Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London, and by Colonel Hogg, M.P., official chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works. This bridge was private property, vested in trustees, and is the fourth bridge across the upper district of the Thames that has been emancipated within the last few years, mainly by the application of the coal and wine dues of the City of London and the metropolis; the trustees in this case receiving, by way of compensation, 57,3007. Kingston Bridge was the first that was freed from toll, in March, 1870, when the venerable Lord St. Leonards, then in his ninetieth year, rode on horseback in the procession, as High Steward of the manor of Kingston. Since then the bridges at Walton and Staines have been emancipated, and it now only remains to free the bridge at Hampton to complete the work in the upper part of the Thames. The watchword in the surrounding districts has of late been "Free bridges for a free people," which on Saturday was displayed on banners. By a bill introduced by the Government in May, 1868, it was originally intended to continue the coal and wine duties until 1889 for the purposes of the Thames Embankment and certain City improvements; but that being strenuously opposed by the inhabitants of districts bordering upon the Thames, as the bill then stood, a clause was inserted to the effect that the duties should be applied in the first instance to the freeing from toll the five bridges of Kew, Kingston, Hampton Court, Walton, and Staines.

Before the ceremony to day there was a procession of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, in their state carriages, from the Gunnersbury station into the village of Kew. The line of route was filled with people, and the windows on both sides were crowded. The approaches to the bridge were spanned by triumphal arches, composed of evergreens, and banners floated from both sides throughout the entire length. On the Lord Mayor and Colonel Hogg, with the Sheriffs, arriving at the northern entrance to the bridge, they alighted, and were received by Mr. Mason, chairman of the trustees. Advancing towards them, Mr. Mason handed the Lord Mayor a finely-worked mediæval key, highly polished, and ornamented with masonic emblems. The Lord Mayor asked Mr. Mason if he and his co-trustees had received the purchase-money for the bridge, 57,3007. A reply having been given in the affirmative, the Lord Mayor, amid rounds of cheering and booming of cannon, unlocked the gate. The firemen rushed forward, and, raising the gate from its hinges, bore it in triumph to a brewer's dray, decked with evergreens and flowers, and drawn by a pair of white horses, driven by a man in a red cap. The firemen having mounted the dray, which became a conspicuous object in the pageant, the journey was continued along the bridge, amid salvos of artillery, and round Kew-green, returning eventually by the bridge to the "Star and Garter," at the north end, where a luncheon awaited the chief persons who had taken part in the cere

mony.

10. DR. HESSEL.-To-day, at the German Consulate-General, Dr. Hessel was presented with the testimonial raised to compensate

him, so far as such means can avail, for his connexion with the Great Coram-street tragedy. The funds collected in other quarters, and through the medium of the Daily Telegraph, amounted to 12257. 118. 8d., and the proceedings culminated in a touching request by Dr. Hessel that 2007. of the money, along with a handsome silver cup, which formed part of the testimonial, should be sent to his sorely-afflicted father in Germany. The cup, which is of classic form and design, bears the inscription-" To Dr. Gottfried Hessel: a token of English sympathy and respect. London, January 30, 1873." The date is that of Dr. Hessel's release from detention.

The Queen contributed 307. to this testimony of national feeling as a token of her Majesty's individual regret. Thus consoled, Dr. Hessel was entertained in the evening by the German Gymnastic Society.

18. TERRIBLE COLLIERY EXPLOSION.-On this (Tuesday) afternoon a fearful explosion, resulting in serious loss of life, took place in the colliery known as Talk-o'-the-Hill, a pit situated about four miles from Tunstall and one mile from Harecastle station. The scene of the present disaster is one that is already well known in the annals of colliery catastrophes. At the Talk-o'-the-Hill Colliery occurred, on the 13th December, 1866, an explosion which occasioned the loss of no less than eighty lives. It appears that the explosion occurred in the eight-feet seam, where twenty men were working. What caused it has not yet been ascertained. There is a conjecture, however, that the firing of a shot was the destructive agent. None of the unfortunate miners escaped. Efforts were immediately made to recover the bodies, but without the slightest success. It appears, indeed, to have been quite impossible to get to the workings, the roadways and supports having been destroyed by the explosion, and blocked the passage. A portion of the works took fire in consequence of the explosion, and only with difficulty, and after the lapse of considerable time, were the flames extinguished. The men who went down the pit were quite unable to remain in it long, on account of the after-damp. At the pit mouth there was, as may be supposed, a very distressing scene. It appears that a number of workmen engaged in the seven-feet seam at the time of the explosion were affected by it, but did not suffer seriously.

Up to four o'clock on Wednesday but fourteen bodies had been recovered, the state of the pit rendering it impossible for the present to penetrate to the places where the others are thought to be buried. The first that were found lay in a group. One hundred men have been busy exploring the workings under the direction of Mr. Hunter and several mining engineers connected with the collieries in the locality. Several slight explosions have occurred, but they have not been attended with serious results. The work of clearing away the débris has being going on without intermission since the accident occurred, and the obstructions are being removed as rapidly as possible. The bodies brought up are fearfully burnt, and some of them much mutilated. So disfigured, indeed, are three of the

bodies, it was found impossible to recognize them, and several others could only be identified by their clothes. Two of the fourteen bodies recovered were taken home, and twelve are lying at a neighbouring inn. The mine has been known as one of the best ventilated in the district. Several lamps have been found, and these had all been broken by the force of the explosion, but none had been opened.

Two more bodies were recovered on Thursday, making sixteen in all, and efforts are being vigorously maintained to get at the others. The last body brought up was dreadfully mutilated, having been buried under heavy rock and earth.

The ventilation of the pit has now been restored, and the work of clearing can therefore be proceeded with more rapidly.

An inquest was opened on Thursday, at the Swan Inn, Talke.

SERIOUS CHARGE OF FRAUD AGAINST A MERCHANT.-Mr. Joseph de Lizardi, whose failure had already been announced, was brought before the Lord Mayor, on a warrant, charged with having obtained by false pretences from Messrs. Glyn, Mills, and Co. the sum of 12,0007., with intent to defraud. Mr. B. W. Currie, a member of the firm of Messrs. Glyn, Mills, and Co., said he knew the prisoner, who carried on business under the style of Francisco de Lizardi and Co., in Cannon-street. On February 3 his firm were under considerable advances to the prisoner. On that day the prisoner came to him at the bank. He had previously been pressing him for advances, representing that large sums were due to him from brokers at the Baltic Coffee-house, and consequently that the advance would only be required for a very short period. He placed a paper in witness's hand, and witness agreed to lend him 12,000, to be repaid on February 6. The security he gave were orders for goods represented to be of the value of 23,000. Among the documents was a bill of lading for 3234 bags of wheat, weighing together 265,191 kilogrammes, by the steamer "Anne Webster," then at Santander, to be delivered in London to the order of F. de Lizardi and Co. It was dated January 23. On the faith of his statements the advance of 12,000l. was made. He did not repay it on February 6, and it was still due to the firm. On February 12 he called several times for the purpose of inducing witness to honour his acceptances. He handed him a paper purporting to be a valuation of the securities held by the bank, and among them he found the wheat in question, said to be of the value of 50007. On that day the bank honoured his acceptances on the faith of his representation that they were secured to an amount more than four times above that of the advances they had made. On February 13 the bank returned his drafts, and the firm failed. It was subsequently discovered that the wheat had been mortgaged on January 27 to another firm, so as to be valueless as security to Messrs. Glyn.On this evidence the further hearing was adjourned, bail being

refused.

22. MR. EDWIN JAMES.-The hearing of the appeal of Mr. Edwin James, some time a well-known Queen's Counsel, and one of the

members for Marylebone, to be reinstated as a member of the English Bar, was brought to a conclusion, the Judges deciding that Mr. James had shown no adequate cause for reversing the decision. of the Benchers of the Inner Temple, and that he could not be readmitted to practise at the Bar. In 1861 he was disbarred by the Benchers of the Inner Temple, and against that decision he recently lodged an appeal to the Judges. The proceedings, which were conducted in private, lasted three days. Lord Chief Justice Bovill, who at first appeared with the other Judges, was objected to by Mr. James as having been engaged against him as counsel in a case adverted to in the appeal about to be heard. The petitioner stated that in the spring of 1861, the attention of the Masters of the Inner Temple having been called to certain rumours affecting the character of the petitioner, they instituted an inquiry, which terminated in the passing of a resolution vacating his call to the Bar and striking his name off the books of the society. He was then (he said) compelled to seek in a foreign land the means of subsistence, and it was only upon his recent return that he found himself in a position to prosecute an appeal. The inquiry instituted by the Benchers had reference to his pecuniary transactions with the present Earl of Yarborough (then Lord Worsley) and two other persons. The ground of the appeal now made was in substance that no proper and sufficient inquiry had been made by the Benchers of the Inner Temple into the allegations against the petitioner, and that the evidence actually taken by them did not justify his removal from the Bar.

-THE GALWAY PROSECUTIONS have concluded at Dublin. They began with the arraignment of Father Loftus, the first of twenty who have been indicted. The jury being unable to agree upon a verdict were discharged after sitting for two days. Great disappointment was caused to the public by the exclusion from the Court of all who had not obtained special orders.

The Attorney-General (Mr. Palles), with whom was associated Dr. Ball, opened the case for the prosecution on February 10. He instanced Father Loftus's address from the altar after Communion, in which he told his people that all who voted for Captain Trench would "go down to their graves with the brand of Cain;" also the scene at Athenry railway station, where his reverence is accused of having incited a mob against a county magistrate by crying "Down with the landlords!" A Mr. O'Loughlen, a voter of the county, a Roman Catholic, and a pew-holder in Dunmore Chapel, who was "spoken at" by Mr. Loftus from the altar, and called a blackguard who had the audacity to canvass his (Father Loftus's) voters, was the first witness. The priest (he said) also said something of him in Irish-a language he did not understand-at which all the people smote their breasts. When coming down from the altar with the chalice in his hand, he thanked a lady named Hancock for allowing her tenants to vote for Captain Nolan. It was on this occasion that Mr. Loftus also said the brand of Cain

would be upon the voters for Trench. Mr. O'Loughlen was crossexamined, but his evidence was not shaken.

The charge of the Chief Justice occupied three hours. The jury retired at six o'clock, but, being unable to agree, were discharged at ten. It is stated that there were ten jurors for conviction and one for acquittal. The Rev. Mr. Loftus was cheered out of the Four Courts. He afterwards delivered a speech from the window of the Albert Hotel, in which, after thanking the people for their sympathy, he said he had never intended to commit an illegal act; he had merely advised the people to put down coercion, no matter in what form it was practised. He had been forced into the contest. The landlords, Protestant and Catholic, of the county of Galway had united to crush the liberties of the people, and to crush the Catholic priests of Galway out of politics altogether.

The prosecutions ended with the trial of Bishop Duggan, who was acquitted by his jury after six minutes' deliberation. Vociferous cheering and intense excitement was occasioned among the dense body of spectators by this result. The Attorney-General, in reply to the Chief Justice, stated that it had been determined on the part of the Crown not to prosecute any other cases at present.

28. THE COAL FAMINE.-All through the Lancashire coal-field, one of the most important in the country, a state of things at present prevails which certainly has had no parallel in the past. All the coal is absorbed the moment it reaches the surface, and the sidings are blocked by hundreds of empty waggons waiting for their turn to be filled. With the increasing scarceness, prices have gone up at a serious rate, until now coal, which a few years ago colliery proprietors were glad to sell at 48., is fetching over 20s. per ton. This state of things is, however, now beginning to have its natural effect. Mines which have been abandoned for years, because they could not be worked with profit, are again being opened out. All workable seams are being brought into operation, and, what is more important, new pits are being sunk. The colliery proprietors are also turning increased attention to coalcutting machines, and several have recently been introduced into the Lancashire coal-field.

A great demonstration against the high price of coal has been made at Nottingham. In the Market-square a monster meeting was held, nearly 10,000 persons being present. A procession, consisting chiefly of women-carrying an empty fire-grate and a banner bearing the words "Starvation" and "Beware, coal-owners, at the next election !"-marched through the streets to the marketplace, headed by a brass band. Speeches were delivered by several working men, and a resolution was unanimously passed denouncing the conduct of the coal-owners as inhuman, and appealing to Parliament for a Commission of Inquiry into the causes of the present high prices of coal.

A meeting of manufacturers has been held in Manchester, at which it was determined to form a Mutual Coal Supply Association,