The Aberystwith Observer

<Dur !ùnbùn CroKs^tmMirf.. ] L-^a daeotlt right to state that we do not at all times identify o'Jiseifvas with our eorrespondent's opinions. ] Writing just on the eve of the division on the second reading of the Reform Bill, it would be absurd o speculate when certainty will soon take th £ place cf speculation. At the present moment there is a pre- vailing opinion that the second reading will be carried, a nd there is an expectation that a series of onslaughts will be made on the bill in committee, and the question then will arise, how will the Lords treat it? Mean- while, deep interest is felt in the contest. To say that the whole country is aroused would be going much too '■xr, but there is undoubtedly a widely-spread feeling of anxiety and expectation. Without expressing any opinion on the merits of this measure .1 thinly as thou- sands think, that it would be a very desirable thing to have the question of parliamentary reform set at rest. That this Bill and a Redistribution Bill which is to follow it will finally dispose of the subject is too much to expect, but at least it would do so for some years to come; and then the attention of Parliament could be more earnestly turned to social questions—such as railways in town, the dwellings of the working classes, the hemes of the poor, the supply and the adulteration of food, and a thousand and one other subjects about which we are always talking and writing, but in respect to which little or nothing is done. I see that the Salters' Company have determined to present Prince Alfred with the freedom of their guild. The document is to be inclosed in a box worth 100 guineas (this is always the value of such boxes, if my memory serves me), and the Prince has agreed to accept it. I should like the City Press, or some other civic authority, to explain the use of this freedom." If I remember rightly, instead of conferring on him any freedom it will bind down the Prince by all sorts of restrictions. I fancy he will have to swear alle- ei ance to his royal mother, to bind himself not to take an apprentice except under certain conditions, and to be faithful and true to the guild and fraternity of Salters. Of what earthly and unearthly use will such freedom b.? Th. May meetings, as they are called—it would be far better to call them the Spring meetings—have commenced, and a stranger in London would probably arrive at this conclusion "from his own moral con- sciousness" by observing the numbers of gentlemen in the streets with the orthodox black and the not less orthodox spotless cravat, which is so often familiarly and irreverently spoken of in other terms. I think we may well deduce a favourable judgment of the present day from the way in which these May meetings are now spoken of, or perhaps I should say, from them not being spoken of as formerly. Time was, and that not so long ago, when these May gatherings were alluded to as assemblies of Pharisees or hypocrites, and nothing was too bad to say against Exeter Hall, which was treated as the head-quarters of cant. True, the journals which thus treated the religious societies and their promoters were but the exceptions, but the exceptions were very numerous and a very favourite taunt, which was worked to death, was this—that spreat pains were taken to convert the heathen abroad while the heathen at home were neglected. It has since been discovered that it has been those very same persons who were so zealous for the diffusion of Christianity abroad who aided all the philanthropic movements in our own country. It is comparatively seldom now-a-days that we hear or read a sneer at Fxeter Hall, and the illiberal attacks by a portion of the press, on the religious movements represented by those May meetings have become few and compara- tively feeble. It is not pleasant to read that Mr. Stephens, the "Head.Centre," who is now in Paris, is to be invited to dinner by the Marquis de Boissy. If he is to receive an invitation from any one, no more appropriate person than this fiery Marquis could be found his hatred of England is well known, and his antagonism to the French regime is equally celebrated. But it is not an agreeable item of news to hear that such a man as Stephens, who has done all he could to excite his rwnntry to rebellion, is received in society at all in Pana. The international laws relative to the residence of political rebels and revolutionary patriots are very ticklish affairs, and the neutrality they enforce with respect to political offences may be very salutary but it seems a great pity that, after a reward of 40.000?. has been offered for the capture of Stephens he should be allowed to escape to America, where he is avowedly going to stir up hatred towards England, and whence he promises to return to deliver Ireland from the hated yoke, &c. Fenianism may have been scotched, but it has not been killed; it may have collapsed in Ireland, but in America, there is reason to fear, there is still a large party who sympathize with the wild crotchets to which Mr. Stephens has unhappily devoted himself. In connection with Fenianism across the Atlantic I may mention that Renter's Telegram Company have just dispatched a gentlemen to Canada specially to watch Fenian mova- ments and the progress of the dispute between American and Canada as to the right of fishing in Canadian waters. Mr. Phillips Day, the gentleman who has undertaken this duty, is well acquainted with American and Canadian affairs, and was for some time a corres- pondent from the Confederate States for one of our daily papers. The Cattle Plague is evidently dying out, partly owing, no doubt, to the action of recent legislation. For the week ending April 7 the number of cattle attacked was 3,361, while for the week ending the 14th, it was only 2,582, as far as the returns have been made up. Supposing that we add the 780 cases that would have been returned (if the previous week is to be a guide) had certain inspectors made their returns, it is rather curious that the whole number would have exceeded by one the number attacke duro ing the previous week. But let any one compare the latest returns with those of eight or ten weeks ago, and the conclusion will be a very satisfactory one. Perhaps it would be better for this country, on the whole, had the cattle plague continued to increase —better in the long run, however severe the calamity might have been for the time; for we then should no doubt, have had the advantage of such large importa- tions of cattle and meat that prices would have been brought down, and a trade would have sprung up which now does not exist, and which would have be* come permanent. There seems little chance of this now, although our capitalists and merchants may well direct their attention to an increased supply of food, to meet the wants of our increasing and increasingly- I prosperous community. I am rather surprised that the employing classes do not appear to see the bearing of this subject on their own interests. There is now being waged, silently, but not the less decidedly, a revolution in the labour market; Capital and Labour are the two disputants, and the great argument of Labour is that the expense of the necessaries of life— notably of animal food—has increased. Increased supply would lower the price, and consequently would deprive Labour of one of its arguments for increased wages. The Hon. Mrs. Theresa Yelverton has now assured herself a good position as a public reader. Her re- cension has not only been enthusiastic on the part of larare audiences, but she has received, I hear, so many Invitations to give her readings in various parts of the country that a handsome income is now certain. At the 5rst blush it appears a very easy thing to read a poem, but it is marvellous how very few of us there are who can read out well. It is a department of education that is almost wholly neglected. We are taught to read out at school, of course, but what sort of reading is it ? After leaving school seldom or ever is there any opportunity for being taught to read aloud properly; indeed, we should most of us feel hart were it suggested that we had anything to learn in this respect. But let any one notice the reading aloud of any of his friends—to say nothing about himself say a paragraph or a leader in a newspaper. Vv eil, it is certainly neither Cicero nor Demosthenes A"' ■ how comparatively seldom is it that we hear good reading even among the clergy—all educated rru n, most of whom have received college training. And yet the pleasure that is given by reading aloud, with expression and feeling, a brilliant speech, a beau- tiful poem, or a striking chapter of fiction, i3 very greit; and this is proved by the large audiences that ass; t nble to hear Mr. Dickens, the Rev. Mr. Bellew, and others read. Our great novelist is at present engaged to gi ve a series of readings, and it is said that the SUm that is to be paid him for this is enormous. Mr. Bellew is well known to gain a very handsomemcome by his readings, and I have no doubt that Mrs. Yelverton will earn a large sum. This will be some little re- compense for all she has suffered. I have just read with deep interest a newspaper paragraph which appears to me to contain a state- ment which deserves the serious attention of every reader. Two boys were playing at cat," at Brighton a dispute arose as to the score of the game bad lan- guage was used on both sIdes; and at length one of the disputants exclaimed, May God strike me blind I have not made more than twenty! Almost im- mediately afterwards he called out I cant see. He was struck blind. It seems to me that-Bupposing these statements to be true-here is a fact of more potency than all the learned arguments of such re- nowned men as Bishop Butler or Archdeacon Paley. The reflections which must strike all thoughtful read- era must be so similar that I will not pursue the su ject, but will ask your readers' attention to a similar case. It is the only one I can find, but I have no doubt there are many such cases. I copy it from a ceWlpaper of the year 1855: "At one of the parish churches in Canterbury, the officiating minister on Sunday morning alluded to an awful interposition of the Almighty, which was presented a few miles from CRanter- bury. A woman, who was accused of theft, positively denied it, and in her protestations solemnly appealed to Gcd in testification of her innocence, and wished she might be struck deadif guilty. Shehadnosoonerusedthe expression than she fell a lifeless corpse. The articles imputed to her as having been stolen were afterwards found at her house." In these and other such eases there is matter for grave thought.

IMPERIAL PARLIArdENT. THE DEBATE ON THE REFORM BILL. In the House of Commons, on April 20, after a short conversation in reference to the county electoral statistics, the adjourned debate on the Representation of the People Bill was resumed by Mr. Leveson-Gower, who warmly supported It, arguring that fitness was the chief qualification to be considered, and that redistribution had nothing to do with that question. He advocated a larger admission of working men to the franchise, believing that a closer connexion with them would improve legislation, and repudiated emphatically Lord Elcho s insinuation that the moderate Liberals were averse from this B*Mr Gregory, after remarking on the extraordinary slack- ness of the Ministerialists in answering the speeches ot Lord Stanley and Sir H. Cairns, commented at length on various arguments which had been offered in support of the bill. Mr. Young (the Solicitor-General for Scotland; continued the discussion in a very thin House, contrasting the bill favourably with Lord Derby's bill of 1850, both as to the county and borough franchise. Sir S. Northcote defended and explained the arguments of Sir 1I. Cairns which had been attacked by Mr. Young, and in reference to the plea of self-government he remarked that it might be of weight if this were a bill for universal suffrage; but as it still continued the Government of the majority over the minority it was of importance to consider the fit- ness of those who were to be admitted to the majority, par- ticularly when the extensive functions of the House beyond the range of mere domestic politics were considered, He professed himself favourable to the admission of intelligent working men in any proportion which would not endanger the fair representation of the opinions of the other classes of the nation but he maintained that, besides their share of the franchise the labouring classes had now other means of influencing public opinion, which were enormously on the increase He objected to the bill because it failed to solve the problem of the value of power, and with regard to the incompleteness of the measure—in re- ply to an argument of Mr. Mill—he pointed out various practical difficulties which must arise from committing to a new constituency the settlement of re- distribution, dwelling particularly on the certainty that all members would be returned on this issue alone, without reference to their opinions on any other question. After indicating various errors in the statistics, and finding fault with the bill for failing to deal with such questions as the discouragement of corruptien and the representation of minorities, he denied that to vote for the amendment was to express any opinion against the extension of the suffrage. In discussing the Ministerial appeal for conndence, he de- clared his opinion that the Government had not handled Reform in a manner to entitle them to the confidence of the House, and that those Liberals who strained their consciences to vote for the Government, in the hope that the bill would be got rid of in Committee, would be committing a treason to the House. Mr. Coleridge, professing to speak for those who were not deeply enamoured of the Government or the bill, rose to ex- plain their reasons for opposing the amendment, warmly disclaiming the imputations which had been cast on the class by Lord Elcho. The amendment he condemned as 11- timed, badly censtructed, and calculated to lead to an in- definite postponement of the question, and though admitting the perfect sincerity of Lord Stanley, he concluded by applying the maxim noscitur a sociis, that he, too, was op- posed to this proposed extension of the suffrage Mr. Horsman disclaimed all share in the objections ad- verted to by Mr. Coleridge, the first two of which he said were merelv incidental, and the third had never once been urged in the debate. His objection to the bill was founded on the downward reduction of the franchise on the principle of government by numbers-a principle which led to univer- sal suffrage. By numerous references to former speeches and Parliamentary conflicts of a similar character he vindi- cated the consistency of the Liberal supporters of the amend- ment, and protested against any government bill being converted into a Reform test. He denied that he or his friends had ever advocated a comprehensive scheme of Reform; but now that the Government professed to be ready with such a scheme they asked to see it at once. Turning to the question of confidence, he denied that Lord Grosvenor's motion was intended as a vote of want of con- fidence. The Liberals who supported that motion had a general confidence in the government, but they had no con- fidence In the bill, still less in the means adopted to force it on the House, and in commenting on this point he censured ill strong terms Mr. Gladstofte's speeches in the provinces and particularly the unprecedented spectacle he had offered of a Minister descending to the part of an agitator— disparaging the Houst1 of which he was the official leader. This passage of Mr. Horsman's speech was received with loud cheers by the opposition, which were renewed with even greater vigour when he augured from Mr. Gladstone's announcement at Liverpool, that the Government had "broken their bridges and burnt their boats," that thev were beaten and desperate men. o Mr. lirigiit moved the adjournment of the debate, inere were loud cries of "Go on," to which he remained insensible, and after a moment's interval, The Chancellor of the Exchequer rose, and in acceding to the motion called on Mr. Disraeli to express an opinion as to the possibility of finishing the debate on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. Mr. Disraeli, while professing his desire to assist the pro- gress of public business as far as his influence went, and at the same time to promote a full and impartial discussion of the Bill, pointed out, amid much laughter, that Mr. Glad- stone had already in the House, and in Lancashire, made six speeches on the subject, and that the adjournment had been moved by a powerful orator who, though he did not often speak, generally added fuel to the fire. The debate could not be expected, therefore, to close on Monday, but the House would then be better able to ascertain its position, and probably by the end of the week at the latest they might arrive at the division. The debate was then adjourned. In the House of Lords, on April 23, the Earl of Derby called attention to the orders in council relating to com munication with diseased cattle, stating that if strictly car- ried out, it would not be possible to reach cattle even to convey food to them. Earl Granville said that it was not intended that the orders should have so stringent an effect, and the suggestion would be attended to. The Earl of Clarendon read a statement to the house to the effect that the Emperor of Abyssinia had received Mr. Rassam the agent who had gone to that country to endea- vour to obtain the release of the Europeans there detained as prisoners, in the most courteous and magnificent manner; and had ordered all the prisoners to be handed over to Air. Rassam, who expected to have them placed in his hands about the end of February. The Emperor had also written a letter to her Majesty, which it was believed would gratify the Queen and the British nation. The Earl of Derby expressed hi3 great gratification at the statement, and asked whether Lord Clarendon had com- municated the despatch to the Times, and was certain of its S8ThenEarfof Clarendon had every reason to believe the do- cument to be genuine, and he had communicated it ? no one but their lordships. The Parliamentaiy Oaths hill was read a tmrd time and passed, and the House then adjourned. In the House of Commons, the report of the Maidstone election committee was brought up, declaring the sitting members, Mr. Whatman and -Mr. Lee, to be duly elected. The report of the Lancaster election committee was brought up. declaring Mr Fen wick and Mr. Schneider were not duly elected, inat the election was void, that the late members had been guilty of bribery by their agents, but it was not proved to be within their knowledge. A new writ was moved for an election for the borough of Helston, in the room of Mr. Adolphus Young, declared un- duly elected. The adjourned debate on the Franchise Bill was resumed by Mr. Bright, who in the first place explained that in quoting from a speech of Mr. Lowe he might have added one or two words which were not used. In reference also to a statement of Lord Stanley that he had taken part in supporting an amendment cognate in ts object to that before the House on the Chinese question against a Liberal Govern- ment, he said that he was not then in parliament or in the country, aad as to a number of accusations with regard to his conduct on the Conspiracy Bill of Lord Palmerston, he pointed out that the Conservatives voted for the measure on the first reading, and afterwards, on the next stage, found him and his friends voting against it; so that they were par- ties to any action that was taken in that matter. With re- gard to the amendment in discussion, it was clear that its object was to destroy the bill; and probably simi- lar objections would be made to the Redistribution Bill. He proceeded to deal with Lord Stanley's speech; and referring to his speaking of the balance of power, hoped that no such phrase would ere long be applicable to that house, but that every class would he equally and fairly re presented; he argued that the cry for redistribution of seats before the franchise was extended was a mere pretext, because it was well known that if both points were settled, the redistribution of seats would as inevitably lead to as large a reconstruction of the house as the extended franchise could possibly do. He urged that it was an unsightly thing to see the heirs of two of the greatest and wealthiest of the peers of England combining to prevent a moderate extension of the franchise, and to drive Lord Russell from office because he had been its author, and which was supported by a long list of whig peers, both in and out of the ministry. The object seemed to be to sever the nobles of that party from the liberal party, and range them against the popular side and, if so, the result must be that in such a contest the popular party would win and the nobles go down. So long as seven years ago he suggested to Lord Russell that if at any time he dealt with parliamentary reform a fran- chise bill should be first brought in and he had had no con- versation on that subject with the noble lord since. At that time Lord Russell replied that the opposition would act against the measure, just as they had now done, and yet he conceived it to be his duty to take that course. He (Mr. Bright) had adopted that opinion because he saw that the franchise and its extension to the working classes was the popular desire rather than the redistribution of seats. The question of the franchise interested that special class, whiie the redistribution of seats was not a special but a general question. He believed that i f the proposition in hand was ac- cepted, it would result in a settlement of the subject of the re- presentation of the people for perhaps half a century. Object- lng ashedidto the constant simmering of the question of reform V} Parliament and the country, he agreed with a saying of Mr. Henley that all reform should be so baied as to secure rest on that subject for a length of time; and this he be- lieved luigh: now be done, and in a conservative sense, for as he pouted out, the bill proposed by Lord Derby enfran- chised It"0 more than that now in discussion while it \va3 essentially a franchise bill, for the redistribution of seats was touched gently, and with little or no effect on small boroughs. If such a proposition for the redistribu- tion of seats was contained in the present bill it would have been objected to by those who were now clamouring for a measure for the redistribution of seats, and they would hive been right, as it would have settled nothing, and the Sbiect to be gained was a reasonable settlement, both of the franchise and the distribution of seats. He declared that the statistics which stated that 126,000 working men were on the registry of voters in boroughs were inaccurate, therealnumber being 63 000 only, while the number which would be added by thebiU would be but 116,000 so that they would have only one- ourth o the electoral power, while there would be in England and Wales four millions of men still excluded. In fhe course of his speech he said I shall say no more about these statistics. Having made my calculations, they are as proper to be placed before the House as those of the Chancellor of the Exchequer or any hon. gentleman opposite. But, after all, there will be in England and Wales more than 4,000,000 of men left out. I think so much political trepidation will say so much political cowardice, if I may be alloyed the use of that word—never was exhibited before in the terror shown by the mover and seconder of this amendment new voters amongst working men will be ad- r 1? Tb?e more than 4,000,000 wiU be left out. I am as- tomsnea at these alarmist speeches. The right hon. baronet the member for Hertfordshire /Sir E. B. Xytton; deals 'n speeches. He comes down once or twice o session, and makes a speech, which gives great satisfaction t0 the House, provided you do not pay the least attention to what there is in it. I mean that in tone, manner- and imagery we are pleased, but I am grieved when I find the side to which the right hon baronet give3 his great influence. Now, in i860, the right hon. gentleman maf.e a speech of a much more alarmist character than the one which he made last week, and there- fore we mav calculate there islittle amendment in his con- dition. In I860 he said the bill that was introduced by Lord J. Russell, as a member of Lord Palmerston s Government, was a bill to admit 'poverty and passion to the franchise. This is one of his passages:- Though we are willing t,) ad- mit poverty and passion into the franr-oise, we are not willing to give poverty and passion the lii>ns snare of political power over capital and knowledge.' Well, that is very much like what the right hon. gentleman the member for Cambridge University said of the bill of the right hon. gentleman the member tor Buckinghamshire. He did not use the words 'poverty and passion,' but he spoke of things that were fatal to the constitution as being likely to be introduced into the hill. The right hon. baronet once held very different opinions to these. Many years ago he published a book called 'England and the English.' This u a book not very profound, but very amusing and I should like to reat1 to the House a sentence which the right hon. gentleman put as a motto *0 the book, which motto, I think he took from Ben Jonsou. The words were— '[am he Have measured all thej shires of England over, I For to these savages I was addicted To search their nature and make odd discoveries. -The discovery which he had made up to 1860 was this: if you introduce artisans and working men between a lot. and 71 rental, you would give the lion's share of the power of representation to the poverty and passion of the country. In his speech lSst week he did not treat the working men as if they were made up of poverty and passion, but he used generous words of them, and he told ushow there was a tie not only of interest, but of respect and affection between the rich andthelabonringpoor, and doubtless this language far more accurately stated his real opinion than when he said that between til. and lOl. the working men were represented by poverty and passion.' But to give them compliments of this kind, and flattery of this nature, and not votes, seems to me to be a thing which will go down very ill with the great body of the people, who are asking that at least some of them may be admitted to a representation in this House. It re- minds me very much of the couplet which I am sure the right hon. gentleman wi 1 remember from Shenstone— He kick'd them down stairs with such a sweet grace, They may think he was handing them up. Having shawn illustratively,, by means of the working men of Rochdale, who were, he said, samples of the rest, how worthy in character and conduct they were, he urged their right to the franchise, and said that if they did not pass the present Bill they would yet have one very like it. He con- cluded with the following:—" You may defeat this bill. I am not at all learned in parliamentary computations, but there are hon. gentlemen 011 both sides who can tell exactly what the majority for or against this bill will be. I will ad- mit fully that you can reject this hill, defeat the Govern- ment and drive Lord Russell from office. Tne right hon. gentleman has no doubt somewhere a Parliamentary Brad- shaw-all his lines converge to Downing-street. We have let him in once or twice, indeed, but had very soon afterwards to expel him from that paradise of official men. If the right hon. gentleman goes to Downing-street, are you pre- pared to say that there shall be no Reform, or that the right hon. gentleman and his friends, who in ld59 proposed mea- sures which their most experienced colleagues declared to be fatal to the coua itution, shall again deal with this question ? Does not conduct like this always break up a party ? When you come to deal with the question of Reform you will find difficulties if you resolve not to deal with it your difficulties will not be less. Whatever is said in this House, whether the right hon. gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer carries this bill or not, there still remains the nation outside this House—and there still remains the great question of Parliamentary Reform. I believe there never was a bill submitted to this House by a Government connected with the Liberal party which it was more clearly the duty and the interest of what is called the Conservative party to support. In 1832 the then Tory party opposed the bill; they went to their constituencies and were mostly destroyed for a time. If this bill passes, the enlarged constituencies will not probably look very favourably upon gentlemen who tried to prevent the bit! from passing. When you see a man like Lord Russell, who was the chief supporter of the bill of '32-who promoted it years before it made its appear- ance, and who proposed it on behalf of the Government- when you see him convinced of the necessity of doing some- thing on this question, and offering a bill so reasonable as this, I cannot help saying, either that hon. gentlemen opposite are misled by their leaders, or that they have driven their leaders into a course which I think is pernicious to the true interests of their party. Perhaps there never was a bill which more fairly accommodated itself to the ad- vancing intelligence of the people. There is not a whisper of dissatisfaction with it. I speak of those persons who are in favour of any improvement of the representation—and so far as I have been able to learn -»r gather, even those who are called Conservatives throughout the country, are weary of the perpetual discussion^of this question—and would be glad that it could be settled on the terms which the Govern- ment has proposed. I did not rise with the expectation that I should convince hon. gentlemen that they were wrong and I was right; the most that I can hope for is that some fact or some argume t may find a lodgment in some mind, and may moderate hostility to a proposal which I think the country requires, and the country is anxious to receive. I have not spoken in favour of the Government. I have said that I think their figures are wrong and untrue—injurious to their own bill, and-their own case. Now, will the House believe for once that I am speaking to them from no party spirit, from no wish to do anything in the cauntry or to the country more than they would wish ? My view ot the public interest is at least as conscientious and as honest as theirs can be. I have been misrepresented, and condemned, and denounced by hon. gentlemen opposite, and by not a few J writers in their press. My conscience tells me that 1 have laboured honestly only to destroy that which is evil, and to build up that which is good The political aims of the last twenty-five years, as they were summed up the other night by the hon. member for Wick, (Mr. Laing), are my political aims, if they can be called the aims in any degree of any living Englishman. And if now, in all the great centres of our population—in Birmingham, with its business districts—in Manchester with its encircling towns—in the population of the West Riding of Yorkshire-in Glasgow and amidst the vast industries of the West of Scotland—and in this great Babylon in which we are assembled—if we do not find ourselves surrounded by hungry and exasperated multitudes—if now, more than at any time during the last hundred years, it may be said, quoting the beautiful words of Mr. Sheridan, that— Content sits basking on the cheek of toil,— if this House, and if its statesmen glpry in the change, hive I not as much as any living man some claim to par- take of that glory ? I know, and every thoughtful man > among you knuws, and those gentlemen who sit on that bench and who are leading you to this enterprize they know that the policy I have urged upon the House and upon the country, so far as it has hitherto been accepted by Parliament, is a policy conservative of the public welfare, strengthening the just authority of Parliament, and adding from day today fresh lustre to the Crown. And now, when I speak to you and ask you to pass this bill—when I plead on behalf of those who are not allowed to jspeak themselves in this House—if you could raise yourselves for this night, for this hour, above the region of party strife—if you could free yourselves from the pestilent atmosphere of passion and pre- judice which so often surrounds us here, I feel confident that at this moment I should not plead in vain before this Im- perial Parliament on behalf of the English constitution and the English people." Mr. Whiteside, having commented for awhile on some of the topics of Mr. Bright's address, proceeded to criticise the Bill, which he declared to be that of the member for Birmingham rather than of the government, its object being to bring about a redistribution of political power-a.n in- tention which he and his friends would llo all in their power to resist. Mr. M'CuUagli Torrens protested aga.mst an IUIsertion which had been made that the middle classes were opposed to the extension of the franchise, and proceeded to point, out that Lord Stanley and Mr. Disraclihad voted again and again for the alteration or the franchise in Ireland in lSfiO, without saying a word about the redistribution of seats being included in that bill. j Mr. Walpole said that the issue raised was whether, ad- mitting the necessity of reform, the question was to be settled as a whole, or be dealt with by a measure which com- prehended only one part of that question and he pronounced against the latter proposition, and in favour of the amend- ment, the expediency of which he laid down had been so conclusively established by the speech of Lord Stanley, that for all practical purposes the debate might well have ended with that address. Mr Goschen observed that the governmentt had to defend their measure from opponents in their front and their rear, most of whom attacked it upon different and varied grounds, and he proceeded to analyse and reply to several speeches of honourable gentlemen, which, he argued, were inconsis- tent with each other and only consistent in their object, that of defeating the bill. Mr. Lowe moved the adjournment of the debate. After some discussion, in which several members claime to have an opportunity of speaking, The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that as one member who had a motion ior this day declined to give way, the debate must be adjourned to Thursday, and would probably be continued beyond that day. Mr. B. Disraeli said that he saw then a fair chance of the debate concluding this week; and he hoped that it might be so arranged as to be brought to a close on Friday at least. The other business was disposed of, and the house ad- journed. In the House of Lords, on April 24 the Earl of Ellen- borough said that he had just learnt that the ship Octama had arrived from Bombay, and that there had been on board of her upwards of loo cases of smallpox. He wished to ask the noble duke at the head of the Admiralty what steps were taken to prevent the spread of the disease. The Duke of Somerset said that he considered the orders of the medical men on board ship were sufficiently explicit on the matter, and directed that every sailor should be ex- amined as to whether he had had smallpox or no, and directions were also given to prevent its outbreak, if possible. In the House of Commons the Sheriffs of the City of London, in their official robes, presented petitions from tne Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London in Common Council assembled in favour of the Representation of the People bill, and the bill legalising marriage with a de- ceased wife's sister. In reply to Lord Dunkellin, Mr. Cardwell said the Govern- ment had received no account relating to any attack having been made by the Fenians in the North American provinces. With regard to the attacks threatened on. these colonies it was in the knowledge of the House that they had given rise to preparations for the prevention of any occurrence of the kind by the Imperial and Colonial Governments both by sea and land. At the departure of the last mail great anxiety was felt as to the reported presence of Fenians on the borders of the colonies. Mr. Knight moved that it is expedient that all itemsof Poor- law expenditure throughout the United Kingdom not being m-maintenaneeorout-door relief, or otherwise under the immediate control or direction of boards of guardians or parish officers, should become a national charge. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said that the motion em- braced a very large and sweeping question, namely, i9. what mode local charges should be provided. He was averse to the transfer of local charges to the Consolidated Fund, except in cases in which public policy justified it. The motion was negatived. Mr. Sheridan withdrew his motion on the subject of the Fire Insurance, professing to leave the matter in the hands ot the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. Ferrand moved for a select committee to inquire whether the signatures to petitions in favour of the Reform Bill coming from Harden in Yorkshire and Manchester and Salford were genuine, and the circumstances under which they were annexed. Mr. W. E. Forster in reference to a statement of 1\Ir. Fer- rand, protested against the owner of a particular mill in Harden being charged with influencing, if not intimidating his workmen to sign the petition, and he read a letter from the gentleman in question, distinctly denying the charge, and asserting that the signatures were genuine. He should be glad of an inquiry by a committee, which he was sure would result in proving the genuineness of the petition. Sir F. Crossley, who had presented the petition, bore testi- mony to the respectability of the mill-owner in question. Mr. Bazley, in reference to the petition from Manchester, expressed his belief in its genuiaeness, especially as it came from a population notoriously in favour of reform. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, referring to a charge of discourtesy made against him by Mr. Ferrand, stated that he had not expressed any objection to the inquiry which had been sought, always supposing that a breach of the privi- leges was sufficiently established to justify it. -As to the petitions from Manchester, he thought some further authen- tication was required before they were referred to a com- mittee. After further discussion, The motion, altered by the excision of the Manchester pe- tition, was agreed to. The Prosecutions Expenses Bill was read a third time and passed. The Exchequer and Audit Departments Bill passed through committee. The other business was disposed of, and the House ad- journed.

THE tMYSTERIOUS MURDER IN LONDON. LONDON, Monday. It has transpired that Messrs. Bevington and Sons, where the deceased Mrs. Millsom was employed, for a long period past, have been subject to a series of petty robberies, and al- though every inquiry was instituted at the time by the firm they failed to discover the delinquents. Yet there appears to he now no doubt but that they were committed by some of the mysterious visitors whom Mrs. Millsom was in the habit of seeing at night after the warehouse was closed. Soon after the deceased borrowed 301, from Mrs. Webber, and when the culls were made at the warehouse frfr the monthly instalments, the firm had a cash-box containing GOl. or 701. in gold and notes stolen from the warehouse. It had been left out in the counting-house, of which Mrs. Millsom had the key, but she could give no explanation of itsdisaprearauce. A clerk who had been irregubr in his habits was suspected of being implicated intheabstraction of the cash-box, and was discharged from Messrs. Bevington's service, but the firm have since reasons to alter their opinion, and that the person so suspected was perfectly innocent. The police were called in at the time, but. failed in the detection ot the thief. Since that period a variety of goods, such as valuable skins, leather, and other property, have mysteriously disappeared from the warehouse. The robberies were only discovered when the firm took stock, and it b said that on aCG>Jllnt of the cou- tinual depredations the stock-taking became necessary weekly, in order if possible to detect the thief or thieves, but articles continued to be missed almost up to the day of the murder. In the cook's evidence before the coroner at the inquest she stated that only on one occasion did she see a male person come to see the housekeeper, who was out Wilen she opened the door to him. He was a short, thick-set, dark man. This answers the description of the man Terry, who got the loan for Mrs. Millsom. There were other persons came to see her after the warehouse was closed. The housekeeper- had borrowed money of them. They were poor people, and she would give them the broken victuals ar.d some stale'meat from her master's table, as also a little tea at times. She took down with her on the night she was murdered a bundle of cold victuals, but this was found afterwards in a corner in the same state unopened. The police are said to have come into possession within the last few days of a very material piece of evidence, but as any reference to it might possibly tend to defeat the object of inquiries now being made in connection with it, a general allusion only can be made to the subject for the present. It sets at rest a point connected with the crime which has occa- sioned much speculation, but the discovery, so far is said not necessarily to affect the man now iu. custody. A 'great deal of the interest of the pending inquiry will turn upon the evidence which is yet to be given by the young woman living in a house immediately adjoining that of Messrs. Bevington, and who saw a man leave their premises about ten or twelve minutes past ten on the night of the murder, slamming the door violently behind him. She had then rung the bell of her own door, and was waiting to be admitted The two doors being only a few feet apart, that fact will bean element in the consideration as to her opportunity of recognition on the occasion, as will also the extent tQ which tte street is lighted at night in that particular part From inquiries which have been made in Eton, it would appear that Wilnam Smith, the man charged with being cpn- ce/ned inthemi rder, was seen to return to his house between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock on the night that the dreadful crime was perpetrated. This fact alone would certainly not be conclusive of the man having been out of Eton on the night in question. Serrjeant Moss, of the City of London police, however, states that in the course of the conversation which ensued upon the arrest of the accused at his mother's house, No. 0, Eton-square, Eton, the prisoner remarked that he had been with a Mr. Harris a hatter at Eton, till half-past seven o'clock. The ,iistance fr0m the house in Eton-square to the Windsor Station of the Great Western Railway is but trifling, and a person of active habits could easily passover Wintisor Bridge and thence up Thames street-hill to the terminus and take his ticket for London within five minutes. Without wishing to infer for a single moment that such was the course pur- sued by the prisoner, it is as well to state that making an allowance in the difference of time sometimes shown by clocks, it would have been possible for a person to' have left the part of Eton referred to at 25 minutes past seven o'clock, and to have quitted Windsor by .the 7.30 p.m. train on the Great Western Railway for the metropolis. Upon this hypo- thesis Paddington would be reached at 8.40p.m and allow- ing half an hour for the transit by the Metropolitan Railway and the walk to the City, Cannon-street could thus be reached by five minutes past nine o'clock. Now, a train leaves the Waterloo Station of the South Western Railway at ten o'clock for Windsor, and as the distance between the City and the railway can be accomplished by a cab in about ten minutes, that would leave exactly three-quarters of an hour for such an interview as that described to have taken place, while the person making the trip would arrive at Eton about twenty-five minutes past eleven. If, however, the return to Windsor was made by the Great Western line, there would be more time left for the work in the City, because the Great Western railway does not leave Paddingtonfor Windsor till 10.45 p.m., and as It arrives at the latter place at 11.43, Eton would be reached about 11.48 P m■ I hus, then, the journey to and from the City, partly by the South Western line, with ample time to spare in London, would take exactly three hours and fifty-five minutes, while if performed by means of the Great Western alone, it would require precisely four hours eighteen minutes, supposing that, in eachinstance, the person quitted Windsor by the half-past seven o'clock train on the Great Western Railway. The prisoner Smith is well known in Windsor and Eton, and is readily identified by his weak and inflamed eyes. On leaving school he from time to time obtained a variety of employments, but never learnt a trade, nor did he retain a situation long on account of his insobriety and acts of dis- honesty. In 1859 he was waterman at the Windsor Swim- ming Baths, and was discharged for abuse. So he lived on till August last year, when he was sunmioned to the Slough Petty Sessions for drunkenness and disorderly conduct at Eton. He did not appear, and as several previous cases were recorded against him he was fined ll. and 16s, costs, or one month's imprisonment with hard labour. In consequence of this penalty he absconded: and then it was in London that he met with Terry and came to be acquainted with the murdered woman. Last January the two sisters of Smith paid the 36s., and then he returned to Eton, where, as his mother describes, he would not work for a second shirt to his back. Tuesday. The inquiries made at Eton by the detective officers of the City of London and the Eton College police have elicited some information with reference to the whereabouts of the prisoner William Smith on the night that Mrs. Millson was murdered. It is understood that a young man saw Smith one night during the week in which tne murder occurred at Eton. The accused, it is said, jokingly remarked, "I've got to do 40 miles to-night," which the other refused to believe, and the prisoner soon after left hun. Mr. Harris, the hatter, at Eton, in whose company, it remembered, Smith said he had been till half-past seven 0 clock on the night of the murder, is reported to have stated that the accused was with him till a quarter-past seven 0 clock, a man named Blackman, a relation of the accused, met Smith on that night, as if on his way to Slough, whence he is supposed to have gone to London. The prisoner, who when arrested stated that he had been with Mr. Harris, did not volunteer any statement of how he passed the intervening hours, but if he was in Eton during the fatal four hours it will be easy to show at the re-examinatiou. Wednesday. Within the last few days a number of little circumstances have transpired showing that, after an interval of nearly a fortnight, we are still imperfectly; acquainted with all the facts and incidents connected with this atrocious crime. Those circumstances have no apparent connexion and while some of them serve to throw tight upon the matter others tend still more to mystify it. For example, there is some reason to believe that a letter addressed to Messrs. Bevington, and containing a banker's check, was stolen from their premises on the mght of the murder. The circumstances are curious of themselves, though far from conclusive as evidence of a robbery. A letter, containing the check in question, is said to have been forwarded to them by post by a correspondent in Dublin, and in ordinary course of post it ought to have been delivered in Cannon-street on the evening of the murder. After business hours letters addressed to the firm are put through a letter-slip in the door in the ordi- nary way, but are not caught in a b. ix'inside the d jor. They fall on the door of the lobby, and it was the duty of either of the two women servants in the house who had occasion to anSW6r the bell after the premises harl been closed for the evening to take np the letters she might find there and put them into a locked box through a hole in the lid. It is not the custom of the postman, who is Rwareof the arrangement, either to knock or ring when he puts a letter through the door at night. On the night of the murder, he delivered in that part of the city letters both by the Dublin and Austra- lian mails at the same time, and he recollects putting some through the slips in Messrs. B«vington's door. That would be about half-past 9 o olock, and probably about the time the murder was committed, or,, at all events, while the murderer was still III the house, At half-past 2 o'clock next morning, when the locked letter-box was opened by Mr. Smith, headclerkfthe firm, who had been brought to the premises in consequence of the murder> four letteK were J011" Dublin Subspmi ? weie Australian, but not one T^nW-oiSTS' inquiry proved tjiat the c!i»k bad put two letters wi k'h /llsc°ra'inS the murder the lobby into the box and the !r?f n .onfl ,flrulr,.1of son (the deceased) had comebyan earlier'post, and T llCh had she answered tbering at the fr li tlle n lllto the bu.v wae 11 nVi.ick It is nossihle tiJ ?.flon'-door bell shortly after 9 not reach its destination the checlVUd seen by any one connected with th D?vern b'f;el1 other hand, supposing it had h establishtment. On tne two found in the lobby bv t l f •Vere<! «fB' nr' derer in passing 0n/tne cook, it is not likely the mur- in the lame wav 1, „ ck- and could not be made available carrier X thaTevp^ vPayable t0 bearer' Had the letter- Messrs a registered letter to deliver at o'clock he won it? J1"1*'11 those he left there at half-past 9 murderer, oT ™}Jht haveUhy haW ,been, confr0^CtdJ'c'rime6 for he would h»M >, J ? been m tune to Prevent the crime, ceiotf or the to ri"g the bell in order to get a re- have broueht th ,m one °* tlle inmates, and that would ven^ffrom openinCg00tkh^7nstaira' MUl80n fron^d^or'w! that n°toniy had the gaslight over the trarv to alfZt ,d off 011 the night of the murder, con- BMsaee 1 eadim> f but ^ree other gaslights-two in the and one on th«fl mthefoot of the stairs to tho front door, oniv ii<rht wl?00r ahove, equally contrary to custom. The near the nKe?a^v.0n the ground floor, therefore, was one dWnverpri f ? the foot of the stairs where the body was ceased was .lar8? bnnch of keys, too, with which the de- the nremiKM 3hys trusted at night, was found in a part of chcumstance^ r6 tt Was never expected to be, and the of some hrnt^ ^P1'cable to the partners, as is also that close to twu equals having been found on a counter close t0 the place where the keys were discovered.

THE FENIANS IN AMERICA. The following is from the New York correspoadent of the London standard: The "Senate" of the Fenian Brotherhood is in session at 734, Broadway. "President" Roberts has rvAT a mes8a"e mainly devoted to denunciation of U'Mahoney and his crew of cutpurses, whom he describes as "knave?," "traitors," "godless wretches," ^assassins," "lunatics," "spiritualists," "tricksters," the patent-leathered gentry of Union-square," &c. He says that O'Mahoney's next friend, is a paid agent of the English officials, in constant communica- tion with the British agents here and the provincial authorities in Canada. Of the Canadian movement Roberts has nothing decisive to say. He declares that there has never been any dispute or variance in relation to the supposed plan of making Canada a base of operations against England." He further in- timates that "General Sweeney must now give up the rostrum for the field." He announces that the Irish National Bonds, ordered by Congress, will be ready next week the contract was given to the Con* tinental Bank-note Company. He addt, 'J hav< given my personal security for the payment of their contract when complete." Roberts says also that he has paid the rent of the Senate" head-quarters for one year. Of the purposes of his party he says We are using every effort to take the field rapidly, and we must be supplied with the means to enable us to make good our promises, and with a renewed effort on the part of the Brotherhood all will be well. Since the Pittsburg Congress we have done wonders, everything considered. More has been done by us in the way of accumulation of war materials and organising an army in six weeks than was accomplished by the Fenian Brotherhood in six years previously. And yet it is nothing to what we could have done if we had a tenth part of the means which were lavished in previous years. Let the Brotherhood have patienceand confidence in us, and send us in the supplies as rapidly as possible, and we will convert them to good account. Let them remember that they cannot be any more anxious than we are to see our flag floating in triumph on the captured territory of our common foe. 1 am pledged to aetion before a certain time, or to surrender my office, and I appeal to your honourable body to enable me to keep my pledge and save our honour. Some of you also are deeply compromised for action Vou have devoted years, aye, and fortune to this cause and now as the time approaches for action your anxiety to see the straggle commence must be equal to my own. We have telegrams from Portland, purporting to chronicle the movements of an invading" force of Fenians, bound for the New Brunswick border. The latest of these telegrams may be taken as a specimen of all Portland, Me., April 9 —About 200 Fenians sailed for Eastport, Me. (on the British frontier), in the steamer New hrumwiclc, this afternoon. The boat was unable to take the arms this trip, and a schooner was chartered for the purpose. The intimation that "the boat was unable to take the arms of two hundred men while carrying the men themselves, may be taken as proof that the whole telegram IS a part of a practical joke perpetrated either by O'Mahoney or by some telegraphic operator. Wild stories are afloat, of course; and some of the Canadian journals apparently credit the report that Killian means to make a descent on the island of Cam po I :e11o. ButJ^Ull adhere to the opinion that if any hostile movement directed by O'Mahoney is on foot., we shall first hear of its results from the neighbourhood of the fishing-grounds. The fisheries constitute O'Mahoney's objective point," if he have any objective point" at all. One thing is certain. Last week O'Mahoney called for and received a contribution of eight picked men from each of the 50 or more "circlts" of this city, which have pronounced for the Union- square marauders. As to the disposition of these men, nothing positive is known. Some, if not all of them, have left this city; but whether they have gone to Maine, or whether they have proceeded in another direction, no person outside of the Union-square head. quarters can certainly say. Stephens, it is announced by O'Mahoney's agents, will arrive in this city to-morrow, or, at least, by the next French steamer from Havre. One of Stephen's agents has already made his appearance here. This avant courier makes the following statement:— Steamship Atlantic, at Sea, April 1. Stephens all right; landed safe in Paris. But at the time of his departure from Ireland, Mrs. Stephens arrived at Cork, en route from America; and all the steamers and vessels of all kinds in the port were then under close watch by the British authorities to prevent Mr. Stephens's escape, but he was then en route for Paris, and at that very time in the City of London. Mrs. Stephens then made a retrogade movement. Took the 10 p.m. express train for Dublin en route to Paris, with her sister, Miss Hopper There are in Ireland 250,000 disciplined men, all ready and waiting for the order to strike the blow for freedom The taSMrtot hBW'#00^#nd is commanded by Sir Hugh Rose, but they are about one-half Fenians and there is not a single regiment in which there have not been and the IrUhltepublfc"1"1113"1 and CryinS out for Stephens and the Irish Republic.

A LAST CHANCE. rea^rsmW Pfhaps. remember that in Decern- ?'«' fhf pJahifch (°! unk at Malden, Massachusetts, r«nvpr« a 0rt time iu charge of his son, *?an of 17' 411(1 011 returning found £ Aftpr an(i the bank r°bbed of above 6,000 dols. After some time suspicion fell upon Green, the postmaster of the town, and on being arrested he atonce con- fessed his guilt. He was arraigned before the Supreme Judi- 'cial Court at Lowell, charged with murder, on an indictment, in common form which implies murder in the fi-st degree, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to death. He was to have been hanged in January 1865. But a novel difficulty arose. Governor Andrew refused to sign the death warrant for the execution on the ground that by the law of Massachusetts murder in the second degree is not punishable with death, and the statute enacts that "the degree of murder' shall be found by the jury." True, the prisoner had pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in the first degree, but the Governor declined to execute a man upon his own opinion of the crime which he had committed. Under a clause in the Constitution the Governor and council demanded the opinion of the full Court; their opinion was that the sentence was regular. But Governor Andrew stood stoutly by his own opinion, and the result was that the convict lay in gaol waiting for execution. His time has at length come. Governor Andrew's term of office having expired, Governor Bullock has been elected his success or, and one of his first acts was to fix the 13th of this monthforthe execution. The ex-Governor however still holding to his opinion, assisted the prisoner to obtain a writ of error, which was argued before the full bench of the Supreme Court in Boston, on the 27th of March. The judgment of the court, delivered by Chief Justice Bige- low ou the 2nd inst., was that the statute did not intend that the decree of murder should be found by a jury, where the prisoner pleads guilty, and that this prisoner was well convicted on his own plea and confession. So thia singular last chance failed.

MARQUIS DE BOISSY AND FENIAN STEPHENS! A clever Paris paper (the Evenement) has been enter- taining its readers with a long acc!lunt of & dinner which the Marquis de Boissy is reported to have given Stephens. The editor compares the Head Centre to the late Duke de Morny n his personal appearance. The hero of the day is said to have had a long conversation with Viscount de la Gueronniere. MM. Emile Ollivier, de Mortemart Baron de Slaney, and the Marquis de Gricourt are mentioned as having been among the guests. The following good story is related of the noble marquis, who complained to his guests that the jury of the Exhibition had refused to receive his portrait, which he really could not comprehend, considering that the picture was an admirable one, and moreover a speaking Jikeness. "Ah," said one of his guests "that's the very reason the jury refused it." There is something so irresistibly comic in the Marquis de Boissy capturing the Head Centre, and giving him an entertainment, that one asks Is it true ? The noble marquis must indeed have felt that at last he had perfiae Albion "by the herns, and while hob- nobbing with a rebel taken in open arms against her Sovereign, he must have luxuriated in the sweets of vengeance.

PRINCE TECK. A gentleman signing himself A Hungarian has sent the following for publication :— A fortnight ago an article was inserted from the Pall Mall Gazette into the Times relating to the marriage of the Prin- cess Mary of Cambridge, in which the mother of her Royal Highness's fiance was stated to have been a German lady and her name Countess Hohenstein. As this statement has been allowed hitherto to pass without correction, I, from a feeling of justice towards the family of the deceased high lady, beg to assert that the mother of Prince Teck was not a German lady, but the daughter of the Hungarian Protestant Count Rheday, whose family takes one of the foremost plaoes among the great nobte housBi ot Hungary and Transylvania. On her marriage she wall made a Countess of Hohenstein in her own right, according to the custom prevailing at the German Courts, in the same manner as upon the daughter of the Duke of Richmond the title of Countess Dornburg has been bestowed on her marrying the Prince of Saxe Weimar. I remember well the time when the marriage of the late Countess was hailed in Hungary with ardent wishes for her happiness, as also the general sorrow at her lamentable fieath. The father of Prince Teck, the Duke Alexander of Wurtemburg, is also well known in Hungary, being brother to the late Archduchess Palatine, whose generous patronage of the Protestant institutions of Hungary, and among others the Scotch Missionary Settlement that up to 1849 existed at Pesth, has secured to her memory a lasting vene- ration. —»—n—■

HARITMEASURE. At the bench of magistrates at Bingham <>n Thursday last. Mr. Thomas Staiford, of Marnham was convicted in the penalty of 9 >1. for the mfringement of cat le plague regulations in removing IS beasts into the Btagham petty sessional division without having previously obtained a lfcence from the justices. The penalty was the highest thijt could be inflicted, and the following were the circumstances of the case ;— Mr. Stafford had some beasts at Ordsall, in the Retford petty sessional division, and he was desirous of removing them from that place to Tollerton, in the Bingham division. For this purpose he applied on Saturday to the Retford bench and obtained an order to remove the cattle between that day and the following Tuesday. He also obtained a further licence to remove them through the Newark petty sessional division and as the Bingham bench only met on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he applied on the Tuesday for their licence, believing that, as he had obtained two others there could be no question as to its being granted In order to comply with the former orders, he directed the beasts to be removed from Ordsall on Tuesday morn- ing, and preceded them to Bingham to obtain the order there. In consequence of the large amount of business, he was unable to get his application heard until late in the day, and then, to his astonishment he was refused permission whereupon he stated that the animals were on the way, and he feared were as far as Fiintham. The magistrate then directed a police- officer to go and turn them back. Mr. Stafford offered to give his word that they should be prevented from preceding as quickly ^possible as he had no wish to infringe the law, havingR^ ™ ^en a great sufferer by the cattle plague. He instantly left the court to meet his man and to ^turn^ the beasts back, but, un- fortunately, the man had P^aed the boundary into the Bingham division a short time before he met him. The animals were immediately taken back, and remained for several days at Stoke, in the Newark division. It was for this offence that the extraordinary penalty of 90 £ was inflicted, and we understand Mr. Stafford has determined to appeal against the decision.

A STRANGE CHARACTER. A curious case of eccentricity (says the Scotsman) is rWribed in the following facts which have lately fallen under our notice. A good many years ago, a wntleman who filled a prominent situation in one of n«r hanks at a good old age married his servant. The Wr lived happily together for several years, when the paIr ve a died leaving by his will 1,000*. to bis • addition to an annuity of 3001. per annum L,«p which he had built and furnished in first- and house whicn n of the South Tb! is a fine mansion, containing 10 or 11 The houses j once elegantly furnished; and rooms, all elegancyof a garden> snrrounded by a high stonl wall. Shortly after her husband's death, nign stone notorious for two peculiarities. The the rigid exclusion of all. TOito,, 0( kind from h« to all entreaties to see her being that she was not at home or could not be seen the second was her SSurt attendance at all. which took place in Edinburgh, where during the season she mLht daily be seen carrying a large blue ba*, iA which" she deposited and earned home her purchases. These, we may mention, were generally of the most miscellaneous description, and apparently made without any taste or dis „ Matters went on thus for nearly 20 years. On Sun- day, the old lady, in her usual health, went out to her garden to take the air, and as she did not return so speedilv as was her wont her servant looked put at the main-door, when she found her mistress sitting on the stone steps, dead. This unexpected event speedily cleared up the mystery which had enveloped her domestic relations. On the house being entered by a warrant from the sheriff, it was found that she had converted the whole house into a vast magazine for the conservation of the purchases pf the last Jwen y years; and such a scene presented itself as we be seldom before met mortal eyes. The lobby, a hand one, had been decorated with statuary figures stand- ing, with the pedestals, some eight feet high but these were totally hidden by piles of books, intermixed with rubbish of every description, heaped up on either side of the lobby-a narrow track alone being left in the centre, through which, with great difficulty, a passage could be made. Every room m the house was in a similar state. Immense piles of books, rotten mattresses, stuffed dogs, female dresses made and unmade, cheap jewellery, old bonnets, pictures and prints, with a great variety of other articles, inter mixed with straw, hair, shavings &c., covered all the floors to the depth of several feet; and Similar filled the beds, and lay heaped on every articll ,?f furniture in the house. 3 of The smell from the mass of festerin- ruhhiab may be conceived, was intolerable anV-i. • as ™Je of the men who first entered the hoi the height to which the books had been ,,?! ?' ?rom found impossible to enter some of M P up lt: was oTbcXTaYr^ tons weight -WA N„d^&>^Sdahe of the state of the house; but some approximation to i f Inade if our readers will suppose the contents or Z0 pawnbrokers' shops cast indiscriminately into a neap and after being thoroughly mixed by means of a mi c i0 tossed in heaps into a circumscribed space. J-ne deceased seems to have made purchases merely for art,V?iraSUrer°f Purchasing, as most of the smaller in tVia „.wfre found tied up in bags or parcels precisely deceaHPd > m W they had been brought home. The scooued Aiif see.™8> burrowed in a hole which she had of the rooma^ j^L vast Quantity of rubbish in one mattress Wn t ere on the floor, with only a hair away on one the tick °.f whieh had rotted daily wore with. fvf t,ook her rest in the dress she It may^ be'mentfm? j a,?kets or covering of any kind, a purchaser of books to s!? the deceased' though any of them, nor knew J^F an nfver read when asked by individuals r Y was, what she did with so man^ vf' ?S °fcasio y 8. variably was that she bought tW°+° her ??8We? m" ters or the children of her frL^L to, min.^ which she preserved the secrets' of n,„y also b, judged, of b, thTf^ servant, a young Highland girl, has never (though she has been six months in her service) been i^,7 j walls of the garden; and When her brother S f the country to see her, the police had to be callpi^f1 before that could be accomplished. The girl WaB ca™ fully locked up every time the deceased left the house until her return and she was never allowed to go out of her mistress's sight.

EPISODES IN BUSHRANGING/" Bushranging is not yet" stamped out" of New South Wales, as the following, copied from the Western. Examiner, will show a,?°ut uoon, as four quartz miners were leaving X J in "1? at the little to'vli of Ironbarks, with a i W,° h about VX)l- which they had just had th £ mru and hors>eir,en, disguised, rode up to They refuse" when'l t0 S™up the gold at once, rvine the srah] unnli v robbers fired at the man car- SK!I A ""V"6 the cold and "springing from hia horse, seized butcher, who had seen the whole of t^3 A rafri^ingbaVheXhorb°dyI"'0 thehors^^ dead and the horse galloped'alay. comrade"^ the dead man immediately secured the gold and rejoined two others of his party who had been on the look out on the ridge, when the behln^them °Unon^h^^ir leaving the dead comrade behmd them. Upon the dead man's features being seen they were found tone those of a well-known innkeeper, formerly carrying on business in Bathurst. y

Another Australian paper narrates the following :— Our little town of Tronbarks was thrown into a state of great excitement on Tuesday afternoon about five o'clock, by a report of firearms; and, on hastening to the scene, we found that a party of miners had been stuck up, and had all their gold, which amounted to about 120 ounces, taken from them. It appears that Mr. James Osborne and his four mates, with another friend, were making towards Isaacs' store, with the intention of selling the gold, when two men, disguised, came in a hand-gallop down the hill, and, pre- senting pistols at the head of the man that was carrying the gold, sang out, "Drop that," and "Stand back." The man hesitated, when the bushranger again sang out, "If you don t drop that and stand back, I will blow your b-y" brains out! The gold was then put on the ground, and the party retreated about twelve yards and commenced picking up stones and throwing them at the bushrangers, for the purpose of keeping them away, calling out aloud at the same time, thinking that assistance would arrive. One of the bushrangers then fired at the nearest man. but fortu- nately did not hit him. A German (one of the party) then made a rush for the gold, when one of the ruffians fired at him, and wounded him in the thigh. The German then, being exasperated at his wound, picked up a large stone, and told the scoundrel to stand back. One of the bushrangers then got off his horse to pick up the gold, and the German made a rush at him. The bushranger then levelled a rifle, and fired at him, wounding him dangerously in the breast. The party then retreated further away, and the bushranger got on his horse with the gold, and when in the act of galloping up the hill, a butcher, named William Bragg, attracted by the cries for help, came out with a rifle, and fired at the bushranger that had the gold. The bushranger's horse was seen to give a leap, and was thought to be wounded, but still galloped on. Shortly after this the police arrived on the late scene of action, and, following up the tracks of the bushrangers, started at a ¡1:allop after them, followed by a number of miners, when cries were heard of Here he is and, on running up, we found the person that had shot the German lying dead on his back, and, on examining the ground, we found a number of firearms, but no gold, which must have been removed by the other villain when he found that his mate had been shot The dead bushranger has been recognized as a carpenter named John Garvey. lately in the employ of Mr. Bell, quartz- crusher. H

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. Mrs. Milner Gibson, who is at present in Paris, has been attacked, while attending her daughter, with the measles, but is now progressing favourably. A large number of German and English labourers, who had settled iu King George County, Virginia, all left in a single night, declaring that the country was too lonesome to live in! A youth of seventeen, named Thomas Lord Webster, residing with his sister at pudsey, had on Friday some domestic differences, and subsequently, after making an in- effectual attempt to cut his throat, drowned himself in a milldam. A fire of a most destructive character broke out oil Tuesday morning at Broadlands, near Romsey, the well- known seat of Lady Pahnerstcn. It appears that for the pur- pose of sawing the wood on the extensive estate of Broad- lands a steam saw-mill is kept constantly going at the farm In the Broadlands Park, and it was there the fire broke oat. Much damage was done. At a baby convention, in Massachusetts, fifteen mothers were presen_, and, on a vote for the prettiest, each bat>y got one vote. An American paper suggests as an improvement in Bibles, the preparation of a leaf or two in the "family record" for divorces.' The country around San Francisco is flooded for hundreds of miles by the overflowing of the Sacramento. It is stated that General Grant has been arrested at Washington by the police for fast driving. The officer had quite a chase after the general, who offered to pay the fine but refused to be arrested. The officer desired the general to report at the station-house. The Sandwich Islanders have commenced growing Sea Island cotton with complete success. Judge Hargreave, of the Irish Landed Estates Court died on Monday, at his residence at Bray, after a protracted illness. The Emperor Napoleon has announced his intention of giving a "work of art" to be shot for in Paris, during the season of 1867, by the International Pigeon-shooters of IMU ope. It will be a great gathering, and a great triumph for the man who pulls it off. An Americ3,n student, Francis A. Channing, of English essay the Arnold prize at 0xford lor an hornCat° Papers a Hungarian girl, born at Oedenbourgh without nands now 20 vears of acre Panitfr rePresentations iif the Prussfan a'1' ip 0rmH T\th her mouth the functions of hands. She sews, embroiders, executes the most delicate S' 6Ven threa^s her needles a"d make knots all with the tongue, apparently without difficulty. The steamer England from Liverpool, with 1 300 persons on board, has put into Halifax for medical assistance having 160 cases of cholera on board, and sixty deaths hav- ing occurred. The captain believes some German passengers brought the epidemic on board. Mr. George Peabody sailed in the Scotia on Satur- day from Liverpool for New York. A large crowd of gentle- men had assembled on the north landing stage about eleven o clock, when the passenger tender sailed, but Mr. Peabody left an hour later by the mail tender, and by that time the crowd had for the most part dispersed, and there was no demonstration. The steamer took out upwards of 400 pas- sengers. The advocates of the cure of cholera by preparations of copper still hold their own with considerable success. Amongst other facts maintained by them in proof of the correctness of their views is that the mining population in the copper producing portion of Dalecarlia, Sweden, has never been visited by this epidemic. The same is said to be the case with respect to the persoias employed about the copper mines in Andalusia, Spain. One remarkable and noteworthy fact in connection with this question is, that in the recent visitation of cholera at Marseilles Dr. Lisle cured i Pa^lell^s *ut of 26 by administering small doses of sulphate of copper, while 28 patients died out of 36 by the ordinary treatment. A generally well-informed French contemporary, a, ™oat ridiculous mistake respecting the late ex- ^^e manufacture of "real Leicestershire ketchup," waTnutridWr Pr" wmy u rv?C°i!vted'the chief ingredient wasputna liver. "Will it be believed arIts the editor tate ) ofere^t Tfirf17 estaX>\lahTT^Jet^sement alimen- taire) of great renown, produced daily enormous miantitieo of a soup which has become very popiar anTwhicrs m fv consists of cat's liver in a half putrifled at»ti » sinipjy chat a demi pourris ") The mistake has H U from ketchup having been written catsup from wWh f £ n transition to cat soup is easy. which the Chinese and Arabic scientific records mention the r star havln8 been seen in the heavens tot a £ time in the years A.D. 323, 827, 1?03, and 1639. M Golaschmidt, m a recent article in the Co.smos, endeavours to show that the stars so seen were really one star making the periodical returns, and he calculates that the next; Vl8V" ± this celestial wanderer will be in the year 2015— a statement which our great-great-grand-children must be Jeft to >rerify. In a report on the origin, propagation, nature and treatment of the cattle plague" just Issued by the Veterinary Department of the Privy Council, it is laid down that the decline of the disease is wholly attributable to the beneficial effect of the Order in Council permitting the inspectors to slaughter." The local effect of this order, it is said, will be seen on comparing the rate of increase in the disease in each county with the percentage of "killed. "Unless some dis- turbing cause be present, it will generally be found that, when the percentage of killed' is high, the ratio of increase of the disease is low, and vice versa." Dr. Farr, it may be remem- bered, says the disease is dying out because the virus u 1„~ feebled. 18 ea Jenny Lind, with a view to recruit her h<«uu which has been somewhat indifferent, hag been • t'i, the genial climate of Cannes, in the south of I? enJ°ying she has also sought additional pleasure bv aid;, »uCe> allft of charity. Jenny Lind has just given a the Ca«se aid of the Cannes Hospital. The local must^ ,at Nice hi "Her singing deeply moved the auditor^^ lcriticsays- tears, so enchanted were they with her ,f',who°ften shed not, however, contented with tears Tr/L les\ They were created at seeing one of the audience u0n,shment was brated cantatrice and beg the favour of v61-before the cele- It will be recollected that on ^lssin8 her hand." the recent volunteer review Sunday urecedine Captain Norton, late 7k!^ Lord fflagh^3 nf8^1.nSe !With one another in lf\?uards had kittle ^ttown, in prosecution of „ Publlc on the esplanade t £ ] 17 have been Private feud which those The following paragranh in on for some time past. in the Morni™^ d)nnecti°nwith that "difficulty" that battle, murder ann °' Saturday, and indicates Calais sands if thp sudden death will probably occur on obvious hint which h are 80 unfeeling as not to take the affair between T™ i o c°hveys :—In reference to the recent Guards) we nruior. ? and Captain Norton (2nd Life larit canf ain w > uP°n good authority, that the gal- awaitine tlm „ • en his departure for Calais, where he is Hi«hlatulPr0 '1Val of Alr- Stephen C. Price (late of the 72nd tleman Jn. consequence of remarks made by that gen- n Captain Norton's conduct at Brighton. Present moment authorship seems to"be the wpIi i. pastime at the courts of Europe. It is tolerably known that our Queen has been for some time engaged upon a series of compositions—of the essay form, we believe —Which are to be published, or at least privately printed, when her Majesty shall deem them sufficiently complete. 1he Crown Prince of Prussia is engaged upon a history of the Electoral Princes of Brandenburg. The ex-King of Greece (Otho, of Bavaria) is translating tlie "Iliad" of Homer, and his father, Louis, ex-King of Bavaria, is at Nice, giving the hst touches to a new volume of poems. King John, of Saxony, has just issued the third and last volume of Dante's Divina Commedia," translated ey himself into German. The literary labours of the Emperor and Empress of the French have been subjects for conversation and criti- cism for a long time and only a few days ago the fact was mentioned that Omar Pasha is busy writing a "Life of Alexander the Great." ^aHourer -Bordeaux was lately a field on All faint!' D^ ° £ that t0Wn for having plou«hed „Jte Vienna book shops are now full of caricatures w 1,israar?k- ,.0ne.o £ t^se represents him as suffer- from an indigestion m consequence of an attempt to swallow a number of various nationalities. At the theatres, too, it has become the fashion to introduce in the farces numberless witticisms directed against Prussia and her Mini&ter. The ecclesiastical scandal in Dublin is extending. St. Bride's Church, the scene ot the former disturbances, was closed on Sunday in consequence of the illness of the incumbent, but the services at another High Church place of worship were interrupted by the people who were present Seven persons were arrested. A strange and inexplicable attempt to murder was made in Dublin on Saturday. A soldier was shot inapublio- house, and ran to the police office wounded. He appears disinclined to give the wh-le particulars of the affair, or the motives of the outrage. When the police visited the place they found that another man had been wounded, but not seriously. Northerrijftien gOingfinto the Southern States, must, on the authority of a Mississippi planter, be prepared to fight. He describes a duel between Colonel M'lver. late an officer in the rebel army, and Major Tomlins from Vermont, arising out of a political dispute. Tomlins was run through and killed on the spot. Such duels are very common. Agents of the French, government were present at the trials of the Mackay gun, which took place in Liverpool on Monday. It appears from a Parliamentary return, that of s,631 men who completed their limited "service in the army "Hhe year 1864, 4,711 were discharged, and 3,742 re-enlisted without previous discharge, and 4,218 after discharge. Voiv^K^ker day a youth was examining a loaded re- eartlp "«longing to a friend at a boarding-house, in ffatton- ihe bniw°n<lin\0n Friday. when he accidentally fired it, and euteriug the Ilea:! of a companion, killed him. of Cupar^i8g^Were proclaimed in the parish church age amounts r7«nJ?ayVand niarried on Monday, whose united was the bride's thVrrt ndred and forty(140) years! And it "Appearance at the altar! named^uyot,hiding^ughter of an innkeeper died from hydrophobia after th*1 e,"leS"D,a?163j}as.Just The poor girl had never ^^edaysof dreadtulsufferings often played v/ith one belo^fe^y any dog, but had killed three weeks since m a rabid F' wmcn was allowed the animal to lick her face at a time whenTh^h^d a small sore on her up, the virus is supposed Yo hnv« communicated to her ia tlut manner. PP°8ed to have been The postage of some public departments is enormous m for this year the following sums are asked on that account • Admiralty, 19.000J. Colonial Offices, 14,6002. Foreign Office* nearly 14,0001. Inland Revenue Office, 13,0002. War Office' 28,00ul. odd. The Science and Art Department asks an in*- crease of nearly 5001. In this item. "The one great object of my admiration," writes a Pans correspondent, "is the ever-changing 'bonnet.' What do you think bonnets were yesterday ? Not crape, nor tulle, nor silk, nor satin, nor velvet, nor straw. No, nothing but flowers. I saw one lady with a bonnet of daisies, aim an- other who had on her head a handful of lilies of the valley festooned with a green ribbon. If it really is anything, a bonnet can scarcely be less than few lilies of the valley, which at Florence would cost half a paul. Another lady had a wreath of wallflowers." If there is a risk of having too little coal, there ia a still stronger probability that there will be too much gold. it the value of the precious metals is declining, the National uebt will contract of itself, to the ruin of thousands of harmless or meritorious fnndholders, but to the great advan- tage of the Treasury."—Saturday Review. An army of gold-seekers is travelling on snow- sboes and by dog-trains to the Vermillion gold-fields of Minnesota. A young man at Bourgoin, France, lost his life a few days since through one of those foolish wagers which have so often proved ratal. He betted that he would drink h w i °A brandy at a draught. He did so, but was imme- uiateiy after seized with a nervous trembling, and shortly ™ became stiff and cold. His companions laid him n8-heap to restore warmth, but he expired in a tew minutes after. Quartc: hj Review states that the quantity of natenta^re-<luired1 for oue year's consumption, in sealing hundred-weigiUs °nS al°ne' iS uPwards of a ton and two the face black, broad-chested, and strong-backed Thev possess great strength, although their size does not exceed that of a pointer. The Butchers' Association of New York, a few dava since, presented the President with a piece of beef taken which th^bnt T "Reunion," This animal was the larllest of whife th« auy Iecord> and weighed 3,762lbs., W V £ Tght was 2>475lbs. It was raised" to JSew x oi'k State, and was valued at 3001. A wild cat of extraordinary size, weighing 171b., has just been killed on the property of M. Guillemard at Cauville, France. For the last two years this animal had committed great ravages among the rabbits, with which endeavours were made to stock the estate. Much anxiety is felt as to the fate of the American Steamer City of Washington, and between forty and fifty guineas insurance were paid uponher on Saturday and ten guineas for insuring her against Fenian capture. She was spoken on the 2nd inst. 230 miles from Sandy Hook, and later the same night rockets and blue lights were seen fired from a steamer 330 miles from the Hook. An Irish paper states that one unexpected and curious effect of the cattle disease in England has been vastly to raise the value of goats. These hitherto despised animals are now exported in considerable numbers from Ireland and have been sold in several English counties at from 4l to "1. each, the ordinary price being not over 10s. The steamship Havre narrowly escaped being de- stroyed by fire at Southampton on Tuesday. The accident was occasioned by the explosion of some combustibles in the hold, and several persons were injured. One person was taken out of the hold dead, and another died from excite- ment. The fire was subdued, but not before the vessel haå been seriously injured. Nearly 300 convicts were shipped, a. few days ago, from Portland, for Western Australia. Roupel was one of or other, he was re-\anded, and A report is current in Berlin that, should the prospects of war disappear, Her Majesty will visit the Prussian capi- tal, to be present at the baptism of the newly-born daughter of the Crown Princess. It seems that French M.P.'s, after delivering a great oration, sit up after the debates, which end at seven,revising "siips" of their speeches as fast as the printer can send them, and correcting them themselves for the Moniteur. La France says that M. Thiers, who is quite an old man, sat up till three, a.m., after his brilliant speech to correct his proofs. Five of the railway companies possessed of London termini are s'lid to have expended within the walls of the Houses of Parliament as much money all would suffice to re- create another similar palace, equal in extent and decora- tion, from the concrete foundation in the river to the highest pinnacle, and equally garnished with gilding, fresco, picture, and painted glass o o. Edliibur''h°Tir,wa<le' }n ^dressing his class in the lated the students onVe electton^fr'p'00" Hector, observing that, although he hlri the virtue of silence, yet in his own house It °il !iUni the whole company silent, while he himself w?n?<? ?«?iv6Pn for hours. Even he (Professor BlacMe^ nTt^owed to speak. (Laughter.) In the Leicester workhouse infirmary, a man named Smith is now lying in a precarious state through a severe gash in the throat inflicted by himself rather more than a week since. So hent on self-destruction is the wretched man, that when his wound is bandaged up, he removes the dressings, and opens the cut so as to prevent it healing, and refuses to eat anything or be fed by the stomach-pump, tube, or other means. In Paris, a man, named Lepine, charged with the murder of his wife, has been sentenced to fifteen years penal servitude only, consequent on extenuating circum- stances but has applied for a complete pardon, because the Prince of Denmark was present at the trial There ap- pears to be some obsolete law that "where the King has passed, the condemned obtains his pardon The Prince, it is said, has consented to solicit a paraon from the Emperor Napoleon. "The unfortunate Ott," says the Siecle, "who was killed by Count d'Eulenberg, left four sisters advanced in age, whom he supported by his exertions. A pecuniary in- demnity for the benefit of this family was applied for to the Prussian government, but refused. A pamphlet on the sub- ject has been since published by M. Henri Schirmer, which. Berli^' n ate(* German, has just been seized at Letters from Berlin, received at Florence, report the following words as having been used by Count Bismarck to a friend who asked him if the convention with Italy was an accomplished fact. "We have no necessity for a written treaty with Italy," he says, "the alliance exists by the force of circumstances. The first cannon shots exchanged between Austria and Prussia would bring King Victor Emanuel and his troops before the Quadrilateral, were it only to forestall Garibaldi and his volunteers." Her Majesty is about to place a. memorial window to her father, the Duke of Kent, in the parish chnrchof feiamouth, the town where his royal highness died. In the window there is a representation of our Lord in Glory, seated with orb and sceptre in hand, surrounded by angela. Below are four angels holding crowns and palm branches. There is also a. representation of Christ blessing little chil- dren On each side of this are designs symbolical of Christian charity. Beloware representations ot five of the acts of St. Nicholas. Winifred's Divorce" is the title of a new seria tale announced to be commenced in No. 67 of Cassell's Family Paper. The tale starts in good company. "Comical Creatures," with illustrations "Village May-day custom a with full-page illustration by Cuthbert Eede T K?' Witches a short complete storv pm,u» -Lancashire make them Pay," with illustrating .Ti! anc* how to- all Nations," are some amonsrst th -°Viaf?e St»mps of this number of Cassell's aboundsT41 168 W"h Whicbl bate Cour?, Sfblin^on Saturn™3'3 c?mmenced in the Pro- the wilt of the late' Miss i. is a suit to establirti of the celebrated Smithflpiri ^re Ellen MurPhy, daughter who died in 1841 n„fi i if salesmaster, "Billy" Murphy, Miss Murphy is13- 700i. in legacies. The will of influence used hT on tlle alleged ground of undne Murphv a plaintiffs and the Rev. Eustace had been th» ,-r^i who wa* her spiritual director, and « ^een the intimate friend of her father. in the6 uP°n Lord Palmerston, which appeared the fm Review for January, has been issued in late p a 8hhhng pamphlet. As a calm review of tho _»»e J render's career the paper is worthy of notice. Tho ™riter, whose initials only are given, says that Lord Palmer- ston did not quit the nursery until eleven years old, and on this fact he seems to found a theory that the noble lord's hfeis a conspicuous instance of tardy development, he being nothing in the prime.of his youth—mediocre in middle life- great in old age. The official journal of Teheran ghes the subjoined report of a shooting party in which the Shah had taken part:—"The royal personage, who casts on the earth the shadow of God, has passed very agreeably his time at the chase at Djadjround with the aid of God he killed 32 head of large game, jnd designed to bring down a number of partridges, moot-hens, and pheasants. The grand sypach- sadar (Minister of War) who accompanied the great sove- reign of Iran, obtained a remarkable distinction, for his Majesty, who dispenses his grace and generosity so un- sparingly, deigned to present him with a partridge with his own hand." "We recently announced," says the Patrie, "the arrival at lokhohama, in Japan, of a steam corvette, pur chased in America for the Tycoon. A letter from Jeddo, < the 5th March, now states that the Japanese government, considering that the vessel was too dear and badly con- structed, had decided that in future purchases of the kind shall he made only in France or England. It also censured the engineer who had been sent to New York to purehaso the corvette. That official, who is brother of one of the am- bassadors who came to Paris, believed himself dishonoured, and asked for and obtained permission from the Tycoon to commit suicide. He consequently ripped open his abdomen, as is the custom, in presence of his colleagues and servants. who stood in a circle around him." Some time in the autumn of 1864 two madmen and a dog understood to be sane sailed from New York in a tiny two-masted vessel named the Vision for England (says the Pall Mall (fazelte). Provisions for the crew to last some two months were, if we remember rightly, taken on board the Vision, which from stem to stern measured just sixteen feet. Once, and once only it appears, was anything heard of the voyagers after they set sail from New York: the Vision, it is said, was spoken to by another vessel in mid-Atlantic- A contemporary now announces that an empty barrel, with the name Vision painted on it, has been picked up between the coast of Africa and South America "—which is rather a wide description. But no doubt, we are assured, exists that this barrel belonged to the little vessel in question; so that, perhaps, mote has come back to the world from this foolish enterprise than any reasonable being imagined would come back.