The Aberystwith Observer

A SKETCH AT Tli>J OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. (By one of our London Cvrrapondtnts.) On Tuesday, February 6, In the year of prac one thou- sand eig^t hundred and sixty-seven, e 1 T; ■ a m c ced and often prorogued opening of Parliament took place. Being resolved to have a good place I adopted the expedient of pin all boys going to see a pantomime, and started at least four hours before the advertised time for beginning. Turning my face westward, and passing through Temple Bar, the first thing which attracted my attention and showed that some- thing unusual was on foot was the immense drove of boys and men who were shouting In all voices, from t shrillest treble to the deepest bass, in the vain endeavour to sell "the royal procession for a penny Here and there, too, an alderman's or a sheriff's aarriage was In waiting t ome corner to convey these lofty municipal dignitaries to dance attendance upon their Queen. Farther west, at Charing Cross, a considerable number of stragglers had congregated and were passiDg the tedious hours of waiting by studying and discussing the lions which were placed last week at the base of the Nelson Monument In Trafalgar Square—and a most noble piece of workmanship they are. We have waited a long while fortham it is true, but everybody says "they are worth waiting for." The four lions are all alike, and represent the forest king in the attitude of watching. His limbs are at rest, and his fore-paws thrown forward, but his head is erect, his eye eager, and his tongue slightly protrudes from the open mouth. And not only Is the modelling exauitlte but the execution of the work lamost magnificent. The bronze is stern and rugged about the great head, smooth and boldly lined down the back and hind quarters, ana bristling away into nothingness where the sea oi subsides into the thinly fringed belly. work seems almost perfect, but when time tne weather have done their work ^effect will]be bettor still, for the light yellow ^i4„f*pPear upr n the exposed parts, and cast the darker spots into deep shadow. But while we have been standing criticising Landseer's great work the rain has begun to fill heavily, and dozens seek the shelter of ihe immense bronzed masses as a protection from the weather. But these are only the weaker and more timorous portion of the spectators. Already, although It is not yet noon, and there Is no chance of the Queen appearing beiore two o'clock, prudent people have taken their stand in what they consider "good places" for sight-seeing, and stick to them in spite ot the rain. There is a fringe of spectators round the little statue of King Charles, at Charing Cross, and every door step on the road to Old Palace Yard has its full quota of sight-seers. At the Old Chapel Royal, Whitehall, was the first of the extemporised stands situated. Inside the railings was a hastily got-up erection, principally composed of de- cayed Joiners' benches and ooarse planking, for ad- mission to which, the modest sum of one shilling was charged. The only way to reach It after paying the desired coin, was by climbing a pair of kitchen steps which were leaned up against the sharply-spiked railing. Numbers of ladles, old and young, determined to see the Queen at all bszirds, paid their money cheerfully, and by the help of their comrades in misfortune, avoiding impaling upon the sharp iron, sat and looked down with complacency upon the crowd which seethed and surged below, and upon the detachment of Dragoons which was drawn up opposite the Horse Guards. Some of the young ladies however had an eye above the common soldiers, and considering that scarlet with gold epaulettes was better than plain scarlet, cast longing glances at an upper window at which sat two subalterns of dragoons, who returned their scrutiny with interest, and seemed to think that they had the best share of the show. Every moment the crowd thickened, and as all were pouring in one direction it was evident that socner or later there must be a block. To Sir Richard Mayne's credit be it spoken, that he did his best to prevent crushing and confusion. Large bodies of his men were posted along the sides of Parliament street, and at every side street a posse of policemen guarded the crossing, and ordered and implored the crowd to "pass away." Sir Richard himself was also there riding hither and thither, anxious that every man who was present should do his duty. And very well their work seemed to be done ladeed, but as a bottle cannot hold any more when it is full, 10 neither can people pasa away" when there Ia no place to which to pass, and consequently in a very short time the pavements became absolutely impassable, and once wedged in it was worse than useless to strive to get out of the crowd. In Parliament-street, the extemporized stands beo9me more frequent, and although the rain now poured down in torrents, the demand for places on them was greater than ever. Shop windows were also erowded—parliamentary statlomrs and photograph-mongers considering that It W81 more profitable to exhibit pretty girls than blue books, and real faces than sun pictures. Wherever a house was provided with a balcony it was hung with crimson or green cloth, and filled with ladies who seemed to enjoy the scene below. Thus far all was expectancy, and although the streets were full, and every window was crowded with heads, nothing more exciting was to be seen than a couple of guards occasionally patrolling the street. As the minute hand of the ciock In the Palace Tower was drawing near the hour, and ]«st before one o'clock struck, a sound of music was hearo k> the distance, and a whisper passed tkrough the crowd, She's torn tag Ot course she was not •enstng, as those better acquainted with the ceremony knew very well, but a ba: d of horsemen advanced slowly down Parliament-sbraet, playing as they went. This was the royal band. Have you any idea what a royal band is like. It seems to me to resemble a company of fox-hunters more than any thing else. First cf all, the members of it are all mounted upon grey horses, and then they wear black velvet hunting-caps. Ot course th"re is this difference, that a huntsman is dressed in a scarlet coat and carries a heavy whip, while a royal bands- man is clothed in cloth of gold, and blows into a trom- bone; but at a distance the effect of the two il precisely the same. After the royal band had passed, there came a company of mounted Guards, clothed In red, with shining hejmsts and cuirasses, and following them an individual dressed In dark blue, and also on horseback, who bore a very seedy-looking battle-axe. After him there marched three or four hundred men of the Grenadier Guards; and all these pasted away down into Old Palace Yard. Hitherto my point of observation had been the corner of Bridge-street and New Palace Yard, where I had contrived to wedge myself into tne front rank of spectators, and was very comfortable indeed except for an occasional nudging with the hind quarters of a guardsman's horse. Tbtt position I had taken up in the vain hope of seeing the leaders of the House of Commons pass by. Bui the weather was so inclement that nobody walked. and it was impossible to say who was who in a close mud-bespattered brougham or hansom, so finding thttt my vantage post was practically useless, I gave it up, and resolved to seek a place near to the Peers' entrance tn 011 Palace Yard. Passing innumerable umbrellas and rain- sodden spectators. I at length reached my ultimate destina- tion. Here the scene was a repetition of that which I had Just lefr—people everywhere. People crowded in a dense mass on the footpath, people clinging to the railings, people peering from the windows, and people even upon the house- tops And all these were loyal subjects, and had come there to see their Queen, and to give her one great cheer. And very queer subjects some of them were-some roughs who required to be kept in order and subjection Dy the better diepeBed majority, and some were wo k gmen out of work some were business men who had taken an hour's relief to come and see their Sovereign; and some were wealthy men from the country who were glad to see the Quten once in thetr Uves. And very happy they made themselves during their waiting. They chaffed each other, thfY chaffed the policemen, and they chaffed the soldiers ar, d through all the heavy rain they waited patiently. There was nothing to relieve the monotony of the scene except the driving past an occasional cab, or a carriage with a coronet like the crown of a hat upon the panels. And said one to theother, as the rain poured down,—"I'm precious glad I. h'sint got no gun to clean to-night," and, replied his neigh- bour, Yes, but these poor beggars in the helmets are worse, for they have their horses to clean as well as themselves." And so when they had nothing else to do they pitied the soldiers. And the popular idea seemed at last to strike their commanding officer, for he ordered them to fall out and pile arms, and in an instant the square was filled with red coats strolling about. At last the carriages of the Peers ceased to come, and a small band_of halbardiers slowly wound round the corner of the Abn<ry, and crept into the Peers' entrance. Then there was another pause, and the household trumpeters marched into the square, and took up their places. And in a little while after them, a band of horsemen was descried in the dis- tance. Thece cantered up to the entrance, followed by a car- riage drawn by a pair of bays. The moment this was observed the soldiers seized thetr arms and saluted, and the band struck up the National Anthem. The Duke of Cambridge had arrived. Then there was another pause, after which an eicort of the Life Guards dashed into the square followed by another royal carriage in which was the Prince of Wales. As he alighted, and also when other members of the Royal famiiy arrived, there was more playing of the Queen's Authem. After this, there was a very long time of waiting and xpectancy; soldiers got off their horses and strolled about, in their red cloaks and black capes, like old women who had come out without their crinolines-fiunkeys moved up and down under the awning which had been provided for them, and by the exceeding shininess and stillness of their apparel excited the remarks of innumerable urchins, and the crowd of on-Iookers amused themselves by tearing down the umbrellas of those who were sufficiently fool- hardy to put them up, and by knocking off the hats of those who were foolish enomgh to come out in them. At last, at nearly half-past two o'clock, there was another nodding of horse-hair plumes in the distance, ana about fifty dragoons galloped into the square. Once more the bands struck up "God save the Queen "and continued to play it, and the people knew that the Queen had come. First, one royal carriage, drawn by six bays, slowly rolled into the square. In this were the gentlemen ushers. Then followed another. In it was the groom- in-waltlng and the pages of honour. After it came a third, containing Lard Maidstone, Silver Stick; Colonel Hepburn and Colonel deR>>s In the fourth were Viscount Royston, treasurer; Earl Cadogan, Captain of the Yeomen, and Lord rorrlngton, lord in waiting. In the fifth were Dowager Lady Water park, the Duke of Marlborough, and Lord Lucan. In the sixth the Duchess of Wellington and the Dake of Beaufort. And last of all came the royal carriage drawn by elcrht cream-coloured horses, and bearing the Queen, Prince Arthur, and Princess Beatrice. Alter the car- riage, followed a detachment of household troops. The Queen Wore a Mary Queen of Scots widow's cap orna- mented with diamonds, and looked unusually well. As she passed along she bowed, and the people gave a great shout. "How easy it would be to shoot her from here," said one man. "Aye, but, thank God," said his re'ghbour, "nobody wants to shoot her, for everybody loves her." And so it is. Scarcely a single member ef the vast assemblage moved from his place during the time she remained in the House. Irerybody waited to give her one more eheer; and it was only when the neddtag plmmes of the horsemen disappeared up Parliament-street, that the great ecowd dissolved itself, and each went to his own home.

SAD SCENES OF DISTRESS IN LONDON. ot the DailV Telegraph giving a sketeh of fv, x.' ?'°enes of suffering and distress now existing in T • I i London, makes the following observations:— fV" *ntJif1fore we begin; quite dark in fact; a drizzly, unwholesome evening, but, thank Heaven, not cold. nights, let us hope, are Pa3t' c0^ ?8e^ ^5gry 8ea8°n- Here is a court, EUi°tt s-court m Old Gravel-lane, Ratcliff- hignway and here is a house in it • and here is a room in that house, where we shall find a widowed, haggard woman who suffered greatly last. year, anil who now is like to suffer starvation ■with her son of fourteen, her daughter of twelve and her other and older and sadder daughter of twenty- seven, with her child, three years ot age or le8S) jn one email room—all five sleeping on the bare floor together. Absolutely there is nothing but the boards for them to lie on nothing to cover them when they go to their miserable repose. In Walburgh-street, at the top of a poor dwelling, ia another bare room, to which we grope our way in the dark, finding the chanber also dark when we reach it, fcrt? minutes, however, we have a candle brought to ua by some inmate of a room below, and this candle being lighted, is held without a candlestick by the man to whom the upper room belongs, he blinking at us in a doleful way. A child is sitting over the dead embers in the small rusty grate; the man's wife has another child in her arms ? J V? children, Bhe tells us, are sick. They had had three children; but the eldest died of the cholera when that disease was raging in the district. The last piece of bread is on their rickety table, and there ia a straw bed, without covering of any kind, in a corner of the room. What is the man by trade? He i-< a waterman, who is certainly not first oars" just now, and who, indeed, is nearly swamped and sinking. Nor do we speak altogether metaphorically here for it seems that this man had the Bide of his skiff stove in by the ice on the river the other day, and lost hiM sculls at the same time. He could mend the boat, he says and the kind clergyman does not leave him without promising to see what can be done to replace the other and more disastrous loss. The man, a little fellow, limps in his gait; and being asked as to his lameness, saytf that his knee- cap WM put out by ad acrfttenfc. Somebody pT. him a push as he was carrying a heavy load from his boat — not wishing to do me any harm," adds he—and so he got a fall and a permanent halt which must be rather a disadvantage to him in the time of full em. ployment. We ask why this anything but jolly young waterman and his wife don't apply to the parish for help in their extreme distress. The only answer is that they had never done so before, and could not bear to do so now. In the back room on the same floor is a seamstress, also in the dark, and, as she says, famishing. Does she make shirts, we inquire. coats. She is a tailoress. But there is very little work, even of the hardest and poorest in pay, to be had. Her husband has deserted her; she has three children, all of whom are sent to Mr. M'Gill s school; she has nothing to eat in the place; but she is so for. tunate as to have a "Church" bed and a pair of loaned" blankets in a corner of the Boor. Of course we leave this poor soul tickets for the relief of her immediate need. She will have coals, and tea, and bread; and, having seen to this, we go dismally in quest of other wretchedness. Nor do we travel far to find it. Recrossing the highway named of Ratcliff, and pacing the foot-path under the high dock wall-m this journey, says the incumbent of St. Matthew, we walk over three million pounds' worth of wine—we reach in time the work- house, and see a crowd of persons waiting still for relief, and a full board of guardians sitting late, to relieve them. There is no scamping" parish work in this time of extreme pressure; and so far we have seen nothing to criticise in the conduct of parochial managers. From the workhouse we return along Gravel-lane to a spot whereon is concentrated a mass of misery to which Lord Russell's language, evoked by the sufferings of our army in the Crimea, might be with equal justice applied. It is. in honest truth, "horrible and heartrending." When we reach Cable-street we are nearly in the centre of it. A fishmonger's shop at the corner of a narrow turning is our first halting place. The shutters are up, and the door is fast; but entrance is given to us after we have knocked awhile. There may be no fish there; but paraphrasing the verse of Moore, we can fearlessly assert that this humble tradesman's shop contains all the essence of herrings when herrings are gone." Is it wonderful that cholera comes and goes in this neighbourhood ? Or is it not rather more wonderful that, having once come, it should ever go! Disease, by-the-bye, has increased with the rise of temperature, in the river side districts; and in Poplar there is so much alarm caused by the recurrence of small-pox, that clergymen and others, who go much about in that and adjacent neighbourhoods, prudently get vaccinated afresh, by strong advice of the medical men. The poor fishmonger could not go to market that morning, having financially collapsed; and his wife and family are now grateful for the gifts of the benevolent. Further on, and across the way, there is a shop kept by Germans— there are many Germans in St. George's parish —and by the side of the shop, which is open, and prettily though cheaply decorated with paper signs of the Christmas lately passed, there is a dis- mal passage closed with a tumble-down door. We enter the passage. We enter the house by a flank movement, and we stand in a morsel of space with a steep flight of stairs before us. The stairs are so very steep that they can only be climbed by help of a rope running down the side; and in descending them, presently we shall have to go backwards. Up this perpendicular flight we mount, twisting round on perilous corner-stairs; and then a second perpendicular flight must be ascended, all for the sake of calling on a tailor who is sitting without a coat and reading— yes, i'faith, and in good verity—" Othello," by the light of a farthing candle. This coatless and Shakesperian tailor has mended a very extensively broken window with an old iron tea-tray and a wisp or two of straw. He has burned the better half of his bedstead for fuel, and his bit of a straw mattress lies on the boards beneath, so that, when he goes to bed, he will be framed, as it were, by the lathless and denuded skeleton of his four-poster. He is not only coatless, but blanketless, sheetless, and everything-less. Let us leave him to his play-book, for thescenes of our own play must be shifted. Out of Cable-street into a lane, and then up a court, and than down an alley, and lo we are in Blacksmiths' Arms- place, a sort of cove or creek of "Tiger Bay." Such a haven, ye powers who protect the British sailor First we look in, by mistake, at a picture of depravity quite Hogarthian in its outrageously caricatured de- tails. Open house is the rule here, except when doors are closed for a scume, and oaths are hoarsely muttered or shrilly screamed, and knives are drawn, not idly. It is the next kennel that we want; not this one; and when we have found our right bearings we speedily make port and come to anchor in a room four yards long, three wide, and about two and a half high. It is at the top of the house. There is one small window opposite the very small door by which we make our entrance upon the scene. The broken panes of glass and the chinks in the sash and framework are patched and stuffed with rags. In a corner near this wmdow a wretched woman lies on a straw pallet, spread upon the filthy floor. She has a baby, two days old, at her breast. A man and boy are in the room; the man washing coal-dust from his face, the boy covered with meal. We ask the man if he is that wretched woman's husband, and he says no, that he is her step.father. Her husband is at sea. And do you all, who are here now, sleep in this same room ?" Yes, and her mother as well." We saw no other bed; and there was no other; and so we were irresistibly led to think of the condition of the dear Hottentots, a few thousands of miles away, and of the immorality which is forced upon their naturally modest nature. Here, for a brief interval, we drop the curtain. There has been no cessation—we heartily hope there will be no cessation for some days to come—in the interest of the terrible drama. Let the responses of charity answer for this. We have received many fresh donations, to be applied specially for the relief of prominent cases of distress. A lady, whose per- sonality is veiled in the signature Trust in God," sends a guinea for the poor but patient tailor by trade," desiring that the very same coins, a sovereign and shilling, may be given him, as she hopes a par- ticular blessing will attend the act. She may be assured that her instructions have been carried out faithfully and we hope it is not presumptous to add that there is little if any doubt as to that "particular blessing which has been said to follow the deeds of mercy, both for those who give and those who take.

"PLUG MUSSF Fired by the lofty example of our common council (writes a New York correspondent) the members of the board of councilmen of a rival city, Philadelphia, have introduced into their legislative proceedings that manly and elevating pastime known in the south- west as the free fight, and among the roughs of New York as plug muss." The common oouncil of Philadelphia assembled on Thursday. Certain unimportant business relating to the transfer of several acres of city land and grants of street railway charters having been transacted, the festivities of the day were inaugurated by a personal altercation between Councilman Miller and Council- man M oy. An interchange of complimentary epithets —such as "liar," "thief," "scoundrel," "bastard," and worse—having taken place, the debaters removed their coats, and proceeded to display their forensic abilities by engaging in a rough-and-tumble fight. The argument grew warm, and the opportunity was so tempting that other members of the council took part in the biting, kicking, gouging, and hair-pulling discussion. The reporters fled, the spectators took sides, and the scene would doubtless have become one worthy the pencil of Hogarth," if the presiding officer had not at the critical moment turned off the gas. What took place under the eclipse is not known; but the polemical professors soon separated, and pro- ceeded to the nearest eating-houses to apply placative oysters to their swelled and blackened eyes.

A TRAGIC OCCURRENCE AT INGLETON. A terrible accident took place in the Backgate, be- tween eight and nine o'clock on Saturday night, which caused_the death of Mrs. Robinson, generally known as JN eat Uuyer, a very quiet and credulous old woman, (we are quoting from a Leeds paper.) It has been a practice for a long time for some of the young men of the village, for the sake of fun, to tell her all kinds of tales, and to threaten to shoot her. Only a short time before the accident which has ended in her death occurred, she said in a neighbour's house, referring to those wicked threats, They have only three days to shoot me in." bhe went into the house of Mrs. Clap. ham, whose husband has left Ingleton. Mrs. Clapham, with three young women. from Bentham, were taking tea, and Robert Atkmson and Matthias Carr. She had not been in the house many minutes when Atkinson raised his hands to reach a double- barrelled gun, which was suspended on the side of a beam, and said, Neat, 111 shoot thee." Mrs. Clapham said, "No, thou mustnt, for I don't know whether it is charged or not, ^hen he withdrew his hands and walked on one side. Matthias Carr imme- diately jumped from his chair and said, "I'll get the gun and shoot thee, Neat. Mrs. Ldapham Bprang from her seat to check him, but he got the gun down. It came in contact with the head of a young woman. Mrs. Robinson seized him, but he got from her, and the gun went off, the contents of one barrel Ipopng in the right side of her head and nearly emptied the skull of its brains, which were scattered on the noor. When the gun went off Carr was near the stairs, Mrs. Robinson was near the door, and Atkinson, who was standing at her side, had his waistcoat bespattered with blood and brains. Mr. Carr, who is in a terrible state of mind, and says that he had no thought that the gun was loaded, was immediately apprehended. The sad event has caused the greatest excitement in the village.

THE GAY COMPANY IN PARIS. The Paris correspondent of the Morning Star has been enjoying himself among the stars of Paris, as the following letter from him will testify:— We had a splendid afternoon yesterday (Sunday.) r-j was warm, and as your correspondent has e been so repeatedly half frozen to death and Hftiorm! J drenched in the service of the Star, I overcoat^ to go anc* unfreeze myself, and dry my TTlvHees and pJ?menading up and down the Champs ohirallv^omn i- ^venue l'lmperatrice. This • but for the brevity of my letter of yes T I.ii u y1*! not grudge me my escapade when f n yso 1 *ni°yed it A 1. Seldom have I 8 a crowd of carriages, equestrians, and PedeBtrians. On Sunday the striking feature of the co^ de ig the amalgamation of opposite classes out to enjoy the air; n 1a .Poor, artisans and high officials, generals and Privates, Ministers and holiday folks, elbowing each. other or driving their respective vehicles cheek-by-jowl (forgive the simile) along the broad avenue and splendid ride of the Avenue de rimperatrice. Suddenly one perceives a rush to the green barrier, explained by a couple of green-liveried outriders magnificently mounted, and the Imperial cortege. The Empress, entirely dressed in black velvet, looked very lovely, and the Emperor as well as I ever saw him. Two of the equerries were in the same carriage, which was followed by a second, in which weM the Duchess of Bassano and the Comtesses de Labo cloy ere and d« Lourm»l, both in waiting fthto month. The Empress's bow is gracious and graceful, and wms her many a warm partisan. I remember being struck by this on the occasion of a review. Next to her was seated an Imperial grand duchess. Among the riders, his grace of Hamilton is the best mounted, on a splendid bay, although, perhaps, the Emperor's first equerry, Comte Davillier, son-in-law of Marshal St. Jean d'Angely, has as good a horse and rides as well. The Marquis de Caux, and the banker M. Rodolph Hottinquer, are both well known for the- merit of their park hacks. The widowed Duchess of Morny was out, her servants still in deep mourning. The blinds of her carraige were half drawn down a slight figure in black, and two golden-haired children, were all one could discern of the occupants of the carriage. An absurd accident somewhat spoilt Princess Metternich's turn-out, always so remarkable for its correct taste and the magnificence of its horses. The liveries are black, yellow, and silver; the car- riage deep yellow. Yesterday, a grave error was com- mitted. Will Reuter telegraph the appalling fact ? His excellency the Austrian Ambassador's coach- man appeared in the Avenue de l'lmperatrice sans wig! The footmen were all right, but the coachman alas! for the missing wig M. Berryer, his paletot buttoned up to his throat, his intelligent head thrown back, his right hand, as usual, playing with his gold eye-glass, was among the crowd of pedestrians. Tile stiffest of bows passed between the old Legitimist and the Duke of Persigny. M. Auber, in his light grey paletot, walking as briskly as any man of half his age, is among the best known of the frequenters of the Bois. The Corrte d'Aquila cordially saluted the charming composer. The Comte—uncle, as you are aware, of Francois II., ex-King of Naples—had the good sense to leave Italy before the revolution, and thus had time to establish himself, his family, and his art treasures in a splendid hotel on the Avenue de l'lmperatrice. He drives a phaeton. Prince Napoleon was in a pony carriage. His Imperial Highness really need not grow any fat- ter. La diva Patti occupied a huge hired Berline, and this was in marked contrast to her less illustrious rivals on the stage, most of whose pearl-powdered, sepia- tinted, and rose de Chine rouged faces may be seen within satin-lined broughams, exquisite and luxurious in every detail. Cora Pearl was among the riders, and in a light blue habit, Cremisse with her, on a white horse, and Leonide Blanc on a bay. Among sportsmen I remarked Major Fridolin, alias Charles Laffite, the mighty banker, Mr. Mackenzie Greaves, Prince Trouberskoi, Comte de Solms, &c.

AN ENEMY UNCONQUERED! It is to be feared that we have not yet seen the last of the cattle plague. The British Medical Journal states that it reappeared last week in the very same cow shed in the neighbourhood of Islington market, London, where it first manifested itself during the former outbreak.. Last week forty-five head of cattle were killed to stay the progress of the contagion. We (Pall Mall Gazette) regret also to learn through our correspondent at the Hague that the plague is still spreading with increased virulence through Holland. There is a diminution in the number of cases, 3,886 in the week ending the 19th ult., against 4,389 and 4,988 in the previous weeks; but then the cases are scattered over a wider area. So much alarm is felt on the subject that the veterinary surgeons have, it is believed, proposed to the Government to slaughter the whole stock of cattle in the infected provinces—a sacrifice which would entail a money loss of not less than 10,000,000 guilders. It is not supposed, however, that the Government will entertain the idea. The farmers are protesting loudly against the "stamping out" process-especially on such a scale; and the general apprehension and irritation have found vent in serious disturbances at various places.

ADVICE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RUINED THEIR DIGESTION! There has just been established in Paris a gour- mand's club, the members of which dine together at stated intervals off the rarest dishes, at a minimum cost of two napoleons a.head. It is presided over by the well-known Baron Brisse, the author of the daily menu which has become so popular a feature in M. Emile de Girardin's paper La Liberte (ill-natured people go so far as to say that it is to this, and not to M. de Girardin's political articles, the paper owes its large circulation), and which is looked for so eagerly by all the gastronomes" of Paris. The club has its bureau and paid secretary, and notifies that it will give advice and reply to questions on the great art of dining for a fee of five francs paid in advance. Before the institution of this club, the Baron was beset with inquiries as varied and numerous as those which are addressed to the editor of a popular penny journal. Certain old gourmands who had ruined their digestions and lost their appetites made pitiable ap- peals to the Baron. It is all very well," said they, for you to give us artistically arranged lists of choice dishes, but tell us, we beg you, how we are to find the requisite appetite for their consumption." Where- upon the Baron seizes his pen and issues the following directions:—" Take," says he, a bath the first thing in the morning, after which, while walking about your room, drink two or three glasses of mineral water, that of Niederbrunn on the Lower Rhine is the best. A conple of hours afterwards take a basin of bouillon with some bread in it, and a glass of good wine. Then go out and visit your friends. At four o'clock eat a biscuit and drink a glass of Maderia, resume your walk, and at seven o'clock dress for dinner, when you will find yourself able to eat an entire leg of mutton and more."

A RUNAWAY TRAIN. On Friday morning in last week an alarming accident happened at the Chilworth station of the South- Eastern Railway, between Redhill and Gnildford. On the arrival of the 11.7 a.m. up-train at Chilworth a first-class carriage full of passengers and two horse- boxes, forming the rear of the train, were detached, in order to place another horse-box in front of them. Either the detached portion was not properly secured or the scotches did not answer, as the carriage and boxes started off down the line, to the consternation of the officials and the passengers in the carriage. The guard jumped on the step of the carriage and en. deavoured to stop it by means of a stick, but his efforts were of no avail, and a high speed was soon attained. The officials at the Shalford station were quickly apprised by telegraph of the rapid approach of the "runaways," and almost at the same moment the telegraph informed them that a pilot engine which had gone down the line early lD the morning had left Guildford on its return. The signalmen and porters acted with the greatest promptitude, and Rooter, the goods porter, had just sufficient time to turn the carriage and horse-boxes on to the down line, while Harding the signalman, hoisted the danger signals to stop both the approaching pilot engine and the engine of the passenger train, which was expected to come back after the missing portion of the train. He also gave the alarm to some men who were engaged in repairing a crane, and they rendered valuable aid by placing gravel and clay on the metals, which materially lessened the speed. Near the point where the unused loop line is connected with the South- Eastern, some fettlers and other men were at work, and as the runaways came up—their pace having been further slackened by a curve in the line- some of the men placed their shovels under the wheels, while others laid hold behind, and so succeeded in bringing them to a stand near the viaduct over the river, at a distance of about two miles from where they had started. After the delay of nearly an hour the accident was rectified and the train proceeded on its journey. The sole occupants of the carriage were a nobleman and his family from Reading, en route for Brighton.

THE REPRESENTATION of COUNTIES. Among a batch of blue-books and papers issued for the information of Parliament, is a summary of ninety pages, furnishing in respect of the several counties in England and Wales, information analogous to that contained in the borough summary of the electoral returns which were published in March last. This document has been prepared under the superin- tendence of Mr. J. Lambert, poor-law inspector. Amongst other information given is the amount of election expenses, the number of electors whose qualifying property is within a parliamentary borough, the number of unrepresented towns and the population of each, &c. At the close of the book is a list of the principal parliamentary returns and papers relating to the electoral franchise which were issued last session—numerous enough to occupy five pages. The expenses of contested elections for counties at the last general election, 26 in number, amounted to 291,836!. the non-contested, 52 in number, to 315,6661. The population in the counties, exclusive of represented boroughs, increased between 1831 and 1861 by 2,738,378, and the number of electors by 76,697. The unrepresented towns and metropolitan parishes in the counties are 135 in number, having a population of 1,495,079.

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY. A Madrid letter In the Independance Beige quotes a curious story from an Albaoete journal :— A short time since, it says, two soldiers on furlough obtained shelter at a respectable house in a village near Alicant, although the master was from home and only the mistress and a female servant in care. In the evening the soldiers retired to the barn to sleep. The night was not far advanced when a knock came to the door, and the lady of the house not doubting but that it was her husband, opened itf Two men in masks rushed in, and with daggers displayed, demanded a large sum of money. The soldiers were awakened by the noise and came speedily to the house. They were attacked by the robbers, but being armed, the latter had the worst of it, and were both soon stretched dead by pistol shots. A few minutes after the master of the house returned, but the soldiers, reasonably supposing that he might be an accomplice of the malefactors, refused to admit him unless he brought the authorities with him. He was therefore forced to go for the mayor, but the latter was from home the mayor's eubstitute was also absent, but two gendarmes went back with the gentleman, and the soldiers at once let them in. The facta were speedily related, and what was not the surprise felt when, on uncovering the faces of the robbers, they were recognised as those of the mayor and his sub- stitute.

THE BISHOP OF SALISBURY'S REPLY TO A PROTEST. It was last week announced that 600 of the clergymen, magistrates. yeomen, gentlemen, and others of the diocese of Salisbury resident In Dorsetshire, had presented a protest' to their Bishop against what they considered his lordship's "ritualistic tendencies." The bishop has since forwarded the following reply .— I have received to-day your letter and the protest, which contains, you say, "about or more than 500 signatures from magistrates, clergy, yeomen, and tradespeople from Poole, Lyme, Sherborne, Wimborne, Kridport, and Blaudford." I am much concerned to nod that sixteen of my clergy in Dorset do not believe t P°wer to absolve penitents in the name of the juora has been entrusted to them. Of course the teaching which such a disavowal implies must have had its influence with some of the laity; but still I am surprised to find that so many of them protest that I this ministration tuui not been committed by our Lord to His Church, and so contradict, as it seems to me, the plain and historical teaching of the Church of England. The circumstances under which I wrote the letter to which the protest refers—to "S. G. O."—did not lead me to make any statement about the limitations which our Church has imposed on the exercise of this power; but I shall, Deo volente, have, at no distant time, an opportunity of doing so publicly, and I may possibly then think it desirable to avail myself of it. DREADF SHIPWRECK AND SUFFER-

INGS AT SEA. The ship David Canon, which arrived at Liverpool on Friday in last week, brought to the port twelve of the crew, including Captain Jones, of the ship Mon- mouth, which foundered at sea about the 5 th of January. The sufferings of the survirors of the crew of the Monmouth will take their place amongst some of the saddest episodes of the sea. It appears that the Monmouth lafr. New Orleans for Liverpool, via Pensa- cola, on the 17th of last November, and since then up to the time she was fallen in with by the ship David Canon, experienced, with but slight intermissions, a series of heavy storms. Nothing of any serious consequence, however, took place until about the latter end of December, when the unfortunate ship encountered a terrific hurricane, in the course of which a heavy squall, accompanied by an enormous sea, swept over the vessel, carrying seven of the crew, and the whole of the deck furniture overboard. None of the men were saved, as their fellow-mates were unable to render any assistance. The ship was fallen in with on January 20, and after much difficulty and danger twelve men were taken from the rigging, all of whom were disabled, and many of them unable to stand, having been in the rigging for six days, during which time the weather was very cold and storaay, the poor fellows having beeji without food and with very little clothing. All the provisions and clothes were washed overboard, the deck of the vessel being completely under water, and the sea making a complete breach over her. In addition to the men washed overboard, one of the poor fellows died from sheer exhaustion and hunger in the rigging.

THE NEWLY-ARRIVED JAPANESE. Among the passengers who landed at Southampton, on Saturday, from the Tanjore, were fourteen Japanese princes aud seven Japanese conjurors; two of the latter are women, the first that have ever left Japan. A correspondent thus describes them:— The fourteen Japanese officers who arrived here on Saturday are youths of high social rank, and have come to England to be eduoated at our universities. In dress, manners, and appearance they differ very little from the sons of English noblemen. The twelve Japanese jugglers who arrived in the same ship con- sist of seven men, two women, two boya, and a girl. The children are whirled round in huge bumming tops, the others walk on the slack rope, and do the famous butterfly trick. This is a very clever per- formance artificial butterflies are kept up in the air by means of a fan, and made to alight upon flowers just as butterflies do. The men are rather under the middle size, but are well formed and good looking. They wear a large cape over the shoulders. The women are the first who have ever left Japan; they are not so good-looking as the men; one of them has a peculiarly broad flat face. The children are inter- esting. The professional costume of the jugglers is unique in form and colour. The girl was nursing a huge Japanese doll. The jugglers gave a performance on board the mail-packet in the Red Sea. The Japanese officers seemed quite conversant with English manners at the saloon dinner table. The jugglers used chopsticks.

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Among all the discussions that have been going on respecting the practice of vivisection by the French veterinary doctors, it is surprising that no one has called attention to the countenance afforded to it by the prevalent opinions of Catholic casuists on the sub- ject of cruelty to animals (remarks the Pall Mall Gazette.) If you take up one of the popular Roman Saints' Lives it is likely enough that you may find it said that the saint in question was tender-hearted to all dumb creatures, and probably worshipped by them in a miraculous sort of way. Among individual Catholics, too, especially in England, you may find notions prevailing very similar to those prevalent among Protestants. But nevertheless the fact remains that according to the generally received books on "moral theology," written by Catholic theologians, cruelty to animals is not set down as a sin. Animals, it is held, have no rights, and therefore can suffer no wrongs. Consequently, though kind and amiable feelings will prompt everybody to abstain from in- flicting pain on the brute creation, the subject does not enter at all into the domain of morals, and these horrible torturings of living 'horses of which we have lately heard cannot be condemned as contrary to the principles of Christianity and the law of God. That French servants in general, and French surgeons in particular, do not very much trouble themselves about the opinions of priests and bishops, is certainly true. But it can hardly be doubted that the popular feeling of a nation, first of all created by this perverted casuistry, materially tends to foster in the minds of men of science that grievous insensibility to the pains of brutes which has lately been exhibited in France. The same deadness towards the infliction of suffering upon animals is found in horrible force among the poor in countries like Spain and Italy, where science has little enough influence on popular opinion. The truth is that humanity towards animals, like humanity towards man himself, is a thing of modern growth, and the brutal love of torture for its own sake is still found flourishing in the lower ranks of English life, though in the higher a recognition of the duty of mercifulness to every living thing is slowly making its way. It makes its way faster among ourselves than it does in countries like France, because we are not blinded by the delusions of a dominant casuistry which, while it may discountenance cruelty, does not condemn it as immoral. Nevertheless, with the late Croydon steeplechase in our memories, we are hardly yet in a position to turn up the whites of our eyes and ex- claim, God! we thank Thee that we are not as other men, nor even as these Frenchmen!"

ASTONISHING _ADVERTISEMENTS! The following advertisements are taken from one number of the New York Herald, under the head of "Astrology: A FACT.—Miss Wellington tells of business, theft, good lucte, and numbers.—392, Bowery, opposite Sixth-street. Hours, nine to four. A CLAIRVOYANT WHO HAS NO EQUAL —And 10,000 dols. reward is offered to any person who can surpass her in giving correct statements in all matters of Importance, On losses, sickness, and business she never falls. Please call and test her skill —Office, 159, Bast Thirty-third-street, between Lexington and Third Avenues. ASTONISHING —Madame Morrow, seventh daughter, beats the world tn telling names and magic likeness beats every- thing ever known; tells your thoughts on entering her room. —184, Ludlow-street, flye doors from Houston-street. Ladies, It Is a positive fact that Mrs. R. H. C. Graham was never known to fall In giving correct information of the whereabouts of stolen property, or absent friends, or in bringing together Jong separated, and in reclaiming ■egUgenc and dissipated husbands will tell your name and age; elves lucky nllmbera, and. foretells coming events. 160, West Twenty-nfth-street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. MADAME WALTERS, DISTINGUISHED CLAIRVOYANT.—Visit her for everything-—sickness, business, thef c, names, numbers, good luck.—381, Canal-street. Madame Rosa, Medical Clairvoyant, has removed to 119, West Fifteenth-street, near Sixth Avenue. She shows you the likeness of your future husband, and tells the name. Madame Bo", Great Natural Clairvoyant, reveals your whole life.-Office, No.2, Greene-street, comer of Canal. Consultation, 1 dot. 336, SEVENTH AVENUE.—Madame Bay, Clairvoyant and Astrologist. —IiUCKy numbers. Speedy marriages.—Ladles, 25c.; Gents, 60c. 256.—Mrs. Boeder, known twenty-two years for giving true information on all affairs, love affairs, marriages, absent friends, law suits, business, slackness, &c,—At 256, Bowery. No IMPOSITION—NEVER FAILING—Mrs. Starr, from Europe, greatest Medical and business clairvoyant known; born with a natural gift, stie brings together those long separated; causes speedy imrrlages; shows yon a correct likeness of yo?* future husband, tells his name. She suc- ceeds when all others fail. Ladles from 60c. to 1 dol. Gen- tlemen not admitted,—312, Fourth Avenue.

A NEWSPAPER COMPANY. In the Court of Exchequer, the cause of Manfield v. Yeatman has been tried, and was an action to recover 3,1822. 18s. 2d., for the sale of certain provincial newspapers. The plaintiff, Mr. William Manfield, resided at Portisham, in Dorsetshire, and was formerly the owner of the Dorset Express, and fifteen other local newspapers, published in different towns in the West of England. The defendant, Mr. Marwood Shuttleworth Yeatman, was a magistrate for the same county, and a gentleman of strong Conser- vative opinions. In January, 1865, a company was formed to purchase the plaintiff's interest in these journals, which were chiefly of a Liberal tendency, for the purpose of gradually converting them into Conservative organs. The title given to the undertaking was The Church and Country Newspaper Company (Limited)," and, according to the printed prospectus, which was issued under the sanction of the Archdeacon of Dorset, and a number of country clergymen and gentlemen, the capital was to be 3,000?., in shares of 12Z. 10s. each, the object of the company being "to provide cheap, good, and independent organs of public opinion for elevating the moral and religious tone, and particularly devoted to town and country interests." In this prospectus the defendant's name appeared as trustee of the share capital, and he had opened an account in his own name at a local banker's on behalf of the company. There was a memorandum of agreement for the purchase, signed by Mr. William Wallace Fyfe, on behalf of himself, the defendant, and several other gen- tlemen, whose names were set out, and Fyfe had accepted two bills for 1.000?. each, for the goodwill and stock in trade of the news- papers, as well as two other bills for a total sum of 1.132l. 18s. 2d., being the amount for which the-plain- tiff had sold book debts of about 2,000?. Of these debts the company had actually received 8501., which they had used in carrying on the papers; but none of the bills had been honoured, and the plaintiff now sued the defendant upon them, on the ground that he was liable, not only as a promoter of the company, but from having taken personally an active part in the negociations for the sale of the property. It appeared that the company was so far unsuccessful that the shareholders were about to meet to consider the pro- priety of winding it up. Out of the capital of 3,000?. only 750l. was paid by the shareholders. The defence was substantially that Fyfe, the real promoter of the company, was the responsible party, and that the defendant could only be held liable for the amount ot shares he had subscribed for. The de- fendant said the company was first brought to his knowledge by Fyfe, who had received notice to retire from the editorship of the Dorset County Chronicle, and being anxious to assist him, he agreed to take some shares and act as trustee; but he never gave him any authority to sign the contract in question as his agent. Mr. Baron Martin, in Bumming up, said the first question was whether the defendant gave authority to Fyfe to sign the agreement on his behalf, and if the jury thought he did not, they would next have to consider whether he had, by his actf, subsequently adopted the agreement, in which his name was distinctly mentioned. The Jury, after being locked up for a quarter of an hour, returned a verdict for the plaintiff for the amount claimed. mi Intelligent^

E PITOME~OF^ NE W S. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. A racing horse, "Beelzebub," has besn re.named The Saint." The following advertisement appears in a Rouen Journal:—"A European celebrity, Manuel Danato, chore- graphic artist, on one or two legs, 80 years of age, possessing a modest fortune, a good education, and a mild disposition would like to marry a lady also possessing a fortune."— Apply, &c. People are already talking of making up parties to visit the Paris Exhibition, which will. It seems, prove a greater source of attraction to the English than was origin- ally anticipated. The Edinburgh Courant intimates the death of Dr. Scoresby Jackson, a nephew of the celebrated Arctic voyager, whose life he wrote. He was the author of several medical works, including one on Climate,"and another on "Materia Medica." Lieutenant Brand, who landed at Southampton on Saturday from Jamaica, is described by a correspondent as "A pale slender young man, apparently about twenty-six years of age." He was not dressed in uniform. The French decimal system of coinage has been adopted in Roumania. In Preston ,.nd the neighbourhood many of the factory operatives are workhg short time at a reduced rate of wages, and at present trade prospects are very gloomy. Stephen Joseph Meany will be tried for Fenianism at the Commission In Dublin, which will open on Monday next. Witnesses from America will, it is understood, be produced in the case. Her Majesty and the Royal Family left Windsor for Osborne on Wednefday morning. At Ciairoix, in France, a lad of thirteen, named Albert Hallez, has hung himself because his mother was about to be confined, and he feared the family would be reduced to want! A magnificent black eagle, measuring nearly ten feet from wing to wing, has been shot recently by a sports- man near Valence, in France. man who imagined himself wise because he detected some typographical errors In w newspaper has gone eastward to get a perpendicular view of the rainbow "— American paper. The latest news received in Liverpool shows that there is a regular block up in the Mississippi. It appears that there are twenty-one vessels, with about 60,000 bales of cotton, inside the Mississippi Bar, unable to get over. Harper's Weekly, of New York, has an illustration of the Barnsley coal-pit. The picture represents the exact spot in the pit where the explosion took place, and is highly creditable to the Imaginative powers of the artist. The late Chief-Secretary for Ireland has published some remarks touching the land question, in reply to the letters of Lord Duffering on the same subject. He contends that something may be done by the Legislature to secure the happiness of Ireland, and says that until the land and the church question are settled we cannot hope to cut off the sources of sedition In Ireland. A hitch is said to have occurred in the Eyre prosecution. What that hitch actually is. we have not yet been able to ascertain. We believe, however, that the fact of the royal commission having issued and arrived at a find- ing is the obstacle."—Law Times. One of the committees of Congress has lately ob. tained what purports to be the diary of Wilkes Booth, kept up to a week after the assassination of Mr. Lincoln. During the late severe weather in London the price of Silkltone coal ordinarily worth 20s. or 21s., was moved up to 27s. per ton. At Kingston, South Carolina, twenty.two negroes met a horrible death by the burning of a gaol, the gaoler refusing to unlock the door after the building was on fire The only white prisoner escaped The aflair is to be Investigated. A Roman Catholic Church is about to be built at Washington, which will be the largest church building in America. Fifty-three discharged soldiers of the Belgo-Mexican Legion have arrived at Brussels. A son of Lord Sbaftesbury has been articled to a celebrated engineer in London. The town of Philippeville, in Algeria, has just been lit by gas. The Economist believes that if Mr. Gladstone would waive his manifest claims to the fature Premiership, It would be the best basis for combining the shattered sections of the Liberal party, even if it be not the tole basis. Prince Paul de Broglie, the second son of the Duke de Broglie, who was an officer in the French navy has determined to take holy orders, and has just been received In the little seminary of Issy, a branch of that of St Sulpfce. Only one case of Cattle Pixels reported in the last return. Without exception Liverpool is one of the most fortunate towns in the kingdoms, and so far as the Cor- poration revenue goes a considerable surplus is now on hand. lhe finance committee propose that out of the surplus ot over eo, COOl. about 30,000i shall be taken to pay for different town improvements, snch as public parks, street alterations, &c. This action on the part of the Corporation, if agreed to will not only improve the health of the town, but cause a saving of about 5 J. in the pound to the ratepayers of the borough. It is said that the Prince of Wales, the Duke of E dinburgh, the Dake of Cambridge, Lord Stanley, and all the members of the English Commission, are to be persent at the opening of the Universal Exhibition. The Sultan is likely to visit Pari*, during the Exhibition. The Pope has written an autograph letter to the King of Prussia, requesting his good offices in behalf of the Roman Catholic priests and bishops living under Russian Twenty-five ladies have entered their names for the ensuing session at the Ladies' Medical College, London. The Opinion Nationale calls attention to an act of Intolerance on the part of the Mayor of Hourron (S-ine- et-Marne), who has just caused a Protestant child to be interred in the portion of the cemetery reserved for criminals and suicides. A recent letter from Rome states that every thing is very gloomy there, though there is no actual political news. Prices have risen very much. Bread is 44. per Ib, the ordinary wine 8d. per pint, and, in fact, all the necessaries of life ate treble what they used to be. It is said that the new press laws in France will result in "increased liberties" for printers and publishers. Tho young King of Bavaria is becoming more attentive to his duties, and has taken a step which is sure to be greeted with enthusiasm. A short time ago Be inspected two of the chief breweries in Munich, and, after a careful examination of them, presented their owners with his portrait, and distributed a sum of money among the work- men. The number of dukes, says the Epoca of Madrid, Who are grai daes of Spair, is 79; several of them, however, Rre united under one bean, as happens In the old houses of Cusuna, Med in a-COG: I, Abrantes, Alba, Fernan-Nunez, and others; thus the number of dukes is below 79. There are other Spanish grandees who prefer taking the title of marquis or count to that of duke. Forty-three are to be found in this list. There are fifty-two grandees who take the title of marquis as their first honorary distinction, retaining however that of duke under other denominations. There are forty-two counts and grandees of Spain who are also dukes 147 mar1 total number of Spanish grandees is On Saturday evening last Mr. Hayes, postmaster of Trull, near Taunton, committed suicide. He went out for a walk, and was last seen alive in a field near a stream of water, in which on the following morning the body was discovered. In order to effect his purpose the deceased had not only filled his pockets with stones, but also removed a coping stone from the wall of the field and tied it round his neck. The water where the body was found was not quite three feet deep. The Carlisle Journal states that on Tuesday a pugilistic party, under the direction of Jem Mace, arrived by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Shap FelIs, West- moreland, for the purpose of assisting at a prize fight be- tween Jack Rooke, of Manchester, and Harry Allen, of Birmingham, for the sum of 801. a side. The ring was made, and the battle commenced; but before hostilities had ad- vanced far they were abruptly terminated by the appearance of the police, who at once stopped the fight, and appre- hended the principals, conveying them to Kendal, where they were locked up. A letter from Madrid says :—" The event of the day has been the execu'ion of a female servant convicted of murdering her mistress. The case has been going on for three years, as her legal advisers exhausted all possible subtleties and subterfuges to save her. Recourse was had even to exorcism. In the end she was condemned to death. After having listened for many hours to prayers and religious exhortations, the criminal was conveyed to the place of execution through a dense crowd of spectators, and strangled ( by the garotte in the usual manner. People flocke* to the sight as to an ordinary spectacle. Just now I myself met a young lady with her governess, who said they were going to see the show." The ex-Grand Duke of Tuscany has sent in a claim to the Italian Government for the restoration of his personal property, which he values at abont 60, <100,000 of lire. Among the articles he reclaims are three Raphaels and a great number of exquisite works of srt m silver, gold, and precious stones. "There is one paragraph in the Queen's Speech which will be read throughout the country, as it seems to have been heard In Parliament, with unqualified satisfaction. It is that in which Her Majesty announces that she has suggested to the Government of the United States a mode by which all pending differences between Great Britain and America may receive an amicable solution. If the present Government should confer no other benefit on the nation, yet it will not be forgotten that its accession to power rerdered it possible to extricate ourselves from a false position in respect of these differences."—Times. Small-pox has inereased in London to an alarming extent, within the last three years. At a meeting of the governors of the Small pox Hospital, Hiphgate Hill, on Friday hst, it was reported that the numbers admitted in 1863, were 1.537; in 1864, 836; in 1865, 1.249; and last ye&r they had risen to the large number of 2,(160. In favour of vaccination it was stated that 35 7 of the unvaccinated died, as agaicst a percentage of 7 2 vaccinated. Mr. Mill, M.P., delivered his inaugural address as Restor of the University of St. Andrew's, at Edinburgh, on Friday The subject upon which he founded his address was '"the culture which each generation purposely gives to those who are to be its successors, in order to qualify them for at least keeping up, and, it possible, for raising, the level of Improvement which has been attained." Upon thhiheme Mr. Mill defined what, in his v'ew. was the true purpose of a University, and the nature of the education which Universities should afford. A curious case of libel has come before the Civil Tribunal of Paris, the circumstances of which bring one hack to the worst daJS of the First Revolution. M. Louis BonHace. editor of the Constitutionnel inserted a parapraph among his" faits divers," in wbtcb. he stated that Madame Boken, wUe 01 a tailor of that nllme. had confesspd that her father had taken part in the robbery of some diamonds dUr- ing the s«cko £ the Chateau de Meudon by the mob in 1793. The court sentenced M Boniface to a fine of 2,000f., with costs, mid decreed that this sentence should be inserted in six of ti e mnrmng papers. After the lapse of three weeks, one of the bodies of the nine u;ifor unite men who perished on the night of the 26'h of D c. mhf-r, widle proceeding in a small boat from Nortljfltet to 'heir vessel, the Ross Winans cigar-ship, has been tuuud. Oa Monday evening another body was picked uo in Northfleet R ach. It has been identified as that of Mr-. Fini ey, t"f' your'!? draughtsman attached to the Rons Winans, son of Mr. Finney, the engineer of Poplar Iron Works He only left his parents' residence, where he had been spending Christmas, on the evening of the catastrophe, and jointd his brother officers at New cross for the purpose of returning by train on the North Kent Railway to their ship. The body was landed at Gravesend. 9"es "BreaH! bread .resonnd from one end of Italy to then-her. saj s the Gazetla HMilano ? •> -1: c reports trorn ;he p. efects respecting the coumtiou 01 tile provinces reach the Ministry of the Interior. The Frankfort police has forbidden the sale of the fabric Known as gretn tarlatan, as it is dyed by colours com- posed in great part of arsenical preparations, and Is conse- quently very injurious to health. The French physicians claim to have discovered a perfect cure for croup in flour-o;-sulphur in water. That wretched old bigamist, Brigham Young, has got another new wife, Miss Maria Folsom. She is said to be a beauty of a Grecian type, Ittstobehopedthachisreigm will be brought to a close ere long. Thirteen cases of bribery at the last municipal election have been brought before the Staff ird county coutt judge, with a view to exposure more than anything else. In one case it was proved that a man had received 2s and straight- way his Honour said that 2s. was not too much for the lost of time, and it did not amount to bribery. In five cases nonsuits were entered, and the others were withdrawn. The Sultan of Morocco has prohibited the exporta- tion of all kinds of grain. A curious result of universal liability to service was mentioned the other day by Baron Dilwighlnthe Darmstadt Chamber of Representatives. It is that in a thousand German enterprises beyond the seas there are hardly more than two or three Prussians. Their liability to serve in the army prevents them from leaving their own country till they are too old to be enterprising. Besides the contest which is going on as to who shall purchase Miss Cora Pearl's boots, with their precious stone buttons, and the battle which M. Havin is doing in favour of erecting a statue to Voltaire, a combat is being waged as to the condemnation of Galileo for adhering to the principle of the earth's annual and diurnal rotation."—Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. The New York Times states that Secretary M'Cul- loch has received numerous letters from distinguished statesmen and other influential persons in England, highly fln £ Cncial policy. Among the letters is one from Mr. Gladstone. The first Japanese ironclad is now being built at 0j ,t0 be called the Tycoon, and to carry six 360 and 450 pounders. The United States Government (says a Philadelphia correspondent) is preparing for an active and vigorous cam- paign against the hostile Inxlian tribes ol the extreme Wetlt. Troops, horses, and munitions of war are being concentrated at Leavenworth, Omaha City, and other points on the Upper Missouri, and the campaign will begin with the opening ol spring. Amongst the various suggestions for easily detect- tlng the presence of fire-damp in mines, there is one of a very ingenious description, founded on the discovery of the fact that diaphragms of animal matter, such as bladders, possess the property of absorbing a portion of the carburetted hydrogen contained in the air. A bladder is filled with common air, and hung up in a suspected part of the mine. If the fire-damp is abundant, the bladder will expand, and In doing so will move a lever which sets in motion an electric bell or other alarum. The last issued number of the Fortnightly Review prints, in conspicuous place and type, the following retracta- tion and apology :—"Two unconsidered charges were made sg-iinst Mr. Bright in the November number of this Review. I represented him as having said-first, that all the land of England is in the hands of 150 proprietors;' and, secondly, that 'the poor only are fl.6 to legislate for the rich.' I am happy to retract both charges. It is needless to add that I very sincerely regret having made them.—Henry D. SEY- MOUR" At the Southwark police-court, in London, Robert Lott, a boy twelve years ot age, has been committed for trial for attempting to murder Jane Brarne, who is about the same age. The children were schoolfellows and close friends, but latterly the little girl h \d somewhat neglected Lott for another boy. This roused Lott's jealousy, and he threatened to "do tor" Bourne. One day recently, when they had left school, he got a hammer and struck the girl en the head until she became Insensible. She was taken to the hospital and had her wounds dressed, when she soon recovered. An ingenious Pole has discovered an entirely new method of committing suicide. He filled the pistol with water, after charging it with gunpowder and wadding, then, placing It to his head, pulled the trigger. The experiment was perfectly successful—his head was blown completely off. Tile name of this extremely clever person (which is some- what lengthy) was Hallefouzycapillaninwzicowsky. Verdict: Died of water on the brain, if any. It is said that a large bill-posting firm in London has offered Government 14 000J. a year for the hoarding round Hyde-park for bill-posting purposes. Atherton Watson, Esq., half-pay 91st Foot, Ensign, is father of the army. He entered the army In 179t, and went on half-pay In 1793, where he has remained ever since. It is stated that the Tay, which in 1854 only yielded 9 269Z. as rent for the salmon fisheries, now produces no less than 47,6182 and this large rental Is on the increase. The following information from the Paris P, (StC ia commended to the attention of the Iron trade: The separate portions of a barge constructed of iron in Paris are at thb moment being shipped at Havre for E igland. The latest style of bonnet has turned up at Rich- mond, Indiana. It is described as consisting of two straw?, tied together with a blue ribbon, on the top of the head and red tassels suspended at each of the four ends oi the straws. Price 19 dols. A Treaty of Commerce has been concluded between Austria and Switzerland. The receipts from the working of the Atlantic Tele. graph Company, up to the present time, have averaged SlSt. a day, including S todays; since the reduction in the pilce of messages from 201. to 102, the average has risen to' 711. John Manwell, a sub-postmaster of Woking, has been charged with embezzUng divers moneys, amounting in the aggregate to a considerable sum, the property of her Majesty's Postmaster-General. He was committed for trial. A serious fire took place at Hull on S anday morn- ing. The large mat and bag warehouse of Messrs. Farriby and Hare was burnt to the ground, and a saw mill on the one side and a Wesleyan chapel on tha other seriously in- jured. The damage la put down at fifteen or twenty thou- sand pounds The Austrian government have prohibited the sale of, and ordered the police to stlze, a new work which has appeired under the title of Twelve Chsmpions of Revolu- tion," containing the Biographies of Robert Blum, Karl Blind, Mazzinl, Count Cavour, Louis Blanc, and others. The strike in Blackburn of ironworkers who refuse to agree to a reduction of their wages has thrown about 3 000 men out o! employment. At a meeting, held on Monday, the men again passed a resolution not to accept the reduc- tion. A few of the works are still in operation on the old terms. Irreligion is making considerable progress in France. A society bss been established called "SuIidaires," the mem- bers of which take a pledge to be buried without the prayers of the Church, arid It has been" working" some time, to the gre..t ^niioyauce of the e'enry, and of religious people generally —Here is the notice ot a tnuTiaga on the soli- daire principle, and which is thus announced in a Paris daily paper:—"T e marriage of M. Albert Re- gnard, editor cf th3 Libre Pensee with Mdlle. Caro- line D^lcher takes place to-day. The ceremony being entirely acivilore, M Regnardinvites thoseofhUfrlendswhohavenot received letters to be i recent at that solemnity, which will take place at eleven o'clock In the Mairie of the 5th arron- dissemeat.' An ingenious contrivance, called the loxodrographe, has been recently inventt d by a naval engineer, M. Corridi, Hi«ias»e*i!!alniDg the shlp's course during a voyage. On the „ compass, instead of the star which indicates the v' TnLrciVa^ °P^nin* is made, furnished with a small It th« lin. shining upon the compass penetrates through the lens, and traces a black mark or line on a sheet of sensitive paper underneath, which is made to move at a certain speed by means of clockwork. The sensitised paper turns with the action of the ship, and, as the need'ie remains perfectly steady, every deviation or alteration of the eouife U photographed on the paper. As the head-keeper, Alderson, and his under-keeper were out on the Duke of Wellington's moor, near Ardgay, Ross-shire, the other day, they came within shot of some deer. It was the under-keeper's turn to fire, and Alderson laid down that he might fire over his head. The under-keeper fired his first barrel without killing the deer, and at the moment he was firing the second barrel Alderson raised his head to see the result of the first shot. Unfortunately, he wa* directly in the line of fire, and received a wound in the head which carried off the top of his skull, and caused his death within a few hours.

THE MARKETS. MARK LlliE, MONDU. The supply of English wheat on sale here to-day was very moderate, and the condition of the produce poor. Even tor good and fine dry samples, the trade was dull, while damp qualities were quite unsaleable. As regards the former, the q lotations were Is. per quarter lower than on Monday last. In damp wheats little business was transacted, and quota- tions were 2s per quarter easier than on this day se'nnlght. The maiket was fairly supplied with foreign wheat, in which sales progressed very slowly. The aggregate business done was small, and at a decline In prices of Is per quarter. Floating cargoes of grain were in slow request, on rather easier terms. The supply of English barley on sale was moderate—of foreign, large. The trade was very Inactive, and prices declined Is per quarter. The malt trade was quiet In the extreme, at barely late rates. The market was moderately supplied with oats. The trade for all qualities ruled heavy, and prices had a drooping tendency. With beans the market was extensively supplied. The trade was depressed as regards all descriptions, aud the quotations were Is to 2s per quarter lower than on Monday last. Peas were in but moderate supply, yet the trade was slow, at barely late rates. The flour trade was dull, and prices had a droop- ing tendency. Linseed aud rapeeeed were in dull Inquiry, at barely late rates. Oiher seeds commanded but little at- tention. The cake trade was very inactive, and prices were rather lower than on Monday last. MARK-LANE, WEDNESDAY. The weather since last market has been stormy, with a good deal of rain. This morning the weather is broken and wet. The country markets pre dull, prices following those of Mark-lane last Monday. From the Continent there is no new feature. At Mark lane this morning there was but a very thin attendance, and transactions were restricted, with scarcely any chance in price. English wheat held at Mon- day's rates, and purchased sparing y. Foreign wheat is not pressed for sale, but the trade is stui very du 1. Thefioattng trade is quiet, but still waiting arrivals off the coast. A large cargo Chilian wheat sold for France at 63s. Flour inactive, but steady in price. Barley, beani<, and peas dull. Oits in limited demand, but not quoted cheaper. Maize is held for full prices. Arrivals, 380 quarters. In seeds there is not much passing, and rates art! uualtered. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, MONDAT. The arrlvalf of blasts from our own grazing districts were only moderate. From Scotland, the supply was tolerably good from Ireland, limited AU breeds moved off heavily, at a decline m the quotations compared with Monday last of 21 per 81b The primest Scots and crosses soli at 6s to 5& 2d per Rio The quality of the English beasts was good, of scotch very prime, and of Ir sh only middling. From Norfolk, Suilolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire we received about 1600 Scots, crosses, and shorthorns from other part* of Englaid, 600 various breeds; from S ;oMand. 346 Scots and crosses and from Ireland, 110 oxen, &a We were very scantily supplied with sheep, which moved off freely, at an improvement in value of 4dper 8:b. Tne best DJwns and hai'ireds in th" wool sold at 6s to 63 4d out ot the wool, 6s 4d per 8,n. The quality of the sheep was prime. There were a few limbs 00 sale in excellent condition. The quotations realised was 8s per 8'b. Calves were in short supply and fair request, at lull prices—viz., from 4s 6 I to 5s 6 i p?r Sjb. Tae sale for pigs was heavy, at the late decline in value. POTATOES. The supplies of potatoes are fairly extensive. Fine qualities command full prices, but inferior qu^iitie? are difficult to sell. The Import into London last week consisted of 60 tons from C*en, 584 s»cis 1,035 bags and 50 tons from Dunkirk. Yorkshire resents, 120i to 160s; flukes, 15»s to 180s; rocks, 100s to 12-)s; Scotch regents, 12us to 170s per ton. HOPS. The trade is very firm and full prices are readily obtained. Fine parcels of Mid and East Kents have been in request, but th" transactions gent: ally have been of a restricted ctiaracter. Last week's imports comprised 118 bales from Antwerp, 62 from Bremen, 170 from Cahis, 155 Irom Oatend, 86 from OJuckstadt, 526 from New York, 40 from Bjuloene, and 88 from Rotterdam. Jtfid and Etst K«-nts. 170J to 231S F.rnham and county, 170s to 225s Weald of K^nts, 16is to 185* Su'g-x 1648 to 175s yearlings, 105s to loOe and Ouis, 51s to 953 per cwt. WOOL. Fine English wools have commanded rather more at- tention; the demand, however, is by no means active. Colonial wool is wy qnlet. The import into L^.ndou last week consisted of 10,476 bales from Gi.-long, 3,627 from Melbourne, 7,353 from Port Palllp, 5,44 • from Sy ;uey, and 2 725 from t ie cape o Good Hope, iueeces: Southdown h'oeeetts Is 7ia 1,0 is 8:i«l hau breu uiao, Is y4d to Is 10W; Kent, Is 8d to Is 9a Southdown ewes and wethers,' Is 7d to Is 8d Leicester ditto, Is 7d to Is 9d. Sorts: Clothing, Is 6d to Is lOiu combing, Is 64d to 2a Oct er 10.