Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
. After a long and painful illness , the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry died at Seaharn Hall , near Sunderland , on Friday , 20 th inst . ——The returns of pauperism show a slight increase this week , but the change appears open to a satisfactory explanation in the circumstance of the Relief Committees at Stockport having closed , ancl thus thrown the remnants of distress the of the
off their funds on to ordinary provision poor law . Thirteen unions have more paupers , the increase amounting to 1 , 050 . Of this number 340 belonged to the Stockport union . Six unions indicate nochange , and nine return fewer claimants on their relief lists . Among these Ashfcon-uiider-Lyne has 210 ; the Fylde , 110 ; Haslingden , 180 ; and Oldham , 100 fewer paupers . AVere "
it not for the exceptional increase at Stockport , Mr . Purdy's report for the third week of the present month would have shown a slight decrease . The adult able bodied have diminished by 137 . The outdoor relief is a little under the amount disbursed last week , and , about £ 3 , 500 less than in the corresponding week of 1864 The metropolis was visited on Saturday Avith a fog more
dense than has been known for several years past , accompanied by just frost enough to make the damp ground as slippery as glass . The interruption thereby caused to traffic was very great . The ^ navi gation of the Thames was stopped for nearly the whole day , and as darkness set in the fog covered the streets with a dark dense pall , which stopped all traffic whether of horses or cabs through the streets . Several accidents took place . It seems the fog extended a considerable way into the country . The frost which set in with the fog on
Saturday began to yield on Monday night , and there was a complete thaw , though the weather continued intensely cold . During tho continuance of the frost , which was pretty general over the country , there was a good deal of skating ; and Ave regret ito add that , as the ice was in no part very thick , several accidents took place . In London and the neighbourhood the
skaters , for the most part , escaped with , little worse than a ducking . A serious accident occurred to a number of skaters on a sheet of water at Gledhow Hall Park , near Leeds . About five o ' clock the ice gave way where the water was deep , and several persons unfortunately fell into the water . Two of them , a young gentleman named Smith , and a lady named
Buhner , who was being propelled in a sledge , were drowned . A similar accident happened near Wolverhampton . The first annual meeting of the subscribers to the Bishop of London's Fund was held on AVednesday . The Bishop presided . A most voluminous report was read giving a full account of all the proceedings iu relation to tho fund from its origination to the end of 1864 .
The Bishop also verbally explained the mode which had been adopted for distributing tho fund . There was an available balance at the end of 1864 of over £ 22 , 000 ; but if the work is to be continued , the subscriptions must come in as they have hitherto done . The report was adopted , and votes of thanks were given to the Bishop and the committee . Mr . Milner Gibson , in the course of a speech at Ashton , referred to the relations between the Foreign Office and . the Board of Trade , and stated that one result of Mr . Forster ' s Committee had been the
creation ot a commercial department at the Foreign Office , " . whieh Avould carry on all the correspondence on commercial matters with her Majesty's missions abroad , Avith the representatives of foreign powers in England , with the Board of Trade , and the other departments of her Majesty's Government , and with commercial associations and private individuals at home and abroad . "
On the question of reform , the right hon . gentleman was content with saying that the Government could do nothing without the support of the country . and the House ; and he attributed the failure of the last Ministerial measure to the indifference with which it was received , both by the people and by Parliament . The St . Pancras guardians of the poor have had a curious
matter under inveitigation . There is , in the St . Pancras workhouse , a pauper named Smart , who claims to be the owner of property in Leicestershire and Staffordshire of great value , and out of which he says he is unduly kept . Lately , it seems , he made a will , which was drawn by Mr . Bishop , one of the guardians . In this document ; he made Mr . Morrison , the master of the workhouse ,
his residuary legatee , and gave to Mr . Bishop a considerable sum . Of course the will is based on the supposition that Smart is really the owner of the property in question . The guardians have been discussing the matter and gob Smart to sign an order to Mr . Bishop to hand the will to the Board for inspection . At the meeting of the guardians on Wednesday Mr . Bishop declared
they had discovered a mare ' s nest , and refused to give any explanation except in Avriting . Thus it stands . Mr . AV . E . Forster , M . P ., attended a- soiree , of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce last Aveek . He spoke in the course of the evening on the relations between the Foreign Office and the Board of Trade in regard to foreign commercial matters . He showed that the
Foreign Office had hitherto taken no cognisance of such matters , but had referred them to the Board of Trade . That proceeding Avas not satisfactory , and he hoped that there would be an alteration , which would centre in the Foreign Office all care of foreign commercial subjects . —•—A deputation from Maidstone , headed by the borough , members , waited upon the Secretary of War to
remonstrate against the contemplated removal of the cavalry depots from Maidstone , on account of the losses their departure Avould inflict on the trade interests of the town . Earl de Grey said it was considered necessary for the sake of economy to amalgamate in one the separate establishments of Maidstone and Canterbury , but he added that the interests of Maidstone would , as far as possible , be consulted by keeping other troops in the barracks . A great anti-malt tax meeting was held at Leicester on Saturday . Lord Berners occupied the
chair , and among the speakers ivere Lord John Manners , SirFitzroy Kelly , Lord Curzon , Mr . Hartopp , and Mr . Ferrand . The chairman counselled moderation in pressing their case upon the Government , for he did not believe that the immediate repeal of the tax could be obtained . Lord John Manners spoke to the same effect , while Lord Curzon " pledged himselfin any way
that he considered the quickest and best to get rid of that most obnoxious . tax . " Resolutions condemning _ the impost were passed ; and Sir Fitzroy Kelly intimated his intention of giving notice of a motion on the subject on the first night of the approaching session . A _ despatch from Admiral Elliot furnishes us with details of the destruction of her Majesty ' s
ship Bombay . It seems that on the 14 th of December , while the Bombay was cruising off Flores Island , about thrteen miles from Monte Video , fire was discovered in the after part of the ship . It is supposed to have broken out in or near the spirit-room ; and this conjecture appears to explain the rapidity Avith which the flames spread . In about half an hour all hope of saving the ship was at
an end , and the officers and crew took to the boats , or lowered themselves over the ship ' s side . The main loss bf life seems to have occurred from the falling of the anchors , to which many of the crew were clinging . The assistant surgeon was drowned alongside , and about 93 menare missing . The ship ' s boats were picked up by passing vessels ; and we may venture to hope that some
at least of the missing men are still alive . About five hours after the fire broke out , one of the magazines blew up , and the Bombay went to the bottom . The master builders of Birmingham , and generally of the midland counties , held a meeting in that town on Monday , at Avhich , after a long and sharp discussion , a resolution was agreed to that the " discharge note , " which had driven the men to strike , should be unconditionally withdrawn . The news created great excitement in Birmingham , and the men expressed their Avillingness
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Week.
. After a long and painful illness , the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry died at Seaharn Hall , near Sunderland , on Friday , 20 th inst . ——The returns of pauperism show a slight increase this week , but the change appears open to a satisfactory explanation in the circumstance of the Relief Committees at Stockport having closed , ancl thus thrown the remnants of distress the of the
off their funds on to ordinary provision poor law . Thirteen unions have more paupers , the increase amounting to 1 , 050 . Of this number 340 belonged to the Stockport union . Six unions indicate nochange , and nine return fewer claimants on their relief lists . Among these Ashfcon-uiider-Lyne has 210 ; the Fylde , 110 ; Haslingden , 180 ; and Oldham , 100 fewer paupers . AVere "
it not for the exceptional increase at Stockport , Mr . Purdy's report for the third week of the present month would have shown a slight decrease . The adult able bodied have diminished by 137 . The outdoor relief is a little under the amount disbursed last week , and , about £ 3 , 500 less than in the corresponding week of 1864 The metropolis was visited on Saturday Avith a fog more
dense than has been known for several years past , accompanied by just frost enough to make the damp ground as slippery as glass . The interruption thereby caused to traffic was very great . The ^ navi gation of the Thames was stopped for nearly the whole day , and as darkness set in the fog covered the streets with a dark dense pall , which stopped all traffic whether of horses or cabs through the streets . Several accidents took place . It seems the fog extended a considerable way into the country . The frost which set in with the fog on
Saturday began to yield on Monday night , and there was a complete thaw , though the weather continued intensely cold . During tho continuance of the frost , which was pretty general over the country , there was a good deal of skating ; and Ave regret ito add that , as the ice was in no part very thick , several accidents took place . In London and the neighbourhood the
skaters , for the most part , escaped with , little worse than a ducking . A serious accident occurred to a number of skaters on a sheet of water at Gledhow Hall Park , near Leeds . About five o ' clock the ice gave way where the water was deep , and several persons unfortunately fell into the water . Two of them , a young gentleman named Smith , and a lady named
Buhner , who was being propelled in a sledge , were drowned . A similar accident happened near Wolverhampton . The first annual meeting of the subscribers to the Bishop of London's Fund was held on AVednesday . The Bishop presided . A most voluminous report was read giving a full account of all the proceedings iu relation to tho fund from its origination to the end of 1864 .
The Bishop also verbally explained the mode which had been adopted for distributing tho fund . There was an available balance at the end of 1864 of over £ 22 , 000 ; but if the work is to be continued , the subscriptions must come in as they have hitherto done . The report was adopted , and votes of thanks were given to the Bishop and the committee . Mr . Milner Gibson , in the course of a speech at Ashton , referred to the relations between the Foreign Office and . the Board of Trade , and stated that one result of Mr . Forster ' s Committee had been the
creation ot a commercial department at the Foreign Office , " . whieh Avould carry on all the correspondence on commercial matters with her Majesty's missions abroad , Avith the representatives of foreign powers in England , with the Board of Trade , and the other departments of her Majesty's Government , and with commercial associations and private individuals at home and abroad . "
On the question of reform , the right hon . gentleman was content with saying that the Government could do nothing without the support of the country . and the House ; and he attributed the failure of the last Ministerial measure to the indifference with which it was received , both by the people and by Parliament . The St . Pancras guardians of the poor have had a curious
matter under inveitigation . There is , in the St . Pancras workhouse , a pauper named Smart , who claims to be the owner of property in Leicestershire and Staffordshire of great value , and out of which he says he is unduly kept . Lately , it seems , he made a will , which was drawn by Mr . Bishop , one of the guardians . In this document ; he made Mr . Morrison , the master of the workhouse ,
his residuary legatee , and gave to Mr . Bishop a considerable sum . Of course the will is based on the supposition that Smart is really the owner of the property in question . The guardians have been discussing the matter and gob Smart to sign an order to Mr . Bishop to hand the will to the Board for inspection . At the meeting of the guardians on Wednesday Mr . Bishop declared
they had discovered a mare ' s nest , and refused to give any explanation except in Avriting . Thus it stands . Mr . AV . E . Forster , M . P ., attended a- soiree , of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce last Aveek . He spoke in the course of the evening on the relations between the Foreign Office and the Board of Trade in regard to foreign commercial matters . He showed that the
Foreign Office had hitherto taken no cognisance of such matters , but had referred them to the Board of Trade . That proceeding Avas not satisfactory , and he hoped that there would be an alteration , which would centre in the Foreign Office all care of foreign commercial subjects . —•—A deputation from Maidstone , headed by the borough , members , waited upon the Secretary of War to
remonstrate against the contemplated removal of the cavalry depots from Maidstone , on account of the losses their departure Avould inflict on the trade interests of the town . Earl de Grey said it was considered necessary for the sake of economy to amalgamate in one the separate establishments of Maidstone and Canterbury , but he added that the interests of Maidstone would , as far as possible , be consulted by keeping other troops in the barracks . A great anti-malt tax meeting was held at Leicester on Saturday . Lord Berners occupied the
chair , and among the speakers ivere Lord John Manners , SirFitzroy Kelly , Lord Curzon , Mr . Hartopp , and Mr . Ferrand . The chairman counselled moderation in pressing their case upon the Government , for he did not believe that the immediate repeal of the tax could be obtained . Lord John Manners spoke to the same effect , while Lord Curzon " pledged himselfin any way
that he considered the quickest and best to get rid of that most obnoxious . tax . " Resolutions condemning _ the impost were passed ; and Sir Fitzroy Kelly intimated his intention of giving notice of a motion on the subject on the first night of the approaching session . A _ despatch from Admiral Elliot furnishes us with details of the destruction of her Majesty ' s
ship Bombay . It seems that on the 14 th of December , while the Bombay was cruising off Flores Island , about thrteen miles from Monte Video , fire was discovered in the after part of the ship . It is supposed to have broken out in or near the spirit-room ; and this conjecture appears to explain the rapidity Avith which the flames spread . In about half an hour all hope of saving the ship was at
an end , and the officers and crew took to the boats , or lowered themselves over the ship ' s side . The main loss bf life seems to have occurred from the falling of the anchors , to which many of the crew were clinging . The assistant surgeon was drowned alongside , and about 93 menare missing . The ship ' s boats were picked up by passing vessels ; and we may venture to hope that some
at least of the missing men are still alive . About five hours after the fire broke out , one of the magazines blew up , and the Bombay went to the bottom . The master builders of Birmingham , and generally of the midland counties , held a meeting in that town on Monday , at Avhich , after a long and sharp discussion , a resolution was agreed to that the " discharge note , " which had driven the men to strike , should be unconditionally withdrawn . The news created great excitement in Birmingham , and the men expressed their Avillingness