charge by doctors of medicine had been £1 1s. for post
horses, but since the introduction of railways it was
reduced to 10s. 6d. per mile. He went by first-class carriages,
and was obliged to have a deputy to attend patients while
absent. Previous to going, Mrs. Haffenden had written
to him, as an old attendant, to come down, and he
replied that he would do so for 10 guineas, if she gave
him two days' notice. She had been ill ever since her
marriage. In answer to questions by Mr. Parry, the
barrister, for defendant, the plaintiff declined stating
the nature of her disorder, and said there was no difference
in the charges of physicians and consulting
surgeons. The husband of the lady had treated him most
discourteously, and had repudiated his services. Dr.
Tyler Smith said he had been a physician eleven years,
and always considered the practice of physicians and
consulting surgeons to be the same. He considered the
sum charged a very fair one, and below the average fee.
Dr. Laing also considered it a fair charge. Mr. Parry
said his client had paid 20 guineas into court, which
was very handsome, for the demand was preposterous.
It was at the rate of £4500 per year, leaving out
Sundays. The judge said it was a great difficulty to determine
the equitableness of medical fees, as the railways
had so disarranged them. Without any case being cited
on either side, he was inclined to consider, from the
evidence of the plaintiff, that the charge was a fair one,
and below the market price. He therefore gave judgment
for the plaintiff, with costs.

NARRATIVE OF ACCIDENT AND
DISASTER.

BY the Explosion at Warren Vale Colliery, near
Rotherham (mentioned in our last number) fifty-two
persons lost their lives instead of forty-three, as at first
stated. The Coroner's inquest concluded its investigation
on the 2nd inst. by returning the following verdict:
—"We find that the fifty-two men and boys whose
bodies we have viewed, were accidentally killed by an
explosion of fire-damp in the Warren Vale Colliery, in
the parish of Rawmarsh, in the county of York, in the
occupation of Messrs. Charlesworth." The Jury added
to their verdict these "remarks":—"Although there
is not sufficient evidence for us to return a verdict of
manslaughter against any particular person, we should
ill discharge our duty if we did not accompany our
verdict with an expression of our strong disapprobation of
the loose manner in which the works appear to have
been conducted at the above pit. We further regard
the instructions hitherto given to the men as quite
inadequate to the proper supervision and safe working
of them; and it certainly does appear to us, that it is
very desirable that there should be some stringent rules
and regulations at every colliery for the better and
safer working of the coal-mines; and further, that the
proprietors of every mine ought to be held by the
Legislature responsible for the efficiency of their agents and
superintendents."

There was a serious Collision on the Great Western
Railway very early on the morning of the 3rd inst.
A goods-train, on its way to London, was detained at
Chippenham for some time in the momentary expectation
that the mail would arrive; but as the mail was
very late, the station-master at length sent the goods-
train forward. A quarter of an hour after, the mail-
train came. As the interval between the two was
thought quite safe, nothing was said about the goods-
train; but a heavy fog had come on, the rails were
slippery, the goods-train had made hardly any progress,
and at length it had become almost stationary. The
fog obscured the tail-lights on the goods-train, the mail
overtook it, and dashed into it. The guard's break and
a horse-box were crushed; but, fortunately, the guard
perceived the danger in time to leap from his seat, and
he escaped unhurt. The driver of the mail-train was
dangerously wounded on the head; the passengers,
however, escaped without serious injury.

A dreadful accident from the Explosion of a Patent
Spirit Lamp, occurred on the 3rd inst. Two young
gentlemen, named Edwards and Foster (the latter a
son of Sir William Foster of Norwich) law-students,
resided at Highgate. They had dined together, and
had a lamp on the table. Mr. Foster rose to supply the
lamp with spirit; and just after he had done so, he was
proceeding, candle in hand, to relight it, when a terrific
explosion arrested his movements. On recovering a
little from the shock, he beheld his friend, Mr. Edwards,
enveloped in flames, the liquid having been scattered
over his chest and entire person, and the saturated
clothes having then ignited. Mr. Foster, who was
himself fortunately unhurt, immediately rushed to his
friend's assistance, and endeavoured with all his might
to extinguish the flames. Not succeeding, he caught
hold of his companion, and, by a desperate exertion of
strength, almost carried him first down stairs, and then
into a small garden at the back of the house, where by
rolling him on the ground, he at length succeeded in
extinguishing the flame; having, however, been
himself sadly burnt through his generous efforts.
Notwithstanding the prompt application of remedies,
Mr. Edwards died ten days afterwards. Mr. Foster,
however, is recovering. This accident shows how much
caution should be exercised in the use of lights of this
description.

There has been a fatal Explosion of Fire-damp at
Norbury Hall Colliery, near Wigan. At a time when
no danger was apprehended, a quantity of gas suddenly
ignited, and sixteen miners were burnt. Nine were
hurt so seriously that two of them have since died, and
the state of others is precarious. As usual, the men
worked with unprotected candles: they dislike safety-
lamps, the light they give being so small that a
considerable diminution of wages, it is said, would result
from their use, the men being paid by piece-work.

A coroner's inquest has been held at Alnwick, on the
body of Patrick Moreton, a young man who was killed
by a Railway Collision on the 2nd ult. The following
special verdict, returned on the 31st, explains the nature
of the accident; "that the deceased Patrick Moreton
met his death by a collision of two trains on the York,
Newcastle, and Berwick Railway; and that the collision
was owing to the neglect of the company's officers in
charge of the first train to send back a fog or lamp
signal to the train following, and further to the neglect
of certain officers of the company to supply fog signals
to the guard of the first train. We find the directors
and managers of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick
Railway, guilty of great blame and culpable neglect—
1.—In forwarding an enormous cattle-train immediately
preceding a passenger train, which cattle-train passed
Christon Bank when the passenger train was within
one minute of being due; 2.—In appointing an
unqualified guard to such a train; 3.—In appointing only
one guard to a double train, 250 yards long. Also we
find, that the production of the printed instructions by
the superintendent, as a proof of the general carefulness
of the company's management, appears to us only an
attempt on the part of the company's managers to get
rid of the responsibility resting on them, and to throw
the blame on an unfortunate guard, while at the price
of a few paltry tracts they get rid of the expense of
providing a competent individual, whose sole duty ought
to be to see, at least once daily, at some central station,
that all parties in charge of a train are provided with
proper signals."

A Boiler Explosion, attended with fatal consequences,
occurred at Gold's Hill, near Dudley, on the 7th inst.,
on the premises of Messrs. Davies and Bloomer. The
furnace-man named Evans, and his two assistants, were
instantly killed; and a man named James, a shingler,
afterwards died, without any outward appearances of
injury. The cause of the accident has not been
explained.

A Snow Storm, the severest that has occurred for
half a century, has taken place in Scotland, and
occasioned many fatal casualties. The whole country,
from Inverness to Perth, was buried under a deep
mass of snow, stopping the mails and interrupting all
communication. The following are among the fatal
accidents:—On the 16th inst., Mr. Menzies, of Strathbrann,
came to Crief, to visit a son and transact business.
The son remonstrated with his father against
returning that day, in consequence of the severity