Birmingham Daily Post from Birmingham, West Midlands, England • 5

MONBAV, JANUARY 1865. All the topics of the old van. Viir7nr PKIYATE CORRESPONDENCE with her most fasdnatins smile, is enaofclncr hirer ployed, not by principals, bat by zoma of theb worfc. people," With the moral condition of the children we hcvg already dealt in an abstract of the report of the Commission, and may therefore leave further detail over until we oome to the evidence. It Is only fair to Mr.

White, however, to quote the following pasosge, In which he describes the method of examination wMch he pursued "1 may here remark he says) tfiat the amount of Ignorance in portions of the manufacturing classes disclosed In your first report, which appeared during tha period of my stay In Birmingham, caused general aatealsh, ment, and formed the subject of public comment, It. was, indeed, thought here almost Inoredlble, bo much bo that opinions have been intimated to mo that the fault must have been more In the modes used for testing It than in the persons assumed to show it. This gives me oocaston to explain as regards the evidence following, what In any cua It would perhaps be desirable to do, ihat where Ignoranca of very simple faots has been professed, I have never assumed It till a repetition of the question In various words and shapes, and leading to or almost suggesting the answer, failed to show any further acquaintance with the matter, or reasonable hopes of drawing It out. In suoh cases tho fact may of course still have remained in the mind of tha person questioned, though the method failed to bring It out. But as there la a limit to the time which the necessity for passing to other enquiries allows to be spent on Individual Instances, and as the want of power to take la the meaning of simple words and questions, or to supply the answer if known, is in Itself one of the strongest marks of the want of any training of the mind, at least of snch a kind as to be of any real use In the common affairs of life.

I have thought It better in such cases, at the risk of a poBBible lajuotlce to the individual, to assume the apparent ignorance to be real. Again, In several cases where a knowledge of the fact asked is Bhown In the answers. It had been at first denied, and only drawn out In the manner referred to. Theae will probably balance some cases in which I obtained satisfactory answers to general questions, such as 'Can you In passing, without staying to record the names and answers. As those whose answers are given in detail were taken In most oases without any Beleotion from appearance, and as a rale are given equally whether they showed knowledge or Ignorance, It may be assumed that the answers fairly represent tha general mental condition of the mass, excluding, as already remarked, those in some superior branches of employment.

n89d or teHng the power reading, was a child book, plctnred, with clearly printed hymns and Bongs, consisting of simple words chiefly of one syllable. In this many, who at first said that they could read, quite broke down, some knowing little more than the letters." The causes of the Ignorance which he has had to record, Mr. White tracea to a number of causes, Some have never been to school at all others not since Infancy others very Irregularly some on Sunday only and again, have given up school owing to late hours or want of Buitable clothlag. Some of the children, Indeed, profess to have attended school for alx or seven years, and to have learned nothing. Thoughtless and worthless parents are a great cause of Ignorance.

A further consideration of the evidence shows thati valuable as are the meanB of education here provided to those whom they do reaoh, they do not in fact have, and under existing circumstances do not Beem likely to have, any reasonable chance of reaching a large mass of the working young to Buch an exteDt bb to produce any appreciable result. As regards night schools, only a slight and occasional amount of overtime In the evening the usual hour of leaving work being seven or half-paBt seven, or In some cases eight la sufficient to discourage, and in soma cases to lead to a discontinuance of attendance. In Birmingham several attempts have been made by employers to provide InBtrnotlon for their own -workpeople; but from difficulties of various kinds, especially thoBe of securing oompetent teachers and keeping up the attendance of scholars, they have, with two or three exceptions, been but very partially successful or entirely fallen through. In one case, however, where a regular schoolmaster is engaged and attendance la enforced, the success Is great. As, however, the establishments employing a sufficient number of young to allow of maintaining for them alone a competent teacher, whom experience seems to show to be essential, are very few as anything like compulsion by an employer Is found very difficult even on his own premises, and out of tho question off them as it appears that the Influence of parents and teaohera, where it is exerted, Is Insufficient to overcome the natural reluctance of the young, after a full day's labour, to -sacrifice their only time of recreation for a benefit of whieh they have never been taught the value, and without which many of their parents are able to earn a comfortable competenceas the temptation to profit by the earnings of children to their prejudice appears as effectual la Birmingham, where aa a rule they might to a great extent be dispensed with, as in places where they are more essential to the support of a family as competition renders it yearly more unlikely that even employers -who personally object to the employment of will be able to Incur the sacrifice of giving up a cheap labour employed by others and as in some cases, amongst the domestic nailers especially, the parents themselves are the employers It appears on the whole unlikely-that any considerable part of the manufacturing young in this distriot will ever, under existing arrangements, be brought practically -within the reach of the means of ednoatlon, which lie at their doors, by the voluntary efforts of-employers, teachers, or parents, however much convinced ita Importance or desirouB of It." One obstruction to good morals, however, seems to Mr.

White to admit of a remedy. Indeed the remedy has actually been applied, and with bhccbes In many factories, This is the miscellaneous way In which all ages and both sexes are often thrown together, and, as far as appearB, often without the intervention of an authorised person specially responsible to the principal for propriety of behaviour and language. Thore are indeed, generally, persons who exercise a certain control over a larger or a smaller Dumber whom they employ themselves, or to whom they stand In a superior position in Boma othar way but of these there may be several in the same shop, and much of their control relates to the execution of tha work. The character of the education of the workshop, often said to be as important as that of the school, must depend greatly on the degree in which this point is attended to, and the moral results of want of attention to It are, bb I am Informed, deoldedly bad." Mr. White's conclusions, being either embodied in or superseded by those of the Commission Itself; may ba passed over.

We shall deal with the evidence In a subsequent article. copiously reviewed, the question now waiting for consideration is What are our prospects for 1865 Does the new season promise to witness our making some further way on the good old track of progress1? Does it offer us the hope of peace, of prosperity, of content? Does it open with the signs of our realising the advantages which, described in these terms, fall in the first place upon a community generally, and then diffuse themselves among the several individuals of which it is composed 1 Are there indications that we shall be left in the enjoyment of our liberties, and in the prosecution of our industry, without disturbance from internal or external foes? Does the new year betoken that, from its dawn to its close, ow arma mente are to be put to no other use than that of serving to work out scientiEc experiments, and our reactionary politicians are to be still restricted to the i empty reward of singing their own praises? What kind of answer can be gleaned from the existing aspect of public affairs Are there signs which would warrant us in expecting that the law or constitution will be to any extent improved during the next twelve months Are there to be discovered any preparations for sweeping away the numerous blots which still deface our social fabric? Do the elements of discord between our various sects, classes, and territorial boundaries give promise of diminishing in intensity Are traces of increased friendship showing themselves between land and trade, church and chapel, Celt and Saxon Are our neighbours of other countries settling down into a condition of tranquillity Is there, in fine, to be observed around us a general display of the "good will which would at once befit the season and allow us to prophesy for the year whose course ia now beginning, a plentiful harvest of the other good things which man can always attain if he have but the will to aim at them It would require a bold confidence in the interpretation of signs for any one to answer these questions confidently, though, so far as they can be trusted, circumstances are decidedly indicative of the year proving, at least to an average degree, favourable. As regards foreign relations, the continent of Europe is now in a state of general sepose. The Trench are perhaps wearying of the bauble of imperialism, but, warned by the experience of former trials, they will scarcely attempt, for some time to come, to gratify an opposite fancy by means of violence. The Italians, having obtained a partial success in the promise of Home beingreleasedfromforeigu occupation, will probably devote the year more to necessary measures of domestic reform than to the difficult and uncertain struggle for national development.

The German Powers have nothing left to quarrel about except the mode of dividing the spoil which they have levied in Denmark. Russia, though no longer A 1,1 Tl 1 uuuuieu wim a revolt in jroiana or a war in Cureassja, has such ample occupation at home that no disturbance is to be apprehended on her part abroad. The petty squabbles of such a Power as Spain being undeserving of notice, we may look upon the Continent of Europe as generally promising a year of peace. In India, New Zealand, Japan, and China, there will no doubt con: tinue to recur periodical interruptions of the friendly terms on which it is desirable that we should stand with the vast populations that are either under our rule or closely allied with us in regard to commerce; but there is not likely to arise, under that any cause for serious alarm- As to America, though the civil war which has raged there for the last four years' appears' to increase rather than diminish in intensity, a perseverance in the wise policy of neutrality which has hitherto characterised our Government will probably be rewarded with the continued exemption of this country from its horrible consequences. The last news of the old year was that the Americans were speaking angrily of the shelter offered by Canada to their enemies but angry talk sometimes acts usefully as the substitute for more dangerous demonstrations.

Neither in the Republic of the West nor the Monarchies of the Old World, can we descry any real ground for apprehending that the year 1865 will be other than a season of profound peace for the Government of England. The time is therefore opportune for the consideration of internal reform, to which, it may be hoped the attention of the English people will be seriously directed for, while there are many abuses awaiting to be redressed, the Government can hardly be expected to grapple with them if denied the support of public opinion. Notwithstanding the pressure to which the money market has lately been subjected, there is ground for believing that the public revenue will prove to have been fully maintained, and that, further reductions being made in some branches of expenditure, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will have to propose a diminution of taxation. Thus far, then, the public desire has every chance of being in some measure satisfied, as is also to be anticipated with respect to subjects which affect the social condition of the people. Theyear will probably witness a considerable improvement in the system of Poor law administration, accompanied with various measures for the better regulation of society.

The prospect of what is more generally described as "reform" is rendered the less hopeful by the disjointed action of its professed friends. Apparently blind to the truth that an amendment of the representation of the people must be the prelude and groundwork of any other constitutional change, various sections of the people are discordantly clamouring for schemes which there is no chance whatever of their accomplishing. In England there is zealously maintained a forlorn struggle for abolition of Church Rates, for thorough equality between Dissentera and Churehmen, and for vote by ballot, while, in Ireland, there has just been inaugurated an agitation for conferring legal rights on tenant farmers, and converting to some other tise the enormous revenues which are now appropriated to the Church which ministers to only a seventh part of the population. Important as these questions are, and desirable as it may be for some of them to be treated in accordance with the views expressed by organisations that have taken them in hand, they are all to be considered prematurely obtruded so long as the House of Commons is allowed so imperfectly to represent the opinions of the people. With the country still abounding in nomination boroughs and many of the best educated among the inhabitants of counties denied the franchise, the Legislature must itself he purified before it can become the means of removing the constitutional impurities which prevail elsewhere.

If the various bodies of reformers could be persuaded to co-operate earnestly in the attainment of a measure of parliamentary amendment, and to suspend, successful in that, all the separate movements on which they now waste their strength, the one great object would in due time be accomplished, and then would follow all thai was just and reasonable in respect to the rest. As it is, however, we have no hope of obtaining, in the year 1865, either legislative improvement or any of the other reforms to which it must stand in the relation of parent, We are certainly destined to disappointment hi regard to this important point, but, as to material interests and social progress, there is every reason to believe that we are entering upon what will, when its history is written, prove to have well deserved the appellation of a Happy New Year. We havp to call attention to an Improved method of adjusting Artificial Teeth, solely practised by Messrs. Owen and Button. The plan Is their own invention, and unknown to any other Dentist, therefore, can only be supplied by themselves.

Their Birmingham address is 16, Bennett's Hill; "Wolverhampton, 14 sad 15, Cock Street. 235 8196 THE CHILDREN EMPLOYMENT COMMISSION. No. in. THE MBTAIi MANUFACTURES OF THE BIRMINGHAM DISTEIOr.

MR, J. E. WHITE'S REPORT1. Mr. J.

a White Is one of the Assistant Oommlsaionera appointed to enquire, take evidence, and report. The din triot assigned him was "Birmingham and Its neighbourhood on the West, bounded by Dudley and Stourbridge comprising a narrow but densely populated manufacturing and mining district of about fourteen miles In length, ani tts a scattered village population still, however, largely engaged ia like pursuits, though much of their manufacture Is of a domestic kind" that is nail making, ohiefiy carried on at the homes of the work-men. The entire population of this district Is estimated at 500,000. Leaving the Iron works to another Assistant Commissioner, and not touohlng upon the mining population at all, Mr. White devotes his attention to a class of manufactures so various and pet with ow exceptions so lnterminelod" that ha finds it.

aiffinnlfc them under any other head than the general one of hard' I ware. h9 more manufactures of the town and district are glass, brasB and other metal foundry, guns (military and sporting), jewellery, electro plate, metallic bedsteads, buttons and kindred articles, as hooks aud eyes, pine, eyelets, steel pens, tools, out and wrought nails, screws and, principally In the Stourbridge neighbourhood, brlcka, both of the common kind and also, in particular, fire bricks. Of these the most important in reference to the numbers of the young employed In them at least In large bodies together are probably bra. foundry for boys, and buttons, for girls. Large num bers are also employed together In some portions of otho 1 "nt tl16 maBS ar9 scattered in small number r61ient parts of the Bama or ou different premlsoj in the trades named, and In others which It woold serve no UBSful purpose to refer to further here." The glass manufacture, being so entirely dlstlnot in It nature and system from all the other trades hera enumerated, has been made the subject of special enquiry, and is to be treated separately in a dlstlnot report.

From the present document It is therefore entirely omitted. A to the age at which ohlldren are' employed In the trades here treated of, Mr, White finds 1 that one or two of his witnesses speak of having begun work as young as five, aud several at six, at which age, however, he has found very few in regular factories. Several employments are entered at seven, from which age upwards work gradually increases, according to the kind of employment, becoming pretty general by nine or ten. The Eev. Mr.

Ball estimates the number of children under ten years of age employed in Birmingham at 2,000, of which he thinks 700 or 800 are under but Mr. White's Impression Is, that the aotual number under eight falls short of this number. However that may be, he finds, from the census return, that there are engaged In the staple trades of the place (glass excepted) about 13,000 males and 6 509 females under the age of twenty. From this he deducts four or five for those between 18 and 20, and oomeB to the conclusion that there are from 15,000 to 16 000 children and young persons employed In the manufactures of Birmingham. In addition'to these are those similarly employed In the remainder of his district, which probably brings the total up to from 20,000 to 25,000.

As to the hiring of the children, a very large number indeed are employed, not by the principal bat by the workman whom they serve a practice whloh, by removing responsibility from principals to others who realise It lnn Mr. White thinks is very much to the prejadloe of the cnuaren. umiaren employed in the nail trade are not hired, but either work for thelr parents or on their own account. In the nail distriot truck or tommy' anil beer. Iwusepaynciit practised largely," but "not by the higher class of masters." In other manufactures the young usually work for wages received by themselves and paid over to their parents, who allow them a penny or more a week, and usually -their overtime money, which acts as a great inducement to the young to work overtime." Mr.

White finds no cases of contracts manifestly Injurious to the young, except one, ofa "woman taking boys from the Workhouse and'lettiug anyone have them out for half a crown a week. They were the biggest set of reprobates The manufactories themselves are In many cases, and those comprising "establishments of the highest found to be in one or more parts very deficient In space, ventilation, light, and perhaps In oonsequence of thlsj In cleanliness. This arises, no doubt, from the factories having grown from small beginnings in crowded space and shortness of tenure, or restrictions in leases, have been mentioned as obstacles to improvement, though desired by the employer. Many, however, not so fettered, have 'bnilt or procured places which are everything that could be desired for the health and comfort for the workpeople." "Some of the new places, those of jewellers especially, have been desorlbed to me as objeotlonably small in pro portion to the numbers employed In them, though I have not seen any ouch specially so. But in some of the larger old work-placBB, as some kinds of button manufactories, the rooms are low and ill arranged, and the crowding is extreme, being reduced almost to the minimum of possible sitting Bpace, the work not requiring more than haiud motion, with narrow passages between for reaohln the seats.

But even such spaces for passage are not always found, the girls creeping in under the women's legs and the benches. I have found rows of little girls sitting back to back on common benches, so oloBe that their backs actually touch, with rows of women, Bitting as close1 as thsycanbe packed, frontlngthem aorosa work-benches only 18 Inches wide. In these and like places fresh ale can be admitted through the windows, in default of other BuifiS-olent means, only at the exoenae of the vouncsBt whr, often sit in rows along the sides of the room with their oacKB into sno windows." The air space of these workshops, forming, as It does, the subject of a special report by the medical officer of Privy Council, Is here passed lightly over, and Mr. White proceeds ''In some employments, which, from their peculiar nature, are In themBelveB noxious, or at least not healthy, anch as brasB casting, lacquering, tinning, -water gilding, and dusty works, and in which, therefore, space, ventilation, and sanitary precautions are especially necessary, they are with some exceptions scarcely at all or very Imperfectly provided for, even in the larger and best conducted establishments. Space is valuable, and other shops sometimes placed over -what should be of one story only.

The gloominess of many of the work-plaoeB la extreme. In some, as casting and many stamping shops, good light is not essential to the work. Where It is essential it is generally got by working close in front of the windows. Some of the stamping shops, placed on the ground floor, on account probably of the shocks of the stamps, are half cellars, and most are extremely dark and untidy, and seem likely, to be damp in winter, at least in the pits which aro often sunk for the workers to stand In, as a means of gaining height for the fall of the stamp. The boII, however, of Birmingham is dry, and in a great measure drains itself.

Some places depend for much of their light upon the furnaces, and after dark the nailers have no light but that of their forge and the hot Iron A. full account of the jewellers' factories, usually spoken of aa the closest work-plaoeB In Birmingham, with, details as to cubic Bpace, is given in the Privy Council Beport, which epeake of some of them as 'amongst the very worst' arranged factories in Birmingham, and of Beveral of the shops In the best as close and very hot when visited early in the every aperture for the admission or exit; of though plentifully provided, 'being carefully and nearly all the operatives burning gas for the blowpipe though the most orowded of these (best) shops, containing from 150 to 170 persons, chiefly women aud girls, 'gave on the average upwards of 300oublcal feet of Bpace per In another of like kind, and nearly as large, the atmosphere is described as oppressive and stifling' and the operatives of pallid unhealthy and the ample means 'ventilation prac ttcally useless, being all Indeed, In most of the jewellers' factories Inspected the means of ventilation that existed are described aa 1 for the most part ctoaed up to prevent and 'as a rule in auffioleatly ventilated, an evil greatly aggravated by the constant consumption of But In addition to the larger distinct work-placoB which may be more properly called and many of which are named 1 Works," there are In the yards in which Birmingham abounds, and of which as much as 27 years ago there were In the parish of Birmingham alone Independently of 'the numerous courts which exist in that populous portion of tbe parish of ABton which forms part of the borough' 2 030, with an average of six houses each a vast number of tmall work-shops, forming either separate fioora or parts of floors In the same block of buildings, and in some of these cases renting the Bteam power needed for the work, as gun or plate polishing, or standing alone or attaohed to houses. In seme of these men alone work, in others women, girls, and boys also, I have visited many of thesB shops, but have found the space In nearly all cases sufficient for the Bmall numbers employed. The varda. hownvrJ in which they stand are often offensive to the eye or nose.

huu prouauiy injurious 10 neaisa, i ro in taeir nogieated condition. There are commonly aurfaoe drains running or BtBgnant with dirty water, and often heaps of refuse or decaying matter, loaded ashpits, or privies objectionably cIobb to or under parts of the Bhops, and the oleanllneBS of thelnsidoof the shops corresponds to that of the We next oome to the nature of the various emplpy merits In which children are engaged a merely desorlptlve section and thenaa pass on to hours of work, night wo)-k and so forth. The stated hours for labour In Birmingham are set down as from eight In the morning till seven afc night, and It Is believed that these are pretty regularly kept. In some instances, however, the time is extended and the hours exoesalve, as in the case of systematic night in addition to day work. Oases "not isolated or accidental, but systematic and long continued, are shown to exist, amounting In an extreme Instance, to work by two boy regularly for six days and three nights weekly for six months, with no (stoppage for sleep except what could be got at meal times." As to meal times, when work beglnsas late as eight breakfast ia taken first, in most other cases half an hour Is allowed.

In nearly all cases an hour la allowed for dinner but It is sometimes used for work. A quarter or a half an hour 1b allowed for tea, except when work ends a blx. Holidays in Birmingham are ample. In addition to the extensive appropriation of Monday to that purpose, there are many other occasions, as those of local fites, on which holidays are either given or taken, while many employers give their workpsople annual trips, an Indulgence "which seems to be beneficial in more ways than the mus. obvious." Mr.

White belioves that R3 a rule there Is no the old legend of the temptation of St. Anthony. The popular drama of the "Streets of London," furnishes many subjects for the camera. Mr. Vimog, for example, as Mr.

Badger, wears a slouched hat, and might be taken for the Poet Laureate. In another place, Mr. Tennyson himself, scant of hair, and show-Ing a magnificent forehead, offers you his portrait for a Bhilling, Such a compact little portrait gallery as one may enjoy here for nothing, the most powerful monarch could not have collected half a century ago for all the wealth of the Indies. At noon to-day the New Exchange Buildings are to be opened by Mr. Soholefield, our Benlor member, and at two o'olook the event Is to be celebrated by a luncheon, to whioh the leading mercantile and corporate bodies of the have been Invited, and at whtoh It Is expected addresses will be delivered, amongst others, by Mr Bright, M.P., Mr, Newdegate, M.P, and Mr.

Davenport Bromley, the newly-elected M.P. for North Warwick, shire. The company, It la anticipated, will be a numerous one. TheKev. William Duncan Long, Sector of Ber-mondsey, and formerly Inoumbent of St Bartholomew's, in mis town, has been presented by the Bishop of Winchester to the Rectory of Godalming.

Population 3. 694- Jalue 461,, with rectory house. B' Pettitt will attend the Children's HospitalOommllteeto-morrowlTaes-to present, on behalf of the Charities Collection Oom-nuttee, that portion of the proceeds which falls to this excellent Institution. The above named attended the Cornmlttee of the Dispensary, on Saturday morning, when the Bev, Dr. MUler presented H.

Luokoock, ohalrmau, with a cheque lot 534. 9s. lis. The f'd Chancellor has appointed Thomas Francis Cook, ofStourport, fa the county Worcester, gentleman, to be a Commissioner to administer oaths in the HighOourt of Chancery In England. New Ybah's Eve at thb Midland Institute, On Saturday evening, a miscellaneous entertainment, in celebration of the Old Year's departure or the New Tear's approach we don't know which, perhaps both took the place of the usual leoture, la the Theatre of the Midland Institute.

There was a large attendance, Mr. A Kyland read selections from Dickens's Christmas Carol and at intervals in the reading the music class of the Institution, under the leadership of Mr. Richard Rlckard, sang the following pieces: -'Awake, Bweet love," "May-day," Ah, conldlwith fancy stray," "Now is the month of MJ" "The Dawn of Day." Mr. Ryland threw considerable effeot into the reading, and was rewarded by the dose and appreciative attention of the audience, who freely expressed their sentiments in the usual popular way. The Blnging class performed their part well, and were honoured by an encore of Ah, could I with fancy stray." Mr, fiickaid gave two solos on the flute with exquisite fc? W8B heartily encored both times.

At the close of the performance a cordial vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. RylandandMr. Rlckard for the entertainment, on the spontaneous motion of one of the audience. Both gentlemen responded, Mr. Rlokard observing that the singing class ought to have a large share of the thanks for their dillgenoe during the year, enabled them to render such pleasing service on holiday oooaslons.

The proceedings closed with the singing of the National Anthem, In which the audience joined. Saint James's, Ashted, Parents' Tea Party. The annual social gathering of parents took place on Thursday evening, in the School Room, Henry Street. Upwards of 300 persons sat down to a well-served tea, presided over by Mra. Stephenson.

After tea the chair was taken by the Rev. Stephenson, M.A., Incumbent of St. James's, aud there were also present the Rev. H- O. Mill ward, M.A., Rev.

W. Loverldge, Rev. W. Neynon, and several members of the congregation. A suitable selection of muBic was given, under the dlreotion of Mr.

S. Locker. Including some lively duets with the ante and harmonium. The proceedings of the evening were also Interspersed with readings by the Incumbent, from the Eogllsh PoatB. The meeting separated shortly after nine o'clock, after spending a cheerful and Instructive evening, suited to the Christmas season.

A vote of thanks was moved to the Chairman by the Rev. F. W. Neynon, seconded by Mr. Walts, and carried unanimously.

On Friday evening, the aged poor of the congregation, about sixty in number, sat down to a free tea party, to whloh they had been Invited by the Incumbent and his wife. Short addresses wore made, bearing on the trials and encouragements of the Christian life, and especially upon the lesBonB suggested by ripened age. Many of these poor people were eighty years old, or thereabouts, but they could enjoy a pleasant evening at Christmas time 5 and 16 waB most gratifying to see both how happy they had bean, and how grateful they were for this little kindness. Thb Birmingham Life Boat. Mr.

Henry Falford, the honorary secretary, gratefully acknowledges the following additions to the fund, viz. The ExceUlor Dramatic Amateur Society, 1. 0a. 9d. Mrs.

Keel, Boll Street, an annual subscription of 1. Is. Handswoeth Masonic We remind our readers that the annual ball In aid of the Masonic charities will be held at the Assembly Rooms, Handsworth, on Wednesday next. Davis's band will be In attendance. There is every reason to expect that the evening will be a most enjoyable one, and we hope a large amount will be realised for the excellent charities we have above mentioned.

The Working Men's Industrial Exhibition. A general meeting of the committee entrusted with the promotion of this exhibition, was held on Friday, In the large room of the Provident Institute, Ann Street Mr. Thomas Lloyd occupied the ohair. Messrs, Wiufield aud Co. were announced as guarantors of 20, The address which the committee propose Issuing was next read, and the dlsousslon of Its clauses, and the proposed rules, lasted until nearly eleven o'clock.

In order to give a pleasant relief to the general exposition it was proposed that prizes should be offered for plants and flowers grown by amateurs. The title of the exhibition will be suoh as will embrace exhibitors from Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coventry, Stourbridge, Leicester, Rigby, Nottingham, Stafford, Hanley, Stoko, tea, Manufacturers employing exhibitors will have their nameB attached to the articles exhibited, Contributions were an. nounced from the Mayor, Mr. Thomas Iiloyd, Messrs. Elklngton and the proprietors of the Post, Mr.

W. Middlemore, and the proprietors of the Gazette. As to the guarantee fund It will be fixed at 2 000. A large number of the most Influential names In the Midland districts may be expected as patrons. The ordinary ootn.

ralttee meetings will bo held on the IftBt three Mondays and the first Friday In each month, The partnership between Mr. Edmund Shorthouse aud Mr, I. Scott, copper and general metal agents, Parade, having been dissolved by mutual consent, ia June last, Mr, Scott announces that he will still carry on the business, on the same premises under the Btjle of S. I. Scott and Co, The United Cut Nail Makers' Sooietv.

The members of the above society held their thirteenth anniversary at Mr. Henry 'Butcher's, the Railway Tavern, Manchester Street, Birmingham, and great credit was due to the worthy host and hostess for the splendid manner in which they served up the dinner. After the cloth was drawn, the usual loyal toasts and sentiments were given. The president, Mr. John Vernon, was presented with his portrait, with an able and suitable address, for his past services to the society.

The portrait was painted by Mr, Oresswell, and great credit was due to the artist for the able manner In which he completed it. The present was received with an appropriate acknowledgment for the gift. The reBt of the evening was spent In a very harmonious way, with songs and reading's. The company separated at an early hour. Each one seemed highly pleased with the evening's entertainment.

1S32 Accidents, Yesterday, the following cases were taken to the General Hospital John Bakman (29), brass worker, 93, Moor Street, suffering from a severe scalp wound, Inflicted by a blow received while in a state of intoxication. Margaret Key, charwoman, aged 40, with a broken leg caused by a fall. Robberies, Between six and seven o'clock on Friday evening, alareeouantity of clothes, value 1. was stolen from a line in a yard at thebaok of 43, Barford Street. On oavuraay iorenoon, mircy yards or onecK smrcing, value 1.

0s. were stolen from inside the shop door of Mr. W. Ireland, draper, 62, Bull Street. On the same morning, a silver lever wateb, value 5., was abstracted from a bed room in the Royal Oak beerhouse, Berkley Street, by some one who got through the window unnoticed, Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, a fowl pen at the back of 1C6, Moseley Road, was broken into, and six superb fowls (four Goohln-Ohinas and two of the Spanish breed), value 4,, carried away During the same night, a precisely similar robbery took place at 78, Legge Street, from which four fowls were stolen.

COUNTY QUARTER SESSIONS The General Quarter Sessions for the Peace of the County will be opened In the Crown Court at Shire Hall, to-morrow, before the Chairman, Mr. W. Dlokens The public business will commence at the usual hour-twelve o'clook. Amongst the subjects to be considered, there are the disposal of the County Prison aud adjoining bnlldlngs at Coventry, and the erection of a suitable police court at Atherstone. The most noticeable of the criminal cases is that of the Rev.

Ellis, of Leamington, against whom a charge has been preferred of an indecent assault npon a little girl, Messrs. Wellington and Wright, of Leamington, have been entrusted with the prosecution, and Mr. William Overell, of the same place, with the defence. When the matter wbb before the Magistrates upwardB of five hours werespent examining the witnesses, and If the Grand Jury should return a true bill against the defendant, the trial is likely to he one of the most remarkable ever heard In the Court. Eminent counsel have been engaged on both sides.

Ruptures. T. P. Salt's Patent Orthonemio Til JS8. "This tsilhe only truss which gives the lifting 1 pressure is an unobjectionable manner." Lancet.

There aro several principles In this truss quite new, based, wo-believe, on strictly anatomical and physiological data." Medieal Times. 100 testimonials on application to the patentee, T. P. Salt, Bir aingham. 90 8B60 Latest frou the Court.

There is not the slightest doubt that there is a possibility of restoring and beautifying the) hair. The greatest chemists tell us so, and modern proof has been oSered in many ingredients. That there should be one of superior excellence among" those may also be admitted, and the best test of that surpassing exoelience would be the lasting patronage received and fame allowed. Mra. S.

A. Allen's World's Hair Eestorer, and Zylobalssmnm or World's Hair Dressing, aire acknowledged, by all who use them for restoring, invigorating, beautifying, and dressing the hair, to be efficacious, rendering it soft, silky, and glossy, and disposing it to remain in any desired position quickly cleansing the scalp, arresting the fall, and imparting a healthy and natural colour to the hair. They never fail vo restore gray hair to its original youthful ooloux. They act directly upon the roots of the hair, giving them the natural nourishment required No lady's toilet is complete without the Zylobalsamum or Hair Crossing. It cleanses the hair, imparti to it a moBt delightful fragranco, and is suited to both young and old.

The Eestorer reproduces. The Hair Dressing cultivates and beautifies." Court Journal. These preparations can be had of most chemiets and patent modioine dealers throughout the kingdom. London depot, 205, High Holborn. 611 6329 reason to doubt that the treatment of the young In mSnu.

faoterles good. Having asked of the Birmingham Polioe, whether Ill-treatment prevailed In any work places, he was answered that it had not been heard of, and that probably tkeshop would not stand it." This struok a Birmingham physician, much interested In the artisan class, saya Mr. White, as being an "excellent answer," and he had no doubt that It embodied their general feeling. "There 1b no doubt, there are unhappy exoeptiona, but these point chiefly to cases where the men are more likely to have been brought up in employments In which the system of work, as will be shown hereafter in the case of the glass makers, outs them off to a greater or less extent from the opportunities of education, and association with ether classes, enjoyed by other parsons, or where a single boy works under a man alone without the restraint of any fellow workers," The next section of the report relates to accidents. "Considering the amount of machinery used in Birmingham says Mr.

White), acoldents resulting in loss of life or limb by the young are rare, but not to suoh a degree as to show that there Is no danger to them. Children are brought bnt little In contact with the more dangerous parts, but young persons are often engaged in the same way eb adults and it is a mere chanoe when accidents have happened to females over eighteen, that they dldnot happen to girls working at machinery of precisely the same kind beside them, the risk from dress being the same, and from thoughtlessness probably greater. The principal sources of. serious danger are shafts and bands used for turning lathes and wheels, especially In screw factories, in whloh by far the greater proportion employed are females. A woman lately killed In a screw factory from being entangled in the shaft, had been caught in the same way at least four times, and In another factory of the same kind three females were thus entangled In one day.

The same sources of danger exist in button and other factories In which lathes, wheels, drills, are used for turning, grinding, boring and polishing materials of various kind'. Even where no harm is done, the skirts are often torn oft', and even a boy was stripped to the akin, all iut his boots and Accident, however, of a Blighter kind, chiefly from stamps and presses, causing mutilation or injuty the thumbs aud fingers, are extremely common, as apptaa not only from the experience hospitals and medical men, from whom I have not taken written statements, bub also from a personal observation of the hands of girls at work, of whom a great number indeed bear marks of Injuries which, though In numeroua cases not of sufficient importance to send them to the hospital, must have been extremely painful, and interfero more or less with the free and dexterous use of their fingers for general purposes, though no 6 actually Incapacitating them from labour. Sometimes, however, the injury to hands is more serious, A mere thumb pinch has kept a little girl at home three months. A table In the evidence of more than 1,000 out-patient or slighter surgical cases of all kinds, and to persons of all ogee, at the Birmingham General Hospital, shows that out of the caoea of injury to children, or young persons which could be traced to some manufacturing employment, more than 43 per cent, were from stamps and presses. The house-BUrgeon of the Queen's Hospital states that more than half of all the acoldents of all kinds of children of the working class are of the same kind To some extent, as I have observed and been Informed, this can be prevented by the use of guards and other appliances and though It Is said, as appears very probable that thiB could not be done In all caseB, still It is probable that attention to the point by competent personB, and Ingenuity, might do considerably more.

I am informed of one large factory In which the loss of mere fingers, at laBt became so serlona aa to lead to arrangements of stamps, which have greatly diminished it. It seems improbable however, that, as a rule, much will ever be done to find means of preventing or diminishing these small accidents. A large proportion probably never come to the knowledge of the larger employers at all, Aooldents, sometimes seriouB and generally painful, from burns from the firing, falling, or awkward handling of molten or hot metal, occur not only in large works, iorgeo, and casting shops, bnt also in the home natl forgeB, These, however, seem avoidable only by the care and Intelligence of the workers, though aprons or leggings, Buoh bb are wom by some who are much exposed to hot metal, might probably In many caseB be used with advantage, and would at least protect the clothes. Cats from handling sharp-edged metal might be guarded against, as often but by no means always are, by something to protect the hand. Cuts also ocour from treading or falling on metal needlessly left lying about.

A cut In the foot from a piece of scrap metal left in this way lately kept a boy three weeks in the hospital as inpatient. Boys seldom work on the putting In' side of rollers, where there Is risk of being drawn in and crushed but a Blip while 1 taking out' hot metal Is BometlaieB serious. Sleepiness from overwork Increases the liability to accidents. The burning acidB used for dipping and cleaning metals, and also for polishing pearl buttons, cause fresh sores or Inflame and fester accidental outs, In boys' hands, sometimes eating small holes, and sometimes fly Into the eyes. The same remark applies here as to aprons.

Green baize is worn by some. To judge from the account of a late serious accident from the explosion of a Bteam lacquering stove, by which two females were severely scalded and bruised and a third slightly Injured, it seems that careful attention to the state of these'stoveo is necessary for the safety of the females, in many oases young, who work at thorn. Grindstones are liable to fly, especially If ia a defective state but few boya are employed at them," Wages vary a good deal owing to the variety of the work. Bcughly, they range from Is. and Is.

2d. to Is. 6d. amongst the youngest employed, 'boys as well as girls, in buttonand jewellery factories, though Mr. White has been informed of wages at other work as low as 9d.

Older ohlldren, of from 10 to 13, get, if girls, from 2a. 6d. to 3s. and, if boys, about Is, more. From about the latter age to IS, girls get from ia.

to 83,, and boys from 5s. to 9i, In many cases thejemployment has an injurious Influence upon the physical condition of the children. With Dc Greenhow's report on this point, we have previously dealt Mr. White fully agrees with it and adds ''As to the bad effects of brass casting, employers and workpeople are alike unanimous, and my own observation of the immediate and unpleasant action in some cases of the fumea of the molten metal upon the throat of myself and others, if present during the pouring process, inducing a very unpleasant dryness and woolmesB, or tlokliug and aotual cough, points to the same result. The limit of age to which brasB casters as a olass continue to work Is put at the highest at fifty, and by some as low as forty.

The uti-healthlness of their appearance Is general aud unmlstake able. Though the caster when pouring usually ties a handkerchief over his mouth and nose, boys do not, though they sometimes help him pour and whether they uu or not, are greatly 11 not equally exposed to the fumes. The difference, however, of feel, and In the time In which the white vapour clears from the shop, according to the amount of space and ventilation provided, la striking. In close shops the vapour is visible for some minutes inothers, which are lofty and have proper openings, it passes off at once. At one large brass foundry the employers Btate that their men can work six full days In their good new casting shops, whereas In thelrold they reckoned four days aweek as much as they could stand.

The difference of heat aud oppressiveness In lacquering rooms according to the amount of space and ventilation Is also very noticeable. The fumes of the acid solutions largely used for dipping or cleaning metals are stated by medical men to be very Injurious and I have noticed that In going over works care has frequently been taken to tell me that only men are engaged in these processes. I have, however, noted several Instances in which boys are more or less exposed to the Influence of the causes In question, posBibly. how ever, not always as part of their proper work. I did not find traces, by enquiry either on the spot or from medical men, of any serious injury having arisen from the fumes of the cyanide of potassium used in the process of electro plating, though Blight bad effectB are attributed to it.

The only placeB in which I found any young working in the room In which the process was carried on were large and airy, one remarkably so yet even here the manager told me that he could not enter the room without a feeling of discomfort, though I did not feel any myself, and the hours of work were very short, on account chiefly of the supposed unhealthy nature of the work. It will be ob served that one or two of the moBt plainly Injurious oecu patlons are those In whieh the young are liable to be employed for the longest hours, ff a boy of eight has worked In a brass casting shop till ten and a quarter past ten at night a good many having done so three times a week, two mornings from six, the third from seven, and sometimes not getting home, which ia a quarter of an hour off, till eleven m. having also his meals In the shop without washing, short at best, and often shortened to half. He adds, Mondays you don't The mere depression of mind and body such aa that resulting in femalea, amongst other casrnes, from excessive weariness from overwork in a feeble state of is stated by a physician to be unfavourable to morality. Neither did I find reason to believe, either from my own observation or from medical enquiry, that bodily distortion arises from any of the employments of the district, though a sprain of abdominal mufiole, and contraction of the hand, are mentioned as injuries caused by work, the former by filing the latter by press work Many employments, however, those In which a deafening noise or sensible vibration Ib constant, or In which sudden noises and shocks are frequent; and those requiring extraordinary and unlnter mlttent qulokness of manipulation seem calculated to act Injuriously, as In the opinion of some medical and other competent perBonB they do, on the nerves, hearing, or health, at least of children and persons of delicate health or nerves, especially if the freshness of their Btrength and powers of endurance be lessened by want of sufficient food or too long continued labour.

It was remarked to me in a steel-pen factory by a clerk formerly engaged In prlntiug, that his own nerveB aud health had suffered very maea from the great quickness with which ha tried to pick up the type, and that he was convinced that some of the females at presses, suffered in the Bame way from trying to work too quickly, and that a learner Bet to work beside an experienced or quick worker was specially liable to this. The gloominess of many of the work-plaoeB cannot but have a depressing effeot upon the health and spirits, though its results are not of course directly trace able. Apart from the direct effect upon the spirits, 'of which no one can be Insensible, the human organisation, like that of vegetables, wants light as well. If not as Imperatively, as it wants air. I am Informed by medical men that they consider an ample supply of natural light easen tiat to health.

A medical statement on the point waj hoped for, but has not been yet received. The appearance of many of rthe boys in all parts, and of the girls in the Stourbridge brickyards generally, is decidedly healthy, showing round merry faces and, at least when not nearly cofacealed by dirt and grime, a good colour. A largo pro portion, however, especially of the town population, both of young and adult, are either; stunted in growth or pale and slokly looking, attributable, however, probably folly as much, If not more to defective care and nutriment at home, especially while they were children, and to their unhealthy habits of life as 'a later age, as to their employment, My general Impression is that the appearance of females, engaged for the most past in sedentary employment, in below that of males, with exoeptiona in speolal employments and caBes. The moBt delicate and forlorn looking are to be found amongst the little button girls, and ohiefiy in large factories; and generally speaking the most neglected, whether boys or girls, are found amongst those em tt Londow, New Year's Eve. jooltaay-keepmg, sight seeing, and festive re-uukms nave engrossed the energies of a large section of this vast population during the week.

The pantomimes transcend all former pantomimes in splendour, and the theatres have been nightly filled to the celling. Drury Lane has opened its doors for a morning performance every day, In addition to the usual nightly entertainmentan unprecedented event In theatrioal annals-Covent Garden, and most of the other theatres, like-wise give day performances In unusual measure. Chief among the Bights of London, now as ever, are the Btreete and shops in the gayer quarters. To day the fashionable thoroughfare's have been. aa on Christmas Eve, crowded by the fair bbx.

accompanied by their juvenile relatives and country cousins. The shops have again put on their gayest air. The great linen drapers' shops are to-day invaded by Irish poplins resplendent with all the colours and designs of the Scottish plaids, and thus called "dan-popW- They appear to be of glossy and beautiful texture, and the price, ranging from 60s to It yardB' a88m8 grantee the quality of the article, Piald9 Me Beliom out of fashion in Paris, and the plaids of some of the clans, it must be admitted, display colours artistically blended and contrasted. Gros-grain black silks (2. 10s.

to 3.) appear to be in favour, but plain silks are not a little over-trimmed either with lace, braid, Ball dresses flash upon the eye, associated with visions of snowy purity and etherial brightness. If some young ladies who are anxious to rush Into coloured silks and satins, could only be told how much prettier and more graceful they look In white muslins and tarlatans, how often old eyes and young too for that matter would be refreshed The ladleB would be ready enough, no doubt, to exolalm that tueBe pretty tarlatans, which look so charming at the beginning of an evening, can never be worn more than once, and that they oftener oome to grief before the dancing is half over. Yet look at this pretty gold-leaf tarlatan, with the figures 12s. 9d. upon it: Others have blue or silver spots.

They Bparkle like fire flies, and in a well-lit ball room what could be more lively? The white grenadines belong to another and yet similar class of robes. How simple and how nicely got up are thosa at 6s. 9d. and 7s. 6d.

a dresa A washing grenadine Is marked ISs. but some white muslin dresses are, incredible as it may seem, marked at 3s. 6d. The broche muslins, white, but picked out with a little spot of colour, are both neat and cheap. A pretty ball dress can always be had at Sewell and Cross's for a guinea, and here is one white muslin so priced, wonderfully flounced in gold and coloured flowers.

The fancy boot makers make equally tasteful provision for balls and evening parties. White silk and satin shoes designed for some happier Cinderella, are of course adorned with white, blue, or pink rosettes. But here are dancing boots of white kid, silk, and satin, equally embellished with rosettes I suppose the prices must be satisfactory to the shopkeepers when a customer presents himself, for in no case have I seen any figures affixed to these pretty boots and shoes. Nearly allied to ladies' boots and shoes, it must be admitted, are ladies' hose. Any male biped of properly constituted mind, I suppose, looks another way when this article of feminine attire meets his view.

But in Regent Street a scarlet stocking, indisputably intended for the sex, is so lavishly displayed that one "cannot chopse but gaze." No condemnations of scarlet hose, whether worn by Roman Cardinals or the British fair, shall "proceed from this pen, yet It would boldly avow a preference for a certain colour brought out this season neither purple nor violet, but amethyst, of so rich and yat delicate abloom, and so modest withal, that the British matron and the British maiden, when they take their walks abroad," shall be more admired in this than perchance in scarlet. Among smaller matters the deep Jinen gauntlet cuffs force themselves upon the notice of the passer-by, Some are printed and others embroidered, with colour, but the greater part are white, and their adoption would seem to be universal. There are pretty white handkerchiefs at Hay ward's lace shop one, no doubt, dirt cheap at 24s. another marked lis. These are visibly articles de luxe not of utility.

Perhaps the most generally attractive windows are those which display the cartes devisite of royal, titled, and popular personages. The Queen has taken a new youth In some recent portraits. The young Princesses of Prussia, Wales, and HesBe take an amiable pleasure in giving to the world presentments of their fair Belves and pretty babes. They are evidently good nurses aa well as fond mammas. The Princess of Wales looks exceedingly lovely In one of these In another the Prince Alice is holding a bright looking child, as Intelligent, and therefore as unlike one of its parenta as can be conceived, The Princess Royal far hand: somer as a mother and youthful matron than she was as a bride, makes a charming picture in the company of her children.

Among titled subjects of the camera, Lord Derby, as the new translator of Homer, is most prominent-Lord Wodehouae, the new Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, attracts a fair share of attention. Lord Palmerston suffers sorely at the haudB of the photographers, and his portrait, enlarged from his carte de visits, and coloured, is simply hideous. The broad-browed Gladstone, now accepted by the Liberals as their future leader, presents, with his deep lines of thought, an interesting study for the physiognomist. A spirited vignette offers to view the face of the great sculptor. Baron Marochetti.

Another handsome face, stamped with an expression of quickness and determination, boldly is labelled, Mr. Delane, Editor of the Times." Another celebrity, conspicuous by his absence, is the well-known Mr. Banting, who cannot go to a single pantomime this year without hearing and seeing a few jokes cracked at his expense. The same may be said, in a pantomimic sense, of the Davenport Brothers, but they court the camera, instead of flying from it and evading it, as Mr. Banting has done.

Here they are, in morning costume, in the company of Mr. Pay-all three personable gentlemanly Americans In another photograph is one of the fraternity bound, rebound, and swathed in ropes like a mummy in cerecloth the ropes so thick that you would never think the thickness was itself the safeguard aud safety of the performer, and the assurance of his deliverance On dit, that Professor Anderson, the Wizard of the North, has lately sent a letter to the Brothers Daven. port, offering them 1,000., If they will let him bind them. It is added that the offer was promptly and unhesitatingly rejected. But the most favourite cartes are thoBe which come to us from the Kingdom of LUllput, The young ladies besiege this part of the window so continuously and persistently that, combined with the smallness of the objects, your correspondent had some difficulty in discharging this part of his duty.

First we have General Tom Thumb and his little bride, photographed In their wedding suits and on their wedding day the bridegroom gay, gallant, and confident, the bride tender, timid, and shy. Later in order, Commodore Nutt (the funniest little mannlkin, 29 inches high, and 20 years of age), and Miss Minnie Warren (18 years of age, and only 24 inches high), appear severally, and then jointly, on the scene. Lastly, the united family of Lilliputians are photographed in walking costume the ladies with warm velvets, ermine-bordered, the gentlemen hatted and with sticks in hand, on the beat terms with themselves, their ladies, and mankind In general. There Is a family likeness In these as In most dwarfs. They have sallow complexions, protruding foreheads, rather deeply sunk eyes, and receding noses.

But they appear to be happy, intelligent, and self-possessed, fond of the interest and admiration they excite and by no means unwilling to come under the focus fch camera, A glance at a photographic shop window is as amusing In Its incongruity as the "croBS readings" of a newspaper. Here for instance is Father Ignatus, who is labouring to establish the order of St. Benedict among English ProteBtants. He is a deacon of the Church of England, and his carte de visitc represents him standing before an image of the Virgin tonsured head, sandalled feet, and a crucifix hanging at Mb rosary. High Church, no doubt, regards the spectacle as most edifying, but right and left of the pious father are two ballet dancers, In flesh tights, low dresses, and muslin skirts of longitude most "sorely scanty." Mr.

Newman Hall, jn another part of the window, eloquent and severe, seems to be inveighing against theatrical amusements while his neighbour, Lydia Thompson, addressing him SHOOTING A WIPE AT COMMITTAL OF THE PSISONEE ON THE CAPITAL CHARGE, Hereford, Saturday. This morning, Joseph Morris (formerly a soldier In the 7th HuBsars, from which regiment he deserted several times, and was ultimately drummed out), was oharged with attempting to murder Mb wife, Elizabeth Morris, by shooting her, at Klnsham, near Presteign, in the county of Hereford, on the 14th of October last. The prisoner absconded after the commission of the offence, and was apprehended on Tuesday last while visiting the cottago at which his wife resided, Immediately after his incarceration In Presteign gaol he nearly succeeded In committing suicide by hanging himself by his neckcloth. to tha bars of his cell, from the effects of which he is now suffering, so much that he had to be accommodated with a aeat during the whole of the investigation. The first witness called was Elizabeth Morris, the wounded woman.

She Bald On the 13th of. October prisoner returned to my father's house at Klnsham, and asked me to leave it, and go to live with him elsewhere. I refused to do so, as my mother was ill he came the next day, and took a shilling from the small-clothes of ray father, and I followed him along some fields, and told him that if he did not return me the money, I would send for a policeman, and charge him with stealing. He went away towards Coombo's Moor, and I returned to the cottage. Some time after I saw him coming acrosB a field he called me, and said Bees, come here a bit.

If you will go up the road I will give you back the shilling, and another for tho loan of it. I walked along the road about 200- yards, and prisoner walked in a field on the other Bide the hedge. When we had got some distance I saw he had a gun In his possession He came over the hedge Into the road, and said, I will aoon settle all disputes." I said "If that Is what you mean I will soon, have assistance," and seized the gun with both hands He replied, I ain't going to shoot thee, dear," aud afterwards let go my hold of the weapon, and walked towards a pool of water by the roadside to wash my hands. As I was stooping down I found myself shot in the head, and I became insensible. When I recovered sufficiently to understand what waB going on about me, the prisoner said, Sendfor the policeman." Dr.

Teams and Geo. Brown came up, and I was removed to the cottage. My cap and bonnet were shot from my head. The prisoner cams several times to the cottage and wished to see me, but was told by my Bister to go away. On the Sunday I saw him and asked him why he did It, and he said that he only intended to frighten me, George Brown, a labourer, who was at work ISO or 209 yards from the Bpot, heard tho gun discharged and tha woman's scream he ran to her assistance, and found'her bleeding profusely from the head- Dr.

Tearue came up, and they assisted the woman to the cottage. Jameo Daviea, the landlord of the Bell, at Bytoo, deposed to the prisoner having had four or five pints of ale on the morning of the 14th of October. He left for a time, and returned and had three or four pints more this time he had a gun with him. He left about five o'clock, and returned a Becond time about eight. Witnesa accused prisoner of having shot his wife, and he denied It.

Witness said, Tell me the truth, Joe." Prisoner then said, To tell you the truth, Bess and me had a scuffle, and the gun went off bat which loosed It I can't tell." The prisoner wbs in drink, and he had the gun with him. George Moore, a nephew of Elizabeth Morris, deposed to finding the remnants of her cap, bonnet, and hair at the place where she was shot aud Superintendent Massey to apprehending the prisoner. Dr. Tearne stated that he was driving along the road to Klnsham Cross when the offence was committed. He heard the report of the gnn and the screarsis- of the woman, and urging on his horse, came ap, as the woman was reeling' acrosa the road, bleeding, freely from the head, a portion of the scilp of which ha oUDd had been torn away.

Tho skull was not completely perforated, but fractured, and he had extracted a. largo quantity of shot, and removed considerable exfoliation of the cranium, caused by the gun shot, which' was of a moat dangerous nature, without being fatal. He had attended the woman up to the present time, and on Wednesday took thirteen shot from her head. The prisoner had no defence to offer, and wbb fully-committed for trial upon the charge of choosing with intent to murder. Prisoner was removed In a close carriage to Hereford county gaoh.