The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford

OFFICIAL ACUMEN. In the course of the business at Lambeth, the other day, Inspector Churcher stated that a man named Edward Lucas was brought to the Brixton Police-station the previous night and charged with being drunk and incapable. He shortly afterwards seemed unwell, and a medical gentleman was sent for, and the man was removed home, but at five o'clock that morning expired. Mr. Woolrych: What was the cause of death ? Mr. Churcher handed in two certificates, one signed by Dr. Mercer, which states that deceased had evidently had an attack of apoplexy, and that his condition was such as might easily have been mistaken for drunkenness. The son of the deceased said his father was a very steady man, and had only taken the whole day, as far as he ascertained, a pint of ale. He complained that the inspector would not let him be taken home. A police-constable said he found the deceased lying down in Middle-road, Brixton in a helpless condition. He smelt of beer, and witness carried him, with assistance, to the station. He there gave his name, and said, in a faint tone, that he had taken two glasses of beer. He was put into a cell. Inspector Meloy, who took the charge, said the statement of the son of deceased—that he objected to his removal -was not true. Immediately the wife and son came to the station and stated that deceased was subject to fits, he sent for Dr. Pope. Mr. Woolrych: Was the cell warmed ? Inspector Meloy: Yes, your worship. Mr.Woolrych said he could give no decided opinion upon the subject, but the main point was that adequate arrangement should bo made to find out whether a person was suffering from drink, sick- ness, or infirmity, and that medical assistance in case of need should be obtained without loss of time. Inspector Meloy said every precaution was taken, and a doctor speedily sent for. Mr. Woolrych I cannot further enter into the matter, but will mark the sheet "reported dead."

MARRIED HIS NIEOE. William Thomas, a well-dressed man, was lately charged at Southwark with intermarrying with Hannah Ross, his former wife being then and now living. Emma Gully said her husband was a tailor, residing at Mile-end New-town. She had a daughter named Louisa,who, on the 2nd of March, 1862, lived with them, being at that time 19 years of age. Early on the morning of that day she missed her from home, and on going to her bed-room found that she had taken away all her wearing apparel, trinkets, &c. Having some suspicion, her husband went to the prisoner's house and found that he and her daughter had been married. Witness then called on the pri- soner, and upbraided him for taking her child away, as she was not old enough to take care of his two children. He laughed at her, and threw her their mar- riage certificate, showing that they were married at St. James's, Bethnal-green. He lived with her a little more than two years, when he left her with one child and the two by his former wife. She heard nothing more of him until a few days ago, when she found he was married a third time, and was living in College- street, Belvedere-road. She went with her daughter and gave him into custody. In answer to the pri- soner, the witness said the prisoner's first wife was her sister. She had no idea that he was going to marry her daughter. Hannah Frances Ross said that on the 16th of March last they were married by bands at St. Mark's Church, Old-street-road. Before they were married he said that his first wife was dead, and that he afterwards married his niece, and finding that to be illegal he left her. Mr. Partridge comimtted the prisoner to Newgate for trial.

40 THE DEATH IS ANNOUNCED of Charitie Grreme Hamilton, the raother,of the late Bishop of Salisbury. Mrs. Hamilton, who was 88 years of age, attended her son's funeral in Salisbury Cathedral a few weeks since-then da perfect health. The iimmenaa demand '.for ■Komiman's Tea has led to imitations. Ocituine packets are signed W. H. and F. f. E-armm. cn and Qz^iLandon." 2.53S Aeents.

DIRT AND CLEANLINESS. It is curious (says a contemporary) to observe the difference of tone between a Parisian and a Londoner as each returns to his metropolitan home after the summer and autumn holiday. The Frenchman, be he a man of business, of letters, or of pleasure, rubs his hands with satisfaction when falling leaves and gathering clouds suggest that winter is drawing near. He has done his watering-place as an annual duty, and because the July streets are so hot; but he is glad it is over, for in Paris is his true place of enjoy- ment. Very different is the Britisher's sentiment when he is driven back from Alps or ocean, from shooting or country visiting..He groans when the dull streets again open to receive him; he is despond- ing and irritable by turns when the collar again is felt upon his neck; he sighs enviously when he hears of any happy mortals who are still permitted to live out of London. Just let us note some points of con- trast. You sally out in Paris in a morning from your hot-el; men have already been busy sweeping the streets and carting away every trace of dirt that might in sunshine become dust or in rain become the basis of mud. Down the gutters are flowing streams of water turned on from the fre- quent taps, and scavengers with long brooms are washing the water over the pavement and roadway, so that they become perfectly clean. You wish to drive, you have but to call a cab. close or open as you prefer, and you have a vehicle which often is almost fit to be a private carriage. You mark how easily the wheels roll along, and you see that the macadam is mixed with bitumen that the wheels may not churn the road up into mud. When repairs are needed you mark how they are done at once, and how a heavy roller makes the newly laid portions instantly oompact and smooth. You notice the watering-not a deluge from a reckless cart, but a light and frequent moistening with spray from a flexible tube. A shower comes on and passes over: instantly machines with diagonal revolving brushes perambulate the streets and sweep into the drains the excess of wet. You wish to take an omnibus to a distant part of the city; you enter one, and ask the conductor for a correspondence ticket, cost three halfpence, which entitles you to complete your journey by a cross line. Without entering into any disputed questions of Haussmannization, all these arrangements are just what every well-conducted community of civilised beings might be expected to provide for itself. Now let us turn to London. The streets are swept at irregular intervals. When by accumulation they are ankle-deep in mud, great carts go round, into which men spoon the liquid mire with shovels, indif- ferent to the chances of bespattering the passers-by. When rain ceases and the streets are dry there is everywhere-on the pavement, on the kerbstones, on the lampposts or railings-a cake of brown dirt, which, by traffic, is reduced to a fine dust that per. vades the air and carries fever spores into the lungs. By way of laying the dust we have water-carts, which, to save trouble, pour out a volume of water that makes the streets in summer as impassable for mud as in winter. As to the occurrence of a snow- storm, let us not think of its grimy horrors. If we want to rest, we may have, by favour of the police- men, the privilege of a doorstep; for except a couple of benches in Piccadilly, there is no other seat for the wayfarer in all London. If, wearied of walking and ashamed to go into a public-house to rest, we call a cab, what sort of vehicle is it which the care of Col. Henderson licenses as good enough for the likes of us ? But if we do not have pleasure, at least we have the consolation of knowing that we are doing hard work when we take a drive in a cab or carriage. We are rolling the streets and reducing the rough new. laid macadam to its highest perfection of uneven smoothness. As to omnibuses, there is as little need to speak of them as of cabs. Every arrangement for concentrating torture is combined in them; and a company has taken them up for the apparent purpose of driving off the road every attempt at improvement. Such are the pleasures of out-door life of which a Londoner has daily experience. What wonder that he does not much like London!

DIVORCE MADE EASY. An American correspondent writes as follows "In New York there is a class of disreputable attorneys who live by obtaining divorces for whoever may apply for them, without the slightest regard to the merits of the case. These lawyers are men of the very lowest grade in their profession, and often have characters, aside from those they gain in the divorce business, which exclude them from all social recogni- tion. But the judges permit them to practice in the courts, and as they demand large fees for their services, they grow rich. A woman visits one of these men, gives him her husband's name and address, pays him a fee, and in due time presents her astonished spouse with a decree of separation from his bed and board, which she has obtained without his even knowing that a suit for such a purpose had been instituted against him. The attorney does his work as follows: He files his plea in one of the courts, and obtains a summons for service upon the defendant. To serve this summons a boy is called in from the street, and directed to take the paper to the residence of the defendant and give it to him. Upon arriving at the designated place, the boy is met by a confederate of the lawyer, standing before the door. What do you want ?' says the confederate to the lad. To see Mr. says the boy. I am Mr. replies the man, and the boy gives him the summons, returns to the lawyer, signs an affidavit that he has served the summons upon Mr. in person, receives his pay, and departs. In the course of a few weeks a copy of the complaint of the injured wife is served in the same way, and in due time the case comes up for trial. The attorney informs the court that the summons and complaint has been duly served, and that no response has been made by the defendant, and asks that the case be sent to a refer-ee to hear the testimony, and submits a copy thereof, with his decision, to the court for approval. This referee hears the evidence of two or three witnesses, men and women whom the attorney always has in his pay, but who have neither a local habitation nor a name other than the one which they assume for the special purpose of the time being. They are ready to swaar to the story, whatever it may be, that the lawyer has given them to prove; they depose that they know the defendant, have seen him in improper places with improper persons, and that the plaintiff is a eruelly wronged and injured wife. As there is no evidence to the contrary (the defendant being wholly ignorant of all these proceedings), the referee renders a report to the judge in favour of the plaintiff; the judge con- firms this decision, and a decree of full divorce, in due and legal form, is made.

1JnDDn FETTER. J BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. Ow readers wil I understand, that we do not hold ourselves respon- tible for or able- opinions MR. GLADSTONE is about to make a batch of peers, in succession to his broadcast of baronets. None of them are moref distinguished than the lot, of which Sir John Trollope was the most noted, promoted by Mr. Disraeli. The Earl of Southesk is a Scotch peer, a staunch Liberal, and an agriculturist noted for his breed of black-polled cattle. The title was only re- vived by Act of Parliament in 1835. The Earl of Listowel is an Irish peer. He served in the Crimean war, and has sisters married to the Earl of Yar- borough, to Lord Proby, who holds office in the Queen's household, and to Mr. Heneage,who formerly represented Lincoln. The Eight Hon. John Fitz- patrick, M.P., a Privy Councillor, is a natural son of the last Earl of Ossory (his sister is Lady Lyveden), from whom he inherited large estates in Ireland. He has been many years in Parliament, but silent. Sir John Acton, Bart., is a wealthy Roman Catholic baronet, whose grandfather was Prime Minister to the King of Naples during the French revolutionary wars. The mother of Sir John Acton, a daughter of the Duke of Dalberg, became the first wife of Earl Granville. He unsuccessfully contested a Shropshire borough at the last election. He represented Carlow for some years, and has a reputation for independence and ability. Lord Edward Howard, an uncle of the present Duke of Norfork, is also a Roman Catholic. The pocket borough of Arundel, for which he sat, was extinguished by the last Reform Bill- Some years age, when a great storm arose on an attempt to persuade Misi Talbot, a great Catholic heiress, to take the veil, the difficulty was solved by her marrying Lord Edward Howard. He has not distinguished himself in Parliament. Mr. Manssl Talbot, M.P., is a great land-owner and mine-owner in Wales. He was long chairman of the South Wales Railway, and had an interest in the original venture of the Great Easiern. Colonel Greviile-Nugsnt, M.P., is an Irishman, taking his estates through an heiress-a Howard. He has been in the army, and holds rather advanced Irish opinions. George Carr Glyn is the head of the great banking firm in Lombard-street. He was chairman of the London and North-Western Railway during that disastrous time when—in a series of contests most foolishly undertaken—it was every Session worsted by the Great Western. Mr. Glyn's fortune is colossal. He sat long for Kendal, and waa an excellent representative of the Lord Overstone stamp of men, with not less than a hundred thousand pounds well invested. He has a son in the House who was Whig whip during one Session. Mr. Agar-Robartes is a banker, unsuccessful in contesting a county at the last general election. Edward Ellice, M.P., is the son of the Mr. Ellice who was a brother-in-law of the Earl Grey, and sat in the first Reform Ministry of 1830. Mr. Edward Ellice, the father, introduced Whig noblemen to the experience of merchants and the true princi- ples of economy as well as political economy. With the exception of Sir John Acton, it is not likely that any of these gentlemen will be heard of again except as silent voters. Business is paralysed by ths state of affairs in France, where moderate men are put on one side, and the people of Paris are proposing to elect men with the principles of the Fenians who blew up Clerken- well Prison. P. P.

JIB. PEABODY'S FUNERAL. The funeral of Mr. Peabody took place in West- minster Abbey on Friday, and, at the same time, religious services and other demonstrations of mourn- ing were held in the chief towns and cities of the United States. The lord mayor and sheriffs went from the Mansion House to Eaton-square to join the procession, and their State carriages were amongst those in attendance. The music used at the ceremony was selected from the compositions of Croft, Parcel!, and Handel. On the entrance of the procession, I am the Resurrection" (Croft) was sung. In the choir, 90-th Psalm; "Domine Refugium;" Chant (Purcell). At the grave, Thou knowest, Lord" (Croft); In the midst of life (Purcell-) I heard a voice from Heaven" (Croft). Fi:nale-" His body is buried in peace, but his name liveth for ever- more (Handel). The ceremony terminated with the Dead March in Saul," played by Mr. Turle. Ten or twelve members of the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral assisted, and the musical service was conducted by Mr. Montem Smith, under the direction of Mr. Turle. The coffin bore the following inscription :— GEORGE PEABODY, ESQ. Born 18 February, 1795, At Danvers, Massachusetts. Died in London, 4 November, 1869. The public will be glad to know that in the later months of his life, as before, Queen Victoria was prompt to express in her own graceful way the regard she felt for one who had been so much the friend of her people. Before Mr. Peabody left England on his last visit to his native land, the Queen had expressed a strong wish to see him, and have some conversation with him. The Queen, in fact, wrote a letter to him, requesting him to let her know of his return to England, whenever that should be. Immediately upon his arrival here Mr. Peabody communicated the fact to her Majesty. The Queen was aware that he was in delicate health, and conveyed to him her wish that on her return from Balmoral he would visit her at Windsor, when, without being obliged to dine with her, or to go through anything which might be a fatigue to him, she could see him quietly." When her Majesty was made aware of the serious accession of illness under which Mr. Peabody was labouring, the Queen then proposed to come and see him at Sir Curtis Lampson's house, in Eaton-square, where Mr. Peabody was staying. The rapid termination, how- ever, of the disease rendered this, to her Majesty's deep regret, impossible. In order to mark the national sense of Mr. Peabody's noble benefactions, and to pay a fitting tribute to his memory, his remains will be conveyed to America in one of her Majesty's ships of war. For that purpose her Majesty's ship In- constant is being prepared with all dispatch, and a fitting mausoleum is being erected on board. The Bishop of London preached a sermon in Westminster Abbey, on Sunday afterpoon, in memory of Mr. Peabody. The service was Turle in D, the anthem "When the ear heard Him," and He delivered the poor that' eried." After the service Mr. Turle played Me "Dead March."

THE BODY OF A max named Richard Ramsden, a mason, who resided in Broster-street, Salford, has been taken out of the Irwell, near St. Simon's Church. The deceased was engaged grappling for the body of his brother's child, who was drowned near the same place about a fortnight ago, when he lost his footing and fell into the river, and before assist- ance could be rendered he sank. THE Irish Times says that information has been received which places the matter beyond doubt or question that the man who passed as "Colonel Kelly," and who waa rescued at the Fenian demonstration in Manchester, when Sergeant Brett lost his life, was the identical party named Martin who came by his death a few weeks since in London from the overturning of a cab. THE Moscoiv Gazette publishes a long article on the reported rapprochement between France and Russia. The appointment of General Fleury to the French embassy at St. Petersburg is, it says, the first step towards detaching Russia frs>m Prussia, and bringing about an understanding between the Courts of Paris and St. Petersburg as to the Eastern question.. „ Le Petit Journal gives some particulars of the quantity of meat consumed in Paris throughout the year. It averages seventy-five kilogrammes a year to each inhabitant. In this figure neither poultry, pork, game, nor even horse-flesh (the sale of which is in- creasing) is included. The French departments chiefly supply this large demand, but the meat .passes through a number of intermediate hands before xemh. I tng the b atchers, so that the price is very high.

PASSING EVENTS. JL.C-& IT is perhaps rather late to allude to the epening of the Irolborn Viaduct and the Blackfriars'-bridge, but there is a point which seems to us to require some notice, even though it may not reach official ears; the more so perhaps as none of the London dailies have seen fit to allude to it. The decorations connected with the reception of her Majesty at both the bridge and the viaduct were of themselves well worthy of a visit; and it would, we think, have been far more agreeable to the public, both Londoners and provincials, had the public been admitted after the dis- play. The number of those who were able to obtain tickets was, of course, but small, and necessarily con- fined almost entirely to Londoners; and the objections of the contractors, who feared that their property might have been damaged, could have been easily answered by admitting those on Saturday afternoon only who presented their address-cards, or who were evidently not of the longh" class. The decorations used on festive occasions have generally been ex- hibited to the respectable public; notably in the case of the Lord Mayor's ball, in honour of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, when the Guildhall was open for several days, cud the opening of the new Foreign-office. But the officials have seen fit to depart from the usual rule—a fact which cannot be too greatly regretted, and which should be pointed out, in order to avoid, if possible., its repetition. WE suppose almost .everyone has heard of the three tailors of Tooley-street, who addressed a petition to her Majesty, commencing, We, the people of England;" and although instances of somewhat similar presumption have from time to time cropped up, yet we doubt if many persons hare lighted upon a case so resembling that of the three tailors," as one which has recently been laid bare at Whitby. It is not our intention, or even desire, to criticise the matter in its political tearing". The letter, which is supposed to have come from the people of Whitby, protests against the election of Dr. Temple to the bishopric of Exeter, and it is no part of our business to here find fault with er praise the appointment. Mr. Gladstone may be right, or Dr. Temple may be a heretic, without a single doubt; but either way, it cannot aifecfe the ludicrous character of the letter. Mr. Gladstone took the trouble to respond to it; but as he had received no protest of so direct a nature, and from a town, moreover, returning one of his own sons, he instituted an inquiry, the result of which was to find out, to his astonishment, that the protest of the inhabitants of Whitby emanated from only sixteen of the town. The Premier, therefore, was fain to dismiss the serious character of the letter, and in reply said that he supposed the meeting had been unintentionally misrepresented." Now the moral to be drawn from this is to be found in the fact that this description of protest in reality injures the cause which it wishes to support. Instances of this were of frequent occurrence in the early part of this year, when meetings of ten or twenty people addressed resolutions, either for or against the Irish Church, to the Premier or Mr. Disraeli, at the same time announcing that the people of so-and-so had passed the resolutions in question. And we can only add that all true friends to any cause should beware lest in rivalling, the three tailors they defeat their own ends. ow that London-bridge, which is well known to both Londoners and the dwellers in the provinces, is being repaired, it will not be an inappropriate time to state a few facts concerning the old bridge and its predecessors. The first wooden bridge was built in the Saxon era, but was destroyed by fire in 1163, and was rebuilt under the inspection of Peter, curate of St. Mary Colechurch, in London. Fourteen years after, however, it was determined to build a stone bridge-the other w-as of wood-and its constraction was entrusted to Peter, who died before its completion, in 1209, and was buried in a chapel erected on one of the piers. It was this bridge which took thirty-three years in building, and which lasted till about 1758, when it was altered and widened. In order to do this more expeditiously, a temporary bridge on crutches was erected, but fired by an incendiary, who, however, was not detected. This conflagration caused a vast amount of trouble to the inhabitants of the borough, since they were cut off from their sup- ply of water, which was carried across the bridge in troughs. The present bridge was built in the y-ear 1824, and is, as we have before said, now about to be repaired. It is somewhat interesting to note the improvements which characterise the present day. Old London-bridge took thirty-three years in building, whilst the Blackfriars. bridge, just opened by her Majesty, took only five years from the laying the foundation-stone to its official opening. The in- habitants of the Borough can now, although deprived of London-bridge, obtain access to the north side of the water by one of the many bridges crossing the Thames higher up; but in 1758, the Lord Mayor had to license forty extra ferry-boats on account of the burning of the temporary bridge. Now each side of the Thames has its own separate water supplies, then the Borough was dependent upon North London for its water. What will be in 1969 ? THE French elections are at hand, and the excite- ment in Paris runs high. Rochefort is one of the Radical-candidates, and to all appearances is to carry everything before him. There can, indeed, be but little doubt that he will be returned, for although by no means a good speaker, and being, moreover, ignorant of the merest outlines of political economy he has gained the ear of the people, who only think now of cheering him to the echo, and hissing down any opposition. He has taken a course, however, which to English minds seems not only dishonour- able but almost criminal. He has subscribed to the oath, and yet proclaims his readiness to break it. He obtains his election as deputy by first vowing to the Government and then to the people. Ledru-Rollin-who, though under sentence of imprisonment at Cayenne, is residing quietly in Lon- don—is a candidate for another of the Paris con- stituencies but he, more honourable than Rochefort, declines to take the oath to the Government. He too, may be elected, but according to the law all votes tendered for him will be recorded, though null and void as having any result. Barbes and Felix Pyat, are in the same predicament, and should all four, Rochefort, Ledru-Rollin, Barbes, and Pyat be elected, there is no knowing what may be the result. However, there is nothing to be gained by anticipating evils. "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof."

IT IS UNDERSTOOD that the proposed doable sculling match between Renforth and Taylor with Kelley and another is settled to come off on the 20th. The stakes will be X20 aside, which are very heavy for such an impromptu affair, but the articles are not yet agreed to. THE COUNCIL of the Liberal Association at Chester have unanimously resolved to invite the Hon. Norxaan Grosvenor, a younger son ef Lord Ebury, to contest that city in the Liberal interest. Chester has been represented by a member of the house of Grosvenor .ever since the passing of the Reform Act of 1832. THE •EBFOE.T of the Royal Commission ap- pointed to investigate the cause of the riots in Lon- donderry on the occasion of Prince Arthur's visit is in the Government printers' hands. It is beileved the report will recommend the abolition of openair jdemonstratioEEiand displays, and the smbatitntiaxi el the constabulary lor -.the iocal police.

STARVATION. A heart-rending case of destitution has just oc- curred in one of the pcoser localities of Birmingham. In a b&ck court in New -Canal-street, Bordesley, a family consisting of father and mother, James and Margaret Parsons, and five children, rented two un. furnished rooms. On Wednesday the mother, and on Thursday evening, the fether, were found dead, both deaths having, according to the testimony of two medical men, resulted from sheer exhaustion, through want of food and exposure to cold. The utter wretchedness of the miserable dwelling occupied by this starving family it is impossible to depict. The only apology for a bed was a rotten frame, on which, without bed, sheet, or blanket, and covered only with the shreds of a chemise, the woman died. When she was being laid out it tumbled to pieces, and the emaciated corpse had to be stretched on boards. Three or four plain chairs, a round table, three plates, and a saucepan, with two coloured pictures, literally completed the catalogue of household goods. Clothes, save shreds and rags on their backs, the children had none. The father died in the only shirt he possessed, and a shabby black coat and trousers. On the table, after his death, was found a letter from a friend, enclosing 3s. in stamps. The letter had been opened, but the stamps were untouched. The bodies presented a sight too shocking to dwell upon. Traces of refinement were apparent on the features of the woman, and though she must have been 30, the pinching of slow starvation had caused contraction to an almost girlish delicacy. The man, who was about 45, was literally a skeleton. The children (who all bear signs of want and suffering) are--Arthur, 15 years; Fred, 12 years; Arnold, eight years; Kate, four years; and a baby 15 months old. They have been removed to the workhouse. No blame is attached to the parish authorities, who rendered assistance as soon as they became aware of the condition of the family, which came, however, too late.

A LETTER FROM; FLORENCE, in the Paris Temps, states that Garibaldi is again suffering from rheu- matism at Caprera, Lmd that for nearly a fortnight he has received no visitors. Should his health permit, he will, it is believed, attend the council which is to be held in Naples during December, in opposition to that which is to be held at the same time in Rome. DR. WILBERFORCE has delivered a farewell charge to his clergy, in the cathedral at Oxford, previous to his translation to the see of Winchester. The right rev. prelate took a survey of the religious work which had been accomplished in the diocese over which he had presided nearly a quarter of a oentury. THE FOLLOWING ADVERTISEMENT from a con. temporary eases one's mind on the score of those un- happy persons who live on nothing a year and yet must occasionally present a decent appearance:— Dress Coats Lent. B lends the finest of clothes for opera, balls, or wedding. New, fashionable, and premier quality from the most eminent West-end tailors, &c." Why not add—Half price for slightly shabby coats ? COMPLAINTS HAVING BEEN MADE of the high charges demanded by hotel-keepers at Cairo, the secretary of one of the hotel companies writes to say that the charges of the New Hotel at Cairo, the property of that company, have only been raised from the current rate of 16s. to 20s. a day, an increase necessitated by the rise in wages, and in all articles of consumption. No increase is contemplated to this tariff, which will rule at all the other principal hotels AN INQUEST HAS BEEN HELD at St. George's Workhouse respecting the death of William Jarvis. On Friday last he was carried in -a dying state to the workhouse, where it was found that he was suffering from want of food. After he b-aclb-en supplied with some toast and tea he said that he had been sufferizig from starvation and that he wished that he had entered the workhouse before. Nest day he was seized with a fit and soon fiiiftd, Vercfet, Death &am .want of foo&"

COLONIAL ITEMS. Messrs. S. W. Silver and Co.'s circular, pub- lished monthly, at 2, 3, and 4, Bishopsgate Without London, E.C., contains, amongst their summary of latest intelligence the following: Victoria, Mel- bourne, Sept. 11, 1869. The Land Bill has passed the Lower, and been read first time in the Upper House; it will be considerably modified. Resolutions for the abolition of State aid to religion have been carried in the Assembly. The crops look well, although checked by frosts.—New South Wales, Sydney, Sept. 11, 1869. The weather has been extremely boisterous. The large stone referred to last month supposed to be a diamond has proved to be crystallised quartz.—South Australia, Adelaide, Sept. 11, 1869. Drought is injuriously affecting the pastoral districts in the north. Considerable attention is given to the question of telgraphic com- munication with Great Britain. Mr. Weld, the Governor of Western Australia, has promised liberal assistance in carrying out the line through Western Australia. Out of 743 northern territory land orders allotted in this colony, the holders of 586 have accepted the extended area offered by the act of last Session, and of 781 allotted in England, 115 have accepted. It is proposed to erect a monu- ment to the late Capt. Sturt, the explorer.—Tasmania, Hobart Town, Sept. 10, 1869. The Attorney- General has brought forward a proposition in the Legislative Assembly to give a bonus of X300,000 to a company to construct and maintain a main line of railway under certain conditions. New ZealanA Wellington, Sept. 4,1869. Parliament was prorogued on the 3rd ult. A vote of X3,000 has been passed to the Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert, in recognition of his services in connection with the Consolidation of Loans Act. Coal of good quality has been discovered at Otipiri, in Southland the bed is believed to be of large extent. A number of Waitotara rebels have given themselves up to the Government, and delivered over 60 stands of arms.

TWO SORTS OF SPIRITS. At a recent meeting of the Dialectical Society, Mr. Gerald Massey made a statement. When he was twenty-two he married the daughter of the Rev. Jabez Burns, and he first threw her into a magnetic sleep, in which she performed some feats. Eighteen months before her death a dissenting minister having seen things written out by a stool, said he thought Mrs. Massey could work with it very well, and a trial was made. A pencil was tied to a leg of the stool, and the name Shakespeare was written. A few months before, he (Mr. Massey) had written in the Quarterly Review (it was in the year 1864) on the Shakesperian sonnets. There was a mystery connected with a portion of them which he could not fathom. The stool spelt out age in love," which was a line constituting a difficulty, for, according to his theory, the author must have been young, and could not have been "age in love." Well, he was directed to an edition which! ho had not before examined, and he found that the two sonnets which constituted the difficulty did not appear in it. Thus, he was, as a literary man, helped in his work by the communica- tion. Again, his housekeeper could not sleep for noises in the kitchen, the door was slammed so violently that the key flew out. Well, a communica- tion was made that a child had been murdered nine years before and buried in the gardev. Eli went into the garden, and at the spot described he dug down and found the bones. That night there were the sounds of four men working outside. The noise of one man was like that of a man hammering with a pick- axe on the doorstep. He jumped up, and taking his gun, ran out, but there was no one there. His wife went into a trance, and there was evidence that the noises were made by four spirits in consequence of the bones of the murdered child having been dis- turbed. Mr. Holyoake, in remarking upon Mr. G. Massey's statement, said that the story was really too painful to be dwelt upon. For his own part, he would sooner forego all knowledge of Shakespeare's sonnets than have such thumpings at his kitchen door and in his garden.

A FRENCH POLICE STATION. Perhaps it may be as well to state what is the French method of procedure with people who have been arrested in the night. They are taken to the station and cast altogether-thieves and drunkards, murderers or brawlers-into a place of delight called the violon, where they abide until seven in the morning, at which hour they are examined by the commissaire de police. If the charge be only a light one, the commissaire may discharge the prisoner at once, provided the latter sends to some friend to come and claim him. If, on the contrary, the charge be a serious one, then the prisoner returns to the violon, and waits until the "panier-a-salade, or prison van, oomes to fetch him to the Prefecture. This is generally about nine o'clock. Every morning at eight a dozen vans leave the Rue de Jeru- salem, and go the round of the different stations, gathering up the black sheep for the big fold. At the Prefecture prisoners are lodged according to their means. If they can afford it they have a cell to themselves, paying two francs a day for the privilege. This is called la pistole. If they are not sufficiently well off to afford a cell, they are turned loose into a big common room in company with a few score other prisoners awaiting their trial. There are two of these common rooms. One is for the utterly disreputable who are in rags and tatters; the other for people who are clean and orderly. The common room is at once a dining-room, sleeping-room, and recreation yard. At night beds are laid down in it during the day the prisoners pace up and down, two or three together, or singly, as they choose. Some- times a prisoner remains three or four months in this common room (that is, in technical language, au depot), never leaving it but to go between two gend- armes to the cabinet of the juge d'instruction, or exa. mining magistrate, whose interrogatories are always conducted in private.

WE UNDERSTAND that there will not be another Cabinet Council for some time. THE QUEEN'S BENCH has granted a rule call- ing upon a witness who had taken no notice of a summons from the Bridgwater Election Commis- sioners to show cause why an attachment should not issue against him. A RULE HAS BEEN GRANTED calling upon the proprietor of a Salisbury paper to show cause why a criminal information should not be filed against him for having libelled Earl Radnor in his capacity as a county magistrate. THERE IS REASON TO BELIEVE that the following gentlemen will shortly be raised to the peerage of the United Kingdom :—Earl of Southesk, Earl of Listo- wel, Lord Edward Howard, Right Hon. J. Fitz- patrick, M.P.; Sir John Acton, Bart.; C. R. M. Talbot, Esq., M.P. ? Colonel Greville Nugent, M.P. George Carr Glyn, Esq.; T. Agar Robartes, Esq.; Edward Ellice, Esq., M.P. A SUIT OF MR. GRENVILLE-MURRAY against the Foreign Minister to recover compensation for having been unlawfully dismissed from the office of her Majesty's Consul-General at Odessa has been be- fore the Master of the Rolls. Sir R. Palmer for the defendant, said that her Majesty had power to dis- miss any of her servants, and aid so through her Ministers; and Lord Romilly decided that he had no jurisdiction in the matter. FRIDAY WAS THE MORROW OF ST. MARTIN, and the usual ceremony attending the nomination of sheriffs for th.6 counties of Eng"lan^ and "Wales was observed in the Court of Exchequer. The list, after the usual variety of excuses, was duly made out, three names being entered for cach county. The final selection will be made in January by her Majesty in Council. A LETTER- FROM ROME states that only 650 stalls have been erected in the hall of the Council at St. Peter's. A newspaper, the Roman Correspon- dence, has just started a pious speculation. If any I new arrival subscribes to this paper for six months, he or she may enjoy the following privileges: an apartment, a servant, a good place in St. Peter1 s, a guide book of Rome, an Agnus Dei, and leave to abstain from fasting. THE Morning Advertiser says that the Thames Embankment is sliding away from the new granite river wall direct into the deep cutting of the Metro- politan District Railway now in course of formation." In many places, particularly facing Somerset-house, the pavement is heaving up and down and parting. The iron gratings round the young trees that are planted are disturbed, and according to experienced •excavators' opiEions, should a hard winter set in, the whele af the emitaankment will give way."

CONTINENTAL ON DITS. -+-- THE approaching session of the French Legislative Body will probably open under the presidency of General Lebreton, as senior member, Colonel Reguis being unwilling to accept that honour which hi& years would entitle him to. IT was stated that the cell at the Concièrgérier where Marie-Antoinette and others were confined, was about to be destroyed. The statement was not true; on the contrary, the historical cachot is going to be, renovated for the benefit of a future generation. PRENCII" JEWELLERS. "-Some French restauramtg, offer meals at a fabulously low price. For instance, a bowl of soup, a plate of meat and vegetables, dessert, half a bottle of wine, and bread ad libituM —all for 7d.! How the keepers of these eating- houses make them pay is a mystery which those who patronise them do not care about solving. Of course, the eatables are not of first-rate quality, and one must dine somewhat on the principle of shutting your eyes, opening your mouth, and taking what is sent you. It appears that there are a class of men who get their living by going round to the swell mansions and buying up the leavings. These gentlemen are called "jewellers," and the leavings go by the general name of "jewels"—a piece of fowl being a pearl," a plate of game "a diamond," beef "a ruby," and so on, If Plutus gives a banquet to-night, the' "jeweller" comes down to-morrow morning and carts off the leavings from his lordship's plate to some* cheap restaurant, where they are speedily transformed into most tempting-looking dishes, with most high" sounding names. The richest "jeweller" is he whø. possesses the monopoly of the Tuileries, from whence it is said a van-load of odds and ends is packed every' day. ABD-EL-KADER has arrived in Egypt, in order to- be present at the opening of the Suez Canal. THE Sultan has given to the Emperor of Austria eight magnificent Arab horses. THE France says that M. Schneider has undergone another relapse, and that his state inspires some un- easiness. THE Princess Margherita of Naples has given' birth to a son. Both are doing well. The Prince- has received the names of Victor Emanuel Ferdinand, and the title of Prince of Naples. THE health of the King of Italy has now so far im- proved that his Majesty has recommenced signing decrees. TEE Sultan proposes to make the pilgrimage to Mecca next spring, and will take the opportunity then of paying a visit to the canal. M. LEDRU ROLLIN'S manifesto is said to have produced very little effect in Paris, and it is spoken of favourably only by the Bappel, the Beveil, and the Tidform*. The rest of the French papers, including the Ddbats, the Teyips, the S'ieclc, and the Avenif National, criticise it in no indulgent terms. A CAPITAL story of Sainte-Beuve appears in the Lyons journal, the Diceittralizat,ion. He was dining in company with the Pere Lacordaire, and the conver- sationturning on religion, Sainte-Beuve said: "I don't understand your revelation, and I make a point of believing nothing I do not fully understand." "Pardon me, sir," said Lacordaire, "you do not understand why fire hardens eggs and melts butter, but I perceive that you believe in omelettes Saint- Beuve treated the Pere Lacordaire with the greatest deference ever after, and always spoke of him with the utmost respect. GENERAL PRIM has informed the Cortes that the Deputies Caimo and Suner have been condemned to death. The Deputy Ameller has been condemned to perpetual exile, and the Deputy Serradara. to lZ years' confinement. THE Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg Railway Company has during the summer instituted a number of experi- ments with the air telegraph, as a means of enabling passengers to stop trains in case of necessity, and these have been so successful that all mail-trains o»' that line will henceforth be furnished with an ap- paratus of the kind. Should they realise the expecta- tions formed of them, they will probably be employed on all North-German railways. THE Princess Marie Czartoryska, nie Countess- Grocholska, widow of Prince Witold, is about to enter a religious house of the Order of Carmelites. THE Empress Eugenie left numerous important- marks of her munificence in the Turkish capital. Her Majesty, in particular, gave 10,000,1. to the School of Arts and Manufactures 3,000f. to the hospital in the 6th circle; 17,000f. to the French charitable esta- blishments in Constantinople; 40,000f. to those in tbe. provinces; and, in addition, 20,000f. to those in Egypt. The Empress also left 10,000f. to be diol tributed in alms. AN iron-clad frigate, the Minine, was launched a Cronstadt a few days back in presence of the Emperor of Russia, the Cesarewitch, the Grand Duketf' Alexis and Constantine, and the Prince of Oldenburg- THE EMPEROR'S GUESTS.-The first series of guests to Compiegne has arrived at the Palace, the honours being done during the absence of the Empress by the Princess Mathilde. The following are among the^persons now invited --The Duke and Duchess de Mouchy, Count and Countess de Primoli, Marshal and Madame Canrobert, Marshal and Madame Bazaine, Baron and Baroness de Vatry, Marquis and Marquise de Las Marismas, General Chauchard, Vis- count and Viscountess Aguado, Baron de Corberon, Count and Countess de Fernandina, Baron de Poilly, Marquise de Galiffet, Mrs. and Miss Payne, Mr. and Miss Wordcffi, Mrs. Parsons, M, and Madame Carette, the Duke de la Force, the Minister of the United States, M. Viollet-Leduc, Baron Tascher de la Pagerie, &c. The length of the visit is five days, one day being devoted to a stag hunt, another to an excursion to Fierrefonds, a third to a battue in the pheasant preserves, a fourth, concert in the afternoon, and official dinner a fifth, departure. A MAN named Stiquel, aged 73, who resided alone in an isolated spot at Ban de Cham £ >ag»ey, near Vesoul, France, was fired at through the window ot his house, and wounded in the side, a- few aS°- He turned his head in the direction of the shot, and recognised his own nephew, who was making off. The latter, named Caritey, and aged 4a, was the only relative of Stiquel, and would have inherited his property had he died without mailing a will. The old man is scarcely likely to recover, in consequence 0* his great age the other has been arrested. THE POPULAR CANDIDATE.—When M. Rochefort. left an electoral meeting a day or two ago, he got into a covered cab, and about 200 persons ordered the driver to go at a foot-pace, they following the vehicle with cries of "Vive Rochefort!" "Vive Lo Lanterne t" and singing the Marseilaise. This cortege continued to the Rue Guy-Patin, where a friend of Rochefort, sitting on the box, stood up, and in a* short speech told the people that the candidate in* side requested them to leave the way free, and to' permit him to go home quietly. The crowd then gav,o. way, and the coachman, whipping up the horses,went" off at a speed too great for the most enthusiastic to' keep up with.

A CONVOCATION of the University of Oxfordi has been held, when the Marquis of Salisbury was4 elected to the Chancellorship in succession to the- late Lord Derby. The marquis received 37 votes,, and one vote was given for the Earl of Carnarvon. THE DEATHS OF ADMIRAL DEACON, on the- retired list, and of Rear-Admiral Frederick Warden, C.B., Commander-in-Chief at Cork, are announced. Sir William Wiseman, the senior captain, will now be advanced to the rank of rear-admiral. IN THE COURT OF BANKRUPTCY William SarI, has applied for his order of discharge. His total debts are £ 93,563, and he attributes his failure to- inability to meet the calls upon shares which he held in various public companies. THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS has issued proposals for a loan of X2 500,000. The stock is to bear interest at the rate of three and a half per cent. per annum. Tenders for the loan are to be sent in by the 25th inst. THE COURT.0? COMMON PLEAS has granted a-, rule calling upon the petitioners against the return. of Mr. Russell Gurney, M.P. for Southampton, to. show cause- •why. the master should not review the- ri«-ht hon. gentleman's costs. The master had dis- allowed to Mr. Gurney substantially all the expenses- which he had incurred prior to the hearing of the- petition. ON THE 1ST INST. n, fatal attack was mader upon a number of persons returning from a tenant- right meeting in the county Cavan, and by some the outrage was attributed to Orangemen, whilst others accused the Fenians of having been concerned in it. It now appears that the circumstances are to be investigated by a commission of inquiry appointed by the Government.