... A few mornings since an explosion occurred on board the Union Company's steamer Pretoria, lying in the Southampton Docks, inflicting severe injuviee on eight men, one of whom named Batchelor, died three hours after his admission to the infirmary. Another lios in a precarious condition, while the rest arc more orlessinjured from burns and bruises. The vessel had coaled the day previous, and, ...

... LOCAL NOTES. BREAD-BAKING AT THE UNION. IT will not be a matter of surprise to the public to find that the Merthyr Guardians have again altered their minds respecting the baking of bread at the Workhouse. It was only a very few mouths ago that, owing to the bad way in which the bread was baked, and the fact that it cost more, even with pauper labour for nothing, to make it in the house than it ...

... Needles are made from soft steel wire, whfen mre- ceived from the manufactory in coils. The wire is cut by fixed shears into lengths sufficient to make two needles. These blanks, being bent, require straighten- ing, which is done by placing soveral thousands of them between two broad, heavy rings, and heating them to redness in a furnace. They are then removed ana plaoea still in position ...

... MOTHER RAILWAY ACCIDENT. f A railway accident happened on Monday evening on the Great Northern line close to the Nottingham etation. It appears that a passenger train consisting of fire carriages an engine and guard's van left Pinxton, Derbyshire, for Nottingham, in which town it was due at 6.24. On getting within a short distance of the destination, when the steam had been shut off and speed ...

... A correspondent at Lisbon vouches for the indl of the following narrative, which he translates the Dsario de yotieias :— At the distance of kilometre from the village of Fratel, near Niaa (».# on the frontier of Spain and Portugal, near the t*wn of Portalegre), Theresa Maria, who was carrying her husband's dinner to him in the fields, was told Dy A little shepherd boy that a wolf was prowling ...

... LONDON CORRESPONDENCE. It is, I think, worth recording that Mr. Lionel [awion, whose death has been reported, originally )ut into the Daily Telegraph £ 30,000., and it is a :oincidenoe that for some years his share of the profits amounted to that sum. The Statist takes a most cheery view of the com* nercial outlook. The revival of trade, it eays, is quietly but surely progressing. In iron, ...

... BRUTAL MURDER IN YORKSHIRE. On Monday, at Rawcliffe, near Goole, before Dr. Grabham, coroner, an inquest was held on the body of a man known only by the name of Jack, who was understood to be a native of Buckinghamshire. He was about 22 years of age, and about 5ft. 6in. high, and worked at a line puller. Some jealousy seems to have been caused by some workmen with whom Jack was locally ...

... A giftlo-ite kind, value and appearance, and the etyle in which it reaches you, may decide the dignity or vulgarity of the sender. None are so invincible as your half-witted people, who kuow just enough to excite their pndo, but not eo much ae to cure their ignorance. Friendly letters should be written because the w.rds spring spontaneously from the heart and not from the sense of duty. Let ...

... C5TNRYCHIOLAETH BWRDEISDEEF UNEDIG MERTHYR TYDFIL, &o. LLYTHYR II. STB,—Ymdrechwn yn awr i ddangos mae dyledswydd a rhwymau y Fwrdeisdref Unedig yn yr etholiad dyfodol ydyw talu parch i'r hwn y mae parch yn ddyledus. Un o brif nodweddion rhagoriaeth moes- garweh a rbinwedd bob amser ydyw parodrwydd i gydnabod teilyngdod ereill fel y dymunir cael cydna- byddiaeth. Dyna safon yr egwyddor a ...

... An extraordinary self-accusation of murder haft just been made at Bedford by a surgeon named Mon-' tague Stanton Ford, who resides in that town. He went to the police station about one o'clock in thei morning and informed the sergeant in charge that he had poisoned a lady in Liverpool. The sergeant askeJ him to put his statement in writing, which th# man immediately did, asserting that the ...

... At the Birkenhead County Police Court, on Mon- day, Irving Brown, farm bailiff to Mr. John Torr, M.P., of Eastham, was summoned for assaulting Josesph Wartschki, who said he was a general dealer, living in Russel Street, Liverpool. A cross-summons was also heard, charging Wartschki with assaulting Brown. Mr. Hannen was for the former, and Mr. Moore for Mr. Torr's bailiff. Complainant said that ...

... The other afternoon, owing to a report which had been put in circulation, crowds visited a giasfc field on the Old Nottingham Road, Belpher, in the possession of Mr. Samuel Alldread, grocer. In a corner of the field there was to be seen the body of a human being, the head being next to the wall, in a state of corruption. The clothes upon it were satu- rated with the late heavy faim. The body ...