دو four o'clock. He walked into the drawing-room. He said, "Well, I've thrown off my He did not finish the sentence, but seemed lost. He sat with a fixed look towards the corner of the room. Judging from what had happened, witness should say the disease affected his brain. Witness was called to see him about eight o'clock on Wednesday morning. Witness said he thought the judge was rather an absent man. He had never known him to be strong; he had always had heart disease, and was only kept going with the greatest possible care. At the request of the coroner, Inspector Lucas, of the S Division, fired the chambers of the revolver that were charged. It then appeared that four were loaded. The jury returned as their verdict that "Sir J. S. Willes shot himself with a pistol, not being at the time of sound mind." FEARFUL RAILWAY COLLISION.-This morning a terrible accident happened upon the Caledonian Railway at Kirtlebridge station, about seventeen miles north of Carlisle, by which an engine-driver and ten passengers were killed, several other persons seriously injured, and a large amount of rolling stock destroyed. At Kirtlebridge the Solway Junction Railway joins the Caledonian, and sidings are provided for shunting trains. About a quarter of a mile south of the station there is a distance-signal placed at the north end of a sharp curve, and when within about 150 yards of the station the train passes under a bridge still upon the curve, called the South Bridge. At five minutes before eight o'clock a mineral train from Carlisle, which, under ordinary circumstances, leaves that city thirty-five minutes after the night express from London, arrived at Kirtlebridge station in front of the express train, which had been delayed nearly two hours at Greyrigg, on the Lancashire and Carlisle Railway, and consequently did not leave Carlisle until ten minutes before eight o'clock, or one hour and fifty minutes behind time. The men in charge of the mineral train had to deposit some waggons at Kirtlebridge, and for that purpose they shunted their train from the down line to the up line. About a quarter of an hour was occupied in this work, and the mineral train was being brought along the up line, after leaving some waggons in a siding, to wait for the passing of the express. Unfortunately, by some inexplicable blunder, the man in charge of the points turned them so that the mineral train, instead of proceeding along the up line, was directed across the road and upon the down line. At this moment, all the signals being clear for it, the express train came down from Carlisle at full speed. It was a heavy train of eighteen carriages, drawn by two large engines, and as it was travelling upon a curve the drivers and guards had no opportunity of seeing that the mineral train was in their way. The express therefore rushed on at full speed, and ran into the mineral waggons with a fearful crash. A man who was an eye-witness of the collision states that the mineral waggons were hurled into the air; two of them were afterwards found lying at a considerable distance from the actual point of con cussion, and quite to one side of the line. After cutting through the mineral train and scattering the mineral waggons in all directions, the two engines of the express train went on as far as the station-house, a distance of seventy yards, carrying with them two mineral waggons, one of which was hurled with great violence against the booking-office, one of the walls of which was broken down. Between the two stone platforms of the station the first engine appears to have come to a standstill; the pressure from behind turned it completely round, so that it was found facing the second engine, while the tender which had been between them was projected forward upon the west platform of the station. The guard's van in the front part of the train was very little injured, and the guard was unhurt. The first passenger carriage was not very much shattered. The three next vehicles were, however, completely broken up. The impetus had hurled them forward one on the top of another. They were broken into a thousand fragments. It was in the ruins of these three carriages that the dead bodies were found. The boiler of the first engine having been broken open the escape of steam, added to the smoke from the fires of both engines, concealed everything for some minutes, but when these had cleared away a scene of destruction presented itself. Rails had been torn up and twisted into fantastic shapes, portions of waggons were strewed about along the side of the line, while the broken carriages were heaped up in great confusion. The station workmen were speedily joined by a builder, who was at work upon an adjoining house, and his workmen. They set about the relief of the wounded and the recovery of the dead, of whom there were eleven. A remarkable escape is mentioned. A sailor was lying asleep on the seat of one of the carriages which were smashed. People were killed on each side of him, but after the accident he was found still asleep, and quite unconscious that anything extraordinary had occurred. Most of the injured were removed to Dumfries. Their injuries are very serious. The driver and stoker of the second engine of the express train escaped with slight bruises, and the guards all escaped. THE BURNING OF THE ESCURIAL.-The Escurial was struck by lightning to-day. The Pasco de los Reyes caught fire, and the flames instantly spread in the direction of the library, palace, and church. Great excitement prevailed at Madrid. With the assistance despatched from the capital the fire was localized, and active measures taken to save the grand library. 6. CRICKET IN AMERICA. This autumn a team of twelve English amateur cricketers, led by the famous Grace, have visited Canada and the States. The first match in Canada was eleven against twentytwo of Montreal, in which the Englishmen scored 255 in one innings against 48 and 67. The second match was against twentytwo at Ottawa, in which the Englishmen scored 201 in one innings against 42 and 49. The third game was played in Toronto, against twenty-two, and again our team won in one innings, their score being 319 to 97 and 117. The fourth match against twenty-two was played at London, and for the first time the M.C.C.'s had to go in a second time. Their score was 89 and 161, the Canadians making 55 and 65. The last match in Canada was played at Hamilton, when the Englishmen won once more in one innings, scoring 181 against 86 and 79. In the matches in the States the English were equally victorious. The following are their batting averages in their eight matches against Twenty-Twos :-Mr. W. G. Grace, 49.1; Mr. C. J. Ottaway, 13.9; Mr. A. Lubbock, 13.3; Mr. C. N. Hornby, 12.9; Mr. E. Lubbock, 8.9; Mr. Appleby, 8.8; the Hon. G. Harris, 8.7 ; Mr. C. K. Francis, 7.6; Mr. Pickering, 7; Mr. Rose, 6.5; Mr. Hadow, 6.4; and Mr. Fitzgerald, 2.4. In the bowling department the slows appear to have been most destructive, Mr. Rose having taken 106 wickets in the 12 innings, against the same number of Mr. Appleby's in 14, and 67 of Mr. Grace's in 10 innings. 7. TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.-A shocking catastrophe occurred on Monday at Morley, a place, half village, half town, situated midway between Dewsbury and Leeds, and containing a large population of colliers. The largest among the colliery works is that of Messrs. W. Ackroyd and Brothers, who employ nearly 400 men and boys. On Monday afternoon, between half-past three and four o'clock, an explosion occurred in one of their three mains, called the Deep Pit, in which about 150 men and boys were employed, in a part of the working which extends in a northerly direction beneath the town, and in this portion of the colliery there were about forty-five persons at work. No time was lost in organizing a body of volunteers to descend and explore the mine, but the operation of these brave fellows was retarded very much by the presence of the fatal after-damp. When the exploring party came up for relief at six o'clock, they gave a fearful account of the sight which had met their gaze underground, one of the explorers stating that at one spot he stepped over no less than thirteen dead bodies. Altogether about forty lives were lost, and at the inquiry it was shown that the disaster was caused by an explosion of the inflammable gas; and there is too much cause for believing that it was due to the carelessness of some of the men, in using lucifermatches where they were working. Evidence was given that in the pockets of the deceased, matches, fusees, tobacco, and pipes, and a key wherewith to open the safety-lamp, were found; and the underground steward, spoke to having smelt tobacco-smoke in the pit two hours before the explosion; but this did not strike him as being an out-of-the-way occurrence. The dead were found in various positions, but most of them had apparently fallen on their faces to escape from the suffocating gas, called "after-damp,' which at last overcame them. The bratticing and other means of ventilation were completely destroyed, and much labour was entailed in providing temporary means of ventilation. دو 8. THE CESAREWITCH. Mr. J. Radcliffe's Salvanos, by Dollar-Sauvagine, 3 yrs., 5 st. 7 lb. (Archer) 1 .(Ashworth) 2 Lord Wilton's Sylva, by Gladiateur-Lady Evelyn, 6 yrs., (Loates) 3 Betting: 9 to 2 agst. Bethnal Green, 6 to 1 agst. Laburnum, 100 to 15 agst. Barmston, 12 to 1 agst. Salvanos, 14 to 1 each agst. Inveresk, Bertram, and Field Marshal, 100 to 6 each against Soucar and Sylva, 20 to 1 agst. Enfield, 25 to 1 agst. Astrologer, 40 to 1 agst. Sir Bertram, 50 to 1 each agst. Chérie, Shannon, and Protomartyr, and 66 to 1 each agst. Palmerston and Outsider. THE CHURCH CONGRESS assembled at Leeds this day, Tuesday, under the presidency of the Bishop of Ripon. The papers read related to parochial work, lay help, and church architecture. The subjects of discussion on Wednesday were the relations of the Establishment to Nonconformity, religion to science, and clergy to laity. Several hints were thrown out by lay speakers of the necessity of making sermons more attractive. On Thursday the Congress was engaged in discussing the reform of Convocation, the reorganization of the cathedral system, ritualism, &c. The debate on ritualism and doctrine, which took place, led to some animated passages between the High and Low Churchmen towards the close of the discussion. 15. THE DEVASTATION."-The trial of the "Devastation" turret-ship took place on October 15. After reaching Spithead the speed of the engines was tried at seventy revolutions. The speed was then twelve knots. The ship steered with remarkable ease under steam, the steering gear answering the helm quickly. There was an inclination of the deck with the helm hard over, and the vessel exhibited only the slightest appreciable vibration. The engines were working with unexceptionable smoothness and efficiency, when a crack opened out in the cover of the discharge cistern of the starboard circulating pump. Immediately afterwards a similar crack was discovered at the top of the port cistern, and the trial was suddenly suspended. On October 12, Lord Henry Gordon Lennox, M.P., and Mr. E. J. Reed, C.B., ex-Chief Constructor of the Navy, arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard from London for the purpose of inspecting the "Devastation." The usual visit of courtesy was first paid to the Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard, and Rear-Admiral Sir Leopold M'Clintock afterwards accompanied his two distinguished visitors to the "Devastation." A general inspection was made on board, without, however, descending below the berthing deck. In the course of the look round the upper deck and its "fixings" ul-de-sac formed aft by the superstructure was pronounced by Reed to be, in his opinion, even more objectionable than he had supposed from the description which had reached him. Mr. Reed also expressed his astonishment at finding the "Devastation" immersed beyond the maximum draught of water which he, as her designer, had assigned to her. 16. THE FUNERAL OF FIELD-MARSHAL SIR GEORGE POLLOCK took place in Westminster Abbey. It was not a state funeral, and Sir George had expressed a wish to be buried quietly and unostentatiously beside his first wife at Kensal Green. To the Tower as a last resting-place he was greatly averse, though he held the high office of "Constable" in that place of gloomy memories, and had attended there the funeral of his old comrade in arms, Sir John Burgoyne. It was felt, however, by the Duke of Argyll and the Council of India, that the soldier whose long career had just closed well deserved a place in "The Abbey." Of the hostages given up by General Elphinstone to Akbar Khan, and rescued in 1842 by General Pollock, two were standing by the grave of their deliverer, and are probably the only survivors-Sir George Lawrence (brother of Lord Lawrence) and Major-General Airey, of the Coldstream Guards. Major-General Sir H. Rawlinson, who was present, began his career under the late Field-Marshal. Two or three officers wore the Ghuznee medal. The gathering was mainly of an Anglo-Indian type, but all arms of the service were anxious to pay their respects to the veteran. 17. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.-Several railway accidents are reported to have occurred to-day. One was on the Great Western Line, at Maidenhead, to a goods train. The axletree of one of the trucks broke, and coming into contact with the up platform, threw the truck, with three or four others, off the line. Another was on the South Devon Railway, at Totnes Station, where a passenger train from Plymouth ran into a goods train, by which several passengers were injured. The third occurred near the Kenyon Junction of the London and North-Western Railway. A passenger train ran at full speed into a stationary goods train, damaging the latter, and frightening the passengers, but it is stated that none of them were seriously hurt. The fourth occurred at the Kelvedon Station on the Great Eastern. As the Yarmouth express approached the station, there was a violent oscillation, and five or six carriages were precipitated down the embankment. A lady named Haines was killed, and several other deaths are probable. On the Chatham and Dover Railway two plate-layers were run over and killed at Nunhead by a Crystal Palace train. 19. THE WEST AUCKLAND POISONINGS.-A woman, named Mary Ann Cotton, who has been committed for trial on the charge of having poisoned her husband and four children at West Auckland, is now implicated in a series of other charges, which, if verified, will prove her to have been a systematic poisoner from her youth. Cotton, who died in September, was her fourth husband. The first two had had their lives insured at her instance, and when they died, of what was medically certified to be "gastric fever," she promptly realize |