The Week.

case , ventured upon the mild joke that the gentlemen for whom Mr . Reynolds acteel "had better change their title to tho Anti-British Tobacco Society , which would confer an unmitigated amount of good upon society . " The Rev . John Gurney , a clergyman of the Church of England , was , on Friday , sentenced to seven days' imprisonment by tho

Lambeth Police Magistrate , for creating a disturbance in Mr . Spurgeon ' s Tabernacle on the previous night . It was stated by a police inspector that the rev . gentleman , when taken to the station , was " mad drunk . " Matthews , the now wellknown cabman , has been before the Bankruptcy Court . He was opposed by some of his creditors , but the Registrar ordered

his release from custody , remarking , with regard to the money he expected in the affair of Mr . Briggs's murder , that , if application was made to Scotland-yard , Matthews ' s share in the reward would , no doubt , be assigned for the benefit of his creditors . Two men , named Staples and Turner , were tried

before Mr . Baron Channell , at Maidstone , on Saturday , for the murder of a man named Fisher , at Orpington , near Bromlej ' , on the 19 th of last November . All three were labourers , and hael been drinking together at a public-house in Orpington , when a quarrel arose between them . Fisher was advised to go home , but the two prisoners went after him ,

and when a policeman came up a few minutes afterwards , the deceased was lying ou the ground bleeding from what proved to be a fractured skull , and the prisoners were endeavouring to lift him up . The jury found them both guilty of manslaughter , with a recommendation to mercy ; and the judge sentenced them to penal servitude for five years .

Ann Corrigan , who was apprehended in Manchester a few days ago , on suspicion of having poisoned a woman named Ann Conway , was discharged at the City Police Court , on Saturday .

At the first examination , it was stated that arsenic had been detected in the contents of two bottles which were alleged to have been found in the prisoner ' s possession , but on a carefu l analysis of the liquids , Professor Roscoe has been unable to find even a trace of poison . Two men , named Henry Brown and Thomas Linelon , were ' sentenced to death at- the Liverpool Assizes , on Saturday , for tho murder of Thomas Macarthy , on

the 3 rd inst . Linelon was recommended to mercy . A pitman , named Atkinson , living at AVinlaton , near Durham , beat his wife to death on Saturday night , Atkinson is in custody . The woman Marsh , who was condemned to death at the Chester Assizes for the murder of her child at Dukinfield , has hael her sentence commuted to penal servitude

for life . ——\ A arne , convicted and sentenced to death at Chelmsford Assizes , for the murder of Amelia Blunt , has made a confession of his guilt . ——Thomas Skaife , who was associated with Marsden , the iron-master , n the extensive forgeries on the Leeds Banking Company , has been tried at the Leeds Assizes , and sentenced to

fifteen years' penal servitude . A sad accident has occurred to a Mr . Crowther , a photographer , who seems to have been preparing a gas , when the retort exploded , killing the poor fellow , and so seriously injuring his child , a boy aboufc two years of ago , that it died soon after its admission into the infirmary . Mrs . Crowther was also severely injured , and soon after the accident

gave birth to a child . The shop was set on fire by the explosion , but tbe llames were soon extinguished . The coroner's inquiry was hell on Monday . It seems that Mr . Crowther , the deceased , was requested by Mr . Morgan , optician , Market Place , to prepare some oxygen gas for him— -his own apparatus having been rendered useless by an explosion . Mr . Crowther undertook the work , anel was supplied by Mr . Morgan with the necessary materials—manganese and chlorate of potash . There can be no

doubt that the manganese was adulterated with soot or powdered coal , and Professor Roscoe stated that such a combination produces a substance aboufc as explosive as gunpowder . The explosion afc Mr . Morgan's took place while he was working with manganese and chlorate of potash supplied by Mr . E . G . Hughes , chemist , and the materials sent to Mr . Crowther , with the exception of

a pound of manganese bought at Mr . Mottershead's , were purchased at the same shop . Mr . Hughes , however , denied that the manganese supplied by him was adulterated , and a sample of that article obtained from his shop was fouud by Professor Roscoe to be pure . A lot procured afc Mr . Motfcershead's also proved to be unadulterated ; but some manganese

which Mr . Morgan said he hael bought at Mr . Hughes's contained about 20 per cent , of coal or soot . Mr . Morgan stated that this manganese was not adulterated by him in the slightest degree , while Mr . Hughes's porter , who served out the article to Mr . Morgan's messenger , declared that it left his master's shop without the addition of either soot or lampblack . The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Mr . Hughes ,

who was admitted to bail . A serious explosion of gunpowder occurred on Monday evening in the shop of Mr . A . Cadden , gunsmith , Brook-sfcreefc . The premises were greatly damaged , but Mr . Cadden , who was the only person in the place afc the time , escaped without serious injury . A terrible accident has taken place at a colliery near Mold , in

Flintshire . Ifc is said that a quantity of water which had accumulated in the old pit burst through the barrier into the colliery where men were afc work , and before help could be afforded nine persons were drowned . Another dreadful accident has occurred , on the North Kent Railway . Ifc seems that a ballast train had entered the Blackheath tunnel , and shortly afterwards ifc was followed and overtaken by au express , which .

crashed into the waggons . Five plate-layers who were travelling on the last of the ballast trucks were killed on the spot , while a sixfch plate-layer received very serious injuries . The engine , tender , anel two first carriages of the express train were overturned , and there is a considerable list of casualties , though no deaths beyond the five mentioned have so far been reported . The corner ' s inquest on the men killed was begun on Monday ,

at the Railway Tavern , Blackheath . It appears from the evidence of the driver and the guard of the ballast train that when about half way through the tunnel the wheels of the engine slipped , and the train came to a stand still . The guard then got down , and went to divide the train into two , and while in the act of uncoupling the waggons the collision occurred . The signalman at the upper end of the tunnel was

positive that he received signals , both from Charlton and from Blackheath , that all was clear , which was the reason of his signalling the express train to enter the tnnnel . The inquest was adjourned . An inquest has been held on a gentleman , a solicitor , iu the City , who , on Tuesday week , took a eab afc the Great Eastern Railway iu Shoreditch , and became so ill on

his way that he was taken to a druggist ' s shop in Bishopsgatestreefc , where he died almost immediately afterwards . It was clearly proved that his death arose from natural causes , and the jury returned their verdict accordingly . The protracted colliers' strike in South Yorkshire has come to an end , the men who turned out at the High Royds and Oaks Collieries having

resumed work on their masters' terms , Ifc is estimated that in this struggle the men have lost afc least £ 70 , 000 in wages . A serious fire occurred on Tuesday morning in the extensive premises of Messrs . Tarn and Co ., of Newington-causewoy It was fortunately soon subdued , but the damage done was considerable . FoEElftu IsiEILiaEifCE . — -A proposal had been laid before