"travellers," or tramways, which can be moved from one end of the building to the other, as circumstances require. On these travellers are placed "jennys," or locomotive cranes, which can be moved backward and forward for the purpose of lifting or moving boilers, and other ponderous pieces of machinery. At the time of the accident, about 100 men were at work in the building, eight of whom were on a traveller, engaged in moving a huge boiler, weighing 28 tons. A connection between the crane and the boiler had been formed, and the men who were on the traveller were turning the jenny for the purpose of raising the boiler from its position, when the traveller broke with a sudden crash just above the boiler, at the point where the strain was greatest, and the upper machinery and seven of the men were hurled to the ground. The jenny, which is from three to four tons in weight, fell on the top of the boiler, and upon six of the men, of whom two were killed instantaneously, one died in the hospital, and the other three were very seriously maimed. LOSS OF H.M. SHIP" CAMILLA" AND CREW.-The accounts received at the Admiralty by the last China mail, leave no doubt that Her Majesty's ship Camilla must have foundered at sea. It appears that she left Hakodadi on the 1st of September, for Kanagawa, the port of Yeddo, and that between that day and the 9th of September, the day on which the heavy gale passed over Yeddo, light southerly winds prevailed, so that she had not probably made much progress to the south when lost. Her Majesty's steam-vessel Berenice, of the Indian navy, proceeded along the coast from Kanagawa to Hakodadi and VOL. CIII. back, between the 24th of September and 11th of October, but failed in procuring any intelligence of the Camilla from the numerous fishing-boats, or in discovering any portion of the wreck. A report had, however, reached Vice-Admiral Hope, that the unfortunate vessel was seen from a Prussian vessel of war to strike on a rock in a fresh breeze, and go down. It is thought that the vessel foundered at sea in the typhoon which prevailed on the Japanese coast on the 9th of September. The Camilla was a sailing sloop-of-war of 16 guns, and was commanded by Commander G. T. Colville. The lieutenants who perished in her were Almeric H.-FitzRoy, Guy C. B. Wither; the master, William H. Moore. FEBRUARY. At a 5. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT BLENHEIM PALACE.-A disaster, which destroyed a considerable portion of this palatial residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, and occasioned an irreparable loss to art, took place this morning. very early hour the porter of the main gateway was awakened by a strong smell of fire and a great glare of light. He immediately rang the alarm bell, and on the household assembling it was ascertained that the north-eastern wing of the outer quadrangle was in flames. This portion of the building contained, on the ground-floors, the bakehouse, and store-rooms, the stewards' and clerks' offices, and other rooms: above them was a noble gallery built expressly for C the reception of a series of Titian's great works, representing "The Loves of the Gods." The gallery contained, besides, many other works of art. At a further part of the wing was a strong room containing many muniments of the family, of the greatest historical value. The intelligence that Blenheim was on fire spread a most lively excitement through the city of Oxford; the members and students hastened in crowds to the scene; the engines, and those of Woodstock, and some attached to the palace were speedily at hand to arrest the flames. Their assistance, however, came too late, for the fire had seized upon the building with such rapidity that an attempt of the servants to cut out the paintings from the frames was unavailing. The wing and all its contents were destroyed; but the further extension of the fire was prevented by the solidity of the walls of the muniment room, from which all the documents and books of account were removed. As a considerable space intervenes, by way of precaution, between this wing and the residential and state apartments of the palace, these latter were preserved from injury. The Duchess and family, and a large circle of visitors, were residing in the palace at the time of the disaster, but the Duke had gone to London the day before. The Titian series consisted of nine works of large size, painted in oil upon gilt leather, enriched in some parts also with silver, and were presented to the great Duke of Marlborough by Victor Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, afterwards King of Sardinia. Notwithstanding the splendour and undoubted merit of some of these works, it has been doubted by some judicious connoisseurs whether they were really the productions of the great master to whom they are attributed. The accessories and architectural decorations are said to point to a considerably later period, and Alessandro Veronese has been named as the probable painter. It was, nevertheless, clearly the opinion of Sir Joshua Reynolds that these paintings were works of a very high order. Owing to the nature of the subjects, and the remarkable frankness with which they were illustrated, these pictures were kept in a part of the palace not usually shown: but Sir Joshua Reynolds having visited Blenheim for a casual inspection of its treasures of art, was admitted to see these famous specimens of his own art, and was so much struck with their excellence that he recommended the Duke of Marlborough to build a gallery expressly for them. The only valuable representations of these pictures remaining is a set of mezzotinto engravings (the reverse way) by John Smith. In these plates the composition is preserved with great spirit and fidelity, but the gorgeous colouring in which the chief merit of the paintings lay is necessarily wanting. If the Blenheim Titians were of doubtful authenticity, and their loss to art not greatly to be lamented, far different is the case of the "Rape of Proserpine" one of Rubens' masterpieces, which, being hung in the Titian Gallery, perished in this fire. This magnificent picture was universally admitted to be one of the master's very finest works, and to be almost entirely painted with his own hand. The picture was of grand size-13 feet by 7 feet-the colour ing magnificent. It is feared that no careful copy of this chef-d'œuvre in colours exists, and the composition only has been preserved by an etching by Soutman. Another fine mansion perished by fire on the 9th March-Savernake House, situated in the forest. of the same name, near Marlborough. It was the property of the Marquis of Ailesbury, who does not usually reside there, but at Tottenham Park, another mansion about two miles distant. In January, one of the interesting mansions of old London was destroyed. On the western side of Mark Lane stood a mansion of fine architectural proportions, the interior of which was embellished by decorations of some beauty, with much old carving and inlaid work. The main building is approached through a courtyard, and the visitor enters by a fine hall in which was the main staircase. The hall opened beyond, by glazed doors, into a small garden, in which were still to be found some well-grown trees and a small fountain. Its history is little known, but it is supposed to have been built in the reign of Queen Anne, and to have been at one time the residence of a Spanish ambassador to the Court of London. The upper part of this interesting edifice was destroyed by the fire. In October, the fine mansion of Mr. A. H. Davenport, Capesthorne House, Cheshire, was almost destroyed. By very great exertions a large portion of the furniture, pictures, books, and plate was removed, but the former, much damaged by water and ill-usage. The interior of the mansion, with its beautiful carved work and fixtures was utterly destroyed. The damage is estimated at 20,000l. 6. FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENTS. -An explosion, by which five men and two boys lost their lives, took place at the Coppice Pit Colliery, Cannock Chase, belonging to the Earl of Shrewsbury. The shaft had been sunk to a depth which it was found impossible to keep free from water, and some men were employed in driving a fresh heading about half-way up the shaft. The position of the scaffold on which the men were working, caused some sulphur which was escaping in the space below to accumulate in a dangerous quantity. Some of this foul air, penetrating above the scaffold, came in contact with a naked light which the men were using, and produced an explosion. The scaffold was hurled a great distance up the shaft, and then fell back into the abyss of water, bearing with it two of the unfortunate men. The other five died of suffocation in the workings. Several other accidents, attended in each case with fatal consequences, occurred about this time. On the 8th of January, four men and two boys were killed in a pit at the Wyrley Colliery, in south Staffordshire. The pit was examined by the Government inspector, but no culpable negligence could be proved at the inquest. On the 22nd of the same month, three men were buried in a mine at Calver Sough, in Derbyshire, for two days. Two of them, brothers, were rescued; the other man was found dead, and with his head frightfully crushed. frightfully crushed. On the 9th of February, two men were killed by a fall of coal in a pit at Radstock, near Bath, belonging to the Countess of Waldegrave. On the 13th February, the engine was hoisting three men in a corve up the shaft of the Copperhouse mine, near Oldham, when the rope, which was of iron wire, broke, and 300 yards of it were precipitated upon them. When extricated, one man was found to be dead, and the other two so fatally injured, that they died while being removed. On the 8th of March, a fatal explosion occurred at the Blaengaur Colliery, in the Aberdare district, the property of Mr. David Davies. The pit is notorious for the many fatal accidents which have taken place in it. About 100 men were down in the pit when the explosion was heard. Assistance was soon at hand, but fourteen of the men brought to the surface were dead, and several others seriously injured. On the following day, a singular and fatal accident happened at the Deep Pit, near Hanley. The ponderous wire rope, and other parts of the machinery, fell crashing through two different storeys of the engine-house into a corner of the engine-room. The man in charge of the engine at the time, alarmed at the noise of the crashing floors, had run for safety into this very corner, and was found crushed to death under the mass of frag ments. 8. FATAL OCCURRENCE IN Α CITY SEWER.FOUR LIVES LOST. -It is well known that the city of London is drained by a very extensive system of sewers, which discharge their contents into the Thames by various openings, and that the ancient Fleet Ditch is one of the most important of them. In order to keep these cloaca in repair and working order, a numerous body of men are employed, under the Commissioners of Sewers, whose adventures in these underground passages have been frequent subject of description. The precautions for keeping the sewers free from foul and explosive gases are so effectual, that, generally speaking, the occupation of these men, however disagreeable, is not dangerous. Early this morning, four men descended the man-hole in Seacoal Lane, which gives admittance to branch sewer on the sharp incline between the Old Bailey and Farringdon Street. Their purpose was to clear away some accumulations that obstructed the flow of sewage, and to repair some brickwork. They should have emerged in about two hours. When, however, the usual time for breakfast arrived, their fellow-workmen were alarmed at their non-appearance; and, lamps and ropes having been procured, several men descended to search for them. These men found the sewer to be filled with oppressive gases, and some time therefore elapsed before they discovered three of their unfortunate comrades, crouched down close to one another and quite dead. body of the fourth was not found until night, when it was discovered far down the main sewer in Bridge Street. The gas which had been fatal to these poor men had also killed many rats; but, though thus destructive to animal life, it had no effect in extinguishing flame, for one of the candles used by the men was found still burning, and others had burnt out. The fatal gas was pronounced to be sulphuretted hydrogen, but it was found only in this sewer and those immediately connected with it. Its origin could not be discovered, but was generally attributed to the discharge into the sewer of a large quantity of acid water from some large copper and brass works in Warwick Lane. The 8. INDIAN LOAN OF 3,000,0007. -The Council of India to day received tenders for an Indian loan of 3,000,000l. at 5 per cent. The minimum reserved price was 981. The total amount of the sums offered exceeded 13,000,000l. Of this, 5,335,600l. was above the reserve price, and 637,000l. at that price. Business was done in the scrip as high as 101. STORMS AND SHIPWRECKS. The month has been remarkable for storms and the consequent dis asters. On the 9th, a gale commenced, the effects of which were felt with the utmost severity, from the north-eastern coasts of England, along the whole south coasts of England and Ireland, to Cape Clear. The weather-wise observations of Admiral Fitz-Roy, recorded in the last volume, have attained so much of system that precautionary warnings are telegraphed to the principal ports, and are communicated to the shipping by known signals. These forebodings have, for the most part, proved correct; but the master-mariners had not yet learnt to pay any attention to them. Thus, although Admiral Fitz-Roy had made it known on the 6th-" Cautiongale threatening from the southwest, and then northward;" and the barometer and the atmospheric appearances concurred in foretelling dirty weather, the captains of vessels in the Tyne totally disregarded the intimation, and at least a hundred vessels left that river, and as many the neighbouring ports, on Friday. The consequence was, that when the gale rose in fury at midnight, this crowd of ill-found and ill-manned shipping were embayed in the bight of Hartlepool, and many were wrecked, with a fearful sacrifice of life. The life-boats and pilot-boats were out night and day, making the most heroic exertions in rescuing the mariners from vessels aground on the terrible shoals and sand-banks on that coast, in boarding disabled vessels, carrying out anchors and chains, and other succour. On the banks near West Hartlepool, between forty and fifty vessels were seen at one time involved in disaster. Some had sunk, and only their masts were visible; others were on the shoals, beating to pieces; others were dismasted, and sinking. On the Langscar rocks, a fine China ship, the Kelso, with a cargo valued at 50,000l., was totally destroyed, though her crew, except one boy, was saved. So fearful was the gale, that most of the ships that struck were broken up into match-wood. Several vessels were seen to founder, of whose crews not a man was rescued. A painful disaster occurred off Whitby. The life-boat, which had five times that day braved the fury of the sea, and five times returned with the perishing crews of wrecked vessels, went out on her sixth errand of mercy; she was capsized, and of her crew of thirteen brave fellows, twelve were drowned: and at Blakeney, on the Norfolk coast, a boat proceeding to the rescue of the crew of a stranded vessel, was upset, and nine men perished. On the east coast of Ireland, the storm raged with equal fury. At Kingstown, a gallant officer in the Queen's service, with five of his men, perished as nobly in the service of humanity, as if he had died on his quarterdeck fighting for his country. This brave man was Captain Boyd, |