The Merthyr Telegraph and General Advertiser for the Iron Districts of South Wales

DRUSK OR DYING. t Mr. Bedford has held an inquest, at Cllaring. cross Hospital, on the body of Mr. Janjes Smith, aged thirty-eight years, a gentleman who died under the following circumstances :—Mr. "William Smith said the deeea^d was his brother. He last saw him alive about six o'clock on Friday evening, when he com- plained of illness, and stated he had had a fit in the street. He, however, left shortly afterwards in ap- parent good health. Police constable Thompson said that on Friday, about half-past seven, when on duty in St. James's-street, he saw the deceased Ij, ing on the pavement. He seemed to be drunk, and in answer to a question sang Tommy, make room for your uncle, and said part of the Lord's Prayer. A stretcher was procured, and he was conveyed to the "V ine-street station, charged with drunkenness, and placed in a cell. Mr. Skeates, inspector, said that he saw the deceased brought into the station on a stretcher. He did not give any address, and appeared to be drunk, and witness ordered him to be placed in a cell. On visiting him about nine o'clock he found the deceased In a slight fit, and breathing heavily. The divisional surgeon, who had been called in, ordered the re- moval of tlil, deceased to the hospital. Mr. Kodwell, resident medical officer at the hospital, said he saw the deceased about ten o'clock. He was quite insensible, and remained so till he died the next morning. The post-mortem, shewed that death arose from apoplexy from disease of the brain, from natural causes. Apoplexy might resemble drunken- ness, but in this case lie was of opinion that drunken- ness had nothing to do with the cause of death. The jury returned a verdict of death from natural causes.

THE COMIO PAPERS. (From Punch.) FASHIONABLE EXTREMES.—High Heels and Low Foreheads, FOXHUNTER'S DEFINITION OF A MAIL-TBAIN. —A post and rails. THE KHEDIVE'S PHILANTHROPY.—One of those things that no fellah" can understand. MOBILISATION. — Advocates for conscription for the infantry plead that "the line must be drawn somewhere." WAITING FOR THE VERDICT.Tbe German Nurse Is it a Cherman or an Euklish papy ?" — The Mamma Well, I don't know. You see, she was born in England, but my husband is German."—Tha German Nurse Ach, soli Zen ve vill vait to see vat lenkvetch she vill schbeak, and zen ve vill know I" THE SPELLING BEE. (Versicle by a gentleman who didn't win.) Howe duth the littel Spellin Boa Impproove each shyning our, And gather hunny orl the day From evry piitty flour. (From Fun.) FEU D'ARTIFICE.—Eelgravian mothers look upon theii daughters as pyrotechnists do upon their wares- their only ambition is that they may go off wall. NON CREDO. I don't believe in many things Some other people 110, Though time such wond'rous changes briogf That false may turn out true. But 'tis so difficult to say What will be true—or won't- Not to believe's the safest way— I consequently don't I don't believe in sausage-meat, 01 broken hearts, or ghosts, Or cockney huntsmen in the street As red as pillar posts I don't believe in ladies' hair, Or figures, I may say— And thus it is my lady fair Deceives me not-tliis way I I don't believe she'd cast my love Away for richer swain, Just a,, she'd fling ativa.y a glove Too old to wear again My love is not a faithless she, Though she may pad" and dye," And that she is not true to me I don't believe-not I 1 (From Judy.) PINS AND NEEDLES. From Judys Work-box. HAPPY THOUGHT.—We hear a great many em- plaints on all sides by reason of the continuous rains but surely i.* viewed aright, everything must be allowed to be going on swimmingly. We used to have an erroneous notion that no one could run any distance without previous preparation- however, a friend tells us that, by means of coaeliing all the way.lie accomplished a run down to Brighton i, ibl.clit the least necessity for training. My first a man takes when he sleeps When lie gets my second he weeps. My whole every soldier keeps.- A knapsack.

SPELLING BEE AT BRISTOL. A spelling bee has bien held at the Colston Haft, Bristol, which was crowded in every part. There were 90 I'ompet i I wis, from whom 40 were chosen—25 gentle- men and 15 ladies. Mr. E. S. Robinson presided, and lie was surrounded hy the referees. Behind these, in a double row, were ranged the 38 competitors. The rules were that the spelling was to be oral, and the stan- dalll of coriectness in all rases to be the new octavo edition of Ixichardson s English Dictionary. One word misspelt ruled the spe'L.r out, and any dispute had to be decided by the referees. The interrogator, in a loud voice, commenced with the gentlemen, and suggestively opened with the word conceit," which was° tcllowed by "believe," but the next word floored a gentleman who, amidst roars of laughter, spelt "piece" for peace (quietude). Shouldering his chair, lie miiruhed away as though he had won a battle in- stead of being worsted in a skirmish. The sixth word, "quean," brought another gentleman to "an early doom." Then that Kichardsonian eccentricity "lilach," disposed of a third gentleman, with whom, however,the sympathies of the audience were so strong that, the quoting of the spelling from Richafllson was liaik-d with quite a storm of hisses. One competitor rose and said in this same dictionary the word bun was spelt bnnn," and he asked if the book were to be ad- lieiedto throughout. Mr. HartUuid replied in the affir- mative, as it was so laid down in the bond." The word lodestone brought down the first lady, and, amidst much Jaugh ter. tho chairman presented her with a nosegay. "Bourn" and rabbet (a groove) proved fatal to two more competitors. B.ittalionslew a seventh an.I "withhold" sent the eighth tobreathe in repose. He only spelt it with one "h," and,on some of the auditors hissing, Mr. Hart'and provoked laughter by observing tliat,it was i'tl very (infor people to hiss "who dropped their h's. Knag," a projection, was spelt gnag by one discomfited young mar. and modellerbooked No. 10 amongst I hose hors de combat. A lady was seasonably cheered for spelling mistletoe," but the next fair one could not resist a gem in the shape of jacinth." "Aqueduct destroyed the ch mees of the twelfth com- petitor. A gentle nail next spelt anthropophagy "anthropopgy," and had to "hide his diminished head." Caudal discomfited one lady, and chicanery was too much for another, and sachel another—this mode of spelling it, however, eliciting a hiss from the auilience. The ladies who bad stood some of the most difficult words were falling fast, and secede got rid of another. Queue was spelt cue by one gen- tleman, who at once beat a retreat. The words leech an I libellous were got over amidst a peal of laughter. Court leet" dismissed the 10th competitor (a lady) —just one-half of them in one hour. The 20th fell with equipollent, the 21st with neophyte, the 22nd with igneous, the 23rd with intercalary, and the 24th (a lady) with "rln<e," which she spelt wrince. A gentleman failed to spell pcean the 25th (a lady) broke down with pannier (which she spelt panier). No. 27 was defeated by henison," the 28ili by janissary," 29th by arymmetrical, 30th (the veteran) by alltgeable, 31st by "cerecloth," and 32nd by connoisseur. There were now only six left -three ladies and three gentlemen—and a keen struggle was anticipated for the first prize. It must be confessed, however,that moit of the last half-dozen fell to simple words. The 33rd (a gentleman) was beaten by sibilant, the34th by "fewwarm (?) (spelt by the gentle- man "lukewarm"), the 35th, (a lady who had with- stood the attacks bravely) was cut down with "lily," and another lady fell to the word" 100," which tthe spelt low." There were now or.ly two competitors left-Miss Edith Mary Wallis and Mr. Holt. Be- tween this pair there was a gallant struggle— amongst other "posers" the gentleman getting over ochlocracy and the lady an isosceles triangle and re- cission, but ultimately the gentleman succumbed to his fair antagonist and broke his lance with picaroon— a robber whose name he spelt with two "c's." lie needed not, however, to be ayhamed of his defeat,seeing that the young lady, who is only twenty years of age, has successfully passed the senior local examina- tions of both universities, Oxford and Cambridge. The following was the prize list ;-lst prize- Beautiful tea service of BeIlcek ware, im- ported direct from the pottery in Ireland especially for this purpose, value 1:3 J03 Gd., Miss Edith Wallis; 2nd -Pair of lustres, with cut glass drops, value £ 2 5s., Mr. Holt; ",r(I-Eleti-ol)-itted teapot, new pattern, value £1 10s., Miss Mary Bawden; 4th- Cut and frosted glass butter dish, wi tli electro pi ated stand and cover, value £1 2s. Gd., Miss Kidd; 5th— Ilichly-cut glass sugar basin and ewer, value 14s. 9d., Mr. Mason 6th—Papier-mache inkstand, with two glass bottles, value 7s., Mr. Iliscox.

It is creditable to the Inds of the Warspite that, whilst their own lives were in jeopardy they did not forget the hir<*e black dog belonging to the ship, and which a.lways prccelle,l them in their walk onto •EM OQn,ripn forming the crew of the ship Al:ne, Eleven s.. j h been sentenced to ten weeks' SiCreenwid, for to proceed to impiuonme asaei.tloUg as to want of proper food and accommodation a ad of undernianning WThedDukeVofPortlar.d has conferred the important C TT I t -IT £ i 200 a year, with resi- Irnng of Heiulon (value at h > ihe denee, and a popuhitioK or -t, I Frederick II. Ambrose Serivencr, D. Gerrans, Grampound, Cornwall, "Ve TrAlmid eminent Greek scholars of Great B.itain or I and one of the New Testament revisers.

-= RKP.VTRK'S DAXDET.TOV COFFEE, rerreshing, healthy, and much approve- is a most valuable beverage for preserving a healthy condition of the liver ard storiach, and as an art to more potent medicines. In canisters at Gd., 10cl., ana s. 0a. each. Shopkeepers may he supplied hy the proprietor, or the fallowing wholesale agents :-LeaD,ud and Robinson, i-ristoi. Clutterbuck and Griffin Bristol; uHngh ,i5evan, wholesale Grocer, Bridgend.

VARIETIES—GR A VE AK"; GAY. Everything great is not always good; but all good things are great. Young folks grow most when in love. It increases their sighs wondetfully. Unfriended indeed is he who has no friend bold enough to point out his faults. In the heart of every man eminently great, the lio-i and the lamb dwell together. When do the teeth usurp the tongue's preroga- tive ?—When they are chattering. He who has a good son-in-la.. lias found a child he who has a bad one has lost a daughter. The young woman who was driven to distraction," j now fears that she will have to walk back. Schoolmaster: What's the meaning of npparent, boy? Boy Your mother, sir, or the old man. A man's good fortune often turns his head his bad fortune as often averts the heads of his friends. The politician who recently fell in the estimation of the public," is now trying to cratvl up again. Not that which men do worthily, but that which they do successfully, is what history makes lnste to record. It was said of an inveterate gossip that she even trimmed her bonnet with the feathers of a flying humour." "Is that cheese rich?" asked Mr. Bloggs of his grocer.—" Yes," was the candid reply:there's mil- lions in it." I want some of that kind of sonp," said a little girl to a grocer, with which people are washed overboard at sea." What is the largest word in the English language: —Smiles because there is a mile between the fr,t and last letters, "No, ma'am," said a grocer to an applicant for credit, I don't trust anybody these days, I would not even trust my feelings." We frequently see it stated that a scheme is on foot. Wouldn't a scheme be advanced fasterif it could be got on horseback ? Foote expressed the belief that a certain miser would take the beam out of his own eye, if he knew he could sell the timber. An uncle left eleven silver spoons to his nephew in his will, adding, He knows the reason I have not left him the whole dozen." It is a rather curious paradox that when people come to what is commonly called high words, they generally use low language. A physician writes asking the renewing of a bill, and says :—" We are in a horrible crisis there is not a sick man in the district." A musical author, being asked if he had composed anything lately, replied, "My last work was a com- position with my creditors." A gentleman received a telegram from a friend, and handed it to his wife. "Dear me," she replied "howbadly Mr. Jones writes." After all," says an old doctor, "there are only two kinds of disease, the one of which you die, and the other of wbich you don't." Traveller (to landlord): "Shew me a room with a good fire in it, for I am very wet and send me in a tankard of ale, for I'm very dry." Always laugli when you can—it is a cheap medi- cine. Merriment is a philosophy not well understood. It is the sui ny side of existence. The lady who was married in a balloon in Cincinnati the other day has since shewn how it affected her by blowing up her husband sky high. "What do you think is the best size for a man?" drawled a lazy fop, who was talking to his physician. Exercise," sternly replied the doctor. Those persons who have nothing but eulogy for themselves, have generally nothing but censure and contempt for all the rest of the world. A gentleman at an hotel complaining of the difficulty of getting waited upon, the landlord replied, "Of course you must expect inn attention here." A young lady on being asked what calling she wished her sweetheart to follow, blushingly replied that she wished him to be a husbandman. To a squire who was boasting of his horse's speed, Foote, the witty comedian, replied "Pooh, my horse will stand faster than yours will gallop." A man being asked, as he lay sunning himself on the grass, what was the height of his ambition, replied, To marry a rich lady with a bad cough." A Yankee who recently returned to New York from Newfoundland, says that the fog is so thick theie that he used to drive a nail in it to hang his hat on. "I keep dreaming every night," said a young man, "that I strike my bare feet against a sharp nail. What shall I do to stop it ?"—" Sleep with your shoes on." Some one lias remarked, somewhere, that it is a lu;ic rous sight to behold a physician attending his patient's funeral it looks so like a tailor taking his work noin r. Lady Yarmouth asked Garrick one day why Love was always represented as a child. He replied, "Be cause Love never reaches the age of wisdom and exper. ence." A Yankee in a trance, who was supposed to be dead, was laid out on ice, but he awoke, and startled his watchers by yelling, "Why don't you keep up a better fire ?" A man of rank, hearing that two of his female rela- tions had quarrelled, risked, Did they call each other ugly?".—"N0."—" Well, well; I shall soon reconcile them." Dean Swift said It is with nairow souled people as it is with narrow-necked bottles; the less they have in them, the more noise they make in pouring it out.' A young doctor, on being asked to contr.bute to- wards enclosing and ornamenting a cemetery, very coolly replied that in filling it he thought he should do his part. "For want of water," said an Italian, I nm forced to drink water; if I had water, I would drink wine. He kept a vineyard, and the drought had killed his vines. Some young men in Louisville having formed an anti-lift-your-hat-to-a-woman-society, the young la-lits of the Western city propose forming an anti-bow- to-a-puppy-club. Albert Smith's literary signature, A. S. was once shewn to Douglas Jerrold, at which the wit re- marked, "Ah, that's a fellow who never tells more than two-thirds of the truth." Don't be too anxious to solve a conundrum. We know a man who got two black eyes in endeavouring to find out the difference between a man and a woman fighting in the street. This conversation was overheard in a barber's :— Barber: "Thin out. your hair a bit, sir?"—Customer: "No, never mind. My wife attends to that. But just oil it well." A convict, who wns about to be sent to the House of Correction, was told they would set him to picking oakum. Let 'em try it," said he; "I'll tear the thing to pieces The man who always tells an unvarnished tale has just been presented with lialf-a-crown by the Me.tdax. Whopper Society, it older that he may procure some needed material. "Is the shoe too small?" tenderly asked a fond swain of his sweetheart, who was moaliÎlIg about cramped toes. Oh, no The shoe is all right, hut my foot is too big, that's all." A young candidate for the legal profession was asked what lie should do first when employed to bring an action. "Ask for money on account," was the prompt reply. lie passed. A countryman, seeing a vessel very heavily laden and scarcely above the water's edge, exclaimed- Upon my word, if the sea was a little higher, the ship would go to the bottom." Erskinepuzzled the Hi ts of his acquaintance by in- sciibing on a tea chest the words Tu doces." It was some time before they found out the wit of this literal translation—" Thou tcaehest." One day, a person pointed out a man who had a profusion of rings on his fingers to a cooper. A)), master," said the artisan," it's asure sign of weakness when so many hoops are used." All flesh is grass." Two farmers near Greenbush, United St iteo, contesting the ownership of grass in a graveyard, fell to cutting each other with scythes, and one of them is now no mower. Whew we see God's hand in any passing trouble, the pain is not gone, but the bitterness is for there is positively something allied to pleasure in feeling His hand near us, even though it hold a rod. Never be ashamed of confessing your ignorance, for the wisest mall npan the earth is ignorant of many things, insomuch that what lie knows is merely nothing ill comparison with what lIe does not know. A Frenchwoman once said that she never loved any- tiling. *'You loved your children," suggested a friend. — When they were little," she replied.—"And you love diamonds,"—When they are large," she replied. The following advertisement appears in a Canadian paper:—"Will the gentleman who stole my melons last Saturday night be generous enough to return me a few of the seeds, as they rre a choice vaiiety "Isay,boy,isthatthf fire?" asked a gentleman of a ragged urchin,pointing to a dense volume of f-moke that was issuing from the windows of a warehouse.— No, sir, that is only the smoke," replied the boy. A crusty old gentleman, not liking the way his land- lady's daughter had of making free with his hair oil, filled his bottle with liquid glue, the day before a hall to which the gill was invitell-antl she stayed at home. A Yankee writer speaks of a hut so miserable that it didn't know which way to fall, and so kept standing. This is like a man that bad such a complication of dis- eases that he didn't know which to die of, and so lived on. The fate which men receive i3 oil the whole the fate which most men merit; and, though it is not al- ways ihe rule, it is for the most part true that the success which is deserved is also the success that is commanded. By love's delightful influence the attack of ill-humour is resisted, the violence of our passion is abated, all the injuries of the world are alleviated, the bitter cup of affliction is sweetened, and the sweetest; flowers are plentifully strown along the most thorny path of life. Garrick, in order to covcr his own stinginess, ii said to have spoken of his partner Lacy's love of money; :\11c1 Murphy asked, "Why on earth doesn't Garrick take the beam out of his own eye before attacking the mote in other He is not sure," re- plied Foote, of selling the timber." Take heart, all who toil—all youths in lmmble situa- tions, all in adverse circumstances, and those who libour unappreciated. If it bo but to drive the plough, strive to do it wcU if only to cut boltf, make good ones or to blow <ehe bellows, keep the iro.u hot. It is attention to business that lifts thu feet higher upon the ladder-

DCNVILLE & Co., Belfast, are the largest holders of whisky in the world. Their old Irish Whisky is re- commended by the merlicd profession in preference to French brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exportation. Quotations on application to Messrs. DUXV¡ r,r;¡<; h Co., EOVAT, luiau DISTIL- LEBIES, EEWAST, 7376

THE TESTIMONIAL TO MR. READ, M.P. The Central Committee of the Clare Sewell Read Testimonial FUlld bas held a meeting at the Salisbury Hotel, Salisbury-square, Fleet-street, London. M'\ .lames Howard presided, and the re- ports presented from several counties were suclr as to iliew the interest taken in the movement throughout the country, and steps were adapted to complete the organisation of distiiet committees and other great efforts. It was decided to finish titc wolk of the fund by the end of February.

A RiVAL TO COD-LIVER OIL. It is stated that. a rival to cod-li"er oil has been discovertd in dugong oil, and that considerable quanti- ties of the latter aie in of transmission to this country, to be submitted to the medical profession for an opinion on its value and properties. The dugong is one of the whale tribe, frequenting especially the north west coast of Australia, where it is much esteemed by traders, settlers, and natives as a being not only useful for its oil and fat, bllt toothsnnw as an article of food. The oil of the dugong's liver has already been much ui-ell by the colonial medical men, in eases nnalogous to those where our doctors prescribe cod,liver oil, and with marked results. It bears, too, this superiority over its rival,that the oil itself has by no means an unplea- saut taste, and is altogether free from that smell which in so many cases prevents sickly persons with delicate noses taking cod liver oil.

GROSS RECKLESSNESS BY A MINER. At the Wakefield Court House, a case has been brought under the notice of the hell. h which shewed that, notwithstanding the recint. awful coiliery explosions, some miners are still exceedingly reckless. The prosecutors were lie: sis. Khodes and D.ilby, the proprietors of the Tic'oria Colliery, a place aoout mid- way between Waketieid and Pontefi-xct, and they charged one of their miners, named George Norming- ton, with infringing the rule. The de- fendant did not appear, and it WilS s..i.l he had absconded fromthe district. It was clearly proved that on three consecutive nighls the defendant had struck lucifer matches and lighted and smoked his pipe in a dangerous part of the underground workings, where Davy In'tips are only permit'ed to be uned, and where (ireboards were exhibited. When remonstrated with by some of bis fellow workmen and Ihe officials the-defendant treated the matter very coolly. The bench thought it was not a case which could be met by a fine, and therefore they sentenced the defendant to a month's imprisonment, with l aid labour.

THE NUMBER OF LANDOWNERS. In one of his recent speeches at Edinburgh, Lord Derby is repoited to have-said that the late Mr. John Stuart Alill had repeated the saying that the whole soil of this country waH owned hy 30.000 pioprictors. As one of the executive of the Land Tonuie Keform Asso- ciation, Mr. J. Charles C«>x, of Chevin House, Belper, has written to his lordship, stating that he had frequent opportunities, both in public and private, of hearing Mr. Mill's opinions upon this particular sub- ject, and he could distinctly recollect his combating this very assertion on several occasions within recent years. He should, therefore, out of respect to that great man's memory be greatly obliged if his lord- ship would point out when or where he adopted this assertion as to the limited number of prop'ietors. The following is Lord Derby's reply Knowsley, Prescot, December 25, 3875.—Sir, — In answer to your letter of the 23rd, I have a distinct recollection of having seen the statement that the whole soil of this country was in the hands of 30,000 proprietors referred to by Mr. Mill in some public utterance, without any indi- cation of disbelief on his part. The circumstance is impressed on my memory by the surprise which it caused me, feeling convinced, as I did, of the inaccu- racy of the statement in question, and knowing Mr. I Mill's general carefulness in matters of fact. I regret that I can give no reference to date. To the best of my belief, I only saw the speech in a newspaper report. -I remnin, your obedient servant, DERBY.—J. C. Cox, Esq." Mr. Cox, in a second letter to Lord Derby, acknowledges his partial error. Speaking at Free- masons'Hall, London, on May 15th, 1871, in reference to the enclosure of commons, Mr. Mill said "As the 30,000 persons who share among them the cultivated soil of this island have not yet, as it appears, got land enough, Parliament throws in every year many thou. sand acres more; to which it is not evvn pretended that they have a Mr. Cox adds that though Mr. Mill subsequently repudiated the accuracy of these figures when lie had examined them for himself, there is a very grave difference between the statement be repeated in 1871, and that which his lordship- at- tributed to him at Edinburgh. Mr. Mill spoke of 30,000 persons possessing the cultivated soil of this island—i.e. Great Britain, whilst Lord Derby led the working men of Edinburgh to believe that Mr. Mill had asserted that 30,000 persons owned the whole soil of the country-i.e. the United Kingdom.

PERSONAL STATISTICS. The oldest member of her Majesty's Privy Council is the Right Hon. Holt Mackenzie, aged 89; the youngest, his Royal Highness Prince Leopold, aged 23. The oldest duke is the Duke of Portland, aged 76 the youngest, the Duke of Norfolk, aged 29. The oldest marquis is the Matquis of Tweeddale, aged 89; the youngest, the Marquis Camden, aged 4. The oldest earl is the Earl of Leven and Melville, aged 90 the youngest, the Earl of Noibury, aged 13. The oldest viscount is Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe, aged 88 the youngest, Viscount Clifden, aged 13. The oldest baron is Lord Chelmsford, aged 82; the youngest, Lord Southampton, aged 9. The oldest of the titled heirs of peers is Viscount Kirkaldie, heir to the Earl of Leven and Melville, aged 59 the youngest are Viscount Crowhurst (heir to the Earl of Cottenham), Viscount Forbes (heir to the Earl ofGranard), Viscount Kingsborongh (heir to the Earl of Kingston), and Viscount Stavordale (heir to the Earl of Uchester), all of whom are in their second year. The oldest member of the House of Commons is the Right Hon. Joseph Warner Henley, M.P. for Oxfordshite/aged 83; the youngest, the Hon. William F. O. O'Calhighan, M.P. for_ Tip- perary, aged 23. The oldest judge in England is the Right Hon, Sir Fitzi oy Kelly, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer Division, aged 80 the youngest, the Right Hon. Sir George Jessel, Master of the Rolls, aged 52. The oldest judge in Ireland is the Right Hon. James H. Monahan, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, aged 72; tile youngest, the Right Hon. Christopher Palles, LL.D., Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, aged 45. The oldest Scotch Lord of Session is Lord Neaves, aged 76; the youngest, Lord Shand, aged 47. The oldest prelate of the Church of England is the Bishop of Llandaff (Dr. Alfred Ollivant), aged 78; the youngest, Dr. Edward Parry, suffragan Bishopof Dover, aged 46. The oldest prelate of the Irish Church is Dr. John Gregg, Bishop of Cork, aged 78; the youngest, his son, Dr. Robert Samuel Giegg, Bishop of Ossory and Ferns, aged 42. The oldest bishop of the Colonial and Missionary Church is the Bight Rev. Samuel Gobat, Bishop of Jerusalem, aged 77; the joungest, the Right Rev. Reginald S. Copleston, the newly-consecrated Bishop of Colombo, aged 30. The oldest bishop of the Scotch Episcopal Church is the Right Rev. Robert Eden, Bishop of Moray and Ross, aged 71; the youngest, the Bight Rev. Hugh Willoughby Jermyu, Bishop of Brechin, aged oo. The oldest of the retired bishops is the ltight Rev. James Chapman, late Bishop of Colombo, aged 77 the youngest, the Bight Rev. Edw.nd Twells, late Bishop of Orange River, aged 48. The oldest baronet is Sir Richard John Griffith, aged 92; the youngest, Sir Henry Palk Carew, aged 6. The ohlest knight is General Sir John Bell, G.C.B., aged 91 the youngest, Sir Ludlow Cotter (eldest sou of-Sir James Laurence Cotter, Bart.), aged 23. The oldest recorder in Eng- land is John Bramwe!], Recorder of Durham, aged 82 the youngest, George E. Dering, Recorder of Faver- sham, aged 35.—" Who's Who in 1876."

Mr. Eastwick, M.P., is now at Indore, and is the guest of Maharajah Holkar. Two garotters have been flogged in ivirkclale Unol They are stated to have suffered severely." The Manchester Con regatiomi Board have passed a resolution condemning the amended Slave Circular. The Royal Infirmary for Women and Cliildien, Lon- don, has, since its establishment, rendered help to more than 350,000 children. It is reported from Egypt tllat great uneasiness is felt in consequence of the length of time that has elapsed since any news has been received from Colonel Gordon. The Government having ordered a reduction to be made in the annual cost of the Ordnance survey of the United Kingdom,a large number of civil assistants have been discharged at the head-quarters at Southampton. The Minister who gives the watch to William Bolton, the lad whose conduct during the finking of the Goliath lias been so much praised, is the President of the Local Government Board, Mr. Sclater-Booth. It is stated from Chatham that in consequence of the ironclad ship Alexandra not being likely to be ready for several months to come, the intention to appoint Captain his Royal Highness the Duke of Edin- burgh to that vessel, has been abandoned, and it is now understood that he will be appointed to the turret ironclad ship Monarch, as soon as she can be got ready for commission. The Mersey Docksand Harbour Board have confirmed a recommendation of the Works Committee to lease 600 yards of land, at 2s. per square yard per annum, to the British Workman Public house Company, for the erection of temperance refreshment rooms. The Sultan has sent a handsome bracelet set with diamonds to Lady Strangford, at present staying in Constantinople, as a mark of his Majesty's regard. Out of the hundred and ninety cases of child murder committed in London during the past year, only about forty-five persons have been brought to justice. It is very evident, says the Standard's Paris corres- pondent, that whatever may be the faults of Paris, there is no lack of ready money. The confectioners' shops on New Year's Day were literally taken by storm, and one of these sIVell establishments for the sale of sugar plums in expensive caskets drew over the counter no less a sum than 24,000f., or £9,600.

THROAT IRRITATION. — The throat and windpipe are especially liable to inflammation, causing soreness and dryness, tickling and Irritation, inducing cousrh and affecting the voice. For these symptoms use glycerinc in the form of jnjubes Glycerine, in these agreeable conf"etions, being in proximity to the glands at the moment they are excited by the act of sucking, becomes activolv healing. 6d. ann] 8. buxes (hy post 8 or 15 stamps), and tins. Is. 6d. labelled JAMES EPPS & Co Homoeopathic Chemists, 48, Threadneedle- Street, and 170, Piccadilly, London."—Selling Agent in Cardiff, R. Drane, Chemist, 8, Queen-Street. 7380

MR. CAVE AND THE KriEUIVE. The Rome correspondent of ihe Standard telegraphs —Private intelligence from E^ypt, on which I believe entire reliance m*\y be placed, declares that the denial of a. disagreement between Mr. Cave and the Khedive is false, that the disagreement is most seiious, that on Mr. Cave's declaration that the balan ea presented 10 were wholly unsatisfactory, and that it was expe- dient to replace the Finance Minister, and to keep separate the accounts of the Daira, the Khedive ab- ruptly closed the sitting, and said aftei wards to those about him that he had thought England would have sent him a man to counsel and enligh ten im, but that he found it was intended to subject him t. a syndicate. The Pall Mall Gazette states that Nubar Pasha, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Aft; as, has ten- dered his resignation to the Khedive, and that his Highness has accepted it.

MR. GLADSTONE AND THE ITALIAN CHURCH. The Marquis Guerrieri-Gonzaga has addressed the fol- lowing letter from Rome to the editor of the Ragione, a newspaper recently started in Milan Sir,—I read in your esteemed journal a telegraphic despatch which an- nounces that Mr. Gladstone has sent to me 500 lire for the elected parish priests of Mantua. You will, I hope, give to the affair its true significance by inserting in your paper the follow- ing extract from a letter from the illustrious Mi\ Glad- stone to the subscriber Hawarden Castle, Decem- ber 15,1875.—Although pressed by a great number of affairs, I cannot delay informing you that I have re- ceived No. 345 of the Diritto, of the lltli inst., con- taining your article on the elected parish priests. Frolu the same I see that the priests, elected by the people, are in a momentarily difficult position. If you think that some small sum could be collected to aid them in their present needs, I should be very glad to contii- bute towards it 500 Italian lire." These are the exact words of Mr. Gladstone. I should be wanting ill feel- ings of gratitude and respect towards him, and in love for the truth, if I did not lequest you to publish them, so that the act of generous sympathy and friendship of the English statesman mav not be interpreted in such a manner as to give it a character which it has not aud could not have.—I am, sir, with the greatest respect, yours, CARLO GUERltIERI-GOXZAGA.

POKER VERSUS DOCUMENT. At the Sheffield Town Hall, Ann Eastwood, wife of John Eastwood, an ex-local preacher, of Higlifield, Sheffield, has been summoned for assaulting her husband, whom she had attacked with a fire-shovel and poker, because she was pressed to sign the follow- ing document This is to certify that I, Hannah Eastwood, wife of John Eastwood, of Cecil road, do hereby solemnly undertake (on condition of my hus- band abandoning his intention of following up a sum- mons served upon me in consequence of my violent con- duct towards him) that I will, from this date and henceforth, do my duty to him as a good and obe- dient wife, promising-1st. That my husband shall in all things be master in his own house. 211(1. That I will make his children welcome to their father's home. 3rd. That I will not enter into any neighbour s house in the yard in which we may live, neither will I en courage them into mine without his consent. 4th. That the bank-book, rent-book, insurance-oard, and the like, and all moneys I hold from my husband shall be given up to him at once. 5th. That I will not interfere in any way with his attendance at chapel, nor with that of his children. 6th. That I sincerely ask his pardon for all the pain and trouble I have heretofore caused him by my unruly and unjus- tifiable conduct. 7th. That I will from this day hence forth conduct myself in all particulars as his obedient and loving wife, and tiy my beat to make my husband and his relations bappy. -As witness my hand, the 3rd day of January. 1876 —Signed, Cecil-road, Sheffield, Witness, The reading of this document caused a great deal of laughter in the court, and the magistrates dismissed the summons.

ERIE RAILWAY COMPANY. A meeting of the bond and shareholders of this com- pany has been held at the Cannon street Hotel, Lon- don, Sir Edwald Watkin presiding, to consider the report of the committee as to a plan of reconstruction. The report recommended proposals to form the basis of a scheme of reorganisation to be carried out under a I foreclosure by a committee, of which it WHS proposed the Hon. S. J. Tilden, the present Governor of the State of New York, be requested to act as chair- man, and umpire, to reconcile any differences which might arise. The principles which had guided the committee in propounding the scheme were to make it, if possible, final,and to avoid confiscation of the rights of any class, while at the same time distributing the concessions which must be made, in order to secure the credit of the company, as fairly and justly as possible, according to rights and Priorities. The chairman, in opening the proceedings, assured the meeting that this bad not only been a work of time, but of great anxiety on the part of the directors in preparimg the report now presented. He expressed his regret that, in consequence of the illness of Mr. Jewett, he was not prepared to present to them full particulars with regard to figures as to the plan of reorganisation, but at the same time he thought he should be able to give them a statement sufficient to remove the erroneous rumours which had gone abroad not only in this country, but on the other side of the Atlantic, and he must observe that a con- spiracy had evidently existed in both places to throw away ten millions of dollars. The chairman then proceeded to criticise the various amounts paid to various officials. He wanted to know why £5,000 was paid for commission on un taken shares, and £7,750 for legal expenses. Having drawn the attention of the meeting to the loan transaction of £ 90,000, he asked whether it was reasonable that the interest on that loan and costs should be £ 30,000. He recom- mended that no more money should be sent to America, and that they should payoff their debts on this side of the Atlantic completely. As an illustration of the amount of injury done he wonIt1 read the fallow- big letter which had been addressed to him Hock Ferry, Cheshire 29th December, 1875.-Erie Gold Bonds.-Dear sirl'ardon my going direct to the fountainhead for information on behalf of tne above, but I shall esteem it a great fiivour-I may add a charity-if yon will kindly inform me when you think payment of arrears aud future coupons will be made. I ask this favour on behalf of a poor girl whose little all was invested in this stock. She is now an in- valid and penniless, her whole dependence being upon the quarterly payments of interest on these bonds, The inquiry is not an idle one,nor yet for the sake of specu- lation, as, individually, I do not own a share in this company; and, therefore, I beg that you may be able to throw some ray of light on the fortunes of this hereto- fore miserably managed railway. I may add that this poor creature says she is willing to pay towards the cost of the late inquiiy which you undertook, her proportion of the cost out of the first payment of arrears, but mean w lie she is, I may say it, dependent on charity f"r support, bie holds about as many shares as brought nor in an in- come of £ 100 per annum,and the savings of^ a been put into this most unfortunate sl ock. of the letter was Mrs. Brien. Having further cri the affairs of the Bompany, lie proposed the j» resolutions 1. That the scheme of re-o.g-Mis^tio'. embodied in the report of the committee, dated 17th December. 1875, be and the same is herei>y ■ ,J.. so far as its general principles are conem to such modifications and details as the after may from time to time find necessary or expei consultation with the president and receivei, the bend and stock holders in the Unitesd « • • That the committee he continued, and einpiJV* take all necessary proceedings to cairy into effect; and that this meeting, coinp" classes interested in the Erie Kanway Company, re n spectfully but earnestly request the Ho ■■ • Tilden (having regard to the large mtciests ff 'tiiii; and the public importance of accept the one of the great trunk lines of America) ™ and position of referee to decide all question carrvinK generally, which may arise in comp eting a T out such scheme." motion Mr. Miller, of Aberdeen, seconded the A long and excited discussion ^d scl|"eme be Mr. Eyre moved an amendment that eventually remitted for further consideration, l 8Cheme withdrew, and the resolution in favoui was carried by acclamation. |M

It is proposed to change the ifen and Chickeins -the house which played so impoitant a part in the Wainwright trial—into a missionary Lord Henry Tlmine, who lias el, c b re. Treasurer of her Majesty's Household, n elected member for Salisbury without The substance of the judgment of the Adrarl alty on the Iron Duke accident i„ published. J Bured some of the persons m charge or > lordships recommend that a superior n k • responsible for tho proper completion of A AU the dockyard, and that such officer should P work before passing it as completed. The colliery accidents of the Pa,t YEAR F^uedthesub ject of an address delivered hy Mr. >eW'. and of the London Association of Foreman Engin Draughtsmen. He hoped that, should railnnnent U.t to take up earnestly the subjcct of ueath mMn. mines.some philanthropic,practical,and c,ie^8e her would come forward.aud do for the collier what Mr. Plimsoll has done and is doing for seamen. George Dudley, blacksmith, has been roasted to death at Lower Mill, near Pontypool. He J on Sunday morning with all his clothing bu"ie(* but his boots, and the flesh hanging ii1 strips, y still able to talk. <> A tug boatman named Daroch was picked up by.e Bristol steamer on its way to Greenock, about t o'clock in the morning The man was aw,l?nUhft' en crying for help, almost in rnid-chan»0M i Helensburg and Greenock Daroch, when QuestIOned, could give no account of how he got into the wat A correspondent of the Pall Ala/l (*azette me RB a fact not generally known, that Vice A miral Sir Walter Tarleton! after the Vanguardcour^ martial, placed his resigna4.;011 i„ the hands of tne rs Lord of the Admiralty. but jlr" Ward Hunt declined to accept it, and Sir Walter still continues to discharge the duties of the head of the Naval Reserve forces.

"THE VERY nEST" israY1 P3/ent Sewing Machine "THE VERY BEST "is TAYLOR'S Patent Sewing Machine with the new Improvements which render it superior to all others for Dressmaking and Fa.milv use. It is simple to learn, easy to work, quiet iu a..tioi not liable to get out of or'ler. Can be had on easy terms of purchase at a moderate price. Intending purchasers, if unabie to obtain Taylor s Patent Sewing Machines from' local Dealers, are respecttully requested to send for a prospect us to 97, Cheapside, Lon- don, E. C. j Great Driffield, Yorkshire; or the branch establishments: 22, Silver Street Hull, and 132, Kirkgate. Wakefield. 7377

THE EASTERN QUESTION. Lord Stratford de Redcliffe has addressed a letter to we Timet, dated St. Leonard's, Decpmbcr 31st, in which he says — The numerous articles respecting Turkey which have lately appeared in the Times en- title me to think that you will not exclude the fol- lowing remarks. The Times- reopened the Eastern Question by advising a policy of total inaction on the part of England. You have since laboured in many leaders to justify that opinion by dressing Turkey in the most humiliating Colours. That Turkey is weak, fanatical, and misgoverned no one can honestly deny but to try apprehension it would he a great and hazardous mis take to infer from its condi- tion in those respects that the best way for England Is to leave it entirely alone. Anw-g the Turkish Statesmen are some, at least, who, in spi;o of their re- ligious prejudices and defective knowledge, have Slg"- city enough to feel their wants, and prudence enough to bend rather than to break under the force of reasonable pressure. Nor are the Sultan's Mussulman subjects so unmanageable as to give serious alarm to his Government when reforms of an unpopular kind are to be carried into effect. The Eastern Question is a fact, a reality of inde- finite duration. Like a volcano, it has intervals of rest; but its outbreaks are frequent, their occa- sions uncertain, and their effects destructive. The chief Powers of Christendom have all more or less an interest in the fortunes of an empire which, from being systematically aggressive, has become a tottering and untoward neighbour. Its struggles for life, the agonies of its dissolution, could not fail to throw all Europe into a state of hurtful agitation, if not into one of general hostilities. Ambitions, jea- lousies, apprehensions, and other conflicting passions would be roused into fearful activity, and the con- sequence of a fermentation so violent and extensive may well be dreaded. Under these circumstances, for England to be an idle looker-on seems hardly credible. Such an attitude with reference to interests so positive and perils so imminent would be a virtual abdication of her high position and its attendant duties. True it is that of two evils she has only to choose the lesser, but the choice of either would be better than indifference alike degrading and dangerous. War on one side and an injurious dismemberment of Turkey on the other may surely be avoided by British in- fluence, exercised from a suitable position. If the three Northern Powers are left to themselves, they will, of course, be guided by their own views. There is no reason to mistrust Russia at present but Russia la, nevertheless, one of the same triumvirate which partitioned Poland, and the retirement of England might be taken as her opportunity. The moral in- sistance of England would in all likelihood be decisive in a conference of the five or the six Powers. Peace, the support of Turkey, its administrative in particu- lar, its financial improvement, and the equality of all classes of its population, would naturally be the main points of policy; nor is there ground for appre- hending opposition to such principles on the part of others. The Sultan, moreover, would be more likely to assent to measures necessary to secure the exe- cution of reforms when proposed to him by all the Powers and recommended by England, whose counsels have always had a defensive or conservative character —defensive as to the Danube and the Bosphorus, con- servative as to the only feasible prolongation of Turkey's political existence.

A SPELLING BEE AT COLCHESTER. A spelling bee enteitainment has taken place at the Wesleyan school room, Colchester. This was the first time the American invention had been tried among the "natives," and it passed off to the immense satisfaction of every one present, with the ex- ception of the unsuccessful competitors. The room was well filled in every part. A small charge was made for admission, the pioceeds being applied for the expenses and prizes to successful competitors. The chair was occupied by the Rev. Thorn ley Smith, who, in the course of a few introductory remarks, said the object sought to be obtained was as much the improvement of the public in the art of spelling words in their own language as the entertainment of the audience from the blunders of the candidates for the prizes. Ex- perience of these spelling bees in other places shewed that they bad been productive of much good, and that the ladies invariably spelt better than the gentlemen. (Laughter.) About 20 gentlemen and four ladies pre- sented themselves as competitors, and were seated on the platform, Mr. J. Harvey, having accepted the office of referee, aiinouiided that the standard of reference Would be Nuttall's Dictionary. He then laid down the rules governing the competition, which were, briefly, that each one as he misspelt a word should retire from the platform until the whole class was exhausted, except three, who would receive the reward of their success. Mr. E. J. Craske said, in accepting the office of interrogator, he did not wish to assume the position of a walking dictionary. (Laughter.) He was sure that many people who could spell words correctly when quietly at home or when writing would experience great difficulty in spelling them in company. Mr. Craske then dived his hand Into the portfolio and produced the word compla- cency, which competitor No. Ispeltcorrectly. Every- one felt relieved when grandiloquent was equally well received, but the third stumbled in irrefragable by ipelling it with only r's. As it appeared the wrong word was give* ,y',be candidate, and probably from a disinclination thus early in the proceedings to reduce the number of conc pelitors, he was given another chance with ecstatical, but coir.meiicing with e-x-ex, he was declared floored, and descended amid shouts of laughter. A worthy legal gentleman, asked to spell uncompromising, gave out" ullcromising," and became very red at the merriment he evoked. He said he should like to have it over again, and he was cheered for his determination, but when lie with much gravity said he felt sure there was something wrong, there were roars of laughter. He appealed to the re- feree, saying it was quite a slip. The referee said slips were very awkward. (Laughter.) The word put was uncompromising,and we cannot allow any com- promise. (Laughter.) The next competitor failed to spell recalcitrate, substituting a d in the final syllable. Supernumary," offered for supernumerary, proved another's downfall. Metaphysics was spelt with fit,. for the last two syllables, which was sufficiently Un- Compensatiogtoputtho audience in fits of laughter. Subordination, commodity, and indisputable finished the list of gentlemen, and the four lallies safely passed over indefinitely, alliterative, transferring, and per- oration. It was now discovered in commencing the round again that an individual had escaped an interrogatory by changing his seat. Finding, however, that this process, instead of enabling him to elude the vigilance of the interrogator, might possibly put him in for double his share, No. 19 came back again and spelt irreconcilable correctly the second time, though there were some doubts that when he first went over it he introduced an e in the penultimate. The next asked to spell ancestry began with e n, theni-n, and finally, when assured he was wrong, said he did not understand the word, and came down. The next competitor spelt egregious with an r, and was told he was wrong. He said he understood the word well enough—it was egregious. (Laughter.) The Re- feree Yes, you understand it right, but you spelt it wrong. (Laughter.) Magnanimity, objurgation, and indigenous were spelt with ease, but protestantism, which created a giggle for its simplicity, was in- credible to relate, spelt protestism. There was a. singular mishap in superseded, spelt by a Scotchman superceded. At the request of the referee he spelt it over again, but the objectionable c was still unmistakably apparent, although he declared he spelt it properly. He had to retire. It was afterwards stated that the error was no error at all, but the peculiarity common to Scotchmen in pronouncing the s as if it were so. We never heard of the circumstance before, and here record it as a curiosity in spelling. Plain- tively and metamorphosis were correctly spelt by ladies; but quadrilateral, spelt with an o instead of an a in the final syllable, reduced the number of female competitors to three. A run of good spelling was spoilt by a gentleman giving necessiated for necessitated. After a duet it was found that the number of competitors was reduced to seven srentlpmpn and two ladies. C o m com, m-e-n men, so rate surate, for commensurate, made a further reduction. Recapitulation, inimitable, pavilion, and accompani- ment occasioned no difficulty but when postillion was put to a lady she spelt it with one 1. This was pronounced right by some who held dictionaries, but on being asked to spell it again she spelt it with two ll's, and had to retire from the plat- form. She was, however, speedily reinstated by the Mferee, who found Nuttall's dictionary gave two ll's to the word, and there was much applause, the com- pany being evidently loth to part with a lady who had acquitted herself so well. After some more music, the spelling was continued, catechumen bringing another to grief. Schedule and aurora borealis were correctly spelt by Mrs. Craske, the only sui riving representative of the fair sex on the list of competitors. In- congruous, spelt incongruious, floored another gentle- man, and philanthropist spelt philanthrophist unplat- formwdanother.redueiog theirnumber to four. Cynical misspelt cynicle brought another to grief. Eventually the first prize was awarded to Mrs. Craske amid much applause, the second to Mr. Woollelt, and the third to Mr. Clemenson. Mr. E. J. Jraske has handed the first prize to the funds of the Essex and Colchester Hospital

The Farnham bench have refused to acciptthede fence of a licensed victualler as bond fide, that eight men who were found in his house by the police after ten o'clock had paid for beds for the night, and so constituted themselves lodgers stad fined him 40s. The men also were fined 7s. 6d. each. Notice of appeal against the decision was given. The Judicial Committee have nppointed the 20t.h in- stant to hear the appeal Keet v. Smith, in which the question is raised whether a. Dissenting minister is entitled to have affixed on a tombstone the prefix of Reverend." The Post Office authorities are about to make a change in the mode by which payment is made for telegrams.. Hitherto ordinary postage stamps were ac- cepted in payment, but after the close of this month all telegrams must be prepaid in telegram stamps, which will be issued of the value of 3d., 6d., Is. and 5s. In Surrey and on much of the stiff and heavy'lands In Kent farmers have not yet sown half their wheat, and several farms are without autumn-sown wheat. The excess of rain and flooded condition of the ground precluded the operation of wheat-sowing at the proper season, and farmers have to rely upon fine weather for spring sowing.

THK HAIR.—For 40 years Mrs. S. A. ALLTSN'S WORLD IT AIR RESTORER has received the commendation an 1 favnu of the puWic. It has acquired the highest place that can 1 e obtained for any moderate enterprise, and contributed to the adornment of tens of thousands of persons, who have the proof of its serviceable character. It will poaitively renew and restore the oriainal and natural colour of grey, white, anrlfaded Hair It will strengthen and invigorate the Hair. stop its falling, and induce a healthy and luxuriant growth. No other preparation can produce the same beneficial result. Sold by all Chemists and Perfumers, in large bottles, Go. Depot, 114 & 116, Southampton Row, London, 7373

t.. .L..1;. J1.. u JX "£.j THE MEKTKYR POST OFFICE I ARRIVALS OF MAILS. Irelaid0ndRric?°iUth^n,d Ea8t of England, Scotland, Pontvnridrl C! k ster' Newport Hon.), Cardiff, yp dd, South Wales, and Foreign Parts morn Prom ,.r -n WORTH MAIL. Scot!and> Ireland,NorthWalea, rafter F,toY G.°o'Sdtenr'|0eUth nf^SndJreland, Bris- Wales, md FoVe^^Pw^ 6 after. DESPATCH OF MAILS. Box closes a T°GWter° Er"tScotland, Ireland, 3 10 after. LONDON AND DAY MAIL. TI. "London, Scotland, Ireland, North, East, and South of England, GIo ster, Bristol, Newport (Mon.),Cardiff, outypridd, South Wales, and Foreign Parts 10.30 morn: SUNDAY AEBAWOEifEM'iS. ,„i £ bc-?nic(ris °P°n from 7 0 a-m- (7-30 a m- Winter) to 10 0 a m when it is closed finally. There is but one delivery by Letter Oar ners, which takes place at 7.0 a.m. (7.S0 a.m. Winter). CM" LONDON AND GENERAL NIGHT MAIL. •lo London, Scotland, Ireland, North, East, West and South of England, Bristol, Glo'ster Newport (Mon.), Cardiff, Pontypridd, South Wales and Foreign Parts 30 after.