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

AUSPICIOUS DEA.TH OF TWO GIRLS. i -The death of two srrla, whose bodies were Tpcsntly f> und in the River Lee, near Ware, Hertfordshire, jp, according to a correspondent of the Pall-mall t, isitte, exi ting much interest in the town and v pighbourhood. Oa Sunday evening, the 24th of ] Druary, a girl named Felicitas Squibba, aged 16, i ,:1Y'9 maid to Miss Bonsor, of Great Cozens, Ware, f id Ellen Maddox, aged 2C, living at her father's ) ouae, left their homes about half-past six, ostensibly o go to church. ÅS they did not return, handbills «>:fering £10 reward for information respecting them were issued, but until Tuesday last all that was 11, ,ard of them was that some person had seen t,V>m walking on the Bank of the River Lee, near t ,e village of Stanstead, a place two miles dia- t int from their homes, about half-past seven on the Sunday evening mentioned, and that they were then laughing and talking and walking alone. From some letters lately written by tha girls to their friends, it was ascertained that the girl Maddox had during the past four weeks been clandestinely walking out vith a gentleman whom she described as above her station in life. Her letters also spoke of other young men whom she haddiazarded, and one letter showed that both girls had appointed the Sunday evening in question for another walk. The interest taken in the case by a number of gentlemen in the district w s so great that an order was obtained from the Lee Conservators to draw the water from the river, but just a3 tbis was fioing to be done the bodies of ooth girls were on Tuesday last found in the river near Stanstead. On Wednesday an inquest was held before Mr. Sworder, coroner for Herts. Mr. Hunt, solicitor, watched the case on behalf of the relatives ü! the girl Squibbs and the Rev. Dawson Campbell, vicar of Christ's Church, Ware, watched the case on behalf of the relatives of the girl Maddox, who live in his parish. Mrs. Susan Warner, cook in Mr. Bonsor's family, was called, and questioned by Mr. Hunt about a man said to have lately been a follower" of Ellen Maddox. The woman, however, becoming nervous under the cross-examination, obtained leave to go out of the room for a short time, but instead of re- turning went away. two witnesses stated, that as they were walking from church at Ware, by the side of the river to 8tanstead on the Sunday evening named, they passed two girls answering the descrip- tion of the deceased, and they heard one say to the other, I would not walk along here by myself for all the world." The girls, it was stated, appeared anxious to keep up with company on the road, and were last seen by the river side near Stanstead. The night was dark. William Lambert and a man named Royden, bargeman, proved taking the bodies out of the water. They had no bonnets or hats on. Dr. Butcher, of Ware, said he had examined the bodies, and so far as he could see there were no outward marks of violence. There were abrasions, but such as could be accounted for after death. He had only, in company with Dr. Evans, made a superficial examination, but he should thick they died from suffocation from drowning. Dr. Evans said he concurred in the main with Dr. Butcher, but he would not undertake te say anything without a post-mortem examination. Mrs. Warner, the cook, was then reo called, but it was stated that she had gone home. Mr. Hunt said that on the part of the friends of the girl Squibbs he had to apply for an adjournment, as he thought Warner ought not to be permitted to walk off as she had done. The coroner s.id he could not see any good in ad- journing the case. Mr. Hunt said that a number of letters had been given up to the friends of the de- ceased, some of which showed that the girl had been keeping company with a man an entire stranger to her friends, and that as an appointment had been made for a walk that night, the girl's friends thought that every facility should be given for a full inquiry so as to ascertain in whose company the girls had last been. There were some very mysterious allusions in some of the letters, and varioaa circumstances had come to the knowledge of the girls' friends which ought to be inquired into, and he, therefore, urged that an adjournment should take place. The coroner again said he saw no reason for an adjournment, the only result of which would be scandal upon various persons. Mr. Walter Maddox, brother to the deceased girl Maddox, said that his family had very strong sus- picions that all was not right. The coroner said that if anything could be shown to be wrong, the police would still continue the inquiry. The Rev. Dawson Campbell said that in the interests ef justice he hoped the coroner would give every facility for a full and satisfactory inquiry. The coroner again replied that he could see no use in anv adjournment, and after a long discussion he ordered the room to be cleared, Fivfe minutes afterwards the public were re-admittad, and the coroner said the jury had found a verdict that the twq. girls were found drowned in the river Lee, out how they got into the water there was no evidence to show. The Rev. Dawson Campbell and the friends of the deceased expressed their dissatisfac- tion with the proseedines. On the following afternoon the body of the girl Squibbs was taken home-to God- stone for burial, and the friends applied to a doctor there to open the co#n, and give his opinion as to what they sensidered might be marks of violence on the body. The doctor, however, declined to act without the authority ot a court of law, and it was resolved to allow the funeral to take place, and after- wards to consider the advisability of applying to the Court of Queen's Bench for a mandamus, directing the coroner to reopen the inquiry. LATER. The popular feeling in the locality is not so much directed to the question of bow the deceased came into the water as to the refusal on the part of the coroner to adjourn the inquisition. Had the latter course, however, been adopted, it is doubtful whether the solution of the so called mystery would have advaneed a single stage. Having only been instructed a few hours prior to the inquest, and with but slight material at his command, Mr. Hunt, solicitor, who watched the case on behalf of the relatives of Felicitas Squibbs, felt nevertheless the neces- sity of a postponement of the proceedings, the more so when the witness Warner, from whom he anticipated valuable testimony, broke down and abruptly left the place. The vicar of Christ Church, Ware, has in his possession nearly 200 loiters which belonged to the girl Maddox; and although most of them have reference to clandestine meetings—- some of them, it is said, with a gentleman far above her in position—it is doubtful whether they will throw any light oa the affair- The girl Maddox had been a regular attendant at Christ Church, but for severat weeks had absented herself; and it is thought a little singular that on the Saturday previous to the Sundav on which she was last seen alive she was askea by a neighbour whether she would be at church the next day, to which she replied, No, I have appointed to meet somebody." "Nellie," wad the rejoinder," it may be for the last time." The girl Squibbs had been in the habit of going to the old church of St. Mary's, but on the evening in question she set out to accompany, as was supposed, Maddox to Christ Church. The sequel is known. They were seen at the railway station at Ware on the evening in question (the 24 th ult.), but being too late for the train, they both were seen to walk in the direction of Stanstead, and nothing more was heard of them till their dead bodies were found in the river. The body of Squibbs, which was forwarded to Godstone, Surrey, was interred there on Saturday, and that of Ellen Maddox was consigned to the cemetery at Ware. -—?———————————

SHOCKING DEATH OF A PLASTERER.—Dr. Hardwicke held an inquiry at the Paddington Coroner's Court as to the death of Robert Press, 45. a plasterer. He was engaged by Mr. Bradfield, of 29, Nutford-place, Edgware-road, to repoint the front of the house. On Thursday last, as he was on the top scaffolding, sweeping down the front of the house, he missed his footiner and fell over, falling on the railings 40ft. beneath. Two of the spikes of the railings entered his body, and it was found that the whole of the ribs on the left side were broken. He was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, where he died a few hours afterwards from the internal injuries he had received. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death." DEATH FROM: A BLOW.—At the Sheffield Police-court, before the stipendiary magistrate, Aaron Martin, a collier, was charged with having caused the death of his brother, John Martin, a carter. They lived at Intake, a village near Sheffield, and late on Monday night John went into the taproom of the Travellers' Rest, and sat on a stool near to the table. Presently the prisoner went in and asked him for a shilling for another brother who was outside. John refused to give it to him, and the prisoner then struck him in the breast and knocked him off the stool. The back of his head struck the stone floor, and he died almost directly. The prisoner was remanded in order that a post-mortem examination ef the body might be made. THE IRON TBADE.—The iron trade of South Yorkshire is in a most stagnant condition, and larpe numbers of men are out of work. Within the past few days two of the leading works in Rotherham have been stopped owingr to the scarcity of orders, and about 1000 additional men have been rendered idle. One of these establishments, the Midland Iron Com- pany, had during the last ten years paid dividends averaging 50 per cent. per annum. It is also feared that the colliers will strike against the reduction of wages, in which case 30,000 men will be turned out of employment. DR. FORBES WINSLOW and Dr. Winn, who were requested to examine into the mental condition of the Rev. J. Dodwell, have, we are informed, visited him twice in Newgate, and sent in their report to the Home Secretary, stating that he is of sound mind. v

MONSTER IRONCLADS AND MONSTER GUNS. While the praises of the Inflexible are being sung ) intheH iuseof Commons and elsewnere, it may be < well to now, says the Daily News, what other nations i are doing to be even with us in the constructi )n of monster ironclads. The two types of armoured vessels in favour nowadays are the turret, -r citadel ships, with decks but a few feet above the water- line, and the broadside masted ironclad, like the Alexandra and the Sultan; in which we put our I trust as ocean-going craft. Of the former class, the Inflexible, which is to be armed some day with four 80-ton guns, represents th J most powerful man-of-war in the British navy; it has, as the First Lord of tae Admiralty told us, iron walls twenty-four inches in thickness, and its speed is at least equal to most other ironclads. The,Intlexible has, however, two rivals in the lorm of the Dandolo and Duilio, Italian turret-vessels. The armour of these, it is true, is two inches less thick than that of the Inflexible, but this disadvantage is more then com- pensated for by the fact that the foreign men-of- war will be armed with 100 ton guns instead of 80- ton weapons. Indeed, it was only a few days since that he announced the arrival at Spezzia, from Sir William Armstrong's works at Elswick, of two of those monster cannon, of which there is no equal among British ordnance. But it is not solely in the matter of turret vessels that foreign nations appear to be going ahead of us they are in advance of us also with broadside ironclads. The heaviest cannon carried by our biggest masted battle-ships weigh no more than twenty-five tons, and metal of this calibre is borne only by first class ocean-going ships such as the Alexandra and Temeraire. But the French announce their intention of fitting their last ship of this type with 46-ton guns, and the Devasta- tion, now fast apDroacbing completion at Toulon, wiIJ carry four of these weapons in her broadsides. The centre of the ship, it appears, is an oblong battery, the angles of which project, and four guns placed at these angles are capable of firing broadsides as well as ahead and astern. Thus the Devastation will take rank berore any broadside ship in the British navy, and if her sea-going qualities are only as good as her armament, we may have in her a more for- midable rival than any than has yet been brought i against us. t I

MR. EDISON'S PHONOGRAPH. A CALLING CLOCK. In Edison's phonograph, as sent to this country, the > screwed axis carrying the cylinder is provided with a heavy flywheel, to control, as far as may be, the rate of rotation; but even with that adjunct it is almost impossible to keep exact time. Mr. Stroh has a is- pensed with the flywheel and adapted an ingenious form of governor or fan, which regulates in a very satisfactory manner the motion of the cylinder. It was, however, suggested at first that the best method of securing perfectly synchronous action would be found in the use of clockwork to drive the phonograph, because then, no matter at what rate the cylinder bad been revolved > in recording the words, it would if that rate were known, be easy to reproduce it exactly. To his latest designs, then, Mr. Edison has attached a clockwork driver, and has not been slow to take advantage of the obvious development out- gested by the employment of that mechanism. He has accordingly constructed a clock which, instead of striking the hours calls out in a remarkably distinct voice the time of day, with appropriate remarks. Thus, instead of merely striking twelve, it calls out, Twelve o'clock, time for lunch," or Six o'clock, dinner is ready," and so on, much to the astonishment of strangers and those net conversant with the capabilities of the phonograph. At the recekt meeting of the Society of Telegraph Engineers Mr. Puscus spoke some words into the phonograph, and then, having adjusted a paper speak- ing trumpet to the mouthpiece, he rotated the handle, and the instrument literally shouted out, "The phonograph presents its compliments to the audience." The meeting was held in the hall of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and the words were heard distinctly in every part. The mechanical speaker fairly carried its audience with it, when subsequently it askad, How do you do ? How do you like the phonograph ? and then laughed heartily in the thoroughly infec- tious style. When Mr. Pigeon's instrument was tried it broke out with that truly national strain, We don't want to fight, but by Jingo if we do," and followed that ennobling song with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." It is true that the emphasis was peculiar to the instrument, but sufficient was < shown to demonstrate to the most inveterate sceptic that the pbolograph could do all that had been claimed for it. At the Physical Society's meeting the exhibition was repeated with the addition of a duet by Messrs. Spagnoletti and Sedley Taylor; and although the music was scarcely of a kind to suggest the use of a phonograph in lieu of a Patti or I n Albani, tbe results were remarkably encouraging as regards the future of the instrument. It is impossible to predict the ulti- mate value of the phonograph, for it is yet in its infancy, and its capabilities are unknown, perhaps un- suspected but that it is the most remarkable inven- tion rf the times no one in his senses and unbiased by unworthy prejudice would deny.

ORGANISATION OF VOLUNTEER BATTALIONS.-— The measures which are being taken to organise several provisional battalions of volunteers for active service in the event of this country being compelled to take an active part in affairs in the East are now completed, and there is little doubt that a large num- ber of young men are ready, or would be after a few weeks' continuous training, to take their places by the side ot:the regular troops One energetic commanding officer of a metropolitan rifle regiment, who had pre- viously been in the Guards, has, it is understood, got a sufficient number of well-drilled and expert marks- men to form a battalion, and other commanding officers are emulating his example not alone in London, but in various parts of the country, so that the san- guine expectations of this proposed auxiliary force promise to be more than realised. Consequent on the depressed state of trade in many parts of the country, but more especially in the north of England, large numberirof men who are efficient volunteers have signed1 an undertaking to go abroad when necessary. A scheme has just been projected in London, and a committee is being formed, to train from 400,000 to 600,000 men annually, to secure efficiency without interfering with a man's civil duties; to obtain a small grant to cover expenses, and compensate men for their time," but this," it is added, will cause no perceptible increase of taxes, and to place at once 100,000 men at the disposal of the Government." How it is to be carried out is not at present stated. The recruiting of the volunteer force, which set in so actively on the outbreak of the present war, continues in a remarkable degree. A new volunteer regiment is proposed to be added to the force, composed of Scotchmen, and to be named the Manchester Scot- tish Volunteers. Out of the 660 men required to form a six company battalion, 641 recruits have already signified their intention of joining it should its services be accepted by her Majesty. The pro- posed uniform is similar to the 42nd Highlanders (Black Watch). TBADE OuTRAGIL-At Sheffield two ironworkers, named John Holland and John Cleaver, were brought up. on remand, charged with seriously injuring Michael Confrey, another ironworker. The assault was committed as far back as the beginning of December, but the caae could not be gone into till cow, in consequence of Holland having escaped. He recently returned to Sheffield, and gave himself up to the police. Tbt. assault arose out of a trade dispute at an ironworker's in the neighbourhood of the town. In consequence of a reduction of wages being insisted on, the men went out-on strike, and the prosecutor and a number of other menlook their place. For doing this they were subjected to much annoyance, and on a Saturday night in December the prosecutor and a companion were set upon by some of the men on strike. The former ran for pro- tection into a butcher's shop, and took up a knife to defend himself. He was followed by the two prisoners, one of whom armed himself with a chopper. As they were advancing to the prosecutor he lost his balance and put his hand on a block to steady himself. Holland then struck him with the chopper, the blow nearly severing his hand from the wrist. The prosecutor bas been in the in- firmary ever since and his evidence was taken at his bedside. For a time he was in a very critical con- dition he is now recovering, but it is doubtful whether he will ever be able to use his hand. The I prisoners were remanded in order that the depositions i maybe completed. ALLEGED MUBDEB OF A SCOTCH XABMEE.— George Nicol.a cattle denier of Skene, has been appre- hended and lodged in Aberdeen Prison, on a charge of having murdered Mr. John Moir, farmer, of Lump- hanan. Moir was returning front-Aberebirder market, when he is alleged to have been set upon by Nicol, and stabbed in the face and head with a knife, from which injuries be died on Sunday last. A FASTING SERPENT.-The large female ana- conda (Eunectes murinus) now in the Zoological ETYTO £ RPT1L1E HOUAE: Pureha«ed ou tbe 15ob of Feb- ruary, lo77, has invariably declined the most tempting offers of food until Friday Ust, when ehe killed and 0W £ duck. It is impossible to say how long it"6 wl^out /°°d previous to her tha.* aha °e thing k certain, however, that she could not have taken food while in a box in which she arrived from South America, as she was BO closely packed as to be barely able to move.

HEADS OF HAIR. j It will readily be believed that the Paris Exhibi- 1 tion is not to be deficient in the hair dreasaers' r department. France has of late years quite out- t stripped other countries in this as in most other arts t of personal adornment, and even the native place of ( Barber of Seville is fain to rank in this respect below j the modern capital of fashion. Perhaps it is rather I unfair to the exhibitors to describe beforehand any ( of the trophies which they intend to send in for 1 competition; but we shall probably not offend by mentioning one of the articles for which f a prize will certainly be claimed. This is a lady's chevelure, the total length of which is declared by the Patrie to be no less than 2 metres and 20 centimetres, or exactly 7 feet by English measure. The hair was bought by the agent of a Paris house of business from a young girl in Normandy, at a price which is not divulged, but which no doubt seemed very tempt- ing to its owner, and it was only after some persuasion that she was induced to part with it. The colour of the hair is de- scribed as a rich, though somewhat light brown, and the price set upon it by the Paris tradesman was only a little less than £100. Notwithstanding the ap- parently fancy sum thus charged, it is said that a customer very soon appeared, and that the hair is already sold, although it is not to be delivered to the purchaser until the Exhibition is over. Possibly before that time it may have been sold and resold again, and may have reached even a much higher value than that already adjudged to it by the com- mercial world. As for the young person from whose head it was shorn about a year and a half ago, she is confidently reckoning upon repeating her experi- ment, and making a still better bargain next time. In the eighteen months her hair, which was cut almost close down to the roots, is said to have already grown 26 inches, so that if it continues to grow at the same rate it would have again attained its original length in about three years and a half from the present time. Every five years, as long as the productive force of Nature is not exhausted, the same growth would be continued. The fortunate pasaeasor announces her determination of treating her head as a landowner treats his forest ground, and by submitting to the principles adopted in the management of forest trees, she may hope to derive from her periodical harvests an income equivalent to something like £ 20 a year.

THE CASE OF THE EARL OF DUN- DONALB. GJUNT TO LORD COCHRANE. In the House of Commons, in the Supplementary Estimates, a grant of £ 5000 has been made to Lord Cochrane, in respect of the distinguished services of his grandfather, the late Earl of Dundonald." The explanation that the grant is in respect of ser- vices is probably to avoid the creation of a pre- cedent for the payment of back pay. The sum is, however, we believe, almost exactly equivalent to the back half. pay, without interest. The vote is proposed in accordance with the report dated July 16, 1877, of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, appointed to inquire into and report open the petition of Lord Cochrane to her Majesty. This report mentions the fact that Lord DundontAd by his will left all the money due to him from the British Government for his important ser- vices, as also the amount of his pay, withheld during bis exclusion from the British navy, to the petitioner." In 1876 the Lords of the Treasury declined to recom- mend the grant of back pay, considering themselves bound by the precedent in Sir R. Wilson's case. The Select Committee recorded their opinion that "no technical rule should be permitted to stand in the way of a reparation, the justice of which seems to follow by a natural inference from the steps that have already been taken." In reviewing the whole case the com- mittee observed that: Under one Government, in 1832, Lord Dundonald received the free pardon of the Crown, and was pro- mote d to that place in the navy which he would have held had he never been dismissed the service. Under a subsequent Government, in 1847, he was restored to the honours which had been conferred on him pre- vious to his expulsion. Under a third Government, in 1860, Lord Dundenald's banner as Knight of the Bath was restored to Henry VII.'s chapel. It appears to your committee that these steps could not have been taken by responsible adviters of the Crown who believed that Lord Dundonald was guilty of the crime of which, in 1814, he was convicted and the course pur- sued towards him amounts to nothing lees than a public recognition by those Governments of his inno- cence. It should further be borne in mind that the exceptionally brilliant services of Lord Dundonald as a naval officer would, but for his dismissal, probably have earned for him a far more ample and adequate reward than any which he received for his services rendered to the British Crown. Your committee have arrived at the cor elusion that this is a case peculiarly exceptional in its character, and deserving her Majesty's most gracious and favourable conside- ration."

FATAL FRIENDLY SPAB.—Mr. Humphreys held an inquiry, at the Hopo Tavern, Banner-street, St. Luke's, as to the death of George Cooper, 24. Henry Fowler, residing at a common lodging-house in Dean-street, Soho, said that he was a professional boxer, and had been allowed the use of a back room in the York Minister public-house, Bunhill-row. where theref might be amateur boxing. He charged twopence for admission into the room. Oa Friday night Cooper ar,d a man named Fitt, now in custodv had a friendly spar. He saw no foul play. When Cooper got up to the second round he fell down and died. No one fell in the first round. The boxing-gloves were his property, and were of the usual character. John Jamts Wallis, a carpenter, stated that he was present when Cooper and Fitt agreed to spar, but he could not say who was the first to propose it. There were several matches before the fatal one. When Cooper got up to the second round he reeled and fell upon his head. Stephen M'Ewan, the potman at the house, said that Fowler drew the money. There was no foul play. Sergeant Trace, G 10, said he was called to the house, and found Cooper lying on the floor without either coat, hat, or vest, and with the shirt sleeves turned up. The witness was told that about twenty men were pre- sent when deceased fell; but they had by that time all left the room. Dr. Pottle said that when he was called to see Cooper on Friday night, shortly after ten o'clock, he found the body warm, but life was extinct. He made a post-mortem examination. There were abrasions on both eyes, and the nose was contused. The brain and all the organs of the body were healthy, but the heart was fatty. The deceased was suffering from inflammation of the membranes of the heart at the time of death. The cause of death was inflammation of the heart, accelerated by excite- ment. Had Cooper kept himself quiet he might have lived some time longer; but the least excitement was likely to cause death. The jury returned a verdict of Death from natural causes." UNEXPECTED MEETING WITH AN OLD FBIEND. -During the morning treck" I was apprised by one of the Boers that some person was following us rapidly on horseback, evidently with the intention of over- taking us. I did not pay much attention to the cir- cumstance at the time, but judge of my surprise when, a quarter of lb hour afterwards, a gentleman, accom- panied by an after-rider, came up to me and held out his hand. For the life of me, I could not recollect him. "You don't know me, Gillmore?" "No; I do not." "Well, that is good!" "Do you think so 1" You don't wish to cut' me ?" But I really don't know you." "Well, if this is not intensely funny!" Why don't you tell me your name?" "Because the whole thing is so absurd." "Is it? Well, it had better cease" (and I got rusty). You old donkey! don't get cross—it's Jack Bennett." My goodness But who en earth could have ex- pected to see you here ? No wonder I did not know you why, you have grown so much hair about your face that it hides every remnant of your features (formerly he shaved a la militavre). Never mind my not knowing you; I am deuced glad to see you. We will' outspan' at the first water, and have as good a meal as I can produce and cook. Pos- sibly the reader would like to know who the gentleman was; there are few who don't know his father-Sir John Bennett, the well-known watch. maker. The last time I had seen Jack was tkree years before, on a raw autumnal morning at Ludgate- hill Station. His cousin and I were bound for the lower portion of the Chesapeake Bay, to live on oysters, canvass-backducks,terrapins,and the numerous good things that prolific region produces, while ho spoke of a European tour, possibly to extend to Con- stantinople.—The Great Thirst Land (8. Africa), by Parker Giftmrre. RIVAL STEAMEBS.—ihere 18 a Keen competi- tion between two lines of steamers running from Glasgow to Dublin, and the fares have been reduced to 2a. for each journey. It is thought likely that the rivalry will reach the height it did some twenty years ago. when, it is said, the two companies not only carried passengers for nothing, but one gave each person a glass of whisky for travelling by its special steamer. SERIOUS COLLISION ON THE THAMES.-As the General Steam Navigation Co.'s steamer Wansv>eck, Captain Muckle, was proceeding down the Thames, and when off tbe Wapping entrance of tbe London Dock, she came into collision with the canal boat Mirtle, laden with deals and battens, which was being towed, with three other vessels, up the river by the canal tug Sultan, Captain Gordon. The Mirtle im- I mediately began to sink, and was at once towed in ] there at Wapping Old Stairs. j

NEWS FROM INDIA. 1 By the last overland mail we have received Bombay papers to th« 25tt ult. The Bombay Gazette ia its heads of intelligence says: A monster meeting of the inhabi- tants of Bombay was held on Tuesday last in toe Circus tent (the Government of Bombay having re- fused them liberty to use the Town-hall) to protest against the Government of India's financial policy as exemplified in the invidious Trades License Tax, and to pray the Secretary of State to give the non-official community some voice in the legislation of the country. The cry at present going up from the non-official com- munity all ever India is, ImperiaJisl,D is crushing us to the earth.' There were about 5000 people present, among whom were representatives of every section of the community, and the memorial and resolutions condemnatory of the Government measures were adopted with unanimous acclamation. It was the most fervent, as we trust it will be among the most effective, expressions of public opinion that has ever been known in India. The Government of India has received information that the Jowakis, a section of the Afridis who have been carrying on the irritating war on the North-West Frontier, bavesubmitted to the terms of Government. They will be quiet now-until they break out again. During last week Sir R. Temple visited Indore and Mhow. His Excellency is expected to return to Bombay on Thursday next. It ia reported from Lahore that the independent tribes inhabiting Terah, Khyber, &c., have informed the Amir that he must not look to them for aid in any emergency if he does not support the Jowakis, whose hostility to the British was instigated by him and which has resulted in their ruin. The rate of mortality in Bombay last week was 43 57 per 1000 of the population per annum. The total number of deaths was 558, of which 192 were caused by remittent fever and 24 by cholera. The Go. vernment of Bombay haspublisbedaresolution thanking a long list of officials and some non-officials for 1 efforts and exertions, rendered ably and zealously,' during the famine period. The Bank of Bengal has had to ^hnotes to tbe amount of a lac and a half of rupees (±15,000) which had been kept for forty years locked up in the box of an up-country zemindar lately de- ceased. The crops in the Central Provinces are reported to be coming up not so well as was expected, and similar discouraging accounts come also from the jSortb west Provinces and Oude. There was a slight earthquake experienced at Simla on the 15th inst. It is expected that the Dhond and Munmar State Railway will be completed ia May next. j

PRINCE BISMARCK AND LORD ODO RUSSELL. A Berlin letter in the Journal do Genive vouches for the authenticity of the following statement, alleged to have been made a fortnight ago by Prince Bismarck to Lord Odo Russell: I quite understand the excitement caused in England by what is going on in the East; but, after all, it would be necessary for you to. ascertain precisely where the shoe pinehet, in order to discover the proper remedy. Bear in mind, in the first place, that palliative measures are all you can ] hope for. However much Russia may, in your opinion, ] abuse her victory, you can do nothing, or at leaat very little. Even if you were the masters, how could you, after the debates in your Parliament, venture to re- ] store Ttirkish rule in the Christian provinces that have been emancipated from it ? The thing is im- 4 possible, but, were it not so, the experiment would be a very risky one. Your troops are excellent; but, as Marshal Bugeand said, you have very few of them, and it would not be easy fur you to raise fresh ones. Your countrymen would, no ] doubt, flock to the colours with great enthu- siasm but reflect that you would not have another siege of Sebastopol to undertake, but an active arduous campaign, involving great hardships and pri- vations and your young men from the City, from Manchester, and Liverpool would soon find it very trying. In a word, you will admit that you might possibly be beaten, and then you would be in a very bad plight indeed why run the risk of that ? What do you care about Bulgaria ? What are Bessarabia or the Danube to you ? You have but one concern, and that is the road to India, and you know quite well that that route is not the valley of the Euphrates, but Egypt and the Suez Canal. Well, then, take 3gypt. Lord Odo Russell having made a gesture of dis- sent, Prince Bismarck continued- Why, of course. With Egypt, Malta, and Gib- raltar, nothing could enter the Mediterranean without your leave, and everybody will be satisfied, excepting France, perhaps; but it is not your business nor mine to make France happy. Moreover, she will soon be reconciled to it. Since Eenaparte's expedition she must have lost the illusion of ever turning Egypt to any account. It is quite enough for her that her material interests there should be safeguarded, and she could not wish to see them in better hands than yours."

FRUIT CULTURE IN AUSTBALIA.—The culti- vation of the vine and of fruit trees in general is being rapidly extended in South Australia, the area devoted to the growth of the grape alone being between 8000 and 9000 acres. In the year ended March, 1875, when the area was considerably less than at the present time, the quantity of wine pro- duced was, according to the figures published by the Government statistician, nearly 1,650,000 gallons—a quantity sufficient to supply local requirements at cheap rates and to afford a considerable export trade. Australian wines, in the face of great prejudices and difficulties, are steadily forcing their way into the European markets and are achieving some popu- larity and cf all the vintages of the Antipodes those of South Australia are the best. At the same time, the preparation of dried grapes or raisins is increasing, and other fruits are preserved for foreign use. The climate and soil of the colony are well adapted for the growth of tropical and sub-tropical fruits, as well as of those thriving in temperate climates. Oranges, figs, apples, peaches, plums nectarines—in fact, all the choice varieties of fruits are grown in profusion, and a vast and lucrative trade promises soon to be developed in the preservation and export of their produce. The v.6' succeeds admirably in the colony, has not hitherto proved a commercial »uccess, thoueh tbe oil yielded is of the first quality but there are indications of a market being found for this valuable product, and growers, who a year or two ago were offering to gire away their fruit for nothing, in the hope of creating a new industry, expect soon to reap the results of their enterprise in the introduction of their plant and their long waiting for its proper an- preciation. F ACCIDENTS IN THE HCNTINO-FmLB.—Her Majesty's stagheunds were out on Tuesday with the Master of the Hunt, the Earl of Hardwicke. The deer was released on Mr. Graham's farm at Horton ^djUwent well for about half an hour, when Lord ilardwicke'a bone, in galloping, made a mistake at a fence and threw its rider/who fell heavily on his head. For some minutes Lord Hardwicke was un- COMWOUB. Upon his recovering himself, Dr. D. Jones Md Mr. Douglas, sdrgeon, of Hounslow, were by his side assisting him, and they carefully moved him into the brougham of a Mr. Watson, in which he was driven to Slough. There he was placed in a railway carriage of the Great Western Company, and he arrIved at Haddington about 3*80. We regret to state that the symptoms indicate concussion of the spine but Lord Hardwicke tried to make as light of the ac: cldent as possible.—The Earl of Oamperdown has had a narrow escape while hunting with the Bicester noandB. Ris hone falling at a fence, his lordship was thrown, head foremost, but, happily, escaped almost unhurt DREADFUL MUBDEB A dreadful murder has oeen committed at Coleraine by a young man named rr lngra, aged 17, who has just been discharged from i!fa8t reformatory. A young man named \f«T paying attentions to the sister of on Sunday evening, finding M'Grath K<j°nver?ation with his Bister, drew a weapon and stabbed him in the neck, inflicting a fearful wound and causing instantaneous death. M'Intyre has escaped. TELEGBAPH TO BESIKA BAY.—It is understood that the Government has arranged with the Eastern lelegraph Company for an extension of their tele- graphic operations in the Levant as far as Mitylene, Crete, ana Besika Bay. This will enable our Minister and the admiral in command of the fleet to be inde- pendent of the foreign telegraphic service, and prevent a recurrence of the difficulty Mr. Layard experienced when, the land service being interrupted, he had to send his despatches vid Fao and Bombay, a distance of nearly 20,000 miles. A COMMITTEE is in course of formation with the object of making an acknowledgment to Earl Russell of the services which he rendered in 1828 and for many years afterwards to tha cause of civil and religious liberty. It is proposed to present his lord- ship with an address on the fiftieth anniversary of the day on which the bill for the Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts became law. A, GARDENER BIRD.-Under this title the Gardeners' Chroni. le gives a description, with illus- tr&tive woodcuts from an original sketch drawn on the spot by Signor Beccari, of a bird which is not only an expert architect, building a nest like the Bower-bird of Australia, but also a gardener, laying out a garden in front of it. The bird is a native of New Guinea, and makes a nest of the stems of an orchid. In front of the nest a dressed lawn of moss is formed, on which the attentive husband places day by day, for the delee- j tation of his mate, flowers and fruits of bright colours 4nd pleasing flavour. The orchid, which belongs to a 11 hitherto unknown species of-dendrobium, is described I < ^t length by Professor Reichenbach. I 1 «r

THE FATAL FOOTBALL CASE. ] At the Leicester Assizes (Midland Circuit), before Lord Justice Bramwell, William BrarishrtW was I charged with the manslaughter of Herbert Dockerty, at Ashby-de-la-Zouche, on the 28th of February last. This case arose out of a most unfortunate occurrence at a match between the football clubs of Ashby and Colville, and naturally caused a profound sensation in the neighboirbood of those places. On the 27th of February the deceased was play- ing for the Ashby Club, and the prisoner for Colville. In the course of the game, which was played according to the rules known as the "As- sociation Rules," Dockerty was "dribbling" the ball in the direction of the Ashby goal, when Bradshaw ran to get ttbe ball from him or to prevent his further progress. Dockerty kicked the ball, and Bradshaw, either to charge down Dockerty's kick or by w y of charging Dockerty, jumped in the air, and in coming down struck him with his knee in the stomach. Both players were going at considerable speed at the time of the impact. They met, not directly, but at an angle. Both rolled over. Brad- shaw got up at once, unhurt. Dockerty rose with difficulty, and was led from the grou-d. He died next day, aftfr considerable suffering, the cause of death being a rupture of the intestines. Witnesses were called from both teams, whose evi- dence differed ail to some particulars, those most un- favourable to the prisoner alleging that the ball had been kicked by Dockertyand had passed by Bradshaw before he charged, and that the charge was contrary to the rules of the game, and done in an unfair manner, with the knees protruding while those who were more favourable declared that the kick by Dockerty and the charge by Bradshaw were simul- taneous, and that the charge was a perfectly fair one. The learned judge remarked that it was characteristic of human nature that the most favourable evidence for the prisoner came from his own side in the game, and the least favour- able from their opponents. One of the umpires in the game, named Turner, was called, who deposed that, in his opinion, nothing unfair had been done. A foul had been claimed, and he had decided against it. No doubt, if the prisoner had put up his knee purposely to strike the deceased, it would have been unfair. After a forcible speech for the defence by Mr. Stmma Reeve, witnesses were called who gave the prisoner an excellent character for good nature and humanity. His lordship, in summing up, told the jury that the question was whether the death of the deceased had been caused by the unlawful act of the prisoner. There was no doubt that the prisoner's act had caused the death, and the question was whether that act was unlawful. No rules or practice of any game whatever (said his lordship) can make that lawful which is contrary to the law of the land, and the law says you shall not do that which is likely to cause the death of another. Therefore, in one way, it ma7 8a^ that the rules of the game do not matter. But, on the other hand, if a man is playing according to the law of the game and not going beyond it, it may be reasonable to infer that he is not acting with an intention to hurt, or in a manner which he knows will be likely to be pro- ductive of death or injury. His lordship then pro- ceeded to comment on the evidence, pointing out the discrepancies, and remarked that, considering the speed at which both players were running, it would be safer to consider the kick given to the ball by Dockerty and the jump by the prisoner as simulta- neous. The question was whether the prisoner, when he charged the deceased, knew that his act must do, I or was likely to do, a mischief. The question was not an easy one to deal with. No doubt the game was, in any circumstances, a rough one, but he was unwill- ing to decry the manly sporfcauof this ceuntry, all of which no doubt were attended with more or less danger.. The jury, after a short consultation, found the prisoner not guùty, and at the same time sug- gested & re,orametlaatied that the laws of football should be altered. Lord Justice Bramwell: Well, gentlemen, I do not know. I hardly think I am the person from whom such a recommendation should come. I have never played football, and am not now likely to do so. At the same time, I must say I think it would be as well even for young men to try to make these accidents as little likely to occur as possible.

EXPLOSION ON BOABD A STEAMEB.—The Rio Duro, steamer, which was before reported as on fire at Antwerp, With explosives on board, belongs to the Thetis LIne of steamers, and is a regular trader between An werp a»d Lisbon. She had a full cargo, coo818 ing of tobacco, wool, horns, wax candles, percuøøion caps, and arms, and also some, saltpetre stowed in the hold, and three cases of cartridges on deck. The cause of the fire, or rather the origin of the exp0S!fn'18 at present. An official in- quiry h»s been ordered by the Criminal Court, and several surveys have been held in the presence of the Procurer du -not. The explosion occurred at five o'clock in the steamer's forehold, and the fire spread with such rapidity that all the goods in the forehold were either totally destroyed or badly damaged. Several BPeaI^, re'enginea were immediately got to work, te*' throwing an enormous quantity of water into the hold, the fire was subdued at eight p.m. va utV?„ the goods destroyed is consider- able. Tne killed by the explosion is said to be the ship's carpenter. Six others of the crew are badly woundeo; two of them will probably not re- cover. THE TB.AWL AND SEINE NETS. — Mr. Frank Buckland and Mr. Spencer Walpole have been appointed by the Secretary of State for the Home Department to nold an inquiry into the use of the trawl net or beam trawl, and of the seine net or ground seine, and into the complaints which have been made respecting the destruction of the spawn and fry of sea fish by these and other modes of fishing. The first sittings Of the Commissions are announced to be held in Cornwall as follows: At Mevagiaeey on the 36th mst., at -balmouth on the 27th, at Polruan on the 26tb, at lvee on the loth, and at Penaance on the 90tb mst. A CHILD DRIED ALIVE.—Most painful ex- citement has been created in Durham by the untimely death of Alderman Robson's granddaughter, Hilda Robson, aged ó yeara, under exceptionally lamentable circumstances. Deceaeed, with two younger cousins I and her aunt, were visiting at Bellevue House, Dur- i ham, and w is !n the garden playing Mrs. Chambers missed the c I d Hilda, and noticing that a sand bank in the garden had given way, raised an alarm. Several workmen immediately commenced clearing away the sand, and in about ten minutes the child's dead body i was recovered in the presence of her relatives. | THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY has oon- ] Ferred degree of Bachelor in Divinity oa the Rev. t rhomas Good for his distinguished services in educa- 1 iional and missionary work in Ceylon, especially in I ;be translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Tamil s anguage. g -o.j

DAHOMEY IN DEFAULT. (,Firom the Gioke.) I Another African ruler, besides the Khediv^ aeema t t1 disinclined to dia -b»rg« his monetary ot>ji.ratio's to j h England. King Geiele of Dahomey owes us, it ) A appears, a balance of 300 puncheons of palm oil, on g ac .cunt of the indemnity exacted from him formerly < by Com i.odore Hfwett. No question is raised, it j, appears, about the justice of the debt, but the King 11 pleads that, as he does not possess the means of meet- fl ing it, Great Britain ought to play a magnanimous c part by excusing her debtor. Possibly we might accede c to this request, but for a suspicion that the exchequer of t Dahomey is in b much more flourishing condition 8 than its owner would have us believe. We have not s yat been informed that the pay of the Amazon body- t guard has fallen into arrears, nor did King Gelele II celebrate his last customs without a full comple- II ment of slaughtered slaves. Until luxuries of this sort are surrendered, Dahomey will be con- f sidered in sufficiently solvent circumstances to liqui- t date her war indemnity. Besides, it is believed on s the coast that the King has already secured the ( 300 puncheons of oil by means of a little gentle pres- 1 sure applied to the European merchants at Whydah. It was by this method that Gelele obtained the first instalment of the indemnity, which was unfortunately lost on its way to England, and popular rumour on the spot credits him with having extracted the whole amount from the European community at the same time. But he things that by assuming the airs of an abject bankrupt be may possibly succeed in keeping his beloved palm oil for his own use. It will be necessary to dispel this delusion at once, as Dahomey certainly escaped very cheaply from the consequence of her misconduct. What would have happened to the country, we wonder, if Russia, instead of England, had been the insulted Power ? Geiele would certainly have been compelled to part with the most valuable portion of his terri- tories, and perhaps a million of puncheons of oil would have been levied by way of war indemnity. As our demand was exceedingly moderate, the puissant monarch of Dahomey had better make up his mind to pay it at once. *■

BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE. An action in the Exchequer Division (Allen 11. Hutchings), for breach of promise of marriage, in which judgment was allowed to go by default, was heard before Mr. Under-Sheriff Burchell and a jury, at the Middlesex Sheriff's Court to assess the amount of damages. No specific amount was claimed in the proceedings. Mr. Grantham, Q.O., and Mr. Sydney Hastings were for the plaintiff, Miss Eleanor Allen; Mr. F. J. Smith for the defendant, John Edward Hutchings. Mr. Grantham, in opening the case, dwelt on the proposed alteration of the law in actions of breach of promise of marriage, and thought that when this ease was heard, the abolition of such actions would not be desirable. In this case the engagement between the parties had lasted ten years, the defendant owed his position in life to the plaintiff and her family, and he (Mr. Grantham) in all his experience had never met with a more cruel and heartless lease. The plaintiff and the defendant were about 29 years of age. Miss Allen resided with her mother at Weymouth, where she kept a school, and her brother had introduced the defendant some ten years ago, when he was a dispenser at Dorchester, to the young lady, and te qualify him to pass as a medi, cal man her mother had advanced £100, and the plaintiff and her sister S20 each, which advances had been repaid. A long correspondence between the plaintiff and defendant was produced in court, and the espistles were couched in loving t( rma. The engagement was made in 1867. The defendant had become assistant to Dr. Cole- brook, at Southborough, near Tunbridge-wells, where he bad been some four years, and he had now about • £ 210 a year. The wedding was fixed and the dresses purchased, and the school, which had produced.£50 110 year, given up at the request of the defendant. Mr. Grantham told the jury that the defendant had trans- ferred his affections tipMiss Oolebroek, the daughter of Dr. Oolebrook, and Was to be a partner with her father, and no doubt married to the lady when the result in this cam was known. The jury, after an absence of more than two hours, could not agree, and at the end of the day were discharged without giving a verdict.

THE BURIALS QUESTION. Bishop Olaughton, Archdeacon of London, has ad- dressed the rural deans of the Archdeaconry as fol- lows, under date March 20: "I am very anxious that the clergy should not lose an opportunity of taking a course on the Burials Bill which, whilst entirely conserving their rights to the churchyards, will enable them to make a real concession to our Noncon- formist brethren. It will thus be no surrender of prin- ciple, yet I fully believe it will satisfy the scruples of all except those who are aim- ing at a political object. Mr. Ritchie is about to introduce a bill to alter the present law, which precludes a clergyman from allow- ing any religious service in the churchyard exceptthat of our Prayer-book. It would enable him to give permission to the friends of a deceased parishioner belonging to one of the Nonconformist bodies to offer pray era, to read Scripture, or to sing hymns at the grave. The Act would not, as I understand, be com- pulsory, and I rejoice at this, among other reasons, because I think it has been too much kept out of sight in the various discussions on this subject that, in all probability, in most instances the servicps of the clergy- man would be preferred. Where an objection to our form of burial existed, we would be able to do an act in itself gracious, which yet could not be construed as a surrender of any existing rights. I can suppose two objections—one, that this will not satisfy the authors of the late attempt (happily, as I think, defeated) to abolish by an arbitrary interference all recognition of the clergyman's undoubted right in our church- yards. To this I answer that our object should be to satisfy religious scruples-to remove, if possible, even imaginary difficulties of this descrip- tion-with any other we have no concern. The other objection I scarcely like to anticipate, as it argues a state of opinion derogatory to the character of our clergy for reasonable charity. It is that Christian prayers and hymns and the reading of God's word, by any but themselves, would be desecration in a place solemnly set apirt for the burial of the dead. Such an objection, I cannot but think, refutes itself; but OF the right to sustain it, it is not, as far as this bill is concerned, sought to deprive any, if they desire to put it forward.

THE EMPEBOE WILLIAM'S BIBTHDAY.-—The Emperor William's birthday was celebrated on the 22nd of March with the usual splendour* His Majesty showed great vigour, and was in the best of spirits when he received the congratulations of almost all the Gerllltan Sovereigns and Princes, Ambassadors, Ministers, Generals, the Presidents of the Prussian Diet and Reichstag. The newspapers publish con- gratulatory articles on the occasion, expressing at the same timetheir confidence in a successful result to the Emperor's efforts to maintain the peace of Europe. The French Embassy, for the ifrst time since 1870, displayed a banner in honjphr of the-day. This is regarded as a proof of the friendly relations now existing between the French and Oerman Governments. The Russian Imperial Chancellor conveyed to General von Schweinitz, the German Ambassador at St. Petersburg, his congratulations upon the anniversary of the Emperor William's birthday, and at the same time presented his Excellency with the Grand Cross of the Order of Alexander Newsky. Count Munster gave a dinner at the German Embassy in London, in cele- bration of the anniversary of the Emperor of Ger- many's birthday, his Imperial Majesty having completed his 81st year. Count Beusfc, Austrian Ambassador; Count Schouvaloff, Russian Ambas- sador; Count de Bylandt, Netherlands Minister, and the personnel of the Embassy were present. Cevers were laid for twenty-fenr. THE WILD FOWL PRESERVATION ACT.-A Supplementary Order has been issued by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, altering the close time for wild geese in the county of Wigtown. An prder was issued a week or two ago, varying the close time for all wild fowl in that county so as to be from March 15 to August 1. An exception is now made in regard to wild geese, the close time for which will ex- tend from May I to October 1. Wild geese were not originally included in the schedule of protected birds under the Wild Birds Act of 1872, and their omission was recommended by the committee of the British Association, which took up the question of bird pro- tection. They were, however, specially included in the Wild Fowl Protection Act of 1876, under which the above order has been made. With the above ex- ception, the close time for wild fowl has now com- menced throngho'" the United Kinsrdom. 8m JOSEPH BAZALGETTE, the engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works, at a recent meeting submitted a plan to the Board for the construction of a new bridge across the Thames from below the Tower to the southern approach of Tooley-street. He pro- poses that it shall consist of one arch, under which any vessel may pass, and he estimates the cost at a million and a quarter sterling. The report embody- ing this proposal was adopted. THE GOOD TEMPLARS.—The split inthetemper- ince organisation known as the "Good Templars" is :o be adjudicated upon by a court of law, Dr. F. R. Lees having commenced an action to have it declared -bat he, as "Grand Worthy Chief Templar of England," is entitled to have charge of the charter and 'ituals of the Grand Lodge. The dissension in the ociety has reference to the question of the admis- ion of negroes as members.

AN IMPOSTOR IN A BATH CHAIR. ?»iajor Q-erersl C H. Blunt, Honorary Secretary o? tn*- be Ai&cylebona fy Committee, has giv n the following account t)t a clt-v^r ltiipos-sure A decent lodging house keefer called at our office on Saturday in much trouble. A tidily dr<.sstd, sickly- loobinsf wom,n came to her house about ten d tja "go in a Bath chair, and elgpged au apartment. Tne landlady incautiously waived the usual reference, in- fluenced by the apparent respectability of the appli- cant, but more so by her statement that she came recommended by a lady living in a terrace which seemed to guarantee the social status of the voucher, whose name and address she gave. After a. while there appeared symp- toms of impecuniositv; a little loan was asked for, and granted. Small current bills were not settled, and finally the woman was brought home in a cAb by a policeman, either drunk or in a fit; and having been admitted, she took to her bed, and defied the landlady to get rid of her if she could. Under these circum- stances the landlady thought it prudent to make a call on the lady in the terrace, and there learned the following particulars: The woman, till then a stranger, was seen at the garden ga!>>, apparently in great pain, was taken into tho hoi»s?, given tea, &2., and despatched, with some shillings in her pocket, in the B&th chair (as was supposed) to her lodgings. At the suggestion of t?<is lady, the landlady then came to our office for advice, liecognising, as we did (so far as recognition was possible wnbont a personal interview) an old acquaintance not only of cur own committee but of several other couimittces of the Charity Organisation Society, metropolitan and pro vinciai, we could not offhand cut the knot uniting lar.dlord and tenant; but we recolllmencltd the land- lady to place herself in the hands of n respectable solicitor. Being anxious to complete the identifica- tion, we sent next morning to inquire how things were going on, and learned that while the landlady was at our office the servant had occasion to go into th", lodger's room, and mentioned that her mis- tress had gone to the office of the Charity Organi- sation Society to ask advico. The effect of this an- nouncement was miraculous; the lodger, who had been reclining apparently in much pain on her bed, jumped up, and cuclarirg a a change of vir" to Begent's-park eeBentiai, sent for a cab and made a speedy exit. The landlady has got rid of her unsatis- factory tenant. We should, however, like to warn all whom it may concern against a thin, quiet, and respectable-looking woman neatly dressed, who has lost nearly all her front teeth; she is known to us by the names of Fraser, Randall, and Marsh; sbe usually faints and states she is suffering from cancer.

THE ENCLOSURE COMMISSION. The 33rd annual report of this Commission states that inquiries have been completed in the cases of Llanfair-hills, in Salop, and Orford, in Suffolk. The necessary contents having been signified to the enclo- sures, the Commissioners certify that it is expedient that the provisional orders in these two cases should be confirmed by Parliameit, upon the condition a required for the benefit of the neighbourhood. The Commis- sioners add In pursuance of section ? of the Com- mons Act, 1876, we rf quested reports to be made to us by managers of recreation grounds and field gardens in regard to their management and condition, and the application of the rents received. These reports have reference to enclosures made prior to the Act of 1876; and, when sending out the forms, there was trana- mitted, for the information of the authorities in each case, a statement in the provisions in that Act enabling the sale of unsuitable allotments, and thø purchase of other land better adapted and also those for letting field-gardens at the best rent when not required by the poor inhabitants. At the same time attention was drawn to the new provisions for the applica- tion of surplus rents with the view of preventing any misapplication of them in future. Out of 283 reports received on recreation grounds, 172 appeared to be generally used, forty-two are stated to be used very little, and sixty-nine are not used at all. Of 312 re- ports on field-gardens, in 246 cases the land is let for gardens, and in sixty-six it is not let. In 213 cases there is said to be land sufficient for the demand in thirty-three more land would be taken were it to be had. In the cases where the land is not let for gardens, the reasons chiefly stated ara that it is not conveniently situated, unfit, or not re- quired by reason either of other and better land being available, or of all the cottager being already supplied with sufficient gardens. In fu ure enclosures the enlarged powers giv n by the Comii ous Act, 1876, will enable us to secure land both convenient and suitable for recreation and gardens Hitherto the surplus rents appear to have been ustd in a variety of ways for the public benefit, but not uniLrmly in aid of the poor or highway rates as requ cd t y the Act provious to 1876 But under the pro visions of the Commons Act, 1876, these irregularities will be broqght under control. The number of aop. cations of all kinds under the Enclosure Acts, 1845 to 1876, has been 7533. The number of applications since the last annual report is 206."

ANOTHER LUNATIC AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. —Charles Richard Roberts, 34, described as a coach- man? was charged before Mr. Vaughan, at the Bow- street Police-court, London, as a man deemed to be a lunatic, wandering at large." George Starr, police- inspector, said that on Tuesday afternoon, during the levee, the prisoner came up to him near Buckingham Palace, and said be wanted to see the Queen, his mother. He said the palace WI" his home. He had been born there, and was taken away in his infancy. He was a relation of the Prince of Wales; that was his position. He added that for years past he had been under the impression that he ought to come there till he was raised. He was taken to the station, where he was examined by Dr. Bond, divisional surgeon, who pro- nounced him insane, and signed a certificate to that cffect. Mr. Vaughan: What have you te say to this? The Prisoner: That's my rights. Mr. Vaughan: Oh, these are your rights? Prisoner: Yes, there's no doubt of that. Mr. Vaughan: Have you any friends ? The Prisoner: None here, but some abroad, in Canterbury. Mr. Vaughan Can- terbury ? The Prisoner: Canterbury, in New Zealand. Mr. Vaughan: How long have you been in London ? The Prisoner: Three years, as nearly as I can remember. Mr. Vaughan: What have you been doing ? The Prisoner: When I first came to London, within a week or two, I went a little strange in my head, and went to the House of Deten- tion till I got right; and then I went on working and working till I traced my home. Mr. Vaughan: The llest thing you can do is to go somewhere wheee you can get right again. Let him be taken to the work- house for a week. The prisoner was then removed. SAD CASE AT THE MANSION HOUSE POLICB- QOUET, LONDON.—At the Mansion House Police-court, London, Louisa Vidler, aged 57 years, whose appear- ance and manners showed that, in spite of her poor drew and distressed condition, she had known better days, waa charged before Mr. Alderman Hadley with being intoxicated, and whlle in that state stealing a watch and chain belonging t# Mr. Greaves, a ship- broker, on the previous eveaing. Mr. Alderman 11 1,, '3g Hadley, thinking he had Had her previously before him, casually asked her when she was last in the Mansion House. She replied that she had not been there since 1854, when she came, dreaa d is white satin, to a ball givjn by har uncle, Mr. Alderman John Johnson, who was then Lord Mayor. Thia statement created some surprise. Mr. Alderman Hadley, dealing with her for the unlawful possession of the watch and chain, sentenced hJr to twenty-one days' hard labour, but afterwards at the request of the prosecutor, who pleaded for her, he called her back and discharged her. HEALTH OF SCOTLAND.-The Registrar- General reports 2473 deaths in the eight prin- cipal towns of Scotland in February, being 368 under the last ten years' average for February, allow- ing for increase of population. The mortality in the great city of Glasgow was at the (annual) rate of 24 per 1000 persons, and in Edinburgh and Aberdeen the mortality was 25, and in Paisley 34 per 1000. The deaths from zymotic (epidemic and contagtbus) diseases constituted 17 5 per cent. of the whole mortality, 4'6 per cent. being from whooping-cough. In Paisley 8 per cent. of the deaths were caused by fever. The only death from small-pox oscurred in Aberdeen. There were 4 suicides in the eight towns, and 13 deaths from intemperance or delirium tremens. There were 3406 births. The 543 marriages were 84 below the average, and this follows a deficiency of 107 in the preceding month. February, 1878, is reported an un- usually fine month, with higk mean temperature, little rain, little wind, and that chiefly from west-south west. A WILL CASE.—The will of a maiaen lady named Rowbotham, a resident in Derbyshire, was the subject of dispute in the Chancery Division. She had intended leaving her property to charities, but finding that the Mortmain Act interfered with this purpose, she bequeathed it to her solicitor, Mr. Dan- nett, and another gentleman since dead. The next of kin disputed the will, on the ground that there was a secret trust to evade the Mortmain Act. The de- ceased had stated that there was not; and Mr. Dun- nett swore to the same effect. Under these circum stances, although Vice-Chancellor Malins thought it was a case of sailing very near the wind, Ge dismissed the action, but without costs. Printed and published by the proprietor, JOHN CONWYSO* EOBEBTS, at his General Printing Office, No. 1, Eben's lane, Cardigan, in the parish of Saint Mary's im the County of Cardigan.—Saturday, March 30, ti78.