THE THORPE RAILWAY COLLISION.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1496, 26 November 1874, Page 2

THE THORPE RAILWAY COLLISION.

The Norwich City Coroner left the jury to consider the relative culpability of llobson, the telegraph clerk, and Cooper, the night inspector. He referred to Chief Justice Jervis's dictum that manslaughter must; arise from some lawful ast criminally or improperly performed. It would, he said, be for the jury to consider how far Cooper and Robson had committed a dereliction of duty. Even if Cooper had cancelled the first single line message which he handed in to Robinson it was for the jury to whether he exercised sufficient caution in not making the cancellation in writing. It was fair to state tnat the previous characters of both Robson and Coopsr had been good. The jury, having deliberated, returned a verdict of manslaughter against both Cooper and Robson. i'hey, however, expressed an opinion that Robson was the least culpable of the two. The jury trusted that the directors of the Great Eastern Railway would double the line between Norwich and Brundall, and observe greater punctuality with the trains, especially with tlie London trains. The accused, Robson and Cooper, were admitted to bail, themselves in L2OO, and two sureties of LIOO. In each case the sureties were named, and were accepted by the coroner.

Mr. Gladstone's essay on Ititualism and the Ritualists in the "Contemporary Review" will not much affect the political situation. Mr Forster has gone to America ; Mr Lowe has been content with writing a few weeks back, a short letter on competitive examinations ; and generally the party is declaring, in as plain terms as ifc can, that it intends to do as little as possible for the nation while out of office. This, it will be remembered, is precisely the opposite course to that adopted by their opponents, when they sat on the left of the Speaker. Nothing characterised them more than the almost nervous persistency with which they assailed and sifted every act and proposal by the Administration in power. So far, however, Mr Disraeli's colleagues have very little to say on the affairs of the country. Sir Stafford Northcote made a few passing remarks this week on education and the extent to which the Chancellor of the Exchequer—he meant the taxpayers — bled for the purpose of maintaining the new system. Lord Derby and Mr Hardy are passive so far as the public is concerned. Mr Ward Hunt is so actively employed in sea trips —for which it is said he has a keen liking — that he has no opportunity of revealing all but we may suppose he has learnt by practical experience by this time of the deficiencies of the navy. Of independent members, Mr. Fawcett is the only one who has been heard during the week. He has written a word of caution to farmers, in the belief that the Wiltshire farmers were about to reduce the pay of their men. This is, however, positively denied, while further evidence is given that the number of idle hands in the agricultural districts is alarmingly on the increase, n The European Mail says :— That America men-o'-war captains are instructed to watch the Pacific slopes, to prevent the influx of criminals from New Caledonia.