The Aberystwith Observer

j 4 eLftMOE HI FOREIGN AFFAIRS. [The Proprietor ot tnis paper does not necessarily identify himself with the opinions here expressed.] The settlement of the affairs of Italy now seems as far off as ever. As everybody knows, they were to be determined on by the Congress; but this Congress seems now to be indefinitely postponed. The retire- ment of the Chevalier Desambrois, the Sardinian mi- nister at the French court, may be considered as conclusive that no Congress will be held. Lord John Russell, it appears, on behalf of the British Government, has made some propositions which have never been at all clear'y defined, and the tenor of which differs considerably according to various j ournals. Whatever they may have been, however, it seems that they are not at all acceptable, and are not likely to be the foundation of any settlement of matters in dispute. So far, indeed, as peaceful negotiation is concerned, the newspaper reader is now involved in alabyilnth of false news or doubtful rumours. One day contradicts another, and what is to-day most reliable is to-morrow shown to have been without foundation, till the next day ghows that the contradiction was itself a mistake. Mucft of this uncertainty comes of the censorship over the press. ,Jn France we merely refer to facts. The most im- portant consideration appears to be the activity m Warlike preparations. The dockyards and arsenals are 111 full swing, and shipwrights are even working by ..torchlight. The excuce is China--what the real mo- tive may be is not known. With regard to Savoy and Nice, the strong desire which France has for their annexation is undoubted. Incidentally this has latterly been frequently proved; but she Empe .'or of the French seems carefully to pro- hibit any open demonstration in France in favour of any such'scheme. As to Savoy and Nice, their tendencies seem to be rather in favour of Piedmont than France. Indeed, an influential national party in Savoy have for- mally protested against any annexation to the latter country. Glancing over the whole of the Italian peninsula, and considering the position of Italy with regard to France, Austria, and Piedmont, it is impossible to avoid the conviction that affairs look gloomy and unsettled. Zurich and Villafranca have settled nothing, and it is al- most idle even to. speculate what a day may bring forth. Spain, flushed with victory, appears determined to carry forward her successful vantage over the Moors. Marshal O'Donnell says he will continue his offensive operations against them till they ask mercy of Spain, 0, and repay her for her sacrifices. Tetuan having fallen, military operations are now to be directed against Tangier, the capital of the country. Spain evidently sees her power, and is fired with the thirst for conquest a thirst which was one of the distinguishing features 111 her earlier history. An important article of news comes from Vienna, to the effect that the reforms promised in the Minis- terial programme will be granted. Every province, it is said, will receive a separate constitution r,nd adminis- tration according to the wants of the different nation- ) alities. This statement might well have the hackneyed heading, "Important, if true." We fear that when this official announcement comes to be translated into acts, the reforms will dwindle down into very poor reforms indeed—Austrian reforms.

FOREIGN ITEMS. Letters from Rome assure us that the Pope has his bull of excommunication and interdict ready for the King or Sar- dinia and his partisans, to be hurled at their heads the moment the annexation of the Legations to Northern Italy is carried into effect. The Italians in California have sent as a present to King Victor Emmanuel a sword of great value and of beaiunt'. Workmanship. The hilt is in massive gold, and represents Italy, while the blade bears an appropriate inscription. We have now got an announcement of the decision to which Russia has arrived relative to the English proposals. That decision is, that these proposals are unsatisfactory, and that no permanent or good understanding can be reached unless there be a Conference of the Five Powers. This may be taken to mean that Russia once more renews h r proposal for a Conference, and the same tel ram, a St. Petersburg one, which makes the announcement, adds tl?:,t the French Ambassador in that city has expressed the readiness of his Government to adhere to what Russia suggests. (It is worthy of notice that Lord Palmerston, in the tiouse of Commons on Monday night, exhibited not a little anxiety to get this Italian question put out of the arena of discussion for the present. The above news from St. Petersburg was probably his justification.) Theiiews from Denmark is very threatening indeed. The Assembly of the States of Schleswig has decreed the impeach- ment of M. Wolfhagen, Minister in a former Cabinet for the Affairs of the Duchies. A series of other propositions of very grave political importance are under consideration in the Assembly, and will probably be adopted, unless a disso- lution of the States be proceeded to. But the Danish Government itself is in fall dissolution, and continues to hold office merely because the King has hitherto been unable to find successors for his late advisers, whose tenure of office was one of the shortest on record at Copenhagen. } The Spanish Bag still floats over the fortress of Tetuan, and the complete route and dispersion of the enemy's army in the battle, within sight of and ck ? to the town, has created the greatest consternation there. Marshal O'BonneU has made a reconnaissance along the road to Fez, as from Tetuan. General Prim had a reth p another direction. According to Population, far from showing any hostility, nave receiveu tue troops in a friendly manner. Having taken Tetuan, the Spaniards now seem to have their eye upon Tangiers, for we lea-n by telegraph that the Spanish Government will listen to no proposals of peace from Morocco until Tangiers has been assailed or given up. The news from America is, thp.t tlie new Republican can- didate for the Speakership of the Congress of the United States only wants one vote of being legally elected. This candidate is Mr. Pennington. There is also a story about the British Minister at Mexico having sent an ultimatum to the Mexican Government regarding British claims. l

NEW EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES.—M. Bcettger, an eminent German chemist, has jrst discovered a curious property of carburetted hydrogen or illuminating gas -viz., that being brought into contact with certain saline solutions, and especially with nitrate of silver, it will, by chemical combinations, form substances of a highly exolosive nature. A few particles of that ob- tained with nitrate of silver will, when subjected to friction, explode with as much violence as the fulnrnate of mercury. This will, doubtless, in some measure account for certain instances of explosion hitherto un- explained. Dr. Torrey, of New York, some time ago discovered that illuminating gas, when conveyed through copper pipes, would in time produce an ex- plosive deposit on the inner surface. This substance seems to have been of the same nature as those dis- covered by M. Boettger, and which he describes as being combinations of copper with carburetted hydrogen, the latter therein the same part as cyanogen in other well-known fulminates. Gas pines are never made of copper now, and neither iron nor lead is liable to produce any fulminating compound. DIPHTHERIA.-Our readers may recollect that, about a year ago, much interest was excited among medical men by a plan for curing the croup through the introduction of a small tube into the wind-pipe. Dr. Bouchut, the author of this plan, soon afterwards announced that he had cured three cases of malignant sore throat or diphtheria by amputating the tonsils-a method which, in his opinion, prevented the develop- ment of croup. He now, in a communication to the Union Medicale, announces that several other cases have been treated in that manner with success—viz., one by Dr. Domerc, three by Dr. Simyan at Cluny, and two by himself, making in all nine successful cases, and no failure. There are certainly few instances in medicine of a new system ushered in under such favourable auspices, and we therefore call the attention of practitioners to Dr. Bouchut's detailed account of the last two cases, which have fallen under his obser- vation, ana ^hich certainly tend to confirm his opinion above alluded ^.—~Q.aiignanit AMERICAN "TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS."—A com- plaint was receitly, Inade to the House of Representa- tives, Washington, by Mr. Ashmore, of South Carolina, respecting a seri ot an(| indecent impertinences aimed at ±lon.. ryor, of Virginia, in what pur- ported to be a report of the proceedings of the House on the previous day, in the New York Herald. He stigmaased this^ohei sive drivel as an insult to the Whole House, <tnd demanded the expulsion of the reporter of the journal which had thus disgraced itself. A further Discussion of the matter, however, revealed the fact that all this vile twaadle had been interpolated at the Herald office, no what was published as a special telegraphic dispatch from. Washington City; and the unhappy reporter was therefore exonerated from the reproach and ignominy which would other- wise most properly have attached to him. The New York Times castigates its contemporary very severely upon such behaviour. LARGE SALE OF FELLOW BEINGS.-—ON Tues- DAY last (says the Savannah Republican,) 1.03 negroes were sold at Cuthbert to settle the business of Messrs. Th 1?' raihoad contractors, one of whom is deceased. -h-r,ere-i 's Probably never been offered m Georgia so ^,7°^ °f negroes at one time. Out of the 108, only e children and 25 women. Of the remaining 73 j, ne vvs.s 60 years old, another 37, and none of the tL a -e 0Ve? 32 years old. The terms were cash, and C6f were enormous. The average 01 the ri„i re rpv6 w,as 1-364 dols. A mechanic brought 2,o00 ^ld'si y before-Monday, General Armstrong coii„3 ne^oef Montezuma. They were an ordinary tion TU' Su°k as would be gathered on a planta- Wo™0„ i6 about 20 men, the remainder being Sevpvoi a?lli, en. The average was 1,100 dols. of Ti t the men brought over 2,000 dols. A girl years brought 1,465 dols; and another a lit;le younger 1,385 dols. The terms were one and two years' credit, with interest added on the face of the notes." I THE COUNTESS AND THE CHANDELIER.—The following are correct details of an accident to the Countess de St. Marsault, the wife of the Prefect of the Seine-et-Oise, which occurred a few nights ago in the Prefecture at Versailles, says a French paper:— In the course of a ball a chandelier fell in one of the saloons, but fortunately no one was beneath it. A lady, Mme. Felix Passy, was, however, close to it, and she received such a shock that she had to retire to the private apartments, and Mine, de St. Marsault accompanied her. They were followed by the English governess of Mme. de St. Marsault's children and as the governess was attending on Mme. Passy, she approached so near the grate that her dress caught fire. Mme. de Saint-Marsault rushed forward and attempted to extinguish the flames she suc- ceeded, but her own dress being of very light texture, caught fire also, and in an instant she was enveloped in flame. With great presence of mind she went to an adjacent room, and wrapped herself in a large table cover and some of the servants having come in, they tore off the burning parts of the dress, and extinguished the flames. Mme. de Saint- Marsatilt was much burned, but she is in no danger, and hopes are even entertained that the burns will not leave any mark. The Princess Mathiide, to whom Mme. de Saint- Marsault is lady of honour, sent on hearing of the accident to inqwre after her, and subsequently paid her a visit. A COMMERCIAL PATRIARCH.—The Beaune jour- nals announce the death, three days ago, of an eminent inhabitant of the town, M. Bouchard. He was born on the 3rd of April, 1759, and was consequently up- wards of 100 years of age. He was noted through his long life for his integrity as a commercial man. He, at different times, held various local offices, such as president and member of Tribunal of Commerce, mem- ber of the municipal council, director of hospitals, &c., and in each he display d capacity ard zeal. His funeral was attended by the entire population of the town, and the cords of the pall were held by M. Guiod, mayor of Beaune; M. Villiard, president of the Tribunal of Commerce M. Molin, juge de paix and M. Maire, president of the Commercial Club. M. Morelot, dean o" the Faculty of Law at Dijon, delivered over the grave an eloquent address, narrating the career end eulogising the virtues of the deceased. A SAD LIFE AND A SAD END !—There died recently, at Maryborough, Australia, William Edward Pierson, formerly a clergyman of the Church of Eng- land, who had held a benefice in Yorkshire. The Melbourne Herald says The unfortunate man had forfeited his position at home, i, appears, from his intemperate habits, and was digging at Maryborough for his subsistence. His habits here were of a dissipated nature and having gone to bed one night after drinking to excess, the curtains caught fire, and before he could be rescued he w„s so severely burnt that he was dragged out quite dead. AN AUSTRIAN CITY WITHOUT POLICE.—The necessity to reinforce the police at Verona seems to have left no choice to the Austrian authorities, but to deprive some other town of that blessed institution, and the selection has fallen upon Gratz, the capital of Styria, a city of nearly 70,000 inhabitants, and the seat of a university. The police of Gratz are all off for Verona, and there is now no police in Gratz. The people of Gratz, during the last few days, have been looking at each other, have shrugged their shoulders, and shown the white of their eyes, and have been lamenting :— What is to become of us without police ?" But, strange to say, since the police are gone, whom all the people went and saw off at the rail way-station, no offence against public seciuity whatever has come to the knowledge of the public. Perhaps the explanation is, that malefactors are more afraid of a people without police, than of the po'ce itself. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PRELATES.-It appears from official returns which have just appeared at Rome, that the number of Roman Catholic bishoprics in the world amounts to 850, exclusively of ninety apostolic vicarships and several prefectures. Pius IX. has created eighty new dioceses. Besides those in Holland and England, he has created eleven in the United States, one in California, one in Newfoundland, two in Canada, one in Mexico, three in Brazil, two in other parts of South America, two in Naples, one iu Hun- ?Tr'y;.0lle i11 Tuscany, two in the French Antilles, at Maromique and Guadaloupe, one at Reunion, and one ao Laval, m 1 ranee.

HOW THE SPANIARDS AND MOORS FIGHT. The Times' correspondent draws the following parallel between the mode of fighting adopted by the Moors and Spaniards Spaniards are apt to take illustrations from the bull- 'ing, and 1 have heard this army and the Moors com- pared to the bull and the bull-fighter. The Spanish mil stands calm and firm in his African arena, confi- lent of his power to repel and somewhat scornful of lis foe, worsted in many encounters. Forth rides the Moorish toreador, brandishing a red flag, which he hakes hi defiance and provocation, and followed by a warm of long-legged, long-gun-bearing Morisqos, who ooL upon the brown hill side and in their dirty white iaic';s, like lively gentles. "Come on, come on!" he nay be imagined to say as he makes his charger curvet .nd waves his banner on high, while his followers Touch behind bushes and seek supports for their spingardas, and fire ard vituperate. At the sounds of heir hideous yells and of a whistling bullet or two the :ager Spaniard pricks up his ears, paws the ground, ind soon forgets prudent resolves. Like the unrefiect- ng bull, he is not long in losing his temper and accept- ing his enemy's challenge. Forward the skirmishers -'ring up the mountain battery Up with Yergara's harpshooters Where are the rifled four-pounders ? >nd forward they all hurry-the active red-legged ight infantry, with Minie on shoulder, and the tall powerful mules, which the weight of guns and car- iages perched upon their high pack saddles cannot estrain from furious neighing and inconvenient rear- ng, and other antics highly annoying to their conduc- ors, and scarcely to be checked by sharp jerks at the evere iron apparatus affixed to their nose and mouth. battalions move up in support, the field artillery rum- lies in the rear, and lines of cavalry glitter on the lank, waiting an opportunity to charge. And soon the vlinie whistles, and the sharp report of the rifled guns s heard, and the Moriscos, who are not anxious to ;ome to close quarters, knock over a few men by part- ng shots, and scamper off to another position, and ,gain career to and fro, and wave their dirty little flags ,nd howl abuse of the Spaniards, who again, as before, 'ie seduced to follow them up. And thus some miles of rround are gone over, and the enemy doubtless suffers everely, which does not, however, prevent him, when Ie sees the Spaniards retire, from following them and billing and wounding a few more. The telegraph an- 10unces a fresh victory to Madrid, where there is )robably much rejoicing on the occasion; but the next norning the butcher's bill" is added up, and the loss s ascertained, while anything like a gain, either srb- tantial or moral, is sought for in vain. It may be (uestioned whether such expenditure of soldiers' iivez )e justifiable, but under present circumstances it cer- .ainly seems unwise.

1. rHE ENGLISHMAN AND HIS, FALSE 1 NOSE. The Court, Journal tells the following story of the ad- rentures of one of our countrymen abroad, with their ex- :eedingly agreeable termination :— In Holland they smoke but few know to what an jxtent, and that there is only one thing that can awaken the enthusiasm of the Dutch—tobacco. All ;hat concerns it, they idolise. It happened that a poung English gentleman, and an old English gentle- man, were in a diligence between Amsterdam and Utrecht (they hold twenty, and are something like minibuses). Immediately after starting, the windows were put up, and s' 2am got up, and every man lit lis pipe, save the two Englishmen. It was soon a ) httle worse to bear than the inside of Vesuvius on one of its angry days. The old Englishman could stand it no longer, and it broke him of his taciturnity; with one of those awful cm'—'s he roared out, in French, for a window to be opened. Every one was astonished at the impudent request, and there was soon a row. The young Englishman, who could not before get his countryman into conversation—he believing, of course, that the young man was not bon ton enough, or some- thing of the kind-did not now interfere. The old Englishman roared again; and when he could not pre- vail, pleaded that he was a Briton, and COD ld not stand smoke if he could stand fire. A quiet, fat, gentlemanly-looking old Dutchman in the corner broke silence- and remarked, But here is a compatriot of yours; he does not mind it. Does the smoke inconvenience you, sir ?" Oh, not in the least. 'u I don't even smell it." He said this with a twinkle of his eye for he was as merry-faced as the fat old Dutch gentleman. The dispute was settled; the old English- man was stifled; and the fat Dutch gentleman and the young Englishman got into hearty conversation. They were both pleasant fellows, and the bond of fraternity with good-nature is mysterious, but quick in its opera- tion. They both got down at the same hotel, talked, ate, laughed, went out together. The only thing that they did not do together was smoke; for, though the young Englishman had no objection to the cloud, he did net care to produce one himself. They liked each other so well that they journeyed together to a border district of Holland, abutting on Germany; the young Englishman wishing to kill time and see the country in such good companionship. When there, however, the good-natured Dutchman would hear of nothing less than that the next day the young friend he liked so much should pay him a visit at his "lust," or country-house, for three days. He could not, as the song has it, Sing every day I am The richest merchant of Amsterdam. but certainly he could of Korg-n. And it was not singular, therefore, that the young Fraulein, his only- and his pretty daughter, had a lot of young boors bor- ing her. Neither can it be considered singular that a young Englishman should take a fancy to her; but, being wealthy and of good family, with no obstacles, it is particularly curious that he sighed and resolved to run for it. He did, and he got a letter, a few weeks after, to say that there was capital skating and plenty of wild-fowl shooting, and to come and stop a month. The answer was, "My dear friend, before I can think of setting foot in your house, let me explain a little matter which lies heavily on my conscience. I never told you why I was not annoyed about the smoke of tobacco. Because, then, I have got a false nose,-at least, a portion,—the original part being shot away when I was a subaltern. The make-up, thanks to a bristly moustache, is so good, that I don't think it worth while to let every one know, but, for certain reasons, I prefer to tell you." The reply was, "Come directly; or I'll come and fetch you. A certain person has enjoyed the e: lanation, considers it a capital ioke, and does not, I ;,ssure you, think any the worse of you. Nor did she, when the test was put at the end of six months, and she took Mr. S of the 7—d, for better, for worse," including the false bit of nose.

THE USE OF RAGS. In a capital article on the proposed abolition of the paper duty and its effect upon the paper manufacture, the leading journal has the following:- No doubt, the Chinese make paper from bamboo and from reeds, and Mr. Gladstone proposes to make his champagne from rhubarb, and a"er extracting his champagne to make the residuum into paper. This may come to pass, but unfortunately at the present time neither the champagne nor the paper so made would be suited to British taste. We can make paper out of old junk, or wheat straw, or bamboo, but we cannot prim a newspaper upon it. Eventually we hope that this may come. This abolition of duty will stimu- late our inventors; but, meanwhile, we are at the mercy of the rag merchant. Whatever substances may be used to supplement the supply of this article, the public may take as an indisputable fact that paper, of any quality worthy to be called paper, must depend for its fibla upon rags. Here is the great difficulty of enabling the British public to enter into the full ad- vantage of sudden boon. England does not prod ace rags enough; Ireland has her own use for hers; France, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal all rigorously prohib. j the export 0° the article. Our only foreign sunply comes from Italy and Germany, and this supply is quite incommensurate with the demand which is re- quired to keen the article at a reasonable price. We admire Air. Gladstone's enthusiasm. We have no ob- jection to his making coaches and pipes and dolls and teapots and arti acial arms, as he professes that he and his friends are about to do. out of paper. WILL THIS BE REALISED ? We smile indulgently at his romantic and Arcadian scheme of rearing paper Inills in every rural valley, whither the villagers will flock to make the paper of their village journal, and linger as they return in the 3yening to watch the angler casting his fly over the nm-tail. We desire the realisation of his dream, that Dy means of this paper manufacture wages will become plentiful, and poor-rates unknown. But this is the jnthusiasm of a recent convert, who is imagminr>- ar- guments to convince his hearers rather *W> ex'joundin^ those by which he was himself convinced. Alas! no village mills will ever again arise. These were all destroyed, not by the paper duty, but by Fourdrinier's paper-making machine, which rendered paper-making, li'ie cotton-spinning, an affair of capital machinery and great establishments. When handloom weaving again becomes a flourishing trade, and the distaff and spindle are seen in every cottage, then we shall have again the village paper mill, and not before. WHAT WOULD HAVE EEEN MUCH BETTER. Instead of luring country gentlemen by the fond hope of village mills and reduced pdor-rates, and in- stead of threatening to take from our present stock of the raw material in order to make dolls and teapots and artificial legs and arms, how much more far-sighted would it have been in Mr. Gladstone to have stipulated in the French Treaty for the removal of the prohibition on the export of rags Belgium is our very good friend, and might then, perhaps, have been won over to grant us the slight favour of allowing us to buy her surplus rags. Spain might have paid us that '500,000?. in rags—her bonds at this moment are little more,- but France was giving little and taking much even when Mr. Gladstone was resolving upon this abolition. She could not have refused so small a matter as this. Would it even now be too late to ask for this little sup- plemental benefit, without which the boon which Mr. Gladstone has conferred will lose half its advantage ?

EPITOME OF NEWS, BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The manufacture of rifled cannon at Berlin continues on a large scale. Some catf-iron cannon, on a new model, are being made on the works of M. JETreund and if the res al t of their trial proves satisfactory to the military authorities, it is believed that an order for six hundred will be given. A French journal states that Mr. Cobden, on passing through Lyons on his way to Nice, had several interv evvs with leading manufacturers, relative to the coimnercial tr, aty between .France and England. At a meeting of the Irish Privy Council on Thr s- day, the district of Tourmakeady was proclaimed, under ths provisions of the Crime and Outrage Act, and a force 01 dm- stabulary sufficient for three stations ordered to be at on JO <.ent down to the district. The authorities at Eton College are about takin steps for training e pupils in military exercises. At the Torquay railway station the other night, a. muffled stranger requested a glass of water. The porter who was goin: to supply him saw pistols and a cutlass poking out from beneath his cloak, and taking alarm telegraphed for assistance, which soon arrived. The alarm was ground- less, however, for the mysterious v;sitoi, ttrllecl out to be- a coast-guardsman! Not a single prisoner was in custody at the last assizes for the county of Antrim, and the improvement is attriputeo. by the autnorities to the good eifect produced by the Revival movement. Mr. Armstrong, in his late charge to the jury at the Coleraine Quarter Sessions, also alluded to the small number of cases in the calendar, and ascribed the gratifying change to the same cause. There were 229 wrecks during the month of Jan- uary last.—What a catalogue of disappointed hopes and cruel miseries' does not this melancholy line comprise There are three noblemen in the British Peerage who enjoy peerages of all the three kingdoms. They are the yrai'cuis of Aberdeen, the Earl of Veiniam, and the Marquis D ^Tastings. Ajyropos of dinners, we must mention the greatest novelty of the day—decidedly a let Russe-the introduction of massive blocks of model ice on the table, which have a very crystal-like effect, and are, at least, very whimsical.- C;oTii t Journal. Two African immigrants, who had lately arrived in French Guiana, being unable to obtain work, took to plunder, and were shot dead by a planter who had suffered by then depredations. The author of this act of vengeance was himself a negro. The Daily News says there is a very general ex- pectation that considerable changes in the British army are imminent. Sor'e anticipate that the purchase system Wjll be ibolislied, whilst there is a certainty that the recom- mendation of the Royal Commission for appointing colonels by selection will be carried into effect. Government has at last adopted Captain Blakely's method of construction for all large cannon. The saving of expense to the country will be enormous, the 70-pounders now in course of manufacture costing absolutely less than the Armstrong 12-pounders. Some 50 cottages have been erected by the Admiralty at the various coastguard stations since March 31, 1856, at Hurst Castle, Donna Nook, Harwich, Bagham, Dunwich, Newhaven, and Yarmouth. 12 houses and cottages have been leased by the coastguard, at Charmouth, Ballyeotlon and Helwick Head. A deputation of the directors of life insurance com- panies transacting business in India had an interview with the Right Hon. Sir Charles Wood, on Saturday, and pre- sented a memorial claiming a share (to the extent of their interest in iives murdered) in the compensation awarded by I Government for losses during the mutiny in India. J It is rumoured that a new work, from the pen of Lord Brougham, is in course of preparation nothing less than a History of tlie British Constitution." b°ars are just now so numerous :n the environs of Christel, near Oran, in Algeria, that they do much damage, and the local journals call for measures to be taken for the destruction of them. In one day a single gendarme k'Ued three. The number of bills relating to railways in Great Britain deposited this session amounts to 202. Of this number 149 authorise new works. The total length of new lines is 1,406 miles, beside which there are 106 miles of deviation lines. A man living in Paris, who had frequently beaten hit, wife, was surprised one evening by seeing her with a gun. Shi fired at him, but. lie dodged out of the way. and the charge killed their child. A New Orleans paper reports that Joseph Wheeler, who had been deaf and dumb for about four years, recently ventured very near the mouth of a cannon, and when it was fired he was knocked down senseless by the concussion. On recovering, he spoke as fluently as anybody, and heard and answered all questions put to him, and is, up to this time, retailing language out in large doses. Now I am one of those who do not think a fun choral service well-suited to our ordinary parochial churches and if such were introduced into my parish church, I should, if I had the opportunity, prefer attending where I could find move simple, and to me more devotional services.— The Earl ( Derby. There died, recently, at Bristol, aged 92, Mr. James VVcelrs, the oldest freeman in Bristol. In every election tnaj bas_ taken place fortheint three score years and ten, he exercised the franchise on the Tory, or, as he would have said himself, the "Blue interest. A correspondent writes to a contemporary, com- plaining of the wretched trash doled out to the poor in the various workhouses for port wine, but which in reality is a vile compound of logwood and other deleterious ingredients. One of the 1st Sussex Bifle Volunteers was the other night iound bivouacking on the beach at Brighton, smoking .us pipe, and casting his eyes over the vast expanse of water, meditating upon the course he should pursue in the event of an enemy appearing in sight. His example of thus roughing it is veiy commendable to inure him to field and camp life, but we would recommend him not to overdo soldier life by sleeping there, as there is a rifle brigade who prowl about that vicinity to rcb and plunder. All the persons attached to the Paris Observatory were on the alert the other night to observe the eclipse ot the moon. There were several ladies on the terrace and one of them seriously asked M. Leverrier, If you were to have your telescopes rifled, like cannons, would they not carry farther ?'' That two babies, no matter how young, count as one adult has been decided at the Hammersmith Police Court, when a lady was summoned by a cabman. Authenticated facts justify the belief that the marine steam-engines will yet be worked with an expenditure of I lb. of coal per hor,e-power per hour. In this case, a vessel like the Great Eastern, working 12,000 effective horse-power, could run seventy days, or to Australia and back, with 9,000 tons of coal, being at the rate of 128 tons a-day. The Rev. William Prosser, and the servant girl with whom he eloped from Croxdale Parsonage, Durham, have been seen together at service in St. Bancras Church, London. "TotheInnocent.- Yes, on the instant. It cannot be after. Your manner and ways, coupled with the truly absurd stories of the past, have made you ,ppear (to those not knowing you) other than you are. IV, ld that all the world was as amiable, virtuous, and good! Your FRIEND. Advertisement in London Times. A London paper satirically says The meeting of Lord Derby's supporters, which had reference to Mr. Glad- stone's policy, was held on Tuesday, and was of a very private and confidential character, as much so as if it had been a conspiracy, though we are not aware that those who attended were sworn at the table." In answer to a question put in the House of Com- mons the other evening, Lord John Russell commended the behaviour of the Spanish Government in the matter of paying the loan, which amounted to 49S,OOOZ. Intelligencs has been received from Dr. Hector, geologist and botanist to the North American Exploring Expedition, who left England in the spring of 1S57. He was at Fort Vancouver in December last, and expects to return to this country during the spring. The great gold-dust robbery on the South Eastern Railway does not seem to be quite done with. It came be- fore the Vice Chancellor's Court the other day, in an action brought to determine who was entitled to 5001., deposited with some London brewers, and alleged to be part of the proceeds of the robbery. The Coirf ordered the money to be given up to the Crown.

THE MARKETS. THE PROVINCIAL CORN TRADE. The corn trade generally exhibits the same absence of tone and activity that it has shown for some months past, tor though occasionally a little spurt gives the turn in prices to holders, they gradually slacken down again to the point whence they rose. There has, however, been tolerable firm- ness during the past few days owing to the severe weather; but we cannot quote a decided general advance. MARK LANE, MONDAY. The supplies of home-grown wheat to this morning's mar- ket was rather limited, and an advance of about Is per quarter was obtained on good and dry samples. Foreign wheat met a steady sale at about former rates. Barley improved Is per quarter, and oats, beans, and peas were also at enhanced quotations. For town-made flour there was a good demand at late rates, and Norfolks and inferior qualities improved about 6d to Is per sack. Prices:— BRITISH. s. s. VIi HEAT.. Essex, Kent, and Suffolk, white, per qr. 38 to 49 BAILEY ..Malting 30 to 36 Oi 'C8 Essex aud Suffolk 20 to 25 BE AN S Mazagan 32 to 38 Tick and Harrow. 34 to 44 SEEB Canary per qr 52 to 60 Carraway per cwt. 36 to B&pe.perqr. 50 to 54 Hempseed ..per qr 83to — LONDON SEED. Linseed commands a steady sale at 52s for Bombay, and 49s to 50s for Cal,cutta on the spot. For arrival the latter sells according to quality, at 48s 3d to 49s 3d, cost, freight, and insurance. For Black Sea and Azoff Seed, 50s 3d to 50s 6d is required, but there is little doing. Niger seed was again sold largely, at 36s to arrive, and on the spot, Is more is asked. Rapeseed has an improved tendency, owing partly to the reports of crops on the Continent having sustained damage by frost, and the small supplies on passage from India. Bombay Guzerat is worth 53s to 55s, other sorts 46s to 48s. Arrivals of oilcake are still upon a liberal scale, but the market continues firm, nevertheless. MARK LANE, MOJDAT.—Linseed was only steady, but firm. Cakes were in very active demand, at lull prices. There was a good attendance at the seed market, and fair business in red clcverseed, at previous rates. The high price of white limited purchases Tares were not so free 01 sale i. om the backward weather,, Canary quiet. Other seeds much the same. LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY. We have had a good atterdance of both town and country Driers and dsalers at orr COlli Exchange this mormng, and a moie hea'thy demand was experienced for wheat at an advance of fu"y id per cental on the rates of Friday. Flour exhibited little 'mprovement either in demand or value. Indian corii was not Lo active as yesterday, nor were so good prices obta"aable 30'1 descriptions, however, closed f1"ly 6d per quarter dearer. Oats were Id per bushel, and oat- meal 6d per load higher. Beans, peas, and barley all advanced Is per quarter. LONDON WOOL. The next public sale of colonial wool will commence on the 1st proximo. About 30,000 bales will be offered, and the supply now on hand consists ot 3,20S bales Sydney, 7,254 Port Philip, 55 Tasmania, 1,104 Adelaide, 10,394 Cape, 42 Swan River, and 1,287 New Zealand. Privately, the trade is very inactive, at late quotations. POTATOES. Since our last report only moderate supplies of potatoes have come to hand coastwise and by railway. Most kinds are in fair request as follows York Regents, llOs to 145s ditto fluKes, 130s to 140s Kent and Essex, 80s to 120s Scotch, 90s to ditto cups, 72s to 95s per ton. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, MONDAY. We were very scantily supplied with each kind of foreign stock to-day, and the quality of both the beasts and sheep was otherwise than prime. Notwithstanding that only moderate supplies of beasts came fresh to hand from our own grazing districts, and that the weather was favourable for slaughtering, the beef trade was i a sluggish state, and in some instances prices ruled the tu i in favour of buyers. The extreme value of the best Scots "I s 4s lOd per 81b. The show of sheep was again moderate, ar d the general quality of each kind was by no means prime. The mutton trade ruled somewhat active, and the quotations had an upward tendency. Calves—the supply of which was limited—were brisk, and 4d per 81b dearer than on Monday last. The best veal was worth 6s per 81b. We have to report a fair inquiry for pigs, at fully last week's currency. Prices :—Beef, 3s 10d to 4s lOd mutton, 4s Sd to 5s 10d; veal, 4s Sd to 6s pork, 4s to 5s, at per stone of 81bs, sinking the offal. HAY AND STRAW. The London markets are moderately supplied, and trade is steady at the following quotations:—Meadow hay, 60s ito 84s rowen, 40s to 60s; clover, 75s to 105s; straw, 25a to 29s per load. LONDON PRODUCE MARKETS. MINCING LANE, TUESDAY. In the Produce Markets business remains inactive, but except that a further nse hai taken place in brandy no further alterations arising out of the new duties have trans- pired. For sugar there is a frequent inquiry. SUGAR —The market is firm with more inquiry. Musco- vado Manilla has sold at 32s, and 3,000 bgs. middling at 33s. COFFEE remains without quotable change. tn nntr7t p1, w nC50n! are still prevented by the disinclination to operate until the details of the China news are to hand. c^M°LASSES.—The demand is inactive, at from 15s to 17s per cwt. COCOA.—There is rather an improved feeling in the demand for most kinds, at about last week's currency. lllOE.—Rather more firmness is apparent in the inquiry for this article. Low Bengal has sold at 9s 4d to 9s 6d; and Rangoon, 7s to 9s 6d per cwt. INDIGo.-The public sales have been brought to a close. The total quantity disposed of was 3,200 chests, of which. 1,800 are for export purposes. Prices advanced 2d to 6d per lb. on the average. BRANDY.—The demand is more active, and prices have further advanced 6d per gallon. Henessey's in hogsheads having sold at lis per gallon. METALS.—Scotch pig iron has been rather firmer in price, and the market closed 59s 9d to 60s 100 tons spelter sold for arrival, at 20117 s 6d ex ship, and 40 tons on the spot, at 211 2s 6d per ton. OILS.—French refined rape oil is reported to have sold at 40s, but on Change the current quotation for foreign was 39s per cwt.; linseed remains at 27s 6d to 27s 9d per cwt. TALLOW.-The market is quiet but firm, closing. 60s 6d spot, and the same for March 56s to 56s 6d April to June, and 53s last three months 59s 6d Odessa beef; 60s sheep 59s 3d town tallow net cash. Owing to the proposed abolition of duty, the price in St. Petersburg has advanced to SO to 501 silver roubles.