The Aberystwith Observer

!Q.} tt r yonion Coucsptait. [We Ceezr. it right to ftpte that we do not at all time! "Vl-iitify ourselves with cur Correspondent's opinion*.] It is evident that the constitutional crisis will be the principal subject of public attention throughout the coming recess. The jaded members of the House oi Commons. who have sat through the intense heat or the dog-days, will rise from their legislative labours to fight the battle again on provincial platforms. For the first time in more than half a century the Lord: will be engaged in a contest with the nation over a question affeciiag the representation of the people. There are very few survivors of the arduous struggle which marked" the earlier years of the reign of King William IV. We often think that strong language is used in our own days but our style of controversy is lamblike and innocent as compared with the vituperation which waa so common half a century ago. We have no William Cobbett amongst us now, not only to tear to pieces the king's speeches to Parliament, or to qualify their grammar, but to address great audiences, as he was accustomed to at Oldham, in a coarse not to say racr style totally unknown m the present day. Mr. Molesworth and Mr. Roebuck have told us in graphic narratives of the fierce .excitement of that time, and of the burning resentment of the great un- enfranchised towns, such as Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, at being kept out of their political rights, while uninhabited mounds such as Gatton. and Old Sarum were sending members to the House of Commons. When the ferment was at its height the carriages of the anti-reforming peers, on making their appearance in the streets of London, were received with roars of execration which would have drowned the reverberations of the loudest thunder. Bristol was in the hands of the rioters for three days, and Nottingham Castle was in flames. There is no doubt that the anticipations of the people, who were not so well conducted and informed as are the genera- tions of to-day, had been raised to an extravagantly high pitch by the hopes of the results which would follow the passing of the Reform Bill. As Macaulay put it, the measure was expected to put a pot on every working man's fire and a fowl in the pot. Of course, a reaction followed on the disappointment, and in less than two years a Conservative administration was in power. A great deal is said about Parliamentary obstruc- tion in these latter days; but this is an institution which was not unknown even there. When the Reform Bill was in Committee the more pertinacious of the Tory Commoners often kept the House sitting all night dividing upon motions openly and obtru- sively obstructive. Sir Charles Wetherell, the Re- corder of Bristol, was one of the most bitter anta- gonists of the Reform Bill, and having a seat in the House of Commons, he on one occasion kept that assembly sitting until half-past seven in the morning. When the House adjourned, and the wearied members came out into Palace-yard, the rain was falling heavily. The Recorder of Bristol exclaimed," If I had only known this they should have had a few more divisions The newspaper reading public has become so thoroughly sick of Egypt that they hail the prospect of this struggle with considerable relief as breaking fresh ground. Something of this feeling was at the bottom of the decision of the House of Commons when it declined to discuss, Mr. Bruce's Vote of Censure. On the very first night of the session, the 5th February, Mr. Bourke moved an amend- ment to the address censuring the Egyptian policy of the Government, and there had been one vote of censure after another inter- mittently, all rejected, and to bring forward a. similiar motion on the eve of the 1st of July, in the midst of sweltering hsat, was what the House could not stand. It was tired of the subject. There is some talk of reviving the matter when the Conference has finished its sittings; but the public interest will then be centred upon the House of Lords, and there are not many who will be disposed to regret that we have heard the last of the affairs of Egypt in the House of Commons as a set debate. We have just now our own affairs to attend to as well as those of Egypt. It is satisfactory to note the manner in which the members of the Royal Family are gradually emerging from the seclusion into which they withdrew, and naturally enough, for a time, upon the death of the Duke of Albany. Last week, on the same day, Princess Christian laid the foundation-stone of an orphanage at Lewisham, and Princess Louise took part in a ceremonial in connection with the addition of a wing to St. Mary's Hospital at Paddington, having on the previojis day opened a space of ground for the recreation of the people in Bloomsbury. The members of the reigning House are so courteous and obliging, and so ready to assist every good work by their presence, that they are always most warmly received by the people. This was particularly the case at Lewisham, where the streets were gaily decorated, and the inhabitants turned out in great numbers to welcome the Queen's second surviving daughter. Strong is the force of habit. Viscount Hampden, the late Speaker of the House of Commons, has been released from' the onerous duty: of presiding over that oft-times turbulent assembly, and in the enjoy- ment of his pension of X4000 a year, is now glad to lend his aid to those institutions which he may think deserving of the advocacy for which they ask. One of these is the Metropolitan Association for Befriend- ing Young Servants, which by permission of the Duke of Sutherland held its annual meeting one afternoon last week at Stafford House, St. James's. Lord Hampden was in the chair, and resolutions were as usual moved and seconded. In putting each resolu- tion it was noticed that his lordship did not use that word, but the question is," and then going on to read the terms of the motion. He imagined himself back in his old seat, directing the ayes to the right and the noes to the left, preliminary to the taking of a great party division. V The first of the Ministerial innocents to be massa- cred was the Merchant Shipping Bill, the withdrawal of which was announced by the President of the Board of Trade. If existing legislation does not, as Mr. Chamberlain declares, adequately provide for the protection of the lives of our seamen, the abandon- ment of such an important measure is to be deeply regretted. Still, with the prospect of an autumn ses- sion, it is necessary to sacrifice something, and Mr. Chamberlain's proposed legislation is not the only sacrifice which will have to be made. With the re- jection of the Reform Bill, the affairs of the present session will be wound up as speedily as pos- sible, in order to allow of a recess of decent length in which overworked Ministers may recruit their health. There is Mr. Gladstone, for instance, who has pro- mised 'to address his constituents in Midlothian in the coming autumn. But after one long session, and in the immediate prospect of another which will be more remarkable for excitement than for length, a man of 75, with the burden of an empire upon his shoulders, requires rest. Still we shall have the Midlothian speeches for all that. The holding of the annual exhibition of the Royal Agricultural Society at Shrewsbury comes at a critical time in the history of an important industry. There is an old saying that drought never bred dearth in England," but the fervent heat which makes the fields ripe unto the harvest means utter destruction to the ay and root crops. Day after day London has resembled one vast furnace, the hot wind resembling 1 the breath of a sirocco. As the toiling millions have perspired under the sun's vertical rays, how they have longed for a few hours of that cooling rain which has descended in floods upon Eastern Europe, and for those invigorating sea breezes which play together in such profusion on the restless surface of the mighty Atlantic

REPORTED ASSASSINATION OF A RUSSIAN PRINCE. A Reuter's telegram dated Berlin, July -9, says The Titlis paper Kavkas announces that Prince Mikeladse, a Russian officer belonging to the Mingre- lian nobility, who greatly distinguished himself in the Russo-Turkish war, was assassinated on the 23rd ult. at the Samtredi station, on the Trans-Caucasian line, by a police-officer named Sbgenti, who, after an animated altercation with the Prince, fired three shots at the latter from a revolver with fatal effect.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT WIMBLEDON. At a quarter-past six o'clock on Tuesday evening, during the practice of the Civil Service Rifle Corps at the northern range of the common, Henry Burke, a marker at the 500 yards range of the Civil Service Corps, was accidentally shot in the breast. Alarm was instantly given, danger flags were displayed, and the unfortunate man was taken to the field hospital, prepared for the National Rifle Association, at the back of the Old Windmill, but at this time none of the surgical staff of the Association were in atten- dance. It fortunately happened, however, that Sergeant Monaghan, of the Army Hospital Corps, who has recently returned from the Soudan, was present, and as no time was to be lost for fear of gangrene setting in, he, with the assistance of Corporal Melville, of the same corps, immediately took steps for extracting the bullet.

— "Does a bonnet sing because it is covered with birds?" "No; but the husband that pays for it whistles."

SUICIDE FROM HIGHGATE ARCHWAY. On Saturday evening, shortly after ten o'clock, a respectably-dressed man, aged between 30 and 35 years of age, was seen to mount the parapet of the bridge in Hornsey-lane, Highgate, known as the Highgate Archway, and before any person could pre- vent him he threw himself off into the Archway- road beneath, a distance of eighty-eight feet. When a police-constable of the Y division and other persons went to the spot they found that the young man was lying on the roadway in an insensible condition. Dr. Jones was at once sent for. and upon his arrival found that the deceased, who had received, besides other extensive injuries, a severe fracture of the skull, was quite dead. The police ambulance having been procured, the body of the deceased was at once put upon it and conveyed to the Hornsey Mortuary, to await inquest and identification. The following is a description of the body Aee 35, height 5 feet 8 inches, complexion and hair fair, moustache light, whiskers shaved off, scar on the lower lip and chin, dressed brown tweed coat, black cloth vest, 'brown trousers, blue check shirt, cotton socks, side- spring boots, black hard felt hat, leather strap round the waist; appearance of a labourer.

THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION. The Conversazione given by the Society of Arts and the Executive Council at the International Health Exhibition on Wednesday night was a brilliant enter- tainment. The immense concourse in evening dress, the dazzling illumination of the electric light, which was everywhere seen in surpassing beauty and splendour, the, multitude of bands, and the hospitality •of the exhibitors combined to make it a memorable event. The company were received by the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Fred. Abel, the President of the Society of Arts, supported by other members of the Councils. The band of the German Cuirassiers played in the vestibule with a vigour and intona- tion surpassing their former performances, and in their white dresses and polished helmets, under the glitter- ing sheen of the electric arcs, were as noticeable for their picturesque and fine appearance as is their music for its quality. The superb band of the French Engi- neers played in the open gardens, in the eastern kiosk, with a brilliancy and modulation of tone and a smart- ness of execution which won for them the loudest applause. The band of the Grenadier Guards played, under Mr. Dan Godfrey, in the western kiosk; and the splendid band of the Coldstream Guards also played in the Central Avenue, close to the Royal Pavilion, and in Old London" — the entire street and all the shops in which were lighted with incandescents in horn lanterns—the Royal Criterion Handbell Ringers, under Mr. H. Tipper, discoursed such charming and marvellously- executed tunes and airs as fascinated all the crowds who heard them. The crown of the evening's display was certainly gained by the brilliantly-illuminated fountains of the waterworks, which Sir Francis Bolton has at last got perfectly lighted by the electric light. Nothing more lovely than the brilliant glitter and sparkle of the water jets can be conceived. The gardens, lamps, and lanterns were most taste- fully arranged, and the combined effects of the coloured lights and the electric coloured arcs upon the water pools were exceedingly fairy-like and beautiful. The Chinese Court was for the first time opened to the public, and the Marquess Tseng and his suite were present for some considerable period on the outer balcony.

THE CHOLERA IN FRANCE. The returns of death from cholera in the South of France are slightly on the increase, and the disease is reported to have spread to Aix. The disinfection of passengers arriving at Marseilles by railway from the direction of Toulon commenced on Sunday. A brigade of police directs the people into a hall, where an officer is in attendance with a chemical apparatus, which discharges disinfecting vapours upon each passenger and upon his opened luggage. This process is repeated along the line at the principal stations between Toulon, Lyons, and Bordeaux. At the stations in the Pyrenees Railway passengers are compelled to undress, and while their clothing is hung in a waggon full of disinfecting vapours, they themselves are sponged all over and brushed. They are then permitted to continue their journey in possession of a certificate of their having been dis- infected. Such is the dread of arrivals in other parts of France from Marseilles that, as an illustration, one Municipal Council in the interior hearing of the approaching arrival home of a scholar who has been at school in that locality, telegraphed to say that he would not be allowed to return home. In Paris, great dissatisfaction has been caused by the announcement that the 14th July fete is to be held as usual; and the feeling is 30 strong that a hope is entertained that the Government will reconsider its determination. Meanwhile Paris is emptying very fast. All those who are not compelled to remain in Paris are hurrying away as quickly as they can, and the railway companies have to put on extra trains to meet the extraordinary pressure of traffic. The authorities are taking active precautions. The watering of the streets is much improved, and in some parts of the town there is an overpowering smell of phenic acid. In the Communal Schools, where the children take their breakfasts from home with them, their baskets are examined, and everything in the shape of raw fruit or salad is removed, and a ration of cold meat supplied instead. The pupils are not allowed to drink water, but are given diluted tea or coffee with a few drops of rum in it. The Marseilles correspondent in a telegram dated Wednesday night, says: The panic both at Toulon and Marseilles continues. Even the magistrates seem to have become possessed with it. At Toulon several people having need of a justice of the peace in order to sell the effects of deceased persons were unable to find at the Palais de Justice either clerk or attorney, and could not obtain the slightest information. A scandalous incident has also happened in the same town. Some of the men employed by the Funeral Company in their fear have taken to drink, and while taking a dead body to be buried were so drunk that they nearly threw the corpse out of the ambulance. Some passers by were obliged to carry the body to the cemetery. The number of people who havs left here is officially stated to be 10,000, but I am told on good authority that 15,000 would be nearer the mark.

MASONIC CEREMONY AT REDIIILL, On Wednesday the Prince of Wale?, accompanied by the Princess of Wales and three of the young Princesses, laid the foundation-stone of the chapel of the new schools of the Royal Asylum of St. Anne's Society, at Redhill. The ceremonial being Masonic, the Prince attended in his capacity of Grand Master of the order, and there were present a large number of grand officers. The ceremony of laying the stone was performed under a marquee, and the entrance into it of the Royal party, accompanied by the grand officers, all wearing their full insignia, was the signal [for a pro- longed burst of cheering. Prayer havirg been offered by the Bishop of Rochester, the Archbishop of Canterbury, addressing the Prince, said the St. Anne's Society, of which he had the honour to be president, was now almost completing its second century of existence, having been founded in 1702. Its object was to receive, help, clothe and educate children, whether orphans or not, who having been born in a superior position found themselves almost destitute. The society received children of any nation, with a characteristically English hospitality, and since the time of its establishment had provided for nearly 1000 children. It was a fact that in spite of its antiquity and the largeness of its operations, it had no endowment whatever, but was entirely dependent on voluntary contributions. The Prince of Wales then said—Men and brethren here assembled to behold this ceremony, be it known unto you that we, being lawful Masons, true and faithful to the laws of our country, are engaged by solemn obligations to erect handsome buildings to be serviceable to the brethren, and to fear God, the great Architect of the Universe. We have amongst us concealed from the eyes of all men secrets which may not be revealed, and which no man has dis- covered but these secrets are lawful and honourable, and not repugnant to the laws of God or man. They were entrusted in peace and honour to the Masons of ancient times, and, having been faithfully transmitted to us, it is our duty to convey them unimpaired to the latest posterity. Unless our craft were good and our calling honour- able we should not have lasted for so many centuries, nor should we have had so many illustrious brethren in our order ready to promote our laws and further our interests. We are assembled here to-day in the presence of you all to erect a house for the worship and praise of the Most High, which we pray God may prosper as it seems good to Him; and as the first duty of Masons in any undertaking is to invoke the blessing of the Great Architect of the Universe on their work, I call upon you to unite with our Grand Chaplain in an address to the Throne of Grace. The Grand Chaplain then offered prayer, after which the Grand Secretary read the inscription on the plate covering the cavity in the stone containing the usual coins and other articles. The Prince then laid the stone with a handsome presentation trowel, and afterwards in formal language declared it to be plumb, level, and square, according to the rules of Masonry. Then, literally suiting the action to the word, he said, "I scatter corn on this stone as an emblem of plenty and abundance; may the blessings of morality and virtue flourish in this building, producing fruit an hundredfold Taking a goblet of wine in his hand, he said, I pour wine on this stone, an emblem of joy and gladness;" and finally holding a vessel of full oil, he added, I sprinkle oil upon this stone, an emblem of peace and unanimity may prosperity, happiness, and good- will ever prevail amongst those who will assemble in this house to the glory of the Most High until time shall be no more The laying of the stone having been celebrated with hearty cheers, the Mayor of Reigate, on behalf of the authorities of the school, delivered to his Royal Highness the right of presen- tation to it. This closed the proceedings, and their Royal Highnesses drove away amid enthusiastic cheer- ing.

HOME-MADE DRINKS FOR THE HARVEST. In view of the fact that many farmers have aban- doned the custom of giving their men beer in hay and harvest work, the Secretary of the Agricultural De- partment of the Church of England Temperance Society publishes the following: Stokos is a most refreshing and strengthening drink. It is easily made, and costs only 3d. per gal- lon. Put into a large pan ilb of fine fresh oatmeal, 6ozs. of white sugar, half a lemon cut into small pieces. Mix with a little warm water, then pour a gallon of boiling water into it; stir all together thoroughly, and use when cold. The lemon may be omitted, raspberry vinegar, citric acid, or any other flavouring may be used instead. More oatmeal may be used if preferred. Cokos is a good nourishing drink made as follows 8ozs. of sugar, 6ozs. of good fine oatmeal, 4ozs. of cocoa at lOd. per lb., mixed gradually and smoothly into a gallon of boiling water; take to the field in a. stone jar. Cost, 6d. per gallon. A Good Harvest Drink.-Boil ioz. hops, -,]-oz. of 2 ginger (bruised) in a gallon and a half of water, for twenty-five minutes add lib. of brown sugar, and boil ten minutes more, then strain and bottle while hot; it will be ready for drinking when cold It should be kept in a cool place. Dried horehound may be used instead of hops. Cost, 3d. per gallon. Ginger Beer.-Pour two gallons of boiling water over lib. of lump sugar, loz. of bruised ginger, two lemons sliced, let it stand till luke warm, then add one tablespoonful of brewer's barm, or one small teacupful of baker's barm let it stand twelve hours, then bottle it. It will be I ready for use in twenty-four hours. Cost 4d. per gallon. Boiling water poured on a few slices of lemon, with a little sugar, makes a very refreshing drink. Butter milk should be more used as a drink. One ounce of coffee and half an ounce of sugar, in two quarts of water, is a very thirst-quenching drink so is cold tea, but neither of these is so supporting as the oatmeal drink. It is quite a mistake to suppose that beer or spirits give strength. They do give a spurt to a man, but that quickly goes off, and spurts, in hard, heavy work, too often made, certainly lessen the working powers.

How LEAD PENCILS ARE MADE.-With the im- proved machinery now used, ten hands will make about 4000 lead pencils of the cheaper grade a day, says an American writer. The cedar comes chiefly from Florida, and it is received in slabs of pencil length, one for the lead to go in and the other to cover it, as may be seen by examining any lead pencil. Four little grooves are sawed in the thicker slabs for the leads, which are kept in hot glue, and taken one by one and inserted in the grooves. Then the thin slab is glued to the loaded slab, and, thus united, they are run through a moulding machine, four pencils coming from each slab. After the ends are rasped they are run between grooved wheels at considerable pressure for the only -finish they get. This burnishes them, and they are tied in dozens and boxed for sale, mostly in plain wood, and of three degress of hardness. The graphite used comes in fine black powder, and is mixed with German white clay, about half and half, and then ground with moisture, forming a paste. This is pressed in dies into lengths of four leads, which are cut and then baked at a very high temperature. The more clay is used in the leads the harder they will be. I

THE JUDGES AND THE ASSIZES. By a recent order in Council respecting the holding of the Assizes, it is enacted that in order to enable the judges, so far as may be possible, to leave no cause untried at any place or any circuit, one of the judges in London (in accordance with a rotation to be settled by the judges for that purpose), shall, with the sanction of the Lord Chancellor, and on the request of the judge or judges on any circuit, proceed to any place on such circuit in aid of such judge or judges, for such time as may be necessary. It is also ordered that when any judge has been absent from London on circuit for thirty-five days, he shall be entitled on his request, to be rolieved by a judge from London of the same division, accord- ing to a rotation to be settled by the judges for that purpose, and to take the place of such judge in London. Any judge may, if he thinks it necessarv, postpone the commission day at any place to any day later than that fixed. It is also enacted that hence- forth it shall not be necessary to read or proclaim in court at any assizes the Royal Proclamation against vice and immorality heretofore accustomed to be read, and the commission at all assizes shall be opened by producing in court the commission or commissions and by the officer of the court shortly stating that the judge .r judges present are appointed to hold the assizes.

M. PASTEUR'S HYDROPHOBIA EXPERI- MENTS. The Paris correspondent of the Times writes: M. Pasteur's experiments with the virus of hydrophobia are going on with unbroken success. He has thus far experimented on 57 dogs, 19 of them mad, and- 38 bitten by them under uniform con- ditions. Out of these 38 half had been pre- viously inoculated, the other half not. The latter, without a single exception, died with unmistak- able signs of hydrophobia, whereas the 19 others are about and as well as ever. They will bo watched for a year by veterinary doctors to see whether the inoculation holds good permanently or "only temporarily. M. Pasteur's theory is that hydro- phobia is produced solely by the bite, and if this is correct a law compelling all dogs to be inoculated would in the end extirpate hydrophobia entirely, "whereas if the disease arises spontaneously such an enactment would bo less effectual. M. Pasteur's theory, however, seems to be gaining acceptance, and his experiments, whether they lead to the extirpation or merely to the diminution of this form of suffering, must be watched with interest.

TRAGIC SUICIDE IN DUBLIN, In Dublin, on Wednesday, an inquest was held as to the death of Count" Jattka, who shot himself the previous day in Sheriff-Street. Mrs. Inglis, the occu- I pant of the house in which he lodged., and whose daughter he was to marry, deposed to the fact of his coming to the house as a lodger in February last and falling in love with her daughter.. She refused to let her daughter marry him unless be gave a satisfactory account of who he was and made a proper settlement upon her. On Tuesday morning, about 9 o'clock, he sent for her, and told her he was about to draw £ 6000 out of the bank, X1000 for travelling expenses after marriage and £ 5000 to settle on her daughter. He asked her to let her daughter talk with him for an hour, as he had some time to wait before the bank opened. She sent her daughter up to him. Five or six minutes afterwards she heard the shots. The deceased would not tell who he was and where he came from, and the only reason he gave for not doing so was that he was about to marry out of his own rank. Miss Inglis said that when she went up to the deceased on Wednesday morning lie asked her to hand him some documents out of his valise. The first thing which met her hand was a photograph of herself and deceased which he had told her he sent to Berlin. She accused him of tolling untruths, and he then caught hold of her by the shoulders, put his hand into the valise, and, pulling out a revolver, placed the muzzle at her back and fired. She was not wounded, though her dress was torn by the bullet. She rushed out of the room, and then heard another shot. Dr. Chance, the resi- dent medical officer of the hospital, deposed that he found two bullet wounds in deceased's heart, which were evidently self-inflicted. He did not say who or what he was, but said he wished to die quietly. A German named Louis Khors deposed that about eleven months ago he saw the deceased sitting in witness's shop (a small eating house) eating his supper. He told witness that he was the son of a gentleman in Amsterdam, and on the death of his father was entitled to S1200 a year. He also said he was travelling for a silk house in Hamburg. He did not say that he was a count, but that his name was Jottka. The coroner expressed his belief that deceased was an adventurer, who laid a trap for Miss Inglis, and, failing in his intentions, took his own life. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased committed suicide while he was in a state of temporary insanity.

A SHOCKING DEATH. An extraordinary case of superstition is reported from the South of France. A woman of Thueyts, in the Ardeche, had taken in a child to wet nurse, when her milk suddenly failed her. She imagined that she had been bewitched by an old woman of eighty in the neighbourhood, and had her brought to the house by her husbend. The man suspended the unfortunate creature by the pot-hook in the chimney, and roasted her feet, and as this treatment did not produce a fresh flow of milk for the child, the peasant and his wife put the old woman's feet into an iron pot, filled with water which was made to boil. The victim died after fearful sufferings, and her murderers have been arrested.

SENTENCE ON LORD ST. LEONARDS The Central Criminal Court was specially opened on Saturday solely for the purpose of giving judgment in the case of Lord St. Leonards, who was convicted at the May sessions of indecently assaulting a servant girl named Emma Cole. His lordship was brought to the Court in the prison van just the same as an ordinary prisoner, and when the Court had been formally opened he was placed in the dock. Mr. Edward Clarke, Q.C., who appeared for the defendant, said he did not complain of the verdict of the jury, but he would observe that it was an un- expected verdict, and that it was only arrived at after considerable deliberation. He also reminded the Court that the jury acquitted the defendant upon the more serious portion of the charge, and he reminded his lordship that the defendant was committed very suddenly by the magistrate, and that there was no re- mand in order to afford time for inquiry. He also urged upon the Court that the defendant had been in custody since the 7th of May, and that he had to submit to the degradation of a trial and conviction art this Court,which was undoubtedly a very severe punishment, and par- ticularly to a man in the position of the defendant. It was of course no palliation that an offence of this kind was committed by a person in the position of the defendant, but, on the contrary, it ought to be considered rather as an aggravation. At the same time he was certain that his lordship would not lose sight of the fact that to a person in the position of the defendant a conviction of this kind, and the result bad already inflicted upon the defendant a most severe punishment, and what he had suffered would be a warning to him for the rest of his life. Under these circumstances he said he hoped the learned judge would feel that a sufficient punishment had already been inflicted upon the defendant, and that he would pass a sentence that would have the effect of releasing the defendant from further imprison- ment. Mr. Keith Frith, who had been instructed to pro- secute with Mr. Charles Mathews, said that on the part of those from whom they had received their instructions there was no desire to press harshly upon the defendant. The defendant had, no doubt, already received very severe punishment, particularly for a man in his position, and on the part of the prosecution he should be perfectly satisfied with the course pro- posed by Mr..Clarke, that a nominal sentence should be passed upon the defendant. The Recorder, addressing the defendant, said that before he had heard the observations made by his learned counsel, he had carefully considered all the facts, and had made up his mind as to the course that should be taken. The defendant had no doubt already been severely punished, and taking all the circumstances into consideration it appeared to him that justice would be perfectly satisfied by his passing a sentence of seven weeks' imprisonment from the date of his committal. The effect of this sentence would be that he would be discharged on Monday. Lord St. Leonards was released on Saturday morn- ing almost immediately after the Recorder had passed sentence. It was, as above stated, the intention of the judge that he should be detained until Monday, but as he was convicted on Monday, May 19th, and as it is impossible to have eight Mondays in seven weeks, and as furthermore it is illegal to release a prisoner on Sunday, the Governor of Newgate Prison had no option but to release his lordship forthwith. Lord Leonards lost no time in driving off in a cab.

THE PEERS AND THE FRANCHISE BILL. The division which was taken in the House of Lords at an early hour on Wednesday morning upon Earl Cairn's amendment to the second reading of the Franchise Bill, was one of the largest of recent years, 351 peers taking part in it. The House nominally consists of 518 members, of whom four are peers of the blood Royal, and who, therefore, take no part in political divisions, and of the remainder a great number are only on the rarest occasions seen in the House. In the minority of 146 which sup- ported the second reading of the bill were two archbishops and the following ten bishops: Bath and Wells, Carlisle, Chichester, Durham, Ely, Exeter, Manchester, Oxford, St. Asaph, and Winchester. The only prelate who voted in the majority of 205 against the second reading was the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol; while the following bishops were absent from the division: London, Nor- wich, Bangor, Worcester, St. Albans, Hereford, Peter- borough, Lincoln, Salisbury, St. David's, Rochester, Lichfield, and Liverpool. Five Conservative peers were in the minority, viz., the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Jersey, the Earl of Leitrim, Lord Erskine, and Lord Haldon, while the following peers, who usually sit upon the cross benches, were in the same lobby, the Duke of Marlborough, the Earl of Wemyss, Lord Bramwell, the Earl of Fingall, and Lord 18tratheden and Campbell. Lord Tertnyson, who recorded his vote in the House for the first time since his creation as a peer, was in the minority, as were also the Duke of Somerset, Earl Fitzwilliam, the Earl Fortescue, the Lord Houghton, and other independent Liberal peers. In the majority were six Liberal peers, the Marquis of Cianricarde, the Earl of Gosford, Lord De Freyne, Lord Fitzhardinge, Lord Lyveden, and Lord Mowbray. Lord Denman, Lord Stanley of Alderley, and Lord Brabourne represented the cross-benches in the same lobby; while among the independent Conser- vative peers in the majority were the Earl of Abing- don, Lord Boston, Lord Byron, the Earl of Hopetoun, Lord Poltimore, and Lord Mostyn.

ANOTHER MILITARY EXECUTION IN ITALY. The Naples correspondent, of the Daiiy News, writing on Sunday, says Bagnoli has again been the scene of a military execution. Marino, the carabineer, whose crime closely followed that of Misdea, was shot yesterday morning amid the same surroundings and at the same hour as the latter criminal. Better educated, less savage, and more sensitive than Misdea, Marino did not show the same fortitude. After his convic- tion he became so prostrate that it was thought he would die before the sentence could be carried out. Yesterday, when led up to the fatal chair, he threw himself down and screamed, half unconscious from fright, while con- vulsively shuddering. Apparently he derived but little comfort from the unremitting consolations of the priest. Upwards of 5000 spectators went to the place of execution as if to a race. The tunnel through Posilippo was so crowded with carriages that it took an hour to pass. Marino fell instantaneously, two balls piercing the brain, and six the lungs and heart. e c f Immediately after the removal of the body the people rushed to dip their handkerchiefs in the blood. A medical student took possession of some of the scattered brains.

ACTION FOR DAMAGES. On Saturday, in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice, the case of Hcffer v. the Great Northern Railway Company was tried, being an action to recover damages in respect of very serious injuries inflicted upon a little girl nearly four years old. The accident happened in Redman s-row, Stepney, on the afternoon of the 24th of October, 1883. The child was in the roadway, but near the kerb, playing with a piece of rope, and talking to a little boy. A cart of the defendants came along and, according to the case for the plaintiff, it was on the wrong side, was going at the rate of six miles an hour, and the head of 'he driver was turned and he was talking to a boy who was in the cart. The cart knocked the plaintiff down and the wheel went over her and frac- tured the pelvis. It was feared that the child was permanently injured. The case for the defence was that there was scarcely any road traffic in the street where the acci- dent happened, and the cart was going along in the usual way at four or five miles an hour. The child had the noose of the rope round her neck, she was swinging the other end of the rope, and it is supposed that this caught the wheel or the horse's hoof, and so she was knocked down. She had tried to run across the road in front of the horse. The account given by one of the witnesses was that the rope was not round the child's neck, but she was skipping with the rope, and it flew out of her hand into the road. She ran into the road after the rope, when the wheel knocked her down and went over her. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £250, and said that they trusted X200 of that would be invested for the benefit of the child. Mr. Terrell, on behalf of the plaintiff, said he had been instructed to ask that something of that kind should be done, and the suggestion of the jury should be carried out.

+ II [r+ HVisallaittotts fiifcU'tgem HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. WEIGHT OF MILK AND WATER.—The editor of the "New England Farmer" says: "We were hardly pre- pared to find, upon a recent occasion, where a number of farmers were discussing the milk question, that scarcely one could tell, for certainty, which of the two liquids, milk or water, was the heavier, while of those who thought they knew, the larger number were in the wrong. Because milk contains fat, which is lighter than either water or milk, many think that the milk itself must be lighter than water. Probably very few farmers ever took the trouble to weigh a gallon of either water or milk to ascertain their weights or difference. The difference is comparatively slight, though varying according as the milk is rich or poor in the several milk solids. Take a vessel that will hold exactly 100 pounds of pure water, and fill it with pure milk of average quality, and the weight will be found to be about 103 pounds. In other words, milk is three per cent, heavier than water." AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.-The following are the average prices of British corn for last week, as received from the inspectors and officers of Excise Wheat, 37s. Id.; barley, 27s. 2d.; oats, 23s. 5d. pec Imperial qr. Corresponding week last year: Wheat, 42s. 4d.; barley, 28s. lid.; oats, 23f. 5d. MILKMEN'S PRoFITs.-In an action arising out of a contract for the supply of milk, tried in Mr. Justice Hawkins's Court on Monday, it was admitted by the plaintiff that he charged his customers 5d. a quart for milk which was supplied to him wholesale by a farmer at Hoddesdon, and delivered at a station close to the plaintiff's shop in London at the rate of 2^d. a quart, or 2 Is. 8d. the barn gallon. It appeared, however, that some portion of the same milk was retailed at 4d. PIRATES IN THE BLACK SEA.-A St. Petersburg tele- gram says: The Odessa messenger states that for some time past pirates have appeared off the Anatolian Coast of the Black Sea. They have already plundered two sailing vessels which were proceeding from Batoum to Constantinople with cargoes of silk goods. Resist- ance was out of the question, as the pirates, from 15 to 20 in number, had fast cutters and were well armed. Their nationality is net known. ATTACKED BY A LION.—A shocking scene was wit- nessed in Edmonds's (late Wombwell's) menagerie about nine o'clock on Monday night at Wrexham. One of the attendants was employed in cleaning out the lions' cage, and, placing his right arm inside the bars, one of the lions snapped at it, and tore off the arm at the elbow. A panic at once ensued, and in the attempt to escape a number of persons were more or less seriously injured. The panic was increased by the re- port that the lion had escaped from its cage, but happily this proved incorrect. The injured attendant was taken, to the infirmary. KILLED BY LIGHTNING.-The coroner for North Oxon has held an inquest on the body of William H. Smith, a painter and landowner, who was killed during a. thunderstorm at Deddington on Friday in last week The deceased was taking shelter under a tree and was. about to partake of dinner which his wife had just brought him, when the lightning struck him and killed him irstantaneously. The wife felt the shock, but was not seriously injured. A verdict of killed by lightning was returned.-During the thunderstorm which swept over the district of Consett on Sunday afternoon,. Thomas Gill, a miner, who was nursing an infant on his knee, was struck by lightning and killed. The child escaped. The house and furniture were much- damaged. BABY FARMING.—At Gerrard's-cross, on Monday,. Charlotte Emily Reddington, 39, and Jane Morris, 36, were committed for trial, charged with the wilful murder of Henry Robert Townsend, aged one year and nine months, by starving him to death further, with- neglecting to provide two other children with sufficient food. The prisoners advertised for children, of which they would take charge for 6s. per week. Complaints- of the manner in which they treated them having reached the parish authorities, a search was made, and the three infants were found in a starving condition, filthy, and covered with vermin. They were removed' to the infirmary, where one of them died. His body was found to be fearfully emaciated. FATAL CARRIAGE ACCIDENT.—In London, on Monday, Dr. Danford Thomas held an inquiry at the Providence Hall, Paddington, into the circumstances attending the death of Mrs. Mary Ann Cutler, aged eighty-six, widow of the late Edward Cutler, F.R.C.S., who died from injuries received by being thrown from her carriage on Friday in last week. Thomas Hewett, a coachman, stated that he was in the employ of Mrs. Webbe, the- daughter of the deceased, and upon Friday at four, o'clock he was engaged to drive them to Kensington. When going along the Bayswater-road* the wind blew up the dust and some paper, which made the horse take- fright and it bolted, running into a van. The carriage was overturned, and the occupants, the footman, and' witness, were thrown with violence to the ground." Dr. John Easton stated that deceased died about seven' o'clock, death being due to shock following the injuries- received. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental death." A MONUMENT IN JAPAN.—Mr. Robert K. Douglas- writes from the British Museum: "Instances of that true friendship which binds nations together are un- fortunately rare as between the East and West, and I therefore venture to ask to place on record a graceful act lately performed by Mr. Kurokawa, a Japanese' gentleman, and owner of the piece of ground on which in 1862 an unprovoked and murderous attack was made- upon Messrs. Richardson, Marshall, Clarke, and Mra" Borrodaile by the retainers of the Prince of Satsuma* It will be remembered that the brunt of the attack was borne by Mr. Richardson, who was so severely wounded that he died where he fell. Onthisspot Mr. Kurokawa has erected a monument on which he has placed an inscrip- tion, of which, according to the "Mai Nichi Shinbun," the following is a translation Upon this spot of earth, the property of Kurokawa of Tsurumi, the life of an Englishman named Richardson was sacrificed, his blood running in a river to the sea. From that source sprung the changes which have been accomplished' in this country. The nobles rose, and the power of the Imperial House was restored. The light of knowledge was diffused, and the rights of the people recognized. The victim's name has been made imperishable in the history of the world, dedicated to one who rests in heaven. ASCENTS OF MONT BLANC.—The first time Mon Blanc was ascended was in August, 1786, by two French- men. During the 90 years from 1786 to 1876nofewerthan 535 expeditions, consisting of 661 persons, reached the highest point, known as the Monarch." Of unsuccess- ful attempts 115 were made from 1857 to 1861 while in the following 16 years no less than 420 such are re- carded—a fact which shows how much mountain climb- ing is developing in our days. Among the 661 persons who ascended Mont Blanc 385 were English, 110 French (including the 72-year old Marquess Turenne and a lady of 17 summers), 70 Americans, 34 Germans, 30 Swiss (among whom Mile. Marie Paradis, the first woman who reached the "Monarch" in 1809), 8 Italians^ T Russians, 6 Australians, 4 Spaniards, 3 Poles, 2 Dutch, 1 Swede, and 1 Norwegian. In 1878 three Danes-, Count Schulin-Zeuthen and his wife, and Herr Carl Hall, who furnishes the present statistics, swelled the ranks of the successful climbers. The number of victims claimed by Mont Blanc during the present century amounts to about 30. ATTEMPTED SUICIDE WITH BEETLE POISON.—In London, on Saturday, at the Westminster Police-court, Jane Elliott, 51, described as a charwoman, of 0,. Pavilion-road, Chelsea, was charged with attempting to commit suicide by swallowing a preparation contain- ing phosphorus. Constable Mann, 212 B, deposed that on the evening of the 27th ult., the defendant entered the Walton-street Police-station, and stated that she had swallowed a quantity of beetle poison. As she pro- duced a bottle containing a bluish paste, a doctor was sent for, and emetics administered. The prisoner was subsequently removed to the infirmary, where she was under treatment for a week. Prisoner said she had been on the drink lately, and she was now very sorry. She took the phosphorus in beer at a public-house. She had been very ill since, and hoped the magistrate would discharge her. Mr. d'Eyncourt said he could not do that. He remanded her for the advice of the chaplain. FRUIT AND THE CHOLERA.—An outbreak of-this deadly epidemic so near to us as France, naturally pro- vokes amongst timid people some alarm, a state of mind that seems always to be productive of evil (says; the "Gardeners' Chronicle.") It is to be feared that the report Industriously circulated that the cholera at Toulon originated with the free eating on the part of some of the population of unripe apricots, may lead to a fanatical outcry against the eating of fruit in any form during the present season. It is true we have here no great abundance of that product, but still there is some to dispose of, and market growers have been so. badly hit that any addition to their misfortunes by raising a foolish cry against the use of fruit wou.d be as unfortunate as it would be stupid. There is no proof that unripe fruit had any connection with the cholera, outbreak at Toulon, and it does not seem certain whether the disease prevalent is of the dread Asiatic frrm, or is of the sporadic order. With the prospect before us of a hot summer it is possible, nay, even pro- bable, that this epidemic will visit our shores, and if it does it will be as well if it finds us prepared to meet it without alarm and surrounded by the best sanitary con- ditions. Fruit growers will do well to send to market only ripe fruit, and that which is in a perfectly sound state. It is not, however, so much from the growers that any danger of that kind will. arise. It is rather from dealers who are not too careful as to the places in which they store their unsold frnit, or to the condition in which it may be. However, fruit is perhaps less in- jurious, if at all, when sound than many other articles of food, and rightly used may help to promote the public health rather than bring it to any danger.