County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

MISCELLANEOUS. A BARMAN NAMED SWIFT, in the employment of Mr. Henry Proctor, a publican in Liverpool, has robbed and made a desperate attempt to murder his employer. It appears that at midnight one night, after closing the premises, Mr. Proctor was about to go up-stairs to bed, when Swift knocked him down, cutting his face and head, breaking the bridge of his nose, and fracturing one of his legs. He then stole Mr. Proctor's gold watch and chain, and .£5. He then opened a hatch in the floor and threw his victim down into the cellar, closing the hatch and piling a number of casks of brandy and champagne over it, so as effectually to prevent Mr. Proctor from getting up or calling for assistance. A poor woman who was passing had her attention arrested by the sounds of moaning from the cellar of Mr. Proctor's house, and called the attention of the police to the circumstance. A SERIOUS ACCIDENT has occurred to the mail train on the Tralee and Killarney line. A train, consisting of several cattle and goods wagons in front, with two passenger carriages and mail van attached, had entered a deep cutting three miles from Tralee, en route for Killarney, when the axle of the last goods wagon broke. The wagon, passenger carriages, and van were thrown off the track and dragged for a quarter of a mile through the cutting, dashing against the rocky sides until the couplings connecting them with the preceding carriages gave way. The wagon and carriages were almost smashed to pieces, and nine persons were injured. THE RECENT OUTRAGE AT OXFORD.—The de- struction of the valuable works of art abstracted from the Library at Christ Church has been the theme of general conversation at Oxford, as, from the resolute conduct of the authorities, the case has assumed a more serious aspect. In consequence of the turn matters have taken, a numerous meeting of the junior members of the society was held on Saturday night, when a proposition condemnatory of the conduct of those engaged in this disgraceful outrage was unanimously passed, but that part of the motion in favour of giving up the names of the perpetrators was rejected by a large majority. Since then, however, it has transpired that a member of the society has come forward and given such information as will pro- bably lead to the detection of the offenders, who we understand will be proceeded against criminally. It is understood that those gentlemen suspected are gated. ON SATURDAY EVENING- a telegram was re- ceived at the Harrow-road Folice. station, stating that several Fenians would arrive at the Paddington terminus from Birmingham, by a train arriving at a certain hour. In consequence of the information, about 20 men of the X division of police awaited the arrival of the train, and arrested three men who were supposed to be Fenians, and also took possession of some 50 revolvers. A man who was supposed to be waiting for them was also arrested, and, when he was searched, between < £ 109 and X200 was found on him in coin and notes. The prisoners, who were followed from Oxford by Inspector Barrett, are detained at the Harrow-road Police-station. THE "COUNTESS OF DERWENTWATBR" has caused notices to be served on the whole of the tenantry <m the Derwentwater estates to pay her the rents due in respect of their farms, and appointed Friday as the day on which she would attend at the ancient hostelry at Haydon-bridge to receive the same. At eleven o'clock her ladyship drove up to the inn, and remained till after three, but was not waited upon by any of the tenantry. She was, however, visited by one of Mr. Stainthorpe's men, who served her with a notice that a writ of inquiry to assess damages for the trespass committed on the occasion of the Newlands raid would be executed before the Sheriff of Northumberland at Newcastle on the 3Øth inst. AN INQUEST has been held on the body of Mrs. Ellen Buckley, a widow lady, aged 80, who lost her life under the following circumstances. It appeared that the deceased, with several other persons, was en- deavouring to cross the roadway at the Regent. circus, Piccadilly, when, owing to the number of vehicles passing along, they were brought to a stand. still in the middle of the road. A police-constable assisted two ladies in getting across, and was return- ing to assist the deceased, who appeared very infirm, when he heard a shout, and, on looking towards the spot saw the deceased on her back in the road, lying near the hind wheel of a large furniture van, which had just passed over her body. He called to the driver, who at once stopped. The constable did not consider the driver of the van at all to blame. The deceased was piofeed up and conveyed to the hospital in a cab, where she was found to be suffering from a comminuted fracture of the left leg, and severe bruises on the arm. Amputation was performed J under the influence of chloroform, but deceased gradually sank, and died from the shock to her system by the injury. Verdict, "Accidental death." EJECTMENT.—On an Irish estate there stood a cabin held by the old-servant of a lady, and she being a tenant of the great landowner. The man's lease depended on her life, at the expiration of which he might or might not be put out, as the head landlord pleased. The cabin was more or less of an eyesore to the patrons of a model school near at hand, and the man was accordingly ordered to give up possession. He refused. He was then offered a small sum of money to go out. This he also refused. The lady under whom he held was then applied to. She would not put him out, as he had been an old and faithful servant of her family. She, however, went to him, and told him that her life was most uncertain, and that if she died, out he mast go without any compen- sation. She advised him to accept the terms offered, which he did, and the landlord had then his own way. THE CITY m RAGU&E—A Liverpool paper says that this boat, which is intended to cross the Atlantic to New York, is new on view at Quaglieni's -Circus for a few days. The,boat is 20 feet long, six tfeet beam, and is rigged as a .yawl carrying a flying jib, jib, staysail, square sail, fore-and-aft-mainsail, gaff topsail, jigger, and mizen staysail. She ifl fitted with an auxiliary secew, which can either be driven toy the wind or by hand power. The wind pow-ar is applied to the serew by an ingemons contrivance., the <si jaiill which is fastened to the mizenmast, havang sis blades, all of which can be taken out of the drum. The drum is fixed in such a manner that it can fee turned any way, so that if the wind be coming either dead aft, on the quarter, or aheal, it matters not. A dram is fixed on the axle, which a band is passed. This band is carried round another drum on the screw shaft. By connecting another drum. with the "mill" in a similar manner, a pump is worked, which keeps the little craft 4ry. In case of one being carried away, another is to be taken. Altogether the City'.of Raguseisavery strong-lookup boat, and although about four feet smaller thanthe Red, White, and Blue, which crossed the Atlantic a few years ago from New York, seems quite as likely as that vessel to weather the stormy passage, She will carry provisions for about three months, although it is expected that she will arrive in New York in about fifty days after leaving this port, which she will do on the 25th inst., wind and weather permitting. The persons who are to navigate the City of Kaguse will be Captains Pimorez and Backley, and as a com- panion they have determined to take a Newfoundland Boatswain, with them. # A.T a meeting held &fc the Hall of Science, St. Luke's, on Saturday, the following resolution was agreed to :—" That this meeting having before it the ofticiaàdeelaration of the Home Secretary that there waa ino truth in the statements made in the official loucaals, &nd in some of the English papers, that the Freneh government had demanded tbiiJ extradition of M. Ftou # is4 deem it anjaeoessary to kald the pro- posed meeting in Hyde on Sunday aezt, but at the same time desires to express its great sympathy with the Republican party in France and its efforts to promote a republic in tfhat country." The demonstra- tion did not take place. DEATH OF THE DEAN OF ROCHESTER.—The Very Rev. Thomas Dale, Dean of Rochester, has died suddenly. The deceased dignitary, who was familiarly known in London as Canon Dale, was born August 22, 1797, and was consequently in the 73rd year of his age. He was educated at Christ s Hospital and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Having written the Widow of Nain when he was only twenty-one, he contined to maintain himself at college by his pen until he graduated, and was ordained in 1822. In 1835 he was appointed Vicar of St. Bride's, and eight years after he was ap- pointed a Canon of St. Paul's. His death was publicly announced by the Rev. Parry Liddon, his successor as Canon of St. Paul's, who, in the course of a very eloquent sermon, paid a high tribute of respect to the memory of the late Dean, who had been for upwards of thirty years a Canon in the cathedral. A SLAP IN THE FACE.—The Viceroy of Egypt intends to replace the whole of the present Turkish officers in his army, down to the rank of captain, by foreigners-chiefly Americans. Already some fifty of these latter have been engaged by his New York agent, and nearly half of those so enrolled have reached Egypt. As yet, however, they are nearly all "Generals," and a correspondent reports a stormy scene between one of these heroes and the Minister of War, in which the Yankee closed the discussion with the Pasha by reckoning that he was a tarna- tion skulk," and giving him a slap in the face. The official hubbub thereupon was great, but General" Mott is said to have effected a compromise of the quarrel by extracting an unwilling apology from the Kentuckian, which Cherif was fain to accept. A LUNATIC'S LETTER.—A man, who is called a lunatic and is confined in the asylum at Limerick, has written a letter to the directors of that institu- tion, in which he says :—" I want from you better food, better behaviour-j I want you to be thriftier, healthier, kinder, cleaner in your clothes and talk, more God-fearing and God-loving, more thoughtful of your families and your fellows than your fathers were before you; and last, though not least, I want you to give me leave to go and see my friends in the country." He adds, in a postscript: "Willi have any chance of the three-wheeled velocipede you promised me, to take exercise, as exercise is, I believe, considered beneficial for all the animal functions ? AN UNFORTUNATE CONTRACT.—JN early two years ago the good people of Leamington, forced by an injunction to desist from pouring the town sewage into the beautiful river Leam, arranged with Lord Warwick to convey the sewage on the irrigation system over his lordship's estate. In the meantime the Native Gllano Company offered to relieve the board of their difficulties by the application, at the company's own expense, of the A. B. C. process. This process consists of an almost instantaneous precipitation, by chemical means, of all organic and solid matter, leaving the effluent water, to use the words of Dr. Letheby, practically innocuous." The residue is quiekly converted into a dry, inodorous, and most valu- able manure. These results have been attained under great difficulties, the works having been constructed for an entirely different system; but inquiries have been made from all quarters, and some of our l&rgest towns are now preparing to adopt it. Unfortunately for the people of Leamington they are bound by their contract with Lord Warwick to construct irrigation works at a cost of .£12,000, and the board will be obliged to relinquish the benefits of a discovery which. they have in a measure assisted to develop, and which seems to have -solved at last the great sewage question.-Morning Post. KOYAL LETTERS.—A very interesting letter from the Duke of Edinburgh to the Prince of Wales, purporting to give a most entertaining, account of the gay doings of the former in India, has recently been published by a Madras paper. The letter touches upon numerous delicate subjects and abounds with pleasant gossip. On the whole, the Royal epistle is smart, clever, and interesting, and it only lacks one requisite to have made it sensational-viz., truth. The letter, in fact, is not genuine. A bona fide letter to the prince, however, says:—" Love to Alexandra and the olive branches, for whom I hava got all kinds of brocades and shawls. I look for- ward to see you all in time for the Sandringham;par- tridges." DEBATING EXTRAORDINARY. — The House of Commons of Canada was occupied with a railway bill at the evening sitting on the 22nd of April. The Toronto Globe reports the close of the discussion (thus :—Sir G. E. Cartier raised an objection..Mr. Ferguson said he -did not hear distinctly the observa- tions of the Minister of Militia, and asked him to repeat them. Sir George E. Cartier, amid great laughter, repeated his objections in Fcenoh. The Hon. Sandfield Macdonald immediately rose, and, tG the astonishment of the House, proceeded, amid roars of merriment, to speak in the Gaelic language. Sir George E. Cartier again, and essaying to apeak in LaAin, managed to make himself understood to the extent of saying that he had risen to call to order that most illustrious and most learned man the member for Simcoe. He then said he would speak in Greek. He then, amid a multitude of noises and much laughter, proceeded to jumble together & dozen: of Greek words having tio connection with each other, and finishing with a scrap from Homer. Mr. Leveseoaite, in Spanish, said it was time the discus- sion should cease. Sir loan A. Macdonald was of the opinion of the last -speaker. The House went into committee on a bill at ten minutes after mid- night, and altogether got half an hour out of the Sunday jaacrning. LAMENTABLE ACCIDENT TO MR. GLADSTONE.— A lamentable accident has occurred at Terang, Australia, fey which Mr. Eobert C. Gladstone, a cousin of the Premier, lost Ms life. Mr. Gladstone was riding a young horse in the township of Terang, when he lost control of his horee. Whether this was the case or not, Mr. Gladstone was either thrown off, or jumped off tbe horse, and so fell on the ground on his back, retainksg a hold of the ssins. The animal plunged about, Mid either tramjxed upon or kicked him in the chest and stomach. Nothing could be done, however, to save the patient's life, and after lingering for two days, Mr. Gladstoa died, the imme- diate cause of desufch being rapture of the liver. RULES AGAINST SMUGGLING.—The many occa- sions upon which travellers and emigrants from England and France have defrauded the American revenue, have led the United States authorities to issaie stringent rules far the examination of the lug- gage of passengers arriving in the United States. Every passenger is required to make a brief state- ment of the number of trunks, bags, and other pieces of luggage on blanks furnished for the purpose. Their contents are also to be stated under two heads -luggage not dutiable, and dutiable merchandise. Any piece of luggage containing over 509 dollars worth of dutiable merchandise will not be delivered at once, but sent to a public store for examination and appraisement; all luggage is subject to actual and thorough examination, and the persons of all passengers are liable to be searched. Any fraud or concealment by passengers renders luggage liable to seizure and confiscation, and subjects its owner to other legal penalties. WE ARE GLAD TO LEARN that decisive action has been resolved upon to resume the completion of Wyen's magnificent but unfinished chef d'wuvre, St Paul's Cathedral, commenced by Dean Milman. An influential conference has been held in the chapter- house, attended by the the Archdeacon of London, Canons Gregory ikidfen, Lord Jcba Manners, Sir 'Stephen Glynne, Mr. S. Smirke, R.A., Mr. George Gilbert Scott, R.A., Mr. Beresford Hope, M.P., Mr. Murray, Mr. Longman, the Rev. W. Scott, Mr. Penrose, &c., at which a sub-committee was appointed to prepare a public statement; and a general feeling was expressed that this great work ought to be actively promoted as a matter of national interest and importance. A DEPUTATION of the -waterworks committee of the Bradford town council recently went on an in- spection to Barden Reservoir. Amongst the deputation was Mr. Jonathan Gibson, a councillor. A viper, about 14 inches long, made its appearance close to Mr. Johnston's house, at Barden, where the company lunched. Mr. Gibson, imagining the creature harmless, took it up from the ground, when it turned round and bit him between the first finger and thttmb of the left hand. The poisonous character of the bite quickly made itself visible, and Mr. Gibson became insensible, lay in that state for an hour, and it was at first feared that he was dying. He was afterwards removed to Addingham, and placed under the care of two medical men. A BATCH OF SIXTY PEOPLE, arrested as rioters on the 9th and 10th of May, have been brought up before the Paris Correctional Tribunal, the fact of their being taken in flagrante authorising their summary trial without any previous instruction. Nothing 0< curred to throw the least light upon the imeutes. There was but one witness against all the prisoners -the Commissary of Police, who arrested them. Their defence was almost uniform; one and all they said they were going home from their work when they found themselves in a crowd, and were laid hold of. The court acquitted a few who got their employers to speak a good word for them, and sentenced the greater part to a few months' imprisonment. IN BRISBANE there has been a flood, or rather a series of floods, all along the coast lands, com- mencing in the extreme north some four or five weeks ago, and gradually extending southwards until the river Brisbane and the river Bremer were flooded to within a few feet of the flood mark of 1864. The damage, so far as can yet be ascertained, is not so great as was caused by the flood before mentioned. A large majority of the people who were in dangerous proximity to the rivers, creeks, or gullies likely to be flooded, were forewarned by the disasters of 1864, and removed themselves and all their portable pro- perty out of danger in time. But the farmers could not remove their standing crops of maize, cotton, sweet potatoes, and sugar-cane. The loss, therefore, will be very serious. A BURMAH PAPER gives the details of a re- volting case of persecution of some Christian con- verts in the Shan State of Zimmay, a tributary to the Government of Siam. Two of the Shans, who had been baptised, were arrested, and were charged with the crime of changing their religion. They were kept a whole night with a bamboo halter on their neck, and a rope tied to the holes of their ears, securing them to the halter. In the morning they were beaten to death with clubs. The same paper reports the crucifixion, in Burmah, of a man called a Paramat, a sect which sprang up in Burmah during the reign of King Bodo. OUR DEATH RATE.-Last week the rate of mortality in London and 19 other large towns of the United Kingdom was 23 in every thousand of the population. In the metropolis the rate was 21 in Dublin, 22 in Edinburgh, 26; and in Glasgow, 30. The number of births registered in London was 2,277, while the deaths were 1,314; the former were 27 above and the latter 149 below the average, There were 515 children who died under five years of age. Measles were more fatal than in any previous week of the year, while the deaths from whooping cough fell from an average,of 60 to 33. The mean temperature during the week was 45.6. RAILWAY SLAUGHTER. A passenger train, which had left Luxembourg the other day, at half- past eight in the evening, was stopping at the Dom- meldange Station. The signals announcing that the way was free, a goods train, consisting of 40 wagons of 10 tons, conveying minerals, left Luxembourg, coming from Eseh-on-the-Alzette. It had scarcely arrived on the inclined plane, when the breaks broke at once; then the velocity became prodigious, and a misfortune seemed inevitable. They perceived the danger from the Dommeldange Station; the employes opened the doors of the passenger train, crying, "Sauve qui peut!" At the same moment the goods train came on swift as lightning, and crossed over the passenger train in its whole length. The latter train was smashed in pieces, and many people standing on the station's quay were wounded by the Minis. It is impossible to describe the horror of that dreadful scene. During the whole night workmen were busy at setting free the way. Thirteen corpses, mutilated, most of them affording no sign of recognition, were brought on the platform. All the persons unable to jump from the train were killed, with the two exceptions of M. Gervais and his wife. The wounded aire rather numerous. The driver of the goods train and the fireman jumped from it before the collision. A VERY DISTRESSING CASE OF SUICIDE has formed the subject of inquiry last evening before Mr. Garter. The deceased, a young woman named Elizabeth Quincey, a domestic servant, 17 years of age, had been for the last eight .months courted by a man named James Langham, who, after seducing her, gave her up for her sister, with whom he walked out. The discovery of this seems to 'have preyed considerably upon the mind of the deceased, and she threw herself into the Thames, wkere her body was found. Lang- ham's conduct in court was disgraceful, and his answers to questions denoted the utmost heartlessness. Ke was severely censured by the coroner at the re- quest of the jury, who returned a. verdict of Suioide whilst in a state of unsound mind." WEIGHT OF SiR. JAMES SIMPSON'S BRAIN.—; The weight of Sir James's 'brain, including bho cerebellum, was 54 ounees. Whilst, as is well known, the ratio between intellect and size of brain is by eao means close, yet there can be no deubb that it is very important. Most of our great men have had large crania. The male brain ranges chiefly bet ween 46 and S3 | ounces, its average being 49y. That of Cuvier is I stated to have weighed <64 ounces, -and that of the | I late Dr. Abercrombie 63 ounces, but it is possible that some error may have crept in through the use of weights of differing standards. If not, Sir James's brain, whilst much above the average, did not nearly reach those of the celebrated men we hax e mentioned but, at the same time, the convolutions were remark- ably numerous; they were, Bays a correspondent, twisting and twining round on each other as if they could not find room within the head. The island of Reil was very wonderful.British Medical Journal. PRACTICAL JOKING UPON LORD ST. LEONARDS. -No clue has yet been obtained to the perpetrators of the series of daetardly and cruel tricks which have for some time been played on Lord St. Leonards. The transmission of forged orders to tradesmen in his lordship's name, whieh, after the publication of his former letter ceased for a time, is now renewed. The other day he received a telegram from "Fowler, of Bushey, Glasgow, to Sugden," announcing that a heifer and bull would be sent. One of Lord St. Leonard's daughters was on a visit at Torquay, and just as she was preparing for dinner she received a telegram in the name of his lordship's butler, stating how seriously ill he was, and that he wished her to come home immediately. This she did, travelling all night, and reaching her father's bedroom at half-past 1 seven in the morning with the expectation of finding him dying. The other forgery was an immediate order for fine marbleø-desoribing the quality and the length and breadth of the proposed slabs, and the inscription, copied from the present tombstone- which were to replaoe the present erection over his wife's tomb. It is an abuse of language to eall such abominable outrages a "practical joke," and the police ought certainly to exert themselves to discover by wlwaa they an perpetrated. 1.