faithful servant. Any man who became connected
with these disgraceful places ought to he ashamed of
himself; and it gave a feature of aggravation, not of
palliation, to an offence. The sentence was, that the
prisoner be kept to hard labour for one year.

Cornelius Tripe and Henry Graham Montague, who,
it will be remembered, were committed on the charge of
obtaining money under false pretences—the pretences
being that they were acting under the authority of a
Fictitious Gold Mining and Emigration Company, were
tried and convicted at the Central Criminal Court on the
21st inst., and sentenced to transportation for seven years.

Richard Sill, the attorney who was convicted at the
last sessions of the Central Criminal Court (see
Household Narrative for August, page 173) for Obtaining
Money on False Pretences, was brought up for judgment
on the 23d inst., and sentenced to imprisonment with
hard labour in the House of Correction for two years.

Two soldiers of the 31st regiment stationed at Fermoy
have been Attacked by the Country People in the
neighbourhood of the barracks, when one of them was
killed on the spot, and the other dangerously wounded.
It appears that this occurrence is connected with the
unfortunate Six Mile Bridge affair, and that the soldiers
have been the victims of a sanguinary retaliation.

A singular investigation has taken place before the
Bishop of Exeter, in consequence of charges of Popish
Practices brought forward against a clergyman of his
diocese. These charges werepreferred, by clergymen
having local cures, against the Rev. G. R. Prynne, incumbent
of St. Peter's, at Eldad, near Plymouth. Mr. Prynne,
it was alleged, had set up a confessional in his church,
where confession was secretly carried on, and
compulsorily as regarded the girls belonging to the Orphans'
Home, a school set up by Miss Sellon; and that
confession was enforced upon very young children, from
twelve years of age. It had been alleged by a girl of
fourteen, that she had frequently confessed to Mr.
Prynne, and that he had put questions to her of a most
indecent kind. Evidence was heard; consisting of the
written and spoken statements of the girl, her mother,
several Sisters of Mercy, and clergymen. The published
reports have been mutilated; but it was stated by two
clergymen that the girl made the most disgusting
communications to them in private. As to the allegations,
they are utterly denied by Mr. Prynne. He says there
is no confessional in the church, and certainly no one
could prove that there was one; but he admits to
receiving persons to confess. He does put leading
questions, but he is judicious and careful in putting them.
Such doubts were thrown on the girl's statements by her
contradictions and the allegations of those who knew her
conduct, that the Bishop did not deem them conclusive;
and he declared, "as a man, a Christian, and a bishop,"
that it would be the "grossest injustice to withhold the
confirmation in Mr. Prynne's church," [one of the
objects sought to be obtained by the inquiry]; saying,
moreover, that he felt bound to declare his opinion of
Mr. Prynne's innocence in that emphatic manner. This
decision has excited some surprise, as the charges appear
to have been very imperfectly investigated.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

A shocking Steamboat Accident took place on Lake
Erie, near Buffalo, on the 28th ult. About 2 o'clock in
the morning the steamer Atlantic came into collision with
the propeller Ogsdenburg. A dense fog prevailed; and,
as the numerous passengers on board the Atlantic,
composed chiefly of Norwegian emigrants, were unable
to see the exact nature of their danger, they were greatly
alarmed, and several, leaped overboard. The captain
endeavoured to restore confidence, and the steamer kept
on her course; the water, however, gained rapidly on
them, despite the efforts of the crew, and by the time
they had proceeded about two miles from the spot where
the collision took place, it was found that the vessel was
rapidly sinking, the fires in the engine-room being
extinguished by the water. The emigrants, who could
not understand a word spoken to them, by their cries and
terrors added to the horrors of the scene. The cabin
passengers, and all who could be made to understand,
were exhorted by the captain and officers to remain in
the cabin, and provide themselves with chairs, settees,
beds, &c, all of which were patent life-preservers, and
would buoy them up in the water. Numbers, however,
unheeding or not understanding the advice given them,
rushed overboard to certain death. At about half-past
two o'clock, amidst the wild shrieks of the passengers,
the steamer settled and sank. The propeller had kept
in the wake of the Atlantic, and those on board her did
all in their power to preserve the lives of the hundreds
of human beings who were now seen struggling in the
water. The fog hindered their efforts, but about 150
were rescued. The last persons taken from the boat
were Mr. Givan, clerk of the boat, and Mr. Bueil, first
engineer. The steamer had then sunk all but her stern,
and they, with some Illinois passengers, were clinging to
a rope attached to a floating mast and the wreck, being
up to their shoulders in water. As soon as the shrieks
of the drowning passengers were hushed, the voice of a
little boy was heard, and it was then first discovered
that a child, about eight years old, was also clinging to
a rope a short distance off. The little fellow talking to
himself, was saying, "Oh, I can't hold on much longer!
If papa was here he would hold me up." A man from
Illinois, a fine powerful fellow, immediately moved a
long rope, and seized the boy as he was about to sink.
He held him for some time, and called out to Givan to
come to his relief, as he was nearly exhausted by the
weight. Givan made an attempt to reach him, but in
vain. At that moment the boat of the propeller, loaded
to the water's edge with rescued passengers, passed, and
Givan hailed them, and entreated them to save the
boy. Mr. Blodgett, first mate of the Atlantic, who
was on board, jumped out, and swam to the rope, took
the boy off, and returned to the boat. He was thus
saved. The little fellow was with his uncle, who was
drowned. The next boat from the propeller took off
the clerk, first engineer, and the Illinois passenger.
The rescued passengers were conveyed to Erie, where
on landing they assembled together for the purpose of
returning thanks to God for their deliverance. It was
stated that about 200 persons, composed chiefly of poor
emigrants, had perished. Among the list of missing is
the name of Mrs. Cornwell, sister of Elihu Burritt.

Railway Accidents continue to hold a prominent place
in the news of the month. The following have occurred
since the beginning of September: While a train
heavily laden with passengers was going at thirty miles
an hour, at the Lenton Junction, near Nottingham, the
engine burst, the passengers were enveloped in steam
and smoke, and the train came to a stop. Many persons
left the carriages in their fright, but no further mishap
occurred. The driver was much burnt and scalded;
but the stoker escaped by climbing to the far side of the
tender. It appeared that a steam-tube had recently
been damaged, and was soldered and plugged: the steam
forced the plug into the fire. This patching of steam-
tubes is denounced as very dangerous.

As the morning express train from London, on
the Bristol and Exeter railway, near Taunton, was
running round a curve, just beyond the Chard
Canal bridge, the engine and tender broke away,
left the rails, and ploughed into the bank of a
cutting; the luggage-van fell upon the bank, having
separated from the four passenger-carriages; these
dashed onwards, one wheel got on to the up-line,
and the vehicles came to a stand. The front compartment
of the first carriage was smashed: fortunately it
was used for luggage. After the carriages bad passed,
the van fell back across the rails: this part of the matter
was something wonderful; a corner of the van grazed
each carriage as it passed, making a groove all along
the train. Only one passenger was hurt—a gentleman
whose forehead was cut by the rim of a hat on the head
of a person sitting opposite to him. The railway men
were less fortunate. Humberstone, the fireman, was
killed—crushed into the earth, under the wreck of the
engine and tender; Eaton the driver's hand was
smashed; and a porter's leg and thigh were fractured,
The telegraph posts aud wires were destroyed. An up
express-train arrived immediately after the disaster, but