escape, it would seem the people had fallen upon each
other and blocked up the passage. A little further on
—about fifty yards—Mr. Skipley and his companions
came upon just such another pile as the first. The two
together contained the bodies of about sixty men and
children. A father and his two sons were found among
one of the heaps of the dead. The poor man in his
frantic eagerness and anxiety to save himself and his
two sons, had clutched one under each arm, and thus
had in vain sought to escape. Sixty-four persons have
perished altogether, and twenty-eight were brought out
alive, making the total number who were in the pit at
the time of the explosion ninety-two. It appears that
no blame can attach to any of the officials of the colliery.
The coal worked here, however, is of a highly gaseous
quality, insomuch that numerous cargoes which have
recently gone from the shipping port (Cardiff) have
exploded, and destroyed the vessels bearing them.

On the same day that the explosion took place at
Aberdare, a Dreadful Calamity occurred in the Gwendraeth
Vale, situate near Pembrey, between Llanelly and
Carmarthen, by which the lives of all the men in the
colliery at the time, with one exception, were sacrificed.
In the evening the colliers, to the number of about
twenty-eight, were at work, and everything appeared to
go on as usual, when, about ten o'clock at night, while
busily engaged at their work, the water suddenly broke
in upon them. The irruption appears to have been so
sudden, that the poor people, with one exception, had
no time to escape. The pit was almost instantaneously
filled, and the men all drowned, with the exception of
one man, who availed himself of the aid of the machinery
in operation to effect his escape. It was supposed that
the water broke in from some old colliery-workings in
the neighbourhood. It had been observed that the
water in the pit itself had of late been increasing.

A Return to the House of Commons has been printed,
from which it appears that last year 611 vessels belonging
to the United Kingdom were wrecked. Of the number
600 were sailing-vessels of 110,670 tonnage, and eleven
steam-vessels, the tonnage of which was 1306.

Another fatal Colliery Explosion took place on the
20th, in the Downbrow Pit, near Preston. It was found
to be dangerous when the men came to begin work in it in
the morning: the overlooker stationed his son to prevent
them from going into the dangerous parts with a lighted
candle; but in his absence they disregarded his son,
though he threatened them with a fine; went to the
interdicted spots with a lighted candle, and instantly
caused an explosion. Thirty-two were killed on the
spot, and at least five more dangerously and seriously
burnt and wounded.

On Saturday night, the 22nd inst. a Collision took
place on the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway,
but happily no loss of life occurred. The mail train left
York about eight o'clock, and on arriving at ten minutes
to eleven within a quarter of a mile of Gateshead, when
speeding at the rate of 25 miles an hour, it ran into an
engine and tender, which stood upon the line. The
passengers were thrown with great violence from their
seats, and were all much bruised in various parts of
their bodies. The two tenders and engines were almost
crushed to pieces. It was at once perceived that one
at least, of the men who had charge of the engine standing
on the line, was drunk, and incapable of taking care
even of himself, and upon inquiry it was found that the
engine had come from South Shields, but that the fires
having been neglected the steam was exhausted, and the
engine stopped just before the mail train came in sight.

The usual Return relating to Railway Accidents for
the half year ending the 31st December has been
printed. The number of passengers was 47,509,392.
The number of persons killed was 113, and 264 injured.
There were 8 passengers killed and 213 injured from
causes beyond their own control,; 9 passengers were
killed and 14 injured owing to their own misconduct or
want of caution; 30 servants of companies or of
contractors were killed and 17 injured from causes beyond
their own control; 32 servants of companies or of
contractors were killed and 11 injured owing to their own
misconduct or want of caution; 33 trespassers and other
persons, neither passengers nor servants of the
companies, were killed and 9 injured by crossing or walking
on railways. There was one suicide. The length of railways
open on the 30th June, 1851, was 6698 miles,
and on the 1st December last, 6890 miles, being an
increase during the half year of 192 miles.

SOCIAL, SANITARY, AND MUNICIPAL
PROGRESS.

THE first annual meeting of the subscribers to the
Cambridge Asylum for Sailors' Widows was held on
the 1st. The report stated that the amount of the
subscriptions received was £3306. The present Duke of
Cambridge had conveyed to trustees land for the building
at Kingston, in Surrey. A contract had been made
for the erection of the building at the cost of £3700. At
present it would be sufficient for forty widows, and when
the funds would allow the original design would be
completed.

The annual meeting of the Literary Association of
the Friends of Poland was held on the 3d inst., Lord D.
Stuart in the chair. The report stated that the income
for the past year was £1494. 6s. 6d., of which £800 was
contributed by the Poles. The expenditure for relief in
distress, sickness, for the emigration of refugees, and
education, amounted to £1026. 1s. 6d. The number of
refugees now in England is about 820, of whom 200
receive assistance from the British government; 160
refugees had left this country, of whom 92 proceeded
to America, and 13 were removed by death, showing
an increase of 60 over the number of last year, during
which there were nearly 1000 refugees in England.

The commencement of the east wing of the Brompton
Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest
was celebrated on the 5th inst. by a public dinner at the
Albion Tavern, Aldersgate-street. The Duke of
Cambridge presided. The report stated that during the
past year the number of in-patients had been 474, of
whom there had been discharged, more or less benefited
316, while 68 had died, and 90 remained in the building.
The financial statement showed a material reduction of
the outstanding liabilities, as well as of the current
expenditure of the hospital. In the course of the
evening subscriptions were announced to the amount of
more than £3300, including £20 from his Royal Highness,
and £500 from the Rev. D. Morel.

The members of the British and Foreign Society
met at Exeter Hall, under Lord Shaftesbury, on the
5th inst. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Chevalier Bunsen were speakers. The society had
scattered 25,402,309 copies of the Bible in 175 languages
—of which 121 were never before printed—among the
peoples of the earth. But the condition of the world in
these times, especially that of the despotically-governed
countries of Eastern Europe, whose rulers have a
notion that the Bible is fatal to their system, called for
redoubled efforts. The receipts of the year had been
£108,449; being more than £5000 beyond those of last
year, and £16,000 beyond those of 1850: the expenses
had been £103,930, and there were £52,341 of "present
engagements " to the further debit of the society.

The London City Mission assembled in the same
place on the 6th, under Mr. Plumptre, member for East
Kent, and were congratulated on the progress made by
the missionaries and Scripture readers, "notwithstanding
the malicious opposition of the Irish priests."
Chevalier Bunsen was a speaker here also. The report
stated that the receipts last year were £23,216. About
a million and a quarter of missionary visits were paid in
that time, about a million and three-quarters of tracts
distributed, and some hundreds of drunkards reclaimed
and communicants received.

The General Society for Improving the Dwellings of
the Working Classes was assisted, on the 6th, by a
meeting at Willis's Rooms, over which the Duke of
Cambridge presided, and which was graced by the
presence of a remarkable number of ladies of rank—the
Duchesses of Sutherland, Norfolk, and Argyll, the
Countesses Grey of Rosebery, Lichfield, Wilton, Ellesmere,
and Ripon, with other dames of note. The
chairman made a speech manifesting a warm and
practical interest in the society, and was supported by the
Bishops of London and Oxford, the Earl of Ellesmere,