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THE DISPUTED ROWING MATCH…
THE DISPUTED ROWING MATCH ON THE THAMES. In the Court of Queen's Bench, last week, the some- what singular case of Sadler v. Smith" was decided. This case which had been pending a long while, and has been repeatedly before the Court, arose out of an abortive race between Sadler and Kelly. The race proved abortive by reason of a difficulty as to starting. The men were to start themselves and could not agree about it. Kelly rowed back to the referee and said that Sadler would not start. The referee, who, it should be observed, had been too far off to see what had occurred, and was also too far off from Sadler for the latter to hear what passed, said, "Then if he won't start, you row over the course." Upon this Kelly turned round, and upon coming near Sadler cried out, I'm going to row over," and accordingly rowed right away, and was declared the winner. Sadler dissatiahed with this, sued the stakeholder for his stakes. At the tria 1 before the Lord Chief Justice the jury found that Sadler had not heard what passed, and had not a fair opportunity for starting. The Lord Chief Justice upon that directed a verdict for the plaintiff. The question was whether it should stand, the de- fendant, the stakeholder, insisted that it should not, because by the agreement the decision of tne referee was to be final. On the other hand, the referee him- self, who admited at the trial that he had been rather too hasty, stated that he had never intended that Kelly should row over as he had done without giving Sadlei a fair opportunity of starting. b After a long and obstinate argument by the counsel for plaintitf and defendant, The Lord Chief Justice in giving his judgment, said the merits of the case were plainly with Sadler, for he had not had any fair opportunity of starting, and according to the referee's own account of the matter his intentions had not been carried out, and Kelly had taken an unfair advantage of his competitor. It was insisted however, that the decision of the referee should be regarded ,'15 final. But he thought that it was not so in the present instance. No doubt, whenever tne parties had provided that, in a given event, a certain party should judge between them, his decision was final. But tins was ;.¡. very different case, for the event upon which the referee had to decide had never occurred at all, for there had been no start and no race. Moreover there had been no decision. The referee's order was that a start should be m -.de. That order was never, however, complied with. 1'here never was a start as he had directed, and there had been no race. It was contended that he liL,d deter- mined that there had been by awarding the stakes to the other competitor; but his power to do so depended upon there having been a start and race. The fact, however, was that there had been no start and no race and therefore the authority to award the stakes failed, so that, as the award of the stakes was with- out authority, the plamtItf was entitled to recover his share of the stakes. He, therefore, was entitled to judgment. Mr. Justice Hannen concurred, and although he observed, he had flllt some hesitation in arriving at that conclusion, he said he had at last been enabled to arrive at it without doubt. The referee had awarded generally that Kelly was entitled to the stakes, but no one could say that would have been binding if there had been no race and no rowing at all. ,l,'lc referee assumed that what he had directed had been done— namely, that Kelly should give Sadler a fair start. The events, therefore, on which the referee's power to award the stakes depended had never arisen. There- fore the award of the stakes had no validity. Mr. Justice Hayes entirely agreed. It. was as though one of the parties had started afraid of the other, and the stewards seeing him come past, and assuming that he had started fairly, had held him to be the winner, whereas there had been no race at all, and no authority to make a decision. Judgment for the plaintiff, Sadler, to recover his stakes.
^frfrcpfflitart (Boss'tp.
^frfrcpfflitart (Boss'tp. B? OUR OWIJ CORRESPONDENT. i.h€ Tem_vks under this head are to be regarded as the ex- •Sesaionoj..ndepenJent opinion, from the pen of a gentleman .n whom "Vs have the greatest confidence, hut for which we -f/ertheiess do not hold ourselves responsible., It is currently stated, and I have seen no denial of it, that her Majesty will open Parliament in person, and not only that she will do this, but that she will enter the Houses of Parliament by the Victoria Tower (the first time since Prince Albert's death), so that the ceremony will, to pome extent, be a state ceremony. The date at which the Queen leaves Osborne the 13th of February—gives support to the statement, as Par- liament recommences on the 16th. This pleasing rumour causes people to look forward to the reassem- bling of Parliament with greater interest than other- wise they would do. And there are other rumours and facts which tend to make the coming se-sion re- garded aa of more than ordinary importance. I allude to the reductions, actual and intended, in almost every department of the public service. For a week or two past, perhaps scarcely a day has passed without some statement of this kind—either of some retrenchment having been actually effected, or of some reduction being contemplated. The public naturally rejoice at this kind of thing, but there must be some hundreds of people to whom it is no laughing matter. Among the bills to be introduced this session will be a measure which was massacred, among other ,5nno. cents, last session. It aims at the amendment of Mr. Scholeneld's Adulteration Act of 1800, which has these eight years been almost a dead letter, and it further aims at preventing the adidteration of drugs. The subject is of such vast importance that a reference to its leading provisions may be advisable. It is appli- cable alike to articles of food or drink and to drugs. Adulteration, whether personally or by agency, is punishable, for the first offence, by a fine of JS50 and costs, and a second offence is to be punished by im- prisonment while selling adulterated articles with a guilty knowledge is punishable by a fine up to £20. Public analysts must (not may) be appointed and a system of inspection and detection is provided for besides which there are many valuable details in the bill. This measure is of far more .Importance than seems generally to be thought. Why, it will almost produce a revolution in trade, and a very wholesome revolution too. At the present moment it may be said that almost every article capable of adulteration, and worth adulterating, is adulterated. This is not only grossly unjust to the consumer, but it is very unfair to the tradesman that desires to be honourable and just in all his dealings, but who now finds ifc almost absolutely necessary to shut his eyes to the adulteration which he fosters by selling adulterated articles that he is bound to sell at a certain price or give up shop. Adulteration is undoubtedly injurious to the health (and in the case of the adulte- ration of drugs very serious results may follow), but it is far more injurious to the pocket; and we ought to look at the matter in a strict commercial way. When this bill is introduced it should be carefully watched, for if it be first 8arried and then carried out, it will exert an immense influence on society. Some surprise has naturally been expressed that apparently nothing is being done towards carrying out that great scheme to which Parliament last session gave its sanction, the management of the entire tele- graphing system of the country by the Government. There is reason, however, to believe that though nothing is apparently being done, a good deal is really being effected, and that in perhaps another five months or so the arrangements will be completed, and that a Telegraph Department, in conjunction with the Post Office, will be established. Mr. Scudamore, it is to be presumed, will be at the head of the new de- partment. Great efforts are being made by the promoters of the South London Industrial Exhibition to get every- thing ready by the 1st of March. To the nation at large this exhibition cannot be regarded as of much importance, but it is worth noting in this respect—that it will be a genuine working man's exhibition, and women of the working class are, by the way, not ex- cluded. Butitisasirce quanon that every exhibitor shall be *f that class. Hitherto exhibitions have not been of this character. A firm or a company has exhibited and the actual maker of the article exhibited has re- ceived no credit. But in all other respects this ex- hibition will be like the hundred and one industrial exhibitions that have preceded it. "William Roupell, formerly the admired and petted member for Lambeth, has either been actually liberated or is about to be. As his trial was a cause ctiebrc the reader will probably remember that he was s-emunoed to penal servitude fur lve for forgery and fraud. This way in September 1S02, and so he will ha.vliI baA but little more thll.l1 six years of convict l'fe. The only reason given for his discharge i f that the lengthened confinement has dangerously affected his health, and that continued confinement might result in his death. It is worth while to cad to mind that nOJ- long 11.0 a member of an aristocratic family, bearing a very well-known name, was liberated with the arrangement that he should go to Ivein Madeira, although but a small portion of the time of his imprisonment for bigamy had been served. That there is one law for the rich and another for the < v,oor is a very common remark, and sometimes, it can- not be denied, facts warrant the assertion, although it would be more correct to say that the same law is differently administered sometimes according to the position of 11 i j criminal. These two cases would also tend to show that there is one punishment for the aristocratically connected and another for the ordina.'y felon. At all events, I cannot call to mind any case where a convict from among the lower orders has been liberated on the ground that further confinement would result in his death. But there is something to be said on the other side. Nominally the same punishment is infinitely heavier in some cases than in others. There are many perhaps that think, for instance, that six years of the horrors of penal servitude together with the awful punishment involved in the contrast from a previously luxurious life, is adequate to the crime cf which Roupell was found guilty. I see that at the Liverpool Gymnasium there has been formed a velocipede club with presidents, f-ocretary, and instructor, all complete. Why not? I cannot see any just cause or impediment why velocipedes should not come into use. It is said that after a little practice the velocipede rider can with S^reat ease travel ten miles within the hour, aDd that neither arms nor legs are fatigued beyond the healthy glow of exercise. If this be so, why should not those who lire in the suburbs of a town which they have to visit every day travel by velocipedes. It may come to this before long. Perhaps we shall soon see our bank clerks, our merchants, our tradesmen, &c coming into town of a morning at velocipedal speed. There will be some little difficulty perhaps in finding a place for the vehicles. Supposing for example that 100 of the clerks of the London and Westminster Bank were to take it into their heads to come to business in this style, where w>uld they "put up?" This difficulty inight however, be easily overcome in individual cases allll that time may come when eU0urban railwaYi and oianibusses will have to contend against the competi. tion of this new mode of locomotion. A seandal, a nuisance, and a disgrace which has for many years been advertised as one of the entertain- ments ot London, will henceforth be so modified that it will cease to exist in its worse aspects. Two sum- monses having been taken out by the police against the proprietor of a well-known house in London, where ''Judge and Jury" Society, is nightly held, the magistrate has on the second occasion allowed the summons to stand over, on a promise that the objectionable features in the entertainment shall be at once abolished, the police mean- while keeping an eye on the place to see that the promise is fulfilled. The very strong terms in which the magistrate spoke of the horrid indecency of the proceedings is fully borae out by facts, and the only wonder—and it is a disgrace to the police also—is that it has been allowed to exist so long. As a heavy term of imprisonment, however, now hangs over the pro- prietor, we may fairly expect that the "Judge and Jury" Society, in the form in which it has so long cor- rupted the morals of all who have visited it, exists no longer, and the public may be congratulated accord ingly. This fact, taken in connection with the con- tinued prosecution of West-end refreshment houses of a certain character, is very encouraging to those who desire to promote public morality. It may interest even those non-resident in the great metropolis to hear that London is in many ways becoming gradually improved in many respects. The Metropolitan Board of Works recently reported that lli square miles of what may be called metropolitan territory is included in the great main drainage system, but the herculean labour of drainage still goes on, and though the process hi slow, still street after street is ia process of time included in this splendid improve- ment. This has had already a beneficial influence cn j he Thames, but prohibitory measures are still re- quired in reference to continued drainage into the liver. The work of demolishing wretched little alleys and streets also goes on, and here and there a fine street is opened up (the new street from Blackfriars to the Mansion House, for instance, is to be seventy feet broad), the only matter of regret being that the provision for the ousted poor does not keep pace with the pulling down. The work of changing the names of streets where there is more than one of the same name in the same postal district, and of abolishing the innumerable places, terraces, crescents, &c., which were so bewildering, proceeds gradually. The fire-stations and firemen have also been I more than doubled. We shall moreover have two grand improvements in Southwark and Finsbury Parks, both of which will be opened this summer and there is something to rejoice at in the trees which will adorn the Thames Embankment, and the flower garden which will beautify the approaches to the Houses of jj Parliament. And we are to have, too, another large, handsome, general market. From what I have seen; of the designs of the architect, Mr. G. A. Elliott, the I Belgrave Market will not only be an ornament to that I favoured locality Belgravia, but will be of considerable ¡. importance to the food producers of the country and the food consumers of London. It is really marvellous that we have so long submitted to the wretched market "accommodation" as it is facetiously called II which has hitherto disgraced the metropolis. $.
ITiltstflhiiuous Jinfelligciite,
ITiltstflhiiuous Jinfelligciite, HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. COMPARATIVE STATU OF VACCI NATION IN THE THREE KINGDOMS.—From comparative examination I of the records of marks of small-pox and of previous j vaccination among recruits on enlistment, in the A'my I Medical Department Report, from I860 till 1866, it appears that Scotland supplied during five of the I seven years the highest proportion of men bearing marks of small-pox during one year, the lowtst; and in the remaining year is equal with England, both being in that year lower than Ireland. England and I Ireland give each the lowest proportion three times, and each only once stands highest in the list. In j marks of previous vaccination Ireland stands highest in five of the seven years, England in the other two Scotland lowest in five of the seven years, and Eng- land lowest in the other two. In ''no marks," I England stands highest four times, Scotland twics, ( and Ireland only once. So that, in so far as recruits j may be considered to represent the general population of their respective countries, vaccination appears to j be less generally practised in Scotland than in England and in England than in Ireland. This, so far as it f goes, is rather a curious point as one might, a priori, 1 be inclined to expect that attention to vaccination would extend more readily among the less generally educated Irish. We remember hearing many years i* ago, from a friend, how he had met vehement and sue- ces«ful opposition to his proposal to vaccinate the child j of the precentor of a Scotch kirk, who, himself bli- d from small-pox, considered vaccination to be a fly- ing in the face of Providence." ) WHAT NEXT?—A machine is in use at Mel- bourne for shearing sheep by steam. It is made of brass, something in the shape of a small trowel the motion is got up by a turbine wheel about three inches in diameter and this is geared into another wheel on which is fixed a cutter in front is a comb, which serves as a guide, and against cutting the skin of the sheep. The steam is conveyed from the boiler by a tube of indiarubber. This tube or pipe is double, having one ) inside the other; the inner one is the injection, and the space between the two is the ejection. The machine is used in the same fashion as the shears, but cuts much quicker and far cleaner, without the least danger of injuring the fleece or the sheep. TRUE FRENCH POLITENESS r An amusing result of the passport system is reported from Paris. A certain mayor had to make out a passport for a certain duchess. The duchess was wealthy the mayor was in her service. The duchess was something of a coquette; the mayor was anxious to gratify her humour. But the duchess was one-eyed, and the mayor had a difficulty in making out the passport. How was he to describe her eyes? He entered them in the schedule as follows :—Eyes—dark, beautiful, soft, full of exprt.jsion—one of thein being absent." This is surely the triumph of courtesy, and worthy of the nation that plumes itself on its politeness. LYNCHING A NEGRO.—The American papers report the following :— A negro named Yandberg went to the house of William Smith, an employe of the Mississippi Central Railroad, and after a desperate struggle succeeded in outraging the person of Mrs. Smith, but not before he had strangled her little daughter until she was irsensib1e. As soon as it was day- light, Mr?. Smith alarmed the neighbours. The marshal of the town started in pursuit of Vandberg and succeeded in capturing him. On arriving in town with the prisoner it was with the greatest difficulty the marshal succeeded in keep- ing the negroes, who had assemble* from burning him. He was finally pi iced in gaolfor safe keeping. That night, how- ever, the Ku-K.'ug in strong force took him out and hung him.' Next morning Mr. Smith returned home. He became almost a maniac on hearing of affairs, and taking a rifle went to the place where the nody was stiil hanging and cut it down. He then gathered some rails and built a Are upon the body. While the tire was burning, Smith danced about it like a madman. DISCOVERY OF ANOTHER DIAMOND AT THE CAPE.—We are happy in being able to announce that another diamond has reached the Cape Town from the neighbourhood of the Orange River (writes the Cope Argus). It is described as by far the most beautiful of the gems which have yet been found. Although a small one, weighing only four carats, it has been valued at a high figure. Several conflicting reports are in circulation as to the place at which it was fuund. Our own correspondent at Coles berg, in communicating the fact, says:—" Mr. O'Reilly says he had it from a Kafir, who said that he picked it up on the banks of the Hart River. If this is true, it is important, as pointing towards the spot from which the diamonds that have been found have probably descended." It is to be regrttt.d that hitherto no systematic inspection of the oountiy by a competent authority has been urdortaken. although the fact of so many valuable stones being found is indisputable. Most of the diamonds which have been discovtred up to the present time have been purchased by his Ex- cellency the Governor, and Mr. Wollaston, who goes to England by the present m?il steamer, has received his Excellency's permission to exhibit them to in- terested persons. PROFITS OF LONDON CROSSING-SWEEPERS.—A writer in the Daily News, having, as he thought, been on the safe side in mentioning six shillings as the pro- bable minimum value of a certain crossing-sweeping near the Clubs, a competent authority, Mr. H. Cecil Sykes, of the Committee of the Crossing-Sweepers' Brigade, says that the writer's conception of the sub- ject was lamentably poor and inadequate. He has had to do with dozens of boys who have followed crossing- sweeping as an occupation, and he vouches for the fol- lowing facts :— One boy who has swept a triangular crossing in the neighbourhood of Camden-towu for fifteen years, states that one Christmas morning he earned thirty shillings before dinner. Another, hardly as tall as' his broom, earned fifteen shillings in the two hours preceding Divine service. Many such extraordinary harvests are on record while all nay informants agree that for a boy who sticks to his work, in any neighbourhood, two, three, and four shillings a day are the average earnings, according to the tact and address of the youngster. The boys in uniform, belonging to the Brigade, bring home no such sums nightly, though it seems impossible to ascertain what they actually receive. They seldom make their appearance with more than the regulation tenpence demanded for their keep. To show the way in which people encourage mendicancy, Mr. Cecil Sykes mentions that some actually give the boys money not to be put into their boxes, as their rule requires, but to spend on themselves, and adds what can we do when thwarted by such pig-headed stupidity ?" "DANCING MAD." — Communications from Vienna give the following particulars relative to the quarrel amongst some of the soldiers. A number of Polish hulans and Hungarian hussars were together at a dancing-room, when, after a waltz, the former called l for a muzurka, their national dance the others im- mediately demanded the czardasck, which holds the same estimation amongst the Magyars. Gradually the cries increased, and oil the men losing their tem- I pers, a collision ensued. The hussars who had their sabres attacked the others who were unarmed, but who speedily sought their swords and pistok and the ficht became general. The efforts of the officers who hastened to the spot, were unavailing to calm the effervescence until a body of infantry was brought, who, with bayonets fixed, penetrated into the house and, getting between the combatants put an end to the contest. Two hus-ars were found to have been mortally wounded, and eleven of their adversaries more i or less seriously injured. A NEW BONNET MATERIAL.—At a meeting of the Royal Botanical Society on Saturday, the assistant secretary, Mr. Sowerby, exhibited a bonnet which had been received from Jamaica. It was made of a novel material, said to be the skin of the leaf of the Indian dagger plant. Mr. Sowerby had found, by microsco- pical examination, that the substance agreed in struc- ture with the cuticle of the Yucca. The skin has the appearance of glazed tissue paper or very thin wood shavings. As it is exceedingly fragile, it would scarcely be suitable for clothing which is meant to be of any durability. The largest samples are 1 to 2 feet long, and as many inches broad. GOOD NEWS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS.—The New York Tribune says :— The short-hand reporters of this city who use the phono- graphic system, hive resolved themselves into a league or guild, the object being to advance the interests of their craft. The demand for first-class phonograpliers increases each year their services being found of great value in all the law courts, where the preservation of verbatim reports of testimony materially expedites business. The pay of good short hand reporters is from 4,000 dols. to 0,000 dols. a-year, and there is not a sufficient number of properly qualified members of the profession in this city. In view of the needs of the future it is proposed to teach the art of phonographic writing to the advanced pupils of the public schools. A BANK MANAGER CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLE- MENT.—The late manager of the Conideton branch of the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank was examined before the local magistrates on Saturday on a charge of embezzlement. The defendant had dis- counted various bills of exchange, but had returned to the bank a smaller amount of discount than he had actually received which was the misappropriation complained of. It was alleged, however, that these were personal transactions, for which he, and not the banlc, was liable, and in proof of this it was alleged that when any of these bills were dishonoured he paid the amount out of his private means. The magistrates committed the case for trial, but accepted small bail for the defendant. Tula's CHANGES !—A leading Vienna journal, in an article highly flattering to the Emperor of the French, and eulogistic on his Speech from the Throne, remarks that— "Thirty years since a Liberal movement in Paris was enough to shake the world. Paris was then the capital of the fashions ill politics as well as in women's dress. At pre- sent its sovereignty in the former capacity is dead and gone We have got rid ot these influences from beyond the Rhine, and we now cut our political liberties atler a fashion of our own. The domestic politics of France have ceased to affect us." "Who would have thought twenty-five years ago," exclaims the Journal des Dibats, that France would one day be bantered in this style by the Austrians ?, ROMAN CATHOLIC PEERS.—It appears from the official record of the Roman Catholic community in this country that the peerage of the three kingdoms includes at present thirty Roman Catholics, against sixteen at the time when the Emancipation Act was passed, forty years ago. It must be observed, how- ever, that several peerages, such as those of Beau- mont, Camoys, Herries, Bellew, and Lovat, have either been called out of abeyance or created since that data. The Earldom of Shrewsbury is ao longer held by a Roman Catholic, but, on the other hand, Archbishop Manning can boast of such converts as Lord Bute, Lord Denbigh, and Lord Gainsborough. FRENCH ANECDOTES.—The French newspapers au, never great in new?, but they are prodigiously great in anecdote; and we may quote two. though each for a different reason. The first is the r-port of a conversation between the Empress and the Princess Clothilde The Empress complained of the greit fatigue of the re- ceptions at Court, and asked the Prnctss whether she did not feel it also. The Princess, who is proud of her anc'ent lineage, is reported to hive replied, with a covert reflection on the Empress, "Oh, no, j our Majesty for I have been used to it from my infancy." There is not much, perhaps, in this hit; but it is worth quoting as indicating the tone of the French press. AVith all her beauty and grace, the Empress is not too popular in France journalists are not unwilling to be somewhat uncourtly in their references to her, and they have some liberty to be thus critical. The other anecdote has quite another kind of in- terest. It is interesting chiefly as bearing on the question of national humour, and is reported with much merriment in all the French journals :— The mother lost her little by, and was inconsolable. Some one carne to comfnrt her, dwelt 011 the goodness of the chil l, and reminded her that he was tlwn happy with the saints in h'i"s. c. Oh ye. cried the afflicted mother, "he is iu heaven but Tommy a: ways was a shy hoy, as shy can be al1d he's uow amOl1g perfect strangers vh dear 011 dear Our French friends are greatly tickled with the sim- plicity of this reply, and go on repeating it on all sides. BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY !—A letter to the Journal do Recife states the following :— Delfina Itodrigues Seabra, a widow, upwards of 100 yea1 s of age, residing on the grazing farm called Cacllneira (10 Roberto, had by her marriage from Roberto Ilamos 1), Si v,i, 17 child] en, and from them count-1 more than 1\!0 ¡¡rillHlchil- dren, upIVards of 300great-grandchildren, and some jflO!.(reat- ireat-gran ichililren, some of which Jast bave children. With herself, her family is composed of about 600 persons. Delfina stid goes to church to kneel at the mas", but C;1JJllot, however, walk there herself, and is therefore carried In a sedan chair. She still possesses her intellectual faculties and ha3 givcllmany proofs of this. DEATH FROM CHLOROFORM.—An inquest has been held in Leeùs, on the bodv of Janits ¿ (.}reg,on, aged forty-nine, a mechanic. On Thursday last the man submitted to an operation at the Infirmary, which was performed by Mr. Wheelhouse and :Mr. Teale, and at his own request was put under chloroform, which Mr. Bradley, the house surgeon, administered. Two or three minutes after the opera- tion had been concluded, Mr. Bradley felt the patient's pulse suddenly stop; and immediate efforts were made to restore animation, but although these Were continued about half an hour they were without avail. The jury returned a verdict finding that death bad occurred from the effects of chloroform acting upon the diseased state of the heart, and expressing the opinion that due care had been exercised in the administration of the chloroform. HopiNG ON !—The birthday of Francis II., ex-King of Naples (18th inst.), was duly commemorated at the Farnese Palaee. In the morning the King re- ceived a deputation of Neapolitans and Sicilians, who presented him with adllrpsses from the principal cities of his old kingdom, bearing altogether 200,000 signa- tures. The deputation, after reading the addresses, expressed a hope that the present year would terminate the usurpation which separated the King from his faithful subjects, and restore him to the throne of his ancestors. Francis II., in his reply, said that God permitted disasters to occur for the good of man, so the past would be instructive both to his beloved sub- jects and himself, and he should return to them to form ties which the whole world could not break. He added that he shared their hope that ihe present year would brinsr about this result, for which he prayed unceasingly to God and he should look for it with more con- fidence after receiving these addresses. THE BALLOT INEVITABLE.—The London cor- respondent of the Liverpool Albion writes :— It is the opinion of aU well-informed Liberals here that the ballot is inevitable. The proceedings of some of the recent elections have converted some of its most conscientious opponents, Mr. Bruce among the number. In this, as in most other matters of public policy, there is a choice of evils, and what we shall have to Ilo is to choose the side in which there are the fewer. The ba1lot may and probably will lead to an increase of ordinary lying and of hypocrisy, but as against these disadvantages there will be less perjury, and infinitely less bribery, and we shall have people voting for those wh m they really wish to see returned. Before the present Parliament expires we shall in all probability have the ballot, and a measure to tix on cOtwties anù boroughs the expenses of the election of their members. AN INCIDKNT OF LIFE IN LONDON.—A corre- spondent writes :— "Some years ago a respected citizen, died, not making a will; his wife and children stepped in to administer; but another wife and other children also made their claim. It was th, n discovered that this steady man had two homes, and that he spent a quiet domestic life, turn and turn about, at either. In each he hail a wife and in each a grown- up family. The second wife knew nothing of the first; the first had never dreamed of the second; but each regarded him as a commercial traveller, bound by business to make occasional journeys from home. The anecdote illustrates the more than geographical distance that separates one part of London from another, and the possibilities of concealment. THii SCJRK SIGN OF DEATH.—The Marquis d'Ourches, by his will, founded a prize of 20,000 fr. for the discovery of a sure and simple means of recog- nising if death be real or apparent. Dr. Carriere (says the Courrier de V Eure) intends to claim the money for a process which he has employed for forty years. This system consists in placing the hand, with the finger-, closed, before the flame of a lamp or e:md!e. In the living person the meiub-rs are transparent and of a pinkish color, showing the capillary circulation and life in full activity whilst in that of a corpse, on the contrary, all is dull and dark, presenting neither sign of existence nor trace of the blood cunent. Tins ESTATES OF DRUMMOND CASTLE.—A case of importance was on Friday disposed of hy the Court of Session, in Edinburgh. The Second Division sent out of court, on a preliminary objection to his title to sue, the Earl of Perth, who has-recently appeared as a claimant to the extensive estates of Drummond Castle, in Perthshire, held by the trustees of the late Lady Willoughby d'Eresby. These estates came into the hands of the Crown on the forfeiture in 1746 of Lord John Drummond, brother of the third Duke of Perth, who became apparent heir to the said estates at the death of the duke in May of that year. The estates were granted by the Crown to Lord Perth, father of the late Lady Willoughby, in 1785. The pursuer maintained that the estates had not been af- fected by the Act of Attainder of 1740, and were still in the hcereditas jacens of the third duke but the Court refused to give effect to this contention. A MURDERER TRACKED BY THE DOG OF HIS VICTIM.—A man nameel Legrand was tried a few days since at Melun for the murder at Coulommiers of Felicie Bouery, aged 18, daughter of an innkeeper of that neighbourhood. This crime was a cruel act of vengeance the father of the deceased had put an execution into the premises of the accused, a wheel- wright, to obtain payment of £7 for wood supplied to him, and Legrand, in order to be revenged on Bouery, laid wait for the daughter and cut her throat. A woman who had been attracted to the spot by the cries of the deceased, saw the murderer escape into a wood, followed for a few seconds by a dog which belonged to the young woman; the animal then returned to pro- tect the body of his mistress, but shortly after, accom- panied by several persons, he was again put on the track, which he followed to a copse, where he com- menced barking on the spot being searched Legrand was discovered in an abandoned marlpit, standing up to his middle in water, in which he had probably entered for the purpose of cleansing the traces of the crime from his clothes. He at once gave himself into custody, and confessed his guilt. He was now con- demned to hard labour for life. THE MILD "WINTER. —I cannot conceive what is coming to the weather (says a humorous writer in Land and Water, writing before the welcome frost commenced). I suppose the clerk thereof is indisposed, and cannot attend to his work. Warm Januaries like the present are by no means desirable. During the present month the temperature has been unusually high. The thermometer marked at Vienna, on the 7th of December, 15.6 centigrade (GO Fahrenheit) above zero. So high a temperature at this period of the year has not been observed in that city since 1775. Warm Januaries have, however, occurred before. We read that the January of 1662 was as warm as the middle of May or June, so that a fast was proclaimed, and prayers read in the churches for more seasonable weather. Apples were growing at the time. My own opinion is that the Gulf Stream has got into a kink (as the sailors say) somewhere. THE MAKING OF GOLD CHAINS.—At a quar- terly meeting of the Birmingham Assay Masters, it has been resolved" that the guardians see IJO reason for departing from the present practice of the Bir- mingham Assay-office in the assaying and marking of gold chains—namely, to assay only such gold chains a.s are of such fashion and make as to allow of their being satisfactorily assayed and marked on every link the bars, the swivels, and the links are assayed sepa- rately, and the standard mark is struck upon eyery link as well as upon the bar and swivel." This deci- sion will be a great security, so far as the public is concerned. BABEL IN EOME.—A letter from Rome, in the Monde, has the following :— In compliance with a usage which dates from a very re- mote period, the pupils of the celebrated College of the Pro- paganda, placed under the direction of Cardinal Barnabo, gave an interesting sitting of the polyglot ac,demy just before the Epiphany. the proceedings, which took place 011 Sunday, and were repeated on the following day, drew together, ail usual, a numerous and distinguished au,litOJ y. Amongst the persons present were cardinals, prelates, princes, and personages belonging to high Roman and foreign society. This intellectual exhibition is assuredly most curious. To hear thirty two different languages, or idioms, spoken by young men belonging to nearly all the nations of Europe, and a great number of those of Asia, Africa, America, and Oceania, is not an ordinary enjoyment. This event occurs only in the Eternal City, and is repeated but once a year—always d the same period of the year. The entire universe, so to speak, by the representatives of so many tongues, comes at the Epipl anv. as did formerly the Magi, to adorn the redee uer, and address to him the ho mage of its vows and science. On the present occasion the display was considered unusually successful. A REMARKABLE MARRIAGE.—In the chapel of the Tuileries, in Paris, there was solemnised, on Sunday week, a marriage—one of the prettiest mar- riages, so far as the nam s of the contracting parties Ro, which it has ever been our lot to record. The Prince de la Moskwa was married to Madame la Comtessee deLabedoycre. Eh bien the cynic may say, with a slirug and a yawn what then ?" It is a 'marriage in high life"—no more. Princes marry countesses every day. Ere now, they have been known to marry chambermaids. Nevertheless, the marriage of Sunday week has a significance, when the names of the bride and bridegroom are remembered, that is at once historic and pathetic (says the Daily /ehyruph). 1 ifty-three years fgo, on a dark December morning, armed men bearing lanterns brought forth from his cell, in the palace-prison of the Luxembourg, a stout, simple, bourgeois-looking ma.n in civilian's garb, who had been doomed to death by the Bourbon's Court of Peers. They conducted him to a remote corner of the Luxembourg-gardens, close to the Boulevard de rObservatoire. Then they set him un—he refused to have his eyes bandaged-and a file of grenadiers shot him to death. The victim's name was Michael Nev, a poor peasant's Ron of Strre-Louis, hut famous through- out the world as Duke of Ebhingen, as Prince of Moscow, as "Bravest of the Brave." He fought at Waterloo. Could the great British Captain who won that fight have saved the life of the heroic Frenchman in December ? It matters little now. Ney had got to die and he died as he had lived. Very shortly after 11's execution, another sacrifice wa3 made to the offended majesty of Bourbon ism. The brave Colonel Labédoyère, one of the 1HOSt devoted among N ;.tpol.on' adherents, was tried by military commission, found guilty of treason, condemned to death, and shot. Need we say anything more to show the interest, both historic and pathetic, which must cling to that mar- riage in the Tuileries, where, under the auspices of the Third Napoleon, the heir of Marshal Ney was wedded to the widow of Labedoyere's son ? MR. GLADSTONE AND SYSTEMATIC BENEFI- CENCE. — Mr. Gladstone, in a letter to the secretary of the Systematic Beneficence Society, says :— I cordially approve of the principle involved in a combina- tion, in which each person binds himself simply to this to devote to the purpose of alms, that is, as I understand it, of religion and btnevolence, a minimum proportion of liis income. I do not understand that all need fix the same, nor th:>t we need lcnow what another fixes; and the only guarantee "ou d be in the honourable bond to fulfil a mutual engagement. Further. I conceive that this is a plan wltich involves no controversial question whatever, and that all who app: oveof the nriecipl may with perfect consistency join in it, whatever their religious profession. Adhering as I do to this b sis. I should vie>»- with satisfaction ail measures calcu- lated to facilitate or extend action founded on it. What those measures liould be I must leave to others more expe- rienced and competent and less occupied to determine. I remain, faithfully yours, W. E. GLADSTONE. THE CROWX PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA AND MR. R RIG HT. I n responding to a vote of thanks accorded to him for delivering a iecture at Rochdale, on Cob- b tt," the other evening, Professor Rogers said, he might be permitted to tell them a story, which he heard from the lips of his illustrious friend, their townsman, Mr. John Bright. He told him (the speaker) that when he was introduced into that most honourable position which he now occupied, and when, thereupon, he was brought into the comxiany of his sovereign and her family, he spoke to one of the royal princesses in relation to her eldest sister in this fashion —that he hoped that now she lived in a foreign land she had not lost her sympathy and interest in the country of her birth and that princess answered, "No, indeed. There is one institution in which she takes profound interest, and that, I believe, is your native town—the Equitable Pioneers of Rochdale."— (Cheers). THE QTIEEN AND THE LATE 8LR RICHARD MAYNE.—The following official communication appears in the police orders :— Metropolitan Police Office, January 21. Death of Sir R. >lavne, K.C.B. Message from Her Majesty the Queen. It is with great satisfaction that the acting commissioner has received ller Majesty's gracious permission to make known to the police the terms of sympathy in which it has pleased her to express herself in reference to the late commissioner of police, as conveyed in a letter from General Grey to the Secretary 6f State for the Home Department" The Queen desires me to say how grieved and concerned she is to hear of Sir R. Mayne's death. Notwithstanding the attacks lately made upon him. Her Majesty believes him to have been a most efficient head of the police, and to have discharged the duties of his important situation most ably and satis- factorily in very difficult times."—D. LABALMONDIERE. A NEW ZKALAND MASSACRE.—The Australian and New Zealand pap rs contain accounts of the late massacre at Poverty Bay. The settlement was, it ap- pears, attacked suddenly at 3 a m. —an hour before day- break—on the 10th of November. There had been no preparation made for defence, and the settlers were all living, with their wives and children, at their scattered homesteads, believing that the rebels were miles away. The Maoris, who are stated to have been the prisoners who escaped from Chatham Island, went from house to house slaughtering all the inhabitants, men, women, and children. The list of killed and wounded, in- cluding twenty friendly Maoris, amounts to fifty-four. Amongst the names mentioned are those of Major and Mrs. Biggs, and child; Lieutenant and Mrs. Walsh, and child Mr. Dodd, Mr. Peppard, Mr. Cadle, and Mr. and Mrs. Mann, and child. Detailed lists of the persons massacred are not, however, given. MR. JACOB BRIGHT ON EDUCATION.—In a speech upon education, delivered in Manchester a few nights ago, Mr. Jacob Bright, M.P., spoke of the im- portance of parents seeing that the education which their children obtained at school was supplement, and sustained afterwards by reading at home. Let them, he said, not be afraid of novels vr anything that would attract the young to read. He would have boys and girls attracted by amusing and interesting reading, so that it came to them easily, and they would enjoy what they read. He believed that the reason other countries were in advance of us in respect of educatinn was that here the matter had been left to the people themselves, and in those other countries to which he had referred, the education of the people had been amongst the first work which it had been thought proper that statesmen and Parliaments should accomplish. We required an educated people, and he should be greatly disappointed at the recent political change, unless in a few sessions of Parliament we could accomplish a revolution in the matter. TEACHING THE DUMB TO SPEAK.—A very interesting meeting took place on Sunday at the Jews' Deaf and Dumb House, in London, to witness the examination of the inmates of the institution, who number nine girls and four boys, under the manage- ment of Mr. Van Prague. The children being intro- duced, were put under examination in speaking and lip reading, reading and writing, as well as other branches of education, and exemplified in a most un- mistakahle manner, not only the proficiency which they had attained ill articulating words, Imt also as tu their meaning, wLieh they wrote down after uttering them. This was the first examinati n, as the home had only been il/stjtuted eighteen months. Baroness Meyer de Rothschild's prize (value £ 5) was then pre- sented by the Rev. Dr. Adler to a girl only twelve years of age, who audi1 dy expressed her thanks to the patroness of the institution. The meeting was ad- dressed by the Chief Rabbi and several other gentlemen, and the proceedings terminated. LOC=IL TAXATION AND A NATIONAL POOR RATE.—The Worcestershire Chamber of Agriculture has held a. meeting to discuss the questions of local taxa- tion and a national poor rate. Lord Lyttelton and Mr. Knight. M.P., were among those present. Mr. Knight, M.P., spoke strongly in favour of a general revision of the system of rating, and said the farmers should vote for the ejection of any Ministry who would not give the subject of taxation their careful consideration, with a view to remedy the many ano- malies and hardships it entailed. The meeting unani- mously resolved that the present system of rating is unjust, and demands the immediate attention of the Legislature. In some subsequent remarks Lord Lyttelton declined to go as far as Mr. Knight had gone, but he was of opinion that the burden of taxa- tion was not equally divided. Of late years there had been great changes for the better, but to obtain equal justice in this country took a long time. His lordship hoped for a general revision of taxation, and proposed, That every effort should be made to give effect to the report of the Lords' Committee on Poor Rates in the year 1850, Lord Portman. chairman, 'That the relief of the poor is a national object, towards which every description of property ought to be called upon to contribute. The meeting unanimously adopted the resolutions. FATHER IGNATIUS. Orthodox" Dissentere will be flattered on learning that they are patronised by Father Ignatius. The "Father" followed up his lecture on the "Evangelicals" with a discourse on the Christianity of Dissenters," and delivered his sentiments on this subject arrayed in the garb of a Benedictine monk. The lecturer, we are told, divided Dissenters into orthodox and heterodox; placing in the first class all who were sound upon the doctrines of the Incarnation and Atonements, such as Wes- leyans. Baptists, and the like; and in the second all who were unsound, such as Socinians and Unitarians. With the former he allied himself and the better to show his love for them, he threw overboard as "trumpery" all his former cherished doctrines of Tratisubstantiation, Invocation of Saints, &c. The lecture, Bays the reporter, was a most rambling pro- duction, and was delivered without the speaker's wonted fire and eloquence. A GOOD INVESTMENT.—A tradesman in New- bury had some handbills printed some time since advertising a particular article of merchandise for which he wished to make his establishment famous. and at the end of the year he found he had sold £200 worth of the article in question more than usual—not a bad return for the six shillings the handbills had cost him. THE NE PLUS ULTRA OF ECONOMY.—The fol- lowing conversation is reported to have taken place during the last ball at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, be- tween two ladies who had been at school together, but had not met for many years :— "Are you happy?" "I have a good husband." "How much does he allow for your toilette J" Ten thousand francs" (£400; It isn't much, but when oi:e is economi- cal "—" And you, my dear ?" Ah, I have a miser for a hus- band. There he JS, with his bunchy red whiskers, looking at me with one eye closed." "Why does he not look at you with both 1" "My dear, he is too much of a miser." AN INNOCENT REVENGE.—" Revenge," says the proverb, is sweet." Different menliave diiierent ways of showing it. My friend Brown's way is harm- less and humorous (says a writer in C'assell s Magazine). Two Joneses live next door to each other, and having to call on one of them, Brown of course went to the wrong house. A crabbed servant answered the bell, and on Brown's asking, "Is this Mr. John Jones's," she replied snappishly, as if she had been bothered with many such inquiries, No, it awt," and slammed the door in his face. Brown walked on a hundred yards or so, when a bright thought struck him. He returned at once, and rang the same bell again. Again the crabbed servant appeared. Who said it was ? asked Brown triumphantly, and instantly walked away. RKMARKABLE PACT. — The inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of the woman named Robertson, who, it will be rem em bered, was killed by a blow from her husband's fist at hitehaven, has brought out a rather remarkable fact. The woman had followed her husband, a sailor, into a public-house, and he, in a moment of passion, struck her a violent blow behind the ear, and she died almost instantaneously. Upon a post-mortem examination of the body being made it was found that the woman's skull was unusually thin upon that part on which the blow had been struck. There was almost as much difference in thickness, one of the medico witnesses told the coroner's jury, between the woman a .skull in that place and a normal skull as there is between a man's hat and an ordinary table, so that the brain might be considered unprotected there, whereas that part of the skull was usually thick. The man has been committed for trial on the charge of man- slaughter TELEGRAPHIC BLUNDERS.—Mr. Reuter has for- warded a copy of a despatch which was sent out to India :— Dec. 22.—Ministers re-elected- Gladstone promised large reduction expenditure, remedy grievances ratepaying clauses, secure free voting repudiated analogy Churches England Ireland Bright explained why lie declined India Office believed opinion* on Indian Government n 1 were soniul but in. advance public S'-ninn <„t. I¡.. tll;:ti not freely superintend adm aibtr.nioii who»e princii<> ('c' con- demned and unable amend. Moreover not seemly con- nect himself with great military departments Indian Government. Allocution Pope deplores bvi.s Church in Spain. Enghmd .Frauce Austria lleclinell protect lllterc5ts excelled Oreeks. WHERE WILL IT ESD !—It was an old rule that a cobbler should stick to his last; hut the rule, as is too well known, is not expected to apply to all per-ons (in the full acceptation of the term) says the Pall Mall Gazette. Governesses, for instance, are expected to do a great many things which seem to be only distantly connected with their proper duties and the following advertisement from The Times shows that the range of a schoolmaster's functions is widening:- "Grammar School, Warminster.Wanted immediately, a Second Assistant Master, to teach thoroughly writing and arithmetic, also junior English subjects. Must be a good cricketer and round-arm bowler. Character to bear the strictest investigation. Salary £40, increas- ing to £ 60, &c." A good cricketer and round-arm bowler would probably find it more profitable to embrace cricket as a profession. He would not be so much halrassed by the" junior English subjects," he would most likely make more money, and he would not have his character so strictly investigated. Of course if a master happens to be a good cricketer, and likes to give his hoys the benefit of his abilities in that line, there cannot be the least objection but if cricketing accomplishments are m1de a sint quÛ non, tlwy ought to be paid for as an additional branch of education. SINGULAR DI-COVERY. — Within the past week a number of hodies of French prisoners coofined at Oh itham during' the' Clmtjuental war have been brought to view. During the time the prisoners were kept on board the hulks in Chatham Harbour those who died were interred in a portion of the marsh land adjoining the Medway, which is still known as the number of bodies being com- puted at about, 2,000. Owing to the gradual washing away of the banks ofthe river, and the now constant inun- dation of the ad j acent marshes much of "Prisoners Bank" has disappeared, while a large number of bodies have been exposed to view. The land has become the pro- perty of the Rochester and Chatham Gas Company, and on the attention of the Secretary of State being directed to the circumstance, a letter has lately been received from the Home Office, inquiring whether the Gas Company would allow the bodies to be exhumed with a view to their being re-interred elsewhere. To this communication a reply has been forwarded autho- rising the taking of such steps as might be deemed advisable, and preparations are accordingly being made by the authorities for burying the bodies in a more suitable spot in the locality. How THEY MANAGE IN FRANCE.—One of the forms of electoral corruption in France has been illus- trated by some recent disclosures. It would appear thatM. Granier de Cassagnac, in consequence of reve- lations concerning his private character, is by no means sure of retaining his seat at the general electlol18. The Minister of Public Worship has, however, already come to his assistance with 7,000 francs in aid of a steeple, and has given the people of Plaisance to under- stand that they are indebted for this sum to their representative. By order of the maire. the following announcement was placarded through the town— Eternal gratitude to our honourable deputy, who, by his great influence, has obtained this hand- some subsidy."
THE EMPEROR'S NEXT MOVE.
THE EMPEROR'S NEXT MOVE. The Spectator fancies that the Emperor Napoleon sees signs of his decline, wrestles with himself and France to disprove them, will finally, in some supreme effort to be rid of them, shake the world. What direction that effort will take remains a secret probably even to himself. Were he what he was at fifty, it would be Socialist. No effoit, say many French observers, would dislodge the man who abolished the mortgages on French peasant properties, a proposal which has three times emerged under one form or another into half light. Were he lessbitteriyassatled, were parties less irreconcilable, and feuds less savage, it would be the grant of "liberty," that is, of an American constitution, with a free legislature and a. free press, but an irremovable President. Napoleon could interpret the wishes of a legislature as readily as those of France, and he is no Andrew Johnson, to defy instead of leading representatives. Being as he is, his probable course is a great foreign enterprise. which shall once, more let France feel that she is still first-as she estimates primacy—among the nations of the world. It is to this resolve that all symptoms tend, but this resolve is not taken yet; the Emperor still "hopes," firmly hopes," honestly hopes, that if he can but wait, if time will but fight for him, it may never be unavoidable. But does time ever fight, for a living man, an existing being, a working organism ? That is the question Napoleon III., like Philip II.— so like and so unlike him, the lemur of the Cajsarist family- has now to decide, and one fears he will find that the truth is in Louis Blanc's wisest apophthegm, "Edifices have duration, it is only ruins which have eternity."
HONOUR SATISFIED!
HONOUR SATISFIED! A duel has been recently fought at Florence, be- tween Deputy MoreHi and CofumendatorePaternostro. The cause of the encounter was a political dispute, followed by a threat on the part of one controversialist, and a blow promptly administered by the other, who put in action what his opponent had only expressed in words. Such an occurrence might fairly have led to an appeal to a magistrate, or to the intervention of friends and an apology on the part of the offender; but in Italy the insult could only be washed out in blood. Accordingly a duel was fought, the par- ticulars of which are minutely recorded by four deputies who acttd as seconds to the two disputants, and by them given to the world with an amusing air of gravity and importance. The four chroniclers state that on the morning of the 13th inst., Deputy Morelli and Commandatore Paternostro, accompanied by their respective seconds and by two' surgeons, met in a rural spot near the Castle of Malman- tile. The principals were left to the cheerful society of the doctors, while the seconds proceeded to seL-ct and mark the ground. When these necessary pre- limillarie8 had been attended to, the adversaries were conducted to the scene of action. The pistols which they used and the stations they occupied were selected by lot, and at a distance of thirty paces they confronted each other, both being armed with the weapon with which their wounded honour was to be appeased. Six times did Commendatore Paternostro and Signor Mo- relli fire at one another, and six times on each side did the shots miss their aim. Yet, as before firing, the two com- batants were allowed to traverse, in equal parts, a dia- tance of ten paces, the actual ground which separated them measured only twenty paces. Once the Com- mendatore's pistol exploded before he could take aim, and once the Deputy missed fire, but the fact still re- mains, that the two men fired altogether ten times. without even singeing a hair or a whisker. This was certainly a remarkable duel, and one quite worthy of a place among the exploits of a certain Spani-h knight-errant of gallant memory. The seconds themselves appuar to have been lost in wonder and admiration. So impressed were they with the courageous bearing of the two gentlemen under a tire so protracted in its duration, and happily so fruitless in its results, that they decided against continuing the contest, although the combatants were doubtless ready for another hour's practice. This was a wise deternn- nation, although the reasons they give for it may by some be regarded as f intastic, and by others as imparting to the whole proceeding a broadly comic aspect. After the lifili discharge, they say. c lisideriiig that the two adveisaries had exhibited a sangfroid superior to all CIJCOmiUU1, tltat the risk encountered had lJeen veiy great, for the last shots especially passed very close—Deputy j Morelli, for example, was stained with the earth thrown up by one of the projectiles, which fell close at his foot—con- sidering that the intrepidity thus displayed for nearly an J hour before an adverse pistol's mouth charged six time* ) successively is a thing lefleeting honour upon any gentle- mau; considering that tli^object of going out is to ele ate dignity, ami not at all haz iros to perpetrate revere— a re- venge which, after such long attempts by the two adver- saries, woulll h ive b-come transformed into a deed of in- | defend ,Ie ferocity—in consequence of the authoritative initiative of General 4s«anti, seconded by Deputy tfamb-i an initiative which ended by overcoming the resistance which from a diversity, not of opinions but of position as regards the quarrel, was made for some time by the honourable deputies Botta and Olivieii—the four seconds I undersigned have dwciared that honour wus fully satisfied, and ordered the cessation of the flriiif;, convinced that they had fulfilled a duty which they cohLi not have accorded without placing themselves in the most direct opposition with their own conscience a' gentlemen and as soldiers. These are the reasons assigned for the judgment of I the seconds that the honour of the parties was "fully satisfied"—the honour of the individual who received th« blow as well as that of his assailant.
MORE GOLD-FIELDS IN AUSTRALIA.
MORE GOLD-FIELDS IN AUSTRALIA. An important ne v gold-field has been recently dis- covered at Spring Creek, in M'lvor district. There is already a population of over 6,000 on the spot and in covered at Spring Creek, in M'lvor district. There is already a population of over 6,000 on the spot and in the neighbourhood, and the number i< rapidly in- creasing. A township is about to be proclaimed there, ar;d the streets are already laid out by the surveyors. The latest reports inform us that three miles of ground are being worked, and a much larger quantity is being "prospected." Most of the miners are doing well, some of them making from loz, to 3oz. to the load of i wash dirt, from a linking of from Soft, too-tft., through cement, 35ft. of gravel, and a lighter sandy drift." This field is described as a good poor man's diggings"—i.e., notrequiring the aid of large capitalists —and as likely to afford remunerative em- ployment to a considerable population for many years to clme. Another new rush has oc- curred at Berlin, near Inglewood, where some new around of extraordinary richness has been discovered. | The almost daily" finds" of large nuggets here has been a leading topic in the local journals for the last month. Several of the larger have varied in weight from lOoz. to 17lb., and one lump unoarthed at (J-il- more's Gully weighed ^21b. The simultaneous occur- rence of these two large rushes's somewhat unfor- tunate for the farmers, who are just now harvesting, and, who find great difficulty in getting hands at any reasonable rate of wages. A farmer in the Lake Cooper district writes as follows, under date of December 3 :— I shall commence cutting wheat ou Wednesday next, if I can get hands sufficient for binding. There is great scarcity of labour here at present, all the men having left for the Spring Creek diggings, about 25 miles distant. The crops have ripened during the last week much faster than they were expected, and every farmer in the district would be harvesting it he could set hands. The few men that are 1-11 here are asking from 10s. to 12s. a day and ration*, (vyhat would the Rev. Canon Girdlestone's rural friends in the Wett of England say to this?; I am confident 200 or 300 men could procure work at 6i. a day and their food.
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Another writer says :— In the early days of the colony whenever the squatting interest was depressed ererj thing was depressed by neces- sary sympathy, because everything was more or less identi- fied with and dependent ou squatting Now, however, we have a lar^e and rapidly extending agricultural interest, a not less important lllÎ11in¡,: interellt, and we have also nascent manufacturing industries which already employ many thou- sands of hands. We are thui becoming year by year more independent of vicissitudes external to our own territory. Although the price of wool iA down we have tMrpromise of an excellent harvest. We count our fariaers now by thousands. Provision* being cheap, up-country storekeepers undir whose auspices and by whose assistance many a gold claim is worked into productiveness—are enabled to win much gold which otherwise would never see the light, and, in short, abundance of the lleoesll'an8S of life diffuses its invi- goratii g effects throughout all the veins and arteries of the body corporate, whether our superabundance command a high price or not in distant markets. Thus, side by side with this depression of the squatting intereit is the curi- ous fact that landed property, whether in bown or country, never commanded higher prities than jt does now. The uther day builùiug allotments about four mile. 01l.t of Mel- bourne were sold at the unprecedented rate of nearly £ 800 an acre. These lands, only a few years nack, were a drujf in the market, at less than a fourth of thli price.
EPITOME OF NEWS.
EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. It is said that one of the London theatrical managers is abullt to give day performances of the drama. The Queen attended divine service at Whippingham Church on Sunday last. The Rev. G. Prothero otlic.ated. Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone have beeu 011. a visit to her Majesty. The Berlin correspondent of The Timex says he can "state as positive" that the Duke of Aosta is the candidate for the Spanish throne* who has found favour in the eyes of the trench Government. Prayers for the recovery of the Bishop of Salisbury were offered on Sunday in many of the metropolitan churches. The civil governor of Burgos was assassinated, on Monday morning, as he was proceeding, according to the orders of the G vernment, to make an inventory of the books, jewels, and objects of art contained in the cathedral. His secretary, who was with him, escaped. The despatch does not say how the assassination wa3 effected. Several persons have been arrested, and the military authorities have insti- tuted an investigation. The Chiouyo Post savs—" There i:: still a few Eastern women left who do not give public readings, but not many." The Mayoress of Portsmouth (Mrs. E. Gait) has won the traditional vilver cradle, having uiven bo th to a daughter last week. Such "n event is unprecedented ill the IlIUnkilJal history of I'oi isniouth. The OO/aha Herald says t1¡at a pugilistic fisht took place in a CO:1cert h-dl at liryan City before a great number of speeta-ors, incnding the corps de build of the saloon," who occupied se its on the music stund. When the flitht had finished," says the Omaha Herald, the band struck up the Arkansaw Traveler,' "ud there was a dance. It is said the girls enjoyed the tight hugely." Upon hearing of the death of the Prince Royal of Belgium, the Emperor Xapol-nn at once sent a letter to the King f the Belgians, in which he expressed, in his own name and that of the Empress, the deepest sympathy with the severe loss the Belgian royal family has sustained. An arrest has been made in connection with the murder of Mr. Bak-r, at Bansha, county l ipperary. The man taken into custody on suspicion is named Patrick Pyne. The statement which has been published in several papers that Mr. William Roupell had been liberated from pri-on.incot.Sttnenceofthe state of his health is authoritatively contradicted. Mr. Roupell is still in prison, hut is in a Very ba.1 state of health, and a memorial on his behalf has been presented to the Home Secretary, which is now under consideration. The Liberal electors of Drogheda have resolved to ask Mr. Thomas Wliitworth to become a candidate fer the seat rendered vacant by the decision against his father, Mr. Benjamin Wliitworth, and agree to bear all the expenses of his election. Mr. Benjamin Whitworth at the recent contest had a great majority of voters, and a local journal, speaking of a demonstration of-sympathy on the day following the conclusion of the trial, says it showed that, although the law was against him, the voice of the con- stituency wus still in his favour. The organ of the Drogheda Conservatives volunteers its opinion that he was more silmoo agaimt than sinaiiug. It has been suggested that licences should be issued for the privilege of using armorial hearings, at a uniform rate of 5s on whatever artiele the proprietor may emblazon them, whe her ou a carriage, a lobby chair, a gold ring, a seal, or a Glengary bonnet, and that these sholllil be obtained at the sub-distributors' of stamps and post-offices There are thousands of persons who under the present system evade the law who wotflil become in this way willing contributors to the revenue—even nipe yeumg ladies who have a fancy for crested paper. The Leavenworth Commercial says that a, white man, named Hays, was recently murdered at Hays Cry, Kansas, by three negro soldiers, belonging to the SSth Infantry. The murderers were arrested and lodged in gaol, preparatory to trial; hut during the night they were taken from prison by the Vigilance Committee and hung to the nearest trees. The Philadelphia Public Ledger laysAmerican flrearms are in great demand abroad. It is reported that one manufacturing firm has just delivered 40,000 repeating rides to the Danish Government, and 30 0 > to tile Swedish, having still a contract on hand to furnish 15,0 0 of the same sort to the Greeks. Anothar firm has ju.t delivered 20,000 rifles to the Cuban Government, to he used against the insur- rectionists, while still another has contracted to make 30,000 breech-loaders for the Russians. On Monday, io the Birmingham Bank winding-up case an application was made at the Rotis Chambers to re- move an "infant" thareholderfrom the list. A question arose whether his guardian should not be substituted, and Mr M'Creeglit, the onioal liquidator, was to proceed in the matter. Mr. Chilton referred to a decision of the Waiter of the Rolls in Barned's Bank, were such a course was pursued. In this case trie creditors have been paid 20s. in the pound. The chief clerk (Air. Church) said a summons could be issued. On Sunday afternoon two boys, one six years of age, the other three years, the children of Mr. Ilargreaves, were playing near a wall in Xorih-atreet, Leeds, when a number of bricks, which had been piled up against the wall, gave way. and fell upon the children. The elder was immediately killed, and the younger had his arm broken, and received otlier injuries. On the evening of January the the floor of a Roman Catholic selioolhouse, ia which there was a festal gathering of a large number of persons, gave way at Roches- ter, New York, and eight were killed and twenty injured. Bi-hop Ellicott discoursed in Gloucester Cathedral last week, on dull sermons." The Bishop is inclined to admit that there is a good deal ot truth 111 the frequent allegations as to the feeble and unsatisfactory character of modern sermons, and he tries to show wherein the faults of the pt cache's lie. Sermon-, be says, are eommonly deficient in three things—namely, in form and arrangement, in th1-light, and in adaptation to the present time and present difficulties. If preachers would strive to mend these defects, Bishop Ellicott believes that, by-and-bye, we should hear fewer complaints about the declining power of the pulpit. The recent Treasury order relating to the bank- ruptcy .f members of the Civil Service is btine followed up by the Admiralty. An order has been received at Chatham dockyard directing the suspension of one of the established clerks 1Il the storekeeper's department, who has recently be- come insolvent. It is rumoured that Mr. Merry, M.P., has backed his horse Belladruai to \vjiu je50 000 on the approacdiing Derby. A Temperance party in Parliament mean to make another move this session. Sir Wilfred L-uvson will pro- bably introduce hi PermtMiveBiliin March, and it is hoped th.it the first reading will not be opposed. It is calculated tf1at there at." about 1J0 M.P.'s who have more or Je's pledged themselves to support the principle of the bill—that the licensing of drink-shops i8 a matter for the deeijion of the ratepayers. It is expected that a much larger number will remain neutral, for the question has gained much ground lately, especially now that t'he. Reform Bill has greatly reduced the influence of the p tbilcans. The unseat- ing of Mr. Whitworth, at Drogheda, has deprived the Alliance of one of its most ardent supporters in Parlia- ment. A correspondence has taken place between Earl R lsseil and Ur. Humphrey Sandwith, of Kars, in which the noble earl defends himself against a ch.rge made by the latter. to tHe Greek question, had stated 111>. t Larl Kuvell fcave instructions to the British qu droo in the Adriatic to ^ink any "Garibaldia" sj*i- pathiers"who mifdit cross from Italy to the provinces in revolt aga list the Tuikish rule, and this charge the none .ail empli .tically d nies. lie quotes official eocuments to show that tbe imputation is unfounded, and °, v therewith apoh'gis' S. but adheres to his opinion rliat we, as a nat on, have acted in "a scandalously partial manner on behalf of the Turks" To give an idea of the value of the houses lately buiit in the Avenue Saudfx'ii, in opposite the Theatre Vranijais, <-iali<puini states that a lease'Uas just bet*n passed by i\hich for the ground f! <or, entresol, and cellars of Xo. 2 a rent of £ -2,0Ju a year i to be paid for the first three years, and £ 2,SS0 for the hIX succeeding. The question of opening the Manchester Botanical Garth-moil Sunday has been discussed at the annual meet- in-; oi tlie i-ro.orietors. The decision was against the altera- tion of the ruie by which the gardens are llOW closed. There I was a majority of votes in favour (,If Sunday opening, but :.s the assent of two-thirds of the members voting i3 reqn red for the change of a rule, the regulations will remain as hitherto. -•—- The great prize of £ (>,000, at the late drawing of toe Suez Canal bonus, was gained by X o. 329,uS. It is solemnly announc- d that ladies will wear in their hair th s year ilv.T dust. I his fashion has t;i started by the Duchess of Madrid. A Scottish contemporary startVd its readers •! other day, by a paragraph headel "Capture of the The flrso few lines, however, showed that it was J fiemy of mankind that had been c right, but a i;t fellow who had earned for himself the Litle of the bcii. Singers arc right royally treated in Tlu-sia. An Imperial carriage was placed at the disposal of ',):111.: e J'acti, to convey her to St. Petersburg: and on her iiiti ap- pearance she was recalled some foity times. Mr. Davidson, a Jewish merchant of Nincrr.o, M- ■ presented, on his depa-ture for Europe, with a p.ir of mm-san, or "public umbrellas "as a mark of the res and esteem in which he was held by the Chinese. T m honour is both great and unusual, he being the first hre;- e:' on whom it has been conferred. C It is expected (says the Court Jmirn"l) that ('■- Queen will return to Windsor Castle on the 1 <j h or the 2 h of i>'ebrniry AftlTwardR her Majesty intends p.i>i;i"v. i' short visits to Clareniont, atld during the Lmdo'i i.'i-j Queen will reside foratime at Buckingham Palace. Captain Wilmaliursfc, R N., was, afterhi.shoiHiuia' acquittal, to have proceeded ag in to t he Island < f \s:-t n-i o by the p-cket whi-h was to h ave England on AVidm •<:= v. but the authorities at Lloy-q'^ h tve communicated wi-h A-Intimity, and intimated that proceelilJg, in tic ci courts are to be instituted, which willobli.-e him t > rem: i in this conn: ry so>me time. "A Widower, with young children, income of .L' a year, thirty-two years of age, dt-sin-sto j'ulTesp01ld «ith a Lady, of suitable age, with a view to Matiimony. She 111, st bj c ipable of intense love to advertiser and his children, m.,1 if with means, so much the better. This is bmul 'n V, Address," ifcc.—Advertisement in Manchester Examiner. "A letter from Rome station good author!; that the Archbishop of Westminster will be made a cardie: 1 before his return to England. The ArchjiiPhop ,,f also to be raised to the same dignity."—1 feebly IlegUUr. A destructive fire has occurred at Exeter. T1 e picture gallery of Mr. Hodge, near the Guildhall, wa, for,: .1 to be on fire, through, it is supposed, au explosion of gus. in a short time ahout a hundred pictures were destioyn1, including one of Rubens; for which £ 000 had been offc'ici, and also the steel phte of the subscri pLÏI111 portraits oi tie Earl a d Countess of Portsmouth, and many proof cngr ;v- ings. The loss will be covered by insurance. Arkansas mnst be a pleasant lilac. b live in, A despatch from Arkansas town says the lI1:lièia sue fortifying the town against an apprehended ?ttack troni the people outsièe," and "the prominent citizens of the tcv. a are confined in the gaol." The number of volunteers enrolled is not far short oc 200,000; last year there were 171,000 effectives. Out of 141 newspapers in Scotland only 12 are Con- servative. Bouta Workey, said to be the third son of the la^' Emperor Theodore, is now travelling with an EiJgii:1 menagerie. A gentleman appeared the other night in the sta'l • of the Prince of Walen's theatre in London, who had siu- a superabundant supply of wig-making .material on los head, that he was immediately saluted from many parts, f the house with the cry, The frightful hair the frightful hair The Emperor Napoleon is about to purchase a plot of lind at Orleans for the purpose of establishing an asylum for convalescent workmen. Copying machines are at once to be introduced into the offices of Chatham dockyard, and the heads of depa, L- ments have been called upon to report whether, ail a conse- quence, the services of any of the clerks and writers can e dispensed with. A lady, the wife of Captain Kempthorne, in Jersev, disappeared some weeks ago. Every search was made bii' in vain, until the 10th inst., when her body was found in a dÏiuBed well. Miss Mnlton" (" East Lynne") is now being per- formed at half the provincial theatres of j'ral!ce. At Mar- seilles and Lyons it is played at the principal theatres; I. S Lille and Versailles two, and at Bordeaux three theatres are performing it at the same time. Queen Olga, of Greece, walks in the streets of Athens with her baby in her arms, stops and talks with all the mothers she meets, and compares babies with them— says an American. The Countess de Sartiges, the wife of the French Ambassador at Rome, who was brought up a Protestant, has, at the suggestion of the Pope, embraced the Papal faith. A publican in one of the Wigan colbery distr:e's has been fined ten pounds, with costs, for committiui an ex- traordinary assault upon a policeman. A domiciliary vi-i; at a late hour was resented by the publican and his br >th-•, both of whom struck the officer a number of severe blows ou the head and face. Finally, the hapless pol ceman v.; ■; Seized and carried to the fire, apparently with the view f being roasted alive! He was actually placed upon the bum- in.' coals, but by a violent effort he managed to extnc himself, and the noise of the struggle soon afterwardsbrou. hi some of the neighbours to his assistance. A telegram from Madrid denies that any negoti a- tion8 have heen set Oil foot between the Provisionul Govern- ment of Spain and the United States Governm nt for the s >'e to the latter of Cuba. "The Provisional Government," ir adds, as interpreter of the wishes of the Spanish nati 11, declares that it will never agree to any proposal of such u character." "E. G. G. (en voyage). —The present at Christmas, as I predicted, has turned out a fool's parulise. You wiii And K, K. Y. at Greenoble that will not tl,rl1 out a to s paradise.—E. W." ".Mentone.—Dear Kate, if yon goto Mentone, as now proposed, look out forDr. Punch. Jn y will be with him. But avoid."—Advertisements iu Tint Titties. The active army in France numbered, on the 1- December, 378,852 men in Algeria, 64,81; in It ty, 5,3-; but, deducting from this cumber 114,00 i m-n on fujioujr. tht: real total would be as follows: 33t,28> in the ac: ;\i- a my, 198,546 in the reserve, and 381,723 in tne Natiomd Guard Mobile-makmg a total of 1,023 VS0 men. Mr. Reverdy Johnson, the United States Minis! tr, has accepted an invitation g.ven by the Corporation of Chester to visit Manchester atthcitndof next month, and t is belie ved, w U spend so.e days there. The death of Sir William John Newton painter in ordinary to her Majesty, lias been announced.' ij'e v born in 178», and having oevoted himself to art, soon gab- ■( a high reputation as a HMiiature painter. He was kniyhr d in 1837, on the recommeu iatiou of Viscount Melbourne, who was then Prime Minister. A fearful accident has occurred at Tonneins. Frai.ee. A large building intended for a cafe, concert room, &c oi course of construction, fell to the ground, burying four: t i workmen in the ruin", six of whom were taken out dead, a:I the others seriously injured. A lady of distinction gave a fancy ball in Paris i o long since, and, in order to be di-tinguished, placed a servant at the door to announce the costumes as t-ty entered. A couple of ladies appeared in full ball-room drc," "What costume shall I announce ?" ask'd theserva-t. Y.'j are not in costume" they replied. "Two ladies without; costume," shouted the servant to the horror of eveiv- body. A conviction has just taken place at Hull under tii- provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act ISGi. Ic w,.s proved that the brigantine Two hltew, started from Louth n in February last without a proper supply of lime or lemon juice on board for the use of the crew, itie medicine che t was insufficiently provided with dregs and instruments, and the vessel returned home in consequence with a scurvy laden crew. The magistrate inflicted a penalty of £ 15 upon th captain, and gave an opinion to the ellect tltat alJ nudic: I stores should be systematically inspected. Tne piosecutio was conducted by Mr. R. E. Cumberland, at the instance oi the Board of Trade. Josh Billings was asked, "How last does sound travel r" And his idea is'hat it depend* a gtotl deal upon the noise vou are talkin 1; ahout. The sound ov a dinner horn, for instance, travels half a mile in a second, w-Jiile an iuvitashun tew git up in the morning i have known to be s- quarters uv an hour goin' 2 pairs or stairs, and then not liev strength enuff left to be heard." The Saturday Review thinks that the c«nfu>don of ii ternational rivalrieg may prouatly prev.nt a war hut the commencement of hostilities ill am quarter wight give the eignal for a geimral conflict, and Turkey, which has nothing to gain, could scarcely fail in the end to he a principal snl- ferer. Recent experience is not encouraging to sanguine beh.ever8 in the' wisùom or morality of governments allll o: nations. On Sunday the Emperor of the French received in great state, at the Tuileries, Mr. Burlinghame and all the members of the Chinese Embassy. The Ambassador made a short speech, to which the emperor replied in very gracious terms. A curious custom prevails in Lincoln's-inn. When any membtr of that learned body is made a SergeMt-at law. on taking the coif, he has to present the Queen and the Lord Chancellor with rings bearing the legend Aliutl nnbi.« agendum. At the same tIme he is presented by the Treasurer "ith a purse containing ten guineas, as a retaining fee in case the society should require his services ou any future occasion. On Friday the explorers of the Oak's Colliery suc- ceeded in recovering the body of a young man from the neighbourhoood o the pa sbye, which, on being placed in the dead-house, was identified by a woman of tlie Ut-me of Slater as that of her ton. A few months ago ilr<. Slater identified and interred another body, on the supposition that it was that of her son. She now identified the seeon i body by a red woollen garter which was found Oil one of the legs of the deceased. Seven women whose names are on the register of electors for Manchester, and who recorded their voles at the general election in favour of the eaudidates IIf the united Liberal pirty, voted in the ted ballot to select a candidate in case of a vacancy in the representation of the city by the nnseating of M r. Birley. The grand jury of Washington hag refused to finct a new indictment ;,giinst John H. Surratt, on the ground that tie President's late Amnesty Proclamation fully pardons him. Surratt is therefore discharged. The advanced liberals of Halifax have formed nn association for advocat ng the ballot, the placing of all religious bodies on an equality, the adoptimr or a compre- hensive national system of education, and the repeal of the law of primogeniture. Sir Lawrence Palk, writing to a Torquav meeting on the Permissive Bill says :—" 1 have always been strongly in favour of regulating and restricting the sale of -pintnonii drinks. I am convinced the law Is much too lenient to drunkenness, which often leads to grave crimes. think a district or parish or part f a town is interested in the con- duct of the public-houses in its locality but I could not support in Parliamentabill which would deprive the work- ing man and his family ironi ob allllng tllat refreshment to which he is accustomed, and the lnodeiute use of which is in no way injurious." "We are in a position to state that Sir Colman O'Loghlen intends persevering with his Libel BIll next session. Precluded himself from introducing it by reasou ofIus hold- ing office, he has procured the services of an unofficial friend, and the measure, which will probably contain some additional amendments, will he vigorously Scotsman. The FrcmtJenVaU of Vienna states that the Bishop of Trieste, being hurt at a demonstration made against him by the idtramontaines of this latter city, hal gone to Capo- d'lstria, w..ere, ti e day after his arrival, he ascended the pulpit, and t:'k'ing for his text the words, "My kingdom is not (if thi, !Corld," dell1ou:rate,l. that the temporal illLt1tonty of the Pope was incompatible with spiritual powers. The trial of two election petitions terminated on Monday, those relating to Bewdlt-y and to Limerick. In the former'case, the clcctioa of Sir R. Glass was declared void, and Mr. Justice Blackburn found that treating had exten- sively prevailed, but that general bribery had not been proved. Sir R. Glass was not shewn to have been a party to the illegal proceedings, andthepetitionerswere ordered to pay costs. At Limerick the petition was dismissed, and the members dece re.i duly elected. A curious diseoverv has been made in the Cathedral close of lichficld In clearing the ground for the louinlati-in of some additional building to the bishop s palace, the ashlar facing the old palace was laiti hare atafew feftbeiowtbepru- sent tarilen 1 vel Built, up against this wall were found the remains of a pipe manufactory. The flue nnd the floor of .nc kiln wene very apparent, formed of bricks of a lnigcr Fize than the present common Flemish pattern. Mixed ^ith the surrounding soil were pipes and tragments of pipes to the amount of one or two hundred, pordons of the unlinked clay still quite moist, scorite and lumps of coal, and in one case a fully-formed pipe bowl in its unbuvnt state A circular has been issued from the Bank of Eng- land calling attentioa to the fact that paper manutactured for various banking and mercantile Anus contains wa er marks and otlterdevices peculiar to the p per which i- pie- pared solely for the use of the i'-ank. Tne authorities in Throndneedle-street, therefore, remmd the chief paper ■ i tiuincturers of the law which prohibits any such paper to be de or used, believing that this will be sufficient to pre vent tlie manufacture of the paper to which they refer, and which they believe t,) have been the result of ignorance of the law bearing on the subject.