The Aberdare Times

SINGULAR PROOF OF A MURDER. The Davenport (U.S.) Gazette recently published the following remarkable story :— In May, 1863, two Californian emigrants called at a farmhouse at Brooklyn, Poweshiek county, to spend the night. They appeared to he brothers, but not on the best terms. They left the next morning, and about a week afterwards a woman, looking for a cow in a neighbouring timber tract, found the headless body of a man. A further search resulted in the dis- covery of the head hid under some leaves, and in a singularly perfect state. The head was identified as that of the younger of the two brothers. Every effort was made to track the murderer without success, although he had been seen alone the day following the time when they were seen together. Dr. Conway, of Brooklyn, with remarkable sagacity, secured the head and preserved it in spirits. Nothing more transpired until early in June last, when a young man, named Vincent, living at Cambridge, Illinois, was arrested on suspicion of being the murderer. At this examination it was shown that rather more than three years ago Vincent left Cambridge with his cousin, Claiborne Showers, for the West, and after an ab- sence of two years or more returned alone, denying all knowledge of the whereabout of Showers. It was claimed that the time of the departure from Cam- bridge corresponded so nearly with the date of the murder near Brooklyn as to leave intervening days enough to allow for the journey from one point to the other. But the real difficulty was seen to lie in the identification of the murdered body. To meet this Dr. Conway was in attendance, and in the crowded court-room, in the presence of several hundred persons who well knew young Showers, that gentle- man opened a tin pail, the top of which was covered with black oilcloth closely tied down, and to the as- tonishment and horror of the beholders, exhibited a human head, the perfect features of which were at once and positively identified, by hundreds of persons, at to the countenance of Claiborne Showers! This evidence was deemed unanswerable, and the prisoner was remanded.

A VISIT TO THE WOUNDED. The Vienna correspondent of the Times thus de- scribes a visit to the unfortunate wounded :— The wounded who are here now must amount to more than 10,000, and Josephstadt and Koniggratz contain many more. Many were left in Brunn. The day of my arrival here, though somewhat jaded by my journey on the artil- lery truck, I went round some of the hospitals in company with Colonel Crealock, Colonel Probyn, and others, and found the wounded were all provided for in the most careful and kindly manner. The first place we visited was the temporary hospital in the Exhibition Building in the Prater. There was something painful in the announcements of articles of finery and luxury stuck on the walls over the heads of mutilated men, for the show-bills and advertisements of the tradespeople and exhibitors were still on the boards of the great sheds which had served for the Vienna Exhibition. As long as the weather continues fine the sheds are well adapted for the purpose. They are lofty and well ventilated, and the only objection to be found was that the glass win- dows let in too much light and sunshine. The beds were all in good order, in double rows, with avenues between for attendants and visitors. Many ladles attend voluntarily, and we saw them distributing cigars and little gifts in money to the poor wounded soldiers, who repaid them with smiles and thanks. Most of the wounded were doing well, for they were slight cases of men shot in the leg or arm. One man, who was shet in two places, showed us with triumph a needle-gun which he had taken at Koniggratz and carrted off, hard hit as he was, from the Prussian he had bayoneted. The soldier was a Hungarian Jew, with red hair and grey eyes, and just as tough a looking fellow as one would like to see by his side in a melee. He explained the action of the weapon, which I recognised as the type of a breech-loader which a German used to exhibit about 16 years ago at Lord Ranelagh's grounds at Fulham, which did not then attract much attention, though many gunmakers and sportsmen were wont to attend those reunions. It was heavier than our old Brown Bess, and was then clumsily finished. If a bad one does so well, what may we expect from a good one ? There were about 200 wounded in this building, most of whom were doing well, though the seal of death was on some faces, and we passed sorrowfully by one couch on whieh lay a major who had his thigh amputated, and who had seven bullets in him—a splendid face and a fine form. But, alas the fingers were clutching uneasily at the quilt, the eyes were flickering, the breathing was lew and quick, and we knew the poor fellow would never see bis father's rooftree again. Next we proceeded to a chateau in the Augarten, given up, as I understood, by the Emperor to wounded officers. I fear we disturbed the group of wounded men who were sitting in the shade of some fine trees, but they did not appear to take the visit at all amiss, and talked of the war and its events with animation and interest. Every attention seemed to be paid to them, and every appliance in the way of easy chairs, lounges, andthelike, was at their disposal. Thence we visited the New Realschule, in Wieden, which had just been pre- pared for the reception of 100 patients, who were provided for by a society of charitable ladies. Count Chotek, a relative of the gentleman so well known in London from his long con- nexion with the Austrian Embassy, was in charge of the arrangements, which deserve every praise. Amid the wounded men moved the fair Viennese types of Florence Nightingale in their blessed labours, and sisters of charity were there dressing wounds, preparing medicines, reading by the bed- sides, or engaged in numberless offices of charity and benevolence. All these ladies are, however, subject to the strict control of Count Chetek and his staff. In this, as in all other hospitals, the soldiers were permitted to smoke their cigars and pipes, and evinced the liveliest gratitude at the tobacco gifts of their visi- tors It was a perfect comfort to see how the poor fellows were solaced in the midst of their pains by the much objur- gated Indian weed, but I suppose every man In Fort Pitt or Netley might perish before he would be permitted to smoke in one of the wards. In the Gumpendorf barracks, in the Schwartenberg, in the Gartenburgh Geschellschaft, the same scenes were repeated over and over again, and we saw more than enough to prove that the Austrians are kind and skil- ful and that Viennese are tender and benevolent. To visit all'the hospitals would be a Herculean task, or at least a tedious one. Is not nearly every house of the better sort in this capital a hospital 1 Are not rich and poor opening their doors to the wounded, and tending them according to their means ? If war makes victims it developes many a noble sentiment, and if it kills, war cures, too,—cures us of selfish- ness and sloth, and reveals in soldier and in citizen a dual nature of whieh the merits of one go far to compensate for the evils wrought by the other. As fast as the men get at all well they desire to go back to their regiments. We were amused at the vehemence with which one poor fellow con- tradicted his nurse. He is sorely wounded," quoth the goo4 dame. "Neln! Dew. he gruuted fiercely, "Nicht schwer verwundet! leicht verwundet." The nurse was right. How long these poor fellows will be left to get well it Is im- possible to say, for the Prussians are advancing, and if they continue to have the same fortune as has hitherto attended them in the field they will be in Vienna one of these fine days almost as soon as their friends prophesy.

THE KING OF PRUSSIA ON THE BATTLE OF KONIGGRATZ. The following letter from the King of Prussia to the Queen has been communicated to a private circle. It con- tains an interesting account of the great battle of the 3rd:- Horzitz, July 4, 1866. Fritz (the Crown Prince) left me at 2, and Karl (Prince Frederick Charles) at 3 in the afternoon, after a council of war, at which it was resolved to grant the troops, exhausted by marches and engagements, one or two days' rest. At half-past 10 p.m., however, General Voigts-Rhetz came to me again, to report the result of the day's reconnoitering, which was to the effect that large masses of the enemy had been moving from Josephstadt to Koniggratz on this side of the Elbe from 8 o'clock in the morning till 3. Prisoners stated that the army was concentrated round Konig- gratz between the Elbe and the Bistritz. It was, therefore, proposed to me to take advantage of the favourable circumstance that the enemy seemed in- clined to fight upon this side of the Elbe, and to offer him battle. For this purpose the First Army was to take up its position with the second, third, and fourth corps in the centre, having Sadowa in its front; General Herwarth, with his one and a half corps, to take the enemy in the left flank from Nechanitz; and Fritz, with the Second Army, the Guards, the first, fifth, and sixth corps, advancing from Koniginhof— with his left wing to the left of the Elbe—to attack the hostile right. It was not till midnight that I had arranged every- thing with General Moltke, and appointed my start to take place at 5 a.m., the army havine to commence its march at 2. I had nearly four (German) miles to drive, and could not yet feel sure of the correctness of the surmise that the enemy was on this side of the Elbe. But its truth was ascertained only too soon. When I mounted my horse at the little village of Dub it was raining, and the rain lasted, with short inter- ruptions, throughout the day. Even at that time, when driving past the troops, I was continually cheered. The battle began just at eight o'clock, with the ar- tillery fire of the Second Corps, as I arrived at Sadowa, and took up my position upon a hill; this corps was on my right. The Horn Division (the 8th) crossed the Bistritz at Sadowa aud attacked the wooded heights in front, but gained little ground owing to the obstinacy of the defence. The 7th Division (Franserky) extended itself upon the left with a similar undecided result. Herwarth, advancing from Nechanitz, came after an hour and a half into the fight, which was constantly maintained by us for five hours, and consisted mainly in an artillery contest, intermixed with infantry at- tacks upon the wooded mountains. We awaited the arrival of the Second Army with longing, for in this long artillery duel our batteries several times expended their reserve ammunition. The infantry contest vacillated backwards and forwards. At last we dis- covered the first signs of the approach of the Guards, but were unable to see the attack which took place on the other side of a hill, and we could only guess at it from the enemy's flank position. Notwithstanding this, however, and in spite of Herwarth's gradual, but very slow, advance the enemy still stood firm in the centre. The 9th Brigade (Schimmelmann), the body-guard, and the 48th Regiment were now pushed forward to support the attack upon the centre. I rode through the regiments, which received me with loud cheers, while the bands played Heil Dir (the Prus- sian national hymn) in marching—a thrilling moment! Suddenly the artillery fire in the centre slackened, and cavalry was asked for—a proof that the enemy began to waver. I now quitted my post, as victory began to declare itself through the flank attack of the second army, and rode forward with the cavalry. Here I first came upon the second Guards division and the Fusilier Guards in full advance, tambour battant, with twelve just captured guns in the midst. The enthu- siasm that burst forth when these troops saw me is indescribable. The officers rushed to kiss my hands, which I was this time obliged to allow, and so it went on, under fire certainly, but ever forwards, and from one troop to another, everywhere greeted bj never- ending hurrahs. These are moments one must have lived through to understand, to comprehend. In this way I met the troops of the 1st, 6th, and 5th Army Corps; also an infantry regiment; only the 8th Jager battalion of the 8th corps, and the 17th Regiment of the 7th; the others were too far advanced in pursuit of the enemy. Our cavalry now burnt forward, and a murderous cavalry engagement took place right before my eyes. The enemy was completely overthrown, and the scene, which I rode over directly afterwards, pre- sented a horrid spectacle, stiewn with cut down Aus- trians, dead and alive. Thus the infantry again ad- vanced to the valley bordering on the Elbe, when from the other bank ensued very heavy grenade fire, under which I came, but was withdrawn by Bismark's serious remonstrances. I still continued riding about to greet troops I had not yet seen, when I met Mutius, Wurtemberg, and Bonin. All these meetings were indescribable. Steinmetz and Herwarth I did not see. What a sight the battle-field presented. We counted thirty-five guns, but fifty seem to have been taken, also several flags. In all directions lay heaps of mus- kets, knapsacks, and cartridge-boxes. Up to the pre- sent we have 10,000 prisoners 50 captured officers are here. But now for the reverse of the medal. Our loss is not yet ascertained, but it is large. You will have heard that General Hiller, of the Guard, has fallen— a great loss. Anton Hohenzollern has four bullets in his leg I have not heard how he is going on; he is said to have shown immense bravery. Erckert is badly wounded; also Colonel Obernitz, in the head. The 1st Guards have suffered so heavily, that two batta- lions have been formed into one. You may fancy how great was my excitement, and of the most various kind —joy and sorrow. At eight o'clock I at last met Fritz with his staff. What a moment after all we had gone through, and on the evening of such a day! I gave him the order Pour le Merite with my own hands. The tears poured down his cheeks, for he had not re- ceived my telegram granting the distinction—therefore a complete surprise. More verbally when we meet. I did not reach here until ten, without any prepara- tions, so had to camp upon a sofa.

GREAT REFORM DEMONSTRATION IN LONDON. The following particulars of the Reform Demon- stration" which took place in Hyde-park, on Monday evening, are extracted from the Daily News of Tuesday:— The Reform meeting in Hyde-park, promised by the Re- form League, and tnreatened with suppression by police notices, and a Ministerial statement from Mr. Walpole in the House of Commons, which was held on Monday evening, by the wanton interference of the police, was made an occa- sion of disorder and even bloodshed. The park was closed with every demonstration of hostility against the people, to whom it was supposed to belong and was taken possession of by the civil and military authorities. The good-humour and enthusiasm which prevailed during the earlier part of the evening changed to considerable violence, under which pro- perty was destroyed, and life and limb endangered. Early on Monday afternoon a notice was extensively posted throughout London, signed by Sir Richard Mayne, stating that Hyde-park gates would be closed to the public at five o'clock. The committee of the Reform League met to conclude their arrangements, and an earnest resolve was expressed not to abandon what they considered their clear line of duty. Minute orders had been issued to the branches in different parts of the metropolis, directing the time, place, and manner of assembling, and urging in the strongest terms the necessity of keeping order and exercising the utmost forbearance. The numerous processions were to march with banners and music to the Marble Arllh, where properly appointed persons on their behalf would demand admittance, if necessary. So early as three o'clock crowds were assembling in Hyde-park and the adjacent streets, and by five o'clock thousands were standing near the chief entrances. When large bodies of police, on foot or mounted, passed into the park and took up their positions, they were groaned at and hissed, and those demonstrations were intensified when a body of foot soldiers, with fixed bayonets, followed their blue-coated brethren. At five o'clock the park gates were closed, and strong forces of police were stationed inside. The carriages being driven about the walks, and the thousands of persons stroll- ing on the grass, were allowed to leave if they chose, but new admissions were rigorously refused. The clouds that col- lected from this time outside the railings were beyond numbering. At Hyde-park-corner, along Park-lane, but par- ticularly at the Marble-Arch, where it was known entrance would be formally demanded, the people were wedged to- gether in every direction. On the whole it was a good- humoured crowd. At Hyde-park-corner they amused them- selves by "chaffing" all ranks and conditions of passers-by. Streams of well-dressed persons rendered Park-lane almost impassable, and a block would occur at each police-guarded gate. It was generally pointed out that the windows of Mr. Disraeli's house at Grosvenor-gate were well protected by stout wooden blinds on the outside. Before the Marble Arch, far up into Great Cumberland-street, stood one thick crowd of both sexes, whose safety was imperilled by the vehicles that had to force their passage through. The police were at first posted inside the gates, but a few missiles, now a stone and then a stick, were thrown, and the men were then marched outside. A line of ordinary policemen, in a semi-circle, stood before the gates, protected in front -by mounted constables. As a rule they behaved with patience and forbearance. We happened to see one mounted sergeant receive a heavy stone full against his breast, and he com- manded himself sufficiently to appear as if he liked it rather than otherwise. With the exception, however, of the un- meaning stone-throwing just mentioned, the waiting hours were spent in joking, laughing, smoking, and chatting. The housetops and balconies overlooking the park were occupied by large numbers of ladies. One portion of the crowd was much amused by an oration from a gentleman who held forth from the step of a Hansom cab. He said, when asked who he was, he was the Hon. Charles Hugh Clifford, son of the late Lord Clifford. The approach of the procession was signalled by the people beyond the Marble Arch, who caught sight of them coming down one of the side streets. As soon as the banners were seen a cheer was raised from ten thousand throats, and a space was opened for the leaders to pass along to the gates. The procession route maintained the finest discipline—was headed by a couple of carriages, the foremost containing Mr. E. Beales, Colonel Dickson, Mr. Geo. Breoke, and other prominent members of the Reform League. As Mr. Beales and his friends neared the cordon of police before the gates the cheers increased, and hats were vigorously waved. With unmistakable enthusiasm, but decently and in order, Mr. Beales and two or three friends were assisted from their carriage, and escorted towards the gate. Addressing the nearest mounted officer, Mr. Beales requested a quiet ad- mittance to the park the officer told him he could not go in, and to Mr. Beales' question "Why?" he said, "I have authority to prevent you." Mr. Beales asked who gave him the authority? and the reply was, "Our commissioner." Mr. Beales. remarking that the "parks were the property of the people," made a movement as if he would pass the line of police, when a tall policeman, thrusting the end of his truncheon into Mr. Beales' chest, pushed him with more rudeness than was necessary a foot or two back. There were loud cries of "Shame" at this prompt interference, and things began to wear an alarming aspect, when Mr. Beales, still keeping his ground, and apparently pressing his right to be admitted, was, so far as could be seen, collared by a couple of policemen, but certainly subjected to such treatment that his coat was torn across the shoulder. Dur- ing the confusion that prevailed one or two gentlemen had got within the line of police, and the ofiicers were evidently so disorganised that a slight effort on the part of the crowd would have broken their line completely. Colonel Dickson and Mr. Wolterton were both assaulted by a policeman whose number is known, and the latter gentleman demanded the name of a mounted superintendent who refused him ad- mittance to the park, which the policeman declined to give. The leaders of the Reform party thus repulsed stepped back into their carriages amidst loud cheering, and a little murmuring on the part of those whose curiosity woula perhaps have been better satisfied had resistance been carried further. As much of the procession M could be organized in the dense mass, variously estimated at from a hundred to two hundred thousand persons, followed to carriages of the committee towards which they proceeded, gathering force of the tradesmen along the route as their shops, were to be seen hastily ^88^g °ut their shutters m it they feared robbery U not murder, while every window was crowded with spectators. Some idea of 1 the procession may be gathered from the fact that when the first portion was turning into Pall-Mall a large number were still in Piccadilly. In passing through St. James's-street some police were visible for the first time after leaving Hyde-park. About six officers were drawn across the entrance to the narrow street in which Lord Elcho lives. The crowd, who had apparently forgotten their proximity to his lordship's residence, became aware of it tram the policemen, and without halting for a moment passed on with a loud laugh. Hearty cheers for the Prince of Wales were given on passing Marlborough-house; but upon Hearing the Carlton Club the disapprobation that had been expressed on passing the Wellington and Conservative Clubs became a perfect roar of hooting and groaning, which was not diminished when it was perceived that a small detachment of police were posted at the entrance. The few members who were to be seen rushed from their dinner tables, napkin in hand, and one or two of the younger kissed their hands with as- sumed condescension to the moving crowd. A step or two further, and there was a general halt and cheering at the Reform Club. Another halt took place near the Guards' Memorial, and three cheers were given for "Gladstone." 1 The meeting in Trafalgar-square was brief, and the speeches were confined to the proposing and seconding of two resolutions. The first urged the prosecution of lawful and constitutional means for the extension of the franchise; the second, conveyed thanks to Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright, and others, for being faithful to the cause, while others had basely deserted it. These resolutions were carried with acclamation. While the main body of reformers were marching to Trafalgar-square, more exciting and less desirable pursuits engaged the attention of the crowds, who remained at Hyde park. An eye-witness gives the following account:— Such a scene as occurred on Monday evening at the Marble Arch has not been witnessed in this peaceful country for many a long day—not, certainly, since the worst days of the Burdett riots. It was a sight that few indeed could believe possible to see a squadron of Life Guards, withdrawn swords, entering the park, as if a battle was raging, and the Foot Guards drawn up in battle array inside the park, with num- berless policemen posted on all the strong points. The crowd in front of the Marble Arch were astonished at the sight of the military, and naturally imagined that some dreadful riot was going on which endangered the lives of the inhabitants and the safety of their property. When they learnt that there was no riot, and that no violence was at- tempted except to the Iron railings and the gates of the park, which had been locked to prevent their entering their own park, no sounds of execration were loud enough to express their indignation. The Guards had to hear themselves called "butchers," and to be threatened with all sorts of retribution in the shape of stopping their pay. How it was that the military were thus called in to insult the people, and to suffer all this indignity, which they evidently did, must be left to the Home Secretary and Sir Richard Mayne. Anyone who, like the writer, was in the thickest of the crowd when the iron railings were charged and broken down, will bear witness to the first blows being struck by the police. And there were not many of these, for the fight was unequal; the crowd, never intending to fight, had come with no weapons, and they overcame the police simply as a river breaks through Its muddy bank. They swept over the breach, when once formed, in Park-lane, while the police stood guarding the prostrate iron rails and stones in solemn stupidity and amazement; they committed no violence except in self- defence, and when a little crowd in any part was charged by the mounted police, then a bough or a piece of dirt, or very rarely a stone, was flung, but with very small effect, and the valiant police seemed to delight in showing their prowess in riding down harmless sight-seers. If the matter had stopped here, we could have smiled over their gallant achievements, but when the Life Guards appeared on the scene about eight o'clock, and deliberately drew up in line to charge, the fun of having "licked" the Bobbies and got into the park was changed into a storm of hisses and hootings, amidst which the people were charged and tram- pled upon till they escaped within the rails. This squadron, however, soon moved away further round the park, and then the people were left again to the mounted police, who were more furious than the soldiers, and less effective. The staff seemed to have taken up a position immediately inside the Marble Arch, in front of the Foot Guards, the officer of which regiment was engaged with Sir R. Mayne. There was, however, no reading of the Riot Act, and the whole ordering of the field appeared to be in the hands of Sir R. Mayne. Soon after the first detachment of Guards from Knightsbridge moved off, a eloud of dust and loud shouts told that the left flank of the position had been successfully stormed, and the people again came rushing in laughing at the awful exertions of the, mounted police, who were left powerless on the wrong side of the rails. The struggle was now over; it was about half-past eight, and the crowd were moving about the shrubbery, some gaping at the fallen rails, which extended along the greater part of the Bayswater- road, others looking on at the Life Guards, drawn up on the opposite side of the park-road. while no small merriment was kept up by the frantic charges of the twenty mounted police up and down the road—at nothing. As to any pretence ef clearing the road or preventing any mischievous proceedings, nothing could be more ludicrously absurd. There was no sort of disposition to riot or to do anything but talk over the affair as a triumph over what was felt to be a tyrannical interference with the liberty of the people. The Reform meeting party had the smallest possible connection with it all, they never tried to enter the park, and the whole attack arose from the affront of locking the gates at 5 o'clock. In fact, the Holborn League party had disappeared down Park-lane before the storming there commenced, and the feeling of the crowd was decidedly shown by their having broken down a lamp-post, and used it as a battering-ram, about an hour before the Reform procession arrived. The damage done to the pretty gardens which Mr. Cowper planted for the recreation of the people is considerable, and the iron railings and stone work are completely torn up, and those who visit the ground will be rather astonished at the amount of demolition that has been so needlessly brought about by this policy of interference on the part of the Home Office and the police. At a late hour persons were to be seen leaving St. George's Hospital, with bandaged arms and plastered faces, and mothers anxiously inquiring for children were collected around the steps. The soldiers, still with bayonets fixed, on leaving the park shortly before 12 o'clock, were hooted by some thousands of miscellaneous spectators, and the Life Guards patrolling Park-lane were having a similar reception. That locality presented a most remarkable appearance. At short distances apart groups were collected around what had first seemed to be bonfires, but which were really flames issuing from the gaspipes which had been broken off like straws when the rallings were knocked down. By the light of these weird illuminations some hundreds of policemen, foot soldiers, and cavalry could be seen drawn up within the park. The Marble Arch entrance was guarded as closely as ever, for what purpose it was difficult to see, as civilians in large numbers had obtained an entrance to the park.

Another correspondent, in writing on the same sub- ject, says:— The famous Jesuit preacher of Vienna, Father Klinkow- stroem, last Sunday, In one of his impassioned sermons, made use of something like the following language:—"Neither Prussian needle gun nor Prussian ability; neither the num- bers of the enemy nor the bad generalship in our army, were the causes of our defeat at Koniggratz, but only your own sins. Religion exists no longer in Austria. A corrupt press; an immoral theatre; heretic newspapers and books the im- morality of the women, and the indeency of young girls in their unchaste dresses; the profligacy of the young men—these things have provoked the auger of the Lord, and it is only when we change our ungodly life we shall be victorious." It is not for me to gainsay these words the eloquent priest, whose piety and sincerity no one will doubt, ought to know his flock better than I do. I merely mention the circum- stance in a military point of view to show you that there are others besides myself who do not quite believe that the needle-gun has done all. Meanwhile, the Austrians are trying more material means than repentance for past sins. Breech-loaders are being fast made, and some will be im- mediately issued to each regiment. As rapidity of firing cannot be at once accomplished, something in lieu of it is being tried by multiplicity of missiles, which it is believed may be of use at close quarter. The bullets are divided into five parts, which at fifty yards disunite and scatter. I can put little faith in this contrivance.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRUSSIAN NEEDLE-GUN. The ninth grand morning concert which took place last Saturday at the Crystal Palace was supplementei by an interesting description of the now-celebrated Prussian needle-gun, by Mr. Rochussen, in the lecture theatre in the tropical department. A needle-gun, similar in every re- spect to those which have been recently used m trer- many with such deadly effect, was lent for the purpose of exhibition and explanation by General i'eei, head of the War-office, and was examined with curious attention by thousands of persons during the y, having been placed in a conspicuous position nave of the building. „ f the mnat The simplicity of its construction is o nee(jle remarkable features in the weapon. • attached to Wt and after Uje balj, c^y the wort breech and the Bp^n„ jg released by pulling the triggCT° very much in the fashion of a toy gun, and the Sale is propelled through the cartndge and comes fcto contact with the fulminating material, which ex- Jdodes from friction in the same manner as a lucifer miii order to give elasticity and to prevent recoil the end of the bolt near the needle is tapered off, so that there is always a small chamber in the lock, which is vacant when the charge is by the action of the bolt pushed up into the breech, and to some extent the ex- plosion would be analogous to that of a rocket, the fire burning backwards and the small vacant chamber having the effect of producing perfect combustion, and burning up the paper of the cartridge. The portion of the breech in which the cartridge is jammed by the bolt being a little wider than the barrel, the compres- sion of the wad against the internal sides of the barrel in the act of propulsion has the effect of keeping it perfectly clean. Mr. Rochussen explained that the invention was onginally that of a. Frenchman named M. Pauly, who hit upon the expedient of exploding a cartridge by the propulsion of a needle in a muzzle-loading gun, and submitted his invention to Napoleon the First, in 1811 or 1812, but the Emperor was then so much engaged that he could not give his attention to the subject of a change of small arms, and after the battle of Waterloo and the consequent restoration of the peace of Europe, although M. Pauly submitted his invention to the government, the nations of Europe were so thoroughly exhausted with war that little attention was paid to it. and the invention was allowed to sleep until it was taken up in 1827 by an ingenious mechanician named Nicolas Dreyse, who made some improvements in it, and two years latersubmitted it to the Prussian govern- ment, who immediately perceived its importance, gave private instructions to Dreyse to proceed with his ex- periments and improvements, and supplied him with money for that purpose; the result being that the weapon was from time to time improved, until 1841, when it was considered perfect enough for employment on a large scale, and accordingly a sufficient number WeJG "^ufoctured; to arm the Prussian army with, and these weapons were distributed to 100"men in every battalion. In 1865 the Prussians possessed 665,000 needle-guns, and a power of production to the extent of 120,000 a year. The barrel was about thirty-two inches long and the whole weight of the gun lllbs. The Prussian government kept as secret as they could the ingredients of the fulminating powder which was placed between the ball and the gunpowder, but he believed it woald be found to consist, to a large extent, of chlorate of potasse, and it appeared from experiments that had been|^de that it would keep for any length of time.

ANOTHER SHOCKING AFFAIR IN AMERICA. The Montreal Gazette says that intense excitement has been created in the village of Buckingham, near Ottawa, by the discovery of the perpetration of a crime as deep and dark as perhaps the annals of the colony can show:— The body of an unknown woman, apparently of the middle class of society, was found floating in the Riviere des Lievres, which runs through the village. The body was in a very advanced state of decomposition, and had apparently been in the water for seven to eight weeks. An inquest was held, and a verdict returned of Found drowned," after which the body was buried in the Roman Catholic graveyard. The next day, however, rumours were current in the community that an invalid sister—an utter cripple—of the Episcopal clergyman of the village, the Rev. Jeremie Badin, had been for some weeks missed from her brother's house without anyone having knowledge of where she had gone. The body was exhumed, and the matter investigated. On the disinterment of the body, the clothing and corpse were recognised by the brother of the deceased. An investigation at once commenced, the reverend gentleman being summoned to give his evidence. He stated that the deceased, who was totally unable to walk had been placed under his charge, much against his inclination, last January, and, not wishing the fact of the existence of such a person to be known, he had not mentioned her presence to anyone. He further stated that in the middle of April he took her one evening, between eight and nine o'clock, in his cutter, part of the way to Ottawa, when, meeting by arrange- ment a man who was to take charge of her for a stipu lated sum, he delivered her into his hands. This man whose name he stated was Moise Ledeaux, had brought him a certificate of character from his priest and told him he resided near the Chaudiere. Mr. Babin further stated he could not recognise the man if he were to see him, could not accurately describe him had no written agreement, no receipt for 50 dols., which he paid him in advance could not tell the name of the priest whose certificate had been g!7en; and, furthermore, had not seen or inquired after his sister since he delivered her into his hands. These facts, together with the circumstances of the body having having been found on the edge of an eddy which extends nearly up to Mr. Babin's house- while, as he states, he took her ajt least two miles on her journey—and the neglect bf inquiries on her brother's part, threw a considerable amount of sus- picion on him as having been concerned at least in her disposal. He was consequently bound over to appear. while a warrant was issued for the apprehension of Moise Ledeaux. No such person, however, could be found; no such name was known in Ottawa, being neither on the assessment nor militia rolls. This part of the story, therefore, was found to be a fabrication, and the rev. gentleman was brought back to Bucking. ham, where he was shortly after arrested, and held to answer to the charge of being cognisant of the death of the party in question.

THE MARKETS. MAW LANE.—MONDAY. Fresh up to our market to-day the arrivals of home-grown wheat were very moderate, owing to the large importation and the fine weather. The trade for all qualities1 was very dull; even the few samples on offer were difficult of disposal, and prices were quite 3s. per quarter lower than on Monday last. The supply of foreign wheat on sale was tolerable large. In all descriptions sales progressed very slowly, and a decline of 2s. to 3s. per quarter took place in the quota- tions. Floating cargoes of wheat gave way in price 2s per quarter. Spring corn afloat declined Is. per qr. Very little HViuh barley was on sale, but the show of foreign produce was good. The trade was dull and prices declined Is. per or. Malt sold slowly, at barely late rates. Oats were in good supply, and the trade was very inactive, at Is. per qr. less money. Beans were in snort supply, yet the trade was dull, at Is per qr. less money. Peas declined in value to the extent of Is. per qr. The market was very moderately supplied. Flour was dull, and prices declined 3s. per 280 lb. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET—MONDAY. The supply of foreign stock on sale here to-day was exten- sive, and in fair average condition. The demand ruled steady, and prices were well supported. From our own grazing districts, as well as from Ireland and Scotland, the arrivals of beasts fresh up this morning were only moderate. both as to number and quality. Prime beasts moved off freely at prices fully equal to Monday last. Otherwise, the trade was very inactive, at late rates. The best Scots and crosses sold at 5s to 5s 8d per 81b. The supply from Lanark- shire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, was about 1000 shorthorns; from Norfolk, 200 Scots and crosses from other parts of England, 200 various breeds; from Scotland, 48 Scots and crosses; and from Ireland, 50 oxen, cows, and heifers. Towards the close of business some very inferior beasts realised 5s lOd and 6s per 81b. There was a fair average supply of sheep in the pens but the quality of each breed was only middling. Downs, half-breds, &c., moved off freely, at very full prices. Otherwise, the mutton trade was in a sluggish state, on former terms. Lambs were in moderate supply and fair request, at full prices-viz,, from Cs 8d to 8s per 81b. Calves commanded more attention on rather higher terms. Top price, 6s 4d per 81b. The deM for pigs was heavy, at late rates. POTATOES. These markets are fairly supplied with potatoes, the trade for which is steady, at about late rates. Regents, 100s. to 1408. Ware Shaws, 80s. to 100s. per ton. HOPS. Good and fine hops have been In improved request, at full prices, but inferior produce has met a slow sale at barely late rates. The accounts from the plantations are, on the whole, favourable, and In most districts a fair average yield. The import into London last week^con sisted of 8 bales from Antwerp, 4 Hamburgh, la Rotterdam, and 40 from Boulogne. WOOL. Tn colonial wool the transactions have been only to a limited extent. Nevertheless, the value of most qualities b- been fairly supported. English wool, although flrjr s- 11M met with but little attention.

THE CONTINENTAL WAR. GREAT NAVAL ENGAGEMENT BEFORE LISSA. VIENNA, July 21. Yesterday morning the Italian fleet, composed of twenty- 'hree ship?, including the ram Affondatore and twelve iron- clad frigates, was attacked, off the island of Lissa, by the Austrian squadron, under the commando! Admiral Tegethof. n the course of a severe action a large Italian iron-clad frigate was sunk by the Austrian iron-clad Ferdinand Max, and another Italian frigate was blown up. All on board these vessels were lost. The Austrian line-of-battle ship Kaiser was surrounded by four Italian iron-clad*, of which she ran down one, and forced the others back, losing in the ehgagement her foremast and bowsprit, twenty-two killed, *nd eighty-two wounded. The Austrian squadron has sus- tained exceedingly little damage, and is quite fit for action. jWter several hours' fighting the Italian fleet was driven Jack, pursued by the Austrian squadron, and the island of ^ssa is thereby relieved. The Italians made three attempts *° disembark troops near Comissa, which were each time successfully repulsed by the garrison. „ „„ 6 ZARA, July 20. .The Italian fleet renewed the attack on Lissa to-day, but without result. The Italian fleet was then attacked by the Austrian squadron under Admiral Tegethof, and after a seVere engagement, which lasted four orlive hours, was forced to retire in the direction of Ancona, followed by the Austrian "madron. The Timet of Monday, July 23rd, in a leader on the aWe engagement, makes the following remarks So far as the Italians are concerned, it is to be deplored that the suspension of hostilities was not accepted a few days earlier. The fortune of war has not befriended them by 8ea any more than by land. Indeed, their maritime disaster the island of Lissa is even more decisive than the defeat their army at Custozza At the moment that Italy, by a rare combination of cir- Jjlttstances, is so near the attainment of that unity and in- dependence for which she has been strivingso long, her exul- tation must be damped by the thought that the glorious Achievement has not been the result of her own victories, i^e outcry against the inaction of the Italian fleet under fcrsano has been very loud and general throughout Italy for weeks past If there was anything upon which public Opinion was agreed among the Italians, it was upon the yecided superiority of the Italian over the Austrian navy. was not merely a question of numerical superiority, although even-on that point the Italians were thought to be Woo to one as to vessels, men, guns, and horse-power. The Italian Government had been for several years purchasing iron- Jjads, rams, and Monitors in both hemispheres, and some of vessels, as the frigates Re d!Italia and Duca diGenova, ^ere looked upon as perfect models of naval architecture, ^ately we had heard the highest praise of the AJJondatore, a ram of formidable proportions, which had come up from f oulon to Genoa, and had joined the fleet at Ancona only a 'eir days ago. But, besides these material advantages, the ijalians set a high value on their sailors, and especially the **enoese, while the Venetians and Dalmatians, by whom the Austrian squadron was chiefly manned, were supposed to be disaffected as to be more formidable to their rulers than 5° their adversaries. With all these sanguine but natural seemingly well-grounded anticipations, the Italians were a loss to account for Persano's waste of so many precious ?»ys at Ancona. It was thought at first that his movements "jere to lie subservient to those of the army, and that his P*ans had been disconcerted by the rout of_ Custozza. But 2? the Army resumed the offensive, and Cialdini, crossing Po, marched upon Venice, the clamour against Persano higher and higher, and idle tales began to be bruited about of mutinies among the Neapolitan crews; of a strike the English engineers finally, of dissensions among Joe officers, with some of whom Persano is not so great a oero as with the mass of his countrymen. Yielding, as it seems, to the general uproar, Persano put J2 Se* on the 12th, but came back to Ancona after a cruise five days, reporting that he had scoured the Adriatic in »ery direction, but had been unable to fall in with the Q.^trfan squadron, which was safe at anchor in its harbour Pola, guarded not only by double rows of land batteries floating batteries at the water's edge, but also by a .oole shoal of torpedoes. The return of the fleet to r^cona, and the reason alleged, roused the wrath of Persano's g>Untrymen to such a pitch that the new Minister of Marine, Pretis, a personal friend of Persano, hastened Ancona and had an interview with the Admiral, i?e result of which was the immediate departure of fleet. It put to sea on the 17th, and on the following i0,ning came in sight of Lissa, a small but not unimportant r'and of Dalmatia, lying about forty-eight miles to the south- efjSpalatro, and boasting one of the best harbours in the ^riatic. On the 19th the Italian ironclads forced their way Jr,to Port St. George, the harbour on the eastern side of the and, after silencing the Austrian batteries by a seven <jlrs' cannonade, were preparing to land, when Vice-Ad- wj'al Albinl arrived with the news that Admiral Teghetoff, ltn the Austrian squadron, had left Pola, and was advanc- to the rescue of lissa. The Italians, whose attack upon Ch sa Was probably a mere demonstration intended as a oil aIlenge to the Austrian admiral, now stood off to sea, and the 20 th the long wished-for trial of strength arrived. Italian fleet consisted, it is said, of 23 vessels, of which Were ironclad frigates. Of the Austrian forcS we have account, though Admiral Teghetoff invariably calls it only •ijj^Quadron," while he designates the opposing force as a • Whatever divergence may be observed in the telegrams Vienna and Florence, there seems to be no doubt the Italians had the worse of the encounter, and al- J^igh the negotiations for peace are by no means so far J^^anced as to take from them all hope of retrieving the ir hour by a new appeal to arms, it may well be doubted ke.r Admiral Teghetoff, who has given as much proof of l*«cretion as of valour, when need called for it, will afford ett> another opportunity of meeting him in the open sea, y again leaving his safe anchorage. iJ'Je Morning Post views it as a matter for deep regret j?at this unfortunate engagement should have taken place. K,*8 needless to say that, whatever its result, the great issue the belligerents would be entirely unaffected. If, J? 'here is reason to believe, hostilities have been now vir- y terminated, this effusion of blood and destruction of Suable public property will have been utterly useless. The Standard says we shall now probably learn something Ut I about the real merits of the ironclads we have been ely equipping and sending to sea.

ACCEPTANCE OF AN ARMISTICE. SUSPENSION OF HOSTILITIES. PARIS, July 21. thp 6 Moniteur of this morning saysAustria has accepted <1UH ropusal of Prussia to abstain from any act of hostility t0 the five days in which the Court of Vienna will have oj jT^ify,Hs acceptance on the subject of the preliminaries Seat'S asserted on reliable authority that Austria has con- tra accede to the proposition of France and retire the Germanic Confederation, and to recognise a recon- dition of that body, in which she will take no part. ii ^on^itutionnel of this morning says :—" It appears the ^at P°rtant reasons counsel Austria to entertain for peace submitted to her by the Emperor and supported by the voice of Europe which called her not to reject them. The Emperor Napoleon, who ^j^diator, in preparing the bases of peace hag sought to Car *hem acceptable to Prussia, had also to take no less t° obtain the adhesion of Austria. The Emperor of ^wtria has too much regard for his sovereign dignity he <ta> 8 *00 well what he owes to himself as the chief of a great hi»n and what he owes to the people who are devoted to and his brave army which presses around him, ready cany out all the resolutions of heroism and despair to j^able to propose to them any other than an honourable which would jespect their legitimate susceptibilities." THE ARMISTICE REFUSED BY ITALY. w FLORENCE, Sunday Evening. conditions placed by Italy to her acceptance of the CUK^'ce, and communicated to Prussia and France, parti- by with respect to the Tyrol, have not yet been accepted Recording to the Italic the commanders of the Italian army We declared no suspension of hostilities can take place *wleen Austria and Italy before the present military move- »ee been completed and the Italian army corps have Jired a safe and regular position. j Austrian commander in Venetia have imposed ex- Ptthi^ Ty taxes, by way of fine, upon those localities where Vo? rejoicings took place in celebration of the cession of by Austria. rp, VIBNNA, July 22. armistice, to last for five days, between the Austrian Prussian armies, commenced at noon to-day. V~°unt Karolyi, Baron Brenner, and Feldzeugmeister have been on a mission to the Prussian head- ers. dispatches received here to-day from the Austrian head- tol^ters in the Tyrol announce that on the 21st Instant the w^Hy, who had occupied the Val di Sedro in great force, < attacked by the Austrian troops. Colonel Monlinsant the Monte Pichea, 6,000 feet in height, with three w'talions, and stormed Pieve di Ledra and Becece, where jAOOO Italians were stationed. He captured 1,000 prisoners, iio? Withdrew to his position on Monte Pichea, the enemy ^Venturing to pursue him. l^ajor General Kand, with a portion of his brigade and tj? brigade of Lieutenant Colonel Hoflern, drove back nj^heniy from their position in the direction of Condino, Illtt captured forty prisoners. The loss of the enemy, in ad- on to the prisoners taken, was very considerable. THE PRELIMINARIES OF PEACE. '1'h PARIS, July 23. t)*he following despatch from the Minister of the Interior c. been posted up this afternoon:— by Austria has accepted the preliminaries of peace admitted .jWvissia. The Plenipotentiaries have assembled at the '^V3aian head quarters in order to negotiate an armistice. ^Itb ^efinite reply of Italy is expected, but that Power has ifady admitted in principle the preliminaries of peace." preliminaries of peace proposed by Prussia, and ap- °»ed by France are as follows:— ^Austria to recognize the dissolution of theformer German *fhi1. and tbe organization of a new Confederation from Tjch she would be excluded. SThe North of Germany to form a union under the mili- and diplomatic direction of Prussia. 4,. 'Phe optional formation, of a union of South Germany as ■^dependent international body. „ Rational bonds between these two Unions. The annexation of the Elbe Duchies to Prussia, with the .^PUon of the Danish portion of Schleswig. « £ art payment by Austria of the Prussian war expenses. he maintenance of the integrity of Austria, with the of Venetia." conditions have been submitted by France to Austria, tf'^has already agreed to the first point, excluding her the Germanic Confederation to be re-organized by A SIA- i,. Apart from the demands submitted to Austria, Prussia to annex territory containing about 3,000,000 of habitants.

MISCELLANEOUS WAR ITEMS. present commander-in- chief of the Austrian troops Bnetia is Archduke Ralner. HYT inhabitants of Trent have been summoned to deliver J? aw arms in their possession to the Austrian authorities 'hin^ fortnight. *he Stockholm Exhibition the first prize for breech- Q~uers was awarded to the Hagstrom needle-gun. lhe a^ermnent has purchased the invention for 10,000 thalers, the troops are to be armed with this gun in the autumn. cJje King of Prussia has ordered the artist who ac- Ij^jPanied him to the army to make a painting of the of Koniggratz. A lithographic copy of this picture r1 he published for general circulation. ^everal members of the Imperial family of Austria, such \y.,he Archduke Charles Louis with his wife, the Archduke jj Uuain, the Archduchess Mary, wife of the Archduke and the daughters of the Archduke Albert, have S*fved from Vienna at Gratz, and will stay while the war at the castle of Eggenberg, near the latter town, he army of the King of Saxony consisted, after the battle i(w0ul8gratz, of 18,000 men and fifty-eight guns. It lost Ken in the battle. Subsequent reinforcements have leased Its strength to 25,000. t British officer of the Royal Artillery will be at once at- • (jy, with the sanction of the King of Prussia, tothehead- arters of the Prussian army, officer of the 4th Italian Army Corps writesOn from Calto to Gaiba we met a person in a carriage • rj.h a great tricoloured flag, shouting, Viva I Italia. Vittorio Emanuele!' The General of division sus- Wf him and had Mm arrested, and on him were found thp 3 from Jiovigo to the Austrians at Leguano. He got teWard he deserved; he was shot." tj^°iae of the Italian journals speak of a frightful catas- ^Phe at Piacenza. A small powder-mill blew up, and com- lcated the fire to a isxtory of cartridges, which likewise j^Woded. About sixty young women, some soldiers, and ^:eral civil labourers who were employed on the premises, all buried in the burning ruins. The exact number of dead and wounded is not yet known. HavT? Prussians, In their march on Vienna, contrary to the tactics of war, quietly passed four fortresses. The Konigstein, near Dresden; the second and third, a&rt ?^ratz and Josephstadt, in the northeastern Bohemia; the last and most formidable, Olmutz. Therienstadt, on ^fj^sibe, aear the frontier, has no guard set to b. Day atter day missing officers and privates are advertised for in the columns of the Berlin press, all persons having knowledge of them being entreated to communicato witn their son-owing friends. To those who have never seen a battle-field, n r visited hospitals the morrow aftu a n» the melancholy tenour of these inquires unveil somethm of the dreadful realities of war. Most of the missing are Austrians, whose relations, living on the borders of Turkey or in some lonely nook in the Alps, employ the Be press to ascertain the fate of a son, a brother, or, worst of ail, a lost husband and father. T, 1, Cantured military stores continue to arrive .at Hamburg every day from the arsenal at Stade, and on Friday two barees loaded with 5,000 cannon-balls of heavy calibre (24 and 36 pounders), being part of the loot, were despatched up the Elbe in tow of steam-tugs to Madgburg, whence they will be conveyed by railway to the seat of war on a special reauisltion from the War-office at Berlin, which would seem to imply that their own stock of ammunition was running short.Daily News correspondent. "You will know how near the enemy is to Vienna. If a battle be fought it will be, as regards numbers, on a par with the gigantic struggle in and before Leipsic, of October, 1813. Two hundred thousand men on either side stand opposed to each other. A question has been raised, what is to be done with the wounded that after the battle will be poured into Vienna ? With the modern refinements in the art of dealing destruction, it may be estimated that 40,000 will have to be provided for, in addition to those already here. In expectation of the wounded that will have to be provided for as soon as the battle which is confidently looked for takes place in the neighbourhood of Vienna, all the great military hospitals of the capital have been cleared of their inmates; and the wounded men have been carried out either in omnibuses or by rail to the villages and towns surround- ing Vienna."—Daily New. correspondent. This morning, the King of Hanover—or Duke of Cumber- land I suppose we ought to call him, now that his kingdom has melted into Prussia—arrived in Vienna, and took up his quarters at the Hanoverian embassy. A great deal of sympathy, especially in official circles, is felt here for this amiable refugee, who has certainly met with hard fortune at all hands. By the way, Lord Stanley's very prompt declaration of non-intervention in re Hanover v. Prussia has excited no little indignation amongst the Conservative and aristocratic party here. A very different line of action with respect to their Queen's first cousin was expected from the proverbially pugnacious Tories. I merely mention this en passant, reserving altogether my own opinion relative to the advisability of England mixing herself up in this huge Continental mess. Peace at any price,' however, is quite a new motto for the gallant house of Stanley!"—Vienna Correspondent of Daily Telegraph.

INCIDENTS OF THE WAR. The following interesting extracts are from" The Military Correspondent of The Times, with the Prussian Army," written from Neustadt, under date July 10 :— DESCRIPTION OF THE MARCH. A long march of twenty-five miles brought the head- quarters of the First Army to-day to this little town, which lies about fifty miles to the north-west of Brunn. The dwellings along the line of march were in keeping with the aspect of the country—low, dirty, and untidy, without any gardens, and, generally standing alone on the black hill side, they seemed fitting habitations for the squalid and starved-looking inhabitants who lounged in their doorways, watching with a lazy curiosity the soldiers marching on the road. The men, thin and with sharply-drawn features, seemed to have no work to do but leant lazily against the doorposts smoking long black pipes the 11 omen, with feet bare and garments scanty, shivered beside them, holding in their arms a dirty infant, or combing out their tangled hair. TIRED OF WAR. The foot soldiers trudged sullenly along; the march was long for them, and the road bad, but they kept up a good pace the whole way, and there were no stragglers. But they have had enough of war, though, in defiance of the wet, they marched with their cloaks rolled up, mainly to keep them dry for the night bivouac, and longed for dry weather or for a harder road. The horses of the artillery laboured heavily, but got the guns and ponderous waggons, weighty with ammunition and cornsacks full of forage piled up on them, up the quickly-recurring bits of steep ascent in the road. At every sharp rise the drivers flogged and spurred, the gunners pushed behind, and, though the horses stumbled and often nearly fell, and the traces were stretched so tight that they looked as if they must break, no accident occurred, and every artillery carriage arrived safe at its destination. The baggage-waggons did not fare so well. Less strongly horses and not so well ridden, they all dropped far behind the troops, and a few remained stranded on the side of the way with a breken axle-tree or a shivered wheel. A CAVALRY SKIRMISH. The monotony of the march was relieved by a spirited cavalry skirmish in the little town of Saar, which is about six miles to the west of Neustadt. The Austrians were col- lecting together from all the different houses and farmyards; mounted men, filing out of barns and strawhouses, were riding slowly towards their rendezvous in the market-place; men who had not yet mounted were leading their horses, strolling carelessly alongside them, when, by some fault of their sentinels, they were surprised by the Prussians. The Uhlans quickly advanced, but did not charge before one Austrian squadron had time to form, and only while most of the men of the remaining divisions were quickly falling into their ranks, though some were cut off from the rendezvous by the Prussians advancing beyond the doors from which they were issuing, and were afterwards made prisoners. THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS In the market-place an exciting contest at once began. The celebrated cavalry of Austria was being attacked by the rather depreciated horsemen of Prussia, and the lance, the "queen of weapons," as its {admirers love to term it, was being engaged in real battle against the sword. The first Prussian soldiers who rode into the town were very few in number, and they could not attack before some more came up. This delay of a few minutes gave the Hussars a short time to hurry together from the other parts of the town, and before the time the Uhlans received their rein- forcements the Austrians were nearly formed. ADVANCE OF THE LANCERS. As soon as their supporters came up the Lancers formed a line across the street, advanced a few yards at a walk, then trotted for a short distance, their horses' feet pattering on the stones, the men's swords jangling, their accoutrements rattling, and their lances borne upright with the black and white flags streaming over their heads; but when near the opening into the broader street which is called the Market- place, a short, sharp word of command, a quick, stern note from the trumpet, the lance points came down and were sticking out in front of the hoises' shoulders, the horses broke into a steady gallop, and the lance flags fluttered rapidly from the motion through the air, as the horsemen, with bridle hands low and bodies bent forward, lightly gripped the staces, and drove the points straight to the front. THE ENEMY ADVANCES. But when the Prussians began to gallop, the Austrians were also in motion. With a looser formation and a greater speed they came on, their blue pelisses, trimmed with fur and embroidered with yellow, flowing freely from their left shoulders, leaving their swordarms disencumbered. Their heads well up carried the single eagle's feather in every cap straight in the air; their swords were raised bright and sharp, ready to strike as their wiry little horses, pressed tight by the knees of the riders, came bounding along, and dashed against the Prussian ranks as if they would leap over the points of the lances. THE FIGHT COMMENCES The Uhlans swayed heavily under the shock of the col- lision, but, recovering again, pressed through only at a walk. In front of them were mounted men, striking with their swords, parrying the lance thrusts, but unable to reach the Lancer but the ground was also covered with men and horses, struggling together to rise; loose lines were galloping away dismounted Hussars in their blue uniforms and long boots were hurrying off to try to catch loose horses or to avoid the lance points. The Uhlan line appeared unbroken, but the Hussars were almost dispersed. They had dashed up against the firmer Prussian ranks and they had recoiled, shivered, scattered, and broken as a wave is broken that dashes against a cliff. In the few moments that the ranks were locked together it seems that the horse- men were so closely jammed allainst each other that lance or sword was hardly used. The Hussars escaped the points in rushing in, but their speed took them so close to the Lancers' breasts that they had not even room to use their swords. Then the Prussians, stouter and taller men, mounted on heavier horses, mostly bred from English sires, pressed hard on the light frames and the smaller horses of the Hussars, and by mere weight and physical strength bore them back, and forced them from their seats to the ground or some- times, so rude was the shock, sent horse and man bounding backwards to come down with a clatter on the pavement. RETREAT OF THE ENEMY. The few Austrians who remained mounted fought for a short time to stop the Prussian advance, but they could make no impression on the Lancers. Wherever a Hussar made a dash to close, three points bristled eouched against his chest or his horse's breast, for the Austrians were now in inferior numbers in the streets to the Prussians, and the narrowness of the way would not allow them to retire for their reserves to charge. So the Prussians pressed steadily forward in an invulnerable line, and the Austrians, Impo- tent to stop them, had to fall back before them. NO MATCH FOR OAVALRT. One or two of the privates taken prisoner were Germans, but by far the greater number were Hungarians—smart, soldierlike-looking fellows, of a wiry build they looked the very perfection of light horsemen, but are no match in a melee for the tall, strong cavalry soldiers of Prussia, who seem with one hand to be able to wring them from their saddles and hurl them to the ground. SAXON PRISONERS RELEASED. Yesterday all the Saxon prisoners who have been taken during the campaign were released and sent to their homes, on condition of taking an oath not to serve against Prussia during the present war. They all took the oath and went to Saxony; but many seemed to quit their prisons with re- gret, for they have no money, and they fear that there will be no work to be found in their own country; but this fear ought not to be well-grounded, for the harvest In Saxony is close at hand, and the crops there have not been trampled down by battles or bivouacs. AN AUSTRIAN BIVOUAC. On the march to-day we passed an Austrian bivouac, a little on the side of the Bohemian frontier, which had been deserted the day before yesterday. It had not been occu- pied by a large force, as could be seen by the small number of temporary huts which the soldiers had made of fir branches, thatched with corn, to shelter themselves from the weather, and from the small surface of the field where the huts stood, on which the crop had been cut or trampled down. It was also evident that the bivouac had been occupied by Infantry, but there was no reason to suppose that the occupants had retired upon Brunn, for a direct road from their camp leads by Negrowitz to Olmutz, and they probablj had retired in that direction, as no traces of them were found further on. GETTING INTO A DIFFICULTY. When the Duke of Mecklenburg, with the advanced guard, was approaching Tischnowitz he perceived that the enemy was in the town, and in strong force of cavalry with artil- lery in the plain beyond, where he occupied a position which could not be turned by cavalry on account of the rugged na- ture of the hills on either flank. But the Austrians. besides the horsemen in the town and on the far side, had thrown out three squadrons in the direction of Tischnowitz of which the centre one was in the road and between the bridges, and the right and left were thrown into the cornfields on either side. The Prussian troopers, few in number, who formed the advance of the advanced guard, had ridden for- ward toward the bridges, and had almost begun to cross the first before they perceived the hostile cavalry. There they found that both their flanks were exposed to attack, and that the squadron in the road in front of them was getting ready to charge. SHARP FIGHTING. But the lieutenant commanding the small Prussian ad- vanced guard, seeing he was top weak to force his way, and fearing to be surrounded and cut off retreated a short dis- tance to where a slight rise in the ground gave him a certain advantage of position, and there drawing up his little force awaited an attack, but with no intention of meeting it with the sword. While his men were yet retiring they were un- buckling their carbines, and before they had turned to stand, their quickly loaded aims, constructed on the same principle as the zundnadel gcviehr, were ready to fire. And not too soon, for the Austrians had begun to advance quickly, and were defiling over the bridge prepared to form line and charge, when a sudden volley from the Prussian carbines made them pull up sharp, half surprised, half frightened, to find that a carbine could be of any use except to make noise or smoke in the hands of a mounted man. But the Prussians did not wait to observe the discomfiture of their enemies; their officer only noticed that they were in too strong force to be allowed to get near his much smaller band, and again he re- treated a little distance; and so quick were the Dragoons with their loading that their carbines were almost ready to flre acrain before they turned to retire. The Austrians again formed a charge, and again before they had settled into their stride a rapid volley stopped their career Again the Prus- sians retired, and again faced about ready to fire another vollev Again the Austriaus came on, and again the fire of the Dragoons stopped them short, but this was the last time, for the whole of the 1st squadron of the Dragoons were now up and had formed line beside the few who had hitherto pre- vented the advance of the Lancers. MEETING THE ENEMY. Then the Dragoons advanced to charge, and the Austrians, glad to exchange the chance of close quarters for the fire of the eMkpw, WW torwj«<J to Bjeet them, Both f4.. vanced steadily, the Lancers, with their spears in rest, came on in an apparently impenetrable line, but the Dragoons. with their sword points to the front and their horses well in hand, bore steadily down upon them, in the last few yards let their horses go, and dashed in through the points of the lances. Their commander, Major von Shack, went down, grievously wounded; but his men thought of his fall only to revenge and rushed in so close to the Lancers that their spears were useless, smitting them heavily with their keen bright swords. FRIGHTFUL CARNAGE A few moments only the melee lasted; then the Lanceis, turning, flew towards the town. The Dragoons pursued, but their officer kept them well in hand, and they did not lose their order. When the street was gained the Lancers turned again, the swordsmen thundered down upon them, and by sheer weight and strength of blows bore them backwards along the street. The fight was long and hard. The men too close together to use weapons, grappled with one another; the horses, frightened and enraged, snorted, plunged, reared, and struck out. Here an Austrian officer, hurled from his saddle by a tall Prussian Dragoon, had his brains dashed out and another Austrian, bent backwards over the cantie of his saddle, had his spine broken by the strength of his antagonist. The light Austrian men and horses had no chance in this close conflict, and soon they were obliged to turn and fled down the Justice-street to where their supports were drawn up behind the tawn. He re there was a strong force of Austrian cavalry, and a battery of horse artillery was placed so as to sweep the street. But the cavalry drew off without waiting for an attack, and the artillery retired without firing a shot; which can only be ac- counted for, by believing, as the country people say, that there was no ammunition with the guns. The Prussian supports came up and pushed two miles beyond the town, but the Austrians had drawn off too quietly to aga n allow an Writing from Brunn, under date July 12, the corres- pondent adds:— PREPARING FOR ACTION. At 3 o'clock this morning the soldiers of the advanced guard were roused from their billets, and began making their preparations for the march. Horses were saddled; the cloaks in which the men had been sleeping were rolled up and buckled on the pommels, girths and bridle reins carefully inspected, and the troopers before ithey mounted, drew their hands along the edges of their swords to test the sharpness of their weapons. The officers looked to the loading of their revolvers and buckled their pistols round their waists, so that they might be easily got at in case of need and it was expected that they would be required, for three divisions of Austrian cavalry were reported to be between the small town where the:advanced guard halted last night and Brunn, and the Duke of Mecklenburg had only three cavalry regiments with him About 8 o'clock the leading troops as- cended a gentle slope, from the top of which the capital of Moravia could be seen lying four miles before us. Here a halt was called and the staff officers went forward a little way to reconnoitre. SURRENDER OF BRUNN. The sun shone brightly on the spires of the churches, and on the roofs of the houses, but no swords or spearheadsglit. tered in its light, and on the fort of the Spielberg, on the western side of the town, no guns could be seen, and no sen- tinels stood upon the ramparts. White flags of truce were flying from every steeple and from every tower, and, instead of the Austrian colours a white sheet waved from the flag- staff of the fort. It was evident that the town had surren- dered. In a few minutes a deputation from the magistracy arrived to anuounce officially that the town was deserted by the Austrian troops, and praying that it might not bt. given up to pillage. The Duke of Mecklenburg willingly promised that the property of the inhabitants should be secure to them, for there had been no intention to allow plundering. AN APPEAL FOR PROTECTION. Then, after an hour's halt, the troops again advanced, and soon got between two lines of villas which stand outside the town on each side of the road. The scouts came cantering in, and, drawing together on the road, formed an advanced guard, behind which the Duke of Mecklenburg and his staff rode. Before the actual town was reached a deputation— the burgomaster and magistrates—were seen coming to meet the troops in cabs with white flags flying from them, and each with a broad band of white round his arm. As soon as they saw the Staff they sprang out of the carriages, and with hats in hand, came forward, bowing with many protes- tations of deep regard for the gallant Prussian troops. With cringing servility and fawning politeness they almost grovelled at the feet of the commander of the advanced guard. They would do anything he chose; they were proud to see the Prussian troops; they threw themselves on the mercy of the magnanimous Prussian commander they were glad to be rid of the Austrians. Yet these men a few days ago had been cheering the war proclamation of the Kaiser; but they had much wealth in the city, and they feared for their property. CONDITIONS OFFERED. TWfeir protestations did not deceive a single man who heard them; they were loud, but the noise was due to terror, and not to friendship. The Prussian commander answered them courteously, and unwilling that their friendly offers should not be accepted, told them that his men had marched early and had no provisions, and that, therefore, he should be much obliged to them to furnish dinner for 8,000 soldiers and forage for 2,500 horses. With loud expressions of delight at the honour conferred upon them, the magis- trates started back to the town to procure the rations. Whether their expressions of private opinion exchanged be- tween each other on their return journey were as Prussian as those called forth by the presence of the Prussian commander is open to doubt, and what they will say in private when they are informed that Prince Frederick Charles will also bring in this evening a larger force, which will also be dependent upon their proffered hospitality, will at present be carefully kept from Prussian ears. CONDITION OF THE TROOPS. Prince Frederick Charles came in late this afternoon at the head of General Manstein's division. When he reached the Platz he halted and drew on one side to see his men march past him. The soldiers had been on the road since two o'clock this morning, but the regiments marched as if they had not come two miles. With steady tramp and ail in step, with unbroken ranks and battalions undiminished by stragglers, they marched into the town. Dusty and worn boots alone showed that they had come across Bohemia, fought a great battle, and had been marching lately over twenty-five miles a day; for they had halted outside to brush their clothes, and they came in with cloaks well-folded, knapsacks as well put on, and arms as clean as if they had been in garrison at home. The 60th, a regiment renowned for its marching, well sustained its reputation; the men, shoulder to shoulder, close as if linked together, moved forward like a solid wall, and, notwithstanding their fatigue, for they had ceme over thirty miles, stepped in such perfect cadence from front to rear of the regiment that only one footfall was heard upon the pavement. The 24th, tall men and well-built, came along with heads well up and rifles carried as if they could not know fatigue, and were quite un- aware that they bore a heavy knapsack on their shoulders- The other regiments also marched bravely, and their chief looked to-day as proud of his troops as when he stood among them victorious on the summit of the Sadowa hill; and well he might, for the Prussian army has given proof of an en- durance of fatigue and of a power of marching which have rarely been equalled in the annals of war; for the marches have not been made by small detachments or over open ground, but by large masses, along deep and heavy roads, encumbered with artillery and crowded with carriages. ARRIVAL OF TROOPS. Head-quarters have halted here to-day, and will probably remain to-morrow also, for the troops have marched their shoes off their feet, and no repairs could be made during the late rapid marches; the horses of the cavalry want rest and shoeing, the saddlery requires looking to, reserves of ammunition have to be brought up, and depots and hospitals must be established. Regiment after regiment, with band playing and drums beating, has tramped steadily along the pavement, drawing behind its long line of glittering bayonets the heavy waggons which carry reserve cartridges and hospital stores, and always follow close in rear of the battalions. The townspeople have quite recovered from the panic caused by the approach of the Prussians. All the shops are open, the manufactories are at work, the market- place is studded with country women who sit among the piled arms or on the poles of the artillery carriages making up nosegays or selling fruit, for which there is a great demand among the soldiers, who for many days have tasted little but black bread and commissariat meat, carried straight to the camp cooking fire from the newly-killed ox; for, in order to save transport, the bullocks for food have been marched in rear of the regiments, and on arriving at the halting place have been killed, to be immediately cooked and eaten. But here the men will have good food, for the magistracy is held reponsible that they shall be supplied with their rations. THE INHABITANTS RECONCILED. Every hotel, every restaurant, every cafe, is crowded with I officers, who, having laid aside their dusty marching clothes, are dressed in uniforms as bright as would be worn in Berlin; but unshaven beards, close-cropped hair, and the absence of epaulettes, show that they are still on a cam- paign. Soldiers with cleaned 6nd pipeclayed belts, well brushed coats, and smart white trousers, which have been carried by some wonderful means unsullied in the recesses of their knapsacks, crowd the streets, fill the beershops, and drive bargains with the proprietors of the tobacco and pipe stalls. The lower class of inhabitants mix freely among the soldiers, and under their guidance inspect, half timidly, half curiously, the wonderful needle-gun of which they have heard so much, and numbers of which, piled four together, are standing in long lines in the market-place. Every house has twenty or twenty-five soldiers quartered upon it, but they do not give the inmates much trouble, for a couple of rooms with a few trusses of straw, and the use of the kitchen fire to cook their food, is all they want; and they do not stay much in their billets, but wander about the town or sit in the beerhouses smoking with quiet enjoyment the long wooden pipes which, from want of tobacco, have been useless for some time past, but which have seldom been forgotten ar left behind on the line of march, while some write long letters to their friends at home, and send off to wives or mothers in Prussia all that they can save from their small pay. ARRIVAL OF THE KING. The King arrived this afternoon, and established his head- quarters in the town-hall. With him came Count Bismark and the Minister of War. Few people had collected to see him enter the town, and the populace made no demonstra- tion of any kind; the magistrates received him with the most obsequious politeness, each with the white and red badge of neutrality bound broad round the left arm. SEIZING A RAILWAY. The patrols of the cavalry of the Prussian advance guard pushed forward as far as the railway station of Goding, which lies on the 'line that leads rom Olmutz to Lundenburg. When the leading horsemen came in sight of the railway they could distinguish two trains, one close behind the other, with engines puffing and snorting violently, as if draw- ing a heavy load, steaming slowly in the direction of Lunden- burg There could be little doubt that in these trains were portions of the Austrian army from Olmutz, which were on the way to Vienna. To prevent any more troops from being taken south by this line it was resolved immediately to break up the line. Some troopers immediately dismounted, a few pickaxes, spades, and axes were found in the neighbouring cottages, and the men on foot quickly set to work, while the others held their horses. There was no Austrian cavalry to guard the line no infantry picket in the stationhouse, and the demoli- tion of the line by which alone Marshal Benedek could hope to re-unite an army to protect the capital of the em- pire began without any opposition. Blows fell heavily on the rails and on the sleepers, the rails were wrenched out of their places, thrown upon one side, and in a few minutes the line was useless for railway traffic. The work was hardly completed when another train came in sight, but before it came up to where the rails were taken away the engine-driver saw the Prussian cavalry, reversed bis engine, and the train drew up short, and after a moment's pause began to back slowly in the direction from whence it came. THE USES OF THE RAILWAY. Stores of clothing and arms are carried as much as possible bv railway and are brought to the army from the nearest practicable railway-station by trains of waggons, which are under the control of the Quartermaster-General; but each battalion carries with it, besides a medicine cart, a waggon for spare ammunition, and an ofiicers baggage waggon, a waggon which holds materials for the repair of clothes and ^hoes and which are thus always present with the troops, so that "he old proverb that "a stitch in time saves nine," may be, as far as possible, acted upon.

THE AUSTRIANS BEATEN BY PROVIDENCE! In the church of the Jesuits at Vienna a few days back Father Klinkowstroem declared in the pulpit that if the Austrian army had been beaten those reverses were not to be attributed to the defective combinations of its chiefs, the needle-gun, or the skill of the Prus- sian generals, but solely to the will of Providence, who had thus punished Austria for having confided the chief command to Benedek, a protestant, and an enemy to the true religion. A correspondent observes :— The reverend gentleman appears to have forgotten to ex- plain how and why Providence, having permitted a Pro- testant to be defeated, had at the same time allowed two Princes of the same religion to be rewarded by victory.

MAN-HUNTING IN THE GREAT WEST! Few people who have not wandered from the centres of European civilisation to taste of the life that awaits the adventurous on the prairies and among the gigantic hills of the Great West—that "West" that lies beyond the Mississippi, and whose boundless extent is never overreached even by the ever-shifting tribes of red men—can form any just estimate of the sort of exist- ence, moral and social, that the frontier pioneer, miner, or trapper, is compelled to lead. It has been truly said that the worst vices of the whites are cardinal virtues among the savages of the plains—by all odds the most bloodthirsty and brutal race of men that civilisation has yet been called upon to crush. The settler in Colorado, Neveda, or Idaho, sleeps with one eye open and with his revolver and rifle always clutched. The raids by the savages are incessant, and always accompanied by the most frightful atrocities. As a consequence, the white men of the territories have ac- customed themselves to look upon the "plain" Indians as so many reptiles, to be mercilessly exter- minated. In Idaho, perhaps, more than any other territory, the war between the aborigines and the settlers is marked by features of the most appalling cruelty. The following copy ef resolutions recently adopted by the Legislature of Idaho will convey some notion of the state of society in that new Dorado:— "Resolved, That three men be appointed to select twenty- five men to go to Indian hunting, and all those who can fit themselves out shall receive a nominal sum for all scalps that they may bring in and all who cannot fit themselves out shall be fitted out by this committee, and when they bring in scalps it shall be deducted out. That for every buck scalp to be paid 100 dollars, and for every squaw 50 dollars, and 25 dollars for everything in the shape of an Indian under ten years of age. That each scalp shall have the curl of the head, and each man shall make oath that the said scalp was by the company." What must be the condition of the common people when the law makers solemnly adopt such enactments as that above mentioned ?

A HORRIBLE AFFAIR. Recently, a man arrived in Fayetteville, America, in the stage, and informed the sheriff and two other persons that there were four men, who would be in town shortly from Missouri, who had killed an old man, robbed a store and grocery, and that he had raised a company and pursued them, but failing to overtake them, he had taken the stage and come on ahead. Pretty soon the four men came into town, got off their horses, bitched them, and one went into the store of Mr. Stone, and the three others went into a grocery to take a drink. Before they had time to take a drink, the sheriff, clerk of the court, Mr. Reed, Mr. Wing, postmaster, and Colonel Gunter, went into the £ ro°ery arrest them. Mr. Wing said to them ■W7vtntiemen' may consider yourselves prisoners." With that one of the men called out to the others to shuck themselves," and with that each of them drew two revolvers and commenced firing, Mr, Wing, the postmaster, was shot dead, and the man who came in pursuit was shot under the chin in the throat, and he died in a few minutes; and Col. Gunter was shot in the arm, shattering the bone. The three men retreated out of the door,1 still firing as they went out; and by this time the citizens had collected, and an attempt was made to arrest the desperadoes, but as they were armed, and most of the citizens were not, they all made their escape. A posse of men immediately started in pursuit of them. They found one of the men sitting leaning against a tree, having been shot through the abdomen. The party told him they would bring him an ambulance and take him to town, bnt when they returned they found him dead, he having cut his throat and stabbed himself in several places. The other three men were heard of in the neighbourhood of Elm Spring, one being badly wounded in the knee. Our informant did not state who shot these despera- does, but we presume some of the party must have been armed, and fired on them, or perhaps some of the citizeDJI fired as they were retreating. Col Gunter's arm is shattered above the elbow, and it is thought will.have to be amputated.—Fort Smith Herald.

HORRIBLE DEATH.—A policeman named Beard- sley, belonging to the Nottingham force, was discharged as incompetent six months ago. He was married, but cohabited with another woman. A month since he was missing, and the woman with whom he had cohabited applied to the magistrates to know what she should do with his children. She supposed he had gone to another part of the country. On Monday morning, as a person named Guy was entering upon an empty house in Great Alfred-street, he perceived a horrible stench, which appeared to issue from the water-closet. The door was fastened inside, and upon breaking it open the body of a man was discovered on the seat; his face was eaten entirely away by maggots. A bottle with a label upon it, Prussic Acid," was by his side. He could not be identified, being in a state of decomposition, his clothes holding the body together. Upon searching the pockets a watch was found, and several other articles, which were known to belong to the ex-policeman. CHURCH AND STATE IN NATAL. — The Natal papers brought by the last mail state that Bishop Colenso was to hold a Confirmation in June; but whether the clergy will recognize the Confirmation as of any force remains to be seen. The Dean denies that the Bishop is any longer a minister of Christ and dispenser of the gifts of His Spirit," having so stated in his protest of defence when before the Supreme Court of Natal for refusing to obey the orders of that Court that he should produce the register of baptisms at the cathedral to enable Bishop Colenso to register baptisms. The Chief Justice on that occasion stated that the Court would not exercise its power of fine or imprisonment, and only pronounce the Dean in eon. tempt, adding that this decree placed him in the position of an outlaw. Mr. Justice Phillips further added, You are in legal excommunication, and if it does not affect you more than the other excommunica- tion does the other party you will not be much affected by it." 1