Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

OBSTINATE RUSSIA-OBSTINATE TURKEY In a leader The Times remarks: Russia and Turkey have both as many men as they can possibly manage; both have several armies much larger than any we could bring into the field; both have whole tribes of cavalry; both have more guns than they know how to bring to the scene of action both sides impoverished, bankrupt as they may be for the transactions of peace, can find money to pay any number of war bills, or can obtain credit for them. But, as for Turkey, had she the men and the means for the conquest of the world, she could do nothing with them. Armies, guns of the latest manufacture, monitors, gunboats, horses, men, and everything, all sink into the abyss when Turkey begins to handle them. But the region and the localities of the war take the opportunity away from us, if either side needed or would be the better for any aid from us, or if we possessed ever so insane a wish to interfere. It takes its start, indeed, from seaport1*, open cities, and great rivers, but it runs up into mountain defiles, swampy plains, valleys liable to inundation, and roads, lines, and bridges sinking under the con- tinual passage of waggons and artillery. Worse than all, it penetrates into the midst of populations that hardly know their own mind from one day to another. But the worst remains. It is that both these Powers are just the two that it has always been found impossible to deal with so obstinate are they, so possessed with the sacredness of their cause, and so ready to find in it a justification for conduct, to say the least, unintelligible to common mundane apprehensions. The one has an advancing, the other, if it can be judged from the facts, a receding destiny. The crescent of one waxes, that of the other wanes; but, waxing or waning, the two Powers are equally sure to follow their own instincts, and that before very long. Even were they both disposed to keep their promises, the events of the last fifty years establish the very anxious fact that all Europe is undergoing a continual change fatal to the permanency of any arrangements that can be made by the Powers collectively, or even between any one Power and any other. Whatever we might do in that part of the world now would be undone in a very few years. The question which a few months ago was supposed to be the subject of Euro- pean diplomacy is now taking a course of its own, as much out of the reach of diplomacy, or intervention of any kind, as the course which a great river makes for itself when it has once burst it banks and deserted its old channel. It is now left to the arbitration of war, and to the spontaneous changes which war is sure to foster in its neighbourhood. If the passions of a people haveslumbered in peace, if social disaffection or class jealousy has found no vent, if personal ambi- tion has met with no opening, if an oppressed race has felt that an anneal to arms would be only to offend and alienate a peace-loving world, if the spirit of independ- ence has been long biding its time and liberty has abated something for the sake of security, all these spirits of the vasty deep are set at large in war, and follow their own wilder suggestions. While the work of arms goes on with its usual uncertainties, another work is already in progress-the upheaval of the populations all round the seat of war. That area of actual warfare is wide enough, and sufficiently un- settled but wider, more extensive, and more unused to law and rule is the vast fringe surrounding the Turkish Empire north and east. Turkey and Russia will have to deal with these remnants of old Chaos as necessity and self-preservation may dictate, but woe betide any other State that gratuitously steps into that weird, circle and endeavours with modern policy to cut the knots of ancient barbarism."

THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA. A letter received by the Western Morning New from the island of Patmos states that a successful tour has just been completed in the districts in the interior of Asia Minor by Dr. Phene, the antiquary, who has also been engaged in a careful examination of all the excavations and discoveries made by Dr. Schliemann in Greece and Troy. The journey to those of the seven churches not accessible by railroad or any main route is most arduous and attended with a good deal of risk from fever and even robbers. No Englishman now living has visited all seven churches as well as the time-honoured island of Patmos. Dr. Phene had a special object, that of examining the prehistoric monu- ments in the district of those churches, some of which are referred to by Homer and some by Herodotus; f? l^ri8 remarkable that some of them are similar to the hill sculptures of which there are examples at Cerne Abbas, in Dorsetshire, and another in Sussex. ihe inspection of the valuable ancient manuscripts in the monastery at Patmos was requested for Dr. Phene y by the Archbishop of Smyrna; and the difficult visit to that island Dr. Phene having to charter a vessel at his own cost-was most successfully accomplished. The results of these investigations will be communi- cated to the British Association at Plymouth in August next.

THE GREAT INCREASE OF RUSSIA. At the beginning of the reign of Ivan III., the first autocratic ruler of Russia, in the year 1462, the territory he governed comprised about 11,000 square miles. At his death, in 1505, the whole extent of his dominions may be estimated to have included about 43,000 square miles. Under the Czar Ivan IV. (" The Terrible "), a considerable quantity of territory was annexed, including the districts inhabited by the Cossacks of the Don, so that at the time of his death in 1584, the Russian Empire may be computed to have contained75,000 square miles. Theodore I., who succeeded Ivan, acquired territory from the Swedes, and also pushed his conquests beyond the Ural Mountains; and at his death in 1598, the Russia* sway extended over 130,000 square miles. During the troubled times which followed his death some of the conquered provinces were again lost; but, on the other hand, a great part of Siberia was added to the dominions of the Czar, and on the accession of Michael 1., in 1613, the extent of the Russian Empire may be taken at 156,000 square miles. Peter I. by his nume i-ous conquests materially increased its extent, and at his death, in 1725, it comprised 282,454 square miles. During the reigns of the Empresses Anna Ivanovna, Elizabeth, and Catherine II. large annexations were made, so that on the death of the latter in 1796 the Russian dominions extended over 352,472 square miles. The Emperor Paul I. added Georgia to his dominions. Alexander 1. conquered Finland and annexed other II territorie.s, increasing the extent of the Russian Empire before "he died in 1825 to 306,582 square miles; while Nicholas I., by the campaigns of 1828 and 1821), secured to Russia the khanates of Erivan and Nahi- chevan, the district of Ordubab. and the pashalic of Achalzic. raising the total extent of the Russian Em- pirt> tu 367.112 yquare miles. Thus, since the reorganiza- tion of the Russian sovereignty under Ivan III., some 400 years ago, the territorial dominions of Russia have increased to thirty-five times their original size.—Pall Mall Gazette. I

PHOTOGRAPHERS ON THE BATTLE FIELD. The British Journal of Photography" speaks of preparations for supplying the British public with a regular series of views from the battle fields in the East by means of the camera. In doing so, it shows m a very striking light the remarkable progress that nas. Deen made in the position of photography since faATiwP+r-eparation8 were made for the Crimean War. At tnat time such an undertaking seems to haVe been very ormidable, demanding nothing less than a travelling laboratory. The impedimenta of one enthusiastic photographer who joined our army in V £ !m?a con«sted of thirty-six large chests, ana, travelling establishment necessitated the employment of three horses. Now it is affirmed that requirements of photography are con- cerne uie thirty-six large chests have been reduced KJSZP, V schoolboy's satchel. Instead of a chemical laboratory with its stores of nitrat* of silver, ts acids and alkalies, and all kinds of para- P „niii a eDQanded by the wet or dry plate process, elf ,i vf ^le plates themselves, "the camera is £ one of the roller dark slides recently tvt°Ut viProminent manner before the public by Mr. n Warnerke, whose long bands of senbitisea tissue are to be used in preference to sensitised dry collodion glaS8 plates." These bands of sensitised appears, are each of them equivalent to thir v glass plates, and being all ready for the pro- j r i Pictures, entirely supersede the troubles and PUsiness of the bath photographic operations, ine pnotographer of twenty years ago could not visit a distant at of war without carrying a considerable branch establishment with him and when lie reached the scene of his operations he was continually in a rrh6* r?sPecting the state of his bath and chemicals." v I Ph°tographer of the present day has but to shoulder his "satchel," to select his subject, expose £ &i sec°nds his sensitised tissue, and then wnen ins band of thirty pictures is filled up to trans- T ri kome, where it may be "developed at leisure. And whereas formerly r.othing could be done in tho height of summer, now all seasons are alike to him, so faras temperature is concernei, at least. Stray bullets and bombshells are in fact the only difficulties with which he has now to contend. (,'lobe.

TAPPING THE TELEGRAPH WIRES. The French Government has just conferred the military medal upon a young woman employed in the telegraph office at Pithiviers during the war of 1870. L/pon the arrival of the German forces in that town aunng the month of November, they at once, as was tneir wont took possession of the telegraph offlc« and relegated Mdlle. Dodu, the young woman in charge to a room on the first-floor. The wires passed through this room, and Mdlle. Dodu managed to tap them and convey the information to the sub-prefect. One aav a telegram arrived from the Prussian staff at Orleans addressed to Prince Frederick Charles, in- forming him of the march of a French corps upon Glen, and suggesting the movementa to be made in order to surround it. This telegram she took to the sub-prefect, who made three copies of it for the commander of the French corps, sending each by a ditterent messenger. Two of the messengers were killed, but the third arrived and the ^information French commander to make a timely' retreat, ihe Prussians did not ascertain what had taken place until just before the armistice, but for which Mdlle. Dodu might have fared badly. As it was, Prince Frederick Charles, who was at Pithiviers just after the armistice, congratulated Mdlle. Dodu upon her courage, and offered" her a place in the Prus- sian telegraph service. This she naturally refused, and, after having been placed in the orders of the day mJfter of War was appointed directrice of the telegraph office at Enghien.

SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE LOCK- OUT ON THE CLYDE. (From The Pimes.) In the present depression of trade generally the news of a trade dispute between the Clyde ship- builders and their workmen is more that usually un- welcome. The men, ats our readers have seen, have demanded an advance of wages, and this the masters declare they are unable to grant. The partial "strike" which followed the refusal has led already to an almost universal "lock-out," and the shipbuilding yards on the Clyde will, accordingly, remain idle until terms of some kind have been agreed upon. It is as yet too early in the day for us to know certainly which party is in the wrong. The event will show this; but the data by which the event will be determined could scarcely be discovered without an examination of the masters' books. The contest, at any rate, has been of the men's own choosing. The actual "strike," it is true, was confined to the shipwrights, but a" strike of the shipwrights must soon have brought all other depart- ments of work to a standstill. The lock-out resorted to by the masters has thus only anticipated a 'state of things which must have, beyond question, have occurred very shortly. In the meantime, and while the main question at issue is still open, the firstfeeling must be one of regret that such rough, wasteful, means should have been employed to settle it. The wish of the men for higher wages or shorter hours is of course a perfectly natural one. But equally natural is the wish of the masters for good trade profits, and these are necessarily reduced as far as the men succeed in obtaining what they ask for. Whether the margin of profit which would still re- main over would, even so, be sufficient, it is, as we have said, not possible to pronounce. There are some signs of a brisk demand for labour in some of the English yards, and particularly in the Government dockyards, but there are no means at hand by which this can be accurately measured. What is quite certain is that, whether the masters or the men turn out by-and-by to have judged the question correctly, the step to which the men had begun by committing themselves was a mistaken one. If any branch of trade is really reviving, the benefit of the change must soon be shared by all engaged in it. Good orders and-a brisk demand for finished goods mean also a brisk demand for •the labour needed to execute them. If the work- men, therefore, are in the right, they may wait safely for the higher terms which their employers are sure to bid for them. If they are in the wrong, they have been guilty of a twofold error, for they have chosed bad means for the attainment of an impossible result. It seems strange that their late dismal ex- perience should have left them still uninformed on trade laws which it is most necessary for them to know. They have had good reason to be aware that in bad times no organization, however strict, can do any- thing to prevent a fall of wages. They have sub- mitted, accordingly, to what they have foundit im- possible to avoid. We are not surprised if they wish that their submission should be brief. We regret only that they are too impatient in their efforts to terminate it. We admit the justice, or, what is even more to the purpose, the necessity, of the un- written rule that they should follow the fortunes of their employers, and should share their prosperity, as they have been of late the unwilling partners of their reverses. But it can be good for neither party that they should so act as to nip in the bud the prosperity upon which they are calculating, and to induce con- fusion and disaster, from which they themselves must be the first and principal sufferers. If the pear is as ripe as they believe it to be it must soon drop into their mouths. But whether it is ripe or not, they are wasting their time to no purpose while they wait in idleness for its fall. Of all forms of industry in which trade disputes can occur there is none in which they are more likely to be mischievous than in the shipbuilding trade. The demand for ships can be satisfied anywhere. The Thames shipyards have been emptied by the exorbi- tant demands of the men and the competition of Northern yards, and these, again, must beware of com- petitors who are waiting to do them the same unkind turn as soon as the chance offers. The market which supplies ships must always be a very open one, since the finished product must always be very portable. No port or even country can have any monopoly here. There is the ominous threat already heard of, rivalry in the Western world, and consumers will go, we may be assured, to any quarter of the globe where they can be satisfied most cheaply. We have at present the immense advantage of a great working concern and an established connexion. It is another question whether we shall be able to retain it. We can do so only by turning our chances to the best account, and a great strike and great lock-out" on the Clyde seem certainly to point in quite another direction. Let us suppose, for a moment, the case of England and the United States reversed. Let us suppose America to have got the trade she is so eager to obtain, and let England be striving anxiously to win it back. Could there be better news for English ship- builders than a great" strike" in progress at New York, or wherever else the iron shipbuilding business was domiciled? How gladly would our expectant masters and men canvass the welcome intelligence. With what glee would they hear of American ship- yards closed for the time and compel; to reject orders; of workmen standing out for unreasonably high wages, and of employers stoutly determined to keep wages down anyhow. Which side was in the right they would scarcely even care to ask. The fact of the dispute would be enough, for they would feel that it had given them an opportunity for which otherwise they might long have waited in vain. We have onlv to change the names, and the story and its moral will apply exactly to th", case before us. We will not throw it out to the men more than to the masters. Both sides are equally concerned in applying it- Great Britain is at present in posses- sion of the coveted business, but she holds it by an Uncertain title, and she must go on continually to make good her disputed claim. It would be a melan- choly thing enough if trade by and by revives, and we find after all that it has passed to other hands. Yet this is a result which we must be prepared for, and which we may expect if we are so perverse now as to do all in our power to favour the transfer. 1 t. cannot at this stage of the struggle form I opinion which side is in the right, we can at least find some signs, imperfect it is true, but not Without their force, which may serve in some degree as our guide. In the first place, the men are obviously the aggressors, and it rests with them, therefore, to justify their doubtful proceedings. v\ e may re- member next that the masters are far better in- formed than any one else can be of essential facts of the ease. If they do not find themselves under any constraint to advance their biddings in the labour market, it is a fair presumption that the necessity does not exist, and that the men's terms are inadmissable. Strikes," as Mr. Brassey has observed, do not, as a rule, occur when trade is im- proving. The masters are interested in preventing them, and they will gladly meet their men something more than half-way if the case is one which seems to them to admit of the concession. On these questions, too, the views of the masters are the sounder and the more enlightened. The men, who live by their labour, wish only to sel) it to the best advantage, and are not sufficiently alive to the conditions which determine its fluctuating value. The masters must know well that they cannot by any agreement among themselves keep up prices or keep wages down. Freedom of trade presses upon them too directly on all sides, and they feel themselves simply Powerless to resist its unseen influences. The working men of this country have not yet cleared their minds of delusions, natural enough, but none the less per- nicious. They draw their conclusions moreover, from what they see, without paying due re- gard to the unpleasant possibilities and dim uncer- tainties of the future. The capitalist and the work- shop are facts beyond which they do not care to pene- trate. That the workshop should be closed, or that the capitalist should turn his money to some other employment, are contingencies which they do not realise. Their omission to do so is, however, dangerous, and dangerous not least to themselves. If they are Ml the wrong in the demand they are now making, if they are fighting for an advance of wages to Which the facts of the case do not give them a legi- timate claim, they will not only fail in the end, but they will inflict by the way an enormous amount of heedless damage on themselves and on the trade which supports them. The public is impatient of these continual trade disputes, and disapproves the method of warfare which is too readily resorted to when they arise. We are glad to learn that in the case before is there is some chance of an arbitration being agreed tlpon. Any settlement would be better than the Prolongation- of a quarrel which is doubtful in its issue, and only certain to be disastrous to all who are directly Or indirectly affected by it. It would be a poor busi- ness if our iron shipbuilding trade were stolen away While men and masters were contending over the division of its prospective profits.

«eath of Peter J. Atkins, aged 50, who lost his life while at Ilea, under peculiar circumstances. According to the evi- dence of the chief mate, Charles Jones, the deceased was a raPtain in the service of the Steam Navigation Company, and command of the screw ship Vahulea, which is engaged ^trading between London and Antwerp. They left Antwerp Wednesday last, the deceased having had something to although not drunk. When between Margate and ¡¡gate on Thursday morning in last week, he appeared UP-4 the deck and spoke to some of the men. When no one waa looking at him he was heard to say either I am going," 'Here I go," and the mate looking roundt saw him fall- **■8 over the side of the vessel into the water. Every means r*8 employed to save him, but before he could be got on "j^w^he was dead. The jury returned a verdict of "Acci-

A YEAR'S EARTHQUAKES. Manifestations of internal force beneath the earth's crust in the shape of either earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, occur on an average nearly three times a week in greater or less intensity in some part of the globe. Such, at least, is the conclusion to be arrived at from the compilation of all the recorded phenomena of this kind in the year 1875, lately prepared by Professor Fuchs, and published in a German scientific journal. Out of the 365 days of that year, 100 were marked by terrestial disturbances of which authentic records exist, while there must have been many shocks of more or less violence in unfrequented portions of the globe where volcanic forces are known to exist. The most serious of these observed phenomena occurred at Cucuta, New Granada, on the 16th, 17th, and 18th May, when several towns and villages were destroyed; at San Cristobal and Guadalaxera, in Mexico, on February 11th; at Lifu Island, in the North Pacific, on March 28th; at Lahore, in the Punjaub, and at Porto Rico, on the 12th and 21st of December. All these places, it will be observed, are in the torrid zone, with the exception of Lahore, which is only a short distance north of the Tropic of Cancer. It is esti- mated that no fewer than 20,000 persons lost their lives during the destruction caused by these earth- quakes, while the damage to property was enor- mous. In those districts which are liable to disturbances of this nature, the buildings are usually and on purpose of a very frail nature, but the losses occasioned are nevertheless very severe, especially as when in the case of the earthquakes of February 11th and of the 16th and 18th of May the shocks are felt over a far wider expanse than is indi- cated by the central outbreak. These disturbances, which threw San Cristobal and Guadalaxera and Cucuta, and many neighbouring villages into ruins, were felt over a considerable portion of Central America and the adjoining parts of the Northern and Southern Continents. Besides the earthquakes which are felt by the in- habitants of the land, there are many disturbances in the depths of the ocean which are probably never observed and never recorded, and similar manifesta- tions of volcanic force exert themselves beneath the sea, such as that recently observed near Hawaii. The great centres of volcanic phenomena are Italy, Iceland, New Zealand, Java, Mexico, the Northern Pacific, and Greece, and all these localities exhibited signs of activity during the year 1875. The most im- portant outbreaks occurred in Iceland, where, though no great calamity like those to which Vesuvius has given rise, occurred, there were several furious out- bursts. On one occasion—viz., in March, the ashes emitted by Vatna were carried as far as Norway and Sweden and so dense were the clouds of dust that the sun was obscured and wide districts thrown into darkness. Loud reports and severe shakings accom- panied this display, and were felt throughout the island. On six occasions huge streams of lava were f>oured forth from the different craters opened, asting, in some instances, for many weeks— notably on the occasion of the eruption of Vatna, on January 2, when the red-hot matter continued to flow till the end of February. In April several eruptions occurred, during one of which matter was ejected to an enormons height, and streams of larva a mile and a half wide and fifteen miles long, flowed in all directions. Vesuvius and Etna were not nearly so full of life during that year. The Sicilian mountain only gave three or four signs of activity, which were unaccompanied, save with two slight exceptions, by any outward manifestations though in January some damage was done by sharp shocks of inward labour. These phenomena occurred in January and December, and were accompanied by simultaneous earthquakes and subterranean noises in the sister volcano, Vesuvius, which gave forth clouds of smoke at intervals. In Java there was a serious eruption of Kloet at the beginning of 1875, whereby the settlement of Blikar was destroyed and other damage done. The New Zealand geysers, or springs of boiling water, similar to the celebrated fountains of Iceland, were unusually active, and towards the end of the year the volcano of Tongariro was in eruption, ejecting lava and stones and about the same time an outbreak of Mauna Loa occurred in the Sandwich Islands. This locality has since shown frequent signs of considerable commotion. Perhaps the most interesting of volcanic phenomena wfc the sudden eruption of Ceboruco, in Mexico on the 11th of February, and the same time as the earth- quakes referred to above at San Cristobal and. Guada- laxera. This mountain had been thought to be ex- tinct, no eruption having been recorded since the dis- covery of America, till, in 1870, it awoke from its long sleep. It is hoped that the vent thus found may serve to relieve the country from the earthquake-plague, by which it is paralysed. The Grecian Archipelago—the third great seat of volcanic force in Europe-was visited by several eruptions in 1875. The Island of Santorin is specially referred to by Professor Fuchs as being in constant agitation, though no damage was done.-The Times.

THE CAPTURE OF SOUKUM KALEH. A correspondent of the Daily Telegraph gives the follow- ing graphic account of the capture of this town and fortress "The division of the fleet employed consisted of four ironclads, under Admiral Hassan Pasha and these having embarked 150 Circassians and a small number of other fighting men, steamed towards the well-known port of Soukum Kaleh. The place is protected by a formidable Russian fortress, and the entrance to it was supposed to be guarded by torpedoes. On arriving near the harbour the Circassians were hwled. dis- guised as Eussian officers. On the approach of the fleet, a sharp fire wa s opened by the batteries, which was returned by the ships. Eveningcameon, and both parties ceased firing. Meanwhile, the Circassians, on entering the town outside the fort, had found no difficultyin col- lectingsome 3,000 of their countrymen, and distributing to them the arms which the ships had already landed, and though there were not arms enough for all, the brave fellows rushed upon the garrison, which was composed chiefly of Cossacks, drove them from their barracks, spiked the guns, cleared the town of the enemy, and m the morning Hoisted a preconcerted signal to the fleet. The admiral thereupon landed and took formal possession of the plaoe, thus gaining at once the key of Circassia. It seems that the shells from the ships on the night previously had set fire to a portion of the town and, as no attempt was made to put out the flames, a large portion of the place was burnt. All this while the Russians and the Cossack colonists of the district were making their way off to Gongara, and thither they were followed. I am informed that on their waythere they killed everybody they could lay hands on; but for this they had presently to pay pretty dearly, for I do not think many of them escaped. The place to which they retreated was burnt, and so were two or three other towns. Mean- time the insurrection was spreading and everywhere the Turks were gladly received. In estimating the effect of this victory, it must be remembered that Soukum Kaleh is the principal seaport of Circassia, and that it possesses very good anchorage ground. More than this, it will now be made the base of operations for sustaining the revolt in Circassia, and so cutting off the land supplies of the Russians in Asia Minor. Already we have sent 5,000 regular troops from this place, together with a large quantity of arms, to be distributed amongst the Circassians, who declare that all they want are weapons, having which they will set the whole country in a blaze. Besides this, we have also received a telegram from Constanti- nople to say that 10,000 regular soldiers, with field batteries and 400 horses, are coming out at once, so that before long we shall have a very respectable force in the Caucasus, and may, with the aid of the country people, who are rising everywhere, be able to do some- thing very serious. They telegraphed moreover, that Fazli Pasha is to command, and if this be the case, we may expect reports of some sharp fighting. At present the plan of the Turkish authorities seems to fortify Soukum Kaleh a little more on the land side, and place in it a good fo *ce of troops, then move down upon Kurtais and l'iflis with some 10,000 regular troops, a few batteries of guns, and as many of the irregular soldiers and volunteer Circassians as can be got. With this force, which should number some 30,000 or 40,000, a very heavy blow might be struck in rear of the Russian armies."

MINERAL SALT DEPOSITS. A discovery of much interest and importance has recently been made at Aschersleben, in Prussia, in the vicinity of the Hartz Mountains. Within the last 20 years the Government of Prussia and Anhalt have been deriving large profits from the working of sundry pits or mines productive of potash salts, situ- ated at Stassfurth and Leopoldshall. Hitherto these undertakings have enjoyed a monopoly, but an independent party of explorers, aided by the diamond rock-boring apparatus, have succeeded in reaching the potash deposits at moderate depths not far from Stassfurth. The first boring reached what is called the kainit" portion of the potash layer, which was proved to have a thickness of fifty English feet. As the Prussian mining law entitles the discoverers to a concession equal to an area of 2,189,000 square metres, it is computed that this discovery includes about 66,000,000 tons of potash salts. But the ex- plorers, consisting chiefly of English capitalists, have proceeded further, and by means of ether borings have obtained the command of an enormous area of these valuable deposits, which are now going to be extensively worked. The discovery is likely to be of great service to chymical industry, by pro- viding an ample supply of one of its staple commodi- ties, the want of which threatened at one time to be rather serious. The extraordinary fertility im- parted to the soil by the use of potash manure also renders the discovery a matter ef direct interest to the agriculturist. Experience gained in Germany and Holland shows that by the use of the kainit and other forms of potash, land naturally poor can be made to bear extraordinary crops. This system of fertilization has been found peculiarly advantageous in the case of peat lands and moors.

THE "MOFFETT LIQUOR LAW." The 1' Moffett Liquor Law of Virginia, which came into operation last month, provides for the esta- blishment of liquor-meters by which the consumption of drink at each bar can be properly checked. In addition to the payment of the usual amount for a licence each bar-room keeper or retail liquor dealer is required to hire from the revenue commissioner of his district an apparatus resembling a gas meter in appear- ance and termed a "bar-room register." The lawaireots each bar-room keeper "immediately upon the sale of each drink of mine, ardent spirits, malt liquors, or any mixture thereof, in the presence of the purchaser or person to whom it is delivered, to turn the crank of the proper register until the bell has struck once, and the indicator on its dial has moved one point or num- ber for each drink sold by him." The registers are to be inspected monthly, and the tax imposed is 2 £ cents for each drink or half-pint of wine or spirit, and half a cent for the same quantity of malt liquor. In theory nothing can be more ingenious than this apparatus, but in practice it is feared that it would prove an in- ducement to fraud, and that confirmed topers will readily connive at the breaking of a law the tendency of which is to raise the cost of drinking. -Pall Mall Gazette.

FARMING IN AMERICA. At the last meeting for the present season of the Farmers Club, under the presidency of Mr. J. J. Mechi, Mr. Coleman, of Esterick, Yorkshire, read an interesting paper on "American Farming and American Agricultural Machinery. The subject had, Mr. Coleman stated, acquired additional interest from the prospect of an increasing importation of the products of American farming, and especially of dead meat. As to the immigaation of English farm labourers, he warned them, referring to the Eastern States more especially, that at present they could get equally high wages at home for much less work. On the Oakland Farm, visited by him, and consisting of 1,000 acres, all arable, above 35 hands were employed throughout the year. The aver- age wages at the time of his visit were 10 dols. a month, or £ 116s. 8d., equal to £ 22 a year. Rations were estima- ted to cost 100 dols. per annum (218 6s. 8d.) total per head, 940 6s. 8d., or an average of nearly 21 10s. per acre per annum, which was probably double the sum paid in the district. A very creditable feature of the farmer's enterprise at Oaklands was the fact that he contrives to find work all the year round. The mar- ried men occupied comfortable cottages on the estate, with gardens not exceeding a quarter of an acre, which were cultivated by the women of the family. The single men were lodged at the farmhouse, and all but the occasional hands were fed. The following was the programme of summer work :—The hired servants must be up at 4 a.m., ready to milk the cows, dress and feed the mules. Breakfast, consisting of coffee, salt meat, potatoes, and bread, is served at 4.30. or as soon as the milking is completed. At 5.30 the teams leave the stables, and do not return till 11, when they are watered and fed. The hands have dinner, consisting of meat, fish, and vegetables. Work ia resumed at 12, and continued till sundown-about 7.30 in summer. Mules are stabled and fed at 8; supper and bed concludes the day. Thus the men work for 14 hours a day, and this often with a temperature of 85 deg. to 95 deg. in the shade. They are employed in gangs as much as Eossible, and the foreman who is provided with a orse and buggy, keeps a sharp oversight. There are no extras for hay or harvest. The only holiday is on Christmas Day, and all lost time is deducted even in the case of absence on account of illness. Mr. Coleman described the agricultural machinery at the Philadelphia Exhibition as piobably the largest and most complete collection ever brought together in America, and yet, excepting the mowers and reapers, this department comprised implements of a rude and primitive character. The American, with all his sharpness, has not yet availed himself of steam for traction purposes. A vote of thanks to the chairman and to the reader of the paper concluded the proceedings.

THE MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON. A Correspondent writes to The Times under date Port Said, May 20 It had been known for some time in Egypt that the squadron was at Crete, ready to move forward at a moment's notice. The news, therefore, that Port Said was to be the next point visited caused no little excitement at Suez yesterday. Rumour had it that half the fleet was to remain at the northern end of the Canal, while the rest of the squadron, under the command of the Duke of Edinburgh, was to pass through the Canal and to anchor outside Suez. Suez itself, so it had been locally settled, was to be held by a mixed force of European and Mahomedan troops, to be despatched immediately from Bombay in transports which had secretly been collected there for the purpose ? These rumours were somewhat reduced in their proportions as we advanced through the Canal towards Ismailia. But as we ap- proached the last gave but one on the Port Suez end an unexpected signal to stop brought out all the glasses to ascertain what vessel it could possibly be that had precedence of the mail boat. A steamer came in sight, carrying at the main a large flag, which was made out to be the Royal Standard of England. It was the Canal Company's steamer the Robert, carrying the Duke of Edinburgh and a large party of officers from the Fleet. The Duke was seen on the bridge in tra- velling dress, and, as none of the officers accompany- ing him were in uniform, it was soon evident that the visit waa in no way official. The Prince was naturally desirous of inspecting the Canal, which during his travels he had not yet had an opportunity of doing, and the excursion was being made quite independently of any intention of ascertaining the capabilities of the Canal for the passage of a Fleet. When we reached Port Said we found moored within the Canal, opposite to the tongue of land which England has recently purchased at Port Said, the massive ironclad Hotspur, of 600-horse power, carrying four heavy guns. At the bows, which are elaborately decorated with the arms of the Earl of Northumberland could be seen the commencement of the curve of a for- midable ram, which projects for 14ft. below water, and which might be depended on to dispute the passage of any ship that attempted to force its way through the Canal. The Hotspur is to remain ather moorings opposite the British corner of land at Port Said, on which a flagstaff and the Jack flying are the only articles of British property as yet installed. The Rupert, a sister ship to the Hotspur, temporarily detained at Malta on account of her engines, is to pass through the Canal and to take up a position at the Suez end, and the Hotspur and Rupert are likely to prove efficient sentries to guard British interests in this part of Egypt. The Fleet itself we found anchored in two lines in the roadstead about two miles out of Port Suez. The Alexandra, carrying Admiral Hornby's flag, headed the inshore line; abreast of her came the Monarch, then the Sultan and Raleigh; and last, but not least, the Devastation. The appearance of the Fleet viewed from Port Said was very impressive. The sea-monster the Devastation, although hideous in its strength, and bearing a strong resemblance to a huge dredging- machine, such as is used by the Canal Company, was unmistakeably formidable, and the trim appear- ance of the more favoured ships was the admiration of the Port Said public. The advent of the Fleet and a large number of officers was, of course, immensely popular, not only among the shop-keepers, but among the local merchants and agents, whose interest in the preservation of the neutrality of the Canal is so great. Entertainments to the officers were arranged by the Consuls and the chief inhabitants, and a very warm welcome was accorded to them on all sides. The Egyptian frigate lying at the entrance of the Canal near the Hotspur seemed glad of the presence of so formidable a companion and friend. By a singular coincidence the ships' boats of both the Egyptian and British men-of-war bore a crescent painted on the bows, the cresoent and fetterlock of the Percies having been appropriately adopted as the crest of the Hotspur. The Fleet awaits the return of the Duke of Edin- burgh and party from Cairo, where his Royal High- 1ifSSTif ffuest of the Khedive, and then starts for the Piraeus leaving the Hotspur on sentry duty. The rumour of an army from India for the occupation of Suez seems to have originated in a report started on the return of the Sultan to the Fleet at Candia. There would, of course, be little difficulty in sending, if necessary, a thoroughly efficient force from India at a moment s notice. At present, however, the occupa- tion is confined to the detention of one turret-ship at the entrance of the Canal."

THE RIDSDALE CASE. The Rev. C. J. Ridsdale officiated on Sunday at St. Peter's, forbidden -estments were worn, water wig mixecFwith the wine, wafer ,l>i-ead was used, and two lightei candles were on the altar. Mr. Ridsdale, in the course of his sermon, I said he was aware of the grave responsibility he in- curred in resisting the expressed opinion of the officers of the State. He counted ii a very serious and very grievous matter to have fc> resist any order of the State, and he could only do so when that order bade him to violate an express command of God or His Church which he was in conscience bound to obey and uphold. He resisted the monition which he had re- ceived because it was contrary to a plain order of the Church. He was convinced that the law of the Church commanded the use of vestments, and the two lights on the altar were likewise sanctioned by the Rubric. On some points as to which there was no rubrical direc- tion he would yield. His reason for pleading in the court was, if possible, to secure peace for the Church, in the hope that the law of the Church would be legalized by the civil law, but having failed, he was bound to obey the Church. A meeting to express sympathy with Mr. Ridsdale as held after the service, and sermons were preached }.e Parish church and in St. Michael s in support of his action.

TREATMENT OF GROWING CHICKENS. Chickens when abandoned by the hen do best if they can have a pretty good shed to themselves, floored with loose earth and fronted with open wire. A sleeping- box or mother can be put into each back corner, thus accommodating two broods; and they should be shut in at night, with some food for their breakfast, so that they cannot get out on the grass till the proper time. As the chickens grow up they will probably have to be moved away from their first domicile, in order to make room for others fresh hatched. However this may be, at ten or twelve weeks old the cockerels must be separated from the pullets, and only chickens of about the same age be placed in a run together, else the weaker will stand no chance. Without separating the sexes the birds wiU never grow so large, besides which it prevents trouble, as a number of cockerels may be HeP^ x?- i vesm perfect peace till full-grown. The chief things to guard against, however, will be any over- sight in cleanliness, and a neglect of the older chickens for the sake of the young ones. Many a mistake is made here. The birds are growing fast now, and they must be fed liberally and well or all the pains bestowed on them will be lost; whether their destination be the exhibition or the fatting pens this remark equally ap- plies. I heir four good meals must be regularly given -just enough to satisfy them and none left—mixed nice and dry, as we laid so much stress upon, and thrown about the grass-run if that be at command, or put in clean vessels if not; their water kept clean and frequently changed; and some animal food occasion- ally gjven to all except pullets which it is not desired should lay early their sleeping-places kept sweet, and dry' and sheltered. Chickens thus cared for will thrive and be a credit, whatever the purpose for which they are reared.-The Illustroted Book of Poultry.

CANON LIDDON AT OXFORD. Canon Liddon occupied the University pulpit on Sunday, and, in preaching to a crowded congregation, asked how was it possible to reconcile in a true sense the value of the Gospel with the support of educational schemes which if carried out to their full result, would virtually banish him from every infant school in the country? How could they as Englishmen dare to look steadily in the face the Chinese, who asked them whether they meant their religion of the Cross when as a nation they had forced on them at the sword's point trade in opium, which had plunged millions of their fellow-countrymen into depths of moral and physical misery unknown before? How could they really confess Jesus Christ if they were ready, for the sake of any distant material in- terests, real or hypothetical, virtuously to uphold some inhuman oppression of millions of human beings, whose only crimes in the eyes of their persecutors is that they own, amid whatever imperfections, His own adorable name ? The outer aspects of the world as a political, thinking, and acting force were now, as in the days of St. Paul, reducing the Church to relative insignificance throughout Christendom, and the reli- ligicus weakness and disorganisation which alarms us in the Church is no greater than that which was familiar every day in the life of St. Paul.

THE PAPAL JUBILEE The following is the Address which was presented on )fay 24, by the Irish Catholic members of Parliament, to Pope Pius IX., on the Jubilee of his Episcopate:- "Most Holy Father, the representatives of a Catholic nation, ever noted for its fidelity to the See of Peter, desire to lay at the feet of your Holiness, Successor of St. Peter and Supreme Ruler on Earth of the Church of Christ, the expression of their sentiments of filial devotion, respect, and love. They desire to offer their heart-felt congratulations on the Jubilee of an Episcopate so illustrious; and on the prolongation beyond the days of Peter of a Supreme Pontificate which, tried by persecution and ennobled by sufferings, is glorious beyond ex- ample in the history of the Church—a Pontificate which has been a lengthened testimony to the eternal principles of truth and justice, on which alone de- pend the freedom and happiness alike of individuals and nations. That the life of your Holiness may be still further prolonged to see the restoration of the Successor of St. Peter to the full freedom of his Apostolic Ministry, and all the inalienable rights and privileges of the Apostolic See, and to witness the tiiumph of truth and justice, is the fervent prayer of your devoted children, who for themselves and for Ireland their country, humbly entreat, most Holy Father, your Apostolic benediction."

TORPEDOES IN NAVAL WARFARE. The news from the Danube of the destruction of a Turkish monitor by a torpedo is of a character that will not only engage the attention of those who take an interest in naval architecture, but will render thoughtful all those who feel any interest in the defence of their country. Upon the destruc- tive power of these engines of war, The Times has the follow- iDg leader The visit which the Prince of Wales paid some days ago to Portsmouth was chiefly employed in the inspec- tion of two or three of those ironclad monsters that now form the main strength of our Navy and give us our superiority over the Navies of other nations. The Thunderer, the Inflexible and the Dreadnought were very naturally among the first objects which attracted the curiosity of the distinguished visitor, but we are glad to perceive also that Torpedo practice was brought prominently under his notice by the officers at Portsmouth. This may, we hope be taken as a proof that at last the importance of Torpedoes in naval warfare is being recognized by the Admiralty. It is certainly not too soon. The destruction of a second Turkish Monitor on the Danube, this time by a Torpedo, shows that the new instument of ruin is fully comparable with the most powerful and most ably-handled artillery. Indeed while the fact that the former vessel, blown up, as is alleged, by a Rus- sian shell, really suffered by the enemy's fire, and not by an accidental calamity, has been questioned, there can be no doubt that the sinking of the Monitor before Matchin was the work of a few daring men armed with an electric torpedo, and skilled in its use. At the present rate of catastrophes a year of Naval war would suffice to annihilate the Navy upon which the Porte spent its borrowed money so lavishly, and of which Abdul Aziz was so ignorantlv proud. But the dramatic event of Saturday morning has a more direct interest for us than that which arnes out of its possible bear- ing upon the power of Turkey upon the seas. The immense and costly ironclads which the Prince of Wales inspected last week at Portsmouth are so far as can be known, in no wise better fitted to resist the attack of a torpedo directed against them by adventurous and skilful men than the Turkish Monitors on the Danube. It is surely time to inquire whether we may not be able in some manner to neutralise the most formidable dangers with which torpedoes seem to threaten the most powerful ships of war, and also whether our Navy has yet mastered the art of using them for offensive purposes with safety and success. wisely or not, we have for years goneon "puttingour eggs into one basket," expending the annual millions of our Navy Estimates upon vessels continually grow- ing in ponderous bulk and costliness, and in the com- plexity of the means for resisting shot and shell. But we are now brought face to face with the fact that engines of war almost as perfect as our latest and cost liest achievements have been utterly destroyed by a weapon long known to naval warfare, but despised for its insignificance, and perhaps for its cheapness. A handful of resolute men, under trained guidance, with a few row boats and a half-dozen Torpedoes, might conceivably surround a whole squadron of our Thunderers, Devastations, Dreadnoughts, and In- flexibles and send them to the bottom or to the skies as easily as the unlucky Turkish ship on the Danube. This is a remote contingency, but recent events have I convinced us that it is at any rate possible, and that it should be so is hardly less than appalling. The des- truction of four or five of our great ships—in certain circumstances, perhaps, of one or two—might give an I enemy a temporary command of the Channel and so realize the evil dream uf the "Battle of Dorking." Probably the Naval authorities at Portsmouth had some such reflections as those present to their minds when, after exhibiting to the Ii Prince the wonderful resources of our iron- clad fleet, they showed him also that the use of the Torpedo was no longer disregarded. At the same time all, or nearly all, the experiments which the Prince of Wales witnessed were of the purely destruc- tive kind they showed, what few probably doubted, that this country owrtommand instruments of war as that this countrv mire-ommand instruments of war as effective as any that exist. But they do not show that we have yet paid attention enough to the management of Torpedoes to be able to use them as effectively as they might be used in actual warfare, or to secure our own vessels against them when wielded by an enemy. Upon the latter point, indeed, hardly any progress appears to have been made as yet. We publisned an account ot some experiments which Captain Singer, of the Vesuvius torpedo- ship, has been lately conducting at Portsmouth with a view to discover some plan for mechanically protecting ships against the attack of the Whitehead, undoubtedly the most destructive Torpedo yetinvented. The Torpedo strikes the bottom of the vessel, and our Ironclads, con- structed to resist shot and shell only, are comparatively undefended below the water-line. One plan suggested is to surround every great fighting Ironclad with swift satellites, heavily armed, which would be able to chase away the attacking torpedo-boats. Another plan, upon the development of which Captain Singer has been working, is the apparently simple one of sur- rounding the ship with a wire netting or "crinoline" which would prevent the torpedo from coming into contact with the hull. But this net protection has hitherto failed in two ways—it has been found so stiff that it would at the same time seriously impede the progress of the vessel to which it was applied, and would be broken through by the blow of the torpedo which can now be propelled with extraordinary force! Captain Singer's experiments are believed to have resulted in at least a partial success. After many trials, however, very successful results have been ob- tained from a wire grummet matting, composed of wire strands about half an inch in thickness rove into open meshes. It possesses considerable flexi- bility, and, as it yields when struck, the force of the Torpedo is not suddenly, but gradually, arrested, and as it loses its momentum it is thrown back by the recoil of the mat." But this achievement probably marks only a temporary halt in a long competition like that which has been carried on for years between armour-plating and heavy guns. The aestruction of the iVlonitor at Matchin was effected, not by a Torpedo of the Whitehead type but by one fixed in contact with the doomed ship by a few daring men and afterwards exploded by electricity. It is doubtful whether the wiipe netting would afford as effectual a protection against this form of peril as against the Torpedo that is hurled from a distance and exploded by impact. Indeed, if men choose to take their lives in their hands, as the bold Russians and Roumanians did who fixed the Matchin Torpedo there is hardly any mechanical device that would avail to baffle them. The Turkish sailors could probably have saved their shin and their lives if thev had only kept a good look-out; but fatalists are always lazy, and prone to trust to any- thing except their own vigilance. In presence of the new danger that threatens ships of war it will be necessary to insist upon increased watchfulness at night. The approach of a boat can never be wholly noiseless, and the electric light might possibly be used so as to detect the point of attack and to pour a ruinous fire upon the assailants before they could get within reach of the hull. The manipulation of Torpedoes such as that exploded so successfully on Saturday morning is a very delicate affair, and clumsiness or nervousness might easily defeat the whole object of the enterprise, or even turn a contem- plated triumph into a crushing disaster. The manage- ment of the extraordinary little craft of the Thornev- croft type-one of which, the Lightning, was seen at work by the Prince of Wales the other day—is equally difficult and hazardous. Even tjie carrying of weapons so tremendously powerful as modern Tor- pedoes on board ships of war is an operation ao full of risks that it ought never to be entrusted to un- trained persons. It is quite time, therefore, that the Torpedo School at Portsmouth should be brought out of the obscurity in which it has been buried for the past ten years. If our faith is to be shaken in the in disputable supremacy of our iron-clad Fleet, let us at least be sure that we are not inferior to other countries in the command of the new instrument of warfare, which threatens to supplant monster guns and to make the heaviest armour useless.

TWO NEW BRIDGES AT ROTTERDAM. Dutch engineering skill and enterprise have just completed an undertaking of a magnitude second to none of the many great works achieved by the Dutch before. It is well known that for centuries the Dutch people have waged constant war against the encroach- ments of the sea and the rivers by which their country is intersected. The hydraulic works are the first in the world; their bridges i at Kutphen Kuylenburg, Bommel, and Maesdjik rival those of Amenca. A fifth, the new railway-bridge which crosses the Maas at Rotterdam, has just been added, which was formally opened on April 29th, and the importance of which for Holland need hardly be pointed out. The work, after an expenditure of nearly 2,000,000 florins ( £ 160,000), of which rather more than half has been expended on the superstructure, and less than half for the substruc- ture, has been completed within eight years, about the same time required for the construction of the similar bridge at Hamburg, and that between Venice and the Continent. Five gigantic wrought-iron arched girders, resting on granite piers, and of spans t, ranging from 216ft., 6in. to 295ft., 4in and a height of nearly 20ft. above ordinary high water level, con- nect the city with an island in the middle of the stream, two other arches uniting this island with the opposite shore. Another great work at Rotterdam is now in course of completion, which has attracted general attention on the Continent. A few paces below the railway bridge, another bridge, the so-called "Willems-brug," to serve for the ordinary carriage traffic of the city and for foot-passengers, is in course of construction. The foundation-stone of this bridge was laid three years ago by the King of JJolland in person. This, like the railway bridge, is prpvided with tw pivot amuse- ments, of which one is within the city, the other in the oanai called the King's Harbour (Jlonlng-'s Haven) 656ft wide, between toe opposite shore and the island above-mentioned, to permait the passage of even the largest ships.-Builder.

AMERICAN HUMOUR. A Chicago reporter has just won his spurs by an article headed "Desperate Bloodshed-The Murdered Man Not Expected to live? An enthusiastic but rather tiresome member of a certain church started into a prayer at a recent meeting. He prayed with great fervour for the brethren. Finally he paused, and the congregation, thinking he had done, indis- creetly started a hymn. "Hold on there, for heaven's sake! screamed the excited brother. "I ain't prayed for the sistern yet!" The hymn gave place to handkerchiefs immediately. A photographer who can make a mole on a lady's cheek appear like a dimple in her picture has achieved the highest standard of his profession. The Omaha newspapers took a rest on Washington's bisthday. This token of respect on their part to the memory of the man who never told a lie is inexplicable Apropos of tramps, the San Antonio Herald relates the following :Yesterday, a gentleman, residing in a neat, modest cottage in the suburbs, caught a tramp prowling about his back yard, evidently trying to steal something. Why don't you come to the front door if you want any- thing ?' indignantly roared the proprietor. 'That's what I was looking for,' was the impudent reply. Didn't you see it on the other side of the house?' retorted the gentleman. 'How was I to know what was the front door? No silver door-plnte, no bell, no telephone, no statuary, no servant to take your hat and cane. Tell your boss there is a gentleman out here waiting for his breakfast.' When the gentleman got back with his shot-gun, the tramp was not there any more." The Reverend Doctor Deems, of New York, said in a recent lecture-, I To my mind, the four sweetest things in the world are-first, baby girls; second, baby boys; third, npe, good old men; fourth, ripe, good old ladies. That is very nearly our creed comments a Milwaukie critic; but we rather think we like a healthy mother-in-law beet, and next a ripe, good old man, who sits quietly in the corner and tells lies about how far he used to walk to school through the snow when he was a boy, and how he used to come home and saw up a cord of wood before supper, instead of sneaking in at the back door for his skates, as children do nowadays.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The first Turkish monitor destroyed on the Danube was of English build, and cost £ 160,000. The widow of Col. Colt, the revolver patentee, pays taxes on the sum of 306 082 dols. f The iron and coal trades of South Staffordshire are so depressed that large numbers of ironworkers and colliers are now idle. Ironworks are only working half time, and many collieries are stopped. Letters from St. Petersburg of the 24th speak of a winterly temperature, with even a little snow. The ice irom Lake Ladoga had descended the Neva in such masses as to block up the arches of St. Nicholas Bridge, and they had to be blown up with dynamite. In London the other day, Messrs. Christie sold an relic of the Indian Mutiny—a Sevres vase given by Louis XVI. to Tippoo Sahib, and taken by the English at the siege of Seringapatam. It Bealised £ 425. A Madame Gourne died last week at Amiens, aged 101 years and one month, having retained all her faculties nearly to the 1ast. Great success has attended the opening of the herring fishery at the Hebrides and north coast of Scotland. The total catch is estimated at 15,000 crans, being 1,000 more than the entire catch of last year. An adventurous voyage across the Atlantic has been undertaken by one Captain Crape. A New York telegram says that thisperson has sailed for London in a schooner only twenty feet long, called the New Bedford, and that the only persons on board are himself and his wife. The dedication of a new Wesleyan chapel at Walsall having been attended by most of the local clergy of the Established Church, the Bishop of Lichfield, in reply to a letter from one of the absentees, has written to express his disapproval of the course pursued by those clergy who were present. The Russian artist, Basil Vereschiagin, having re- ceived permission to accompany the Russian troops in their campaign with the Turks, purposes taking sketches on the scene of action and working these up into pictures at some uture time. The American Line steamer Indiana, which reached the Mersey on Monday, from Philadelphia, had on board 3,079 quarters of fresh meat, and the Inman steamer, which also arrived from New York, had on board 800 quarters. Mr. Wheelhouse's Bill to provide for the education of blind and deaf mute children has been issued. It nro- poses to empower the guardians or school board to send such children to suitable schools, where they mav be re- tained until the age of eighteen, and the justices where necessary, to provide suitable school premises out of the county rate. ,• of Statistics at Washington has pub- lished a statement showing that the exports of "oleomar- garine," or butterine," from Xew York during the seven months ended March 31 amounted to 3,549,6291b., of the value of 481,747 dols., of which 2,352,2501b. were shipped to r ranee, and 991,3291b. to Great Britain. General Grant, Ex-President of the United T States, arrived in Liverpool on Monday by the steamer Zhdtaiui. The Mayor of Liverpool met him at the Princes laniiiiig- stage, and offered him a warm welcome to England. A walking match for B50 took place on Monday at Lillie Bridge running grounds, Perkins, who is now famed for being the eight-mile champion, having backed himself to walk 15 miles in two hours. Perkins., who started shortly after six o'clock, won fairly easily with nearly a minute and a half to spare. Odds of 2 to 1 were laid on him at starting. A Pastoral by the Bishop of Metz on the Papal Jubilee has been seized in the Press by the German authorities. j It is stated Ahftt, isff "ce of the ex- i ceptionally wet weather which has been prevailing for more than & month all over Ceutral aud Eastern Europe, the whole basin of the Lower Danube is flooued. and, according to iue last aceonnts, the Roumanian rivers also arc- still ra rising. The Maidstone Journal says that in the neighbour- hood of Ashford the hop plantations were never remembered to be more backwl-rd thqn they are now. Attenuation is still the order of the day (in Paris) as regards the fashionable figure (says the Court Journal\ Trains are immensely long, but not wide dispread." They undulate after the wearer in a long narrow line of frills, flutings, and frettings. Trimmings usually begin at the knee, but there is beginning to appear a disposition to trim the back of dresses from the neck to the extreme end of the train. Lace is much used for this purpose, and fashionable dressmakers so manage it that three feet of lace are requisite to trim one foot of silk or velvet. This economical style is yclept coquille, and imitates the convolutions of a shell without in the smallest degree suggesting conchology. Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, Bart., died on Saturday morning (26th) at his house in Cromwell-road, Kensington, in the 73rd year of his age. He was for some time secretary to the Committee of Council of Education in which capacity he was chiefly instrumental in establishing a system of school inspection by Government officers. On resigning this office in 1849 he was created a baronet. He is succeeded by his son, the present member for Hastings. It is stated that, along with the piece of Gobelins tapestry and other presents, filling five cases, which Marshal MacMahon forwarded to Pius IX., he sent an autograph letter expressing the confidence he felt that, in the serious position in which France now stands, His Holiness would continue that benevolence he had always manifested. On Sunday afternoon a river gig under sail was struck by a sudden squall wlule in the rock channel at the mouth of the Mersey, and the occupants, five in num- ber, were thrown into the water. Three clung to the keel of the boat and were taKen off by the crew of a passing boat and brought to Liverpool, but two were drowned, one of them being the owner of the craft, and a man named Charles Dunbar, and the other a friend of his named Thomas Davies. It appears from the facts laid before the yearly meeting of the Society of Friends last week that the number of Quakers has not diminished during the past twelve- month. There are, it seems, at present 14,441 persons in this country members of the Society of Friends. Last year they numbered 14,253, so that they have slightly increased of late. Of ninety-five members who married last year, forty-nine were united to persons not belonging to their society; and these mixed marriages are probably not favourable to the perpetuation of Quakerdom. There is one fact worthy of note respecting Quakers, namely, that they are a long-lived race. The rate of mortality among them is remarkably low-only 18 per 1,000 for the past year. Quakers, fortunately for themselves, are not as a rule "diners out." They shun brilliant assemblies, retire early to rest, and lead placid lives conducive to longevity. The total quantity of American fresh beef which arrived at Liverpool during last week was 4,630 quarters, which include a consignment of 1,700 quarters brought by the Guion line steamer Idaho on Saturday night last. During the week not a single carcase of mutton arrived. On Friday a very valuable lot of live cattle to the extent of 800 had reached Liverpool from Boston. The Persian Embassy to the Court of Mandelay have, says the Rangoon Gazette, arrived en route, bringing with them two giraffes and three Arab horses as presents to his Majesty of the Golden Foot. The mission is one of mere courtesy in return for the one sent by his Majesty to the Shah about two years ago. There is, however, no saying what may underlie all this display of courtesy that Oriental despots indulge tn. Parisian ladies at present resemble perambulating horticultural shows. They are covered all over with flowers budding and in bloom. It is curious to observe amid all this parterre of womanhood that what has blown is anxious to bud again and what is budding is anxious to blow. "-Court Journal. On Saturday evening last her Majesty, accompanied by the Princess Beatrice, and attended by the Countess of E. roll, drove from Balmoral to Ballater in an open carriage. The village was reached about six o'clock. The return journey was made by the north side of the Dee. Rain fell heavily before the Royal party returned.-The Queen Is expected to return to Windsor Castle about the middle of .Tune. Earl Cowper has just made a present to the in- firmary at Hertford of the freehold of the site on which the institution stands. In doing so, his lordship states that the institution is so useful that he was glad to be able to give it this assistance. The iafirmary has hitherto been held on a lease for 99 years, and nearly the half of that period had expired. Sk J. E. Wilmot will move in the House of Com- mons on Tuesday, June 12, a resolution to the following effect That while it is not possible at the present time to remove the penalty of death altogether from the Statute Book, it is desirable to consider whether the laws under which offenders are liable to capital punishment shall not undergo revision." Mr. Pease will move an amendment that it is expedient to abolish capital punishment alto- gether. Mr. Brassey, M.P. for Hastings, with Mrs. Brassey and family, arrived in the yacht Sunbeam off Hastings last Saturday, having accomplished a trip round the world. As soon as the vessel was sighted two gigs, manned by local Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, a corps originated by Mr Brassey, rowed off to her, and the men heartily congratu- lated him upon his safe return. The yacht is schooner rigged and fitted up in magnificent style, and Mr. Brassey mentioned to his visitors that the Sunbeam, in her voyage, had traversed 36,000 miles under steam and canvas, having been away 46 weeks. Sir Rutherford Alcock took the chair at the anni- versary meeting of the Royal Geographical Society which was held on Monday in the hall of the University of London The Founders' Medal was presented to Captain Sir G S. Nares, for his services in connection with the command of the Arctic and the Challenger expeditions. Captain A H Markham, who had charge of the northern division of aledges in the Arctic expedition, received a gol i watch. In his annual address the President reviewed the work of geographical research which had been accomplished during the year in different parts of the world. At the annual dinner in the evening the health of the foreign guests was acknowledged by Musurus Pasha. Polo which rather languishes in the Home Circuit in England, has received a new impetus in the sister isle from the fact of H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught and several of his friends having recently joined the All Ireland Polo Club, and polo may now be dubbed as the pleasant pastime of princes. A very interesting match between the Rifle Brigade, of which H.R.H. is the Colonel, and the 7th Fusileers, was played last week in that oblong space of the Phoenix Park, shaded by the fine elm-avenue leading up to the Viceregal Lodge, and divided publfc attention with the well-fought cricket-match, played m the grounds of Trinity College, between an All England 11 and 18 of the University. The Fusileers won pretty easily."—The World. I The barque Roebuck, from Portugal has arrive' at the Queenborough oyster grounds, laden with 300 tons oi oyster spat. when the vessel was unloaded it was fc>ac<i that, unfortunately, more than half the cargo, which -4& worth £ 3,500, was dead. About 250 bushels of new potatoes were despatched from Scilly on Friday in last week for London, vid Penzance They realised 10s. to 12s. per cwt. Major Marindin, K.E., who has been stationed at Harwich for some time, has been appointed a first-clfese Inspector of Railways under the Board of Trade, in conse- quence of the retirement of Captain Tyler, the Chief inspector. Ihe post is worth £ S00, rising to £ 1,000 per annum. c t Cardinal Ledochowski the Archbishop of Posen, who was deposed by the Prussian authorities, and took refuge in the Vatican, has been condemned by default to 12 «Mrw» s lt"PI}S0Drnent for libelling Prince Bismarck, and to 8,000 marks fine, or seven months' imprisonment for COD- tinued use of the title and functions. The death is announcecl at Wentworth, at the age of 67, of Marshal Roman Cabrera, Count of Morella. The late marshal was born at Tortosa, in Catalonia, on .August 31 1810. The quantity of British wheat sold during the past week was>29,592 quarters, and the average price ( SK. 6d the quantity bemg far below that in any of the corn «pond- ing weeks during the past four years, and the priue con- siderably higher. Advices from India mention that Major Bowlàen, 69th Infantry, was mauled by a tiger, near Manselghur, in Shahpoora State, eighty miles from Nusseerabad, on the 18th. He died on the 22nd, after the amputation ef a leg He was about firing from an elephant's pad, when the elephant swerved, throwing him into the tiger's jaws. Medical aid arrived after an interval of twenty-four hours. The daughter of Goethe's "Lotto "has just died at Basle at an advanced age. Her mother was Charlotte Buff, of Wetzlar, wife of Herr Buff. Secretary of Legation, the Albert of "The Sorrows of Werther." A body of pilgrims from Austria were received on Sunday-in audience by the Pope. His Holiness in addressing them, deplored the change which had come over the be- haviour of Austria towards the Holy See, whose rights she had formerly defended even by force of arms. He at the same time praised the zeal of Austrian Catholics. £ -nov,eJ lace scarf-pin in New York for a lady is of rolled gold. The background is of dead gold, upon which is the first bar of the ballad, "Ever of I'hee set to music. pretty n 68 816 °* Polisbed gold, and the effect is very The Jaundice Helmet" is the Transatlantic term for bonnets trimmed with that fashionable vivid yellow now so prevalent in all our milliners' shops. Every volunteer enrolled since the 1st of January, 1876, is to have his chest measurement as well as height entered opposite his name in the muster-roll of his corps. volunteer bandsmen appearing on parade in uniform must in future be enrolled Volunteers. They are permitted to attend the parade of another corps with the sanctiol. their commanding officer, and while so engaged mav wear the uniform of the corps to which they are temporarily attached. «J^1;^Jn<<Lrican paper says garnets stood the St. Louis fire better than any other precious stones, while amethysts lost their colour and became like opals, pearls were entirely ruined, diamonds crumbled to dust, and cameos became as soft and brittle as chalk. A new and oddly-constructed cab has just made ií appearance in the streets, where it forms a source of per- plexity to all who are permitted to examine its construction. It is impossible to give any idea of its appearance without the aid of diagrams. The body of a cabriolet, resting on two very small wheels about the size of those in a child's, barrow, running on a kind of endless railway, in the shaoe of a gigantie revolving hoop affixed to the sides of the vehicle, this gives some idea of the shape of our latest novelty m public conveyances.—Court Journal Cholera is raging among the employes of two laree spinning and weaving mills at Coorla, about nine miles from Bombay. Upwards of 100 deaths occurred, and the work of the mills had to be stopped. On Saturday morning a man, whose name was not then known, laid himself down on the rails of the Man- chester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway at Wadsley, near Sheffield, just as an up fast express from Liverpool to London was approaching and was decapitated. The body was shock- ingly mutilated. A correspondent writes in Notes and Quo-jes "Next Friday, June 1, should be looked to bv the Dukp of Bedford, if^he would not lose his Covent garten Cha^r- JurdenMarket for^ gr^n peas W8S 801(1 in Covent- Charter ?Peeablyto an ancient custom, the nricp nn t>.a1 f 7 t e circumstance of selling at that 1780 t of June. "—Morning InUUigencer, June 3, Once more the project for crossing the Atlantic in a pauoon is under discussion in the United States. The matter is to be brought forward with due solemnity at a meeting of aeronauts which will be held in July at Philadelphia. It has already taken such form that a certain Mr. Charles H. Grimley, described as "a plucky young aeronaut," is ready to make the attempt at a moment's notice, provided he is supplied with sufficient funds to construct a balloon ot 150,000 feet capacity. It is no longer a secret that it is intended to mobilise an army corps next month at Aldershot on a war footing. The orders have been issued for the troops con posing it to be held in readiness. If the corps is realb mobilised-that is to say, if every horse and wagon tov £ olumns, and sanitary columns is taken into the field—if the columns themselves are formed, complete in officers and men, this will be very valuable ex- penment; otherwise it will cost a great deal of money with- out giving in return the value of the paper on which the orders are written. Nothing has leaked out as to who is to have the columana.Tl. World. Dr. Lush, M.P. for Salisbury, having introduced a Bill containing a clause prohibiting- counter prescribing by chemists, several meetings to protest against it have been held. The Plymouth Chemists' Association, however re- ceived, on Monday, a communication from Dr. Lush, con- Eeliting to withdraw the clause, and saving it was never his intention to interfere with that which the chemists are anxious to retaib, Vut only t,) protect them tiie com- petition of incapable persons. Lord Shaftesbury laid the foundation stone on Saturday of the new schools at Wimborne. Be said the pre- sent time was one of great perplexity when ten thousand novelties and aifliculties were presented Ministers of the Church of England were indirectly "leading people to the profession of Romanism, and were thus sapping the founda- tions of the English riinrch Hence the distrust which pre- ^mled Doctrines were preached which were not in ac- ■- cordance with the grand and leading principles 31 the Re- formation. An inquest, ending in an open verdict, was held on Monody afternoon at Portsmouth Dockyard, on the body of iieei-s.urgeon Jacob R. Dyas who died in somewhat singular circumstances on board Her Majesty s ship Warrior on Saturday last. The deceased was found Ivme on the couch in the dispensary in an insensible state, and he died at five in tne afternoon. It tran^ired that he was in the habit of taking nightly a Bedative of from 29 to 30 minims of tincture of opium. On the present occasion he «nncji« tn bar* dispensed with the use of the gmduated mSe Ld to have poured about an ounce of the tincture into a tumbler He had been previously troubled with p^un^ em Ws- ments, but these were m course of removal. The in coming to a decision, but they evemusdfr aned bv Verdict to the effect that the deceased had b^n medicinal of laudanum' but wh<^her taken to? medicinal or other purposes there was no evidence to show

THE MARKETS. •I A • IV MARK-I'ANE.—MONDAY. Quietness has prevailed m the grain trade at Mark lanP to day. The attendance was thin, and business thro^hout pro- gressed slowly. English wheat came sparingly to hand • nevertheless, the demand ruled heavy, and sales effected at a reduction of Is. to 2s. per quarter on th* »„>,v Foreign wheat, of which a good supply was on the stande" sold slowly, at about 2s. per quarter less money on the 3/ Barley was in moderate supply. Malting produce was steady, but grinding lower to sell. Malt changed hands, at about late rates. Oats were in good supply, and slow request, at a fall on ihe week of Is. per quarter. Maize was quiet, and weak. Beans and peas were very quietly dealt in, at about late rates. The flour market was dull, and country and foreign sorts were lower. METROPOLITAN CATTLE-MARKET!.—MONDAY. The cattle-trade though not active has ruled firmer. Sup- plies were short, but sufficient for the demand. The receipts of beasts from our own grazing districts were on a moderate scale, and included some good well-conditioned animals But for the restrictions the market would have b&en active. As it was, steadiness prevailed and full nric«. were realised. The best breeds made 6s to 6s 2d per 81b. From Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and CambridfiB shire, we received about 8«0, and from other cartt of England about 150 head. On the foreign side of the market there was a good show of beasts. About 360 American came to hand, and some Spanish and Swedish, besides a ^f^UFly fI°m ^e?.mark- The* was more firmness in I? &?i qu°^t1lona ruted steady. The sheep-pens were moderately well filled. There was a quiet but steady trade, but at lower prices than those current on Thurs- day. The best downs and half-breds sold at 6s. 6d. to 6s. 8d. per 81b. Lambs were quiet but firm, at 7s. Sd. to 8s. 2d. per 81b. Calves sold at about late rates. Pigs quiet. At Deptford there were 140 beasts and 8,300 sheep. Coarse and inferior beasts, 4s. 6d. to 5s. second quality ditto, 5s. to 5a. 4d. prime large oxen, 6s. 6d. to 5s. 1Od.; prime Scots, Ac., 6s. to 6s. 2d. coarse and inferior sheep, 5s. to 69.. second quality ditto, 6s. to 6s. 4d.; prime coarse woolled, 6s. 4d. to 6s. 6d. prime South- downs, 6s. 6d. to 6s. 8d.; lambs, 7s. 8d. to 8s. 2d.; large coarse calves, 6B. 6d. to 6s.; prime small ditto, 6s. to 6s. 6d. large hogs, 4s. to 4s. 6d.; and new small porkers, 4s. 6d. to 5s. ner 81b. to sink the offal METROPOLITAN MEAT MARKET. —MONDAY This morning there was a moderate supply of the demand for wMch was not so good, the weather having perhaps some effect. The prices were as follow :-Werior beef, 2s. 8d. to 3s. 8d.; middling ditto, 4s. 2d. to 4s. 8d.: iarfe ^s- 2d- 6s. 6d.; prime small ditto, 5s. 4d. to 5s. lOd.; veal, 5s. to 5s. 8d.: inferior mutton 4s. to 4s. Sd.; middling ditto, 5s. to 6s. 6d.; prime ditto, 6s 8d to 6s. 4d.; large pork, 3s. 8d. to 4s. 4d.; small ditto, 4s. 6d! to 6s.; lamb, 6s. 8d. to 7s. 8d. per 81b. by the carcase. GAME AND POULTRY. Guinea fowl, 5s. to 5s. od. pea fowl, 10s. to 12s. 6d. live quails, 9d. to Is. fat ditto, Is. 3d. to Is. 9d.; leverets 2s. 6d. to 5s. 6d.; hares, 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. rabbits, Is. 9d. to 2&. 6d. pigeons, 6d. to 9d.; ducklings, 8s. to 4s. 9d. goslings 5s. 6d. to 9s.; chickens, 2s. 6d. to 4s. capons, 7s. 6d. to 12s! 6d. pullets, 6s. 6d. to 10s. each plovers' eggs, 2s. 6d to 8s. 6d. per dozen hen eggs, 7s. to 9s. per 120; venison, Is ts 2s. 6d. Aylesbury butter, Is. to Is. 6d. per. lb. FISH. Fresh herrings, 4s. to 6s.; roused ditto 5s to 8s • red ditto, 3s. 6d. to 5s.; pickled ditto, 5s. to 7s. 6d. • kir.npr 6s. to 8s.; bloater ditto, 6s. 6d. to 8s. 6d.; native ovsters 18s. to 20s.; common ditto, 5s. to 10s. per hundred fwS salmon, Is. 3d. to Is. 6d.; crimped ditto, 2s. to 2s kipper ditto, 9d. to is.; pickled ditto, 6d.to 8d. trout ia i/i Is. 4d.; eels, 9Jd. to Is. Id.; per lb.; lobsters, 8s to 27s* fid • crabs, 5s. to 25s.; mullet, 3s to 5s.; makerel Is ftd tnSt' per dozen. • POTATOES. The supplies of old potatoes are now • off, and though no great demand TciSyPh^pricegs prevailKent Regents, 120s. to 140s • Ess/* dittn nV^ f TV, • H0PS- of hnm !r,J)erl-lap8 better inquiry for certain descriptions Prites are a shade firmer. The better qualities are reported scarce, but as yet there seems no reason to apprehend a complete exhaustion of the supplies this side of the new season. Foreign markets are quiet, but steady. HAY WHITECHAPEL, Saturday. May 26.—At the market to-day there was a large supply of Hay and Straw offered. Trade was dull and prices unchanged, as follows Prime Clover 100s. to 128s. inferior, 85s. to 85s. Prime Meadow Hav' 90s. to 125s. inferior, 70s. to 85s., and Straw, 40s. to 57s per load. TALLOW J s. a. Town Tallow, per cwt. 43 6 Rough Fat, per 81bs. 1 10A Melted Stuff, per cwt. 32 0 s. d Bough Stuff, per cwt. 16 S Greaves 11 12 0 Good Dregs 6 0 • s~aP> new 44s. Od. per cwt. Australian Mutton Tallow 42s 6d Ditto Beef Ditto. 42s. Od. SEED. 28.-There was very little passing Pnces °f foreign not yet being low enough to bring forward buyers to hold over. Good Trefoil ™r'° moderate request, at previous prices for the best qualities. Canary seed was disposed of at rather mon money for good samples. Foreign Tares were sold at very low rates to hold over for another season. White Mustard- seed was in good request, at the extreme prices previously paid. A few parcels of fine brown are offering, but these are held too high for the buyers. Dutch Hempseed was steady in price and demand, Fine English Rapeseed was in good request, at high currencies. Grassseeds were in fair request, at extreme rates.