The Aberdare Times

<!v ur ypnbn Corosgcitot. (We dfera It right to state that we do not at all times Sflcutify ouraelvea with our Correspondent's opinions.] The House of Commons, on reassembling after a recess, resembles a school returned from a holi- day. The mind cannot all at once be braced together from the previous relaxation, and it is to L very difficult to settle down to business. This has been the case more especially with respcct to the recent vacation. In the first place the Par- liament is growing old, and in a few months will be dissolved. Many of those who were returned to it will in that event know it no more. The interest which they take in its proceedings is now small, and when the House is in Committee of Supply, a3 it always is on the first night after a recess, they absent themselves altogether. Again there is no doubt that many members resented what they regarded as a too brief holiday at Whitsuntide, remembering the very short one at Easter. Had Thursday and Friday been thrown into the recess it would have included three clear Sundays, whereas by meeting on Thursday the week—one of splendid summer weather—was broken up. The natural conse- quences followed. No business of public importance was transacted on Thursday, and on Friday it was found impossible to keep 40 members together. There was a count-out at eight o'clock, and nothing whatever was done. It° would have been much better to give the House the clear fortnight than to have had valuable time wasted in this way. When the proposal to grant an annuity of £ G000 was placed before Parliament it was noticed that not a word was said about the dowry of f 30,000, which under similar circum- stances had been granted to Princesses Alice, Helena, and Louise. Mr. Gladstone, in moving the annuity, confined himself to that subject, and left the dowry alone. Those who recollected the precedents could not understand this, a3 there was no apparent reason why Princess Beatrice should fare worse than her sisters. The sum of £ 30,000 is a very substantial one, and if it can be, had for the asking, there are not in any who would be inclined to forego the application. At length the notice appeared quietly on the paper of Committee of Supply—"The Chancellor of the Exchequer to move that the sum of JHO,000 be granted to her Majesty as a marriage portion for her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice." It came upon many members with surprise but fourteen years had elapsed since such an applica- tion was made, and the usual course had been forgotten. So far as London was concerned, the official celebration of the Queen's birthday was greatly marred by the weather. Last year the ceremony of what is called trooping the colours was not permitted, in consequence of the recent death of the Duke of Albany while on Saturday the heavy rain considerably interfered with the success of the spectacle. In the evening, which was as dull and dismal as any in November, the usual dinners were given by the Ministers and great officers of State, the Prince of Wales and his eldest son dining with Mr. Gladstone. Large numbers of persons proceeded to the West-end thoroughfares to witness the illuminations, which, as a rule, are well worth seeing, mora especially in the streets of Regent and St. James's. Princess Louise has returned from Balmoral in time to take part in the numerous engage- in time to take part in the numerous engage- ments which will fill up the time between now and the prorogation of Parliament, and where the presence of Royalty 13 so much appreciated. The next few weeks are always busy, and if the presence of a Princess can be procured for the opening of a bazaar, the distribution of prizes, the opening of the new wing of a hospital, or, indeed, any work of benc-volenee or charity, so much the better. The Princess of Wales, the Queen's daughters, and the Duchess of Teck, who has just returned from Florence, are very j obliging in this way, and in the season they have their hands full of engagements. Princess Beatrice h«s as yet taken no active part in such work, and having always lived with her Majesty, cither at Windsor, Osborne, or Balmoral, has had no experience of London life. We shall be anxioii3 to see whether her marriage relaxes this exclu- siveness. The enthusiastic greeting given to Sir Peter Xumsuen on his arrival at Charing-cross on Satur- day evening showed the appreciation felt by the public for the services of a gallant officer, per- formed in the face of considerable difficulties. The privations of a life on the Afghan frontier have been revealed to us lately in glimpses, and in some of the expeditions which Sir Peter liumsden had to undertake, the number of his followers diminished with the progress of the marches through hardships of the severest character. The fact that three field-marshals of the British army were amongst the distinguished crowd on the platform at Charing-cross is a sufficient testimony to the highest professional opinion as to how Sir Peter Lumsden has dis- charged his military functions. The Epsom Summer meeting of 1885 is one that will be remembered for the splendid weather that favoured it. This had a great deal to do with the attendance on the famous Surrey downs, which on Derby Day were a marvellous sight. The road of course is not so extensively patronised as it used to be, owing to the increased railway accommodation; but still, the number of different conveyances certainly showed an increase on previous years. Lord Hastings can now say with pride that he won his first Derby this makes up for his disappoint- ment a year or two ago with Beau Brummel. The race will always be remembered for the close finish, one of the finest displays of horsemanship witnessed for many a long day. Archer is cer- tainly a wonderful jockey, and is now riding better than ever he did. It is quite likely that Melton would have had to put up with place honours if ho had had any other pilot than Archer on his back. The sudden death of Sir Julius Benedict, at the advanced age of 81, did not surprise those who remembered how seriously ill he was not long ago. The preparations for his benefit concert were going on up to the time of his decease. It is not long ago that we lost Sir z, Michael Costa, another eminent musical com- poser and conductor, so that the removal of Sir Julius Benedict will be sensibly felt. G. R.

A CABINET MINISTER OF HEALTH, On Saturday evening the second annual dinner of the Association of Public Sanitary Inspectors took place at the Holborn Restaurant. Nearly 200 sani- tary officials, both county and metropolitan, were present. The president occupied the chair, and with him were Dr. Cameron, M.P. for Glasgow; Dr. Alexander Bain, Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen; Dr. Richardson, F.R.S Captain Douglas Galton, C.B., Mr. James Beal, Dr. Duafield, Mr. Jerram, the chairman, and Mr. Legg, the secretary. Letters were read from the Earl of Shaftesbury and Earl Fortescue. The toast of the evening, 41 Success to the Association," was proposed by Dr. Cameron, who referred to the enormous strides sanitary science had made of late years, though no great party chief had yet been found bold enough to follow in the path of the late Lord Beaconsfield, and make sanitation a part of his imperial policy. It was derided at the time as a policy of sewage," but the country generally would have been wiser, happier, and better had it been carried out. Mr. Chadwick had done more than any man living for the improvement of the sanitary con- dition of the people, and he hoped that in the dis- tribution of titles that was bound to come with the death of the present Parliament, the father of sanitary science in England would not be forgotten, Mr. Chadwick, in reply, said that whatever honour might come to him would be wholly devoted to the work in which he had spent his life. Referring to the part sanitary science will take in the approaching general election, he said the object should be to impress the new constituencies with their para- mount interest in this subject; with the wasteful- ness of ignorance, of which the metropolis has pra- sented so great an example with economy of true science, and with the need of legislative securities for its application in administration. To this end it would be necessary to bring together the sanitary functions, now scattered and weakened and wasted ia different departments under distracted and divided attentions, and to consolidate them under the un- divided attention of a Board of Specialists, presided. over bv a Cabinet minister of Health. The need of the consolidation of the educational functions, now scattered and weakened and wasted in independent departments, is at length recognised, and it is proposed to bring them under the undivided attention of a Minister of Education, but the schema at present dis- played imperfect conceptions of administrative organi- sation in the omission of fundamental provisions for physical training, such as have been the greatest suc- cesses of our time, and also in the need of preventive sanitary inspection-

How are you, Smith?" asked a Fourth-avenue man of a frierd he had not seen for nearly a year. How are all the girls ? Are you as sweet upon Miss Jones as ycu used to be On, no. 1 left that off several months ago." "Hava a quarrel?" "No, I married her last August." Dr. Hinchliffe, who died Bishop of Peterborough, had much ready wit. He was asked orp day what was to be understood by the expression, I He clothed himself with curses as with a garmentThe clearest thing in the world," replied the doctor, IJihe man had a habit of ewearing."

ENGLAND, RUSSIA, AND AFGHANISTAN. THE ZULFICAR PASS. A St. Petersburg correspondent telegraphed as follows on Sunday night: I understand that an agreement in principle has been arrived at with regard to the question of Zulfiear. It has been decided to leave the command of what is known as the Zulficar Pass in the hands of the Afghans, but the exact point to which the Ameer's territory will extend is to be fixed by the Joint Commission in such away as will insure to the Russians a reasonable, or, in other words, a defeasible position at their end of the Pass. PACTS. The Ha.vas Agency publishes some correspondence from London denying the accuracy of the statement about a final settlement of the Afghan frontier diffi- culty. One thing is certain, that, while Russian diplomatists are negotiating, the Russian War De- partment is actively pushing or. its preparations. Some curiosity is felt here as to whether Sir Peter Lumsden will be permitted to make public all he knows. If he is permitted to speak freely, there is little doubt that his word will be accepted in pre- ference to the declarations of General KQmaroff and Colonel Alikhanoff. BERLIN. The semi-official press has again begun to publish rather pessimistic comments on the Afghan con- flict. The JS'orddeutscke says that recent Ministerial statements in both Houses of the English Parliament are very unsatisfactory, and are only calculated to maintain Parliamentary decorum, reserving to Ministers freedom of action. The Cologne Gazette thinks that Sir Peter Lumsden's return must prove disastrous to the Ministry, as, having studied the affair in h>co, he will certainly confirm the general opinion that the Cabinet must be made ex- clusively responsible for the deep humilia- tion of England. The Post concludes that the decision lies between a temporary armistice and an immediate war. The delimitation," it says, certainly and absolutely puts an end to the independence of Afghanistan. Russia undertakes no obligation concerning the frontier, and sends an age.'t to Cabul. This will not produce im- mediate warlike action on the part of England, but it will still more shake the Cabinet of Mr. Gladstone, whose days are already numbered. According, to in- formation reaching me from an excellent source, in- telligence has been received in Berlin to-day to the effect that the Russians have made certain proposals in reference to the Zulfiear Pass, which the British Cabinet at its last Council decided to reject. In spite, therefore, of the statements of English Ministers and certain journals, the question of the delimitation of the Afghan boundary is not yet by any means satisfactorily settled. The statement of the 2seue Fnii Presi that Russia has already yielded (In this question is without any foundation. REPORTED ASSASSINATION OF THE AMEER. ST. PETERSBURG, June G. The Xovosfi to-day announces that it has received private information from th3 Caucasus stating that Abdurrahman, the Ameer of Afghanistan, has been assassinated by his suite. 6.20 p.m. Up to the present no confirmation has been re- ceived here of the intelligence published by the X-jiot-ii of the assassination of the Ameer of Afghanistan by his suite. TIFIJS, June 7. No news has been received here confirming the reported assassination of the Ameer of Afghanistan. SIULA, June 7. The Indian Government has no knowledge whatever of the alleged assassination of the Ameer of Afghan- istan, reported yesterday by the St. Petersburg JS'ovosti. • The Central News says that up to three o'clock on Sunday no confirmation of the report from St. Peters- burg of the assassination of the Ameer of Afghanistan had been received at the Foreign Office or the India Office. Net the slightest rumour of such an event. has reached the Government beyond the report pub* lished in the Sovosti. A special correspondent of the Morning Post tele- graphed on June 8 M. Robert de Bouviers, the well- known romancier of the Revue des Deux Mondes has returned from a journey in Afghanistan. During a conversation with a journalist he said England has done wrong in postponing war. The longer England waits the more she loses. Time works for the Russians.' M. de Bouviers spoke at length of Lord Ripon and Lord Dufferin's Administration, con- cluding that the latter had arrived in time to save the country from the consequences of his pre- decessor's policy. The Journal des Debats remarks that England had not made a better figure in Asia than she has in Africa. Commenting on the recep- tion given to Sir Peter Lumsden, the Debats says: It appears to us that all the illustrious warriors who greeted Sir Peter would have been wise if they bad been less demonstrative, and Russian generals will be justified on their part in smiling at these inoffensive

ACCIDENT TO A MAIL STEAMER. Early last Friday morning great excitement was occasioned at Holyhead Station by the announcement that the Banshee, one of the fleet belonging to the London and Noyth-Western Railway engaged in the Irish passenger traffic, had gone ashore on the rocks immediately beneath the South Stack lighthouse, close to the entrance to the harbour. Shortly afterwards the Banshee slowly steamed into the harbour and landed her passengers. From the various accounts given by passengers and officials it seems that the Banshee left Dublin at the usual hour, seven o'clock. A thick fog prevailed in the Channel, and Captain Beaumont, the commodore of the London and North- western Company's fleet, ordered speed to be reduced. The vessel was'thus approaching Holyhead Harbour shortly after eleven o'clock on Thursday night when she grounded with a thud that shook her from stem to stern, smashing the glass and ex- tinguishing the electric lights. There were 93 cabin passengers on board and 73 deck passengers. The former came hurriedly rushing on deck from their berths, and there was general excitement. Captain Beaumont rushed to the bows as soon as the accident occurred and saw that he was on the breakers, so close to the South Stack rock that he could almost reach it, although the fog was so dense that the light in the house on the top of the Stack was quite obscured. He also saw that only a few feet of the vessel's bows were over the rock. That being so he gave instructions to slowly reverse the engines, countermanding the order to lower the boats which he at once issued when the shock was felt. The boat gradually, but surely, grated off the sharp rocks and passed into deep water, when she headed for Holy- head Harbour, arriving there fifteen minutes later than the official time. A cursory examination showed that the Banshee had struck the rocks with terrific fore, for her bows were stove in from a short distance below the deck to her keel. Water had entered her fore compartment, but with that exception the vessel was uninjured. Captain Beaumont was on deck vat the time the Banshee struck, and was keeping a 8oatp look-out, but the heavy fog prevented objects from being seen a few yards distant. The Lily took the place of the Banshepi on the return journey to Dublin

THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY. The anniversary of her Majesty's birthday was celebrated on Saturday. The ceremony of trooping the colours, which is observed at each annual celebra- tion of the Queen's birthday, took place on the Horse Guards' Parade, St. James's-park. The hour fixed for the ceremony was ten o'clock, but a heavy down- fall of rain coming on, it was postponed until eleven. Rain, however, fell through the trooping and the march past. The troops present comprised the 1st Life Guards, the Royal Horse Guards, 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards, 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards, and the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. These regiments were drawn up facing the rear of the Horae Guards. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and the Duke of Edinburgh, attended by the Home District staff, arrived shortly before eleven, and were received by the combined bands playing the National Anthem. A large crowd assembled to witness the spectacle, which was, how- ever, greatly marred by the heavy rain. The Premier and other heads of State Departments gave full-dress dinners at their official residences on Saturday evening. In different parts of the country celebrations took place in honour of the day. In Dublin, the Queen's birthday was celebrated by a review and sham fight in the Phoenix-park, in which all the available troops in the garrison took part. General Sir Thomas Steel, commander of the forces in Ireland, and General Lord Clarina, commanding the Dublin district, were present. On the arrival of the Lord Lieutenant and Countess Spencer a fc-u de Joi was fired, and three cheers were given for the Queen. There was a large concourse of spectators. In no place is her Majesty's birthday more gener- ally or enthusiastically honoured than in Liverpool. All classes of her Majesty's loyal subjects join most heartily in celebrating the anniversary of the birth of a sovereign whose reign has been so beneficent. On Saturday the tokens of loyalty were to be seen on every hand. On all the public buildings-the Town Hall, St. George's Hall, the Municipal buildings, the Police Offices, Custom House, and Revenue Build- ings—there floated the royal standard, and flags were displayed from the premises of many of the leading tradesmen of the city. On tho exchange flags cheers were given for the Queen. At the Stock Exchange the royal standard was hoisted at the opening of the ex- change at eleven o'clock there was a large attendance of members, who gave three hearty cheers for her Majesty. Mr. Alderman Wm. Chambers (the chair- man of the Stock Exchange) made a few remarks appropriate to the occasion, after which the members sang God Save the Queen." In Belfast the Queen's birthday was celebrated by a review of the troops in garrison in Ormean Park, there being a large number of spectators present. A fen dejoie was fired and hearty cheers given for her Majesty and the Prince of Wales. At Carrickfergus Castle, on Belfast Lough, and at various points in the north of Ireland, where Militia regiments are being trained, t^aday was celobrated in a similar manner. The biwBhay was celebrated at Aldershot with the customary military display. The troops, numbering about five thousand men, with eleven hundred horses and twenty guns, paraded at ten, but owing to a con- tinuous downpour of rain, the parade was indefinitely postponed at a quarter past eleven. The anniversary was kept in Plymouth on Satur- day, when a grand review was held in tho Devonport Park, at which all the troops in the garrison were present together with the volunteers. The spectacle was witnessed by thousands of people, and in the evening Major-General Lysons and Admiral Philli- more, the Commander-in-Chief, gave dinners and receptions, at which the officers of the garrison and the leading inhabitants of the locality were present.

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING. Active preparations have now begun on Wimbledon- common for the 26th annual prize meeding of the National Rifle Association, the usual details of men from the Army having taken possession of the per- manent plant necessary for the erection of the tem- porary buildings. The real business of the meeting will begin on I Monday, July 13, but the camp will be ready for occupation on Saturday the 11th. Although several important competitions are to begin on the opening day, only two, the Alexandra and the Humphrey Challenge, will be finished. The former, which is one of the most popular series, attracting nearly 1800 entries last year, is shot for at 500 and 600 yards, seven shots at each range, the prizes numbering 325 of a total value of £1000, and ranging from £30 to £2, The Humphrey Cup is competed for by teams of four from the Universities of Oxford and Cam- bridge at long ranges. On Tuesday will begin the most important event of the meeting, the first range (200 yards) of the Queen's Prize being shot in a kneel- ing position. An important competition will be finished on this day, namely, the Alfred, in which a series of 110 prizes will be given, ranging fromJ620 to £ 2, the total value being £350, the distance being 200 yards, shot in the standing position. Wednesday will witness a further step in the Queen's Prize, tho 500 yards range being shot. The'Martin's Cup series of 111 prizes, ranging from S15 down to E2, of a total value of 300, shot for at 600 yards, will also ba de- cided on this day if possible. On Thursday the chief attraction will be the completion of the first stage of the Queen's Prize, by the firing of the GOO yards, the aggregate of the three ranges, 200, 500, and GOO yards determining the 300 competitors to fire in the second stage. On Friday the most important single range competition will be begun—namely, the St. George's, which last year ranked second only to the Queen's in point of entries, 2300 competitors firing. The St. George's is shot for at 500 yards, seven shots being allowed, the number of prizes being 135, of a total value of £ 695, ranging from the f30 which, with the Vase, Dragon Cup, and Gold Jewel, goes to the top scorer, down to S2 for the last in. Additional interest attache3 to this competition from the fact that representatives from fifteen battalions having won the large Challenge Cup twice, another win by a member of either of thene regiments will constitute it the absolute property of that battalion. Friday will also witness the completion of the Windmill series, the shooting for which will commence on the Monday and be carried on during the week. The number of prizes in this series is 113, total value £300, ranging from the first prize of the Daily Telegraph Cup and 15 down to £2, the distances fired at being 200 and 500 yards. The number of entries last year was 1650. The first range (200 yards, seven shots) of the Prince of Wales's Prize will also be shot this day. Suturday the 18th will, as usual with the middle Saturday of the meeting, be a very attractive day for the public, several very important coptests being decided. The first in importance of thes^ will be the shooting of the second stage of the. Queen's, in which the 300 top scorers in the first stage will fire 10 shots at 500, ard- 15 shots at 600 yards, the score so obtained..being added to those made in the first stages giving the sixty who will compete in the third and final stage. The Prince of Wales's Prize will also be finished by shooting 15 shots at 600 yards, the top scorer taking the Prince of Wales's badge and the substantial prize of £100; 18 other prizes are given, ranging from S20 to £3. This competition is restricted to winners of the N. R. A. Silver and Bronze Medals and the N. R. A. Silver Medallist of last year. In the morn- ing will aloo be decided the China and Belgian Cup competitions, the former being shot for by teams of 10 men from each county, firing 10 rounds indi- vidually at 500 yards, and ihe latter by teams of 10 from each battalion, firing five volleys at 400 yards. In the afternoon the annual match between the Lords and Commons for the "Vizianagram Cup, in which 20 shots are fired by each competitor with match rifles at 500 yards, will no doubt prove the attraction which it has always hitherto been. Monday, the 20th, will see what, as regards public interest, is second only in importance to the Queen's -the shooting for the National Challenge Trophy by teams of 20 men carefully selected from each country, the distances being 200, 500, and 600 yards, seven shots at each range. The trophv was won by England last year by the small majority of six points over Scotland, the result of the previous 20 competitions showing 11 wins for England as against nine Scotch I victories, although it is onlyfair to state that on three occasions the Scotch did not compete. In the after- noon the Mullens Prize wjll give the spectator some idea of the requirements of actual service, the target being a dummy representing the figure of a man moving across the line of fire, and fired at under various conditions well calculated to try the skill of those marksmen who are not merely good shots at stationary marks. To those ipterested iR long-range firing with the match riae the Albert will also offer some attractions. On Tuesday morning the, chief interest will be centered in the Brinsmead Challenge Cup, competed for by teams of six men at targets representing the figure of a man, which appear and disappear at intervals, remaining in sight for 15 seconds at a time. Nine shots a man will be fired at ranges varying from 600 to 1000 yards. The army and navy prizes will also be shot for that morning. Tuesday afternoon, however will provide the chief attraction of the meeting in the third and final stage of the Queen's Prize, the selected 60 firing 15 shots each at 800 and 900 yards, the totals obtained being added to the scores made in the first and second stages, giving the fortunate winner of her Majesty's prize of £ 250 and the Association gold medal, and also determining the places of the 60, the prizes for which have been materially altered this year. The pri'.e given by the Duke of Cambridge to pro- mote shooting at long ranges with what are called military breechloaders will also be competed for on this day, 15 shots being fired by each com- petitor at 1000 yards. The chief event of public in- terest on the Wednesday will be found in the compe- tition for the Kolapore Cup by a team of eight volun- teers from the mother country and teams from any British colony or dependency which may elect to shoot. Last year the cup was taken by the Canadian team for the fourth time since the institution of the competi- tion in 1871. Thursday will be another great day for a certain class of visitors, as will then be determined the destination for the next year of the Elcho Challenge Shield, at present held by Ireland for the seventh time out of the 23 competitions shot, England having scored 11 wins, and Scotland five. The Ashburton Shield and the Spencer Cup contests will also attract the numerous friends of the juvenile competitors. On Friday the admirers of long-range shooting with the match rifle and the military breechloader will be gratified by seeing the Dudleyar-d the Bass prizes shot for at900 and 1000 yards; while the Olympic, with its first prize of £ 25, shot for with ten rounds at 600 yards, will occupy the attention of the shooting men. The general public, however, will find plenty to in- terest them in the Loyd-Lindsay and Mappin series, the former being competed for by sections of four men from regiments ot Yeomanry or Volunteer Mounted Infantry, the course being about three-quarters of a ,mi*eiJ;aking in three hurdles, five rounds to be fire a 500 and 600 yards, the whole being accomplished within ten minute3. The Mappin Prices are awarded to those sections of four men who can cover a quarter of a mile, surmounting four obstacles on e way, and make the highest scores with five shots each at 400 and 500 yards in the shortest time. X he(meeting will conclude on Saturday, the 2otb, wi he distri- bution of prizes, which will take place in the after- noon, the only competition on that day being for the Royal Cambridge Challenge Shield, presented for the encouragement of shooting among °ur caT^hj regi- ments, and competed for under similar conditions to the Loyd-Lindsay.

THE TERRIBLE COLLISION AT SEA' HEARTRENDING SCENES. Particulars have been received at Queenstown of the accident off the coast of Newfoundland, when the Anchor Line transatlantic steamer City of Rome ran down the French fishing barque Georges et Jeanne, The fishing vessel, it will be remembered, foundered immediately, carrying with her twenty-two, hands, all of whom perished. From the account given by the passengers of the City of Rome, it aprears that the steamer was speeding through a dense fog on the. banks of Newfoundland on the afternoon of the 25thT ult. at the rate of from fourteen to seventeen knots, when she suddenly ran athwart the quarter of the Georges et Jeanne, cutting her in two as if she were a niece of cheese, and sending her to tin* bottom. Out of a total of thirty-four on board twenty- two were drowned in the sinking vessel. One was dragged out of the water and knocked back again by a piece of wreckage, and a fourth came to the surface, but was seized with cramp and sank before assistance could reach him. The fog was very dense previous to. the collision, and the whistle was sounded every half minute. Captain Munroe was on the bridge watching anxiously, when at half-past four the look-out man discovered the outlines of a vessel on the edge of the fog, directly ahead. The sails of this vessel were furled, and she was apparently at anchor. Sail ahead," cried the look-out, and Captain Munro instantly ordered the engines to be reversed. It was too late to clear the strange vessel, and through the fog four figures were seen to rush forward on her deck, uttering a wild cry which will not soon be forgotten by those who heard It. In another instnnt the City of Rome struck the barque, her sharp iron nose meeting the side of the doomed vessel. The crash of wood and the wild clamour of human voices filled the air, but not for long. In less than half a minute the wrecked vessel had sunk, and four men were seen floating in the icy water, clinging to the wreckage. Before the collision the signal had been given for the Rome to-go astern full speed, and in a very few seconds the pro- peller was churning the water furiously, sending great billows forward, which further imperilled the floating men. Two lifeboats were quickly dropped into the water, and several lifebuoys were tossed over- board. By this means Herbert Albert and Alphongs Marie were drawn on board, almost exhausted. Another man of the French crew struggled for a time m the ice-laden water, and then uttering a piercing cry he seized a piece of debris, and clung to ln it, looking up piteously for help. A hundred pounds for the fellow who saves that man cried an excited passenger of the steamer who was watching the scene. Three sailors prepared to plunge overboard, and a shout of encouragement went up from the assembled passengers, but the fourth officer, Mr. Turner, pushed them back, and putting a line round his body climbed over the railing. Meanwhile a small line was thrown to the drowning man, who had lost his hold of the piece of wreckage. He seized the line 'and was being slowly hauled up and Mr. Turner was descending the steamer's side when the man suddenly fell back exhausted and instantly disappeared. All the men of the barque were married. The passengers of the Rome, who were deeply moved by the disaster, made a collection for their benefit.

ADDRESSES. Mr. StiHman's remarks on this subject in the Times are deserving of attention, says the Graphic. It is natural enough that dwellers in the suburbs, with residences of sufficiently imposing aspect, should like to give those residences special pet names, but after all it is innocent, and even an interesting hobby. We get some clue as to where the owner has spent the best part of his life, when we see his villa distinguished by such titles as Byculla, Dandenong, or Bloem- fontein but he should be careful to paint the name so that it can be clearly discerned after dark by cab- men without dismounting, and unaccustomed visitors would be saved much weary searching if, as well as the name, a number were affixed to every house. In naming our new streets we are still too much addicted to names connected with -Royal personages or with local builders or vestrymen, but on the whole there has been some improvement in this respect, and alto- gether our system or no-system is preferable to the dreary uniformity of the Americans, with their East Thirty-fifth-street and so on. It is quite possible, to turn to another branch of the subject, that, as has been in some degree effected for telephonic purposes, so, for telegraphic purposes, a code may be devised for every address in the country. But there is this difficulty. In looking over a volume full of figures the most careful of officials will at times select a wrong number: This often happens iu telephoning. The young lady at the Central.Station wakes up the wrong passenger," say, No. 2035 instead of 2033. But as in the business of telephoning all the parties concerned ate practically in the same room together such errors are rectified in a few moments. This would not be the case with a telegram, which nearly always has to be sent to its destination by a messenger on foot or horseback. Hours, therefore, might elapse before it was dis- covered'that a mistake had been made in the address of the sendee.

"You are charged with bigamy," remarked the judge impressively, while the prisoner glanoed over his shoulder at three stern-visaged women. Now," continued the Court, "I intend to give you the severest penalty the law allows." Here the prisoner covered his face with his hands and wept. I shall sentence you to the State Prison for 26 years. What are you grinning at ? I thought," smiled the pri- soner through his tears, you was a-gomg to turn me loose." The language of the Terra del Fuegans contains no w6rd for any number above three; the people are unable to distinguish one colour from another; they have no religion and no funeral rites; and they possess neither chiefs nor slaves. Their only weapons are bone-pointed speara; they grow neither fruit nor vegetables and, ai5 their country is naturally barren, they are obliged to live entirely on animal food. But they are not cannibals; they ill-treat neither their women nor their old people, and they are monoga- moua.

A TOUCHING ROMANCE. Romances of real life are sometimes as strange, Sf „ pathetie as the most touching a clever writer of Bc- tion can conjure up to stir the emotions of hIS readers. One such is briefly narrated in the coluna119 of an American contemporary. A number of years ago, runs the story, the daughter of a certain General Scott, a very attractive and beautiful ybung lady, bade adieu to the pleasures of the world, took the veil, and became an inmate of the Georgetown con- vent. The motive of her determination to become nun was an unhappy love affair. She had visited Europe, and, whilst in England, bad met with II young man with whom she fell deeply in love, and who on his side fell deeply in love with her. A marriage ought to have been the sequel to this nmtual and strong attachment, but, for reasons' which are not explained, the two young people were prevented from marrying, and were separated. The girl, half broken hearted, sought shelter and seclusion in a convent; the young man became a priest, the step taken by the one being unknown to the other. Not many weeks ago he, as a priest, visited the Georgetown convent, where it so chanced at the very time his former love was lying on her deathbed. He saw and at once recognised her the recognition was mutual. A few murmured words of regret and affection passed between the two thus re-united, then- in the presence of the man who had loved too well* if not wisely, the nun lay back upon her pillow and expired.

HONOURS IN COMMEMORATION OF HER MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY. In connection with the celebration of her Majesty's birthday, the Queen has been graciously pleased to confer the following distinctions: I-Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath upon the Right Hon. Sir J. Savile Lumley, K.C.B., her Majesty's Ambassador at Rome 2—Civil Knight Commander of the same order upon Mr. Barnaby, C.B., Director of Naval Construction at the Admiralty 3-Civil Companion- ship of the Bath upon the Marquis of Hamilton, in consideration of his services in connection with the recent and present International Exhibitions Mr. Hugh Owen, Secretary to the Local Government Board; Colonel Stratherne, R.E., Director of the Survey Department; Lieut.-Col. Owen Jones, head of the Boundary Branch in the same department, who served on the recent Boundary Commission; Mr. Courtenay Boyle, in consideration of his services as Private ^Secretary to the Viceroy of Ireland; Mr. Fraser, Deputy Keeper of the Records in Scotland Mr. C. B. Forsey, one of the secretaries of the Inland Revenue Board; Mr. Baines, one of the assistant sec- I retaries of the General Post Office and Inspector of Mails. 4—Knighthood upon Mr. Henry C. Mance, inventor of the heliograph Dr. Eade, late Mayor of Norwich Mr. G. C. Bertram, Bailiff of the Island of Jersey; Captain E. Walter, Commanding Officer of the Corps of Commissionaries; and Mr. WiMis, Ac- countant-General to the Navy.

A NEW PALACE OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR LONDON. The Albert Palace at Battersea, which was in- augurated by the Lord Mayor, on Saturday, is an elegant structure of brass and iron, which was used for the purposes of a National Exhibition in Dublin thirteen years ago, and waa opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1872. Having served its purpose in the Irish capital, the palace was taken down in 1882, and its owners, believing that such an institution would supply public needs in the-Battersea district of South London, determined to re-erect it in the vicinity of the park. In its present form the building consists of a nave of 60 feet high, 473 feet long, and 84 feet wide, with a gallery all round, with an apse at the centre of the nave 50 feet long by 84 feet wide. There is also an annexe, known as the Connaught Hall, 60 feet high, 157 feet long, and 118 feet wide, mitli a double gallery all round, which is admirably adapted for musical$ntr>r- tainments, the acoustic properties of which appear to be perfect. A grand organ has been erected here, for which it is claimed that in the points of magnitude, tone, balance of power, and constructive art, no equal exists in the world, the nearest approach to it in size, power, and sweetness being the grand organ at Haarlem. The instrument, which stands 50 feet high, exhibits a bold and impos- ing front; it has four manuals, of the usual five octaves compass, with a pedal board of two and a half octaves, but consists of six distinct organs and not five, as these particulars would seem to imply, the highest keyboard serving for an echo, as well as for a solo organ. The number of stops is 65 and of pipes 4200. The company to whom the palace belongs propose to issue associates' certificates, which will not only admit to the building and grounds, but enable the holder to participate in an annual distribution of works of art, while the ordinary advantages of the place will include readihg-rooms, musical and other entertainments, a picture gallery, and the exhibi- tion of various handicrafts in operation. The Lord Mayor, and the Lady Mayoress (Miss Fowler), who were accompanied by the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, were received at the entrance by Sir Robert Carden, M.P., chairman of the com- pany, and the Board of Directors, and were conducted the Connaught Hall, where Sir Robert presented to the following address My Lord Mayor,-The Albert Palace has been established to provide rational amusement and recreation for the public, and such an institution cannot fail to prove a great boon to the densely-populated district south of the Thames. The fine arts and music, interpreted by a permanent orchestra, composed exclusively of British- born musicians, will form a prominent feature of attraction, and the Council moreover venture to think that the proximity of this building to the picturesque park of Battersea will greatly tend to popularise the latter, as the site chosen by the late Prince Concert for the re-erection of the Great Exhibition of 1851, ultimately rebuilt on the slopes of the Surrey hills. It now remains for me personally, and on behalf of the Council, to welcome your lordship and the Sheriffs and to thank you for your presence on what I believe to be a most interesting occasion, and I now ask your lordship to confer upon it your good wishes, and declare it open and dedicated to the public." In reply, the Lord Mayor congratulated the founders of the palace, which, he felt certain, would not only be popular with the people of the district, but would receive the patroaage of the public at large. He then declared the building open, thi$announcement being received with a flourish of trumpets, and by loud cheering from the assembled company. The inaugural concert, which commenced imme- diately after this brief ceremony, began with a Dedi- cation Ode written by Mr. W. A. Barrett, and com- posed by Mr. A. J. Caldicott, in which, by special permission of the Queen, the Chorale" Gotha," com- posed by the Prince Consort, was introduced. The solo voice parts were allotted to Madame Alwina Villeria and Mr. Herbert Thorndike, whose admir- able performances were ably assisted by the choir. Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise formed the second part of the concert, the chief parts being taken by Madame Valleria, Miss Winthorp, and Mr. Edward Lloyd. In the evening the grounds were illuminated, and notwithstanding the wet weather Mr. Pain was able to give a very successful illumination.

A political stumper, while making a high-flown speech recently, paused in the midst of it and ex- claimed, 1, Now, gentlemen, what do you think. Instantly a man in the assembly arose, and with one eye partly closed, said, with a Scotch brogue, "Mr. Speaker, I think, 8ir-1 daeindeed sir -I think that if you and I were to stump the country together we could tell mair lies than any itber twa men in the country, sir, and I'd no say a word myself a the time, sir." Type-writing machines are coming into general use among business men who have an extensive corre- spondence. An amusing incident growing out of their use is related. A gentleman received a business letter from a man in a neighbouring county, and the reply was written on a type writer. In a few day. the correspondent wrote again to our friend, pre- facing his letter with this: "You needn't go to the' expense of getting the letters printed that you send me: I can read writing."

CHINESE ATTACK ON A MISSIONARY. Information has been, received at. Plymouth of a gross outrage having been committed on a missionary in China. Mr. Burnett, a missionary of the National Bible Society of Scotland, just before the departure of the mail, had occasion to visit Luchow Fu, a large city on the north side of the Yangtze river. A day after his arrival public notification was made that a meeting would assemble at the inn at which Mr. Burnett was staying, fer the purpose of killing the innkeeper the Foreign Devil," and all his staff. Late at night a. large crowd assembled outside the inn, armed with swords and sticks. They broke into the house, and rushing in in a body they hauled Mr. Burnett and his party into the street, where Mr. Burnett was savagely beaten with bamboos over the head and body. He watched his opportunity, and with blood streaming from his wounds he rushed away from the crowd, and made his escape from them. On returning to the inn he found that nearly all his pro- perty had been either smashed or stolen, the boxes containing his clothes had been taken away, and his two assistants bad their clothes torn off their backs. -Complaint was made next day to the magistrate, who tried to persuade Mr. Burnett to accept pecuniary satisfaction and not to say anything about the ill- treatment he had received. He was afterwards com- pensated for his losses, and on leaving the city for Wuhu an escort and a boat were provided for him by the Prefect, in order that he might get away without further injury. Mr. Burnett, on his arrival at Wuhu, intended to report the matter to the Consul.

Rogers' wit was perhaps in bigher repute than any one else in his time, except that of Sydney Smith; but while Sydney's wit was genial and good- humoured, and even "his mockeries gave no offence, that of Rogers was spastic and bitter; and the plea which he has been heard to advance for .its bitterness was in Itself a satire. "They tell me I say ill-natured things," he observed in his slow, quiet, deliberate way. "I have a very weak voice. If I did not say ill- natured things, no one would hear what I said. Once in the House of Lords there was a debate upon the Irish poor law, when some peer supported the law by saying that, If the land owners lived upon their estates, and if the hoards of guardians were attentive to their duties, and if the overseers examined strictly into the circumstances of the appli- cants for relief, the law would have a most beneficial operation." Archbishop Whately strode across tin floor to Taylor's brother-in-law (LordMonteaglo) at I said to him aside: If my aunt had bsen a man, si j would have been mv uncle: that's his argument."

NEW ZEALAND AFFAIRS. A Parliamentary paper has been issued containing correspondence respecting a memorial brought to this country by certain Maori chiefs in 1884. The memorial sets forth certain grievances of the Maori people, and praying the Government of England for redress and protection frorh the Colonial Government. liy the Treaty of Waitangi, according to this memorial, the chiefs and the tribes of New Zealand were secured in their rights of chieftainship and their lands, their villages, forests, and fisheries, and laws were to be given them in like manner as they are given to the people of England. These contracts, the Maoris alleged, have been trampled upon by the Colonial Government, and they brought forward in- stances in support of their allegation. The chiel Tawhiao, in a separate memorial, requested that lie proceedings of the Colonial Government in tre Colonial Law Courts with respect to the lands of tb, Maoris might not be confirmed until the return of th<. deputation to New Zealand. Lord Derby transmitted a copy of the first memorial to Governor Sir F. D. Jervois, with a view to receiving the observations of the Colonial Government upon it; while, as regards Chief Tawhiao's separate petition, his lordship inti- mated that her Majesty's Government were not able to require the Government of New Zealand to inter- fere with the Land Courts, which are duly established by law. Sir W. Jervois replied to Lord Derby on March 28 (received on the 8th of last month), enclos- ing a copy of a memorandum from the Colonial Ministers otf the subject of the memorial, and also copies of the Acts of the Colonial Parliament relating to the questions raised. In their memorandum tho Colonial Ministers, confining themselves to the period since 1865, when the Imperial troops were removed, and when, for the first time, the colony was left to manage the natives without interference by the repre- sentatives of her Majesty in the colony, said it was quite certain that since that period there had been no infraction of the Treaty of Waitangi. As regards one point in the memorial of the chiefs- the proclamation of native districts-they showed that what the petitioners really desired was the set- ting up of a Parliament in certain parts of the North Island which would not be under the control of the General Assembly of New Zealand. Seeing that in the Legislative Council and tho House of Representa- tives the natives are represented by able chiefs, and that they have practically no local affairs to look after that cannot be done by their committees-local bodies recognised by the Government, the Colonial Ministers did not deem it necessary to point out the unreason- ableness and absurdity of such a request. An appendix contains a letter from the Aborigines' Protection Society, giving their support to a proposal from the Maori members of the House of Representatives to the effect that the powers exercised by the native Land Courts should be transferred to an elective body of I natives. This having been forwarded by the Earl of Derby to New Zealand, Sir W. Jervois, in reply, gave it as his opinion that such a proposition would be ab- solutely impracticable, an>, were it practicable, highly undesirable. ,t"

GREAT HUE AT ENFIELD. A very destructive fire was discovered to have broken out, late on Friday night, in the extensive premises of Messrs. Fairhead and Son, builders, Sydney-road, Enfield. Shortly after eleven o'clock Mr. Fairhead, whose house abuts on his timber-yard, happened to look out of a window and saw flames issuing from a workshop. An alarm was given to the police, and the Enfield Volunteer Fire Brigade were quickly on the spot, under the command of Captain Tilley. By this time, however, the fire had caught a firm hold upon some large stacks of timber and work- shops in the yard, the flames rising to a great height. Telegrams were sent in all directions for assistance, and several brigades responded to the call. Prior to some of them reaching the scene of the disaster the wind suddenly veered round, carrying the flames across the road into the yard of Messrs. L. and W. D. Patman, builders. Here immense stacks of timber were stored, and they were quickly enveloped in flames. Thus, there were two distinct fires. Workshops, steam saw mills (fitted with valuable machinery), stables, dry- ing rooms, smiths' shops, and general stores all became ignited. About one o'clock the fire, which had extended to come cottages, the Duke of Abercorn beer shop, and Mr. Fairhead's private house, covered an area of nearly an acre. The flames rose hundreds of feet high, lighting up the country for miles round, while sparks and pieces of burning timber were carried by a southerly wind over the houses in Enfield town, to the great alarm of the inhabitants. About three o'clock all fear of the fire extending further was at an end, and rain descending smartly had the effect of restoring confidence. During the fire the men of the brigades were often in great danger, and several acci- dents occurred. Foreman Groves and Fireman Shepherd, of the Edmonton Brigade, both sprained their ankles, while Captain Tilley and Mr. Davenport, of the Enfield Brigade, had their bands badly hurt. The origin of the fire-the loss by which is estimated at from £ 20,000 to £ 30,000—is unknown. Shortly after the commencement of the fire, Mrs. Fairhead, who had not been in good health for some time, was removed to a neighbouring house. She was labouring under great excitement, and suddenly expired.

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN CAIRO. In continuance with the friendly communications which have been held with the Copts in Cairo by the Association for the Furtherance of Christianity in Egypt, the Rev. George Greenwood was requested by the association to proceed to Egypt in November last year, and he remained in Cairo till the middle of March last. During that period he had ample oppor- tunities of making himself acquainted with the eccle- siastical authorities of the Coptic Church and of studying the doctrine, discipline, and ritual of that Church. The result of his visit was embodied in a report read by him on May 15 last at a meeting of the association, and is now published in the form of a pamphlet. Mr. Greenwood not only gives us very interesting details concerning this Church, which numbers nearly half a million of worshippers, and is, as he says, the backbone of Christianity in that down trodden land, he also makes a practical suggestion for enabling the association, or rather the Church of England, to raise the whole tone of spiritual and moral life in Egypt without seeking to draw proselytes to itself from any existing Church. This he proposes to do by the establishment of a school in Cairo, combining a good secular- education with religious training; the latter, he is careful to say, having no tendency to render the Coptic pupils disloyal to their Church. Such pupils, he says, would in time be well fitted for holy orders, and might pos- sibly be sought for above others. The head of the in- stitution should be an English clergyman, with almost autocratic power; the pupils should be resi- dent, and the school should be open to all comers. The association, of which the Archbishop of Canter- bury is president, after hearing Mr. Greenwood's paper read, accepted the proposals and directed its committee to take steps for carrying them into ofroct.

Women may not ba76 SUy fondness for the clothes line, but there it one line they are always fond of-masculine.

THE SUEZ CANAL COMPANY. The annual meeting of the Suez Canal Company has just been held, under the presidency of M. de Lesseps, the total number of shares represented being 228,000. M. de Lesseps read the report of the receipts and expenditure for the year 1884. The former amounted to 62,000,000fr., leaving a net profit of 35,000,000fr., which would permit the declaration of a dividend of 62fr. 25c. per share. In the course of the report the chairman alluded to the Tonqum expedition, which had brought traffic to the canal to the amount of 1,057,538 tons. The total gross tonnage reached 8,319,967 tons. The report having been read, a discussion ensued on the proposal for the ratifica- tion of the appointment of seven English directors on the board of the company. Several shareholders objected to the proposal, not because they were opposed to the admission to the board of English shareholders, but on the ground that they did not wish to have as directors shipowners, whose interests were opposed to those of the shareholders, it being in the interest of the former to reduce the tariffs. M. de Lesseps, in reply, testified to the loyalty of the English directors, who gave con- stant proof of their conciliatory disposition, declaring that their admission to the board was an advantage. If, continued the chairman, the com- pany had not taken this just step, every nation of Europe would have now risen against them. In answer to a shareholder, who predicted that before two years had expired the head office of the company would be in London, M. Charles de Lesseps confirmed the statement of the chairman. He said that he well understood the irritation felt by the shareholders against the English, who had sO bitterly opposed the company. Business could not, however, be carried on in a spirit of malice. He regarded the English directors as loyal colleagues'. The discussion was then closed, in spite of the protests of several share- holders. All the resolutions of the board expressing approval of the accounts for 1884, as well as a pro- posal authorising the directors-to borrow a sum of 100,000,000fr. for the purpose of enlarging the canal, were voted unanimously. The proposal authorising the appointment of the seven English directors- namely, Messrs. Robert Alexander, 'James Laing, Mackinnon, Monk, Palmer, Slagg, and Thomas Sutherland-was agreed to by 1300 against 140 votes, while 142 shareholders abstained from voting.

THE GORDON MEMORIAL. Cardinal Manning has written a long letter to the Tablet on the above subject. His Eminence says: I When the Gordon Memorial Committee at the Man- sion House decided that the completion of the hospital at Port Said should be the first charge upon the con- tributions raised for the Gordon Memorial, it care- fully provided that.the surplus shoulcT be devoted to some object to which his heart and life had beon given. Of all his various works of human sympathy there was none so vast or so near his heart as the extinction of the slave trade in Africa, and especially in the Soudan. The project of the hnspttal at Port Said having been found .impracticable, has been with- drawn. England at this moment has an absolutely free hand in dealing with the slavo trade in Egypt" and it is under the highest and weightiest obligations not to withdraw its foot from those afllicted lands until it has rendered the slave trade henceforth im- possible. It is first to be remembered that, by the Convention of 1877 between the Government of the Khedive and the Government of this country, England has a right to guard all the coasts and waters cf Egypt with our cruisers, and that a reciprocal right to search has been interchanged between the two Governments, whereby we are empowered to board and examine all the vessels in those waters to deal summarily with the slave traders, and to set all captured slaves free. It is also to be borne in mind that, by the declaration of Mr. Gladstone, the Soudan south of Wadi Haifa was to be abandoned. It belongs, therefore, no longer to Egypt. It has no government of its own. Most assuredly it does not belong to the nomad tribes of Arabs, the slave traders and persecutors of the Soudanese. To whom, then, does the Soudan belong beyond the frontiers of Egypt ? ■ It belongs to the tribes, unwarlike, peaceful, agricul- tural, and promptly capable of civilisation, who are at this moment harried and carried off with inhuman cruelty and every kind of atrocity by the savage Arab slave raiders. If they were able to use arms in self- def en ce, the slave hunters would not ventureto set foot in their villages. At this time they are unorganised, un- armed, and helpless, a prey to the savage Arab race, and what is worse than this, the slave raiders are teaching them that the slave trade is a source of wealth, and are employing thefn as agents to destroy each other and to sell the women and children for the slave market. The slave trade is being propagated year by year and fatally among the tribes of the south, by the murdering Arabs. There Is no bf.r to the intervention of Christian1-England in behalf of the people ef the Soildan. The Catholic Church, by itsHWlfl, has solemnly condemned the moderhand un-Christian doctrine of non-intervention. It is calculated that in the basin of the Nile South of Wadi Haifa there cannot be less-than (Jighteen millions of various tribes. Of these the Gallas'tribe alone is said to contain about eight millions. They are a people of a much higher type, both physical and moral, than the negroes; and, for many reasons, attract more than the other tribes the abominable atrocities of the slave traders. Every law of natural humanity and of Christian justice warrants the people of Christian England, both by its Government and by its own free agoncy, t* penetrato the whole field of these oppressed populations, to provide them field of these oppressed populations, to provide them with the discipline and the means of self-defence, and to teach them the arts of peace. We are informed by those who have travelled in the Soudan that the Arab population by which the millions in the base of the Nile are at this time harried and driven off into slavery does not reach to a million. They are not Soudanese, and may be regarded as invaders, aggres-' sors, and foreign enemies. England has a perfect right to intervene and protect the millions that can- not protect themselves against the dealings, I will not say unjust, but inhumam and abominable, of savage invading aggressors. I may perhaps be asked what form of intervention shall we take, and I say without hesitation the form of a Nile Aesociation analogous to the Association of the Congo. If the commerce, the^slave trado would die a natural death. Even the Arabs would cease to sell men if they eo^ld obtain greater wealth by selling the products of industry. The soil of the Soudan is described as fruitful to exuberance. -It can grow corn and cotton and sugar cane and i&very form of seed. Mr. John- ston, in his adventurous and valuable experience, has ascertained that this peaceful race is especially apt in agriculture and in the cultivation of the soil. He supplied them with seed, and found habits of simple. industry to spring up at once. We need not quote the opinion of Sir Samuel Baker, who has told us that a commercial company with a few steamers on the Nile, and, in the then condition of the country, two military stations by way of a police, would have stopped the slave trade; nor need we quote the opinion recently given by Mr. Stanley, that a com- mercial association on the Upper Nilo would surely not only extinguish the slave trade, bnt spread civilisation in the basin of the Nile—and not this only but that the civilisation of the Nile and the civilisa- tion of the Congo would, in the end, become con- fluent. In this way the heart of Africa would be opened to the Christiap world. This, then, is the true memorial of the heroic life and death of Charles Gordon.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The Technical Committee of the Sanitary Conference sitting at Rome has approved of precautionary measures to be adopted to prevent the propagation of cholera by travellers coming overland from the East. Disturbances have-broken out in Crete. When SawaS Pacha, the new Govemor,arrived off the island, a Com- mittee, nominated by the Assembly, in formed him that his appointment was not consonant with the wishes of that body. The scheme suggested by the leaders of the Silver Party in New York to replace the present compulsory Coinage Law is now attracting much attention. Continued desertions, are said to be taking place among the followers of Osman Digna and the MahdI, owing to the scarcity of food and the spread of small- pox. The rebels besieging Kassala are said to be retir- ing for the same reason. A disastrous fire has taken place in the Stamboul quarter of Constantinople. Three hundred houses, in- cluding three mosques, were destroyed. One person was killed, while several others were injured. Fresh cases of cholera have occurred in Spain, the epidemic having apparently spread to the neighbouring provinces of Castellon in.-the north, and Murcia in the south. In Valencia there lias been a very large increase in the death rate. Several thousands of working men assembled at various points in London on Sunday-afteraoon, whence they walked in procession toTETyde-park. There meet- ings were held round seven platforms, and a resolution was passed against the enhanced beer and spirit duties proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. A bomb, supposed to bava'coBtained. (Samite. has been exploded outside the house of a Catalan Senator residing in a village in Barcelona^ The- perpetrator, whose mgtive is unknown, has been arrested,' Joseph Best, solicitpr,- and Jostitb Bates, were on Saturday, at Liverpool, convicted of frtpdulehtly obtain- ing a large sum of money by spurious, advertisements. Best was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment, and Bates, previously convicted, to five years' penal servitude. I I A gentleman named Nigel Ycunge/of Jermyn-streeb, London, was a short time ago ordered to find a surety in fifty pounds for behaving in a disorderly manner at Hatchett's Hotel, Piccadilly. On Friday night he was at the same hotel, where he broke six images'belonging to an Italian. On being remonstrated with he beçaØ6 violent, and in ;a struggle with a polic^nan a jgflaSS barrel full of the best brandy was broken, a matble table was knocked over and smashed. Yourige was brought up at Marlborough-street Police cour^'on Saturday, when his recognizances were estreated,nil he was ordered'to fintf further sureties, himself in oilo hundred pounds, and two others in fifty pounds each, to keep the peace for three months.- Lord'Randolph Chifrqhill spoke twice on Saturday a« Cambridge. In the afternoon he attended a meeting Leld to protest against the increase in the beer ani spirit duties, and said that theamended,proposals were more unjust than the original. A tax on beer was vir- tually a tax on barley. Ilislordship expressedan un- certain sound with regard to import duties on corn and foreign manufactures. In the evening Lord Ivacdolph presided at a banquet of the University Carlton Club. 'He described tho Radical party as .the-.thoughtless party, and said that any amountrof pf^s^SSous stuli was being poured into the ears of the agricultural labourers- He believed in the much-tried common sense which was the attribute of the English people, and that was the faith of the Tory democracy. A novel case of boycotting has just occurred in Limerick. Some time since the directors of the Water- ford and Limerick Railway advertised for tenders from persons desirous to rent the.Bew.,rpfreshment rooms at .Limerick terminus. A number of traders waited on :tbe directors to urge"them "to accept the tender of a Nationalist friend, under penalty of the deputation boycotting the railway company. 03ie directors ac- cepted" another tender. The result has been that the traders put their threat into execution. They trans- ferred their business in butter _&nd bacon from the Nr Waterford to the Great SoUEherh an(TAYeatern C ooi- pany. It is stated that much irritation has been caused among agriculturists by the new features introduced in the forms just sent out by the Agricultural De- partment to occupiers of land for filling, up the agri- cultural returns. To the numerous columns in whicO horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs are to be entered there have been added this year columns in which tunceys, geese, ducks, and fowls are to be returned, Besides a Special return of all young stock born during the >e on the farm, and of all animals which have been slaughtered. Many farmers, it is stated, will be un- able to go into these minute details, and the result will be that a large number of returns will not be sent in a<At the Cork County Presentment Sessions on Satur- day, the sum of B4385 was passed to pay a moiety of the expenses ot extra police in the county during thO past half-year. Complaints were made that, notwith- standing the fact of peace and order having been com- pletely restored, no steps should have been taken to relieve the county of so unnecessary a tax. A correspondent at Cairo states that Lord Wolseley and Sir E, Baring have had a very pleasant meeting at Suez with the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. A report has been telegraphed from Dongola that Kitshef Oen, who had gone to swear allegiance to the Mahdi, had been executed. He had been of great assistance at Korti in procuring supplies for the troops. The re- port, however, is doubted. The Mudie of Dongola isayg he could have held the province for Egypt. The Transvaal Volksraad has. passed a lesolutiori dis" qualifying all the persons who signed the petitions for annexation to Great Britain and against retrocession from holding office or being members of the Volksraad. The debate was characterised by unrelenting bitter- ness against the loyalists. It was even suggested to extend the disqualification to the tenth generation. Mr. Joubert has accepted the chief command of the Transvaal forces. A < The scheme for the navigation of the Sea of Aral and the river Oxus has now been completely drawn up. The Government will cede gratuitously to the contract- ing company the Aral flotilla; the company, on its side, undertaking to make all necessary provision fot transporting every month 6000 passengers and 100,00 pouds of cargo. The Grand Duke Vladimir has started upon his tong of inspection through the military districts of St» Petersburg and Moscow. His Imperial Highness will extend his journey to the extreme northern provinces, and, among other places, will visit Nova Zembla, The Port of Archangel is now or n to navigation. Two English vessels have already arrived there. The Cunard steamer Aurania, which left New York on the 30th ult., arrived at Queenstown at midnight on Satutday, her passage being somewhat protracted on aceount of having taken a southern route to avoid ice- bergs. Notwithstanding this precaution, five very large icebergs were passed on the 2nd inst. in latitude 40 4aj north, longitude 48-20 west, distant but three miles. On Saturday aiternoan-a. meeting was held in Lincoln for the purpose of considering the prbposfed enlarge, ment of the parish church of St. Peteris, at Gowts, and amongst others present was Dr. King, the Bishop ot Lincoln. This was the first public appearance of lordship in the city since his enthronement, and he was heartily greeted by those present. On Saturday afternoon the funeral of Dr. Josepn Bunny, who died at the age of 86 years, took place in the Newbury cemetery, and was attended by the whole of the medical practitioners in the town and many of the principal residents. The business establishments along the route were partially closed. The deceased had spent his whole life in Newbury, and was highly esteemed. He was a warm supporter of local literary and philanthropic institutions, and for 35 years was borough coroner. Dr. Bunny was a magistrate and also trustee of various charities. At the Pontypool Police-court on Saturday Joseph Swap, ironworker, was brought up on the remanded chaige of stabbing his wife, Emma Swan. The evidence showed that the two quarrelled, but made it up, and went to bed. There the differences were renewed, and the prisoner stabbed his wife so badly that for some days her life was despaired of. Prisoner declared tha« he" Was using the knife to loosen the tobacco in hi* pipe, and he said to her," Emma, when are we to be better friends?" She replied that he could go and get friends elsewhere, and that he then struck her witn the knife. The magistrates committed prisoner for trial. A eork cutter named Cantrill, of Moor-street, Bit" mingham, believed to be insane, attempted to shoot nt wife with a revolver on Saturday night, but missed her, the bullet lodging in the wall. He was about to fire a second time, when he was overpowered and locked up- The couple had been liviag apart, but met on Saturday at the husband's request.. At the Crewe Poliae-court on Saturday, Alfred Bowyer, Thomas James Hutchinson, and Ben j ami11' Cooke were charged with conspiring by false to obtain goods from various Srms, with intent to de* frand. Witnesses were called from London, Binning* bam, Sheffield,Glasgow, and other towns to depose they had sent goods to Bowyer in tie beliaf that h was trading in tka various articles set forth in n| memorandum, evidence being called to show that to other prisoners had replied favourably to letters of 1 j quiry as to his character. Prisoners wese committee for trial. » The Derby Master Bakers' Association announce reduction in the price of bread and flour of 2d. r- etone. h*, A novel case of swindling has occurred at D_erDJ Charles Thomas Smith deserter from the 3rd Pvoyal Artillery, represented himself at vario public-houses as being commissioned to arrange 1 billeting a number of soldiers, and by promising 1 exempt certain houses obtained food and lodeinas **v