The Principality

.oII!jiii4o: :C:r- iMiniii | 4- The news of the reimbursement of the Cuffe-street Savings Bank depositors has been received. The Tipperary Vindicator gives the following statement: Oil Friday last the romantic locality of Cullohill, licir Borrisoleigh, was the theatre of a most painful scene. This property has lately come into the possession of Mr. John Parker, of Ballycolliton, near Nenagh, and wishing to get rid of small holdings and amalgamate farms, he issued an habere; and to carry out his intention was on this day ac- companied by his brother, and his law agent, Mr. Daxon, of Nenagh. At half-past eight o'clock they appeared on the land with a gang of about 20 of the notorious levellers of Nenagh. About nine o'clock the worthy sub-inspector, Mr. ,v Maloue, with about 40 of his police from the different stations, was on the spot, and shortly afterwards the sub- sheriff, Mr. Going, on his way to open the commission in Nenagh, with deputy Mr. Gason, and his chief clerk, Mr. Burrows, also arrived. Mr. Daxon, the law agent, with Mr. Burrows, the chief clerk, and the crowbar brigade,' with half the police, filed to the southern district of the ancient castle and levelled 14 houses, and turned the poor inmates out upon the highways. The Messrs. Parker, with Mr. Gason, and a party of police under the command of the sub-inspector, took the northern district, directing their route towards a rick of turf, in hopes of discovering a nest of arms, but without success, and, melancholy to behold, in a few hours 470 human beings were dispossessed from the townlands of Collohil, Carragrcen, Curraghkaal, Glanarisk, and the bog of Monkenan. Out of the above 470-229 were re-admitted as care-takers; the remaining 241 were left without shelter. The Clare Journal of Friday last states that at a similar eviction scene, which took place at Miltown-Malbay, on the same day (Friday), 50 families were dispossessed, 28 houses were levelled, and 160 individuals thrown out on the high road.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRINCIPALITY. ,Sin,-The more I think of the abominable and nefarious truck system, the more and more I come to see the magnitude and the .enormity of the numerous evils in connexion therewith, and the evident necessity of its total and iisftnediate abolition,-for, in using such a system, I find that the law of our land is violated- that the rights and liberties of the working-man is very unjustly encroached upon—that his free-agency is destroyed by it to a great extent-and that he himself is reduced to the condition of a vassal to his employer, and much of his Only property, namely, the produce of the labour of his hands, is generally curtailed for him to the astonishing extent of 20 per cent. I wonder why, we the working-people should abide blind to our own interest while we have the legal power of annihilating the system in a day. 1 call upon every one of you. Let the voice of liberty now be heard; have what is right and just-the whole amount of your gettings in coin work altogether and unitedly strike the mortal blow on this system at once hesitate no longer; content not yourselves with half a loaf while the whole loaf is due to you let not your cheese-parings be picked up by your employers suffer not your tobacco to be cribbed or your tea filched and let them not sip slyly out of your beer-pot, which is a thing as mean, dirty, and contemptible, as it is unholy, tyrannical, and unjust (as Dawson said), and suffer not the friendship that ought to reign between the employers and the employed be destroyed by the obnoxious existence and tyrannical imposition of the truck- system let anti-truck societies be established in every truck district, and let others join with you; let all co-operate together let us hasten the time of our emancipation; let resolutions be formed and adopted; and, let us stand by them firmly and de- terminedly. The Bible says, resist the Devil and he will flee from you." Let us do the same with the truck system, and it cannot exist any more among us. Let us not be in opposition to each other; and if we will be faithful we shall have our rights granted us of our employers. The anti-truck societies have answered good purposes in Staffordshire and other places, and I cannot see why they cannot be equally effective in Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire whilst we have so many honourable money- paying masters amongst us who would, I dare to say, very willingly come forward to assist us in this glorious work of putting down a system that proves injurious in the extreme; for the truck masters can beat the money-paying masters on the field of competition, and we know some of these trucksters sell their coal at Newport at sixpence or a shilling per ton lower than the regular and fixed price of the market in order to get more trade for themselves, but they endeavour to make the full price up by charging the colliers and others extortionate prices at their truck shops thus the truck system operates at once against the interest of money-paying masters, the working classes, and, in fact, the in- terest of all in the coal and manufacturing districts for this reason, all should join hand and heart in this honourable struggle of annihilating the truck system. Shopkeepers, farmers, trades- men, all unite in earnest to work for your rights; claim the pri- vileges that the law of our land has granted you to have your livelihood from the people you live among. Let the working peo- ple bear in mind that they can recover their wages not paid them in coin, and at the same time fine the master for the misdemeanor this can be done according to the law, and if the truck-masters were compelled to do this often, they would soon see it time for them to give up keeping a truck company shop. The middle class are willing to come forward to assist us in re- moving this obnoxious system-the press is alive throughout our land in exposing this evil, and the public eye gaze on it with disgust—the magistrates are waiting for a straightforward in- formation against these infamous trucksters. The inhabitants of Walsall have done this, and what is the consequence ? E660 are paid weekly in coin to the men, when the men (as I have been informed from proper quarters) were previously receiving this amount in bread, cheese, cabbage, or anything else they could get, and (as Robinson said) it was a cabbaging system altogether, aud so it is throughout the coal and iron truck-paying works of Monmouthshire and other places; at the present time there were but four persons at Walsall, that would join together to form an anti-truck society, but the society soon increased in the number of its members, and this society has succeeded in closing several of the truck-tommy shops at Walsall. Let four or five persons, as ratepayers, commence such a society in the vicinity of each truck-paying works, and it is very advisable that all working people should join them, and be ready, like men, to enter when a breach is made, and demand their rights and privileges, and make no compromises. It is to be hoped that our Legislators will very soon make such alterations and amendments in the pre- sent inefficient law as are suggested to them by the Anti-truck Association, of Tipton, and as are highly necessary, in order to put down, at once, the several schemes of the iron and coal truck masters of evading and violating the law. I hope the attentions of our wise Legislators will be attracted to this matter imme- diately, for the sake of that poor man, who worked for a long period, at a certain establishment, and never received but one shilling in money out of his earnings-for the sake of the hun- dreds, whose amount of gettings does not exceed 2s. 9d. per day, and who lose out of this amount from 20 to 25 per cent., by being compelled to take their earnings in goods—for the sake of that poor woman, whose husband had been compelled to take out his earnings in provisions, who was obliged to sell lolbs, of soap, in order to take a blanket out of pawn,—and for the sake of the other poor woman, under the same oppressive circumstances, who was obliged to sell half a pound of soap for a halfpenny, with which to pur- chase barm—and for the sake of annihilating such an oppressive, nefarious, and cursed system from our land altogether. Let us agree not to go to the tommy-shops let us all stand to this faith- fully together, then no discharge will take place, for good hands cannot be so easily spared do not wait till tke law is altered, because that may never be, but at the present time and under the present difficult circumstances it rests with us to take a firm and manly part, and to stand by one another, in order to put down a system that was founded on shabbiness and imposition— a system that promotes poverty, ignorance, and irreligion-which debases the character of man—reduces him into a state of vassal- age, and places him on a level with the brute beast. Let us a work—work together at the same time, and in the same way, and the victory shall be our's. Most respectfully, AN OLD MINER Abcrsychan, July 31, IS50.

PATE.—It is said that when Her Majesty had an interview witli Lord John Russell, on the evening of the day on which Hubert Pate attacked her, she remarked to him, I know the nun who struck me perfectly well by sight; I meet him often in the parks, and he makes a point of bowing more frequently find lower to me than any one else."

THE QUEEN has presented to the Zoological Society the enormous land tortoise recently brought from the Cape of Good Hope, in Her Majesty's ship Geyser. THE VICE CIIANCELLOU OF ENGLAND has had a relapse, and his state was on Thursday evening week so alarming, that he took the sacrament, and summoned to his bed-side all the members of his family. His Honour was in Richmond-park a few days ago, apparently quite convalescent; but we fear that all hopes of his ultimate recovery must now be abandoned. DINNER TO JOHN WILLIAMS, ESQ., M.P.—The friends and admirers of this gentleman in the parishes of St. Marylebone and St. Pancras entertained him on Wednesday, the 24th inst. at a dinner, at the Artichoke Tavern, Blackwall James Nisbett, Esq., ex-churchwarden, presided. The vice-chair was filled by Frederick H. Bridgman, Esq., the present church- warden, The usual loyal toasts having been given, the chair- man said that it was with no ordinary feelings of gratification he had the honour and pleasure to propose the health of the hon. member for Macclesfield, Mr. J. Williams (applause). His worth, usefulness, diligence, and integrity as a public man were truly and justly appreciated by the numerous company present, having raised himself by persevering industry and sterling honesty to the position he now occupied, must, while it redounded to his honour, be a source of real pleasure to all who knew him, the constituency of Macclesfield had done themselves much credit, and Mr. Williams great honour, in returning him to the House of Commons, where by his un- wearied attention and untiring diligence, joined to his manly and independent conduct he had sustained the high opinion his constituents had conceived of him (applause). He (the chairman) would no longer detain the company, but at once propose his respected and esteemed friend Mr. John Williams. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm. Mr. Williams then rose, and said words would be quite inadequate to express the warmth of his grateful feelings for the splendid entertainment to which he had been invited, and the flattering manner in which his name had been received, and these feelings were greatly enhanced by the recollection that the numerous friends present had known him long before he had anticipated be- coming a public man, much less a member of the Commons House of Parliament. He sought no honour, save that of being useful to the industrial classes, to which it was his pride to belong, and he hoped the day was not far distant when that class would be fully and fairly represented in the House of Commons—when that House would really and truly represent the feelings and wants of the middle classes (applause). He trusted as a tradesman he had never done anything to cast dishonour on his name, and as a member of parliament he had always used his best endeavours, by a constant and devoted attentiolltö his duties, to support the true interests of the country, by advocating the principle of unrestricted commerce, free trade in almost unlimited interpretation, and the abolition of those taxes which bear heavily and directly upon the in- dustry of the country (applause) and the repeal of which. was so urgently demanded by the necessities of the people The vestry of St. Marylebone was the medium by which he £ as introduced into public life, and cultivated the desire to be useful, as far as his humble abilities permitted, to his fellow man. Having witnessed in that board the salutary effects of local self-government, he had become an ardent admirer of the principle, and a most determined opponent to the centralising principle which was the fashion among the rulers of the present day, contrary to the habits of the people of this country, dangerous to their liberties, tending to throw an amount of power into the hands of the government of the day which eventually might be applied to the basest purposes. He looked upon the present moment as one of the proudest and happiest of his life, and he hoped he should never forfeit the high esteem of the numerous friends by whom he was surrounded—men whose friendship it was a- source of the greatest pleasure to him, and in whose kindly feelings it was his high ambition to maintain a place. The hon. gentleman resumed his seat amid loud cheers. Several appropriate toasts were given, in which the speaker bore testimoay to the high estimation in which their guest was held and the great usefulness of hn public seryices, I

FATAL COLLISION ON THE EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY. We (Glasgow Daily Mail, of Thursday), regret to an- nounce the occurrence this morning of a deplorable casualty on the Edinburgh and Glasgow line of railway, by which a serious loss of life has been caused, and many parties have sustained severe, if not irrecoverable, injuries. The disaster took place shortly before eleven o'clock, about a quarter of a mile beyond the Cowlairs-station. The particulars, so far as we have been able to collect them from the accounts of passengers and other sources, are as follows:- A pleasure train left Perth in the morning. From its length, it was deemed advisable to divide it into several parts. The first portion of it arrived at the Cowlairs-station almost immediately after the Edinburgh-train, which was then stationed there, and getting ready for entering the tunnel. The Edinburgh-train contained 41 carriages, and there were 27 in the Perth one. Following close after was the Scottish Central ordinary train. Such was the number of passengers carried by the intermediate train, that several cattle-trucks had been attached to it; and in them a good many found accommodation. They brought up the rear. They had not been at Cowlairs—where, as is well known, a stoppage invariably takes place-more than five minutes when the succeeding train came up, and a fearful collision ensued. Neither the guard nor fireman had taken the pre- caution to send back signals that they were in the way. On the other hand, the parties in charge of the approaching train, though there does exist a curve in the line a little beyond Cowlairs, which would necessarily prevent them from observing that the passage was not clear till they were almost close on the obstruction, must have been aware that they were but a little distance behind, as the two trains had left Greenhill Junction nearly together, and they had kept sight of the preceding one the whole way onwards. The collision was a most violent one. Scarcely any one of the hundreds of passengers escaped unhurt, though fortunately the bruises of most are comparatively slight. It is not so, however, we regret, with all. Three persons were killed on the spot. They had places in the cattle-truck, which, as already mentioned, was the last of the train and such had been the force of the concussion that the tender of the one by which it was run into, was tilted up so as to be half into it, the wheels resting on it with their full weight. Beneath them one man was crushed to death. Two females also lay dead beside him. Had their been regular carriages at the rear of the train the accident would have been very trifling, as the buffers would have effectually repelled the concussion. As it is, however, it is fortunate that the tender was lifted up in the manner described, as it acted in the manner of a wedge, and contributed thereby to break the force of the collision. Two of the directors happened to be in the Edin- burgh-train. They immediately got out and took the direction of the plans suggested for the relief of the suf- ferers. Mr. Thomson, from the office of the company, also repaired to the spot as soon as the news of the occurrence reached town, and medical aid was forthwith procured. The parties most injured were conveyed to the cottages ad- joining, where the nature of their injuries was examined. They were sent to the Infirmary as soon after as possible. Sheriff Bell and other official parties also visited the spot.

_U I HOUSE OF LOllDS.-THuRsDA Y, AUGUST, 1. The South Wales Railway (Alteration of Works Bill,) was read a second time. A convention concluded between her Majesty and the Argen- tine Republic was laid upon the table by the Marquis of LANSDOWNE. On the motion of the Earl of CARLISLE, the General Board of Health (No. 2) Bill was carried through committee. The Court of Chancery (Ireland) Bill was read a third time and passed. Several bills on the table were forwarded a stage, and their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THURSDAY, AUGUST, 1. At the morning sitting the Lords Amendments, to the Austra- lian Colonies Bill were brought up for consideration, and ulti- mately agreed to. At the morning sitting the motion that the House should go into Committee of Supply, led to some miscellaneous conversation regarding the West Somersetshire Militia, the Hudson's Bay Company, and the Waterford, Wexford, and Dublin Railway project. The following votes were then agreed to, £ 11,000 for the removal of the marble arch, and making enclosure in front of Buckingham Palace; £ 151,500 for constructing harbours of refuge on Harwich, Dover, the Channel Islands, and Portland. £ 43,000 for salaries and expenses of her Majesty's Privy Council, and the committee of privy council for trade. The next vote was- £3,640, a portion of the expenses of the Ecclesiastical Com- missioners for England. Sir B. HALL said that, whatever support he might have, he should certainly take the sense of the House on this vote, (Hear, hear.) It was useless for him to go into the question of the com- position of the commission, which had been repeatedly discussed; but he contended that the commissioners did not deserve any grant whatever from that House. (Hear, hear.) Through their negligent appointment of a person as collector who was a connexiOll of one of the episcopal body, and a man who was not worthy the confidence of the commissioners—which was a complete body-they had been robbed of £ 6,000; and now the House was called on to grant them upwards ofX3,000 more, (Hear, hear.) When this matter was under discussion before, he had asked about some returns which were ordered on the 2nd or 3rd of May, from the episcopal body, as to the several pieces of pre- ferment which the members of that body held. Two or three days after circulars had been sent from the Home-office to the different bishops and though three months had elapsed, and the returns might have been made in a fortnight, they had not yet been pre- sented. After a few remarks from Sir G. GREY, and Lord J. IIUSSF LL, Sir B. HALL, in reply, said, he dissented from the doctrine of the noble lord, that if they, the members of the Church, desired a better distribution of the Church's revenues, parliament was to pay for it. He contended that the property of the Church belonged to them as members of the community and it was unjust that the public should be taxed for obtaining a better distribution of that property, and for correcting the great abuses which had existed under the dignitaries of the Church, (hear, hear). They desired that by this commission, abuses should be remedied, and that the property should be made available for the benefit of the community at large who were members of the Church, as well as the bishops themselves; and parliament ought not to vote any sum towards this expense (bear, hear). He looked upon the bishops merely as members of the same community, as trustees of the national property, in which they had only a life interest, (hear, hear). He protested against this vote, whether it was to be an annual one or only occasional; and he would certainly divide the House against it (hear, hear). The committee then divided. rorthevote. 70 Agtinst it. .32-38 The House then voted £ /.9i6 for Commissioners of Railways, t-37,606 for the Board of Public Works in Ireland, £ 35,600 for Secret Service Money, Z210,8147 to defray the expenses of Print- ing, Binding, and Stationery for the public departments, ;EIO,000 for purposes connected with the Fine Arts in Scotland. The House then resumed, and afterwards went into committee on the Duke of Cambridge's Annuity Bill. 1\1 r. HUME regretted that so much extravagance should be shown by the House, and being without hope of obtaining the full amount of the reduction to the vote which he considered requisite, moved, as a compromise, that the annual sum be fixed a £ 10,000, Mr. BOEBUCK. declined to compromise the matter, and moved that the blank should be filled up with £ 5,000. After some discussion, Mr. C, ANSTEY, referring to a rumour which had reached him from without, regarding the intentions of the Government upon the admisibility of Baron Rothschild, moved that the chairman should report progress. lIe though' o -T_ that the redress of grievances should precede the grant of money, and wished the House to withhold the vote until the minister had revealed the long-kept secret, as to the resolutions he had promised to lay on the table respecting the membership for the City of London. A confused debate ensued, and strangers were repeatedly directed to withdraw for a division, but none took place, Mr. AN- STEY withdrawing his amendment. The motion of Mr. Roebuck was then put and negatived, and the committee divided upon the proposition of Mr. Hume for limiting the annuity to £ 10.000, Ayes 76 Noes .105-29 The question that the sum of iCl2,000 be inserted was disputed for some time, but ultimately conceded, and the bill went through committee. Oh the House resuming, the ATTORNEY GENERAL gave notice of the motion for Monday relative to Baron Rothschild. The remaining orders were then disposed of,_and the House adjourned at half-past two.

HOUSE OF LORDS,—FRIDAY, AUGUST 2. Lord BROUGHAM then moved for a return of the amount of savings since 1838 from the salaries paid out of the Civil List to the officers óf her Majesty's Household. Entering at much length into a variety of details respecting the personnel and management of the domestic and state attendants on royalty; the noble lord submitted that their control and remuneration ol' should be placed more immediately within the range of parlia- mentar-y supervision. This motion having been opposed by the Marquis of LANS- DOWNE, the Duke of WELLINGTON, and Lord MONTEAOLE, Lord BROUGHAM, in reply, remarked that similar objections had been urged long since when he recommended a parlia- mentary supervision over the receipts from the Admiraltv droits, yet these droits were now allowed to be nnder the control of the Legislature, very much to the advantage of the nation. After some further conversation, however, the noble lord with- drew his motion, and the subject dropped. On the motion of Earl GRANVILLE, the Mercantile Marire Bill was read a second time, and referred to a select com- mittee. Some bills on the paper were advanced a stage, and their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY, AUGUST 2. At the morning sitting the second reading of the Crime and Outrage (Ireland) Act Continuance Bill was moved an amend- ment against it,moved by Mr. S. CRAWFORD being rejected by a majority of 60. On resuming at half-past five it went into committee of supply, and the following votes were agreed to :-£1,6.5.0 for the repairs of Holyrood House; 91,000 for alterations in the new House of Commons £ 30,000 to afford relief to the de- positors of the Cuffe-street (Dublin) Savings Bank. This b£iIig the last vote its passing was received with loud cheers. & INSPECTION OF COAL MINES BILL, Sir G. GREY moved the second reading of the bill, the ob- ject of which was to prevent the numerous accidents which had recently occurred in coal mines. The bill had come down from the Lords, where it had passed without opposition. Mr. DISRAELI-From what he had heard, he believed the coal owners generally were opposed to the bill. He surest-ad that legislation on the subject should be postponed till another session. It was a mistake to suppose that that bill had passed the other House unanimously, Some parts of it had been, strongly objected to. Mr. HUTT should like to know who the coalowners were who had represented to the hon. member for Buckingham- shire that this bill would be injurious to their establishments ? All he could say was that the coalowners in two of the most important counties in England took a very different view of it. Mr. WYLD said that 2,000 people perished annually in coal mines owing to bad ventilation, and that the coal-miners and at least two-thirds of the coalowners of England had expressed themselves in favour of the measure. He called for the same protection to be extended to coal miners which was already ex tended to factory operatives. After a few words from Mr. IIEADLAM, Mr. WAWN said the coalowners of Newcastle were opposed to the bill. Mr. SANDARS supported the bill. Mr. LOCKE thought it impossible to legislate upon this sub- ject, and that it was unfair to place the issue upon the numbers whose lives were annually lost. He had no objection to the passing of the bill, thinking it as little objectionable as a mea- sure of the kind could well be. Mr. FORSTER believed that in nine cases out of ten the fatal accidents which occurred were attributable to the men them- selves, and not to the coalowners. The bill was then read a second time. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at half-past one o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—SATURDAY AUG. 3, The House met at noon, and sat for two hours for the pur- pose of forwarding unopposed bills, several of which were advanced a stage respectively.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—MONDAY AUG. 5. The South Wales Railway (alteration of Works Bn) was read a second time. The Commons Amendment of the County Court Bill were then agreed to and the House adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY, AUG. 5. BARON ROTHSCHILD. At the morning sitting the ATTORNEY-GENERAL then mo d the two resolutions which he had placed upon the paper. The first of them declared that the member for London was not entitled to sit and vote in the house and the second pledged the House seriously to consider and revise the laws relating to the oaths of members at the earliest period possible next session. These resolutions, he observed, were quite distincr, and the affirmation of one did not necessitate the adoption of the other. Under the existing statutes there were three particulars involved in every oath—the fact, the manner, and the form. Of the first there was no question at issue and the house had not exceeded its powers by so modifying the second as to allow Baron Rothschild to have the oath tendered to him on the Old Testament. The form, however, could not be altered by a bare vote of one branch of the legislature. While he allowed this state of the law to be most monstrous and anoma- lous, and that as matters stood the member for London had not vacated his seat, he yet believed that the resolutions he hud proposed were most advantageous to that hon. member's interests, since, if he ventured to sit and vote under cover of a vote of that House, he would risk a liability to heavy penalties, and place himself in a legal position of great difficulty. Tin- hon. and learned gentleman reiterated his confession of thu absurdity which the existing statutes exhibited, and which demanded a speedy revision. He complimented the Baron Rothschild upon the firmness and prudence of his conduct during the controversy, and regretted that an idle form should deprive that House and his constituents of his services in the legislature. Mr. HUMP., in proposing his resolution as an amendment, felt himself so sure that the oaths as taken by Baron Rothschild had been taken sufficiently, that he would under similar cir- cumstances have taken his seat at once, and voluntarily incurred the risk of any consequent penalties. The question would then have been transferred to the judicial tribunals, of whose de- cision upon the statutes he entertained no apprehension. With- out recommending this extreme step, the amendment lie pro- posed set forth that, as doubts had arisen respecting the oaths taken by the member for London, it was expedient to pass a declaratory act at the commencement of next session to clear up those doubts, and at the same time to remodel the whole system of oaths required from elected members of that House. After debating the question, the House divided— -ilor Mr. Hume's amendment 101 Against 163-62 After a few words from Mr. ANSTSY, a second division took place upon the first resolution of the Attorney-General. For the resolution 166 Against 7-1 iietore the second resolution was put, Mr. V. SMITH hoped that in the discussion to which the House would then stand pledged for next session, the abjura- tion oath would be altogether abrogated. r a Some further discussion of a confused and disputatiom character ensued, after which a third division was taken upon the second resolution. I 1 ('t Ayes i-ii Noes 106-38 ihe House then, at half-past five, adjourned for an hour and a half. At the evening sitting, the House went into committee on the Stamp Duties (No. 2) Bill, the Custom Duties Bill, artd a few other bills, and then adjourned at twenty minutes pint- one o'clock,

REPORTERS MAKE GOOD JUDGES.- Three of the judges on the bench commenced life as reporters for the public press, namely, Lord Chief Justice Campbell, who was long engaged on the Morning Chronicle, and Mr. Justice Talfourd, who was reporter for the Times also Mr. Baron Alderson, whose ready wit and keen discrimination were once as conspicuous in the gallery as they are now on the bench.