The Aberdare Times

BURNING OF A FRENCH IRONCLAD. On Monday the Daily News published the following telegram, sent them by their Own Correspondent:— PARIS, Sunday Night. The Magenta, the Admiral's ship in the Mediterranean Squadron, took fire from an unexplained [cause, in Toulon Harbour at one o'clock thi8 morning, and at 3.50 blew up. Admiral Roze, who was on board at the time the fire broke out, and who hoÏ3ted his fiag on the Magenta when ap- pointed to succeed Admiral La RonciSre Ie Nuury, telegraphs to the Minister of Marine that the ship is utterly destroyed. The Magenta, launched at Brest in 1861, was one of the oldest ironclads in the Freneh navy, and one of the most powerfuL The first order given by the Admiral when the ship was in flames was to turn on the cocks, so as to flood the powder, but the water did not flow fast enough, and hence the explosion. All the crew were saved. The Admiral was the last to drop down from the bowsprit into the boat. He witnessed the blowing up from a whaler. Although the other 8hip8 of the squadron had heen ordered to get away, from the J'Iagenta, the Maritime Prefect telegraphs that the burning splinters were projected on to the Victonevse and Eclaireur, and that they produced an unimportant fire, which was speedily extinguished. A few men were slightly injured, but present advices report that no life has been lost.

PARIS, Oct. 31. The following official report has been received from Admiral Roze :— A Are, of which the origin is unknown, broke out at one o'clock this (Sunday) morning in the store-rooms in the 8tern of the Magenta. Vigorous measures were at ouce taken to extinguish it, but the dimes, nevertheless, invaded the aft part of the vessel. The cocks of the powder magazine were at once opened. It became necessary tl) evacuate the quarter- deck and take steps for the safety of the crew, and boats were brought alongside. The Adniral was the last to leave the ship, when all hope of saving her was lost. She blew up at 3 33 a. m there not having been sufficient time doubtless to completely flood the powder. In consequence of the ex- pl08ion, the ships Vietorieuse and Eclaireur caught fire, but the flames were promptly extinguished."

The Naval Prefect of Toulon has sent the following telegram to the Minister of Marine:- TOULON, Oct. 31, 6.40 a.m. On the Magenta blowing up, a piece of wood, from two to three metres long, was thrown on the roofing of the Vie. torieusa, which it broke through, and set fire to the deck. The roofing of the Eclaireur was also set on fire. These beginnings of conflagrations were slight, and almost imme- diately extinguished. All is now at end. A report will be sent to you as soon as I get detailed information. A few persons have been slightly wounded, but no one has, I think, been killed.

The Sentinelle du Midi gives some details respecting the loss of the Magenta. The explosion of the vessel was followed by showers of burning wood, paper, clothes, and iron, which fell into the streets of Toulon. One of the plates of the ship fell on to the pavement and entered it some eighteen inches. Not a single jet of gas was left burning in the town. The windows of the shops, cafes, and private houses along the quays were all broken, while doors and shutters were burst open. There is scarcely a house in the town which has not been more or less injured. It is expected that the sixteen guns of the ship may be saved. Immediately after blowing up the Magenta sank, and at present the stump of the mizenmast appears above water. It is confirmed that no lives have been lost.

MR. STANTON'S BICYCLE RIDE. At Lillie-bridge, on Monday evening, Mr. David Stanton, the hundred mile champion, completed the 650 miles he undertook to ride on a bicycle in seven successive days, and thus won the J3100 depending on the event. The distance in question is equivalent to that which separates Paris from Vienna, and the present match was made in consequence of a Continental nobleman riding on horseback from the French to the Austrian capital in twelve days, Stanton maintaining that on his bicycle he could do an equally long journey in a week. But, of course, the carefully cindered, level racing path at West Brompton is far superior for travelling purposes to the road selected for the ride on horse- back, where, for a considerable distance, some rather steep hills had to be encountered. The condition at- tached to the match was that the day should consist of twelve hours, that is to say, from six in the morning to six in the evening but Stanton very rarely com- menced until seven, leaving off invariably soon after five. He began on Tuesday in last week, and during the day covered 100 miles 1,200 yards. On the Wednesday he completed 94 miles 1,128 yards Thurs- day 100 miles 1,200 yards Friday 90 miles 1,080 yards Saturday precisely the same and Sunday— continuing on that day being imperative—85 miles 1,020 yards. When he commenced on Monday morn- ing (his last day's journey) he had 87 miles 332 yards to go in order to win, and though evidently a <?:oo.d deal fatigued, he managed to keep up a pace of lo miles an hour. At 8.17 be rested, having done 17 miles, starting again at 9.27. He had finished 30 miles at 10 27. and 35 at 10.50. After a short rest he went on again, and at dinner time, 12.25, he had done 52 miles, leaving 35 miles and a few yards still to be accomplished. After a hearty meal and an hour's refreshing sleep, Stanton started again at 2.10, seemingly vastly better for his rest. There was a considerable number of people present. He rode on very steadily, accompanied by Keen, and by nine minutes to three o'clock had done 62 miles, leaving about 25 still to be done. At about a quarter to five Stanton finished his six hundred and fiftieth mile, and thus won the match with over an hour to spare. He was greeted a.t the conclusion of the journey by immense cheering from the spectators.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT PRESTON. About half-past two on Monday afternoon, a. fire broke out in Messrs. Paul Catterall, Son, and Co.'s cotton mills, Newhall-lane, Rigby-street, Preston. The hands had just returned to work from dinner, when, in the top story, flames were discovered among the f halting, and spread with alarming rapidity. All the workpeople, numbering about 300, suoceeded in making their escape uninjured, with the exception of one man, who, being unable hQ force his way through the fl»mes, broke through a skylight and got out upon the roof, and was let down by means of ladders. In a very sbort time the fire descended to the third story, and then with a loud crash the roof fell in. The steam fire engine and the hand engine of the Preston fire brigade, besides engines belong- ing to other mills in the town, played with great force, but to little purpose, on the mass of flames. A portion of the gable end gave way, as well as the western side of the building, and fell outwards. A cab tilled with municipal electors had an exceedingly nar- row escape, as it had only just passed when a part of the wall fell. With equal rapidity the flames spread to the second, and thence to the bottom story, and the attention of the firemen was solely directed to the boiler and weaving sheds, which adjoined the mill, and in this they were successful. The origin of the fire is not known, though it is suspected that it was fric- tion of the gearing. The mill was built in 1856, em- ployed about 300 hands, contained 13,000 throstle spindles and 26,000 mule spindles. The damage is estimated at £ .30,000, which is covered by insurance. 13 1 r<^ ^ill within about a couple of months thai has been uestroyed by tire iu Preston.

THE FARMERS' CLUB. In London, oil Monday evening, the first monthly meeting of this club after the summer and autumnal recess was helu in Salisbury-square; Mr. Major Lucas in the chair. The president for the year, Dr. Voelcker, introduced the subject fixed for consideration, viz.:—"Root crops, as affected by soil, manure, and climate." Before commencing his remarks, he congratulated the meeting that the committee had that day elected Mr. T, Horley, a good practical farmer, as the chairman for the ensuing year. In opening the subject, he observed that the principal tout crops grown in this country are turnips, swedes, man- golds, a variety of sugar beets, carrots, and parsnips; and that in making their selection farmers gene- rally are more guided by chance and habit than by experiments showing what crops are most useful. He then entered into a variety of details connected with the application of different manures, and in doing so pointed out that root crops exhaust the constituents < of the soil far more rapidly than cereals. Every good farmer, he said, was well aware that some kinds of soil were better adapted for the growth of root crops than others, and this difference he illustrated by reference to the peculiarities of various soils, one deduction drawn, in parsing from the facts mentioned, being the impossibility of growing roots on poor sandy soils without supplying the requisite amount of artificial manures. Allusion was after- wards made to tabular statements showing the com- parative amount of feeding matter contained in some of the principal roots. A high percentage of nitrogen, it was remarked, was no proof of great feeding value, but the reverse, and the presence of a large quantity of it in the leaves of mangolds was one great cause of scour. There was a danger of over-manuring root crops, which tended to an excessive growth of leaf, while the root was of diminished size and of inferior quality. Luxuriantly-growing roots always contained more water than others, and monster beets were lesa nutri- tious than beets of moderate size. Sugar beet might be grown with 91,^ per cent. of water, while in a good nutritious beet the proportion of water was as little as 82 per cent. It was a childish practice to exhibit monster roots at agricultural shows and to award prizes for their growth. Such roots might delight or astonish women and children, but of what practical use could they be when they generally contained from 93 to 94 per cent. of water and but little sugar ? Nitro- genous matter, such as Peruvian guano, rotten dung, aud fleshy substances, was not at all adapted for cold day soils, but was particularly suitable for light soils, as had been proved by the experience of Scotch farmers. All root crops should be drilled in with from two to three cwt. of superphosphate, that being the only kind of manure which could be safely drilled in with the seed, all others retarding germination. In speaking of town sewage, Dr. Voelcker said it was undoubtedly a fertiliser for root crops if applied at the right time and in proper quantities, adding that almost any quantity might be applied during the first two or three months of the growth of the root, but that after that period the application should cease. Some of the worst man- golds he had ever seen was grown with sewage and he had come to the conclusion that the injudicious use of sewage was the great evil to be guarded against. Mr. Fowler opened the discussion on the paper, and spoke on an experiment by him now carried out for about four years, in the cultivation of sugar-beets in the neighbourhood of Aylesbury and he did not re- gard with disfavour the growth of the sugar-beets as a fertilizer in preparation fur cereal crops, as, he said all root crops must be regarded. He mentioned, as an fnstaDce of the value of the sugar-beet, that if that and otner roots were thrown before pigs the animal would show its estimate of the value by selecting the beet first. The speaker referred to the huge routs of agricultural shows, and spoke lightly of the feeding value of such roots, agreeing with the reader of the paper that the chief purpose of such roots was to astonish women and children. Mr. Courtsmaker, of Westwood, Guildford, urged the value of the root crops, used in the proper months, for fattening sheep. Mr. Caldecott held, contrary to the reader of the paper, that mangold did not compare in value for feed- ing with the swede. He did not agree with Dr. Voelcker either in the opinion that sewage was useful in the first two months as he had found it brought up weeds but he held that it was most valuable at a later time. Mr. H. J. Little spoke of his experience of the value of farm yard manure on a crop of mangold. Mr. J. J. Mechi spoke of his practice in the growth of root crops. He said mangold was always grown by him on the heavy soils, and never tried en the light. This year he had grown 40 tons per acre, and had grown 43, and this on poor soil. The value of the mangold as a food depended, he said, on the time when it was given to the animals, and with what other food, for, in some cases, he said, it would act as physic. Mr. Trethewy, of Ampthill, urged the value of the kohl abi, which he declared was one of our best roots. He contended that the south of England could better grow the mangold than the north, and he declared that if properly stored the mangold could be kept from year's end to year's end. Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., said as he had spent some time this summer and autumn in wandering over Eng- land, Scotland, and the Continent, he had hnd some opportunity of observing that which Dr. Voelcker treated last and least—climate. He expressed his wonder at seeing that Norfolk was doing so ill in that which Scotland was doing so well in—the growth of mangold. The wretched crops obtained in Norfolk must be owing to the soil being sick of the mangold, or else the manures were too stimulating, for while gentlemen were talking of raising 40 tons per acre, the average in Norfolk was not mure than 10 tons. He had tried kohl rabi. but had given up that. As to the time of using mangold some had said it should not be used until July, but he would use the current crop in October, if it had been pulled up for two or three weeks before use. As to the large crops, a year ago he had made a remark expressing doubts as to large cr-'ps (-f -i(_i tons to the acre), and to those who agreed witn him in his doubts he would say that if they went into the south of England and into Scotland they would be astonished at the growth of root crops. He could say, too, that it was astonishing th^t the diseases of swedes did not seem to extend to Scotland, for he saw more bad swedes on his farm than he had seen in the whole of Scotland. He considered that in the least the growth of mangold must be per- severed with. The Rev. Mr. Davis, Mr. T. Horley, and other members addressed the meeting, which closed with a vote of thanks to the reader of the paper.

DEAN STANLEY ON THE LATE COMMODORE GOODENOUGH, On Monday, being All Saints' Day, the Very Rev. Dean Stanley, in accordance with custom, preached in the afternoon at Westminster Abbey. There was a very large attendance, the Dean having announced on the previous day that he should preach on the life and death of James Graham Goodenough. The Dean took as his text the words "He ueillg dead, yet speaketh" (xi. Hebrews, 4th verse). He said he proposed to lay before his hearers a brief consideration of the career of that noble-hearted, pure-minded, Christian sailor, whose beautiful life, crowned by a glorious and beautiful death, many of them had lately read in the public journals. They might well claim him for themselves, for he was brought up in the school at Westminster. They might well claim him for the nation, for he was the pride of that naval profession which was the most characteristic profession of England. They might claim him for their generation, for he showed them how, in that sifting and searching age, a most acquiring mind united the pursuit of his profession with the most devoted and tender heart. Not in England alone, but in the farthest islands of the Pacific, and amongst the poor peasants of the north of France, the stimulus of his life would be felt. And in the annals of the whole English navy and in the whole naval profession of Europe his name would be loved and honoured. They would first ob ( serve how singularly consistent and continuous the story of his character appeared. In the good and the 1 great amongst mankind this was not always so. In many cases there were breaches, conversions, interrup- tions, and out of these God was able to make for him- self faithful and true servants but there were cases, | and this was one of them, where all was as it were of i one piece. The child was father to the man, and the f man—the active, vigorous man, was the mould in 1 which was cast the Christian and the martyr. The f death was but the crown and the seal of the life, 1 bound each to each by natural piety. The father of James Graham Goodenough was formerly head-master 1 of Westminster, and the eon was sent to school at 1 the age of eleven. He was as a boy what he continued to be as a man—honourable, true, firm, tender-hearted, < modest, brave, and a hater of all things evil. There 1 was something in his society which raised others un- I consciously. He joined heartily in what other boys did, yet kept all real evil from himself and companions 1 by a sort of native force. As a boy he was successful ( in school and on the river. He inherited his father's geographical energy, and at a suitable age entered the ( Royal Navy. There he was still the same, always modest and unassuming. In every emergency, in pain, t or in danger, his first thought was for others. The Pacific was the Rcene of his eariiestandlatest experience, and in the Mediterranean, the paltic, and China, where t he served, he was always doing his best to improve him- self and those under him. His services to the French pesantry in the neighbourhood of Sedan during the war of 1870 were referred to by the Dean, and extracts ( from the letters of bis fellow-labourers on that occa- 1 sion read. His work at Sedan done, he entered upon J his last expedition—scientific, philanthropic, and i moral-to explore the Pacific Islands, to cultivate kindly relations with the inhabitants, and to suppress the c horrid trade of 1-' ?ing men. He visited Fiji, and 1 was indefatigable in promoting happy relations with the natives. In April of this year he made a short cruise in the Peall through the New Hebrides. Bishop t Pattes"n met his death at an island near to that where £ Commodore Goodenough was attacked. The natives were known to be treacherous at some of the islands, and extra precautions were taken. Tne story of the attack on tite COUlmodore was nut repeated, because the congregation were already aoquainted, (said the Dean,) with the facts. The Commodore was wounded in the left side with a poisoned arrow. When carried to his boat he was most anxious to leave no one behind, and tried to reach one of the wounded to suck the poison from his wound. The viilage was burnt after- a wards, but the Commodore took care to frighten the e natives away first. The incidents attending the death r of the lamented officer, in the exact terms already published, were then read by the Dean, who added 1 that, when the Commodore felt that he was dying, he T had himself carried upon the quarter-deck of his ship, t and the men assembled to say good-bye. This wa? on Thursday, August 19ih. All the men said to him v God bless you," and he said, May God Almighty bless you with Hi-s exceeding great love, and give you f happiness such as He has given me. Good-bye good- f bye, all of you." One of his last utterances was, "I have no breath ltfo to praise God for all Hi? mercies." He died quietly at 5.30, on Friday, August 20. After a few mc.-i quotations from the letters of friends, the ? Dean thus concluded :—Eagiishmec, young English- j. men, soldiers, and sailors, yet not soldiers or sailors, nor young men only, take couraw«» fro n hi* example. ? 1c. ex-er you are tempted to mink goodness an icle r dxearn, or the love of the AJmighty a fable; it ever c you are tempted to think lightly of sin, or to waste v your tim3 and health in frivolous idleness, or in fcolish ? Vices, or to despair of leading an upright, pure, and Christian life, remember Commodore Goodenough; and remember how his life was absorbed in duty. Duty was transfigured into happiness, and death was swal- ? lowed up in victory. £ A funeral anthem was played aa the congregation u separated.

RAILWAYS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.—The s general report by Captain Tyler on railway companies d in the United Kingdom has been issued, from which c it appears that a total sum of £ 609,895,931 had been c expended to the end of last year on 16,449 miles of n railway, of which S.749 were laid with two or more k lines of rails, and 7,700 were single lines, at a cost of a about £37,000 a mile. By the running of trains over ii 200,481,263 miles, £56,899,498 were received during the a year, of which £31,647.517 were expended in working ti and maintenance, and £25,251,981 remained as net c profit, so that 56 per cent. of the gross receipts were t< expended in earning them. tl

AN ANCIENT CEREMONY, The City Solicitor, Mr. T. J. Nelson, accompanied by Mr. De Jersey, the Secondary of the City of London, and a gentleman representing Mr. W. T. Elliott, late Under-Sheriff of London and Middlesex, attended before Sir Frederick Pollock, the Queen's Remembrancer in the Court of Exchequer, at the office of the Court in Chancery-lane, ou Saturday last at two o'clock p.m., to perform certain anciect quit- rent services to the Crown for tenure by the Corpora- tion of the City of London as ancient tenants of lands in the county of S *lop and in the pariah of St. Clement Danes, Westminster. The proceedings were com- menced by Mr. Secondary reading a warrant stating that John Whittaker Eilis, Esquire and Alderman, and James Shaw, Esquire, late Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, come on the day to them prefixed to render to her Majesty an account of the issues oi their office from the feast of St. Michael the Archangel in the 38;h year of the reign of Queen Victoria to the same feast then next following and also a second warrant, stating that Mr. De Jersey and Mr. Elliott are put in the place of the naid late Sheriffs to render such account on their behalf. After these warrants were read, the Queen's Remembrancer directed that they should be recorded as prayed. Proclamation was then made in the following words T«nants and occupiers of apiece of waste ground called 'The Moors," in the county of Salop, come forth and do your service." Mr. City Solicitor then chopped one small fagot in half with a hatchet and another with a bill-hook, as quit-rent service for the above tenure. Another proclamation was next made thus ;—" Tenants and occupiers of a certain tenement called The Forge,' in the Parish of St. Clement Danes, in the county of Middlesex, come forth and do your service." Thereupon Mr. Nelson pro- ceeded, as rendering service for this property, "to count six horseshoes and 61 hobnails. Upon his announcing each of the above numbers he was answered by the Queen's Remembrancer, Good number." With this the above very ancient and curious ceremonial ter- minated. Records of the quit-rent service for "The Moors," Salop, are found as far back as 13 John (A. J). 1211), and for The Forge as far as 19 Henry III. (1235) but the origin of both tenures is lost in antiquity.

THE SIXTEENTH VOLUNTEER YEAR. In reviewing the evpnts of the year Just completed, the Volunteer Service Gazette, say" :— On Monday next the Volunteer force begins the seventeenth year of its existence. The period of twelve months now just expiring has been one of no common interest to all those who are concerned for the position of England as a first class Power, and for the condition of her forces with a view to the main- tenance of that position-to say nothing of the security of our own shores. In the discussion of the large questions opened up, the especial condition and requirements of the Volunteer service did not come very prominently forward, and perhaps there has been no year, during the existence of the force, in which there have been so many debates and controversies on military subjects with so little immediate reference to the Volunteers. And the year has in all respects been a singularly un- eventful one for us. Like the rest of the nation, we have at least enjoyed a respite from "harassing legis- lation," and the Secretary for War has let us almost entirely alone. It is certainly a relief to find a lull in the flood of new regulations and circulars to which we had recently been accustomed. Also, there have been no great events in our own annals for the year. The Easter Review is a thing of the past; the Autumn Manoeuvres exist no longer; and the Wimbledon Meeting was a dreary time of rain and mud. Never- theless, we believe that the Volunteers have never been in a more healthy condition than they are at pre. sent, and that there has been no year in which better or steadier work has been done.

TEACHING THE PRINCE'S HORSES TO FACE WILD BEASTS. Land and Water writes :—Now that the various journals are producing illustrations of the numerous places in India which are likely to be visited by the Prince of Wales, it may interest our readers to know with what care and forethought almost everything has been done to render the visit safe and provide for dif- ferent emergencies which are likely or possible to arise. Among other matters, it was suggested that the horses he intended to take out might, on arrival, be found useless if met by elephants, camels, and other strange- looking beasts in fact, much danger would be attended the riding of a spirited charger who for the first time encountered an elephant or a troop of elfphanta their size and strange appearance, together with their noise and the strong smell, would be sufficient to terrify ibe most tame and quiet horse in the world. It was therefore arranged with Mr. Bartlett to have the three splendid horses selected from the Prince's stud —one well known as Coomassie, the other two named Dashwpod and Cockney respectively —taken to the Zoological Gardens, and then, by carefully and gently introducing them into the presence of the various animals, they would by these means become accus- tomed to them, and the danger of a sudden fright to a great extent be overcome. Under the guidance of Mr. Bartlett, these arrangements were, in every way most successfully carried cut to the entire satisfaction of General Probyn and Colonel Kingscote, the Controller of the Prince of Wales's stables. A slight sketch of the mode of proceeding adopted may be worth notice, showing, a? it does, that horses of high courage under proper treatment exhibit a wonderful amount of in- telligence, and soon become accustomed to the sight and behaviour of the wildest and terrible of brutes. The first object is t) avoid anything like a sudden fright, and to have sufficient time and space at command to enable those engaged in such an under- taking to run no risk of failure. It, therefore, required mmy days to practice their introduction to the various wild animals they are hereafter likely to meet in the jungle. It was only early in the morning, and before visitors were admitted, that these experiments could be carried out. It was decided that each horse should be mounted by an experienced and good rider. Mr. Prince, the stud-groom to his Royal Highness, and two grooms selected for the purpose arrived at the ap- pointed time, and, instead of entering the gardens at once, the horses were slowly ridden up to the park fence on the road known as the Outer Circle, and from this position they could clearly see the large male African elephant walking about in his paddock in this way they felt somewhat safe, as they h&d the open road before them, and the elephant was behind the fence. As soon as the horses had recovered theirsur- prise at the sight of this animal they were ridden into the gardens,and brought near enough to the elephant to make a close inspection of his general appearance. They werea lirtio nervous at first, more especially when the great brute set up his large ears and makE. an attempt to rush towards the horses and utter his shrill note of alarm; they, however, soon began to acquire confi- dence, and cease to start or jump from him, and, after a day or two, would allow him, when let out with them, to come close enough to touch the end of his trunk. The next thing was to introduce to their notice the large male Indian Rhinocerous. However quiet the horses were inclined to be, this savage monster was extremely angry at the sight of the men on horseback in so close proximity to his abode, and he rushed and snorted about in and around his paddock in a frightful state of excitement, and had it been in his power to get at them, he would doubtless have made short work with his new acquaintances. Notwithstanding his fury Coomassie behaved in the most cool and composed manner. It was most delightful to witness the watchful and intelligent gaze with which this beautiful animal kept his eyes upon the frantic and enraged rhino- ceros, without exhibiting any particular fear or alarm and no doubt this coolness on his part assisted greatly to quiet his two companions, Cockney and Dashwood. It soon became, evident that the task would be safely and perfectly accomplished. The camels were soon afterwards tried, and these appeared likely at first to afford rather more trouble than the elephant and rhinoceros. Their long, shaggy hair, the strange humps, and queer heads and necks, seemed to puzzle the horses considerably; but after a while they allowed them to come near enough to smell them, and gradually acquire more confidence, until they would stand side by side and pass round or between, them, touching them with their noses and becoming quite familiar. It may appear singular, but the horse Coomassie appeared to have a wish to examinfl and re-visit all the animals in the gardens he required no urging to bring him face to face with the lions and tigers, notwithstanding the excitement into which the sight of the horse caused these animals to fly, but Coomassie looked at them with a most in- quiring eye, not appearing in the slightest degree alarmed. This, then, ended the training of three of the finest of the Prince's horses, and it is to be hoped they will, when the time comes, do credit to their teachers and render the service for which they are en- gaged, and that we may once more behold them, with their Royal master, none the worse for their visit to India.

HOW TO TOAST BREAD. Very few people know how to toast bread properly. In toasting bread the object is to get out the water that remains, and which makes the bread cold, waxy, and heavy of digestion. Perhaps it will be as well to explain what makes bad toast of a piece of bread, or, rather, no toast at all, but simply a piece of bread with two burnt surfacts more wet and waxv in the middle than ever, and which not one particle of butter will, or rather c*n enter, and if put by for an hour or eo and allowed to cool, will be as tough as leather. If the slice of bread is brought into close contact with a strong fire, the surface becomes covered with, or, rather, converted into, charcoal, before the heat produces any effect on the interior of the bread. This being done, the other side is turned, and has its surface converted into charcoal in a similar manner. The consequence of this will 11. must be, that not a particle of butter will enter such a piece of so-called toast, but only remain upon the surface and if oubj-jcted to adduion id heat, turns to a rancid t_d of the most unwhoUome description. Charcoal, as sveryone knot's, is a very bad conductor of beat, and as sucii :■> casings of stea.n engines; it h of httie cc.n.-cqiKn.;o whether the charcoal be from wood, flour, GT, indeed, my other substance, for its qualities are in ev^y case the same. When the surfaces of the slice of bread are ivercharred in this manner, there is an end to all toasting, as no heat can by any possibility be couimu- oicated to the interior, therefore not one drop of mois- ture can be evaporated or drawn away. III this state the bread may be wholly converted into charcoal; but until it is altogether so burnt, the unburnt part will become more and more wet and unwholesome. lience as it is desirable to have a slice of bread .0 toasted as to be pleasant to the palate and easily ligested, not one particle of the surface should be jharred, but be of one uniform light, very light brown õolour, to be wholesome and delicious to the taste. The ucthod of bringing about the desired tffect consist-? in ieeping the bread at a considerable distance from the fire, ).boutafoot(but the distance must be regulated accord- ng to the heat and size of the fire), and exposing it to i proper heat for a due length of time. If not cut too ;hin, and placed at a proper distance from the fire, and I continued long enough, the slice of bread may be j coasted through and through and it is this operation I ;hat makes properly-toasted bread so much more whole- | some than bread which is not toasted, and still more preferable to bread burnt on the surface and so 'den beneath. By this means the whole of the water may be drawn out of it. anc1i t may bR changed fiom dough, which has a tendency to undergo Acetous ferrmntatii>n in the stomach, to the pure farina of wheat, which is in itself one of the iiio;-t wholesome species of food we have, not only for the st.ong and healthy) but more particularly so for the delicate. As it is turned to pure fariua, the tough and gluey nature is got rid of, every art can be penetrated, all parts are equally warm. and no part is so warm as to turn the butter into oil, which even in the case of tbe very best. butter is invariably turning a wholesome delicious substance into an injurious one.—National Food and Fuel Reformer.

I jlirtsctUanecms |nld:igctwt, HOME, FOREIGN; A 1-i D C0L0KIAL. DEATH SENTENCES.—In the last ten years 214 criminals have been sentenced to death in England and Wales, but only 103, or le"8 than half che number, were in fact executed. In the year 1874 as many as 26 were B6ntenced to death. and 16 of them were executed. In the 39 years 1836-74 there have been 432 criminals executed in England av.d Wales, or 11 a j year upon an average. The largest number in that period was 22 in 1863 the smallest was fojir in 1871. There were 111 executions in the first ten yfars, and there were 103 in the last ten. Going further back than 1830, the figures are very different; in the three years 1833-35 the executions were no less than 101, averaging 34 a year. A HINT ABOUT FLOWERS.—Flowers nearly always begin to fade and droop after being kept for 24 hours in water; a few may be revived by sub- stituting fresh, but all may be restored by the use of hot water. For this purpose place the flowers in scald- ing water, deep enough to cover about one-third of the length of the stems. By the time this is cold the flowers will have become erect and fresh. Then cut off the shrunken ends of the stems and put them into cold water. RATs IN THE WOODS.—This year's official Re- port on India mentions that in the Hyderabad Assigned Districts an extraordinary amount of damage was caused in the forests by rats last year. In small plants the rats cut the stems close to the ground, and in the ca*e of large ones they dig out the earth to a depth of two or more inches, and then gnaw the roots in a sloping direction, giving them the appearance of having been cut with some sharp instrument. THRIFT IN OXFORDSHIRE. — On Saturday last an influential meeting was held at the Assize Court, Oxford, the Earl of Jersey in the chair, to consider the work of the Oxfordshire Branch of the Provident Knowledge Society. It appeared that during the last six months 22 new penny banks, depositing their money with the Post Office, had been started, and were in active operation in as many villages, schools, and workshops throughout the county. It was un. animously resolved to prosecute the work in the hope of eventually having a penny bank in every school and village in the county, and to appeal to the landed proprietors for aid towards defraying the necessary cost. QUESTION AND ANSWER.—Thu Iievuc lllustree des Deux Mcndes relates, on the occasion of the recent journey of the German Emperor to Italy, a piquant anecdote, the event having occurred in 1864, when William I,, then .King of Prussia, was travelling incognito in Hungary. In the neighbourhood of Treplitz he met a judge leisurely walking on the high road, smoking a porcelain pipe. His Majesty accoBted the functionary with his usual freedom:—"Whoaie you, my man?" "Judge in the district law court," replied the magistrate, a little surprised. Are you Sttistiedwith your position?" "Certainly." "Then I congratulate you." The King was moving off, when the judge detained him by saying, "And you, my man," he asked, who are you?" The Sovereign made a start of surprise, then, expecting to confound his questioner, he answered, I am the King of Prussia." The Hungarian remained impassible. Are you satis- fied with your condition ?" continued he. Certainly," exclaimed William, disturbed by the indifference of his interlocutor. Then I congratulate you," said the Magyar, saluting his Majesty with an air of good fellowship, and continuing his promenade. The tale was soon told throughout Germany, but not by King William. FEASTING THE CHINESE EVIL SPIRIT !—A lithographfd CbinARe circular on yellow pa per has, according t,) the RangooiL At ail, being extensively placarded over Rangoon. The following translation of this document shows that it is not of an altogether comfortable nature:—" Leong Yeon Kee, governor of Canton, brought three letters from 'l'eo Tsum Soo, a Minister of the Emperor of China at Pekin, who has ordered that forty-nine days be set apart h. feast tbe Chinese evil spirit. There will this year he scarcity of rice and plenty of bickness. Evil spirits will de- scend to examine and inquire into the sickness. If people do not believe this, many will die in September and October. Should any people call you at midnight, do not answer it is not a human being who calls, but an evil f-pirit. Do not be wicked, but be good." BKIOHAM YOUNG'S DIVORCE.—Some months ago Judge M'Kean made an order requiring Brigham Young to pay Ann Eliza Young 500 dols, per month from the commencement of her suit, as alimony, and 3,000 dols. attorney's fees in the suit for divorce pend- iug at the time of issuing this order. The amount oi alimony then due was 0.500 dols. The order not being complied with, Brigbam was brought before Judge M'Kean and imprisoned one day in the Penitentiary for contempt in not paying the attorney's fees, which were then settled. Soon after, Judge M'Kean was re- moved and Judge Lowe appointed, and the latter was asked to punish Brigham Young for contempt ia not paying the 0,500 dols. alimony. The decision in the case was that this order was illegal and invalid, and the case rested there until the 18th October, when, upon application, Judge Boreman issued an order, which has been served on Brigbam, commanding him to appear before the Court on the 23rd, to show cause why he should not be punished for contempt for dis regarding the first order. POOR BOY !—A boy was recently presented with a knife, with which, boy-like, he cut and marked everything that came in his way, from the dining-room table downwards. A few days after he had become the happy possessor of the knife, his father was startled by seeing two men bringing home the young hopeful in a dilapidated cendition. His face seemed to be cut and bruised, and covered with blood. The father, of course, 'was very much alarmed, and inquired of the boy who had hit him. Nothing didn't hit me," the boy answered between his sobs it was onty a donkeytCicked me in the eye." '"A donkey kicked you in the eye, eh?" echoed the father. Haven't I told you a thousand times or more that donkeys and gunpowder were not fit things for boys to play with ? What were you doing to the donkey, Sandy, eh?" I wasn't doing anything at all, father; I was only trying to cut my name on his back." ACQUIRING EXPERIENCE !—I have been mar- ried, writes a lady in Chicago, three years, and with the exception of the first six months I have been per- fectly happy. I believe the first three months of mar- ried life are called the honeymoon, and young married people are supposed to be supremely happy but de- liver us from the honeymoon If I ever have to do so again, I think I will begin with the second six months. I had always had my own way at home, and i supposed, of course. I could after marriage. Weil, it seems my husband thought the same, and it was some time before we began to see that we must both give up. Since we learned that lesson we have had no trouble.. INDIAN STATISTICS.—A Parliamentary Blue- book has just been printed, containing a statistical abstract relating to British India, which is of interest at the present time. Under British administration there are 907086 square miles, of 50 divisions and 235 districts, with 37,041,259 inhabited houses, containing a population of 190,563,048. The Feudatory States extend over 546,695 square miles, with a population of 48,267,910, making an area in square miles of 1,453,781, with a population of 238,850,958. Of the population in British India 139,248,568 are Hindoos, 1,174,436 Sikhs, 40,882,537 Mahomedaus, 2,832.851 Buddhists and Janis, 896,658 Christians, and "others" 5,102,823. and, to make up the number 190,563,048, it j,.¡ stated that of 425,175 the religion is not known. A GRAND IDEA !—A correspondent of the Builder says :— "Returning home from a quiet dinner party the other night, to the quiet suburb where 1 reside-leisurely saunter- iT1g along and enjoying the fragrant weeU-a gran'l idea occurred to me, All around was still Rnd calm, when the silence was broken by a shrill railway whistle, then another and yet another, and each with a different note, These sounds reached me f om a dis! an;;e (If at least two miies. Among other things we had been talking of church organs, and the grand idea struck me that it might he possioie to cun61ruct a graud organ, the p'pts to he acted upon by steam instead of aIr. Cunceive 511UI1 a graml organ eivctei in a grund totver, pealing forth a grand anthem on a quiet Sun- day morning over a half. awakened city More astoni61Iing I things havt: been (jane, but some nught say. as Sidney Smith did when asked if he liked the bagpipes. Yes, at a distance, and tile farthtcr on the If we do not fore-tall tht-m, our American cousins will surely take UIJ the grand idea, lAnd lick an creation' in muskal instruments. PHOTOGRAPHY DOWN WEST.—An American paper states that a Nevada photographer takes very decided measures for turning out a goo 1 picture. A bitter being in his place, the artist produced a navy revolver, cocked it, levelled it at the sitter's bt ad, and said, Now just you sir, perfectly still, and don't move a hair put on a calm, pJea«ant expression of countenance, and l'n.-k right in'.o tile muzzle of thi" revolver, or I'll blow the top of your head off. My re- putation as an artist is at stake, and I don't want no nonsense about this picture." THKKK DEATHS FROM MUSHROOM POISONING. —The Journal dcts Dehats mentions the sad effects of poigonillg frùlll mWihroom eating. A woman having collected a quantity of mushrooms on Tuesday, in last week, after her leturn home made them into a dish, together with some potatoes, lo*- the supper of her family. Although nj-ne sli^h' indisposition was felt by some members of the faa i>y, they partook of it I again the following evening, I his time, bowev»i»% the indisporUcn increased to I<:¡ eJ-.r.»-ing poir sho-ving i-A the sympt ,n).? of poiaovdng. A ooct-T being called j in fitter sou o deh.y, w/>« ua:*hl<* to counteract the j poisonous effects of the nrcoBlurjoras, and the v.oth^r, j the unfortunate author of the accident, died on Sat.ur- i day evening. The father, despite the doctor's efforts, j succumbed on Wednesday, and the eldest sun, 22 years of age, after the most excruciating agony for two days and nights, expired on Thursday. CROAVN LANDS.— The Crown lands in England produced last year an income of i;327,278. The 70,092 acreH of farms and land let; for agricultural purposes j produced £ 114,699 the 599 houses and other buildings let at rack-rents, or at rents which have been fined down from rack-rents, £55.256; land let for building purposes, and on which 4,574 hOUWH, &c., have IJetn I built by the lessees, mines, Inint-m;s, and I substrata (the gross amount of the Royalties, but iialf the net income is credited to capital), £l2,i\4X; tolls of markets, ferries, &c., in the occupation of tenants, £10,:317; quit-rents, fines, &a., of manors, ,t:3,OSl; plantations, underwood, hedgerow timber. &c., £2,ö;H. The cost of collection, local management, and buper- intendenciJ is less than 3 per cent. This statement will serve to give an idea of the nature of the property, but relates only to England, and does not include the Royal forests and woodlands. "FEMALE SUFFR.AGE.Female suffrage has long been established in XJtah, where Mormon husbands nna! tic utility of their numuous wives' votes. As, however, tbe vote of the eleetor is kn^wn to the whole cOllJmunity all freedom of franchise i" lo.-t, and (jot one sin le Mormon dares to vote fvr a Gentile. Üne man, a short time since, cast 3"0 votes, efciyiog an Dour at the pull for the purpose. He voted for all his Wives, his 61 childien, 100 grandchildren, and all known and possible reia'.iims. That m1JHt he a nice lIt.tle family party to assemble raund the limine dinner-table. A PLAGUK OF RATS.-A pLigue of rats is ravaging the French cavalry camp at Rocquencourt. These rats have increased with fmcb rClpidity as to form a veritable army, daring and cunning, and fear- illg l1t:ither light Dor noise. Eveiy morning sorne un- fortunate Roldier finds either the barne"s of his horse gnawed into morsels, or discovers the buttons left a3 the sole relics of his troufers. To keep their bread sitfe for breakfast, the troopers are obliged during the night to haug tbeir loaves over their beds by a string, aml are then o'ten awakel.cd by the bread falling on them, a rat having gnawed the cord in two. A price is set un the head of each single rat, but the depre- dators give battle, gmemlly 8uccesflfully, to the fiercest dogs. DOING NOTRING.-I once had a friend who got througl1 an amazing amount of work, anù was on this account a wonder to every cne who knew him. I asked him on one oceasion what bis secret was, as I felt sure be had one, and, after a number of modest dis- claimers, he told me that, finding he was of an idle dia- position, he had made a firm resolve, and to a great ex- tent carried it out, "never be doing nothing." He con- fessed that the result astonished even hims"lf. Any one who will follow his example may do great things. It is the minutea and haU hours which are frittered and dawdled away that are wasted. Time spent in taking needful rest and recre:1.tion is well spent; time spent in standing about and" lazing" is usually entirely lost. —CasseWs Magazine. AN ARTISAN'S \V ATEKINGPLACE,-TheSanitary Record says: A project ia on foot fjr edabliehing at Salt Dean, near Brighton, a seaside village of houses suitable for the reeort of artisans, derks, and others of small means. The houses to be built and the estate laid on the best sanitary principles, and suites of room8 or small cottages, to be let at rents commencing at five shillings a week. Cheap holidays at the seaside are at least as desirable for the working classes of all kinds as for richer people, and cheap trains to the seaside are generally 1.'0 well filled as to show that the million fully appreciate a sea breeze. It may also be doubted, how- ever, whether a cheap seaside village will prove very attractive to them. Gay equipages and brilliant costumes, and the other bright sights of some fashion- able watering- place:>, are attractive to those who can- not indnJge in the luxuries of possession. This out- door spectacle would be missing, and mayhap such a viilage would be rather dreary and c}isconsola.te. THE POWER OF PLANTS TO PRODUCE OZONE.- In addition to the pleasure that may be derived from fluriculture the sanitary value of flowers and plants is a feature of the subject 80 important as to call for spt:dalmention (remarks the Sanitary Record). One of the most important of the late discoveries in chemistry is that made by Professor J\rIantogazza, of Pavia, to the effect that ozone is generated in immense quantities by all plants and flowers possessing green leaves and aromatic odours. Hyacinths, mignonette, heliotrope, lemon, mint, lavender, narcissus, cherry laurel, and the like, all throw off ozone largdy on ex- posure to the suu's raY8 and so powerful is this great atmospheric purifier that it is the belief of chemists that whole districts can be redeemed from the deadly malaria which infeBts them by simply covering them with aromatic veget1.tion. The bearing of this upon flower culture in our large cities Íd al-io very important, Experiments have proved that the air of cities conhins lejs ozone than that of the surrounding country, and the thickly inhabited part1 of the cities lesB than the more sparsely baHt, or than the parks and open squares. Plants, and flowers, and green trees can alone redon) the balance so that every little flower pot is not merely a thing of Iwauty while it bsts, but has a direet and beneficial influence upun the health of the neighbourhood in which it is fonnd.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The Birmingham Post pnhlisbes a list of some of the collections ma'.1e ill the churches and chapels on llospital Sunday, amouJlting to £ 4,991. A Commitlpe has been formed to construct a people's ooera home in Paris to contain from 10,000 to 16,000 persons, at prices not exceeding au av; rage of two francs. A census of the town of I\lelz, taken on the 15th of October, showed tlJat 2,751 apartments were vacant. The civil population, which before th9 war exceeded 50,030 souls, is now reLluced to about 12,0(0 former inhabit;>lJts, Latest advices frplll the E >st African coast report the capture of MX dhows carrying shvl's. Five were seized by the boats of H. M.S. London, which wereawaycruidng on the look out, and one by H.M.S. Thetis. The indiarubber gatherers in Darien have been attacked by the alJorigines anù routed, with the loss of 50 of their numb(;r-a fatal blow at one of the most lucrative sonrces of trade in Panama, It i8 stated that one result of the visit of the Em- peror William to Milam will be to raise the Italian and German Legations at Rome and Berlin tJ the rank of Em- bassies. Thd Jewish Chronicle affirms that Herr Soloman Ftoseubaum, a co-religionist at Ludenscheid, has lately attained the age of 103 years, anù is still in the elljoym01lt of groat bodily vigour. 11 is telegraphed frolli Washington tbat the wheat crop this year i8 both short and inferior In quality. There is, however, an extraordinary yield of potatoes, and the quality of the tobacco is two per cent. above the average. The death is announced as having occurred on the 27th ult, at St. Petersburg, of the arch-priest Eugene Popoff, for 34 years chaplain of the ltussian Ewbùssy in London. For thos" in search of unclaimed legacies, there are sixteen of such in Algiers, awaiting legal claimants since sereral yean. 1/1 each case the amount of property varies from five to two francs, the law expellses being some hun- dreds, and they will first have to be paid,-Cottrt J(}ttrnal. In the S wis" Canton of Argovia, 436 8chool teachers have agreed to a kind of strike. Tiley are pledgerl to each other by word of honour not to acjept any situation the salary of which is lower than that lately proposed and re- jected—1,000 francs. Mr. Frank Bncklflnd's inquiry into the state of the seaeoast fisheries of Norfolk and Suffolk has resulted ill the publication of an elabor/ite report, in which he makes various suggestions, some of them being of impcfiltive necessity for the preaervation and proper working of the fisheries. A North Australian paper saya that tbe Chinese are going in large numbers to thajL part of the country. There, is, however, some hope that 111ey may not become too numerous, as the native blacks have taken to eating them.- New York Times. Tbe Chamber of Agricidture Journal states that of our home stock in the United Kingdom we annually kill for meat 436,400 veal calves, 628,300 draft cows and heifers, and 970,COO other cattle. Early on Monday morning the Sempis arrived at Aden and at half-past mile the Prince of Wales landed. IIe was received by the various authorities, and a deputation of native merchants waited upou him with an address. In the cuurse of the afternoon the Prince held a levee. His visit excited much enthusiasm. ANew York physician, who recently died, cuts off hh two sous from any share in the increase of his estate after they get to be twenty-four, "beHeving that when a man arrives at the age of twenty-four, and particularly when every facility has beun rendered him to obtain a good educa- Hon, he ought to be able to take care of himself without any other aid." Mr. E. Y. Yeas, of the Cascade Nursery Company, Richmond, where roses are a speciality, in a letter to the American A gricllltnrist, mentions that In Aprillaat he sent roses by mall to Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, and that they arrived 8a\ely, and have since grown well. Tbe frog trade in the United States appears to be a very lucrative line of bufiness, if we are to believe the Troy Press, One man alone caught 1,600 pounds of frogs near Troy in a month, and sent them to the New York market, whtre they sold for £ 90, and a few weeks ago lIe captured 5001b. in one week. 1\lr. Serjeant Simon, M.P., opened the winter sesBion of the London Jewish Working Men's AS80ciR.tiou on Sunday evening. lIe urged upon his co,rc!igiol.i¡¡ts the impClrtance of placing thenuwlves 011 a level wiLh the people among whom they live, and deprecated the teudency of isolation in habits and manners which too many of the Jews affect. The Elcho Challenge Shield, won by the Irish team at Wimbledon this year, arrived in Dublin from London on Saturday evening, and on Monday mornins, after having been triumphantly paraded through the principal streets, was deposited in the City 110.11, being receivdd in state by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation. A decree has been ismed by the lluesian Gonrn- ment ordering all donations and sub3crilJtions raisedsvithin the Empire in aid of Turkish 51av8 to be paid without exception into the hands of the Central Slavonian Committee at öt. Petersburgh, which will distribute them amoner orthodox Prussian Christians suffering waut in COllSe4.uence of the insurrection in the llerz" goviua, The Maidstone Juurnal believes that until Friday !a»t ut) memher of ollr r^yal bmiIiBs has heen born in Keut during th:i last, 250 years, King Henry Vlll, Edward VI,, Queen Mary, Queen Klizabi th, two of the drmghters of James 1., tho Princess Mary anol Sophia, who died infants, and Prince Charles, th-;eldest son vf Charlts 1., who also died an infaut, were all born at the royal palace at Greenwich. Oil amI after next 1\I\mdàY, the 8th of November, no prepayment in money of the postage nf letters hr the colo- nies or foreign States will be permitted. Postage stamps to the required "mount must be atlixed to every su di letter, in compliance with one of tho prOVisions of the Postal t; nion Treaty, and in urder to prevent prepaid Idters from being treated and charged as unpaid letters when th0Y arrive at their destination. Iu London, on 1\londay, the report of the Distribu- tiou Committee ùf thd Metropolian llospital Sunday Fund was laid before the Council at the Mansion House, Sir Sydney W aterlow, M.l*, ii, the chair. the number d establishments apptjina for Ii "hare in th ■ fund was 121 a*id the CoiumitUe rtcommended that £ 22,945 he granteito seventy ge¡ieraland special hospitals aud four iustit1Itions, and £ 2,531 to fotty- sevell dit-pinsaries. The motion fur the acceptance of the report was adopted, alld the awards were ordered to be paid. A shocking accident has occurred in the armour- plate shop at Portsmouth Dockyard. A mechauic named Gittins had charge of one of the powerful planing machines, and had occasion to do some work under the machine while it was in motion. In gettÏ1Jg frum underncath he thought- lessly chose the moment when the was coming towards him, aud was caught ùy it across the breast and lite- j ally cruslicd to) death. ilia ones brought assistance, but seme iainutes elapsed before the dead body couitl be ex:ri- Cted. Tile Herefordshire Chamber of A&riouitur? C'J Satur. u*y uw,r,Üh0us]y expressiJd 1i,1 opinion that all fat c-iue coming iroDi .• road should Vei »,au.ar. ih» p 7' landi-V, av.-». that *11 foreign live aWi imported into Great Britain and Ireland thould ba placed in qu.'rantiue for at ,C'18t i'ouiiv. ;n days before being exposed f >r sale, aud that the 3aid store cattle bhould nút be allowed to leave their places of quarantine without a clear bill ot health from the appointed ollicer. The ship 1 ftdus, chartered by Messrs. Taylor, Bethell, and ItnherL8, Fencharcli-street, London. to 11,1' M..jest)"s Government of Queensland, left the East Inelia Ducks, on .MolJd"y, with upwardsof 500 emigrants, bound for anti Prisbane, Queensland. The emigrants are clHctly from the West of E :gland. They consist of liO mar. ried men aJd t1:elr wives, 1-Z0 uhildren, 12^ single wumen, under tll" care of a qualified Tlntt,roll, and 12v single men. Tho ruen are under the superviKiol1 of Dr. Hickling, ap- pointed by the Queensland Government. The Pari« correrpondeut of the Viola WI,itt!s- A touching ceremony took place this morning at L1C Carme- Ute e'1Uvo"t in the Rue d' Enfer. Mademoiselle I,allhé, a charming young lady just budding luto wOI11:J.nhood, the daughter of one of our moat eminent magistrates, took the yoil and pronounced those vows. Willcn reu. unc? all the pomps anù vanities of thIs worlu, and Sbparate the person uttering them from frieDds and family. A great many of the friends oi Lhe novice were present at the imposing cere- mony, and some regrets were exprea8ed that wciety had lost one of its ornaments m toe person of the young briy, An e10quent sermon by the Abb6 G¡¡yadded considerably to the ¡ solemnity of Ulo occ&lIlo:1." That flag carrier, Sergeant Bates, is at prt I touring Canada with the star-spangled banner." The sum of £ 8.627 Is. 2d. was received in the financial year nsfees for brands on herring barrels, unde Act 21 a d 22 Vict., c. 69, in Scotland. Egyptian troops are reported to have enl Abyssinia, the King of Abysfinfa's forces ratroiting t them without offering any resistance. OGe Sunday, not Ion*; ago, a clergyman in Or occupied a brother's pulpit on the Sunday on whici proclamation of was being published, aud choi his text, "0 wretched man thit I am Thanksgivings were offered on Sunday for the delivery of her Royal and Imperial Highness the Duchi EdinViiii gh at the Rus-ian Chapel, Wdhecl; street, LoI the Russian Ambassador and suite attending 111 state. By a Parliamentary document just issued it ap] that, on the 31st of March, 1874, the debt in tndiaal England of the Government of Ind fa itmounte £ 107,r>34,997, aud the obligations, £ 14,04'.), 117, m £ 122,184,024. It appears from the Report of the Postraa General jll,t issued that, in relation to the lamentable dent at Thorpe, more than 900 telegrams pa.sed throug Norwich oiffce, and more than 1,200 newspaper Press sayes, the latter containing nearly 150,000 woids. Bull was originally the name of the bell-sbj leaden seal annexed t.) letters from the Knperor 0 rope it is now applied exclusively to documents issu the name of the Holy See The seal bears tne image c Peter and St. Paul on one side, and on the other the ua the reigning Pope. The trade accounts of India for the financial 1S73 4 show a continued increase in the produce and I faiture of tea. The quantity exported In that year rei 19,185,0001b., being an increase of 9 per cent, over th« ceding year, which in its turn bad shown an increase of cent There were In 1874 more than 85,000 acres unde cultivation in Bengal and Assam. cultivation in Bengal and Assam. The Yorkshire Exhibition at Leed?, which opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on the 13th oi May, ( on Saturday evening the 30th ult. The receipts have £30,000, and have exceeded the expenditure by £1 This profit will be applied to liquidate the debt upo Mechanics' Institution. There have been 635,000 visit* the Exhibition. The Cape mail has brought details of a who] destruction of pirate villages in the Congo. The worl accomplished almost without res'stance by the crews 1 Active, Encounter, Spiteful, Merlin, Foam, Ariel, Supply. Kings Plenty, Medaw, and Antonio, the princes in the Congo, have declared war against the King of Mangcala. An interesting antedeluvian relic was lately earthed in New York State. Professor Comstock, of C University, with his assistants, has exhumed the skele a Mastodon discovered at Lisle. They have taken ou piece of a tusk seven feet three inches in length, ant others a humerus 38 inches long, a hyiod 49 inches and 21 shorter ribs the atlas, 10 by 17 inches, and sever vertebræ, Tho skeleton is well preserved. The Prefect of the Seine has caused placards posted on the walls of Paris with the heading Re and Writing Compulsory." The conscripts of the las levies are warned in this proclamation that should prove illiterate on joining the standard, they will ha remain under arms a whole twelvemonth beyond the nary term of service, there being no time other than for tary drill in the course of the first year. A youth who is to be interested in history, Saturday Review says), should be made to feel that hisi really continuous. He should understand that the ex parish constable, the actual visible and tangible phenom from his staff to the buttons on his coat is onlyexplica a product of a long series of generations. He should be to feel that he cannot understand fully the Parliame debates which till the newspapers side by side wit] accounts of imports and railway accidents, till he has acquaintance with Simon De Montfort, with Cromwe, Pitt, and the late William Cobbett. The Alfonsist and Carlist authorities in the wine district of the Rioja have shown a most uncoi amount of good sense. Seeing the extensive vineyards between their lines in the neighbourhood of Ilaro wi day by day before their eyes, they came to the deter tion that a suspension of hostilities from sunrise to s for a few days would be a prudent course to agree to. consequence has been the gathering in of the grape hs to mutual satisfaction, the soldiers on both sides le hearty assistance to the peasantry in the peaceful opera -Correspondent of the Daily News. If nine hundred millions fourteen thousand p postage stamps have been issued this year, what was value in pounds, shillings, and pence? This was one o questions put iu the competition for scholarships in cc tion with the Liverpool Council of Education. Anothe —Name the Sovereigns of England whose fathers ha occupied the throne, with the dates of their access: LiverlJélol Albion. It will be remembered that during the siege of a good deal was done in the sending of photograph! reduced despatches by balloons. The inventor or the m of reduction, M. Dagron, has lately applied it to the pi tion of maps. In this way the whole official map of I is brought into a form that can be easily carried in a p book and maps of all the countries of Europe are arr to be carried 011 a cartridge-belt along with the magn apparatus (telernetre micrographiquc), a joint invent: Diigron, Dallemaane, and Jttiboulet. The reduction maps can be on any required scale the smaller this more convenient the magnification. The telemeter hi siza and form of a stereoscopic apparatus. By meant all the details of the original map are greatly enlarge* can be easily studied. In darkness, the light of a mat even the glowing of a cisrar. suffices to enable one to re the map at once. The French anticipate these map prove very serviceable in case of war, as also for educa purposes.— English Mechanic. ————

THE MARKETS. MARK-LANE —MONDAY. Business at Mark-lane to-day has not been extensive. Eng- lish wheat has been in moderate supply. The trade has been quiet. Really fine Eamples have maintained late rates otherwise, have been weak. Foreign wheat has been ia large supply. Transactions have been limited, and the busi- ness concluded has mostly been at the rates of Monday last. The supply of barley has not been large both for malting and grinding produce the transactions have been firm, and full qujtations have been realised. Malt hO changed hands at previous quotations. In oats, the supply of whicil has been moderate, a steady business has been doing, at an advance of 6d. t,) ls. per qr. Maize has been firm, and hardening in value. Ei ans and peas have been firm, and quite as dear. The flour market has been dull- New country sorts have been rather easier. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.-MONDAY. In the face of fine weather the trade throughout every de- partment ruled very flow this morning, with some depres- sion in prices. The beast market was numerically heavy, alld a very middling collection as to quality. On the English side there were very few really prime animals offering; and on the foreign the supplies, which were large, comprised chiefly of middling and rough stock from Holland, Germany, Spain, and a few from Canadi. For really prime beef there was not much change as regards quotations, 6s. to 68. 2d. being the current top rates, and buyers assert that in some cases they estimated to have paid more. Middling sortS difficult to sell were at lower prices. A large number of cattle remained unsold at a late hour. The best foreign beef was cuirently quoted 53. 4d. to 53 6d. for the pick, and 6s. as a very general top figure. The sheep market was more liberally supported, and there was a marked fallieg off in the demand. Prices of all classes were lower, the best about 2d., and the lower grades about 4d. per stone. The top price for prime Down wether could not be quoted over 6s. 2d. On the foreign side, rates were also depressed. A good number of calves were on sale. and for first qualities yrices were firm, but the trade was dull For all other grades, (is. 4d. may be quoted as the top price. Pigs met little inquiry. Quotations Beef, first quality, 6s. 4d. to 6s. 2d. inferior, 3s. 4d. to 4s 4d. Mutton, first quality, 6s. 6d. to 7s. 2d. inferior, 5s. to 53. 8d. Veal, prime, 5s. lOd. to 6s. 4d. coarse, 4s. to 4s. 4d. Pork, prime small, 5s. to 58 4d. large hogs, 4s to 4s. 4d. per stone of 81bs, sinking the otfaL jGAME AND POULTRY. Supply short demand bad, in favour of buyers, at the following rates:—Partridges, Is. to 2s. 9d. pheasants, 2s. lOd. to 5s. ptarmigan, Is. to 2s; capercailzie, 3s. to 6s 3(1 black game, 23. to 3s. wild ducks. 2s. to 39. 3d. widgeon, Is. 3d. to 2J. teal, 101. to Is. 4d. woodcocks 2s. Cd. to 3i, 10d. snipes, 9d. to Is 6d. gold plover, 6d. to lid biack ditto, 6d. to 8d. hares, 3s. to 5s. leverets, 2s 3d. to 3s. 9d. rabbits, Is. to 2a 31. turkeys, 3s. 6d. to 12s. geese, 4s. to 9s. ducks, Is. 6d. to *t. ducklings 2s. 3d. to 4s 3d. fowls, 5s. to 7s. 6d. ditto second quality, 2s. 9d. to 3s. 91. ditto infeiior, Is. 3d. to 2s. 3.1. hens (live), Is 61. to 2s. 6d. each; venisou, 8id. to lid. per lb. hen eggs, lis. 6d. to 15s. per 120. FISH. Pickled herrings, 26s. to 331. red ditto. 12s. to 201.; roused ditto, 16s. to 23s. fresh ditto, 12s. to 17s. per barrel kipper ditto, 33. to 5s. bloater ditto, 2s. 9d, to as. IOd. per hundred smoked haddocks, 20s. to 30s. per barrel; trawl ditto, 13;. Cd. to ltis. ditto plaice, 14s. 9.1. to 17s. 6d. ditto whiting, lis. 6d. to 14s. 6d. per basket; soles, It. 3d. to 4S. per pair tnrbot, 6s. to 12,. Cd. brill, Is. to 2s. cod, 5s. to 9s. 6d. each hallibut, 7d. to 9d. eels, 81. to Is. per lb. mackerel, Is 6d. to 2s. 6d mullets, 2s 9d. to 5s lobsters, 12s. to 303. crabs 10s. 6d to 29j. per dozen native oysterti A;12 to £12 12s. pearl ditto, L3 to iC3 3s. per bushel; Ameri- can ditto, 7s. ed. to 13.i.; and common ditto, 5s. üd. to 12s. per hundred. SEED. LONDON, Monday, Nov. 1—A few samples of new English Cloverseed were offjring, but fine qualities were held too to bring buyers forward. French qualities" ere dearer, with more buyers for the better sorts. Fine Trefoil obtained rather more money with a steady sale Canaryseed remains high, but sales were in very limited quantities -aid lower than previously. Winter Tares were purchase I slowly At rather less mouey, the land being too wet for sowing them. White Mustardseed was taken off in small lots on former terms but little passing in Brown, for want of supply. Bes» samples of new English Ripaseed were scarce and very dear.. samples of new English Ripaseed were scarce and very dear.. PROVISION. LONDON, Nov. I.-The arrivals last week from Ireland wero 2,334 ttikins Butter aud 3,793 bales Bacon, and from forego ports 27,895 packages Butter, and 3,001 bales Bacon. The Butter market ruled very slow dur,ng the past week, and prices generally declined 2s. to 4s. per c^t, best Dutch 1345. to 136s. Tne Bacon market dull. Buyers took sparingly* Watcrford aud Hamburg cure declined 4s and Limerick bi- per ClVt. Lard very slow, offering at 2s. decline. Butter per cwt. s. s. Cheese, per cwt S- Dorset 160 to 104 Cheshire 64 to 8* Fricsland 130 I3fl> Dble. Glouc.,new 64 Jersey 102 130 Cheddar 74 8* Eng Fresh,perdoz. 17 19 American new.. 62 Bacon, per cwt. Hams York 112 120 Wiltshire, green 74 7fS Cumberland. 112 120 Irish,green,o.b. 74 70 Irish 104 116 TALLOW. LONDON, Monday, November I.-The Taliow market has weak-uied slightly old Y. C is worth 50s to CO*. 6d., and new [.1<, Gel, on the spot, while Totfn Tallow is quoted at 48s. per cwt. net cash, aLd rough fat 2s. 3d. per 81 bs. s d. s. d- Town Tallow, per cwt.49 61 Rough Stuff, percwt 17 9 R >ugh Fat. per 8lbs. 2 3 Greaves „ 18 0 Meltec rttnff, per cwt.36 0 Good Dregs 6 0 Yellow Russian, new 51s 6). perewt „ 11 old 00s. Od. ,1,3 Australian Mutton Tallow 4Ss 0; Beet.. 47s. 01. WOOL. In the wool market there has been no fresh feature port mce. 1 he business doing has not been extersive, I has been sufficiently so to support prices. There be" b4 Ia'i*f .rei„'u inquiry, chiefly for the poorer sorts v! col pro iuco. A more conifdent tone appears to be 3;:rirg\n, and prioeti may bo cxpected to keep steady Foreign — I: j is of colonial and foreign wool, into L I'-no; wetCO.;sisted of 1,383 bales jroni Algoa Bay, 913 from :K,;tR!, 1,052 from Poit PHho, t,r, Íl'c,m Cronstadt, 57 fiOi Peter? burg, 41 from 'iarseilks, 15 from do tend, 5 Rotterdam, 2 from Hamburg, (! from Harlingen, and from Bombay. MKTRO.OLITAN MEAT MARKET.—MONDA The cold weather naturally has a tendency to harden lllarktt. but the demand for meat this morning was f and prices were no higher than on Saturday. The iresl rivals were upon a moderate scale. Inferior beef, 35. 41 4s. middling ditto, 4s. to 4s. Cd. prime large ditio, 4S to 5s. 4d. prime small ditto, 5a. -4tl. to 5s. Sd. v,.al, 5 5s Sd inferior mutton, 3s. 8d. to 43. 4d. miadUng <> 4s. 8a, to f>i 41, prime ditto, 5s. 8d. to 61 4d. 1 pork, 4s. to 6s. small ditto, 6s. 8d. to 6s. 4d. per 81b. DJ carcase. POTATOES. Sound potatoes expprieJloeù a moderate sale, and rea full prices but inferior kinds were dull, and rather ehei The supplies on offer were fair Kent regenu, i-os to 1: Essex ditto, 90s. to 110s. Victorias, 100s. to 13')s re 70s. to 90s. kidnoys, 1003. to 120s. flukes, 110. to 130s. ton. HAY. WHIXECIIAFKL, Saturday, Oct. 30.—The market has moderately supplied with hay a-,id straw. Demand was g and prices very firm. Clover, 100s. to 148s inferior, 8oi 95s. Prime meaio^ hay, 90s. to 132s. Inferior, 56P. to and straw, 35s. to 6IJI, per lo&d.