The Cardigan Observer and General Advertiser for the Counties of Cardigan Carmarthen and Pembroke

THE ALLEGED HOTEL FRAUDS. At Bow-street Police-court, London, the Hon. Caro- line Yelverto* Bingham and her daughter, Elizabeth Bingham, surrendered before Mr. Flowers, to answer the various charges of having conspired to defraud hotel-keepers and others by obtaining food and lodging on false pretences. Mr. Besley conducted the prose- cution Mr. Moloney appeared for the younger defen- dant, who, however, was at once acquitted by direction of the magistrate. The other defendant was repre- seuted by Mr. Keogh and Mr. St. John Wontner, and Mr. &. Lewis, jun., attended to watch the case in the interests of certain relatives of Mrs. Bingham. Mrs. Robinson, widow,66, Oxford-terrace, deposed that Mrs. Bingham occupied apartments in her house tor several weeks prior to September, 1877, her two daughters and a son residing with her. She incurred a debt for board and lodging amounting to upwaids of £86. Her excuse for not paying the money was that her money was being transferred from Scotland to E< g- land. In cross-examination, the witness admitted that'she knew Mrs. Bingham eight years ago and was aware that she was not living with her husband. The defendant had told her that the Hon. Mr. Yelverton Bingham had deserted her and her children. Witness heard that the husband was living in Park-lane, and she mnde some effort to find Mm, but in vain. Mr. Flowers said this was very like a debt, at any rate, and could not come under the criminal law. Mr. Besley observed that his object in producing this evidence was to show that the subse- quent representations of the defendant to a tradesman by which she obtained drapery and other goods to a considerable amount were obviously fraudulent. Mr. Keogh contended that none of the debts were ef a 'nature to justify a criminal charge. He was prepared to show that this lady and her family had been cruelly deserted by the husband, and he was really responsible for the debts incurred by his wife. Mr. Moloney, in the interests of the husband, protested against these remarks, made in ignorance of the facts of the case and wholly unjust. Mr. Flowers said there could be no doubt that the de- fendant had committed certain fraudulent acts, morally speaking; but the only legal proof of wilful intention was the fact that certain boxes of supposed luggage, given up a* security, proved to contain nothing of value. Mr. Besley said he did not rely on this point, but rather on the fact that she told these hotel-keepers deliberate falsehoods when she repre- sented herself as having just arrived from Hastings and that her luggage was coming after her, the fact being that she had just escaped from ono or other of the hotels without paying her account there. Mr. Flowers was quite aware of the suspicious nature of the defen- dant's transactions, but he felt certain it would be useless to commit her for trial on a criminal charge, on the evidence as it then stood, and, therefore, he should discharge her. Mr. Bealey then demanded that the witnesses should be bound over to appear under the Vexatious Indictments Act. He did not intend this as any disrespect to the Court, but he felt that the escape of the defendant entirely would be a monstrous injustice to a large body of respectable tradesmen. The decision of the magistrate excited the applause of one or two persons in the body of the court, and the defendant on leaving the building was followed up Bow-street by a mob of more than 100 persons.

COSTUME BALL IN A LUNATIC ASYLUM. The Committee of the Middlesex County Asylum, Colney Hatch, invited a number of guests to a costume ball given in the grand hall and recreation-room of the asylum. The asylum contains about 2100 patients. Of these 350 joined in costume in the festivities, and 250 older patients sat round the room and in the gallery overlooking it. There was an excellent band. The attendants' choir sang during the evening, and all present clapped hands and otherwise joined in the applause which followed their performance. There were about 250 visitors, most of them in fancy dress. The costumes of the patients were, to a large extent, the choice and even the handiwork of the patients themselves. For weeks the ball has been talked of, and it will be a subject of conver- sation for some months to come. There are dances every week for the amusement of the patients, but Tuesday night's dance was of special interest and importance. The costumes were not very different from those worn at other costume balls. Dr. Faust and Mephistophiles, Pierrot and the Christmas clown, Watteau shepherdesses and "fine gentlemen" of the Court of Louis XIV., Charles Surface, and Joseph his brother, ladies in stuff gown and Queen's Counsel in silk, Kings, Queens, and Knaves, contadine and contadini, soldiers, sailors, Lap- landers, Negroes, ani Greek goddesses waltzed, gal- loped, and joined in quadrilles. There was special eagerness on the part of the mad people to wear the dress of a king or queen, and one who earnestly desired to appear as a great philosopher was, in pre- sence of the difficulty of expressing that character by magnificence of dress, easily contented with a paper crown instead. When the Roast Beef of Old Eng- land was sung the choristers waved the Union Jack amid tremendous applause. Sir W. H. Wyatt, in the uniform of a Deputy Lieutenant of the County, re- ceived the guests as Chairman of the Committee. Dr. Brewer, Chairman of the Metropolitan Asylums Board. Sir E. H. Ourrie, of ihe London Hospital, Sir 0. Duff Gordon, Mr. Price, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Dry, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Woodd Smith, and other magistrates of Middlesex; Mr. Skaife, the clerk to the magi- strates Dr. Sheppard, the principal medical officer; Mr. Marshall, the medical officer of the female de- partment, whose patients insisted on dancing with him the Rev. H. Hawkins, the chaplain; Mr. Blake, the steward; and other officers and members of the committee directed the amusements. Everything passed off with great order and hilarity. Of course the dan- gerous patients are not admitted to these entertain- ments, and the mild- looking, child-like lunatics who par- ticipated in the evening's enjoyment were able to con- verse quite rationally with their partners provided the subjects of their craze were avoided. The doors of the wards were, of course, kept locked. It was in that sense a Freemasons' ball, and the warders, with jingling keys, who scrutinised visitors on their way out, helped to remina those present of the peculiarity of the evening's festivity which otherwise in the light and cheerful hall, fes, tooned with evergreens and lanterns and alive with the movements of the brightly clad dancers, would have been forgotten. The precise number of patients on the books at the date of the last published report of the Commissioners in Lunacy was 846 males and 1241 females. The cost of maintenance for each patient is 9s. 7^d. per week. Alcohol and religious frenzy are quoted by the medical officer in his report as the principal causes of the bram disease which here is suffered, alleviated, or cured. as the principal causes of the bram disease which here is suffered, alleviated, or cured.

SHOOTING WITH A RRVOLVEB.-At the Liver- pool Police-court William Barn, a middle-aged man of respectable appearance, was charged with shooting at William Smith, with intent to murder him. The ease lias been several times remanded pending the progress of the wound. The prosecutor was now able to attend court, and he stated that he was better. The medical man who had attended him said that the bullet had not yet been extracted, and he believed it was lodged in the thick tissues of the neck. The occurrence, which was of a some- what inexplicable character, happened on the 13th of December, when the prosecutor, who had let a chemist's shop to the prisoner, went with him to an agent's to effect some necessary business connected with the matter, at 42, Kirkdale-road. The amount required by the agent the prisoner wanted the prosecutor to pay for him. The latter refused to do so; and saying he was going to dinner, left the place. The prisoner followed him, and fired a re- volver, exclaiming You are a dead man." A bullet entering at the tip of the prosecutor's nose pene- trated to the neck. Barn was committed for trial at the assizes, it being stated that his defence would be that he is of unsound mind. CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE. —The Anglia, 140-horse power, one of the largest and most powerful of the Channel tugs, reached Ferrol on her mission to bring the Cleopatra to the Thames. Mr. Dixon said the Anglia ought to make the run out, which he calculated at about 700 miles, in four days, reaching her desti- nation on the 14th, so that his expectation has been borne out to the letter. Weather permitting, she was to start without any avoidable delay on her home- ward voyage, with the obelisk ship in tow, in charge of Captain Carter and his picked English crew, who have been on board the derelict for a month refitting her for her second attempt to cross the Bay of Biscay The owner of the Anglia, Mr. William Watkins, has contracted with Mr. Dixon to bring the Cleopatra safely to her moorings in the Thames for £500 THE FEVER AT JAMAICA.-The reports re- ceived at the War Office and Admiralty by the last mail from Jamaica are very reassuring. The commo- dore states that the health of the ships and the station generally is good. There had been no fresh eases of yellow fever amongst the troops at Newcastle, where there had been seven fatal cases, nor was any fever reported at Kingston. The weather was cooler and dry, and it was hoped that no further spread of t'le disease was to be anticipated. RAILWAY CARRIAGE FLASHING LIGHTS.- A-nong the most recent inventions for railway signal- ling is one which consists of a flashing light placed on ths hind carriage. Two lights are used—a red and a W elite—which, by a peculiar though simple sort of gearing connected with ene of the axles of the etrriage, are made to appear and disappear with each ravolution of the wheels; the light shining steadily whenever the train is at a standstill. "'r Î

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND ROBBERY. There was considerable excitement in Woodbridge- street, Cltrkenwell, and the neighbourhood ths., other day owing to the spread of a rumour that » murder had been committed at No. 26, in that street. On inquiry being made at the house, which is occupied by Mr. Hamburger and his two sons, diamond mer- chants and general dealers in precious stones, it was stated that Mr. Eugene Hamburger had just returned home in a cab, suffering from a pistol- shot wound and stabs, that he was then lying in his room in a pool of blood, and the police had been sent for. as also medical assistance. Shortly afterwards Dr. Franklin, of St. John-street, arrived, and found Mr. Hamburger suffering from a bullet wound on the left side of the head, and severely cut on the wrists and face. His wounds having been dressed, he gave an account to his brother of the manner in which hia injuries were received. He said he was on Holborn Viaduct when he met a man named Jackson, a general dealer, residing in Spencer-street, Clerkenwell, with whom he was slightly acquainted. Jackt on asked him to show him a parcel of pearls. He asked where could he show them. Jackson replied, At my office, just here," at the same time taking him into some office on the Viaduct. They entered a room, when Jackson slammed the door, and turning upon him with a pistol, suddenly shot him in the head. Finding he did not fall, he drew a knife and stabbed him. Mr. Hamburger said, Why do you do this ?" Jackson replied," I want money." After a severe struggle Mr. Hamburger succeeded in overpowering Jackson, and wresting both pistol and knife from him, made his escape. He called a cab and drove home. His medical attendant deemed it advisable to call in further surgical assistance, and it was decided to allow the patient to rest till evening, when, in company with Dr. Morant Baker, an operation was performed for the extraction of the bullet. A hatchet in a bag was found by the police on the premises at Holborn. The description given of the assailant is that he is from 26 to 30 years of age, complexion fair, face thin and pale, hair dark and curly. It is also believed that he has cuts on his head and'face. William Jackson, the man accused of attempting to murder Mr. Eugene Hamburger on Holborn- viaduct, shot himself the following Sunday in Falmer Churchyard, near Lewes. He dined at the Swan Inn, the only public-house in the village. Nothing par- ticular was noticed with regard to him except that he was writing in a pocket-book during the whole period. He left just before the time for afternoon service at the parish church, which he attended. Just before five tne report of a pistol was heard, and Jackson was found on his back in the church pathway, shot through the heart. Ho had evidently placed the weapon inside his waistcoat for the purpose, and must have died instantly. The police, on searching him, found the pocket-book in which he had been writing. It contained a long history of his connection with Hamburger, who, Jackson said, had cheated and libelled him. He had no intention of killing Ham- burger and expressed a hope that he might recover. Since the deed he had had no peace of mind, and therefore preferred making away with himself to being tried and perhaps hanged for the offence, which would be a greater trial to his relatives and friends than death by the bullet, which he considered one worthy of an Englishman. The pistol with which he shot himself he says he bought in Lewes for the purpose. His appearance tallies in every way with the description given to the police for his apprehen- sion.

THE TELEPHONE. By invitation the telephone was exhibited to the Queen by Professor Bell and Colonel Reynolds, as. sisted by Mr. 0. Wolleton. After explaining the mechanism of his invention, Professor Bell held tele- phonic communication with Osborne Cottage, where Mr. F. 0. Ormiston superintended the apparatus. Her Majesty conversed with Sir Thomas and Lady Biddulph, and later Miss Kate Field sang Kathleen Mavourneen," for which her Majesty kindly returned thanks telephonically through his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught. The applause that followed was heard at the cottage end of the line. On again being requested to sing, Miss Field gave Shakespeare's Cuckoo Song," which was heard through a circuit of five human bodies. She then sang, Comin' thro' the rye," and delivered the epilogue to As Yoa Like It," both being perfectly audible. The next experiments were with Cowes, where Major Webber was in command. A quartette of tonic sol fa singers saner God Save the Queen," Stars of the Summer Night," Sweet and Low," and "Sir Knight, 0 whither away?" with ex- cellent effect, the unison being far more complete at Osborne than where the singers were themselves. After his Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught had finished a long conversation with Major Webber, Mr. W. H. Preece, of the Post-office, talked from Southampton with Professor Bell and Colonel Beynolds. Bugle playing from the same town was delightful, but the music of an organ in London was less satisfactory. Uninterrupted con- versation took place for two hours between Mr. Wilmot and Mr. Preece. Oheering and laughing in London were heard eighty miles away. Throughout the stance her Majesty and the Boyal Family were exceedingly interested. Experi- ments were renewed the following day between Cowes, Osborne House, and Osborne Cottage, Professor Bell having for his audience and assistants her Royal High- ness the Princess Beatrice, his Boyal Highness the Duke of Connaught, the Duke of Richmond, Lord John Manners, Lord Ripon, Lady Biddulph; Lady Cowell, Sir John Cowell, and others. In some respects the experiments at Oaborne are the most satisfactory that have yet been made.

ON THE DIZZY BRINK. (From "Punch") Halte la No further! Who are those would urge Britannia's steps towards that dizzy verge ? Wild voices, deafening as the war-drum's din, Howl On!"—but tell of no clear goal to win. And what besides wild voices ? Would the hand, To which is given the guidance of the land, Lead darkly its reluctant charge to learn, That once on that edge, 'tis too late to turn ? Men doubt, and if tneir doubtings do him wrong, Whose wiles are subtle as his will is strong, Where lies the blame, save with his tortuous sleight Who dons the mask of mystery with delight, And, shrinking from plain policy's fair ways, Invokes the dubious aid of fog and phrase ? Howe'er it be, Britannia's voice sounds clear, Moved nor by failing nerve, nor selfish fear, But the calm prudence, born of judgment sure, Which Duty's beacon knows from Folly's lure. "No further! That way shame and failure lie. Such perils fools may court or dolts defy; Calm courage keeps its force for higher call Than blatant summans to a bootless brawl. No further on that road! If dangers meet Britannia on the pathway where her feet Follow fair Honour's lead, she will not shrink." Then what does the upon yon giddy brink ? Say, silly shouters, say/too devious guide! The voices which so lustily have cried In watchful England's oer-taxed ears of late, Something at length their empty noise abate. E'en he, the Sphinx oracular, must speak Plain words at last. From weary week to week The Nation, sore perplext to make its choice Between the forward and the backward Voice Of our "united Cabinet," as clue To what it means to say or wills to do, Slow to condemn and willing to condone, For counsel waits of a less dubious tone. What will it be? Say, will the curtain rise Upon a transformation scene's surprise. Who knows ? But, gazing down those depths that yawn Baneath the edge to which she has been drawn, Britannia, pending duty's call, must say, Halte Ih, Sir Sphinx! No further steps that way I', "T

CUBE FOB HICCOUGHB.- While dining at a friend's house the other day, says a writer in Truth, one of the party was attacked with hiccoughs, which wore cured in a novel fashion. A knife was put into a glass of cold water, and then he was told to drink a drop or two of the water slowly, looking, at the same time, at the point of the knife under the water. The cure was immediate. A GHASTLY STORY.—A servant man, with a horse and cart, went into Limerick from Ballyadam, to buy a coffin for his late master, Mr. John Byan. He did not return to the house, and on search being made the coffin was found not far from the house, broken, and it is said blood-stained. There was no trace of the servant man or of the horse and cart. THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS' INSTITUTION.— The annual ball of the Licensed Victuallers' Institu- tion, supported by the licensed victuallers of London for the succour of their aged, infirm, and indigent brethren, was held at St. James's Hall; and, judging from the members present, the funds will have largely profited thereby. The past twelvemonth was the jubilee of the asylum, and never in any equal period has the amount of subscriptions been so large. A sum of £ 8900 is required annually for the support of the establishment; and at the close of the financial year the amount raised was no less than XIO,725 14s. There are 170 separate houses for aged couples and single pensioners, and the total number of inmates is now 210, all of whom receive weekly allowances in money, besides coals, medical attendance, and every needful comfort. The present chairman is Mr. Edmund Bus. and the chairman elect is Mr. W. Rolls.

THE COMMERCIAL DEPRESSION. I At the annual meeting of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Samuel Smith,the president, spoke at length on this subject. He said the past year had been the worst of the period of the recent commercial depression. Jtxcessive stagnation had characterised all the leading branches of industry, and the Board of Trade returns were most unfavourable, and even ominous, for while our exports were below 200 millions our imports had risen to 400 millions in the gross; and after making all deductions and allow- ances there was a net difference of 150 millions. The causes were manifold, and he would only name two or three. Foreign competition was one. Our foreign customers were becoming more self-dependent than formerly, and it was also discourging to find them going back to restrictive tariffs. Many of the poorer countries in the world which had formerly borrowed from us could not now do so, and the proceeds of such loans were not now spent in this country. Then there was the vital question of the increased cost of production in this country arising from increased wages and shorter hours of labour. Then there was the terrible action of strikes, that in South Wales having lasted six months, and cost two millions sterling. These reckless and miserable inter- necine wars between capital and labour in- volved sufferings quite as great as those imposed by civil war. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that some steps would in future be taken to reconcile these interests, and suggested that the Education Department of the State might help by having the rudiments of political economy taught to boys before leaving school. Then there was the wasteful consumption of strong drink, about 150 millions per annum, and the waste of labour and resources which it involved, and the diminution of labour power which it caused. The American artisan from being more sober stood ten per cent. higher in labour power than the English. What the country wanted was a return to habits of economy, sobriety, and hard work. Of course part of the depression was due to great political anxiety, and we must also not forget that great depression also prevailed in other countries ef the world. Mr. Rathbone, M.P., who seconded the adoption of the Chamber's report, derived comfort from the consideration that the mis- takes which had been made had been those of indi- viduals and not of the Government, and that the suffering had not been increased by injudicious legislation. He expressed his great surprise that a now and great country like America should follow a protective system, with the obvious fact before them, that the enor- mous prosperity of England during late years had been mainly due to free trade. Alluding to the case of Barbour and Williamson, Mr. Rathbone suggested that the Chamber of Commerce might with advantage appoint a committee to define the legitimate and customary charges of trade, and that every merchant 'could then send a statement of such charges to his correspondents. Mr. Alexander Brown, M.P., made some remarks on the same subject, after which the report was adopted. I

THE GROWTH OF WEALTH. At a meeting of the Statistical Society, in their rooms at King's College, Strand, London, a paper on The Recent Accumulations of Capital in the United Kingdom was read by Mr. Robert Giffen, in which he stated that his object was to bring forward certain well-known data, which would justify some broad conclusions. It was evident that the growth of capital in the United Kingdom had been very rapid. If they looked at the income-tax returns, they perceived that the gross income assessed rose in Great Britain from J115,000,000 at the beginning of the century to £ 130,000,000 in 1815; £251,000,000 in 1843; and £ 262,000,000 in 1853; and then in the United King- dom from .£308,000,000 in 1855 to £396,000,000 in 1865, and .£571,000,000 in 1875. If the capital of that portion of the income derived from capital had only progressed at the same rate, the annual increase of capital all through, and especially of late years, must have been enormous. The increase in the in- come assessed between 1865 and 1875 amounted to .£175,000,000, which was equal to 44 per cent. of the income assessed in 1865. Leaving out altogether the capital not yielding income, and dealing only with the capital yielding income, a similar increase of capital would give for 1865 a total capital of about X6,200,000,000, on which the increase at 14 per cent. would be X2,288,000,000, or in round figures, .£230,000,000 per annum. That growth, as compared with the growth of former periods, showed that the increase of late years bad been much more rapid than at any previous period of the century. What (he asked) was the hearing of the facts brought out on the degree of improvement in the material welfare of the community in consequence of the accumulations of capital and the addition to the margin of taxation ? It was evident that the im- provement in both respects must be great. Since 1855, at least, the addition to the capital of the community had been immensely greater in proportion than the increase in its numbers. The increase in population had been about one per cent. per annum, but property had increased three to feur oer eent. and upwards. As to the margin of taxation, the figures were absolutely astounding. The apparent increase of capital between 1865 and 1875 alone was £2,400,000,000 sterling—about three times the amount of the National Debt. The com- munity had thus acquired in ten years three times the amount of its debt. It could pay the debt three times over, and still be as rich as at the beginning of the decade. Allowing that to keep things in equili- brium there ought to be an increase of capital pari passu with the increase of population, the increase of capital in the ten years (1865-75), merely to keep the commanitj as rich as it was, would only have been a little over £ 600,000,000. Deducting that from the .62,400,000 000 of actual increase, there was still a sum of £1,800,000.000, or two and a-balf times the National Debt, which the nation could afford to pay, and still be as rich individually as it was ten years ago. After alluding to the distribu- tion of this vast increase of wealth, the reader re- marked that a great deal was said at the present moment which was substantially to the effect that workmen and capitalists were paralysed but, looking at the matter scientifically, and from a point outside as it were, he said that the balance of probability must held to be that the higgling of the market, as had always happened before, would result in a working compromise, and that industry would be resumed and go on after much individual losses, but without in the aggregate any loss or destruction of capital. It was said again that our coal and iron would soon be exhausted, and that our whole position was based on cheap coal and iron; but in reply it might be observed that a few years' industry would replace the capital value, and a Hour other capital would remain. Looking at our cap. tal as a whole, he thought it was a strong thing to say that because many years hence we should not possess, as a nation, a certain particular form of capital, therefore the other forms of capital would not remain to be used and enjoyed. Against all considerations of that nature we might, perhaps, set the continual progress in invention which was being made, and which seemed to benefit most the nations with accumulated capital. It would be the fault of the Bnglish people if their progress was not in future even more rapid than it had been in the past.

A GALLANT RESCUE.—Mr. Henry Edwards, of Pye Nest, near Halifax, writes as follows in the Times; On Thursday last a child, about 2 years old, while playing with her elder sister on the bank of the Calder and Hebble Canal, fell into the water. The sister, a girl of 8 years old, in endeavouring to save her, fell in also, and both ware in very imminent danger, when an alarm was given by a relative who witnessed the occurrence from a distance. Thomas Vickerman, a mason in my employment and a noble- hearted fellow, rushed to the spot and without a moment's hesitation plunged into the water. By this time both children had sunk, but rose again to the surface. Vickerman soon brought the eldest to the bank, and immediately re- turned for her sister, whom he also rescued. Though insensible for some time, she ultimately re- covered by the timely aid of warm water and blankets from a neighbouring cottage, and I am happy to say both children are now doing well. Such an act of courage, performed on a cold January afternoon at a spot where a deep accumulation of mud under 6ft. of water rendered it a service of great danger, deserves some recognition, and I trust, after statin2 the actual facts as they ocaurreti-for I reached the place as the children were being landed on the bank-to be able to induce the Royal Humane Society to look upon this feat of gallantry in a manner it so richly deserves. AN ingenious young lady suggests that Ruat- chuk is the best word to sneeze en, and Hunyadi Yanos for a yawn. NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN in fifteen cotton mills at Wigan of a proposed five per cent. reduction of wages, to come into effect on February 13. This will affect about 12,000 hands; but as similar reduc- tions have been made in neighbouring towns, the step was expected. THE EDINBURGH POISONING CASE. Eugene Chantrelle, who was apprehended in Edinburgh on the 5th inst., on suspicion of poisoning his wife, and causing her death, has been committed for trial on the charge of administering to her chloral and opium, or one or other of these poisons. SERGEANT MCCARTHY, one of the recently released Fenians, died at Morrison's Hotel, Dublin, whilst breakfasting with Mr. Parnell, M.P. Another of the released Fenians, Chambers, has received such a shock from McCarthy's death that his life is con- sidered in danger.

A ROMANTIC MARRIAGE. 'I A New York correspondent writes: London society, jf we are correctly informed on this side of the water, has heard and seen a great deal at various times of the rich and dashing American widow, Mrs. Hicks, whose name has been mentioned in connection with certain marrigeable members of the British aristocracy, and whose entertainments in the British capital were recently described at stupendous length in the society journals, London will perhaps be inte- rred, therefore, in the extraordinary incident which has made her (for the first time in her life) the talk of New York. She returned from Europe only a few weeks ago, and on the strength of her &a. sumed successes ia London, she would perhaps have taken a prominent position in society at home, but for this unexpected event. For on the last day of the year she eloped with a wealthy widower of 83, and the first intimation of the nuptials conveyed even to the six sons and daughters of the happy man was a ,n the morning papers that Thomas Lord m ni \_n dul7 married by his Eminence Cardinal McCloskey to Annette Wilhelmina Wilkens Hicks. ixcept for the trifling circumstance that Mr. Lord is more than an octogenarian, with considerably more than one foot in the grave, the wedding was deli- ciously romantic. It was performed quietly-I may say secretly—at the cardinal's house; the bride and '"Mediately disappeared, and nobody knows t w become of them. Mr. Lord has a fortune or about a million and a half of dollars, mostly in cIty real estate. He is very infirm; he has had one stroke of paralysis, and it would ap- pear from recent statements that he has been for a long time incapable of managing his age of Mrs. Hick? is said to be 43. Im- 0n the discovery of the marriage the sons or Air. Lord applied to the Courts for a commission de "unatico inquirendo, supporting it by some very curious afifdavits, and the writ was promptly granted. Air. Lord, in the meantime, is enjoined from parting with any of his property. It is ascertained, however, that he hais recently converted various securities into cash, and drawn considerable sums of money from the bank, of which ne trace can be found.

CHARGE OF ABDUCTION.. Frederick Hucknell, a young man aged 19, surren- dered at the Old Bailey before Mr. Commissioner Kerr to take his trial for misdemeanour in having unlawfully taken a girl under 16 years of age, named Mary Ann Gridley, from the custody of her parents, without their consent. Mr. Ellis J. Davis conducted theproeecution. William Gridley said he was the father of Mary Anne Gridley, and she lived with him and her mother at 8, George-street, Southwark, j™ Y88 years old last birthday. On the I ? J -November she left home without the knowledge of himself or her mother, and he did not know what had become of her until he heard that she had gone to Oxford with the prisoner, ana he waa brought back in custody. His daughter was away from home for sixteen days, and before she went te was not aware that she had formed any intimacy with the prisoner. George Ormsby, a detective-sergeant of the M division, said that in con- sequence of information he received he went to Ox- ford and took the prisoner into custody. A: ter he had been taken to the police-station the girl Mary Anne Gridley came to see him, and when he was told what he was charged with, he replied: I suppose I must put up with it. If we don't take them away they take us." Mary Anne Gridley, who stated that she was 14 years and a half old, but who certainly looked older, was then examined. She said that she worked at Mr. Bishop's, an army accoutrement maker, in Southwark, and en the 7th of November went, to work and returned to dinner at ope ° -^ter dinner she left her mother's house and met the prisoner, and went away with him to Oxford, Mid remained with ,the prisoner until the 23rd of Novemb3r, when he was taken into custody. She said she had been in the habit of walking about with the P?,8°"er several times before she went away with him. J. he Commissioner asked the witness why she went away with the prisoner. She made no reply. The Commissioner: Did he ask you to go away with him ? Witness No. I asked him to take me. (A laugh.) The jury, upon hearing this, returned a verdict of not guilty.

CO-OPERATIVE SANITATION. (From the "Examiner") The ingenious Scots have hit upon a plan for cheapening the luxury of sound sanitary advice. Some of the leading noblemen and gentlemen in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh have been struck with the difficulty that at present hampers the house- holder in obtaining skilled opinions upon and periodi- cal inspection of sanitary appliances in their dwellings. For one thing it is extremely costly to fee experts, and then there is often suspicion •hat the cheap sanitary engineer is in league with patent-mongers or opulent plumbers who30 influence on his opinion in the reverse of whole- seme. The only way of avoiding faithless ceun" sellors is to consult a professional engineer of high scientific standing, whose fees are usually fixed at pro- hibitive rates. For want of any means of getting ad- vice of this sort, houses get into an insanitary condition before the occupiers are aware of the fact. Perhaps it is not till death has stricken his family that the householder becomes conscious of the unwholesome- ness of his dwelling. To meet such cases it is pro. Posed by some of the most distinguished citizens of Edinburgh to apply the co-operative principle to scientific sanitary inspection. They are attenopt- lne to organise an association, the annual subscription to which will be onA guinea, for the purpose of securing to its members, free of charge, that skilled sanitary supervision and advice which could only be got at enormous cost through individual action. The association is to secure the exclusive services of one or more well" young engineers, who, acting under the «>ber control of a consulting engineer of high stand- lng, will, when required, inspect and report upon the dwellings of members, giving estimates as to the cost alterations that may be deemed advisable. Their recommendations must be limited to strictly in- dispensable points, and no officer of the association is to hold any pecuniary interest in any patent or manu- facture. The Professor of Engineering in the Univer- sity of Edinburgh has taken such a warm interest lI1 this novel scheme that he has Qffered for the first year to give the association his gratuitous services. Another feature of the scheme is that each member, on pay- fflent of a trifling fee, may secure the services of the officials for any charitable society whose work in in- dividual cam might be aided by them, or for any person in whom they are interested, who, though deserving, is too poor to obtain for himself good sanitary advice. This association involves the novel application of a v«Bf old principle. It simply does 'or the sanitation of the houses of the middle "classee what the medical club or sick society does for the personal sanitation of the artisan, who, if he were to individually, could not afford to purchase the best medical advice. Th^rs is no reason why so sensible and beneficent an idea should not be successfully carried Out in practice. :"88 I

THE young man's mind now iurIÍI towards hops, and they go to his head or his heels, as he takes them in beer or ball rooms ARREST OF A SUSPECTED MURDERER,—A "Qan is in the custody of the Staffordshire police on charges of burglary in various parts of the county»' a £ d the Detective Department have strong reasons for believing that he is the criminal who murdered a watchman named Bowater at Old Hill Ironworks on Tuesday, the 8th inst.; and they also suspect that he murdered the eld woman named Martha Billitoe, at Hanford, near Stoke-on-Trent, in .December last.' The prisoner, who is known by the name Potteries George," is a returned convict, and was arrested at Coseley a few days ago for a burglary in the neighbourhood. It transpired that the prisoner had committed a number of burglaries in North and South Staffordshire. He was examined in his cell by Detective Inspector Hackney, who found marks of blood on his clothing and a wound on hia face. When asked to account for the circumstance he became coufused and made a number of contradictory state- ments. It was found, however, that the prisoner actually committed a burglary, near Old Hill Iron- works on the night of the murder. As his description resembled that of the Hanford murderer, inquiries were made, which resulted in the discovery that the Prisoner was in the neighbourhood of the murdered woman's house when the murder was committed. The prisoner has since been charged with both murders, but denies having committed them. A TELEGRAM from Shanghai announces the death of Mr. Charles Wycliff* Goodwin,, Assistant Judge at that place. Mr. Goodwin, who was about 60 years of age, was a scholar of considerable eminence, and the author of several learned works, including the articles on the Mosaic cosmogony in "Essays and Reviews." He was elder brother of the present Bishop of Carlisle. THE Dublin Gazette offers £ 100 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the person or persons who shot at Mr. Tighe, the Bank manager, at Ballina, Mayo. The Ulster Bank offers a reward of JB100 for the same purpose. THE editor of a country paper saya: U Wed- nesday's post brought us a letter addressed Rev. another The Hon. another Col. one*Mr. and the last' Esq.' On the way to dinner we accidentally stepped on a woman's' train, and she addressed us thus—• You brute.' Who among the lot is right ?'' 3

FUNERAL OF KING VICTOR EMMANUEL. The funeral convoy of the late King of Italy left the Quirinal at ten o'clock on the 17th. The route followed was by the Quattre Fontane, Piazza Bar berini, Via Tritone, Due Macelli, Piazza Spagna, Via Babuino, Piazza del: Pepolo, and the Corso, to the Piazza Sciarra, Via Lata, Collegio Romano, Pie di Marmo, Piazza Minerva, Via Minerva, and the Pantheon. The sky was overcast and the weather damp and chilly, but there was no rain. Many people who came by the late train on the previous night found no lodg- ings and had to await morning in the streets. At early dawn masses of the population were pouring down from all the streets towards the centre, and ranging themselves along the line of the procession. The people were admirably behaved, their look and bearing betokening great earnestness. There were about 160,000 strangers, and 30,000 troops of all arms lined., the whole route of the procession. The appearance and behaviour of the troops were admirable. The convoy consisted of Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry, Engineers, Bersaglieri, Marinesj an Alpine battaIibn,;theMilitaryandNavaI Schools, Gendarmerie, apprentices, bands, and a numerous staff of all ranks and arms. The Schools and Academies of Rome and Turin, Corporations, the officials of the various Ministries and the Royal Household, the Prefect of Rome Army and Navy commanders, Magistrates and Knightlv Orders, the High Courts of Justice and Ex- chequer, the Supreme Court, the Council of State, Deputies, Senators, trumpeters, Clergy (the latter not numerous), great Officers of State, Heads of Embassies, and Special Envoys of Foreign Princes also took part in it General Medici, First Aide- de-Camp, bore the King's sword. Right and left of the hearse were the State Ministers, the Presidents of the Senate and Chamber, and the Knights of the Annunziate. The Hundred Guards, not mounted, formed an escort on both sides. The Iron Crown of Italy from Monza Cathedral was borne on a velvet cushion. The King's war-horse was in mourning trappings. Municipalities, deputations, Trades Unions, Cavalry, and an immense mass of people constituted the procession, which lasted nearly two hours. The city was all hung with mourning flags and draperies. The Pantheon was ornamented with stately elegance inside and out. In the centre, under the skylights roofed with glass and iron, was the grand scaffold, with twenty-four candelabra and burning tapers on four great altars, and four colossal lions made from as many cannon trophies, presented by the Due Roche- foucault to the Pope. The booming of the minute guns, mingled with the'lofty and impressive strains of a newly-compesed funeral march, altogether formed an imposing and deeolv »«««««» wrflmnnv. THE NRW KING TAKING THE OATE. t lu turday the new King of Italy, Humbert I., uJif TT oakk to Constitutioh in the presence of both Houses of the Italian Parliament. A correspon- dent, describing the scene in a special telegram, says that outside the Chamber his Majesty was received with deafening shouts, and that, upon entering, tt °feri,ng lasted several minutes. King I Humbert then swore fidelity to the Consti- tution, and had barely finished the last words or tne oath when the cheering was renewed. He afterwards signed three records of the act, which will be prqserved in the State archives. Each member of both Houses in turn took the oath, and then his Majes y made a short speech, in which he said he had been taught by his father that the surest safeguard against eyery danger was the religious observance of free institutions. That was the creed of his House, and it would be his strength. He coveted no higher ofhisfather" haVe ifc"8aid of him' "He was worthj

CARDINAL MANNING AND THE „ ITALIANS IN LONDON. „ JL.nfan^ara) are requested by "A Constant Reader to publish the following: The Italian; re* siding in London have not been behind their com* patriots in testifying their deep sorrow for the sad calamity befallen to their country by the untimely VL* iL J k Gloved King, the champion of Italian a ;the founder of Italian unity; They nocKed unanimously spontaneously, to the Italian Consulate, there to inscribe their names as a mark of their respect for their departed King. At the same time a subscription was, opened, and a considerable amount was collated for the purpose of having a. solemnmasa and a funeral service; performed, ^"Sed to take place on the 18th inst., mot. Peters, the Italian church in Hatton-garden. My surprise may be better conceived than I can ex- Dress it when tiua morning I received from Baron G. • 'Tl rle Italian consul general, a notice announ- cing. that the intended funeral service had been 1 Vr en • ? 8uperior ecclesiastic authority* (Cardi- 116 M that consequently the ceremony could not take Place. As such conduct speaks for iteeit.mereisnoneedfor me to pass any comment ,e,r,eo,n' however, be allowed to be the echo of that expression which has been BO often heard, and n fftr • the spirit by which the Roman Catiiolic priesthood is animated—namely, that 'a forgets and never learns, and that his hatred is carried beyond the grave.' Alive to the errors of a caste which has always claimed to be superior to their fellow beings, it is long since I have been wavering in my allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church. But this is the last drop that causes the vase ,to overflow. From this moment I have dene with it for ever. I trust, for the welfare of their souls, my countrymen will follow my example."

BAT^. a°WED on the Tyne between Wi 1am Elliott, of Pegswood, and Robert Bagnall, of Newcastle for ^50 a side. The course was from the lg evel Bridge to Scotswood Suspension Bridge, four lengths! three miles and a half. Bagnall won by *[? PUBLISHING COMPANY CASE 1f. ,!rBtreet Poliee-court Alfred de Lara, cal g himself manager of a Fine Art Publishing mpany, was finally examined on the charge of de- FfU TUN 7a £ r Pe^son8 of deposit fees and works of aF ™ Bischoff surrendered on her bail to tng* ot to the false pretences. After some discussion with the counsel for the prosecution, who contended that the whole business was a sham, Sir James Ingham discharged the male prisoner, and acquitted Miss Bisahoff of any guilty knowledge of her employer's actions. ORDERS HAVE BEEN SIVEN at the Spanish frontier to absolve the Ambassadors of different countries on their way to Madrid to attend the King s marriage from the formalities of the Customs. Apartments are to be placed at their disposal in the Royal Palace. r

TWO SENTENCES OF DEATH. ] At the Yorkshire Winter Assizes, held in the Leeds Cown Hall, before Mr. Justice Grove, James Donog- 1 iue, 31, publican, was indicted for the wilful murder 1 )f Michael Dunn, at Bradford, on the 3rd Nov,, 1877. ( [n opening the case Mr. Blackburn explained that i it twenty minutes to one o clock on Sund vy morn- ng, Nov. 4, the dead body of the man was found J Joubled upand covered with blood in the yard belonging o the Spinners' Arms, which was kept by the prisoner Donoghue. Life was quite extinct, and the bodv presented a fearful sight. It was lying in a pool 1 of blood, the nose and upper jaw were broken, the tipper lip cut, several fingers smashed, and it had no less than eighteen wounds on the body and five fractures of the skull. The prosecution alleged that the prisoner had inflicted the murderous outrage which resulted in the poor man's death. It would appear that on the day previous to the body being found-on November 3rd-four men, named Conroy, Church, Young, and Dunn, the deceased, called at several public-bouses together. They were at the prisoner's house about ten o'clock, apparently on the best ot terms. Mrs. Donoghue came in and asked her husband for some money, upon the receipt of which she left the room. Prisoner then held out a sovereign in his hand, remarking that he was going to keep that for himself, and Young took it. A police officer named Walsh was in the house at the time, and he advised Young to return the sovereign. Prisoner called to his wife to fetch him that" from his box upstairs, but she refused. Prisoner accordingly went himself, and returned with a heavily-loaded whip-stock. He again asked for his sovereign, and, ordering all the doors to be locked, said he would have the life of any one who attempted to leave the house until the monev was repaid. The company thought he was joking, and refused to give up the money. Mrs. Donoghue called out that it was closing time, and Conroy got up to leave the room. Prisoner, however, struck him a violent blow on the head with the whiD-stock. which felled him to the ground. The officer Walsh was itill in the house, and he took the weapon from the prisoner, but did not go for any further assist- ance. A police-constable, Watmdugh, came in but as he was going for some aid some one knocked him Bown insensible. Walsh left the house; but Donoghue Obtained his whip-stock again and returned indoors. Ultimately all the men left the bouse, but the de- ceased, a youth named Gargen, and a man named igRyons, who wai hopelessly drunk. The first then Commenced a brutal attack upon Dunn. Exclaim- JJ ig, Now you are mine, you are mine," he struck n id beat the poor fellow about the head and body ,t- ith the whip-stock in a most shocking manner, j, Era. Donoghue interfered; but prisoner struck her at violent blow on the head with the weapon, rinsing blood to flow. The course of the body (j.iks traced from the back parlour to where it was nd by a continued streak ot blood. n.ne jury, er an hour's absence, found the prisoner guilty. was sentenced to death in the usual form. It the Manchester Assizes on Wednesday George tott, 29, was charged with the wilful murder iFlorence Galloway, at Salford, on the 5th of 10 Member. The prisoner was a married man and < several children, but a short time ago he Writed with the deceased at Birmingham, where ]iWas employed as tram car driver. The girl thim in November and came to her mother in ^Chester, and the prisoner also returned there and jjpveral occasions he tried to induce her to resume jjbitation with him, but she refused. On the 5th jjtober prisoner met the deceased and her mother in aiFeet and spoke to them, but they refused to have atPDg to do with him, whereupon he fired a pistol of\ girl, shooting her in the head; from the effects pttis shot the girl died some days afterwards. ier was found guilty and sentenced to death.

FENCES IN THE FORGED LEASES I CASE. Jajfhe Central Criminal Court, Frederick Diuis- tarf7, solicitor, Charles Burrell Moore, 43, clerk, yjlrving Tait, 39, agent, and James Drake, 55, tber?p> who pleaded guilty to indictments charging tbe*L f°r8in8 leases ana uttering them, whereby 0 gained sums exceeding £ 300,000, were brought Judgment. ijjV Justice Lopes, in sentencing the prisoners, tad I)imsdale, by the advice of his counsel, j? gAfessed himself guilty of two charges of He had also pleaded guilty to various + ncS obtaining money under false pre t01 and also to charges of conspiring *° Jtad. He (the learned judge) was bound t° ^Jat the advice given him by his counsel Vly -warranted by the facts as opened by the 1 ^^Attorney-General, facts which, according to his 0 Ajmiseion, he could not gainsay. More frau- foceedings than those of which he had con- fesaed V8elf guilty it was impossible to conceive, syBte-n frauds pursued and persisted in for years, anC*v,d'which brought absolute ruin on his victims. He jS confessed himself guilty of uttering those FORG IT knowing them to be forged and ab- solu atal^hless in the hands of those whose money he on their security. What sums he had rea- lised1 .v "rVipossible to ascertain, but it had'been stated amount was aa much as ^300,000; and so 1..Justice Lopes) could judge, and from what"T^eard from the Attorney-General, and from r nthe depositions, he thought there was littte v doubt that he had realised a sum as lafl'6 •.•iat. Most carefully had he read the dep°81lily and listened to the statements of his counsc en<jeaTOUr to find, if he could, any "Srcumstances which would enable him to lessen which he felt it his duty to pass. He w»* Bay that neither in the depositions nor i» t*10 8 %ent 0f counsel could he find any such circui»8tao<»8,i could he divest his mind of the fact that Prisoner was a professional man, thorou?"'y "°'ersMt with the nature and cha- racter of fauds he was perpetrating, and thoroughly wei kn0wing the ruin they would bring UP? I~3 with whom he was associated. Under this eta f circumstances he felt it necessary to pass » T y *avy sentence. If offences of this kind were rficessed, business transactions would not be • n pursued. The sentence he should pass upon Te penal servitude for the term of his natural • aenga^on jn court.) Moore jnced to seven years penal servi- tude, and J^^Drake each to one year's imprison- ment witbb^laC,

THE MAT%0NIAL MARKET IN PARIS. The science of finding a husband by now (says the Globe) so well under- stood in hat no properly conducted popular paper is WJtno\ a jajr gprinkling of matrimonial advertisements- ihe offices or homes where the happy couples are off are all, of course, conducted on principles of rjjlute discretion." In some of them the young jor perhaps it should be said the ladies of all ^fVe exhibited at fixed hours on cer- tain days ofn jSTweek. Their attractions are set forth in the ^Corretpondance of the Figaro, and no Parisian ? jjor can he expected to look un- moved upon th0 Mg thus published day after day. An attentive sta<%f these remarkable productions will show very ately,what are supposed by con- noisseurs to k6'1! relative advantages of youth, beauty, wido^. and orphanage. Beauty, of course, ranks ifiest of all in order, and the "widow, pretty ^as a special paragraph to herself, the P^^ /Af which is that she will espouse a nobleman or pan having either a high posi- tion or a jV for the rest of the ladies, who do not pretend °\t personal attractions, they are enumerated in with their conditions and the exact amount of re fortunes set opposite each name. Orphans are apP*. considered tne most desirable and likely subj**8'He absence of a mother-' ,-law counting obvio^'y good deal in the calo nation. Thus, although »3™% lady of 19, having 400,000 francs of Wc9%o^,te on equal terms with one of 20 who has 500.<WOuld have no chance with an orpheline d of the same amount. In another of the 110T' Orphan with 600,000 francs is placed above a full ^e" having 600,000, although the latter has t,Ve&rs the advantage, and is of the altogether deW™-M age of 20. WidowB, on the other hand, are handicapped, and appear at the bottom of «>\Thus, widow, 34,1,000,000 francs,"comes ..Jk^oiselle, 36,800,'000francs,' although it is *el1 M?* that a year more or less, when the ,*eniale is over 30, becomes almost as importa* *«» perhaps, even more impor- tant, than when she aa under 20. On the whole, money may be to be the most essential qualification; beauty» ere it can be had, ranking next; age, and the of widewhood or orphanage, or simple spinster)1^ 9 on about equal terms at the end of the bst.

SAD DEATH ()p A STURITLING MUSICIAN.— One of a company 5j°lHng musicians has met with a shocking death ol. ?wWne, Somerset. He was seized with a fit 'Ktous mania," and jumped out of a bedroom vrioapw at an receiving fearful injuries. The authorities or the local hospital refused to take him in, as they supposed he had been suffering from delirium tremenS, and after some hours' delay he was placed in a waggon; to be conveyed to the Chard Union, a distance of eignt miles. The poor fellow died in the waggon. Au inquest was held, and the jury censured the hospital committee and a policeman for their uncharitable treatment of the deceased. It is stated that the inhabitants of the town are so in- censed at the circumstance that some of them have smashed the collecting boxes of the hospital, and de- clare that they will never subscribe to it again.

.——————————————————-< i LIFE ON A GREAT CHINESE RIVER. An American traveller, a patriotic citizen of the United States, writes to the New York Times ¡ from Hankow, under date of the 7th of I October, as follows: The regular navigation of the Yang-tze-Kiang by steam is an affair of the last fifteen years, and was originally an American enterprise. The river is one of the largest streams in the world. Here at Hankow, above 600 miies from the sea. the Yang tze equals the Mississippi at Natobes or Vieksburf and the current is said to he only a lit less than four miles an hour. At Chinkiang, passed >-•> our way up, the river is plentifully dotted with boats and junkn, but this condttiun is not peculiar to the vicinity of Ohinkiang. All tbe way up we find them, and sometimes there will be twenty or thirty boats sailing so closely together as almost to endanger each other's cordage and sides. You have seen New York Bay on a pleasant afternoon in summer, when every boat that could hoist a sail was out for an airing. Well, imagine this whole river for hundreds of miles as thickly covered with sails as o«r bay i3 on the occasion I have indicated, and you can get an idea of the native commerce of the Yang-tze. From Chinkiang the river is quite picturesque in places, and occasionally reminds you of the St. Lawrence or the Columbia; but I was unprepared to see the ruins of so many villages and cities which were destroyed in the Taeping rebellion, and a sparse population through so many miles of a land of teeming millions." Occasionally we pass groups of men at work. Some are cuttine: reeds for fuel, others collecting cotton, hemp, and other products of the earth; and others extracting indigo from the plant which produces it. The plant is bruised and soaked in large tubs till the colouring matter is extracted. The indigo settles to the bottom of the tub, and the water is poured off then the cake is dried, and we have the indigo of, commerce. We see a lot of little stages, perhaps 30ft. high, and just large enough at top for I one man, who works there, patiently and alone. He is braiding bamboo cable. It goes down by its own weight as fast as he braids it, and is coiled on the ground beneath. Frequently there are fishermen seated along the bank engaged in raising and lowering nets at the end of long bamboos, which are balanced like well-sweeps. It is capital employment for a lazy man and not at all exciting. Hankow, from which I write, is a great trade centre. Frequently the mouth of the Han is so crowded with junks that the river is entirely covered, and one may walk for hours by stepping from one deck to another. Until last Msrch the steam navigation of the Ynng-tze has been virtually in American hands. There have been oc- casional attempts at English opposition, but they never amounted to much. The strongest British opposition ever made here is at the present time against the China Merchants' Company. I came up and shall return on the steamer Kiane Ohinar. for- merly the Hirado. She was built in New York, and bears a strong resemblance to one of the Stoning- ton or New London beats, is 300ft. long, has a walking beam engine, and large capacity for freight and steerage passengers- For European passengers she has a dozen rooms of unusually large size, and a comfortable and finely-supplied table and I can say with my hand on my heart that taking rooms, cabin, table, deck, boat, and servants all together, I never had equal comfort on board A steamboat. My room is 9ft. square, with a four-poster bed, and there is a small room at one side with a bath-room and other attachments. Captain Paul is an ancient mariner from the State of Maine. The officers, pilots, and engineers are Americans, but the resi of the equipage is Chinese or Malay. The boat's pay roll includes about seventy persons, thirteen of whom are American or European. Just now the fares are low, owing to opposition. At first they asked the modest figure of 300 taels, or S400, for the simple passage between £11. .1 U.t, V 1 :l £ -11 .L:1 ¿. years ago, when it reached 30 taels, or S40. For a couple of months it has been only 18 taels, or $24, and this is what I paid coming up and must pay for the return. Freights were originally very high, and are still at a paying figure. The business has been very profitable, and the captain tells me he has known a single round trip to pay the entire cost of a boat. Hc adds, Some of the boats have made money enough iø silver to overload and sink them if all put on at once." Last year the line was sold to the Ohina Merchants' Company, which is entirely native- stockholders, directors, agents, and all. I bought my ticket of a Chinaman, who wrote English as rapidly as I could, and more legibly. One only of the boats has an entire Chinese equipage—captain, engineers, pilot, and all; on the rest the officers remains as of old. There has been a demand for opening ports further in the interior than Hanlcow, and finally it was arranged that Ichang, 400 miles further up the Yang-tze, should be made free to foreign traffic. April 1, 1877, was fixed for the openin yjj and owing to the entry of General Shep&rd, Untt*^ States Consul at Hankow, our country's flag was hoisted there, and was the only foreign one that flut' tered in the breezes of Ichang. The general and his staff went there on the United States steamship Monocacy, and on their arrival the shipping and flag- staffs on the land were liberally decorated and grand salutes were fired. Our flag was hoisted in front of the temporary consulate, saluted with seven guns from the Monocacy and any number from the Government boats. It was the first foreign flag to float officially in the interior of China, a thousand miles and more from the sea.

MURDEROUS BRAWL IN A PUBLIC- I HOUSE. At the Central Criminal Court before Lord Justice Coleridge, Gustave Victor, a young Swedish sailor, was indicted for feloniously wounding a man named John Brown, with intent to murder or to do him grievous bodily harm. Mr. Poland conducted the prosecution, which had been instituted by the Trea- sury authorities. Andrew Wilson was the chief witness for the prosecution. He deposed that he was a Norwegian, and was working for a ship-chandler at Botherhithe. On the 17th of September he was at the Black Horse public-house there alone. The prisoner came in with two of his mates, and asked for a pot of beer, putting down at the same time a sovereign in payment. Witness, who was sitting by himself, got up and spoke in Norwegian. The prisoner became angry at that, and said, speaking in English, he did not care; he could talk any language. One word brought on another, and he said he had been all round the world, including China. Witness replied that he had been to more places in China than he had, on which the prisoner became stil more angry, and challenged him to fight. Witness declined, though he had been asked five or six times. The prisoner went out, and witness behind him. Some one said to witness, "Andrew look out; he has a big knife in his hand." Witness slipped off the kerb, and the prisoner stabbed him on the left temple as he fell. The prisoner was close to him at the time. Witness di-J not see the knife nor the prisoner again until afterwards. Witness was taken to a public-house, and became insensible. JI8 was sober. The prisoner was not exactly so. After other corroborative evidence, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of feloniously wounding with intent to murder; and the learned judge sentenced the pri- soner to fifteen years* penal servitude, awarding the prosecutor the sum of jElO for having behaved so well on the occasion. i

SHOCKING ACTS OF BODY-ROBBEBS.—A Press despatch from Washington, published by the New York Times under the title of North Carolina Coast Savages," states that Lieutenant Walter Walcon, As- sistant Inspector of the Life-saving Service on the North Carolina coast, in obedience to orders from Superintendent Kimball, has made a thorough inves- tigation of all the circumstances in relation to the wreck of the United States ship Huron. It is stated that the testimony taken shows that there was most extraordinary delay on shore in sending information to the nearest life-boat station, which was less than three miles distant. Lieutenant Walton gives in detail an account of the efforts of the life-saving crew as soon as they were apprised of the disaster, and of a number o2 people living en the shore, to save the unfortunate > ictims, and con- cludes by saying: It is shocking to record that out of ninety-one bodies found (about twelve of whom were officers) not a single trinket such as wov ld be deemed a relic by the relatives of the dead was fo,ind on their bodies. Watches and chains, money, and sven finger- rings had been stripped off by those who fuost found the bodies as they were washed up. Good evidence is found in the case of Lieutenant Simons, whose third ■ and fourth fingers of the left hand had been scratched and gouged by the body-robbers in their haste t3 secure their ill-gotten loot." A REVERENTIAL hosier, who had the misfor- tune to be detained in Chicago over Sunday, while slowly sauntering down Wabash-avenue about the time of morning service, was brought to a halt oppo- site the Presbyterian church by the sounds emanating from the organ. The organist was playing one of those lively compositions with which the perform- ande of religious service is now usually commenced* Just then a gentleman passing into the church invited him to enter and take a seat. "Not exactly, mister, replied our friend; I ain't used to such doin's on Sunday; and, besides, I don't dance « WHEN my pa wouldn't let me go the ball," said a naughty little girl, I just set to, and had a bawl a home. Printed and published by the proprietor, JOHN COHWTSO* BOBKRT3, at his General Printing Office, No. 1, Ebe» lane, Cardigan, in the parish of Saint Mary s ffl County of Cardigan.—Saturday, Jan. 26, 1678. j