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

THE LAKE COUNTRY FISHERIES. Encouraged by the recent Act of Parliament, which now protects the rivers and broads of Norfolk and Suffolk, the authorities of the lake districts of Cum- berland and Westmoreland have lately made a move in a similar direction. In consequence of a deputa- tion to the Home Secretary, headed by Mr. J. Fell, chairman of the Kent, Duddon, &e., Salmon Fishery District, the inspectors of salmon fisheries, Messrs. Buckland and Walpole, during the past week have held courts of inquiry into a possibility of protect- ing the fish which are natives of these magnificent lakes. The fish in question are trout, charr, perch, pike, eels, &c.; no carp. roach, or tench as the climate of this mountainous region 33 probably too cold for them. Mr. Jackson, secre- tary or the Kent Salmon Board, gav? evidence that the result of his calculations showed that tbe lake district, in a fishery sense, may be said to contain DO less than thirty-five thousand four hundred and twenty acres of water, which should be producing a certain quantity of food, and incidentally a large amount of sport to the numerous visitor8 who came into the district tv^ry season. Until the passing- of the last Salmon Act, 1873 (which enacts that ebarr and trout, in a salmon fishery district. shouH be pro- tected in the spawning time), in the memory of man no organised protection or regulation of these great inland fish-producing waters has ever been carried out. At the inquiry at Keswick, Lord Lonsdale and Lord Leconfleld were represented by their agents, Mr. Little and Mr. Olutton, and a discussion took place as to the desirability of forming local Boards of Oonser vators to arrange the details of the tresh-water lake fisheries. The river Derwent, running out of the two large lakes Bassenthwaite and Cruaimock, and emptying itself into the sea at Workington, is na- tnrally a productive salmon river. The small rivers the Bden and Irt are also frequented by salmon, and towards the back-end of the year by sea trout. The interest of Lord Muncaster, of Ravenglass, and the rivers in this part of the country, were ably repre- sented at the inquiry by Mr. Stanley, of Pousonby Hall, and Mr. Jonas Lindow, of Irton Hall, high sheriff of Cumberland. It is hoped that the result of this inquiry will afford protection te the indigenous fish of the Cumberland and Westmoreland lakes, and that a salmon fishery district will be formed so as to in- clude the. whole of the Cumberland coast from the northernmost limit of the Kent district in the south to the southernmost limit of the Eden on the north. Those who are accustomed to visit the lake district in the tourist season should take interest in this move- ment to cultivate the fish cf Cumberland and West- moreland, inasmuch as when fish are plentiful a new source of amusement will be opened up to them, en- hancing the already pleasant tourist trips afforded by fresh air and beautiful scenery. Londoners also are directly interested in this movement. Potted charr are getting scarce; and, if the fish are not protected, this delicacy will eventually disappear from our breakfast and luncheon tables.

VISIT OF LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY TO CHATHAM. The First Lord of the Admiralty, accompanied by Admiral G. G. Weilesley, O.B., senior naval lord Vice-Admiral Sir W. H. Stewart, K.O.B., Controller of the Navy; Captain Oodrington, R.N., private secretary to the First Lord; andCapt. M. Singer, R.N., in command of the Vesuvius, torpedo school, have paid an official visit to Chatham Dockyard. Toeir lordships were received at the yard by Rear-Admiral o. Fellowes, C.B., .Admiral Superintendent, who conducted them to the dockyard extension, where their lordships inspected some of the yeasels fitting out. The Belleisle, late Turkish ship, was the firtt vessel visited, and some time was spent on board. -The guns of this vessel are now being dismounted to enable the slides and carriages to be strengthened, but she will be ready for commi-sion in a very short time, if required. The Northampton, armour-plated, was next, visited. This vemel is being prepared with all des- patch, and will tab her guns on board shortly. Their lordships afterwards went on board the Superb, the last addition to the Royal Navy, which is being pre pared for her guns since she has been at Chatham. After inspecting the torpedo vessels in the basin, their lordships, with the other visitors, returned to Admiralty-house, the official residence of Admiral Fellowes, where they were entertainei at luncheon, with other guests. Their lordships afterwards re- turned to London, but Admiral Sir W. H. Stewart, K.O.B., and Capt. Singer remained at Chatham to inspect the torpedo fittings of the vessels and to tran- sact business with Admiral Fellowes. The work at the dockyard is now as brisk as it can possibly be, all the hands, ^rith but very few exceptions, working extra hours, while about 2000 are making a day and a-half a day. In addition to the vessels mentioned above, the Monarch, theEuryalus, and the Penelope are just ready for sea, and the Garnet and Cormorant will shortly be ready. The building at the yard is at present confined to three ironclads-the Agamemnon, 4, turret-ship, 8492 tons, 6090 horse power, a torpedo ram, and an armour-plated frigate.

THE REPORTED DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN NEW GUINEA. The reported discovery of gold in New Guinea will, no doubt, serve to revive the agitation which a short tune ago arose in our Australian colonies in favour of the annexation of that island. It by no means follows from the presence of the precious metal in the rivers, that New Guinea is to prove another California; but such a result is far from being impossible. In that case there would be a rush to the new diggings from all parts of the world. A stream of emigrants is already pouring into Australia from the United States, and we may be sare that in a mar- vellously short period the gold fields of New Guinea would be populated by as heterogeneous a man of people from the four quarters of the world as could well be imagined. But when such gatherings take place in an uncivilised territory, and especially in the presence of savages, the establishment of a firm and responsible authority, emanating from without, is an absolute necessity. Annexation by one of the maritime Powers would therefore be the necessary consequence of the disoovery of gold in any con- siderable quantities in New Guinea, and a glance at its geographical position will beq uite sufficient toshow that that maritime Power must be Great Britain, and none other. There will probably not be wanting English- men to raise a cry against such an aggression;" others we know have an insatiable appetite for annexa- tion. Like the Indians of the Orinoco, they have ever a craving for earth. The majority of the nation, we believe, views with disquietude any extension of our Imperial responsibilities, but, if the necessity should arise, even were it nearer home than New Guinea, would not hesitate to accept the onus of whatever measures might be conducive to the safety and honour of their country. -u

DISTURBANCE AT A COLHBBY.—Nine boys were charged before the Nottingham county magi- strates on Saturday with assaulting two of the banks- men at the Brindsley Colliery, named Newbold and Nix, in rather singular circumstances. A short time ago the boys employed at the Eastwood and Brindsley Collieries, which are situated near each other, and are the property of Messrs. Barber, Walker, and Co., received notice of a reduction in wages, which expired on the 14th ult. On the following day the lads at the Brindsley Colliery went to work at the reduc- tion. The boys at the other pit, however, refused to do no, but assembled to the number of about 150, near the Brindsldy Colliery, armed with stones, and commenced throwing at the banksmen, with a view. no doubt, to stopping the work in that pit, as well as the one in which they themselves had been em- ployed. In this they were for a time successful, for the banksmen, of whom about forty were at work, had to take refuge in a cabin from the shower of stones, the two prosecutors being struck. It was not until the police arrived and dispersed She lads that the business of the colliery could be resumed. It was proved that the defendants were among the stone throwers, and they were fined 50s. each, or two months imprisonment. TESTING TAY BRIDGE,—The official inspection of the Tay-bridge was commenced on the 25th ult. by Major-General Hutchinson, in presence of Mr. James Cox, the chairman of the company, and a number of gentlemen interested in the undertaking. Six engines, of an aggregate weight of 250 tons, were run slowly across the structure, and the test was re- garded as eminently satisfactory. The operations were chiefly confined to the north side, and it is not expected that the inspection will be finished before Thursday. Many of the general public watched the proceedings. A CAPTAIN KILLED.-During the voyage of the steamer Laplace, which has arrived at Liverpool from New York, very heavy weather was experienced, and on the 19th the steamer encountered a terrific hurricane, in which two of the boats were lost and the captain killed. Captain Gilpin was on deck at the time, when he was struck by one of the boats, and crushed between it and the top of ,the engine-room hatch, recsivmg injuries which caused his death. He was a native of Devon, aged 36, and resided at The Turrets, Liscard, Cheshire. FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—At the Main Colliery, near Neath, as five men were being wound up the shaft the engine man lost control of the engine, and the carriage dashed upwards against the beams above. Two of the men fell down the shaft a depth of 100 fathoms and were killed, another had his shoulder-bone broken, and the other escaped without any serious injury.

THE MILITARY FORCE OF ENGLAND Sir Garnet Wolseley contributes an article to the March number of the Nineteenth Century. We give his concluding observations: "At no previous period of our history have we ever been so strong, in H, mili- tarv sense, as at present. In 1854 we were very weak in field artillery; the military force in these islanda was under 70,000 men, and th«rn was no reserve whatever beyond some pensioners, who were too old for field service. Were war declared to-morrow, about 400,000 drilled men would fall into line if required, supported by 372 field guns, manned and horsed by the Royal Artillery. That number would j roughlv be made up as follows: Standing army at Jieme, 99,000 men army and militia rfesrve, 40,000 j men militia, 85,000 men volunteers, 180,000 men second-class army reserve, 10,000 men total, <414,000 men. In this calculation I have put the figures very low,R.r.d have left out altogether the 10,000 yeomanry who would be available for home service, f. have, likewise, not taken into consideration the number of regular troops that would be available for war j when the Mediterranean garrisons were furnished by the militia. It will thus be seen that we could, at oaoa take the field with two fully-equipped army j corp3 of more than 30,000 soldiers each, leaving a similar force of regular troops at home as a reserve. When I compare the military strength of England now with what it was in 1854,1 am as amazed at the conditions of military weakness and helplessness in which we were when we began the Russian war of that year, as I am at the ignorance of those who are now to be heard croaking over our supposed want of strength, and our alleged consequent inability to fight. Unlike most other na- tions, if we declare war we need have no appre- hension qf invasion; this confers upon us the great advantage of being able to choose our own time for beginning active hostilities, and as our army would necessarily have to be conveyed by sea to the theatre of war, we are always able to select the line of opera- tions considered best and most suitable to the force we act with. In fact, the initiative would rest with us, and I need not tell the student of history how in- yaluable it is to the commander who knows how to take advantage of it. But if we are to secure this national advantage of the initiative, we must act with unity ef purpose."

FAILURE OF AN EX-M.P. At the Edinburgh Bankruptcy Court the members of the flrm of Messrs. D. R. Macgregor and Co., shipowners, of Leitb, appeared for examination in their bankruptcy. Mr. D. R. Macgregor stated that in 1875 and 1876 he obtained orders from the Russian Government, through their Commissioner, for coals and coke, which were supplied to them, and for some time there had been a balance ef over £23,000 due to the firm, which they had been unable to recover. The Russian Govern- ment said they had paid the money to their Com- missioner, who died suddenly in 1876; but Mr. Macgregor considered that that was no answer to his claim. When the war broke out he was in correspondence with Prince Gortschakoff and the Russian Embassy on the subject. He produced a statement relative to this claim, which he considered perfectly good, and he thought that if pressed after peace was made it would be perfectly good. In the beginning of 1877 he went to Russia to see about this money, and finding there was to be difficulty in getting it he became seriously alarmed about the financial position of his firm. He thought now that he should have stopped payment then, but he was advised differently by friends whom he consulted. These agreed to give him £25,000 of credit, and the firm resolved to go on. That advance was still unpaid, and the result had been that their affairs were now in a much worse position than they would have been if they had stopped in the beginning of 1877. The entanglements with some of the companies in which he was involved proved more serious than he anticipated. He had prepared a statement of the losses sustained by him and his firm, from which it appeared that the losses connected with the firm of Macgregor, Sinclair, and Co., amounted to £11,252; losses on ships and by wrecks, £48,840. loss on wheat, £ 23,693; ascertained losses through public com- panies, £ 22,612; bad debts, £ 30,607; total losses, £ 137,005. That, however, was exclusive of the balance above referred to due by the Russian Govern- ment and the realisation of thi assets specified in the firm's state of affairs. He produced an amended state of affairs, giving effect to certain rankings en his estate through liabilities on bills receivable, making the total probable rankings £ 215,716. The amended state showed assets of the nominal value of £45,905, to be estimated as worth £19,593; but this estimate did not include the balance due to him by the Russian Government, nor his interest in another company which had cost £ 15,420. Mr. James Smith, the other partner of the firm, concurred in the statement made by Mr. Macgregor, and the statutory oath was" ad- ministered.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDES FROM CLIFTON BRIDGE. -Fresh charges of attempted suicide from the Sus- pension-bridge was bronght before the Bristol magi- strates. The accused was a young man giving the name of William John James Price, residing at 15, Claremont-street, Stapleton-road. At an early hour en Tuesday morning he attempted to pass on to the Suspension-bridge from the Clifton-side, but, his manner being very strange, the night toll-collector questioned him. He then admitted that he was tired of his existence, and he only wished to go over the bridge in order to throw himself off. He was perfectly sober when he made this state- ment, and he repeated it emphatically several times. The toll-collector detained him until a police- man passed and then gave him into custody. On the way to the station the prisoner said he should renevj the attempt at the first opportunity. On the application of Superintendent Thatcher, the pri- soner was remapded for his friends to be com- municated with.—The next prisoner brought up was Selina Williams, a girl of jaded appearance, who was charged, on remand, with climbing the rails of the footpath of the Suspension-bridge with intent to throw herself over on Thursday last. The prisoner was seen in the act of mounting the rails by Emery, one of the bridge officials, who ran forward and seized her. She stated that she was about to commit suicide and begged to be left alone. Emery then gave her into custody. 0a the way to the station she handed to the constable a packet of poison, which she stated she had purchased for the purpose of destroying herself with. Miss Siggs, the matron of Southwell-street Home, Bristol, informed the magis- trates that the prisoner had been received into the home no less than four times; she had also been an inmate of the Refuge and a similar institution in London. The ladies connected with the homes had on more than one occasion obtained her situations, but she had always left them. Aboit a fortnight ago she was sent into a two years' home pt Bath, but, after remaining there three days, she left. She then walked to Bristol, and shortly afterwards was brought before the Court on the present charge. She had no friends who could take care of her. The prisoner stated that her mistress at the last situation she held would come forward and receive her. She was further remanded for a week to see if this would be done. AN ACTION FOR LEBKL.—Mr. Justice Haw- kins and a special jury tried an action for libel, in which the plaintiff was a solicitor practising at Wool- wich, and the defendant was the proprietor of a local paper. The plaintiff recently bought half an acre of ground adjoining his original premises from a person who had himself obtained it by purchase, and in reference to that act Mr. Da Morgan and other persons, in the course of meetings held for the alleged protection of public rights, accused the plaintiff of having stolen land from the people. Reports of the speeches of Mr. De Morgan and his supporters ap- peared in the defendant's newspaper. The defendant pleaded justification, upon the ground that the publica- tion was a correct report of proceedings of great public interest. The jury, however, gave the plaintiff X100 damages. AFRICAN EXPLORATION.—The King of the Belgians has lost no time in taking means to supply the places of the two leaders of the International African Expedition, whose death at Zanzibar was an nounced a few days since. Two other Belgian officers will start for Zanzibar in a few days, and orders by telegraph have been sent to the other members of the expedition to continue their journey to the interior. According to the report of Colonel Mason, to whose circumnavigation of Lake Albert Nyanza reference has already been made, that lake reaches south only to I deg, 10 sec. N. lat. Unless Mr. Stanley's observation* were wrong, then Beatrice Gulf cannot belong to that lake. A "CARUMPUMTULATINa ACTOR."—The Ex- aminer saya: A certain would-be actor, who appears in the bill as Count Joannes, has lately been afford- ing intense amusement to New York audiences before whom he has appeared in various Shakespearian parts, He is, in fact, a stage-struck American lawyer, who seems to have taken a leaf from the book of Romeo Ooates. He appears to be immensely funny, WinT° ? ^xrthe Herald< the Count, in the ov«r tL Saml6t' carumpnmpul ated all SXhf nf th i lntens0 terror of Laertes and f S ] audience. Oarumputnpulafing" is Mo^fW £ n?w 18,wanted to describe M. Mounet-Sully in his most erratic moments. THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE that it has been decided to employ Lord Napier of Magdala as Oom- mander-in-Chief of any expeditionary force that may be sent out in case of war, with Sir Garnet Wolselev as Chief of the Staff. P

THE TURKISH FLEET. At the present moment the ironclad fleet consists | of six armour plated frigates, seven corvettes, and two small gunboats. At the outbreak of war thvre were nine corvettes and seven gunboats, but two of the former-the Hirs-ul-Rahrnan and the Lutfou- Dj=>lil—were destroyed on thti, Danube, white five out of the seven gunboats wera handed OVflr to fcue Russian? under the terms of the armistice. The frigates are of three classes, the most powerful being the Massoudieh, a sister ship to the Hamidieh now called the Belleisle — lately purchased by our Government, and now lying at Chatham. She was built on the Thames, was completed in Chatham Dockyard, and navigated thence to the Golden Horn by a party of Turkish seamen in 1875. Since the commencement of the war she has been commissioned, but has done no cruising, having been performing the duties of sHardship in tLv-> Hosphorus. Her extreme length is 340ft., breadth {)9ft., and draught of water 26r"r.; her tonnage is 5349, with a displacement of close upon 9000 tor.,i. Her engines are of 1200 nominal horse-power, and her contract speed 14^k-ots. Her armament consists of twelve 18-ton guns in a raised central battery midships,with three 120-poundor Armstrongs on the upper deck. She ib bark rigged, and carries four Gatlin«s,for boats and works in the tops. Her armour is 12in. in thickness, and her comple- ment 48 officers and 513 men. It will thus be seen ment 48 officers and 513 men. It will thus be seen that she is a particularly formidable vessel, and I would form a valuable addition to any navy in the world. I The second class of armour-clad frigates comprises the Azizieh, Mahmoudieh, Orkanieh, and Osmanieh, sister ships, all built in England from the same designs. They have a tonnage of 4221ft.; their length is 295ft., breadth 56ft., and draught of water 25ft.; they are similar in every respect; horse- power 900, giving a speed of 12 knots; and their complement consists of 47 officers and 512 men. They I each carry one 300-pounder Armstrong, and 15 150- pounders. They cannot be termed very formidable vessels, as their plates are but 4.!in. in thickness, and the metal of their guns cannot be compared to those carried by the majority of our Mediterranean fleet. The Assar-i-Tefik, although we have placed her below vessels of the Mahmoudieh stamp, is more powerful, though smaller, than the second class of Turkish ironclads. She was built in France in 1873, and is plated with 8-inch armour; her length is 275ft., breadth of beam 50ft., and draught of water 21ft.; her engines are of the nominal power of 800 horse, but she has attained a speed of 13 knots. She carries four 12-ton and four 6-ton guns, and has a complement of 47 officers and 512 men. She is a very handy, powerful vessel, and worthy to carry the flag of Hobart Pasha. Of the corvettes the Fatteh Bulend and the Mouka- dem-i-Hair—the former English, the latter of Con- stantinople construction—are the most powerful of their class they have a gross tonnage of 1600. with engines of 500 nominal horse-power, with which they have been driven 13 knots; their dimensions are 235ft. in length, 38ft. beam, with a draught of 18ft. They carry four 12-ton guns in a central battery, and are protected by 9-in. armour plates. The Avni-Illah and the Main-i-Zaffar are sister ships of a gross tonnage of 1399; length between perpendiculars 230ft., beam 35 £ ft., draught of water 16ft.; their engines, though of the nominal power of only 400 horses, drive them at the rate of 12 to 14 knots; they likewise carry four 12-ton guns in a central battery; but their armour-plates are only of 7iin. thickness. The Idjalieh was built at Trieste, and differs in certain respects from all of her class, having a larger tonnage with more guns, yet weaker armour, than any of the preceding. Her extreme length is 219ft., breadth 41ft., draught 17 £ ft.; tonnage, 1650; horse-power, 300; with armour-plates of 3!i.n. She carries four 6-ton guns and two 300-pounder Armstrongs. The two last on the list of corvettes are the Assar-i-Schefket and the Nedjim-i-Chefket, Duilt some years ago at Toulon. They are 210ft. in length, 40ft. in breadth, and draw 17ft. of water. Their gross tonnage is 1583, and horse-power 300. They carry one 12-ton gun in a central battery, and four 120-pounder Arm- strongs on the main deck. Their armour throughout is of 5in. thickness. The whole of the corvette class carry a crew of 28 officers and 160 men. The two gunboats which still remain on the books of the Turkish navy are the Hisber and the Siofi. They are for river work, having a draught of but 8if t. of water; their tonnage is 500, and they are propelled by engines of 100-horse power. They carry two 40-pounder Arm- strong guns, with a crew of 62 all told. Their plates are 3i inches in thickness. Turning to the wooden fleet, which for purposes of war is obsolete, though as transports they would be invaluable, we find 4 steam line-of-battle ships, with a gross tonnage of 18,523, each propelled by engines of 600-horse power, carrying 254 guns; four wooden frigates, with a tonnage of 13,808, and an aggregate horse-power cf 2250, carrying 165 guns seven steam corvettes, each of 800 tons and 150-horsa power, carrying 108 cannon there are also ten fast steam despatch boats. The foregoing statement shows that there are but four ironclads in the whole of the Turkish navy which are in any way formidable-viz., the Massoudieh, the Assar-i-Tefik, the Fatteh Bulend, and the Mouk- adem-i-Hair—and these are vastly inferior to many of the ships now representing our flag in Tulza Bay. Still it is more than probable the Russians from St. Stefano and Rodosto look with envious eyes on the squadron which has so hampered their movements in the Black Sea, and would prefer seeing their own colours flying from the peak in the place of the Crescent and the Star. It is idle to speculate whether they will change hands if they do they will form a valuable nucleus for Russia's Black Sea fleet, the creation of which it is England's interest to prevent.

EXTRAORDINARY GOOSE EGGS.—About the year 1867, when I was an assistant-collector in the Tinneyelly district of Southern India, I was living with a friend who had two geese, or rather a goose and a gander. The goose had never laid an egg, and as she had long since reached maturity, my friend naturally supposed that the delay was due to some constitutional defect. At last, however, his patience was rewarded, but not exactly in the way that one would have expected. The goose did indeed lay, but what it laid was not an egg in the ordinary sense, but a something in the form of a goose, and only resembling an egg in having a white shell. The resemblance to the form of a goose consisted in there being a body, if I may so call it, of the usual shape, with a neck proportionately long, and terminating in something resembling a head and beak. The egg was not materially injured, which was much to be wondered at considering its shape, but at the point where the body of a goose usually terminates in a tail there was a certain softness and semi-transparency. This appearance was also notice- able about the places where the eyes would be, and where the head terminated, as I have said, in a sort of beak; and at the extremity of the latter part, a little of the albumen found means of escape. The shell was perfectly smooth at the place where the legs, had there been any, should have appeared. The neck was not in a line with the body, but curved upwards from the breast in the usual way. Soon after this the same goose presented my friend with another extraordinary egg, but not in so interest- ing a form as the one I have just described. It was, moreover, in an imperfect state when I saw it. Its appearance was that of a tube of irregular form, about two inches long, and varying from a quarter to a third of an inch thick. It was covered with a shell resembling that of an egg, and when I saw it the albumen was escaping at both ends. After producing these phenomena, the goose for some time suspended operations, but suddenly took to laying again, and then in the normal way.—Live Stock Journal. A DRUNKEN GROOM.—Henry War,d groom to a gentleman residing in Hyde-park-square, was charged, in a London police-court, with being drunk and cruelly treating a horse. Police-constable Stanley, A 262, said he saw the defendant riding after a lady in Hyde-park and beating his horse over the head with a hunting-whip and spurring it on both sides. The prisoner pulled the horse on the kerb and it fell. The prisoner was drunk. There were weals on the horse's shoulder, and blood was issuing from the spur wounds. Being told he would be taken into custody the pri- soner threatened to hit the constable over the head with his whip. The defendant hit the horse at least a dozen times, and was not missed by the lady on whom he was attending. The prisoner's defence was that he was sorry and such a thing should not occur again. Mr. Newton said it was a question whether the de- fendant should have the option of paying a Bag Dumb animals were not to be treated in such a bar- barous manner. The defendant would have to pay a fine of 50s. NOVEL USE OF THE TELEGRAPH.-A novel use of the telegraph has- lately been adopted by the Norwegian Government. As is well known, the her- ring fishery forms one of the most important sources of income for the country, the captures being made as the great shoals come from the depths of the sea to deposit their spawn in the Norwegian fiords. It frequently happens that the object of their visit is ac- complished and they return to the ocean before news of their arrival reaches the fishers on distant parts of the coast. This difficulty is now obviated by the con- struction of a telegraphic line 200 kilometres in length, composed chiefly of submarine cables, by means of which the fishers along the whole coast are enabled to gather at once on the approach of a shoal to any particular fiord. The abundant captures made in this way show the investment in telegraphic wire to have been a most profitable speculation. Na- t,tre..

THE NEW EDUCATION CODE. It appears from the now code of regulations of the Educational Department, recently issupd, that the principal articles modified, and the new articles for the present year, are as follows: No grant will be made for or in respect of any school v,bi.-h is not pre- viously in receipt of an annual grant if the depart- ment think that the school is unnecessary; and, as regards the preliminary condition that a specified place must be allowed for e>'vch child in attendance, it is provided that in a school erected with the aid of a loan sanctioned by the department, the aver- age attendance may not exceed the number of children for whom the plans were ap- proved by the department. Returns called for by Parliament, as well as by the department, are to bj duly made and with respect to the application of the income of the school, only to the purpose of public elementary schools, except where the income from an endowment is otherwise speat according to the terms of the trust, the speci- fication of the expenditure on Sunday schools, school treats, and outlay on premises beyond the cost of ordinary repairs, as being outside the definition of the purpose 01 public elementary schools, is suDplfltnented by the following addition — or for other purposes not recognised Ly the depart- ment aa educational." The deposit of a .< child's school book with the teacher, in proof of age, is to he a compulsory condition for obtaining the grant. The grant for passing a creditable examination in grammar, history, elementary geography, and plain needlework may be either 2s. or 4s. per scholar, dependent upon the fact whether the scholar passes in only One or in two of these subjects. In schools to which grants fall due after March 31st, 1879, the examination in needlework will be con- ducted according to the 3rd schedule of the code, and will extend to the girls presented in Standard I. School managers may claim payment of the school fees of children who hold honour certifi- cates. The acceptance of 150 attendances instead of u 18 es^en^e<i to the cases of scholars who, being for the present under 10 years of age, if allowed to work half-time by the terms of any special labour Act, are required to attend school half-time under any Act. This rule does not, in a district under bye- laws, apply to children within the ages affected by bye-laws. Attendance at military drill may be counted as for two hours a week. The reduction of grant under certain circumstances is made permissive instead of compulsory. Certi- ficates are not to be recalled until the department has given the teacher an opportunity of explanation. The minimum age of pupil teachers is raised from thirteen to fourteen years; the proportion of pupil teachers in a school is reduced from four to three for every certificated teacher serving in it, and when the average attendance exceeds 220 a second adult certificated or assistant teacher will be required.

FOXES IN YORKSHIRE.—CocaideraMe warm discussion has lately taken place in farming and hunt- ing circles in Yorkshire respecting the alleged scarcity of foxes. In the eastern part of the county parti- cularly there has this season been a great falling off in the number and quality of varmint," and while on the one hand considerable satisfaction has been expressed, on the other, curses both loud and deep have been showered upon the heads of gamekeepers suspected of vulcipedism. With a view to prove that foxes are plentiful enough-in fact, too plentiful- Mr. John Smith, a large agriculturist of Moor Aller- ton, near Leeds, comes forward, and says that only last week, while out on his land, he saw no less than three foxes in one field amongst a flock of sheep, which they were worrying like wolves. He clinches his statement with the startling assertion that last summer, within a mile of his house, there was no fewer than thirteen foxes run to earth. In answer to this Me. William Coo, an extensive farmer and poultry breeder, residing at Hawthorne House, Shadwell, close to Mr. John Smith's, comes forward, and entirely pooh poobs that gentleman's alarm at the number of foxes, stating that while he (Mr. Coo) never loses any of his poultry from foxes, Mr. Smith has few to lose, and that, therefore, he need not be so ready to interfere with the sport of thousands of gentlemen who take an interest in hunting. A lot of other farmers, &e., have taken up the cudgels for and against Master Reynard.-Live Stock Journal. RECKLE8S FIRING FROM A RAILWAY CAB. RIAGE.—As two police-constables were proceeding along Upland-road, South Creydon, they heard the report of fire-arms from the direction of the rail- way, and saw a flash from one of the carriage windows of a passing train due at East Croydon about twenty minutes to ten o'clock, and comingfrom Caterham junc- tion. A second flash and another report followed. Tne constables proceeded up the Seladon-road, and on arriving at the Rail View public-house they saw tbe landlord, who informed them that a bullet had been fired through his bed-room window. The bullet, apparently one from a revolver, broke a looking-glass. The landlord was standing in a direct line with the window when the pistol was fired, and had not the bullet been spent in passing through the thick glass he could not possibly have escaped, being shot. As it was, the ballet fell close at his feefc- Besides the police, a woman in the neighbourhood heard the report of the second discharge, and declares that the bullet passed close to her head. Inquiries are now being made with a view to the apprehension of the offender. It appears that the guard of the train in question, when at Caterham junction, saW a young man sitting in one of the second-class carriages with a revolver lying on the seat by his sidp, but the official heard no report of any discharge on the liøe between Caterham and Croydon, nor did he gee any flash ATTEMPTED MURDER.—John Robinson, a master mariner, who has formerly commanded yachts, was brought before the Gosport Bench of magistrates charged with unlawfully wounding Alfred B. BULLEN, with intent to murder him. The proceedings were merely formal, and the case was adjourned, bail being refused. It appears that Bullen, who is a clerk In the employ of Messrs. Jesty and Co., of Gosport, had usecil. part of the prisoner's house at Newtown as an office, and that he sometimes slept in the house. Bob- inson, who, since the close of the yachting season, has been serving on board a coasting vessel, seems to have suspected an intrigue between Bullen and his wife, and on returning from Bristol on Monday, and finding the two at tea together, his wife's mother being also present, he produced a six-chambered revolver and fiyed two shots at Bullen, the first shot passing through his neck in close proximity to the spine. He then seems to have attacked his wife with a clasp-knife, 68 she was found to have been wounded in the head, and a blood-stained knife was discovered upon him. The prisoner confessed on being taken into custody that it Wae his intention to "do" for his supposed rival* Neither Bullen nor Mrs. Robinson is supposed to be In danger. A DECISION AGAINST A HIGH SHERIFF.-— While Mr. Spencer Waddington, of Oaversham Hall, was High Sheriff of Suffolk, under a writ of fi. fa. he levied upon the property of Captain Jones, which consisted of three valuable racehorses that had been entered for several races in the ensuing autumn. One of these animals, which was bought from Lord Fal- InOuth for flve hundred guineas, was sold at the auction for .fifty-five guineas, and the others was sold rates similarly dispropcrtioned to their value. Captain Jones only received notice of the sale on the day it took place, too late for him to act in the matter. jury in the Queen's Bench has decided that the sheriff had not conducted the sale reasonably and fairly, and they gave damages in several respects to the plaintiff; but the full Court will have to be moved for ludsrment. CAPTAIN BURNABY'S SERVANT RADFORD.— Captain Burnaby's soldier servant, Radford, who accompanied him in his adventures "on horse-back through Asia Minor," and who was also his ccm panion in his recent travels in Roumelia and the seat of war, died last week at Dover of typhus fever, con- tracted during the hardships of Suleiman Pasha's ree treat. At the funeral, Captain Burnaby was present, and a detachment of the Horse Guards Blue was specially in attendance. SHOCKING CASE OF NEGLECT.—A shocking case of neglect of a lunatic was revealed at the meet- ing cf the guardians of Wexford Union. The visiting committee had that day discovered in one of the cells an idiot woman in such a disgusting state that, as one of them stated, no animal was ever allowed to remain in such a revolting condition. The matron admitted that she had not visited the lunatic for three weeks, trusting entirely to the nuns who were acting as nurses. The matron was severely reprimanded. A FBIEND that you have to buy won't be worth what you pay for him—no matter how little that may be. A ROYAL TOMB.—The Bishop of St. Albans has opened a new chapel at All Sainta' Church, King's Langley, which has been erected for the reception of the monumental tomb containing the remains of Prince Edmund de Langley, Duke of York, fifth son of Edward III., and his first wife, Blanche of Castille, and their infant daughter, Oonstance of Castille. The tomb originally stood within the altar rails, but has been removed by a faculty in order to make room for a magnificent reredos to the memory of the late Mr. Charles Longman, which was recently unveiled. ACCIDENT AT TAY BRIDGE.—Mrs. M'Walter, a woman who resided in Newport, Fifeshire, was re- turning from Dundee in an empty ballast train which ran across the Tay Bridge, when she left the carriage she occupied, near the river, overbalanced herself and fell over the bridge into the water, from a height of ninety feet. Her body has not been recovered.

OUR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. The Central News Agency says A comprehensive scheme has been completed in the Intelligence Depart- ment of the Horse Guards, by which an expeditionary force could be made ready at a few days' notice for despatch from England. The details have been worked out under the direction of Lieutenant-General Sir Patrick McDougall, K.C.M.G., -and have met with the entire approval of his Royal Highness the ^10ld Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, and the Secretary of State for War. 'One feature in the programme is the employment of the regimental transport about to be originated. Hospital, commissariat, and pay arrangements have all been perfected, and it is calculated that within one month a force of not fewer than 60,000 men could be embarked with every requisite for service. The following are the regiments which will be the first to take up active service in the East in the event of our going to war, vÏz: 4th and 5th Pr^°Q°.u lab and 2nd Dragoons, 7th, 8th, and lyth Hussars, 2nd battalion Grenadier Guards, 2nd battalion Coldstream Guards, 1st battalion Scots Guards, 2nd battalion 4th Foot, 2nd battalion 5th F/? u' J. battalion 6th Foot. 2nd battalion S°° hattaiion 14th Foot, 26th Foot, X w f 30th Foot, 41st Foot, 52nd Foot, X Jbattal°n 60th Foot, 78th Foot, 86th Foot, 93rd Foot, 99th Foot, and the 1st and 3rd battalions of the Rifle Brigade. In addition to these the twelve battalions at Malta and Gibraltar will be employed-viz., the 1st battalion 1st Foot, 1st bat- 2^d batfcalion 23rd Foot, 27th Foot, Tiw Tm i 69th Foot> 7l8fc Foob> 98th T> A '102nd and the 2nd battalion °; i Br,gade- The heads of departments and a officers of various branches of the War Office are inconstant consultation with the Secretary of State for War on the subject of our war preparations, and as regards the administrative services the arrangements are almost complete as to personnel, though no actual orders have been issued.

ARMED ATTACK UPON SOCIALISTS IN ODESSA. c°rrespondent, writing from Odessa on the loth ult., says: This week has been rendered a rather remarkable one in the annals of Odessa by an unusual event, which one can scarcely help regarding it as a ridiculous imitation of the mad demonstration J WfS last year in front of the Kazan Cathedral of St. Petersburg. A few obscure young men and a. couple of shop-girls were suspected of working a private press in th e interest of NeSgheeleesm" -a word coined by Fourghénieff in one of his novels from nihil, because Neegheeleesta believe in the existence of nothing without physical proof, and re- cognise no social or moral law that does not accord with their Socialistic principles. The procurer ordered their lodgings to be searched. This consisted of two or three rooms on the third or top floor of a house in a respectable street close to the building of the City Guard, and consequently right in the heart of the town. Accordingly, towards midnight on Mon- day some officers and men of the gendarmery and pollee visited the Poises to make the search. The houses of Odessa, and, indeed, P ??8 throughout Russia, like the greater number of old intra-mural dwellings on the Continent, are not entered by the kind of street-door we have in England. Nearly every house has its own courtyard, reached through a gateway, and in this yara or under the gateway are one or more entrances, according to the size of the premises, to the different o gmgs. Latch-keys are scarcely known here, but a °r j"*—. a at the gates — for they are wifch a Iittle wicket in them— any hour Of the evening or night after they are f .T frequently his room is at the far end Hainan &nd in any case he generally falls ,rather early, so that it is no uncommon ,3 a Person to have to ring five minuteB or ""Of6 being let in. Something similar hap- P „ • °e above occasion, and hence the would-be C°^i„5 r8 ^mediately knew the law was about to P ?P°tt them. They consequently resolved to Pursuers at bay as long as possible, in order i 6 to burn all papers, and therefore actually fi T0rs from a balcony and from windows down police in the street. Some others rushed up to the apartments, only the entrance to them barricaded. The .1S00n forced, but all lights having been _rQflJ18 ed» such a battle was fought in the dark that 1 0U necesaary to send for a picket from the Sf A** f0w doors off. The soldiers were ordered r, ?t was only when they had done so that surrendered. Two of them were 0ne badly. On the side of the law a captain g<( rme? &ud four men, two police-officers, and the house were wounded. The „ „ C^tabbed and shot. It is said to have aha l <?irls who fought with most fury. a fv *n°wn by sight in the streets of Odessa a, v type of a female Neegheeleest"— s f alr' .a billycock hat, a roll collar, a 8 L a°d paletot as worn by men, and vL- f,68^ 8, b*ok or two under her arm. She and ^id not succeed in destroying all their that is immaterial novr, for what they Particular evening—as we are in a state of P^able with death. Whether the full P ,i7 be carried out is another thing. In any kt impression is that they will be tried w Hffi« w" ^-bis capture has led to other airests, o# <ir ?°^bing is known of them, because they 9uietly, and the inquiry, as is generally usual in such cases, is being conducted secretly.

M R»TUBNS.—From April 1,1877, to raa'avT neJ16 Exchequer receipts amounted to as c.omPaNd with £ 69,372,946 in the correspondlnR period of the previous twelve months, if fi^Ki ture has been £ 70,513,137. On Saturday C61n the Banfcof England was £ 2,658,387. SS BBTWEEN A MAN ANN AN EAGLE. v P^P1F8 rec°rd a desperate encounter which °? E. a* Ounningsburgh between a man and an agle. ;„je„mai1 ^aa walking along the highroad when devouring the carcase of a sheep i« 0a the aPproach of the mau the eagle would have flown away, but it could not, owing to its talons being firmly fixed in the flesh of the sbeep. Un the man attempting its capture the bird offered a fierce resistance, pecking him and striking I Jimg48, The man was scratched and had his clothes badly torn. Ultimately he managed to disable the eagle, but not before he had fatally injured it by falling heavily on it during the strugle. It proved a splendid specimen of the erne, or sea eagle, and I measured fully seven feet from tip to tip of the wings. It was conveyed to Lerwick, and is to be forwarded to Mr. Frank Buckland.

LORD NAPIER AND SIR GARNET WOLSELEY. It has been announced, as stated elsewhere, that Lord Napier of Magdala and Sir Garnet Wolseley are to h i-ve chief command of any expeditionary force that may be sent out in case of war. Tho Standard savs In Lord Napier we have calm, matured judgment, wide experience, and great military knowledge; while his chief of the staff has also great military experience, with an abundance of activity, energy, and knowledge of detail. Lord Napier is advanced in life, as he was born in 1810, but he is still as active as most men many years his junior. An example of his determi- nation and personal energy was shown during the visit of the Prince of Wales to India. The day before the arrival of his. Royal Highness at Delhi Lord Napier was thrown from his horse and broke his collar-bone. Notwithstanding this mishap, he received the Prince at the railway station, and bore his part throughout the four days of fatiguing work which followed. Lord Napier entered the Bengal Engineers in 1828, and saw his first active service in the Sutlej campaign. He was senior Engineer at the siege of Mooltan, and took part in the battle of Goojorat. During the Indian mutiny he occupied the positiou as chief of the Engineer Department with the army of Sir Colin Campbell. After no long pause he was again called upon for service in the field, and greatly distinguished himself as second in com- mand in the Chinese war. In the intervals of active service he fulfilled the arduous duties of the engiieer- ing service in India, and was occupied in the construc- tion of roads, bridges, barracks, and public works of all kinds. In 1865 he was appointed to the command of the Bombay army, and two years later started at the head of the expeditionary army to Abyssinia. In 1870 he was appointed Oommander-in-Ohief in India, and at the expiration of his term of service received the command at Gibraltar. Thus Lord Napier has seen an immense amount of service in the field, and has held great military commands. As an engineer his reputa- tion stands very high. There were many comments made at his appointment to the command of an army in the field, as it was the first time, at least for a very long time, that that honour had been bestowed upon an officer of Engineers. How well he justified the selection IS a matter of history, and there can be no doubt that in modern warfare, in which sieges and earthworks play a prominent part, the possession of a thorough knowledge of engineering by a general com- manding is a matter of great utility. Sir Garnet Wolseley first saw service in the Burmese war, in 1852, the year in which he entered the army. He exchanged from the 80th into the 90th Foot, and with the latter regiment took part in the Crimean war. He was present with Lord Napier at the siege of Lucknow, as well as in the campaign in China. In 1867 he was appointed Quartermaster-General in Canada, and he had the good fortune to command the Red River expedition, which was completely suc- cessful and in consequence of the skill and power of organisation which be displayed he was chosen for the command of the Ashantee expedition. That Sir Garnet Wolseley has been an exceptionally fortunate officer he would himself be the first to admit, but he has thoroughly deserved his success. He is an able organiser and an indefatigable worker. He possesses a thorough knowledge of detail, and can'be relied on to carry out the arrangements of his chief. Sir Garnet Wolseley has the power of attracting the most zealous friendship and service from those brought into close contact with him. Lord Napier is, it need hardly be said, although a strict disciplinarian, one of the most popular men in the service. The combination I of these able generals is an excellent one, and will com- mand general approval.

THE TELEPHONE AND THE EXISTING TELEGRAPH. The Postmaster-General has already announced that this new invention will not be adopted in our postal telegraph service. It is not a little remarkable, however, that almost the first practical observations which have been made from official sources on the telephone are to be found in a recent number of the Telegraph Bulletin of the Ottoman Administration, of which the following translation appears in the current number of Chambers' Journal: Is the telephone— yes or no-destined to replace other telegraph instruments ? and, seeing the possibility that people may use it without special training, is it in the end destined to destroy the career of telegraph employ £ s ? These questions merit from us the labour of being examined with care. We think that that instrument will never be able to be employed in tele- graphic working destined to serve Governments and the public. In effect, supposing the instrument perfect, arrived at the last limits of perfection, and able to work at all distances with or without relays, then— !• To J transmit a message with all the advantages offered by the system, it would be necessary that the sender should be able to speak himself directly with the receiver, without the intervention of an emjtloyi. Now, all those who know the organization of the lines know that this is not possible — that there must necessarily be intermediary offices of deposit, that the public cannot be admitted to the offices where messages are transmitted or received, and, consequently, the sender must give hie message written. 2. An employt once charged with the biessage the instrument has already lost one of its principal advantages, for that employS must read the message and pronounce it to his correspondent; but if the message is written in a foreign language, the impracticability is evident. Lastly, the telegraph administrations now possess instruments which permit them to send messages with much greater speed than can ,be obtained in sending them by the voice. Those reasons alone, and there are many others, ought, then, to assure the employes that this new instrument will not put in peril their means of existence."

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF SWIND- LING. At the Bristol Police-court, Henry Harvey, of 59, Hemingford-road, Barnsbury, London, and late of 57, Victoria-street, Bristol, woollen merchant and Man- chester warehouseman, was charged with several offences under the Bankruptcy Act. The case for the prosecution was that the prisoner, who had carried on business in Victoria-street, for about nine months, absconded on the 27th of December last. His business premises were forced open by his landlord, and it was then found that the place was bare of goods, but there were certain letters from creditors pressing for pay- ment. Many papers had evidently been burnt. The prisoner was made a bankrupt, his liabilities being X30009 and assets nil. The bankruptcy was removed to Huddersfield, and the judge of the county court there ordered a prosecution to be instituted. After the bankrupt disappeared he wrote letters to creditors offering to pay a composition of 5s. in the pound. An advertisement was put in a London paper, accepting the offer, and then the accused wrote saying he could not pay the 5s. in the pound at once, but would pay it in instalments. At the time the prisoner was writing these letters he was in possession of £725, which he could have handed over to his creditors; and that money had been obtained by selling the goods he had obtained on credit by auction in London. The manner in which the goods were obtained was as follows: The defendant advertised for a bankers' clerk. A person named Turner was employed by Harvey, who was then pass- ing under the name of Donald. By means of Turner the prisoner set up a bank at Cheltenham under the title of the Gloucestershire and Western Connies Bank. The bank had no capital and no customers except Harvey and Co., of Bristol. Harvey and Co. wrote to the bank asking if it would issue draughts, and Donald instructed Turner to replyin the affirma- tive. Turner prepared the draughts and went to London with them to get them stamped, and when he returned Donald told him that Harvey and Co. had paid in cheques to the amount of £800, and draughts had been forwarded to them. Soon after- wards letters came to the bank enquiring about the position of Harvey and Co., and Turner was in- structed to reply that the firm were in a good state of business. The draughts were made out and sent out by the prisoner in payment for goods ordered. Some of the draughts were met, but others were not. The bank was closed the same day that Harvey absconded from Bristol. The accused kept out of the way until February 3,4, when he was arrested in London. At first he denied that his name was Harvey, that he had been to Bristol or Cheltenham, and that he had ever passed under the name of Donald. lie eventually, however, admitted his name was Harvey, and gave information which led to the finding of the X725 at his lodgings. A number of witnesses were called in support of the prosecution, and at the close of the evidence the pri- soner was committed for trial on the charge of forgery, in addition to the alleged offences under tà. Bankruptcy Act.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE'OF LEVYING BLACK MAIL. Au extraordinary charge of J¡-vying black-mail in a military prison came berore a court rnar.ial at Paris. The accused were Commandant Sabkni, Director- General of the Military Prisons in the Drtpartnit-ist of the Seine, a native of Corsica, and his Deputy, I'latge, and the case mainly rests on a diary alleged to have heen kept by a prisoner namfld Daneu.;p, which acci- dentally fell into the hands of a Captaiu Lag- laine, another prison official, who, after keeping it more than a year, communicated its con tents to the authorities. Daneuse deserted from the army during the war, squandered money left him by his father, and, after leading an adventurous life, was sentenced, in 1873, to ten months' imnrihon ment for theft, followed by two years' imprisonment for desertion. It was while undergoing this letter punishment that he is alleged to have kept the diary- According to this document, after passing ten days in the Maison de Justice at the Rue du ChercheMidi Prison, he was removed, nt the chaplain's intercession, to the Maison d'Arre". n deoartratnt nominallv re- served for sentences not exceeding six months, but this diatinction vraa not strictly observed. He thus secured greater indulgence, and, on expressing his gratitude to Sabiaiti, was invited, by the prospect of further favours, to contribute to tha purchasf of instruments tor a brass baud. lie accordingly devoted 350f. to this purooao. Sabiani, after this, invited him to dinner and offered to be his banker that he might procure indulgences without exciting jealousy. Ooe thousand seven hundred francs of the 1900f. deposited with the clerk on entering the prison were accordingly withdrawn, Sabiana giving 365f. to Blatge to serve as an allowance of one franc a day to the prisoner; 76f. at Sabiani's suggestion were offered to the chaplain for twenty-four chairs for the prison chapel; while 150f. went for a watch-chain for Mdlle. Sabiani, and 300f. for an ornamental poignard, whereby Sabiani promised to obtain for Daneuse exemption from being sent to the Algerian &rmy, ae usual with released deserters. Complaining cf the franc a day grudgingly given him, Daneuso dis- played four oOOf. notes secreted on his person, which, he said, he had intended to give Sa-biani on his dis- charge. He was also induced to send for 1400f. due to him from his father's estate, and to order a piano for Mdlle. Sabiani, the result being his removal to the infirmary and a supper with the governor, who is said to have made a handsome profit out of the extra dishes ordered by the prisoner. The latter reopened corre- spondence with his relatives to obtain money from them; but though he informed them in cipher how it, was expended, they held the governor incapable of taking it. By-and-by a new arrival named Jourdan supplanted Danease in Sabiani's good graces; but Daneuse, on being ordered back to his cell, threatened a disclosure, the result being a compromise" Shortly before his sentence expired, he was charged with stealing a portfolio containing 2000f., evidently the money he had secreted and this led to his re- moval to another prison, of which Laglaine was the governor, and where he lost all his indulgencelo Here he ended his diary with a declaration of its veracity, adding that he did not regret spending the money inasmuch as he had profited bf it. This expenditure amounted to 7000f. In Marcb» 1876, the rest of the sentence was remitted, and he "II sent to Algeria, where he speedily incurred a sentence of penal servitude for life for passing counterfeIt coiB' He is now in New Caledonia. As for Laglaine, III committed suicide last month on learning that Sabian' and Blatge were to be court-martialled. He is said to have had a spite against the former, a circumstance foreshadowing an attempt to represent the diary II concocted under his dictation. The prisoners were examined and Blatge appeared very dejected. They both denied their guilt. h

CAUSES OF THE AFRICAN OUTBREAK For some time past it has been known that isO uneasy feeling prevailed among the native tribes Of South Africa generally. Colonists are liable to panic* and it is therefore not surprising that uncivilised Kaffirs should be peculiarly subject to epidemic* of credulity or fanaticism. The outbreak Kreli's tribe was proximately caused by the ba^ blood existing between them and the Fingoeft who had been settled on a portion of their coB" fiscated lands, but it probably took its root in the i»' sufficiency of the area to which they were confined after the terrible famine of 1857. Mere sympathy with Kreli does not account for the discontent whicb is said to be diffused among the natives from the Cape Colony to the Transvaal. The truth ie, we are informed, that thoir saspiciolo have been excited by rumours which haf6 reached them as to the nature and objects of the proposed Confederation of the H»uth Colonies. In the opinion of experionc d politicians, when the Government U-, ( ome CSIO( to the conclusion that, as a stroke of ImPefio policy, Confederation ought to be established & South Africa, effect should at once have been given the measure by Imperial statute. Wo are not to say that this view is a sound one, because it wou'^ have occasioned an arbitrary interference with the C&P0 Legislature which might have provoked stubborn refli*"? tanceon tSepartof the colonists; but the fact that sue*8 an opinion is now expressed in influential quarter* shows that, in the judgment of some authorities, 8W" ul a high-handed exercise of power on the part of Imperial Parliament would have been preferable to the delay which has taken place in carrying out Oo" federation. That delay has produced a mischief''? effect on the minds or the natives. it appears t in a large portion of South Afrfca tbej have led to regard the projected Confederation as a Cora Of nation of whites against blacks—as, in fn:-f-, a unioP j the colonists against the Kaffir tribes. It is natu*^ enough -that such a misapprehension should vail; and it appears to us that, if it is re*W found to exist to any large extent, steP should be taken to disabuse the natives of impression that Lord Carnarvon's scheme &Z the meaning imputed to it, or that, if be carried out, they will be subjected to treatn9^1 derogatory to the good faith" of the British GoverO, ment. Kaffirs do not understand a dilatory polic1: in their eyes it wears the aspect either of weakness Of of treachery. It is desirable that the public should know yrhat is the present position of the federation policy. It is, we fear, doubtf?) whether South Africa will for years to come be j a condition to try the experiment. Both the Trans'?' and Natal appear likoly to remain Crown colonies a long time to come; while to the observer it wo"- seem as if responsible government at the Cape passing through a period of trial. The therefore, does not look favourable for the establishment of such a quasi-nationalitv as the Act & last year contemplated.

CREMATION CASE IN AMEBICA.—Mra. JiOo Pitman, wife of Mr. Benjamin Pitman, Lecturer 0 > Art in the School of Design at Cincinnati, died in tb* city on the 11th of February, leaving a will in wbi^ she desired that her remains should be forwarded & Dr. Le Moyne, to be cremated in the furnace built him for that purpose at Washington, Pennsylva Dr. Le Moyne, after considering the subject for years, built this cremation furnace in 1876, it is the only one in the United StstlO. Mrs. Pitman is described as a woman 0 education, and skilled in the art of phonograph Mr. Pitman determined to carry out the wi* £ expressed in her will. The only cremation of n°.. that has hitherto been made in the United Stated that of Baron de Palm in December, 1876, in Dr. Moyne's furnace. The first body cremated in it that of a sheep, which Dr. Le Moyne burnt for trial. It was soon reduced to grayish ashes, and ornaments one of the counters in Dr. LB office, done up in a glass jar. Dr. Le Moyne another theory, almost as singular as that of tion. He is said to believe that the application tØ water to the body is injurious to the health, and to carry out his theory he recommends an occasio scraping with the back of a table knife instead of tb usual ablutions.- New York Times.. « A LIBELLOUS PABAGBAPH.—Damages to amount of £ 250 have been awarded at the jury at Dublin against Sir John Arnott, proprietor of Irish Times, at the suit of Thomas Knowles, a Early l«Bt year the plaintiff was about to be to a widow lady very much his superior in soC position and of considerable wealth. Thereupon 0 j of the Irish Times staff wrote in that paper a graph, which, it was alleged, drew unpleasant tion to the lady, who, finding herself an object ridicule, broke off the engagement the day before was to have been celebrated. She Z married a postman. A second paragraph of a character was then inserted. HIGH-PRICED SHOBTHOBNS.—Mr. Henry sopp, M.P., has purchased from the Earl of BectiJ^ the shorthorn cow Eighth Duchess Oneida, in November, 1872, and Duchess of Underley Second, calved July, 1877, for £ 7500. He has purchased Bifid Bose of Tweeddale and three 0 young shorthorn heifers for £ 3500, making a « £ 11,000 for the six animals. The Eighth Oneida is the da&a of Duke of Underley the bought by Sir Curtis Lampson for £ 1750, and Duke of Underley the Third, purchased by the D of Manchester for 3000 guineas. Duchess cf Under the Second is a granddaughter of Eighth Oneida, a daughter of the celebrated cow "e Duchess of Geneva. Printed and published by the proprietor, JOHN ROBERTS, at his General Printing Office, No. li fit lane, Cardigan, in the parish of Saint Mary a u* Countv of Cardigan.—Saturday, March 9, 1878.

GALLIPOLI AND ITS HISTORY. A naval correspondent of the Times writes from | Gallipoli: No advance has been made by the Russians towards this town since the conclusion of the armistice. They are at present encamped about twenty eight miles from titre. Meanwhile fugItIves continue to flock in from the country around—scured-Iootnog Bashi- Bazouks, stalwart Circassians, conspicuous by their great tur caps, balf-clad women, and hungry children. Already provisions have begun to run short, and the authorities find it difficult to provide bread for the serving crowds. lhe sanitary condition of the place is incredibly bad. Turkish towns are notoriously dirty, but the thaw after the recent heavy fall of snow, combined with the filthy habits of the people,wbo allow refuse of all kinds to accumulate in the streets, has pro- duced a state of things that almost baffles description. At fVti-y turn are to be met carcases of horses, oxen, and sheep that have died through disease or from starvation, the hides only being removed, and the further disposal of the remains intrusted to dogs. Curiously enough these agents of public hygiene are hardly to be seen fit presold. They seem to have had too iiiuch to do lately m the removal ot offal, and have literally struck work. Such a state of things in warm weather must inevitably give rise to a fearful pestilence. As it is, email-pox has been introduced by the refugees, and the mortality from this alone is very great. The history of Galhpoh is interesting from its connection with the Mahomedan power in Europe. It was the first place taken by the Turks, and their recent reverses incline them to regard it now as their last stronghold against the Muscovite conqueror. One of the most flourishing towns on the Hellespon- tus, Kalkpohs, declined after the riaa of Constan- tinople, and towards the close of the Byzantine Empire was an insignificant village. Under the Mabomedans, however, it became again a place of importance, and regained its former prosperity. At the beginning of the present century the popula- tion was 80,000, but since then it has fallen rapidly, and at present does not amount to more than 12,000. Looked at from a strategic point 0? view its position is admirable. The earthworks thrown up by the allied armies in the Crimean war have lately been repaired, and there is every reason to believe that the Turkish troops here at present, though numbering only some 22,000, would be able to hold them against any force the Russians could bring up-that is, if both sides of the Uhersonesus are defended by our fleet. A. finer body of men physically than those troops it would be difficult to find. Notwithstanding their recent terrible losses, they seem in good health and spirits. They have, howevar, no confidence in their generals, whose conduct, with few exceptions, has been throughout) one of unexampled corruption and incompetence.