The Aberdare Times

"THE KEY OF THE STREET!" (From Fun.) Years ago-I won't mention how many— (0 the footsteps of Tempus are tleet !) When as fresh as a newly-coined penny, I was given, "The key of the street." I was careless, and hated restriction, So my freedom I held as a treat. The world's oyster, I felt a conviction, Opened best to The key ef the street." And when I had married my Polly, My comfort was nearly complete But a house with no latch-key's not jolly,— She locked up The key of the street" Wife and house are no more I-poor and lonely I sleep in the parks on a seat; But one joy I now hold, and one only,- I still have The key of the street 1

THE ENGLISH FLEET in the LEVANT. The Daily News remarks"In a few days the finest fleet of ironclads that ever assembled under one command will be found in the Mediteranean, under the orders of Vice-Admiral Sir James Drummond. Already that fleet which consisted of six ironclads, as many sloops, and three gunboats, has been aug- mented by the Triumph and the Monarch, from the Channel Squadron, the-former touching at Malta to take on board Admiral Rice, who proceeds to Turkish waters as pecond in command. Now four other armoured broadside ships are ordered to Gibraltar with all despatch-the Sultan com- manded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Edin. burgh the Rupert, from Chatham; the Raleigh, end the Monarch. To make good the vacancies thjj8 caused in the Channel Squadron, several of the coast- gaard ironclads have been ordered to join the flag of Admiral Beauchamp Seymour, who is just now off the Spanish coast with the Minotaur, the Black Prince, the Resistance, the Hectoi, and the Iron Duke. If these vessels, together with the Achilles, and two or three other of the coastguard ironclads, are ordered to Gib- raltar also, as seems to be the intention of the Admiralty at present, Great Britain will be represented in the Mediterranean by no fewer than twenty formidable ironclads, with probably ten thousand seamen and marines on board. As it is. Sir James Drummond will be in command, within the next fortnight, of_ a 'dozen of the most powerful ships afloat, together with nine minor vessels, as large a fleet possibly as that of all the other foreign nations combined. One of our vessels on the station, the Devastation, which carries four of those hfeavy cannon that have been nicknamed • Woolwich Infants,' is by far the most powerfully armed, and most stoutly defended with armour, of any ship, native or foreign, in those waters. Altogether, therefore, we may consider ourselves very adequately represented just now in the Levant."

A RAILWAY ACCIDENT. The cause of Welby v. the Midland Railway Com- pany," has been tried before the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Mellor, and Mr. Justice Quain, and was a railway accident case, which may be of some interest as a caution to the public. Itarose out of the common practiceof passengersrunningacrossrailways, instead of going along by some appointed course. The plaintiff was at the Keighley station on the company's line at eleven at night, waiting for a train. The train arrived, and, as it was on the opposite sIde, it would be necessary to cross the line to get at it. There was a proper foot- way across the middle of the station laid with level planks in the u3ual way, but as the train was drawn across the line this way was blocked up. There was another footway at the end of the station, but the plaintiff, in order to save a few yards in dis- tance and a few seconds in time, jumped down off the platform and ran across. The ballast was being taken up at the place where he crossed, and he put his foot into a hole and was thrown down and injured, and for this injury he sued the company, who set uu hia own negligence as a defence. The case was tried a^*Leeds before Baron Bramwell, and the evidence was that people constantly crossed the line in the same way when the wooden footway was blocked but the rail- way servants said they had constantly cautioned people not to do so. The learned Baron left it to the jury whether the plaintiff was invited by the company to cross at the place where he crossed, and, if so, whether there was a hole into which he would, if he EO went across, naturally fall. They found for the plaintiff- damages, £50., This was an application to set aside the verdict as against evidence. Mr. J. B. Maule. Q.C., and Mr. V. T. Thompson were for the plaintiff; Mr. Fitzjanues Stephen, Q.C., and Mr. J. Wheelhouse were for the company. In the result, the Court set aside the verdict, and sent the case to a new trial.

llxswllaitmrs Intelligent*. HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. A POT Boy's FAVOURITE DANCE.—The Can- can.-Fun. TRADE WITH Russu.The declared value of merchandise imported into the United Kingdom from Russia in the last four months amounted to ~2,163,078, and the exports of British and Irish produce exported in the same period £ 272,669. INDIAN NEWS.— "The Ameer of Cabul proposes to assume the title of Padishab. A council of nobles, we are informed, have consented to the change. Ibis is the first authentic proof of the frenzied delight of the native princes at the new title which has reached England. The Ameer, we understand, believes that this change of style wili let England know he intends to stand no nonsense. The Vice-Emperor of India has telegraphed to town to know if, in view of these proceedings, he may ride on two elephants at once and cftU biaueU a Pftdiwuiher,—ZWTV, "LLOYD'S.Since Friday afternoon insur- ances effected at Lloyd's were made to cover war risk. -The Times, Monday, May 29. FaEm PICTURES IN KENSINGTON GARDENS !— "W. R." writes to The ytmM;—"The crowds who flock to Bushy Park or Kew do not see anything more fair than the tree pictures now in Kensington Gardens, to which I beg tf) call the attention of all love's of trees. The hawthorns and horse-chestnuts are now in marvel- lous beauty, though one rattly a-es anybody taking the least notice of them. All the blaze of the autumnal bedding out J is in point of beauty as nothing to what is now sff <rded here by a few kinds of ordinary h-Ardy trees that cost little at first and take care of them- selveA aft erwards. There is a little open lawn with a small lime tree in its centre quite near the Row corner of the Gardens, around which there are several charm- ing aspects of tree beauty. One hawthorn is about forty feet high. Some of the central and uufrequented portions of the Gardens are the most attract ve. Nobody can despair of growing fbwering trees to hi» heart's content in London after seeing the moun'^ins of horse-chestmit bloom and other masses of tree flowers here. L«t tho?e interested see the old trr"s ;n the central par's m well a* the newer plantations, which, however, are also beauiifal." NEW ARMY HEAD-musH.-The Horse Guards authorities h ve determined to introduce a new I-e-d d-epg iuto the British Army (sava the Whitehall Review). They areal-out to adopt for ull the infantry ard artillery a helmet of black leather, sh-;ped like the white helmet which has been for some years worn by our tvoops in India. The first corps upon which the expbriment is to be trieu will be the Royal Enjiine?rp, to whom the new helmet will be issued in ibø early part of next year. The improvement this will make in the appearance of our infantry and foot artillery will no doubt be very great. The soldierlike appear- ance of the German troops since they have adopted the helmet must be manifest to every one who has seen them. A more ugly head-dress than the shako, a more useless one than the busby, or a more inconvenient one than the metal helmet can hardly be imagined, and it would be an immense advantage to the Army if these could be done away with, and a really serviceable helmet, adapted to this climate in the same way that the white helmet is adapted to India, could replace them. Gipr OF A FREE LIBRARY.—On Saturday a Free Library erected at a cost of B5,000, and furnisbed with 7,0P0 volumes of books as an Instalment of 10,000 promised bv the donor, was given by Mr. Chadwick, M.P., to the town of Macclesfield. The only condi- tion attached to the gift was the adoption of the Free Libraries Act to ensure the maintenance of the library which was unanimously done by the ratepayers in 1874, soon after the gift was promised. On Saturday Mr. Chadwick, in the presence of a large assemblage, including his wife and daughters, the other borough member, along with Sir Henry Cole, Mr. Pennington, M P., the Mayors of Manchester, Salford, Stockuort, and Congleton, the local magistrates, the Town Council, the School Board, and official bodies, pre- sented to the Mayer, Mr. Thomas U nett Brockle- hurst, a gold key as the symbol of possession, and re- ceived an address of thanks. The Mayor afterwards gave a banquet at the Town-hall, and Sir Henry Cale responded to the toast of" Science and Art." TURNPIKE ROADS AND TRUSTS.—The Select Committee of the Hou3e of Commons on Turopikes reiterate the opinion which they have previously ex- presied, that no time ought to be lost in bringing dis- turnpiked roads under a better system of management. Evidence has been produced before them, both in this and previous sessions, that the condition of several of the dis-turnpiked roads is rapidly deteriorating, and this experience leads the committee to urge strongly that any legislation to be effective should be compul- sory. Attention has been called to the fact that the Turnpike Acts Continuance Act of last session was, for the first time, not inserted, as usual, among the public Acts of Parliament, and that public inconveni- ence has arisen in consequence; and this committee recommend that no departure from this invariable practice of Parliament for upwards of thirty years should for the future be made. AN OPINION ABOUT RESERVE.—" As to his being, as you say, not open,' I don't know what you mean," she said. You did not expect him to dis- close his inmost thoughts to us upen our first meeting; and I like people to leave one something to find out. I think people are very like chestnuts; when you take them quite out of their shells they soon lose all their gloss. I like a man for being a little reserved."— My Sister Rosalind, A MUSICAL CRITIC.—An American musical critic says It was a young woman with as many flowers rouud her as the planet Saturn has rings, that did it. She gave the music-stool a whirl or two, and fluffed down on it like a twirl of soapsuds in a hand- basin. Then she pushed up her cuffs as if she was going to fight for the champion's belt. Then she worked her wrists and hands to limber 'em, I suppose, and spread out her ficgers till they looked, as though they would pretty much cover the keyboard, from the growling end to the little squeaky one. Then these two hands of hers made a jump at the keys as if they were a couple of tigers coming down upon a flock of black and white sheep, and the piano gave a great howl, as if its tail had been trod on. Dead stop-so still, you cold hear your hair growing. Then another howl, as if the piano had two tails and you bad trod on 'em both at once, and then a grand clatter and scramble and string of jumps, up and down, back and forward, one hand over the other like a stampede of rats and mice more than anything I call music." COLOURABLE.—A contemporary announces that a large sum of money has been given in charity by a wealthy negro, and applies the term generous to the donor. The word is out of place, for all pre- sents from such a source must be given with a nigger'd hand.-Fun.. THE CANAL SCHEME BETWEEN THE CHANNEL AND THE MEDITERBANEAN.—The scheme for a canal between the Channel and the Mediterranean is being seriously taken up (says the Paris correspondent of The Times). The delegates of Chambers of Commerce have formed themselves into a Commission to promote its execution, and have had an interview with several members of the Government. The Minister of Finance aeked for a sketch of the necessary works and the cost, and the Minister of Public Works acknowledged the advantage of a canal eerving for vessels of 250 or 300 tons, adding that the financial question was the only thing to be considered. The Commission adopting the estimates of State engineers, put the cost at 65,< OO.OOOf.— namely, 10,000,000f. outlay on the Liwer Seine, 5,0D0,000f. on the Upper Seine and Yonne, 10,003,COOf. on the Burgundy Cana), and 40,000,000f. on the Rhone. The dep'h would be 13 5 mfetres on the Rhone and two nitres elsewhere. Transhipment would in any case be necessary only at Lyons. The locks would be uniformly 133 mfetres and 12 bt-oad on the canals. The works would be com- plated in six years. It is believed that the tr^rtic otherwise likely to be carried by the St. Gothard Rail- way would be retained in France by this canal, and that the freight of wine and other commodities would be considerably reduced. THE BALHAM MYSTERY.-The Times of Tues- day said The information gathered by the detec- tive police and the statements taken by the Treasury- solicitors will be to-day submitted to counsel. With reference to statements which appeared on Saturday in some papers, purporting to be a btief summary of the report to be presented to the Home Secretary, the authorities desire it should be known that none of the supposed 'information'conveyed therein had an offi. cial source. The facts gathered by the .police and the unsworn testimony of witnesses in possession of the Treasury have not been made available for publication, and the summary referred to was not based on the report of the Treasury solicitors. PREPARED WITTICISMS.-It is said that a Chinese gentleman thinks it beneath his dignity to manufacture his own witticisms. He appreciates wit and be is fond of tea, but he would as soon grow his own tea as make his own jokes. When he goes into society he carries in his pocket a package of prepared witticisms and repartees, which he has purchased at the nearest joke shop. When conversation flags, and he perceives an opportunity for saying something bril- liant, he draws a humorous remark from the top of his package and gravely hands it to his neighbour. The latter as gravely reads it, and selecting from his bundle of repartees the one which is appropriate, returns it, with a bow, to the original joker. The two then solemnly smile in a courteous and undemonstrative way, and resume their conversation, feeling that they have acquitted themselves with conspicuous brilliancy. OH, HEIGHO !—Accidents have curious effects sometimes, especially in America. A New York paper states that by the bursting of a steamer's boiler on fche Ohio fifteen people were killed, some of them fatally." Explosions are so frequent on this river that probably some passengers, like eels and Scotchmen, require killing two or three times over before they are q ute dead. Use requires a deal of conquering in cases of this kind. -Pun.. BISHOP ELIACOTR ON INFIDELITY, — The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol preached on Sunday afternoon at St. James's, Piccadilly, the last of the series of sermons arranged by the Christian Evidence Society. The subject was "The Contrast between Christianity as the Hope of the World and the Des. pair of Unbelief." His lordship, preaching from Ephesians ii., 12—" Having no hope and without God in the world," placed before his congregation the true nature of hope, and then proceeded to give an analysis of the three prevalent forms of infidelity-Materialiam, Pantheism, and what he termed Anti-theism, or the system that denies a personal God, but admits of an impersonal Omnipotence not to be identified with the world of phenomena. His lordship pointed out that a consideration of the various systems led to these re- BUUS 1. That none of them supplied even the most rudimentary answer to the deeper questions of human life; 2. That none of them has ever suggested any ulti- mate considerations which could form in any degree even a temporary palliative. The right rev. prelate then pointed out how all non-Christian resignation led to Nihilism and utter despair, and then showed that none of the non-Christian systems even suggested any motive principles in life or morality. EXPEDIIION AGAINST THE SIOUX INDIANS.— American papers received at Plymouth on Sunday night announce tl at in consequence of massacres by Sioux Jndians, an expedition 2,000 strong, chiefly cavalry'with Gatling guns, and led by Generals Terry and Cheater, has started on what is practicftUy an organised war of examination. The New York Herald states thatparties of frightened miners who have hastily left the Black Hills bring melancholy stories. The mining settlements will soon be deserted, unless the terror of returning across the open plains, which are now infested by bands of bloodthirsty Sioux, should counterbalance in the mind3 of the unfortunates the hardships and perils of remaining where they are. Fuod and ammunition they report to be very scanty there, and sold by the traders at fabulous prices. Many of the repentant emigrants suffer from enforced fasting, except when they may chance to secure small supplies of wild game, which have become very shy. The ma- jority of them have ventured and lost their all in seek. ing the fancied B1 D.irado. They are depleted not only in purse, but in health and spirits. Those who have reached this point say that the Sioux are in the heart of the Black Hills, ekulking among the rocks and in the canons, and opening a treacherous fire upon white men whenever they can reach them. They can I neithw hunt nor dig for few of the unseen enemy. A SIGHT BMTER.—A blind clergyman has been appointed to the curacy of St. Paul's, Prince's- park, LiverpooL Why not give the rev. gentleman a bishopric? A good see would be such an agreeable change for him.-Fun. CATTLE DISEASES.—A. return to the House of Commons, procured by Mr. Batt, M.P., was printed lately, from which it appears that. under the 10-h section of the Cattle Diseases (Ireland) Act, 1866, there was assessed, on the 18 h of April, 1866, at one farthing poundage on all the Poor Law Unions, jEl.3,474, and on the 24th of Julv, 1874, at the same poundage, £ 13,966,18s. !d. Under the certificate of the 18th of April, 1866, £17,8594". lid. was received, and the dis- bursements were JB12,251 2s. 5d., leaving £ 5,608 2s. 61. to refund to the treasurers of Poor Law Unions. Under the second certificate, the receipts were £ 14,839 9i., and the disbursements £ 14,476 19'. 4d. A specific account i3 given of the di&bursemtnK The amounts voted by Parliament in connexion with the ,it, I- diseaqe wpre. in the last fonr vf»r« respectively, £2,7778". 2d., £ 1,893, j31,801, and E1.903, A MISQUOTATION.—A curious misquotation occurs in ThTimes 8 report of Lord C -ircar voa'd speech the other oight oa the "Vivisection Bill. His lordship is represented as saying they all remembered the words of the poet "He prayeth best whol-jveth best B jth man, and bird, and beast." The words that Lord Carnarvon meant to give, of course, art;- "Ho prayt th well who loveth well B itn man, and bird, and beast." There is a verpe in the Ancient Mariner beginning as does the first line in the above misquotation, but that verse runs "He prayeth best who loveth best All things, both great and small," &c. PUBLIC INCOME.—Mr. Mitchell Henry has obtained a return, which was printed on Friday, con- taining an account of the public income for the last five years. The gross receipts in the United Kingdom in 1870-71 were £ 74,061,325 7s. 7d. in 1871-72, £ 79,420,582 7s. 4d.; in 1872-73, jE81,768,718 33. 3d.; in 1873-74, £f8,483,532 163. 9d.; and in 1874 75 (to the 31st of March), J676,652,263 10J. Id. THE SEAT IN THE OMNIBUS.—The omnibus was the other day quite full of undergraduates return- ing to their respective colleges. The day was cold, wet, and miserable. Have you room for one inside to Oxford ?" asked as pretty a girl as one would wish to see on a summer day. "Lots of room," cried the insides; we are not very large—we can manage to take one more." The fare was paid by the young lady cautiously to bind the contract. Ail right," responded the conductor. "Come along, grandfather," cried the damsel, addressing a most respectable looking portly elderly gentleman "the money is paid-get in, and be sure you thank the young gentlemen," at the same time suiting the action to the word, and, with a wicked smile, assisting her respected grandfather into the omnibus. Here's some mistake; you'll squeeze us to death cried the astonished undergraduates. But at that moment off went the omnibus, and he, instead of she, settled down ponderously between two of them. PROPERTY AND IfiCOMs TAX.—The net receipts in the last five years within the year ended the 31st of March were In the year ended the 31st of March, 1871, £ 6,290,611 7s. Id. in 1872, £ 9.328,102 10s.; in 1873. S7,403,736 18-4. in 1874, £5,641,79193. Id.; and in 1875, £ 4,315,132 31. 4d. In the five years the reoav- ments, allowances, &o., were respectively £128 983 15s. 5d., £ 105,657 6s. 8i., £143,534 0a. 10d., £ 126,527 lis. 9d., and £86,559 19s. 8d. COBBETT OR BUTLER.-The Rev. Alan Cheales writes to The Thirties from Brockham Vicarage, Reigate The lines referred to by Mr. Shaw Lefevre In the House of Commons on Thursday were, I believe written by Cobbett, not Butler; and more exactly ran a* follows It bath not been a thing uncommon To steal a goose from off the common; But what shall be that man's excuse Who steals the common from the goose ?' My authority is that of the late Sir Benjamin Brodie." THE KNOWING VULTURE !-In the Isthmus of Panama, the Gallinazo, a black vulture, is a very familiar object (says Les Mondes). You see it every- where, perched on the houses and walls, or walking about on the streets and over heaps of refuse. It renders great service in clearing the streets, removing carrion, &o., and there is no need of any law to protect it. The Gallinazo is of a uniform black, but its head and neck are entirely devoid of feathers. The inha- bitants of Panama have a reason to give for this bald- ness. They say that at one time the Gallinazo had feathers on its head. After the deluge, Noah, when he was opening the door of the ark, thought it well to give a word of advice to the released animals. My children," he said, "when you flee a man coming towards you, and stooping down, go away from him he is getting a stone to throw at you Very good," exclaimed the Gallinszo, but what if he have one already in his pocket! Noah was somewhat taken aback at the reply but he decided that in future the Gallinazo should be born bald, in token of its remark- able sagacity. A TOUCHING INCIDENT.—Pawnbrokers see strange sights of all kinds, from grave to gay, from lively to severe." The Rappel reports a case which might form appendant to Montague Tigg's shirt for any artist in want of a subject. A little Rirl enters a pawn- broking establishment, with something wrapped up in a handkerchief. She takes aseatuntil her turn comes, and then approaches the counter and lays down her parcel. The shopman proceeds to open it in his usual indifferent manner, but bis curiosity issuddenlyarouaed on finding the contents to be a doll. Now, my little dear," he asks, "what do you want me to do with this?" The girl replies, Father is ill, and mother is crying be- cause she has no money to buy him physic; so I thought I would bring you my doll and ask you to lend me something on it." Tne shopman reflects for a moment, looks at the child, then goes into the back room where the pledges are examined, comes back again, and returns the doll to the little girl with something wrapped up in paper. "Five francs on a doll," he cries out to the clerk, and then goes on to the next pledge. The touching incident is guaranteed as authentic. PROGRESS IN JAPAN.-The rapidity with which the Japanese are assimilating the habits and science of the West is one of the greatest marvels of the age. Civilization, until now, has always taken the opposite course to that of the sun, and the change going on in these far eastern islands is not mere external imitation, but an absolute internal transformation. A few years ago an Imperial College of Engineering was established in the principal island, with the view of educating native engineers for the Department of Public Works. Admission is obtained by competitive examination, the course of instruction is very complete, and the College is at present under the management of English Proftssors, the English language having apparently been adopted as the scientific tongue. In connexion with this institution there are well-fitted laboratories and workshops of various kinds. The special courses are civil and mechanical engineering, telegraphy, architec- ture, practical cb j mistry, and metallurgy. The number of students at the close of the last year was 272, We are also informed that energetic measures are being adopted by the Government for introducing the improved manufacture of iron into the country. With this view, two charcoal blast-furnaces and other works are in course of erection, and it is expected that by the close of the present year twelve puddling and seven reheating furnaces, forge train, plate, rail, bar, guide and mills, with steam bummers, fo ir different shears, saws, lathes, cranes, anu all other nesessary appliances of the most modern construction will be in operAtion.. -1ron.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. Great ravages have been made by locusts in the pro* vince of Altemtejo, In Portugal. A bicycle, driven by a small steam engine, is the latest novelty. In the past four months the value of indigo imported was £1,429,573 in 1875 £ 1,207,771. The Public Works Committee of the Dudley Town Council are engaged in negotiations with the object of tub- stitutlng petroleum for gas in lighting the public lamps of the borough. The miners employed by Earl Fitzwilliam at his Soath Yorkshire collieries went to work on Monday at a reduction of 10 per cent, mutually agreed upon without a strike. A monument to Bartolomeo Christofalia, the in- ventor of the piano, has been placed in the church at Santa Croce at Florence. Fever has broken out on board the training ship St. Vincent, in Portsmouth Harbour, and two deaths have occurred. The vessel accommodates between 600 and 700 boys, 800 of whom were removed on Friday night to the hulk Hannibal, now in harbour. "Still in our ashes live their wonted fires." Not that Mr. Disraeli is reduced to a cinerary condition in his material capacity but this is apropos to the fact that we areto have'another novel We are intormed he is writing one in continuation of that famous story Lothair. Court Journal. The Pope appears to be disturbed by the Mahom- medan "revival." It is stated that his Holiness, replying to a body of pilgrims who recently waited upon him, said I pray that God may guide us to the means of destroying Islam. Ism, which is now no longer confined to the banks of the Bosphorus, but is extending to so many other countries." The April returns of the foreign trade of New York show a falling off in both Import* and exports as compared with last year. The value of merchandise imports for the month was bat 23,700.000 dols. as compared with 28,60J,000 dols. in April. 1875, and 40,600,000 dols. in the corresponding month of 1874. In the House of Commons, on Monday evening, in answer to Sir E Watkin, Sir C Adderley said that it had been reported to the Board of Trade that between the 22nd of September 1875, and the 18th of May, 1876, 13 vessels, of a tonnage of 6,623 tons, were stranded on the coast of Dunge- lIess; five of thelle vessels (2,259 tons) became total wrecks. Seven ot the 13 (three of the five total wrecks) were foreign vessels. A short Parliamentary paper recently Issued shows that in September last the Poor Law Guardtans of Wlthsni Union resolved, by ten votes to eight, to pay £ 2 53. 6d., the voluutary church-rate, for the parish of Witham in respect of the Uuion-house. The auditor disallowed the payment, but the Local Government Board have reversed h s dec.sio^ pointing out that such a of the r™ fit" to make it, is lawful under the 7th section of the Com- pulsory Church Rates Abolition Act of 18 8. A constituent of Mr. Gladstone's in the borough nf Ori-enwich having applied to the right hon. pen le- pulsory Church Rates Abolition Act of 18 8. A constituent of Mr. Gladstone's in the borough nf Ori-enwich having applied to the right hon. pen le- man for a ticket of a admission to the!House of Commons m the occasion of a debate in which the applicant was interested received the following Sir—I regret that I am uuable to have your name placed on the Speaker s list, and 1 that mv order for to-morrow has been given already. I i should indeed be ob i?,d to any one who would make it known that the applications to me from the consiituen :y for admission to tne fluUeeof Commons are alv geiher bejond mylimited powers to meet.—Your very faithful and obedient W. E Giadtouo." The funeral of Mr. Henry Kingsley took place on Mon- day at Cuckfleld, in Sussex. There was a large attendance of friends and acquaintances of the deceased. The interment took nlace shortly alter noon. The f mieral cortige was met at the £ ates by the Revs. T. A Maberly, H Holungworth, and H. Hanbury, accompinted by 14 surpliced choir boys. About SO mourners, wearing sprigs of lily of the vaiUy, joined in the procession, and the burial service was conjointly read by the three rev. gentlemen. The plate on the coffin bore tha fol- lowing inscription, Henry Kingsley, entered into rest on the vigil of the Ascension, 1876, aged 46 years E LP." Amongst these present were Mrs. Henry Kingsley, widow of deoeased, Dr. Kingsley, Mrs. Geo. Kingsley, Misses B. and A. Allen, nei«e* ofthe deoeaied, Mr. Evenley, and Mr. J. Kvereley, A communication from Athens contradicts U. rumour that the King of Greece Intends to abdioate. A rumour that several missionaries have been assassinated In China has been mentioned by tne w papers. ,Ai j The census of the German Empire shows a tow» { population of forty-two and a half millions, an Increase sino» 1872 of one and a half million. | The declared value of hops imported in the past four ( months was ie435,939, asalnst £ 120,030 in the corresponding f period of the previous year. I Several hundred men in the Sheffield scissor trade who had for months been on strike for thirty per cens- r higher wages, have resumed work on the o!d terms. j Her Majesty's ship Sultan, captain. His Royal H;a^' I ness the Duce of Edinburgh, sailed from Spithead on Satar day o:i a roving commission." The first port called at wil be'Gibra-tar. | In his ad'lress to tha Centennial judges at Phila- delphia Sir Charles Reed declared that the present Exhibi- tion to be unparalleled by any of its predecessors. The C »irt Circular states that on W dnesday mOrn" ina {'he U-.r) >.hu Urathie »hr.ir came to Ba'mon-l Castle ano sang a selection of music in honour of Her M<.j«stys birth day. The Prince of Wales present, d portr^ of him- self and her Royal K'ghnees tha Prlactsa of Wales to tno officers cf the Scapis. The Eirl of Dufferin, Governor-General of the Dominion of Canal a i* gazetted a Kmght Grtnd Cross I,f ;4t,- Mlohae' snd Ge^rae, *nd Colonel A. h Anson Lie tenant Governor oi the (slant of Penang, is gazetted to » companionship of ihs sama Order. Mr. Goulding, tha Conservative candidate, has been retu-ntd for Cork, having polled l,i97 votes, as compana with 11for Mr. Daly and 811 for Mr. Lane, the two Home Rule cand ii! ates. The British Medical Jour nil statr i that the King ot the Belgians has pio.uoted Sir Henry Thompson to tbe-ranlg of Commander of the Order of Leopold, of which he pre- viously held the rank of Knight. The Standard is informed that orders have been re- ceived at the Victualling-yard, Deptford, for a large suppV of naval stores to be prepared for transmission to Malta a* an early date. Colonel Sandford has telegraphed from Philadelphia that at a meeting of more than three hundred commissioners and judges on Wednesday evening (24th), her Majesty* health on her birthday was received with great enthusiasm. One of our German correspondents writes"Four groups of marble figures have been placed in the Bene- Alliance-square at Berlin. They represent the four Powers -England, Holland, Prussia, and Hanover—whose troopS gained the battle of Waterloo. England is represented by warrior whose left foot leans against the British lion. A Government inquiry into our post-office money- order system is now being carried on, and it Is to be hope" that it will result in reform. The rates ought to beslmpUftecl and on the whole should be lowered. A Thanksgiving Service for the return of the Prince of Wales was held at St. Paul's Cathedral on Saturday af* noon, when iustead of a sermon Handei's Dettingen Te Deuit was performed before a very numerous congregation. "Yes, said a distinguished French politician, visit M Thiers occasionally now, for he is troubled wiw» bronchitis, and between two fits of coughing one can some- times get in a word." visit M Thiers occasionally now, for he is troubled witb bronchitis, and between two fits of coughing one can some- times get in a word." A Sacramento lady, who sports an artificial tootD, left it of the table ot the restaurant where she had ta*w breakfast the other morning, and on returning for it aDOU an hour afterwards, found it attached as a charm to the bob- chain of the waiter. The statue erected in memory of Schiller by public subscription, was lately inaugurated at Marbacb, the place Of his birth. The family of the distinguished poet was repre- sented by his grandson and grand-daughter. The Woman's Pavilion at Philadelphia presents interesting and unique display of work done by female hano» —pilnting, sculpture, weaving, hosiery, wood carving, s» like forms of light hand work. Among the articles thus opened one most often Inquired for is a piece of the Qaeen ■ handiwork. | A public meeting, convened to promote the TOWD- ( tary closing of shops on Sundays, has been held In I>)ndo» the Earl of Shaftesbury in the chair. Upon the motion Lord Ebury, a resolution was carried describing Suguw trading as unnecessary and detrimental to the moral, soffl»»» and physical well-being of those who are engaged in It. Her Majesty's ship Barracoutt, which lost seamen and marines In a skirmish with the natives at Samo»» having met the flagship of the Commodore at Auckland, «n»» officer, after inquiring into the matter, has notified to wj Admiralty his intention of proceeding to Samoa to oDtw* further information. A number of young grayling have been saf»v brought from the borders of Wales, and lodged In the Brlg««tn» Aquarium. They were caught In the river Teme, and tM» acclimatization will be anxiously watched by naturallB*r They have been placed in the stream in the fernery. There has been a very remarkable meeting of wort" ing men at Rome. Among the resolutions passed was on demandiog that the working daises shouldbepald^ accordance with their efficiency, a principle in direct oppo»' tion to the one advocated by the trade unionists of England* The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledges tø The Times, as Conscience Money," the receipt of £ 6 8s. Bank-note and stamps, from "H. R. for legacy duty a note from Y. ZaDd £ 2 in stamps with the first half oi igIO note, from S. S. S for Income-tax. A collection of 15 Cremona violins, the property 01 a gentleman, has been sold by auction at Messrs. Jro»W* Gallery In Pall-mall, London, realizing £ 1,632. Two W Antonius Stradivarius sold for £ 240.guineas each, and* Joseph Gnarnerius, after a most lengthened compeutloD, w»» sold for £ 630.. Lord Sandon's Education Bill has been unanimonW condemned at a meeting of the United Nonconformist Colo, mittees at Crewe, as tending to multiply and perpeSU." denominational schools. The resolutions adopted aects" that In order to secure the rights and liberties of Dlssenww* It is necessary that there should be a school board in everi district, with a school uuder ita management accessible to the inhabitants of the district. « At a meeting of the National Agricultural Union at Oxford, a discussion has token place on what snou» constitute a fair day's labour, and the council resolved while they could not draw a distinct line in regard to how of labour, they should urge the members of the unien obtain payment for overtime in money and not in Kina.. Dr. D. G. F. Macdonald writes that the plagoe o obtain payment for overtime in money and not in kind. Dr. D. G. F. Macdonald writes that the plagoe o mice on the Scottish border has been exceedingly duastro^ to the pastoral farmers of Teviotdale. On mauy hold nearly half the grass has been nibbled, an t In some pi» -j not a vestage of living herbage is to be seen. The m'ce sW»*^ in such va»t numbers that some superstitious people they are a special judgment. In the process of demolition of a portion of th Chateau at Dieppe, a number of human bones were found, supposed to have been laid in the burial-ground which rounded the ancient church of St. Remy. There were discovered 17 coins, chit fly in sliver, mostly of the reign»"J Henri III Henri IV., Louis XIII, and Louis XIV, a»» with the impressions well preserved a Chinese coin in gold, a Roman one in silver, the base of a lamp in earthenwaTw and some iron and stone cannon-balls. The cavalry barracks at Lyons were struck b1 lightning during a thunder-storm on Thursday mornlnS tIS last wt ek. Three soldiers were hurt, one of them so serionsw as to require his removal to the hospital. He was in bed the time, and the mattress was set on fire. Four horses the stables were killed, although at a distance from eag) other. I The Manchester Guardian announces the death Sir Thomas Henry Fermor-Htsketh, Bart. The baronet, who resided at Fermor Lodge, Southport, was In »» thirtieth year of his age. The cause of death was effusl" ou the brain. Sir Thomas took the title and estates on tf ou the brain. Sir Thomas took the title and estates on tf death of his father about three years ago, and these are no taken by Captain T. G. Fermor Hesketh, who for some ti]00 Jbas been abroad. Mr. Coxwell, the aeronaut, and Mr. F. J. Ashto ma'le an ascent on Monday irom Lewes, with the baUO" J<m," tha property of Mr. Ashion. Two pilot balloon- went straight away in the direction of Tunbride Wells, an" start was made at 5.20 in a most favourable state of j atmosphere: and when the ba'loon rose, amid the eheer* the spectators, it took the direction intended. Shortly a» it met with a northerly current and was carried towards 5 sea when it was deemed advisable to descend. The descen was made satisfactordy, shortly before seven, two from Seaford.. On her M» j esty's recent vieit to the London Hospiwr she spoke to a boy, ei-'ht years of age, who had his legbro»"J by havii g been run over. After he left the hospital the en** wrote ol nis own accord, and without his father's or motne*^ knowledge, a letter to the Qaeen, bought a stamp, and po»JT it. Tn" letter bore no other address than the words Qaeen Victoria." The letter was delivered to the Queen, a"j her Majesty, finding on inquiry that the writing ef the ie**r was the b< y's own act, sent him a gift of £ 3 through the T. J. Rowsell. a At a special meeting of the north Staffordshire CO»J and Iron Masters' Association, held at Hanley last Friday^ was resolved that notice should be given on Monday to throughout the district to terminate all contracts for and prices at the end of 14 days. A general opinion was pressed that the circumstances of the case required a 16 cent, reduction, and that, in the event of the men being willing to accept such a reduction, recourse should be bad to arbitration.. j/rf When the widow of Rubini, the celebrated ten singer died about two years ago, H was announced tha« s»# had left her property—or, at all events, the bulk ofit ^>. town called Romano, In Lombardy, her husband s Dir»jV place. By a letter lately received In that neighhourhooo. seems that in all probability her money will be applied to foundation of an Orphan Asylum for Boys, a Home -Musical Artistes, and a college to consist of eight separ» classes of students. The Signora Rubini, as might t>e«> pectad died extremely rich, doubtless her property will carefully utilised. The correspondent of the Daily News at Alexander says that various unfavourable rumours are clrculawjj respecting the fate of the Egyptian army in Abyssluia. AD^JJ 15,000 ot the men have returned, bat the same number unaccounted for. All sorts of means are adopted, It Is s»* to prevent the truth being told. On arriving at Sues soldiers aie conveyed to Cairo by train at night, and ora have been issued in the toirns and villages prohibit*" mourning for the dead. u At Edinburgh on Monday the Established Ch°P £ Assembly had before them overtures with regard to »h« Mission of ministers of other Churches as licentiates ol Church of Scotland. It was resolved, on a division. ministers of the Presbyterian Churches should be eligi" £ J I but that ministers of the Church of England and Colony Presbyterians should not be admitted, the idea being the qualifications of the latter were not sufficiently warrant by their theological training. The weather during the last few days hu, says dJf Magnet, been favourable for agricidture. Vegetation^has ceived a marked stimulus, and whilst affairs are still ward a great deal of lost ground has been recovered, ii 4 weather shou'd now become settled and warm a decide permanent improvement could not fail to result. ^t, of farmers for a fair hay crop has again been raised. Wb^ generally, looks well, although. In some cases, discolour # and the prospect as regards the other crops Is about average. average.Jj After a trial about the warranty of bullocks, wOl|V, Immediately fo.lowed a trial about some lambs (both tn-^ occupying two days), Mr. Serjeant Shee proposed to case relating to the quality of turnip seed on the foue^j day, Instead of immediately going on with it. Mr. J "Tpi Willes replied, Certainly not, brother 8h«e. I have the jury for two days on lamb and beef, and I am not to bring them here for another day to keep them on nips a i«ct Mr. Laing, M. P., was a witness before the Committee a pointed by ihe House of Commons to inq^j into the operation of the Railway PassengerJDnty. H o0ld of opinion that upon just and equitable grounds the tax s be abolished altogether If the revenue could afford it. J, Samuda gave evidence in reference to the North Statt" shire Railway. He expressed a strong conviction tha imposition of the duty retarded the development of rail"™ and that it pressed most unequally upon different «>mpa»* "Lost, Btolen, or strayed, a boa constrictor restorer will be handsomely rewarded if he survives » ,p| is the tenour of a notice rise issued by M Hilaire tho director of th« Paris iluseum ot Naturai Ihe missing s<-rpeut had beeu sent from Belgium, addre L thePa °f J ardlnde, Plantes and properly labelled, care this 'we up." Either because that side was not nn or became tne rail^ny officials were unpolite, or other rea%on, the serpent got out of the train at Lille, t^ it had a ticket fur Paris. It is supposed to be neighbourhood of the refreshment room at the Lille ran M. de Reverdy, an intelligent Frenchman, who Orl, pears to have had very practical notions cncerniug social reform of his country, inserted a clause In hiS ivro by which a prize of 1,6001. was to be awarded every years 10 the family In Pai is which, being the most numer. has received the best education. The competition be*n opened by the city of Paris, and those who wisli w op6fl part in the contest are requested to communicate a* jrf with their respective Makies. The committee ofe**» -pd has been instructed to proceed with extreme drfioacy^l discretion, and to keep all information given by the di» competitors strictly secret.

(our ptttofl QLDrrrsponbtnf. [We deem it right to state that we do not at all ttocs identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.] Special and exceptional circumstances have tlh year combined to make the celebration of her Majesty's birthday in London of a somewhat more general character than has been the case for some years pasi;" The real date is the 24th of May; but the rule is to appoint an early Saturday after that day for the commemoration, because then great numbers of the population take holiday, and come out in thousands in the evening to witness the ii uminations. The time is also fixed with referee ce to the course of the moon, for bright clear mconlight would mar the effect of the •i-most elaborate devices and the most brilliant trans- parencies. On the present occasion there was no moonlight to speak of; and both in the City and at the West-end the scene was a very effective one. More particularly was this the case in the city, and in the neighbourhood of the Mansion House and the Guild- hall, for the Lord Mayor had asked the citizens not to illuminate on the Prince of Wales a Civic visit, when comparatively few peop'e would be about, but to do so on the Q ieen's birthday, when, by combining the two events the demonstration could be made much f more successful and complete. A Saturday night of this kind in the West-end is one of much interest and animation. Her Majesty's principal Ministers and the great officers of State give grand fall dress banquets, the Government Offices are lighted up, the fronts of the clubs in Fall Mall are all ablaze, and the tradesmen who have the honour of mounting the Royal arms over their doorways illumi- nate freely. The streets are crowded, for the Queen's birthday and that of the Prince of Wales on the 9th of November are ordinarily the only times in the year when displays of this kind are made in the metropolis. When exceptional events arise, such as the marriage of the Prince of Wales on the 10th March, 1863, and the Thanksgiving for his recovery from a dangerous illness on the 27th February, 1872, the crush at the illumina- tions is at some points terrific and even dangerous, more especially in the narrow thoroughfares of the City. The irresistible pressure of a human wave is then felt with a force which can only be realised by those who have experienced it. Whitsuntide is clo3e upon us, and so far as Parlia- ment is concerned, noble lords and honourable gentle- men are preparing for the brief vacation which the season brings. It is not a long one this time-ten days • or so for the Lords and a week for the Commons, for the Easter Recess was not so very long ago, when the Upper House had three weeks and the lower a fort- night. On reassembling after Whitsuntide there are no more holidays of any sort or kind until the final break-up and prorogation, which generally comes about the second week in August. From the second week in June therefore until that time, nothing but work is before our legislators, and more labour Is ? performed in Parliament during those two months than in all the rest of the session. What are called morning sittings will now very soon begin-that is to oay, the Government besides being in possession of their own two nights a week-Monday and Thursday— will e-cmacb upon the hours of private members on Tuesday and Friday, and as the session advances Wednesday also is annexed by Ministers. Then, as time goes on, you will at last find the House sitting on a Saturday afternoon, so that all the live-long week is thus devoted to the public business. Everything must then give way to the work of the Administration, for it is deemed more important to pass the Appropri- atian Act embodying the votes in supply for the Army, the Navy, and the Civil Service than to discuss any grievance which may be brought forward by private members. N It seems now a "far cry" back to December, 1872, but the return of the Challenger from her leng voyage round the world reminds us that, starting within a few t days of Christmas In that year, the ships has been just three years and five months in exploring the dif- ferent seas upon the surface of the globe. The ques. tion is not so much where she has been as where J she has not been. She has sailed over the stormy crests of the Atlantic, has been a mere speck amid the boundless solitudes of the Pacific, has ploughed the way over the tideless waves of the Mediterranean, and has, brought us home information of the marine life to be found in mighty depths amid the glowing waters which wash the shores at the equator. The explorers can tell us what kind of crustacea may be expected to exist in those parts of the vast Pacific where the ocean is five miles deep. Three years and a half of this life must have im. pressed them with such an idea of the grandeur, the immensity, and the power of the sea as, probably, no body of scientific men ever gathered before. There is no more graphic or expressive description of the passing away of created things than the single sentence of the Apostle John, when he wrote in the Isle of Patmos: "And there was no more sea 1" It contains a great deal in a very little compass for the destruction of the watery mantle by which the earth is enfolded conveys an infinitely greater meaning than the fall of mountains and of hills, or the dissolution of clond-capped towers and gorgeous palaces. The plucky little Pandora starts for the north with the best wishes of all, that her voyage may be attended with every success. She goes as the bearer of thousands of kindly messages and affectionate greetings for the gallant band of arctia navigators who left our shores just twelve months ago. A well- selected store of periodicals and a considerable number of the newspaper* of the day will also be borne to the frozen seas in order that the explorers may see what is passing in the busy world which they left behind them. It will be remembered that the Pandora brought despatches from the Arctic expedi- tion last August, and in the place where these had been deposited, left letters and newspapers for the sturdy band of Britons on board the Alert and the Discovery. Since that time, nearly ten months ago, the doings upon the animated globe have been a thorough blank to them, and only those who have undergone such a divorce from all terrestrial affairs can estimate the joy with which the good news from home" will be received by the wanderers in those illimitable solitudes of the North. August is very likely to be upon us again before the officers and crewip of the two Arctic ships get the packets which are to be carried up by the Pandora, and then another year J, must elapse btfore they can hear again. It is, of • course, understood that the men in the relief ship will see nothing of the Arctic navigators. What the latter have to send to England will be carefully deposited on a spot previously agreed upon, and about which there can be no mistake, the Pandora acting upon the aame principle. Each knows were to find what the other has left The despatches from the Arctic ships will be as interesting as anything we have read in our times. The matter will be a strong contrast to the surroundings that accompanied the Prince of Wales's tour through India, but will be none the less welcome on that account. The favourable change in the weather which fol- lowed-the disappearance of the east wind, has had a most beneficial effect upon the agricultural prospects of the country. Piercing blasts by day and keen frosts by night had nipped the tender shoots, and the rays of the sun had literally baked the thirsty ground. The land was hard and cracked; and not only in our own C luntry but in France, Belgium, and the South of Bussia, frosts and east winds were doing almost irre- parable damage amongst the young crops. Suddenly the wind went round to the south and the south-west and the surface of the soil, within a few hours, seemed to have passed under the wand of a magician. The drooping crops revived under the influence of genial showars and balmy air, the fissures in the earth closed up, and the clouds of hot dust, stifling and oppressive as they were, disappeared. Trees and shrubs lost their injurious coating of dust, the young leaves became green and healthy, and even the cattle had their shaggy coats cleansed from the unhealthly particles of bhnding dust whirled over the fields by the easterly wind. The alteration, though long delayed, has not come too late. An old proverb tells as that a late spring bringeth a good harvest. Lat us hope so in the present instance. Growing showers and June sunshine will remove all appre- hensioDl caused by the long prevalence of unfavourable winds. At all events the reports from the Continent are now encouraging; all the crops have improved under the agreeable change in the weather, and the prospects of the agriculturists, at no time during the present year, have never been so bright as they are now. The effect of the opportune veering round of the wind has been already apparent in the home and foreign markets. The wind, we are told in Holy Writ, bloweth where it listeth," but to mortal and erring instincts it seems strange that while a breeze from one cardinal point should pass over the land like a wither- ing blight, a mere shifting from east to south should revive the face of Nature, and be a source of incal- culable wealth to the cultivators of the soil The expedition to Lake Nyassa, which has sailed wi'hin the last few days in the good ship Windsor Castle, has the sympathies of all who believe in the soundness of the doctrine taught by Livingstone- that in Africa commerce muat march side by Bide with Christianity. He believed that the great cause of the slave trade could never be got rid of unless another was introduced in its stead. The two primary wants of the negro are cotton cloth and beads, and in order to pbtain these he is prepared to sell his own wife and children, or to kidnap those of others. He has no other way of procuring the luxuries for which he craves, and possessing no facilities for disposing of the produce of his fields and forests, natu- rally resorts to the easy, safe, and lucrative process of kidnapping. There is a very numerous population in the neighbourhood of Lake Nyaasa, for an abundance of fish game may be found there, and it has accordingly been determined. to establish, under the name of Livingstonia, a station which shall be a species ef combined mission, colony, trading post, and anti-slave trade centre. The nativeswillbe enabled to get any quantity of beads and cotton without resorting to the infamous slave traffic. The people in the Windsor Cattle have taken out an ample store of such articles, and those who believe that the puff of a steamboat and the shriek of the locomotive are the true heralds of civilization will be glad to hear that communication between the villages which dot the margin of the mag- nificent lake will be kept up by means of steamers. The importance of this movement will be better esti- mated when it is remembered that Lake Nyassa is really the headquarters of the slave trade, for more than 20,000 slaves were carried coastward over its native ferries last year. The Te Deum celebration in St. Paul's for the safe return of the Prince of Wales from India was, as might have been expected, very fully attended. Such an event in the national cathedral is one of some rarity; and previously to that which took place on the 27th February, 1872, for the recovery of the Prince from his dangerous illness there had been no Thanksgiving Service for a very long time. Queen Anne was accus- tomed to go in State to St. Paul's, in order to express the national gratitude for the great victories won by the Dake of Marlborough; George III. also went there to show how grateful he was for having re- covered from a serious mental attack, although the poor old King afterwards suffered a relapse, and remained in that state until his death. To these who believe that in our own time we concentrate the in- tellectual power of all ages, it is sufficient to point to the grandeur of such a composition as the Te Deum to prove that there must have been giants of intellect cen- turies ago. Our ancestors, it is true, did not develop the mighty forces of steam and electricity; but the history of the world makes it clear that master minds have flourished in all ages of the world's existence. No modern city has ever been laid out with the luxury of ancient Babylon, with its hanging gardens and its magnificent palaces. Few engineering works have surpassed in magnitude the diverting, of the great river Euphrates from its bed, and the marching of the Persian army under Cyrus, into Babylon over the former course of the stream. Few monuments of perseverance are so palpable to this day as the pyramids of Egypt. Few works of strength were more effectual for their purpose than the great wall of China. Few specimens of architecture can excel those which might have been witnessed in ancient Athens. Hannibal, the famous C urthaginian general, led an army across the Alps 2,000 years before a similar feat was accom plished by the great Napoleon. The astronomical year was settled for us by Julius Caesar, who was assassinated in the Senate House at Rome before the occurrence of a single event recorded in the New Testament. The Rcnun aqueducts were marvels of engineering skill; and no bridge across the Thames is superior to those which spanned the troubled Tiber. Our fathers-wheretare they ?" Well, they repose in vast numbers beneath the shadows of the trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations; but many have left enduring memorials behind them to tell us that, highly civilized as we may be, no age in the earth's history has ever been able to boast of a monopoly of intellectual power.

On Monday morning Vice-Admiral Chads, Com- mander of the Nore, paid a visit to the Challenger, and the men were put through the customary drill. He remained on the ship about two hours, and expressed his pleasure at again seeing the offieers and sailors. He also complimented the men upon the'r smart appearance and the expertness with which they went through the various exercises. The collection of photographs, comprising nearly 500, is highly interesting. Photographs were taken of every place visited by the vessel. Mr. J. J. Wild, the artist who accompanied the expedition, has a great number of beautiful paintings of scenes passed in the cruise. These, it is said, will be engraved and published shortly. At St. Vincent a photograph was taken of an Albino negress. The features of this woman are exactly those of the black negroes, but her skin and hair are per- fectly white. Two large living tortoises, one 40 years old and the other 100, have been brought home. The large tortoise will walk quite a-3 fast with two men standing on its back as when only carrying its own weight. Several persi visited the Challenger, and were shown the objects of interest, including the dredging, trawling, and sounding apparatus, by the officers, who have exhibited great willingness to explain all that is worth seeing.

A NEW WEAPON: The Times of India says :—" A pistol that can kill at 500 yards has been patented by Captain Burton. The butt is that of an ordinary pistol; the barrel is that of a good rifle, cut short, but leaving sufficient 'turn' to Bend the bullet on its errand with the proper spin. The chief object is to send a rifle bullet at an enemy or at game without having to use the shoulder, especially when on horseback. To accomplish this the barrel is fitted with a steel handle to be grasped by the left hand, while the arm is extended as in archery. The recoil is scarcely felt; it does not affect the firer so much as the kick to the shoulder would do. The pistol can also be used with one hand like an ordinary pistol. The inventor has also provided a patent safety bullet which will explode a8 a shell when it crashes against the bones of large game, but -will pass through brush- wood or through the skin of a wild animal like an ordinary ball. It will not explode if let fall upon its apex, but if fired into a box of ammunition it will blow up everything."

HER MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY.-TROOPING OF THE COLOURS. A general parade of the Brigade of Guards took place last Saturday morning on the Horse Guards Parade, St. James's Park, in honour of her Majesty's birthday, andin the presence of a largeand distinguished assemblage. The first regiment to arrive was the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards from Welling- ton Barrack* headed by their fife and drum band. The 2nd Battalion of the Coldstreams next came from the Tower with their fine brass band. The 1st Battalion of the Scote Fusilier Guards then arrived from Wellington Barracks, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Grenadiers completed the brigade. The ground was kept by about 500 men chosen from all regiments of guards. The windows at the back of the Horse Guards were draped with scarlet cloth, and were reserved for member and friends of the Royal party. At the Admiralty a stand had been erected and was fully occupied, and at each of the windows of the Government offices which overlooked the ground there was a full quota of spectators, and the roofs of the houses in the distance were seen to be tenanted. A troop of the Life Guards with the band were also on guard. The earliest arrivals of Royal -personages at the Horse Guards were the Queen of Hanover and the Princesses, who drove from Claridge's Hotel, in a Royal carriage, with Lord Charles Fitzroy (Equerry to the Queen) in attendance. There were also at the windows the Dachess of Mecklenburgh-Strelitz with her children, the Princess Mary (Duchess of Teck), and the Prince Imperial. A few minutes after ten o'clock the Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Royal children, the young princes in sailors' dress, arrived, and her appearance at the window was the signal for a general upraising of hats, which her Royal Highness graciously acknowledged. The Prince of Wales was absent through slight indis- position. A Royal salute and the playing of the National Anthem by the united bands proclaimed the arrival of his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief (who wore the uniform of the Grenadier Guards), and he was accompanied by the Duke of Connaught (in the uniform of the 7th Hussars), the Crown Prince Ernest of Hanover (in a colonel's uniform of the British army, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Prince Adolphus of Mecklenburgh-Strelitz (in the Prussian Uhlan uni- form), the Duke of Teck (as a volunteer artillery officer); Colonels Terret, Marshall, Fraser, and Mac- donald (aides-de-camp to the Duke of Cambridge), Captain Fitzgerald (equerry to the Duke of Connaught), and a brilliant staff, starred and decorated), amongst them being Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley. The Duke of Cambridge first inspected the troops, who were drawn up in line, both in front and rear, commencing from the south and returning to the saluting point in the east centre of the ground, the band playing Coata's Prince of Wales Procession March, and the march, God bless the Prince of Wales." The bands then went to the troop, marching slow to the left, to the music arranged by D. Godfrey of "La Favorita"Tmd "Lucia di Lammermoor," returning at the quick step to the Sultan of Mocha" march by Cellier. Just as the bands were taking up position for escorting the colours, the sun, which had been obscured behind leaden-coloured clouds, burst forth and gave a brilliancy to the scene. The colours were then escorted and trooped to the British Grenadiers and The Grenadiers' March," the troops presenting arms as they were borne past. The marching past in companies, both in slow and quick time, then took place, the Grenadiers leading, the Scots Fusiliers next, followed by the Cold- streams, The March in Scipio," "The Garb of Old Gaul," and the march from "Figaro," being their accompaniments. They next passed at quick time in the same order to the tunes of the British Grena- diers," "Highland Laddie," and the "Minavolla March," after which the Duke of Cambridge and Euite left the grounds, the bands again playing God save the Queen." When the Princess of Wales and children took their departure they were heartily cheered. The Guards were marched to St. James's Palace, where a selection of musical pieces was played by the combined band?.

In noticing the above ceremony, the Daily Telegraph remarks No prettier spectacle in miniature, on the sunny side of war, lives in the imagination of Londoners than the annual ceremony ol trooping the Qaeen's colours in St. James's Park, on her Majesty's birthday. When a brilliant sun crosses bayonets with the bearskins on the parade-ground of the Horse Gua-ds, and when the lines of steel flash flame to flame under a blue sky, It is of course a gayer and more ani- matLDg sight than that which the crowd on Saturday morning came out to see. There was a generally unbur. nished look about the brightness, as if the crown jewels had for a while given way to paste. Still, if the Koh-i-noor be hidden, a model of that splendid lump of carbon, In tolerably clear glass, may please the eye and stimulate the fancy. U was a meek Koh-i-noor that feebly glittered in eyes brighter than gems when the steady tramp, tramp of the household troops went first in slow and then in quick time pact the crimson draped windows of that military house of business, the unknown architect of which has taken a leaf out of the ponderous book of Sir John Vanburgh. There was colour, toned down a little it may be, but still warm, deep, and massive, In that scene enacted before the Princess of Wales and per children, seated at the centre window. Crowded within the line of sentries beneath, a goodly company moved with patient slowness to and fro. Many who were there found similar greetings at every turn others met unexpectedly friends of old time, or companions in half-forgotten travels, pleasantly recalled. It was, in truth, as it always has been-and, let us hope, will ever be—a genial gathering. Men of all services, and men who have beaten the sword into the ploughshare, and sit at quarter sessions, when they are not busying themselves with suosoil drainage, and phocphates and the rotation of crops, shake hands and ask one another, Why. how long is it since we last met ? and exchange compliments on the little effect of time, in such language as You don't look a day older than when we went to the ball at Drottningholm," or "You haven't altered a bit since that scrimmage at Tien-tsin."

THE "PANDORA," Exactly a year ago last S iturday-the anniversary of the Qaeen's birthday (the 27th remarks The Times) -the Arctic Expedition, consisting of the Alert and the Discovery, and commanded by Captain Nares, sailed from Portsmouth and this year the same day was fixed upon by Captain Allan Young for thesailing of the Pandora with letters and papers for the officers and crews of the Arctic ships. At a quarter to one, Admiral Sir Leopold M'Clintock, with whom Captain Allan Young served in the Fox, having bade farewell to his former shipmate, the steamer parted from her moorings audjoroceeded into the Solent, with the inten- tion, however, of remaining at Cowes until Monday morning before setting out on her arduous voyage. Her departure excited little attention, ai most people were watching the evolutions of the troops on the Queen's birthday. In passing the Valorous, however, which was anchored at Spithead, and which, it may be remembered, accompanied the Arctic Expedition as a store-ship as far as Disco, the officers and crew gave her a cordial greeting. The crew of the Pandora consists of thirty-two all told, many of whom were present during her cruise of last yw to Franklin's Straits. The ship is very deeply laden, 1 having been provisioned for two years, as a timely precaution against the eventuality of being blocked in by the pack, and has 132 tons of coal on board, the whole of which has this time been stored below, in con. sBqutnee of a commodious ward-room for the officers and a cabin for the captain having been constructed on the upper deck. In addition to the now famous handle organ which was presented by the late Prince Consort to Lndy Franklin, and which now goes for the fourth time to the Arctic circle, the ward room contains a large musical box, the gift of the Baroness Meyer de Rothschild, who, in presenting it to Captain Young, expressed a hope that it might serve to amuse the sailors during the long and tedious nights of a Polar voyage. The principal object of the Pandora's present cruise is to communicate with the Alert and the Discovery at the entrance of Smith's Sound, up which Captain Nares hoped to penetrate the mystery of the Pole; but Captain Young is anxious that it shall be clearly understood that it is by no means certain that be will be able to deposit the mail which he convey.* at the point mantioiidd, or that, in case he should so succeed, that he will be able to bring back letters from the Ex. pedition on his return to England, which will probably, should all go well, be about the end of October n'-xt. The letters which he carries out will be deposited at the de{ 6ta on the chance of Captain Nart-a or Captain fetephei. -on Heing able to cuinlai,. n-, cat e with iheentcance of Smith's Sound, by means of a tledge pary. in the autumn ot this year. The uncer- am -y as to whether the letters will overreach their destination h&s exer is<"I a considerable effect upon the number of correspondents, which i3 smaller than might have been expected. Never- theless. the post-bag, which ia-in charge of Mr. Beynen, of the Royal Dutch Navy, in addition to two or three heavy sealed parcels of letters and newspapers from the Admiralty, contains about 1,000 letters and smaU packets for the officers and crews. Among the printed matter sent is a complete series of the contributions to Good Words, in which Professor Wyville Thompson gives an account 01 the scientific results of the Chal- lenger expedition, of which Captain Nares was the first commander, and it was a happy circumstance that the arrival of the Challenger at Spithead on Wednesday last would enable the Pandora to carry ontto the bleak and inhospitable North the news of the satisfactory conclusion of the scientific cruise. But although the principal purpose of the Pandora's voyage is to effect a communication with the Alert and Discovery, Captain Allan Young has doubtless other important objects in view; but with regard to these he observes the utmost reticence. It is, however, allowable to suppose, considering the elaborate character of the preparations he has made, and the fact that, though the distance to the entrance of Ballot Strait, which he last year, reached, is considerably less than to the entrance of Smith's Sound, to which he is this year bound, the Pandorn has sailed a month earlier. We believe it is generally understood that, after depositing his mail, the Captain will make another attempt to push his ship through Peel Straits, or Bellot Straits, and Frank- lin ChanneJ, and so on into Bebring Straits, and thus be the first to make the North-West Passage by sea. As he himself has remarked, The doubtful place is between Ballot Straits and King William Island, about 120 miles. If, therefore stol pad at Bellot Straits, nothing more can be done but. once through Franklin Straits, the North-West Passage Heasy, as the natives told us that the channel east of King Wiiliam Island ii always open in summer." Those who have read the story of the previous cruise of the Pandora, and of how near she was accomplishing the exploit above men- tioned, will readi'y agree that with a month's advan- tage in point of time, Captaia Young has every reason to bfli-ive in his ability to perform the voyage between sea and sea.

CONVICT LABOUR IN PRISONS. Under the auspices of the Mat and Matting Weavei's Association, a meeting took place in London, on Monday evening, at the Temperance Hall, Black- friars. road, to consider the amount at present paid for the maintenance of criminals and the unproductiveness of their labour. Mr. Alderman M'Arthur, M.P., who presided, said that he did not think it fair that criminals employed in gaols should be engaged in manufacturing an article which undersold the honest trader. This was, he thought, very unfair so far as the matting trade was concerned. He had no objection to the government employing criminals to manufacture mats and matting for their own use. but he had a great objection to their bringing matting into the general market and underselling the trade. If it was brought into the market at all, instead of underselling the trade they should be above ft. It was most dear..able in employing labour in prison that it should be not only remunerative but corrective, so that when the criminal came out of prison he might be able to do something which was uaefnl. A resolution in accor- dance with these views was adopted, as was also the following That the employment of criminals in the service of the state would spread the labour over a wider area thereby sffording the criminal, after his discharge, a greater oppor- tunity of obtaining an honeit liviag would relieve the rate- payers of a great burden, and would not press unfairly on any portion of the community and that a petitton to parlia- ment be adopted in conformity with this resolution.