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TOPICS OF THE DAY. ---------
TOPICS OF THE DAY. AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY.—Austria has some very warm friends and admirers in England. There are people here who are determined to praise her, whatever she does, and are always dilating on the wonders of her statesmanship, on her skill in governing', and on the ad- mirable way in which she extricates herself from her difficulties. We should like to hear from these admirers of Austria what possible benefit she pan be .supposed ,td have derived from the course she h#s-tftben yiib,regard to Hungary in the. last'fe.w mouths. If she yiskes to treat Hungary as a conquered country, and to remind the world that her Emperor can abolish constitu- tions as easily as he can grant .them, and that he owes his Empire to Russia, surely it would have been batter to let things Dun on as they were before. She has lost..considerably by this open contest ,with Hungary. She has allowed the Hungarians ,an opportunity of proving, as clearly as a thing can .be proved, that they are simply defending unquestionable constitutional rights, tbat the.whole nation is actuated by-a common feeling, and. that the country is prepared to devise and adopt great practical reforms if its con- stitutional rights were no longer suppressed by force. Then, again, a very dangerous facility, has been afforded for the healing of the breach which divided Croatia and Transylvania from Hungary, snd the Diet has used its time so well that the have been taught to al complain of violations of the Pragmatic Sanction. The belief that Austria is a mere lawless tyrant has been strengthened and multiplied throughout a vast portion of her territories. Lastly, the mental and .moral powers of the Hungarians; have been revealed to the world. It is now known what is the nation that Austria affects to treat as inferior to itself. The Hungarians have shown themselves posse-sed of a political ability that at once elevates them to a high i;ank in the European scale. There is no Austrian states- man that can for a moment be put in competition witn ,M. Deak. A few months ago he was unknown, except in Hungary; now he is a European celebrity, and is com- pared to Count Cavour. All this tells against Austria. No one can doubt that the Emperor meant well, and that he would have, liked his patent constitution to have worked well. But in statesmanship good intentions are a small thing. Practical success in carrying them out must be added before they are worth much. This is exactly what is wanting in Austria. She has crowned a long series of blunders by the surpassing blunder of reminding Hungary of the past, and treating her openly as a conquered rebel". This is the end of what was loudly proclaimed to be a policy of conciliation, and it is a condu.sion which we should think must shake to its foundation .ev.en the most tena- cious belief in the wisdom and merits of Austrian government. We most sincerely wish that Austria had played her cards better, but indisputable facts compel us to own that the most foolish of Governments could not have played them worse.—Saturday Review. SCIENTIFIC HOLIDAYS.o- Neither with facile chatter, ,nor with ea.sily-forgn.tten visions "wiH the Englishman: long be satisfied. His notion of amusement is something to do-actiondifferentfroln what he is accustomed. to, but at any rate, action. The result is simply amazing to "intelligent foreigners." They.consider it slieer. mad- ness to.play cricket for hours under a blazing August sky -or to give a whole summer'day to a long and steady pull "ipon the Thames—or to follow the fox at a killing pace ,vel' the grass lands of Leicestershire. Yet these are among our best beloved, sports; to these the Englishman setshimseif sternly and seriously, and finds in arduous toil his .highest enjoyment. Who shall-say-that it is not this very temperament which makes our race earth's foremost? It is not otherwise in amusements of an .intellectual' order. The life of a Cabinet Minister is about the most laborious that can be conceived. Yet we find many of our leading statesmen, instead of seeking relief in occasional indolence, employing their leisure in writing books or review articles, or in annotating and translating their favourite classical authors. Change of occupation is their best refreshment. If men.whose minds are so trained to rapid and powerful action were constrained to absolute repose, the restlessness of the strong and brilliant intellect would destroy it. We may imagine a giant strong enough to stop the working of a steam- engine, but the uncontrollable power of steam would break the machine into fragments in his Titanic hands. To an intellect that has worked for years, perfect rest is impossible. This is as true of our intellectual as of our athletic pastimes. Surely Lord Brougham and his sagacious,discipleg have been working hard enough at Dublin. Is it not heavy business to deliver a long lecture on someprofoulld sociological text ? Is it not still heavier business to listen to it ? What- is more admirable than the resolute endurance with which Englishmen and Englishwomen listen for hours to the fluent, discourses of anybody who has something to. say, however dry it may be? Only let it be-known that some very learned man is about, to.enlighten London on some very difficult question, and,, lo! Albe-marle-street is crowded with carriages, and a multitudinous audience, with much crinoline in the midst of it, assembles to listen and to try to understa-rid .-Press. EXCURSION TRAINS.—Excursion .trains are found to be very profitable to the railway, companies, especially to those which form the communication between London --nd the southern and eastern coast. And they are not only profitable to the shareholders, but they-are of- gr-eat,-and might perhaps be of still greater advantage, to the immense multitude of the people, who, without the facilities they afford, might never be able to indulge themselves with a ramble by the shore, or the inhalation of the invigorating breezes of the sea, or with tbat change of .scene which .is as beneficial to the minds and bodies of the poor as to those.of the rich. It might be supposed, for these reasons, that the directors and officials, instead of employing -less,would employ greater care in the -management of a branch of their business wirch ;s so remunerative as weU-as-so-popula.r. But the reverse appears to be the case. iThe excursion train is an-addition to the work of the railway system, but is not accomoanied bv a co; responding addition to t,he wor king strength of The company. It has -been said that the horse ..js.A-ivery but that he has a great jten^eqey .in his nature to. make blackguards of all who have .much to do,with him. In like manner, excur- sion trains, are-very excellent things in themselves, but there seems to be a great tendency in their nature to render, everybody reckless who has much to do in their management. And if this recklessness proceed from excess of mental and bodily toil; if the ordinary atafr of IL., ,railway-the pointsmen. the signalmen, and all the minor-officials upon whose care, intelligence, and nunc- tuiility .depend the safety of every train that passes-along the,line."are sufficiently worked, by the ordinary traffic, why should their {acuities ibe.pnduly tasked to meet the exieecoies of excursion traiBs, so> profitable as. these are, i so- liable, in their very nature, to create confusion, dess the most scrupulous nicety of time and circum- stance be adhered to? And why, above all, should excursion trains be run so soon ,aiter the departure of any -regular and^duly-advertised train, so .as.to leave no margin for unforeseen delays, contingencies, -and casualties, which may interfere with the regular working of the traffic ?—London Review. .LORD PA^MICRSTON.—Lord Palmerstqn began life .as.a dandy. We are now so familiar with that epithet. that | we have forgotten, the comparative novelty ot it. There is no trace of it earlier than the regency or thereabouts. In the last century a person .who devoted an unusual care to excellence of costume was called a maccaroni," just as in our time he is called a "swell." The word "dandy" belongs to an intermediate period, and was first apjiliad to a remarkable group of men of whom a full- length. and perhaps rather tedious, representation has been given in Mr. R?ikes's Memoirs. They were one and all men of fashion; they were one and all men of some brains; they were one and all men of some knowledge; they formed a sort of indefinite circle during a series of excit- ing and attractive political events: during the wars of the Empire, at the fall of Napoleon, during the serious difficulties which attended the commencement of the neacf, as was not iunnatural, they divided their mind between the world of polil ics ard. the world of amuse- ment. No leaders of fashion have ever been so in- tellectual in their habits, or so serious in their thoughts. No body of men who have taken so much interest in, ..politics have ever found so much time, or had so much taste for gay pursuits. It was in a society of whisjh these men were the leaders, and to which they, gave the intellectual tcti-iq, that Lyrd Palmerston came out, and he remains among us with many; peculiarities strikingly characteristic of that past lime, and.strikingly contrasted with cur o'-v.r. He was trained-to social -FUCCSRS. He had beenniorethan twenty years in parliament before be became a political per- sonage of any eir:e;i,ce. Almost, all l>is mind arid energies mju>t.have .been devoi.ed.'to tise attainment..of pleasiiice.and distinction in a gay .and brilliant, -and a somewhat .dissolute aristocratic-society. But it have been, foreign to the tone of that sochtv to per- mit its leaders to be frivolous- Very serious events had occurred almost daily during the greater part of the litres of most people then living. And though the to&ein which such, subjects were discussed was light and gay, the substance of the discussion was always conside- rate, and often acute and discerning. It was in this school that Lord Palmerston's peculiar qualities were trained to their singular excellence. It was there that he acquired that close union of sense and cham- pagne which a good judge pronounced to be the basis of him." We all enjoy the best features of such a character its geniality, its ease, its good breeding, its wise worldly instinct. They make a sort of happy daylight in the political world which helps everyone in his severer tasks, and tries at-least to every one cheerful, whether working or at ;leisure. But at-the same time we-all feel that it is not the highest character. There were well-known charms, for example, in the character of the late Lord Herberr, to which Lord Palmerston, however superior in other respects, has no claim or pretensions--which he would probably half smile at. As the well-known old lady said, she was.born before nerves were invented," so Lord Palmerston may truly say that he was born before a certain moral earnestness became a prominent quality in prominent men.-Spectator.
T;HE COURT. ---:-+--
T;HE COURT. -+-- THE Earl and Countess Russell and fa.milv. have .arrived at Abergeldie, near Balmoral, N.B., where the noble Earl and. Countess will reside for a month or six, weeks. A BEAUTIFUL .drawing by Mr.-Stoppoo', of Muckross, House, w.as presented by Colonel Herbert to the Queen on the occasion of her visit to his mansion, and we understand that Lord Castlerosse also presented Her Majesty with a drawing, by the same artist, of Killarneyi House. THE Prince Consort,, on, the return of the Court from Balmoral, willlav the foundation scone of the new post- office .and industrial museum at Edinburgh. The Royal Family are expected to leave their Highland residence on the 22nd of October. THE marriage has just been celebrated.at St; George's, Hanover-square, between Stanlake Ricketts Batson, Esq., of Horseheath, Cambridgeshire, and Gertrude, eldest daughter of the Right Hon. Henry and Lady Harriet-Corry. The marriage was strictly priva e, in consequence of the recent death of the Dowager Countess of Belmore. THE Earl and Countess of CaLthBess, accompanied by Lord Berriedale and family, have arrived, at Barrowgill Castle, Caithness, for the winter. His EXCELLENCY the Ambassador of France and the Countess de Flahault are entertaining a select party at their seat, Tulliallan, N-B. THE Crown Princess of Prussia, wjiile: passing through Cologne from England,, visited the second Exhibition of German Art. It is now announced that Her Royal Highness purchased two paintings, one by M. Peter Baumgartner, of Munich, "Don Quixote declaring his love for Dulcinea of Toboso; the other by Professor Max Haushofer, of Prague, A Party onKlonthai Lake, in Switzerland." SHOULD public rumour, prove true,,her Majesty is not without intentions of again and often honouring Ireland .with a visit, for that many-tongued agency has already assigned her a site, for a royal residence in. the most picturesque part of MuckroFS demesne. LORD PALJIERSTQN has, returned; to Walmer Qastle. Mr, Milner Gibson is ,staying j,n Scotland, -where also Sir Charles Wood is expected to arrive. The other,, mem- bers of the cabinet are also o.Lit,of town. THE QUEEN has expensively patronised Irish poplin. A Dublin firm .have received a, large order from Her Majesty for this-.much prijsed and beautiful fabric. This patronage, will create aqtiyity in this branch of manu- facture, as it has, in common with other .trades, suffered considerable depression. Previous to Her Majesty's departure for Killarney she .also seleqted a large number of Irish poplin dresses. The silk mercers -and lace manufacturers were also honoured by a command to submit for her inspection the various specimens of, their manufacture of Irish lace, from which Her Majesty made extensive purchases.. A CORRESPONDENT corrects as follows his statement :with reference to the marriage of Princess Anne Murat with Prince Oscar of Sweden. There was a confusion in names. It is not Prince Oscar, but his brother, the Duke de Dalecdrlia, born in 1831, who is, spoken of as the future husband of the Princess. A MARRIAGE will shortly take place between Major the Hon. Sanies C. Dormer, second son of the Lord Dormer, and FIla, only daughter of Sir Archibald Alison, Bart., and widow of the late Robert Cutlar Fergusson, Esq., of Craigdarroch.
POLITICAL -GOSSIP. --
POLITICAL GOSSIP. THE semi-,official Correspondancia declares that there is.no tr^th in a statement made in some journals that Mr. Otway, formerly secretary to the English legation at".Madrid, is about to visit Spain on a political mission. THE Hon. Arthur Gordon, youngest son of the late Earl of Aberdeen, is going out as Governor of New Brunswick. THE .business of the Foreign Office will henceforth, be carried on at No. 7, Whitehall-gardens. Mr..JERNETOIIAM, her Britannic Majesty's minister at Peru, is about to return to Europe. ■VISCOUNT MONCK is likely to succeed Sir Edmund Walker Head as Governor-General of Canada. EARL RussELL has several connections at Newcastle, and it da intended to invite him to the honour of a public1 dinner. IT is with great regret that the public hear of the serious iliness of Sir E. B. Lytton. Sm: ROBERT AND LADY EMILY PEEL are now duly installed in their official residence, Phcenix Park. PRELIMINARIES are being taken, it is said, for a gr- at Conservative, dinner in Leicester, embracing all classes, to be held either in the last week of September, or the first week in October. THERE is no truth in the -report that the Emperor Napoleon has promised to .support the King of Sweden in a project of fusion between that country and Den- mark. THE Spanish Government have forbidden the intro- duction of the Brussels Independance into Spain. A EUROPEAN conference is to be held at Constanti- nople on the question of the Principalities. A WRITER in Le Monde alleges that "be knows it to be a fact" that Archduke Maximiliati, in his recent visit to England, concluded a "secret treaty" with Lord Palmerston, bargaining away the harbour of Trieste as a quid pro quo for 'British support against France and Hungary in the coming struggle. THE st'n ement made in the Belgian journals, that an Austrian agent is-in London to negotiate for the conclu- sion of a loan, has been authoritative!}' contradicted.
SPORTS AND PASTIMES. -+-----
SPORTS AND PASTIMES. -+- IT is stated that Daft, Jackson, and Tinley, the well- known cricketers, decline to undertake the journey to Australia. IN Argyleshire, in which county Lord Leigh has a good tract of country, his lordship succeeded the other day in bringing down a royal stag, weighing nineteen stone without the offal. DEER.—Accounts from the forests report good sport. The deer have not been in such good condition at this season of the year for a long time, and such beautiful heads are rarely to be seen. CRICKET. — The match between Soutbgate and the Surrey Club and Ground was played at Southgate on the fine ground belonging to .Mr. Walker. The- Surrey. Club were no match on this occasion for Southgate, who, with 88 runs to the good," beat them in one innings.- The Gentlemen of Kent and the Gentlemen of Sussex played a match at Tunbridge Wells a few days ago. The Gentlemen of Kent took their innings Srst, and a very fine ope it proved to be, they holding, possession of the wickets nearly the whole day. Mr. Streatfield marked 62, and Mr. Pepys 53. Other good -scores were also made, and the total amounted to-217. When the stumps were drawn for the day Sussex had lost seven wickets for 16 runs. On the next day the match was resumed, and -Sussex, were^ctually disposed of < for the small score of 24. They, were then put in again against the runs, and the batting was much improved upon, Mr. King scoring 42, but the total of the innings was 150; conse- quenjly Kent were victorious in one innings, with 43 runs over. IM :SwiMSUN<i.—^Profefsor Beckiwith, the celebrated swim- mer and teacher .at the Lambeth Baths, gave.various prizes to be contested for a few days since at the Ser- pentina, to promote the useful art" of swimming. The entries for the prizes (which were paid for t>y subscription) were very numerous,and well contested; after which, the professor: swam across .the Serpentine with his hands and legs tied. Mr. Woodbridge also went through various astonishing feats. Much amusement was created by Messrs. Stevenson and Humphris swimming across the river in full dress as man and wife, the lady with a parasol, her husband enjoying his pipe. IsLEOt- MAN REGATTA.—The Douglas Bay Regatta took place recently under the patronage of the Lieutenant- Governor. The weather was ail that could be desired, and there was a great concourse of people to witness the aquatic sports. The Welcome Cup, value = £ 10, for I yachts not exceeding 15 tons o.m. (time race, three to start or no race), was won by the Violet, H. Bridson, Esq., owner; Fanny, Mr. Curphey, being second, and Sea Flower, Captain Burford, third. The Ladies' Purse of < £ 20, open to the world, for four-oared boats not exceeding 30 feet keel, was won by the Casique,'Mr. W. Quiggin, owner; Willie, Mr. Quirk, being second, and White Squall, Mr. Curphey, third. Contests for minor prizes also took place.
LITERATURE AND 'THE ARTS.…
LITERATURE AND 'THE ARTS. MR. PHILIP is said to have sold the products of his last campaign in Spain, some dozen canvases, perhaps, for no less a sum than £ 20,000. Two dealers are the purchasers. ALL the speeches of Count Cavo.ur .are about to be published in a volume by the National Italian Society. BARONESS VIGIER (in; her maiden days Mdlle. Cruvelli) has just appeared as an. amateur composer by publishing some vocal variations on a Tyrolese theme. IT is probable that a winter exhibition will be opened at the French Gallery in London in October next, for the display of drawings and sketches by English artists. MR. CHARLES DICKENS is at work upon another story, which will most probably be issued in the old serial form. COPYRIGHT in France exists in the suthor and in his widow for life, in .his children for twenty years, and in his other heirs or assignees for ten years after .his own death or that of his widow. In Belgium the same law- prevails,, with this exception, that the right,, whether in children or in other representatives, extends to twenty years after death. THE Ordnance Office have in preparation an extended copy of Domesday Book relating to Cornwall; it, is .to be printed in modern type, and forms an appendix to the photo-zincographic facsimile edition lately issued from the Ordnance Office, under the superintendence of Colonel Sir Henry James. M. Du CHAILLU'S "Adventures in, Equatorial Africa" has now reached its tenth thousand. "TANNHAUSER; or, the Battle of the Bards," the new poem, has already reached a second edition, which will be ready in a few days. THE sale of the late Dr. Bandinel's library, by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson,; realised £1,916 .11s. MR. STANFORD will publish immediately a second edition of "The Coal Fields of Great Bntain: their history, structure, .and deration, with notices of coal fields in other parts of the world," by Mr. Edward Hull.
G AEDEMIN G.
G AEDEMIN G. LARGE TREES -IN CALIFORNIA.—A correspondent of the Toronfo Globe, in speaking of the size of tr.;es in California, says—" I have seen the big trees of Calaveras county, and they are truly. wonderful. One of them I found required 24 paces ,of my long legs to go around. Another I fOlwd 32 feet in diameter. Some of them are upwards of 300 feet high." THE ROYAT, HORTICULTURAL SociETY. -A consider- able number of interesting plants and flowers was produced before the committee of this society a few days since. Mr. W. Chater, .-Saffron Walden, received first-class certificates for hollyhocks Countess-Russell and Ne plus ultra, the former a peach-blossom, the latter a light rosy purple; and the same award was made to Messrs. Downie, Laird, and Laing for another variety called Lady Dacres, with-pale salmon-coloured flowers; Invincible, a salmon rose, and Lady King, deep crimson, from Mr. W. Chater, were commended. Of dahlias the following were commended Maria Carter, a white, heavily rose-tipped flower; Imperial, a fine amaranth; Fair-Maid of Bath, a delicate purple-tipped white—all from Mr. Keynes; and Charlotte Dorling, a bright, light, purple-tipped sort from Mr. Turner. Messrs. Low and Co., Clapton, showed a pretty new anaeetochilus called Bulleni, just received from Borneo it had bronzy green leaves, marked with three distinct coppery stripes, and was awarded a first-class certificate; as was a pretty creeping fern from the same source, sent under the name of arthrobotrya articulata, but probably an undescrihei species of polybotrya. Pollia purpurea, a neat, purple- leaved stove herb, from Messrs. Low and Mr. Bull, re- ceived a commendation, as being a useful plant for small houses, in which it might be employed for grouping with leaves of other colours. SEASONABLE HINTS. — Propagation of all the more important bedding plants should now be pushed on as quickly as possible; late struck cuttings are bad to keep through the winter through having an insufficient amount of roots and ill ripened wood. L°t scarlet and other geraniums struck in the open groond be taken up and potted immediately they have-made roots they will require a close frame for a week or two, when they should be placed on a dry bottom in a southern exposure to harden .them for the winter. For the same purpose verbenas, petunias. &c., struck in.pans and intended to be kept in them through Hlft winter, should be placed in a similar situation, at the same o stopping the points of the shoots. Let the borders be cleans neatiy raked over, filling up vacant places with spare chrysan- themums, spring struck pansies, or spring flowering bulbs. Deciduous shrubs and trees should not be transplanted until they have shed their leaves. The earliest apples and pears should be gathered.as th -y ripen. Early fruit more particularly is the better for being gathered a few days before it ripens on the tree, as in the latter case it usually turns mealv directly. Protect finer kinds of fruit from wasps. Peaches and nectarines should like- wise be gathered a day or so before they are quite ripe. Earth up celery as it advances in growth; plant out cabbage sown last month for coleworts. Finish planting broccoli and all winter greens. Sow chervil, American cress, and parsley in a sheltered situation. Sow early horn carrot to remain in the ground for winter use. Cut herbs, if not already done, and keep the hoe moving among all growing crops. Potatoes, which are diseased to a considerable extent in some places, should be taken up as soon as ripe; infected ones should be carefully separated from the others and used first. The rest may be stored in small quantities where they can be conve- niently inspected to see how they are keeping.-Gar- dened Chronicle.
FARMING. ——♦
FARMING. ——♦ BUUKS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.—Sir H. Verney, Bart., has consented to preside at the annual meeting of the North-West Bucks, and the adjoining poitions of Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire Agricultural Asso- ciation, which is to be held at Buckingham Sept. 18. COMPETITION OF REAPING-MACHINES.—A competition of reaping-machines came off recently on the Grange Farm, Dunfermline, belonging to ivlr. Thomson. 'The prizes offered were £10, j66, X4 respectively, the requisite amount being subscribed for by farmers and others in- terested in agriculture in the western district of Fife. Seven makers entered their machines for competition, viz.:—Mr. Moyes, Balwarie Mill, exhibited by Mr. Collier, Muirton; Kemp, Murray, nd Nicholson, Stirl- ing Gardner and Lindsay, Stirling; Mr. Deas, Carneil; Mr. Douglas, Dunnikier Foundry, Kirkcaldy; Cuth- bert and Co., Bedale, Yorkshire; and Brigham and Bickerton, Berwick-on-Tweed. The last-mentioned ma- chine belongs to Mr. Beveridge, Urquhart. The judges were-Provost Whitelaw, Messrs. Law, Boreland; Robertson, Hilton; Paterson, Offers, Stirling; and Mitchell, Alloa. After a few hours' trial, the judges gave their decision as follows :—1st, Kemp, Murray, and Nicholson, Stirling; 2nd, Cuthbert and Co., Bedale, Yorkshire: 3rd, Gardner and Lindsay, Stirling. All the. machines gave great satisfaction to the judges—all per- forming their work well and expeditiously. The cutting apparatus in all of them seemed to be alike—the only difference bearing in the gearing for driving this appar- atus, and in the construction of the frame-work. MANCHESTERAND LIVERPOOL AGRICULTURALSOCIETY. -The fourteenth annual show of horned cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, poultry, sporting dogs, cheese, butter, seeds, roots, fruit, vegetables, flowers, implements and ma- chinery, &c., will take place at Ashton-under-Lyne, on Wednesday the 11th, and Thursday the 12th. Premiums amounting to £1,100 (including considerable special prizes) will be awarded on this occasion. The public dinner will take place on tae first day of the show, in the' Ashton Town Hall. F. D. P. Astley, Esq., will preside. .1, GUANO DISCOVERIES—By accounts recently received from Sydney, it, appears that the guano discovered some time since on Flat Island, in Port Philip bay, is now much in use, the difference of price between this guano- and that imported from the Chincha and other islands on the coast of Peru being very considerable, the-former being but five guineas per ton, while the latter commands from zC15 to £16. Experienced .navigators aver that large deposits of that article are to be found upon the many uninhabited spots on the South Sea Islands. Samples from some places in. the South Pacific, brought by American vessels, have been analysed with even more favourable results than. those of the Flat Island. In one analysis of the latter, the highest percentage of that ferti- lising substance, phosphate, was 43-03, whilst the former shows a much superior percentage, and is as follows- phosphate and carbonate of lime, 65; moisture, 28; organic matter, 5; saline matter, 2-.100. It is devoid of smell, in consequence of its deficiency of ammonia. Flat Island guano, on its first introduction into Victoria, met with much prejudice; but its extensive use now has removed this erroneous impression. Government, as well as the Board of Agriculture, have been furnished with various analyses, which all agree as to the efficacy of Flat Island guano. The cargo of guano, the analyses of which is given above, was brought from M'Keon's Island, one of the Phcenix group, in 4° south latitude, 176° west longitude. Other cargoes have been brought from Baker's Island, thirteen miles north of the equator, 23' south latitude, 176Q west longitude.
ITAJilAJST .AFFAIRS. ,.
ITAJilAJST .AFFAIRS. IMPORTANT changes (says the Paris,correspondent of a contemporary) in the Italian ministry are hinted at. Some reconstruction of the cabinet offfurinis said to have been necessi,tated by the arrival of M. Benedetti ,at his post. If Baron Eicasoli-must remain at the head of affairs, .at least—.so ran the bondiwhich accompanied the French recognition of the Italian kingdom-we will not be obliged to come in dailv contact with him. And so the President of the Council changes-his portfolio. He takes that of the Interior,, and Count Arese succeeds him as Minister of. Foreign,affairs.. Coqnt Arese has, in point of fact, been imposed, if I am rightly informed, upon Victor Ernrnanuel by the Emperor Napoleon. Whatever may be the results of these changes, as regards the foreign alliances of Italy, the advent of Baron Ricasolito the Ministry of the Interior cannot fail to be attended with the happiest results. Italy requires,above .all things administrative unity, in order to mould her various elements into one harmopiqus whole. M. Minghetti has hitherto failed to attain this .object, and it. is one..worthy of-the-master mind of liicasoii..The portfolio of War will be taken ,by General Delia Rovere, .who will be replaced in Sicily-by General Brissnooe.
A ■MATRIMOICEAI. HOAX AT MAN…
A ■MATRIMOICEAI. HOAX AT MAN- CHESTER. The-following advertisement appeared in a Manchester paper a fewdays ago "A striving young widower, of good character, with children, wishes to correspond with a suitable lady, about 30, of small means, ivitli a view to matrimony and domestic happiness.—Address, M 87, at the prin- ter's." The above wag answered by one of a party of young men in Macclesfield, who dispatched the following letter, written in a lady's hand:— Shakespeare Inn, Duke-street, Macclesfield, August 17, 1861. "Dear Sir,—In reply lo your advertisement, I shall have no objection to correspond, with you with, a view to matrimony. I am about the age you .mention, have property iin Buxton realising. £ 2 5s. per week; I possess X300 da the bank, and bave large:ex.peQta.tiions from,a relativeiagfid 70. I shall .be ,glad to Mar from you. Send your .photograph, orarrange for an interview as fioo,nas,possil)le, as, I shall le»ve-town.shortly. I could have my choice of a,ny. young ,man here, but should prefer a stranger, for reasons that I can.satisfactorily ex- plain on our first interview.—rTruly yours, 'SMARY GOULD." This elicited the following reply, w;hich came to, hand on Sunday morning:— Hulme, Manchester, Aug. 24, 1861. Dear. Mary, I have only received your letter this morning; it must have been overlooked at .the office. In reply, I think the best course to take in this nutter is to have an interview at ofice. I will be over, at Macclesfield tomorrow (Sunday) morning, by the train, that arrives 11-30, and if you .do not wish to see me where ,vou are staying, I will remain about the station until all fthe passengers are gone, and if I see you, will introduce myself, or, if I do not see you, I will- go to where you tare staying. I have stated confidence can be kept in either case, as none but ourselves will know the .object of my visit.—I remain, your very obedient, This letter having come unexpectedly, the conspirators were hardly prepared with a suitable young lady." The 11-30 train brought .the young widower, a middle- aged, pensive-looking, respectably-attired man, dressed in black. Not. finding the object .of his visit at the station, he forthwith made his way to her apartments at. the Shakespeare, where he was invited to take 'a seat,, and await the young lady's return from pu;x,ton, whence she was expected every moment. lIe bad, not waited long before a fashionably-dressed, good-,loak^qg young, woman drove up to the door in a oab, and on entering the house,, the visitor at once introduced himself. Tea was,,ordered, and whilst the two: were discussing and arranging preliminaries, revealing ,to., each other their family connections, social .position, and worldly posses- sions, a conclave of young men were preparing the oven in which the "young widower" was. to-be cooked. Presently two of them entered the room-where the couple were seated at tea, apologising for the intrusion by remarivmg mat tfle nou^ wO", quite flllLand that that was the only room in which there was accommodation. One of them sat down to the piano, and whilst playing a piece two other interlopers made their appeannce. The young lady endeavoured to comfort her would-be spouse, who seemed to get agitated by the furtive glances of the young men. But when 10 or 12 others entered the room, he expressed his desire to be off. He was, however, politely informed that he was under the law of Sir John Barleycorn, and that he could not pass the warders at the door. Perspiration trickled down his face, as, in a state of feverish excitement, he threatened to make his exit by violence. He was indicted for attempting to carry off in a surreptitious manner the betrothed of one of his tormentors, who, in the character of an injured lover, preferred the charge. The accused was found guilty, without any hope of mercy; and sentenced to pay a fine which would enable all on the premises to drink to his health. Amid convulsive laughter, he dashed out of the house, chafed by a crowd of persons. He sought refuge in the police-office, and subsequently, made his way to the railway station, where a large crowd awaited his arrival. Here he was sub- jected to a series of torments, which w,ere only termi- nated by the train carrying him off to Manchester.
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Treasure Trove.-It should be generally known that treasure trove is not claimed peremptorily by the Crown, nor is there any occasion for the finder to sell it to the nearest silversmith ui.der the apprehension that it would have to be given up without compensation. A Treasury minute of the 16th of July directs that the superintendents and inspectors of police shall be author- ised to receive treasure trove from the finders, and shall transmit it to the Solicitor of the Treasury, who wilt ascertain at the Mint the real intrinsic or metallic value of the treasure, and the amount will then be remitted to the tinder. Cases will no doubt occur in which rare and valuable coins will be disposed of at a higher price than their bullion value, but they will then tind their way into some collection, either public or private, and will not be melted down.. Sarawak.—Sir James Brooke.The Sarawak flotilla arrived off the Muka river on the 20th June, and Pangeran Dipah and Seriff Massahore immediately sur- rendered. The latter had held a final council, the evening before, with his chief adherents, Talip and Sawing (the murderers of Messrs. Fox and Steele), who forthwith made their escape up country, and have not since been heard of. The people were starved and worn out, and the majority were looking to the arrival of the Sarawak forces as the means of delivering them from the very wretched life they had been leading for a long time past. Some of the more desperate men, headed by Pangeran Kahar, talked loudly of resistance, but pride yielded to necessity, and they accepted the terms offered-life and property at a distance. A few days afterwards the Sarawak forces took possession of the fort, which will be held until matters are finally adjusted between the Sultan of Brunei and the Rajah of Sarawak, respecting the future government of that part of the country. Sir James Brooke will remain for the present at Muka, to introduce order and good government, a task that will be by no means an easy one, if we may judge from the de- scription given in a letter from the scene :— this place is an Augean stable of slavery and corruption, and some river or other of sweet waters must be turned through it." As soon as order was re-established the people began .collecting sago, and there was every prospect of a brisk;and increasing tradje. At Sarawak, on receipt of the news of the bloodless victory, a salute was nred within forty-eight hours one prahtil had cleared for, Muka,-and numbers were preparing to follow. The greatest activity prevailed, so that in;a short time it is to be hoped the Plist may be in a manner retrieved, and the prosperity of the coasting, trade qnd) China Telegraph' „u ;,n
THE NEW FRENCH PAMPHLET.
THE NEW FRENCH PAMPHLET. A very remarkable pamphlet has been published in Paris, which will doubtless cause a flutter both in Rome aud in the French capital. The pamphlet is headed, "The Emperor, Rome, and the King of Italy." It advocates the evacuation of Rome by the French, and the occupa- tion of the imperial city by the Italians. Of course the Pope is to be considered, and Victor Emmanuel provides for the safety of His Holiness by a treaty with the Catholic powers of Europe. The pamphlet begins its introduction by saying that none will accuse the Government of the Emperor of having been wanting in patience in Roman affairs. The general opinion would rather be that he has shown too much of it; but there is a limit to patience likewise. The first chapter sets forth the thesis that the .desire of the reaction is to make of the Neapolitan provinces another Vendee and another Coblentz of,Rome. Thus in the centre of the new kingdom of Italy, and under the sha'dow of the French flag Legitimist adven- turers conspire with impunity. The ex-King of Naples arms there bis bands against t,he King of Italy, recog- nised by. the Emperor, and his chief accomplices are those whose power, re-established and protected by the arms of France, could not subsist for an hour if France withdrew her baud. It is impossible to ;doubt. of the connivance of the Pontifical authorities; they glorify in it." The two reports of the Italian Lieutenancy at Naples are quoted, in the first of which the participation of the Papal Zouaves and of artillery and the incursions of Chiavone are mentioned, and in the second the practice is set forth which the Pontifical authorities pursue on the i frontier, of forcing the people arriving from the South with Italian passports to exchange them for others given to them bv the ex representatives of the kingdom of Naples. When they go: back to the Nea- ,politan territory they don't receive back their own papers. The :Italian maritime police, not wishing to throw, obstacles in the .way of intercourse, admit these .,pillpers, a;nd.. thus reactionary agents are introduced into the,kingdom. In the second chapter, the. question of Italian nation- ality. is; treated,, and the idea that France has to fear from a strong Italy repudiatejd. Then .the pamphlet, goes into the question of,a. capital for the, nation, ..and .argues the necessity of traditions, genius, and services rendered; the capital ought to be the most complete, expression of the national mind, with power to realise it, and .then ,it draws the inference that this. is the case-jwith fiome. Leaving f.,ome-that is, Ifaly—to herself, Italy will have the means of her own grandeur. We must," continues the pamphlet, "have done at once with that meanness (mesguiniries) of another epoch, that France has to fear a strong Italy. It. was a'Ministerial tradition under Louis Phillippe, for the weak fear the strong. To-day it would be an ana- chronism." The third chapter anatomises ,mercilessly the temporal power of the Pope. It begins We have the sad.and scandalous sight in the centre of Europe, in the midst of the 19th centurv, of seeing a Power which says, 'This people is mine; it is my property.' And if one thinks that the Power which holds this language is an ideal power, half sacred, which speaks in the name of God, is this not a double and triple scandal ? In reality, Papacy adduces against Italy the principle of expropriation for religious utility. But where has this singular right been ever 1 heard of ? In what code of laws is it written ? And on what moral principle does it repose ? The greatest miseries of Italy have come from the temporal power of the Popes." Then a hit is made against the pretensions of the Spanish Government that Rome is the capital of Catho- licism, but a hope is expressed that this is not the opinion of the Spanish people. Then the idea is refuted that the,garrison of Rome was maintained with a view to a possible new war..The fifth and last chapter gives the solution :—11 AIL we can say to-day is that there is no guarantee, material or moral, which has not been offered by the Italian Ministers to secure the indepen- dence of the-Sovereign Pontiff. Every one will be able to convince himself of this as soon as the moment shall have come to publish these important documents." Then an,appeal comes "In the .days of redection, ,which are still remaining to the Holy Father will truth appear to him? We have seen kings abdicate to avoid useless effusion of blood; why should the common, Father of the faithful, the vicar of Him who died for the. salvation of mankind, not abdicate spontaneously a temporal po,wer with which he can do no more good, and which ia the cause of ,so much misery? Let Pius IX. remember the enthusiasm which he excited by pronouncing the word Italy. Oh if by an elan of his heart, he could return to those glorious days he would recover in. a moment all the popularity of his first years. No doubt it is late to abandon one'srself to these vijion: It will be at least a. great consolation for Italy as well as France that nothing has been neglected to establish concord and conciliation. If the court of Rome remains obstinate then nothing remains but an appeal to the Roman, people. The plehisbite will take place under the eyes of the French .army. Who will suspect it? And the morning after, if Victor Emmanuel is called upon to reign in Rome, the French troops will be successively relieved by, Italian troops, so that nothing should be left to cUa^p.e and that no .disorder should happen. The King of Italy will polish then the convention between hhn and ttie Catholic pQwars wjtj1 a view of insuring the independence of the holy see the splendour of the Catholic religion. The Pope then ma., do as he pleases. He will remain or depart. On him will be tW ™<<DOnsi- bility of religious division." Here, then, is the solution. Then a hope is expressed that the Pope will not take refuge in the camp of the reaction, by which he would lose his spiritual power too, but that, on the contrary, he will put himself at the head, of all grand and noble ideas, and purify them by his patronage. The. concluding words are :Then the Papacy will act according to its own inspiration. But it will have no cause of complaint, for who will see a martyr in the Pope ? If the Pope blesses Italy, then a new day will d-iwn for the Church; if not, let destiny be accom- plished. But Rome will not the less be the capital of Italy."
FRENCH AFFAIRS.
FRENCH AFFAIRS. A COMMUNICATION from Biarritz states that the Emperor and Imperial Prince's arrival at that place have attracted crowds of strangers. It is impossible to get a bed at any price. Bathing in fancy costumes app-ars to be the main amusement of the visitors. The Empress has again ordered this year preparations to be made for the continuation of bull-fighting at Bayonne. THE Paris correspondent of the Independance says The Government of the Emperor is preparing to send into the departments a certain number of the auditors of the Council of State whose duty it shall be to observe the feeling of the provinces, and to supervise the reports made by the prefectorial authorities. The Government is anxious to know the real tendency of public opinion in France, with a view to the probable and speedy dissolution of the Corps Legislatif. It is generally expected that the Emperor will have recourse to this step towards the end of the year. The dissolution of the Corps Legislatif would be the almost inevitable conse- quence of the fall of the temporal pbwer of the Papacy, which people seem to expect by that time. The month of December, it is well kuown, has always been fruitful in the revelations of the first and second empire."
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The French Academy.—At the recent anllua sitting of the French Academy, M. de Laprade, the direc- tor, in the chair, a most brilliant assemblage of spectators being present, M. Villemain, the perpetual secretary? having read a report on the competition of 1861, M. de Bornier ascended the estrade, and read his poem on the subject of the Isthmus of Suez," which obtained the first prize. M. de Laprade next pronounced an address on the prizes of virtue. The first (3,000fr.) was awarded to the Abbe Soret, cure of Luzarches (Seine-et-Oise), who for 19 years has devoted the whole of his income afford- ing succour to the poor; and the second (2,000 fr.) to M. Pierre Espagne, of Bordeaux, formerly non-commissioned officer in the artiiy of Africa, who has saved the lives of eighteen persons at different times. In the category of works most useful to morals, a prize of 3,000f. was given to M. Leveque for his work on La Science du Beau; one of 2,000f. to M. Mezieres, for his work entitled Shakspeares's (Euvres et ses Critiques and another of like amount to M. Baudrillart, for a volume which ap- peared under the title of "Des Rapports de la Morale et de l'Economie Politique." A prize of 2,000 fr. was ac- corded to M. Mistral for his poem of Mireio in the Provencal dialect. The "Enneades de Plotia" of M. Bouillet obtained a prize of 3,000fr., and the Consola- tion Philosophique de Bofece," byM. Judicis de Mirandol, one of 1,OOOfr. The Gobert prize was divided ex seqwQ between the Histoire de la Liberte Religieuse en France of M. Dargaud, and the "Histoire de la Littérature Fraucaise" of M. Geruzez. The prizes proposed for 1862 were then announced, and the proceedings terminated.