner, however supplies an out line of the proceedings" The magistrates before whom the investigation was held were Messrs. Davys and Fitzmaurice, stipendiary magistrates; Sir AL Harrington, Crown Solicitor, and i ifass's'aat> conducting the case on behalf ot tbe Crown; and Messrs. T. M'Carthv Downing, of Skibbereen, and II. B. Julian, ot Cork, defending the prisoners. Between eleven and twelve o clock a body of the city police, armed with carbines, arrived at the gaol for the purpose, as was under- stood, of conducting the accused from the place of confinement to where the iuqtury was to take place and the proceedings couimenejd about twelve o'clock! The lirst. witness examined was the approver. He deposed to having been present at several meetings of the Phoenix Society, and also to the administration to himself of two oaths by a party who has up to the present contrived to elude arrest, but an active search after whom is bcinrr earned on by the authorities. He also swore that he had seen the prisoners drilling several times at ni.ght, in places a little outside the town of bkibbereen. The Constitution, says Nothing could exceed the app arent levity and carelessness of the prisoners dur- ilig the inquiry. They appear to be confident that the evidence egainst them wili be so weak as to insure their release within a brief period. The evi. d'nce of the approvcr is very conclusive, and contains the proceedings at several meetings of the society at which he was present. He also deposes to two oaths having oeen administered to the members of the society by a man named Cotter, for whom an active search has been instituted by the police. The terms of the oath were very nearly as follows 1 have something to tell you which will be a benefit to you and to the country. 1 can tell it to you if you promise to keep it a secret. I have promised to keep it secret. An oath of sec;'es\ was then administered, after which the following :— I, A.B., do solemnly swear that I will, to the utmost of niv power, endeavour to overthrow the British Government; that I will join with and assist any foreign army which may arrive in this country for that object; and that I will obey and carry out the orders of my superiors in this society to the best of my ability. At the close of the inquiry, and after a short delibe- ration on the part of the magistrates, the following decision was announced Eugene ATCart.y, James Stack, and Jeremiah DriscoII to be discharged on their own recognizances of £100, to come up for trial when called on Jeremiah Cuilinane, Tlmothv Dug- gan, Dennis Downing, Patrick Downing, Timothy M'Carthv, Thomas O'Shea, and William O'Brien to be admitted to bail, themselves in jElOO each, and two sureties each of £ 50 to appear at the assizes and Daniel M'Carthv, Denis Sullivan, Jeremiah Donovan (Hoes I), Morty Moyneaan, William O'Shea, and Morty^ Downing to be committed for trial without bail. The solicitors for the prisoners then returned thanks to the niagistrates and Crown Solicitors for the manner in which the proceedings had been conducted.

Machinery multiplies production; Chemistry often purities our food but applianees-in-aid are not always improvments for instance, time was when good Tea was readily obtainabJe-pltre icholesome teiJ-Dr. Samuel Johnson liked s,iel, the frtqljentli s of Garway's" in the days of Char)csII.obtained such; and wise people seek such now. John Chinaman said Iin»lish mer- chant like good looks," and so ha made all his tea good looki,,iy,, for fie was iiot I )w ir, fi,idirig o,it -Lilit it would aid him to disguise his brown flivourless autumn leaves; for by colouring all qualities alike, he doubtes his own and the merchant's profits. Jlornitnan 3- Co, London prefer quality before appearand1, and therefore import only the choice spring sorts, that have no n"ld to be disguised with powd-red colour -.—this every English tea drinker admits is a real improvement," as this Tea is ahmn/s- good alike." It is supplied only in PACKETS through Ilorniman's own AGENTS for list of agents in Tins LOCALITY s:?O advertise aent in this day's paper. THE ATLANTIC TEI»EGRAP-H. —A.n extraordinary meeting of the shareholders in the Atlantic Telegraph Company was held on Wednesday, for the purpose of re- ceiving a report from the directors relative to the pre- sent state of the company's affairs. The report gave a history of the past events of the company, and the failure of the cable. It also announced a fresh and formidable defect on the Newfoundland side, and having referred to the great services rendered by the cable during the short time it was at work, concluded by stiting that application had been m^de to the Govern- ment for assistance, in the shape of a guarantee of 41 per cent. on £ 550,000 new capital. The chairman (Mr. Stuart Wortlev) expressed a hope that the Government would grant the required assistance. Unless they did so, he could not see any way out of their present diffi- culties while on the other hand, if they obtained the guarantee, he believed the company would carry their project to a triumphant issue. i'he report was adopted unanimously. LEEDS. —A reform meeting was beltl on Thursday night in the Town Hall. Three thousand persons weie present Uderjnau Lucock, the chairman of the Reform Registra- tion Association, preside I. Mr Edward Baiues proposed a resolution to the effect that the meetiug was decidedly of opinion that a large aud effective measure of reform in the representation of the people in Parliament is of urgent importance. Mr. baines contended that the constituencies mi^ht be safely doublet, and showed what considerable improvements had taken place in the social aud intellectual postion ot working men, aud which abundantly qualified) them for the franchise. llr. William Brown seeon,le I the motion, which was enthusiastically carried Councillor L/arter moved that such a measure of reform should include a lar,;e extension of the suffrage with the protection of the vote by ballot. Councillor Musgrave seconded the motion. Councillor ilerton proposed, as au addendum, that after the words large extension of the franchise," should follow the c; .use :—" Such an extension as would i :clude in England aud Wales every male person of full age and not subject to legal incapacity who was rated to the relief of the poor in respjet of premises occupied within the borough, and that the county franchise should be ten pounds." This was seconded by a working-man named Campbell, and carried. Three cheers for Mr Bright wound up the proceedings, lieforua meetings in the north would appear to be very general just now. At Hudders- fi.ld, the meeting parsed a resolution requesting Mr. Akroyd, their member, to retire iuto private life. A_ movement, too. is taking place at Worcester, with which Mr. Lislett, M.P. for the city, has identified himself; but the bon. gentleman speaks in guarded language, and is evidently impressad with the idea that the Constitution may be involved in danger. THE CONDEMNED CONVICT, BUUOBSS.—After sen- tenceof dea-li was pronounced on this wretched man for th;! murder of his little daughter, he was removed from the dock to the condemned ecll of the county gaol. Here the prisoner became very vi dent, and made fearful imprecations on those who gave evidence against him. He was, however, at length subdued, and has since re- lapsed into the taciturn mood he preserved before his trial. Such is the o inion of the value of capital pun- ishment as examples entertained by the officials of Somersetshire, that it is wished, if possible, to avoid making public the day appointed for the execution of Burgess Miry Newell, aged 22, was convicted of the wilful murder of her child at Reading assizes on Wednesday, and Sentenced to deatn. The ehilti was illegitimate, and the mother having been reduced to a state of frenzy by tiie refusal of the brutal father to contribnte to its maintenance, threw the infant into a canal. The jury ricomraende.i the wretched prisoner to mercy, and she is not to be executed. The fatber of the child gave evidence ugainst the prisoner. Ill the evening he was leaving Reading by rail, when he was set upon by a mob, ducked in a pond, kept half rm hour in a ditch up to his neck in mud, and nearly killed. The sentence of death on this unhappy woman has since been commuted to penal servitude f°r I'fe. The intelligence of the Royal clemency was communicated to the pri- soner on Wednesday, and she received it with emotions of deep than inquiries had been frequent as to the time when she was to suffer the extreme penalty of the law, and her conduct since her conviction haa been extremely becoming one so situated. Gratifying as this intimation of tne reprieve his been to the town, it would have been move satisfactory had the sentence been commuted to an imprisonment for a term of yaara, instead of penal servitude fjr life.

AGENTS FOR THE "MERLIN' IX LONDON. r>EA<:ox, si.—150, Lea.len'.all-s'reot. II.VMMOND ,I.¡¡ Co.-27, Lombard-street. JONES.,I. p A-iD (j0—2, Orescent Villas, Canonbury Park North Islington. MnvuET.L, (j —Ked Lion-court, Fleet-street. NEWTON- AND CO.—2, Warwick-square, Newgate-street. KF.VN;;LI U-42, Chancery-lane. Flect-strect. The paper is tiled at PEHI. S and LLOYD'S COFFEE ROOMS. Newport and Cardiff, Saturday, January 1, 185 Printed for the Proprietor, by WILLIAM CHRISTOPHERS, of No 7, Com ercial-street, in the liorougli of Newport; and published at the MERHX General Printing Office, No. 16, Com- marctal dtrcet, Newport: and at N9. 21, it. Mary'* ttrMt, Cardiff.