The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

EXTRACTS FROM MANHATTAN.' i ♦ •> We have another letter from "Manhattan," though he apologises for its brevity in consequence of a -broken arm. It is dated Sept. 29th, and,: after referring to the ordinary course of events, he thus comments upon various subjects, from which we take the following extracts:— Love for Russians. Russians, of course, are all the go in the city. Yesterday our common council gave the freedom of the city to all the commanders. A grand dinner is to be given, and a grand ball after the dinner. Two of the Russian commanders have already been taken in and done for. They visited a naughty place in Green-street, and exhibited the Russian gold coin to two of the pretty girls of the establish- ment. Of course, when they left the house, they were without gold of any kind. The sum taken by the girls did not amount to above fifty dollars. The Russian commanders, however, have had the girls arrested, and they will of course be sent to the Island to pick oakum. It was a pity that these girls did not understand the private treaty between Russia and the United States, and that Russians were to be made much of, and not to be relieved of their trifling cash. However, the 30,000 naughty and pretty girls in this city will not be likely to admire Russians. Few officers of any other navy—commanders—would have gone before the courts, and confessed their immorality before the public for fifty dollars. Coalition between Slidell and Napoleon. The weather is very fine, and is likely to be for the next month, for it is during the month of October that we have our magnificent Indian summer. This city is crowded with strangers. They are as thick as bees. The Russians, how- ever, take the shine off everything else: they are the talk of the town: they are met everywhere. The fleet will remain here all winter, unless war should be declared against France. In that case, it joins our own fleet, which will start for Mexican ports, to cruise and destroy French vessels of war and troops wherever they can be met'with. I do not believe that there is a man or woman that is not anxious to see the French nation punished for its offences against the Union. John Slidell is a smart fellow; so were his father and grandfather, the old soap boiler in Broadway. When we read the accounts of his dining, winning, and limiting on the sly with Napoleon, and of his being a favoured visitor in the apartments of the Empress Eugenie, and of his being her guest at Biarritz, it puts me in mind of what I once heard Joe Neal say of him, Jack Slidell is an insinuating cuss." So he is; and if Louis Napoleon gets into a war with this country and loses his throne, as he is pretty likely to do before he gets out of it, he has no one to thank in a higher degree than ex-Senator Slidell. War with France. Of course in Europe you have certain views of this country in its dilapidated state, and think that a war with mighty France would end us in about three weeks. On this side the view taken is entirely different. We know that in a foreign war we should be all united as one man, except in the States where slavery nourishes. We could raise a million of soldiers for this defence, or to go to Mexico. We should not send troops to France, and we should not lose by non-intercourse as much as the French people. They have had a vast market with us for their manufactures and their wines and brandies. Then would all be cut off, and we could thank God for it as a mercy. Not a dollar would we be harmed if non-intercourse with France lasted ten years. Not so with France. France would be called upon for vast sums to send an army of 250,000 over to this side, either to aid our rebels or Mexico. She could not hold out a month with a less force. The support of this army for six months would be more than she would gain, should she be so lucky as to capture New York city. In a naval point of view, a war of five or ten years with a first class naval power like France would fairly develop our resources. We have iron mines that are inexhaustible, and we would have a naval armament before two years that would be powerful enough to drive the French flag off the seas; but all these considerations are insignificant when compared with the kind feelings and for- giveness of the past that would be brought about by a foreign war. But we should not be left alone. If we are not all grandly mistaken, our relations with Russia are of such a nature -in fact, she is solemnly bound by private treaty to join us, not only with her fleets, as she is doing, but that, so soon as France starts an army for Mexico (for her paltry force of 50,000 there now would not be a fleabite to our troops), the Emperor of Russia will start 250,000 men for Paris. These are the ideas of men all around me. Whether true or not they have great influence, and I may safely say that we are not only ready for a war with France, but that all classes are anxious for the ball to open so soon as it is pos- sible. Before it is over Napoleon the Third will know more about American affairs than he does now; and he will find that starting upstart thrones on his side will be a failure, though,he once suc- ceeded in France in establishing an upstart Emperor.

AD VENTURES OF AN ABSCONDING CLERK. It will be remembered that a large reward was offered for the apprehension of the young man who had ab- sconded with the sum of < £ 2,500 belonging to his employers, Messrs. Chambres, Holder, & Co., cotton brokers, Tithebarn-street, that he was apprehended at Salisbury by Detective officer Smith, of the Liver- pool force, brought before Mr. Baffles, at the police- court, and discharged, there being no evidence offered against him. The robbery, as might be expected, caused considerable gossip in commercial circles, and the interest in it was enhanced some days ago when it was rumoured that three letters, each containing a large sum of money, had been received at the office of his employers from Parker. These'letters bore the Birmingham postmark, and each, it is said, contained a £5.00 Bank of England note. The first letter was addressed to one of Parker's fellow-clerks, and stated that no doubt the recipient would be surprised that he (Parker) had acted in the manner he had done, adding that the party who received the letter might know that he (Parker) would not have done it if he had not been screwed; and added that having done it he must abide by the consequences. The second letter is said to have contained an intimation that Parker meant to take a trip to Wales, and that he might go to America.. These letters, as has been stated, were placed in the hands of the police, and afforded them a clue as to where Parker was likely to be found. In consequence of this and other information received, Detective Smith proceeded to Basingstoke, in Hamp. shire, where he found .that Parker had been staying at the Red Lion Hotel, where he had changed two £20 notes, and had bought a gold watch and chain, for which he had paid £25. He had put up for a night at the Red Lion, where he had been doing the "liberal thing," giving the chambermaid and barmaid half-a- guinea each. From the hotel the detective traced him to the railway station, and found that he had taken a second-class ticket for Salisbury. Mr. Smith conse- quently took the first train next morning for Salisbury, and from inquiries he made there he found that Parker was staying at the Angel Hotel. Smith proceeded with all possible dispatch to this house, where he apprehended Parker in his bedroom as he was in the act of making his toilet. The officer told Parker he was charged with stealing < £ 2,500, the property of his employers, when he replied, Smith, I always thought you would take me; but I have done my best to get away." Parker also went on to say that he would never go near London, for it was "the very place to be taken in." He said he was staying in Salisbury in the name of Crawford, and that the people with whom ,he was residing thought he was all square." When he thought of leaving Liverpool (ha- continaed) with the iS2j500 he went to an office aart door to that of his employers and changed a £20 note; he then went to Castle-street, took a cab, and drove to the Bull Hotel, giving the cabman for his fare 13s. and a few glasses of grog." He then walked to Accrington, and stayed for the night in the cottage of an old woman of poor circumstances, who was receiving 3s. a week from the parish. On the following morning he took the first train to Manchester, and from thence went to Preston, from Preston toBlackpool, and fromBlackpool toBlack- burn. He did not, however, think he was safe at the latter place, and took train from thence to Birmingham. On going past Warrington Junction he got under the seat of the railway carriage in which he was riding for fear some one would be watching for him there. He arrived in Birmingham about five o'clock in the evening, and after taking some refreshment—his time probably hanging heavy on his hand—he went to the theatre to "while away an hour." As it happened, by a somewhat singular coincidence, the piece which was being performed on the occasion of his visit was one which would not have a tendency to drive away dull care" from a person situated in the peculiar position that Parker was-namely, the play of the "Ticket-of-Leave Man." Parker, however, seems to have drawn a moral from the representation, for when the scene in which the interview between Hawkshaw, the detective," and the "Ticket-of-Leave Man" took place, he was so affected that he went out of the theatre, got three envelopes, and sent 1,500 back to his employ- ers. On the following day he went to Bristol, and from there to Exeter, where he stayed a night. Subsequently he went to Salisbury, where he said he thought he would be safe. He also stated that he meant to have stopped at Salisbury for about a month—until such time as the affair blew over, and then he was to go nicely down to the Isle of Wight, get on board one of the Hamburg boats, and make his way to America. But the inop- portune (to him) .arrival of Smith deranged all his plans. He told the officer he was repentant for what he had done, and that he would "serve out his time like a man." On searching Parker, Smith found upon him sixX50 notes, one X20 note, £18 10s. in gold, and some silver, besides a number of gold sleeve links, pencil cases, and other articles of jewellery.

RUSSIAN BRUTALITY IN POLAND. The special correspondent of the Morning Post, writing from Vienna, says :— The Russians no longer conceal the object of the unexam- pled terrorism which they have established- in Warsaw. They openly declare that they are endeavouring to provoke an insur- rection, so as to give them a pretext for exterminating what they deem to be the most patriotic element in the country. Ten victims, among whom is Count Stanislaus Zamoyski, son of Count Andrew, are already marked out for the gallows as the first consequence of a rising in the capital. One of the members of the commission which has ROW taken into its hands the reins of Government, General Ross, objected to the insertion of Count Stanislaus in the fatal list, on the. ground that he was. innocent. The objection was, however, immediately overruled, the commisT sion considering that all means for restoring the authority of Russia in tha country are just. The adoption of this principle by the agents of Russia in Poland explains much that -would other- wise appear inconceivable. In order to re-establish the authority of Russia it is, in their view, necessary to rcot out all that is the agents of Russia, in Poland explains much that would other- wise appear inconceivable. In order to re-establish the authority of Russia it is, in their view, necessary to rcot out all that is intelligent and patriotic from the nation. The country districts being in insurrection, this is beiHg done there as a measure of punishment and retaliation. But in Warsaw there is no insur- punishment and retaliation. But in Warsaw there is no insur- rection; yet Warsaw is the hot-bed of revolution, and the resi- dence of the most intelligent and patriotic men in the .country. An insurrection must, therefore, be brought about in Warsaw; and the most obvious means to attain thisi end is to provoke the inhabitants to the utmost. Accordingly, we see soldiers march- ing by twos and threes through the streets, insulting and pushing about the passers-by; officers arresting people because, when they passed, they had not the pavement to themselves, because they were looked at hi an unfriendly way, and often for no reason at all; the streets rendered so dangerous at night by the patrols of drunken soldiers that it is impossible to go out after nine p.m.; artisans arrested as they were coming home from their work at seven p.m., because they had no lanterns, and only liberated after twenty-four hours' imprisonment and a severe flogging; and soldiers entering private houses at all hours of the night and searching in every room in the most outrageous man- ner. Flogging has now become an ordinary punishment for the slightest offence. As you pass by the police-station you may hear, almost at any hour, the cries of people who are subjected to this degrading punishment. "An orphanage, belonging to a charitable society, for the support of children whose parents have died or are without means, was broken into the other day by the troops, who took away with them sixteen of the eldest boys. The society pro- tested; but the only answer they could get from the Govern- ment was that the boys were wanted for the army. This is but one of the many instances showing that it is the wish of the Government to provoke the poorer classes to the utmost. The late executions of five men, against whom no guilt whatever was proved, took place in the most populous Quarters of the city, and the trosps were present in very small numbers, so as to offer no open obstacle to the rising which the authorities hoped for, a'ttrougfi in the barracRs eycrythlngwas prepared for an attack on the people, should these hopes be realised. Fortunately the National Government warned the people of their danger, and no tumult took place. These miserable artifices are in the main carried out by Russian officers, who are now to be seen daily ia uniform at the head of the various bodies of police."

THE SALE OF SIR TATTON SYKES'S STOCK. The last of the series of important stock sales, con- sequent upon the decease of the late baronet, has just been held by the Messrs. Boulton, at Sledmere. As upon previous occasions, the attendance of gentry and agriculturists was very large, and included the most noted breeders of stock in England. The prices realised were even more remarkable than during the previous sales. There was an entire absence this time of foreign competition, doubtless owing to the length of time between this and the last sale, but some pur- chases were made for Ireland and Scotland, several for the Midland Counties, and many for Northumber- land, Westmoreland, and Cumberland flock masters. The horned cattle were first sold, commencing with the Highland bullocks, which, though small, were chiefly bought for Lincolnshire at an average of £ 11 per head, estimated to be from lis. to 12s. per stone A brisk competition ensued for the famed short-horned cows by Rhesus. Strawberry fetched = £ 33 15s. from Mr. Dickinson, and Gaymaid and Rose respectively < £ 23 153. and X25 5s., for the Rawcliffe Stud Farm. The heifers averaged about .633 each. The two-year old steers made nearly e20 each, and the heifers of the same age over £22, averaged. The yearling steers and heifers made an average price of £12. Very few of this stock remain in the neighbourhood. The sale of the Leicester tup lambs aroused an extraordinary amount of competition, which would have run still higher had the weather been good. The highest price realised was < £ 16, from Mr. Thompson, of Kendal; and Mr. Stamper, of Highfield-house, Nunnington, was the next buyer in importance. These gentlemen were closely followed by Mr. Bennett, of Rugby; Mr. Pallister, Bedale; Mr. Riley, South Dalton; Mr. Aitchinson, Alnwick; Mr. Ringrose, Flixton; Mr. Stables, Ulverston; Mr. Garnet, Otley; Mr. Angus, Beswick, &c.; all well-known names as breeders. About 150 tup lambs were sold singly, realising an average of over t3 per head, a price for young lambs altogether unprecedented. The competition for the gimmor lambs was scarcely less surprising. In this stock, also, Mr. Thompson, of Kendall, outbid all his opponents, giving as high as < £ 8 5s. per head for some of his pens. There were numerous other sales at five guineas per head, and the whole flock realisecl an average price of over £3 10s. per head. As with the tups, nearly the whole of these go out of the county. A few more odd lots closed the sale of the once famed Sledmere flock, now distributed throughout the world. In the last day's sale, the lambs and the young beasts produced a total of < £ 2,500. The stock sales have been equally as remarkable in prices as those of the stud-indeed nothing parallel has ever before taken place in Yorkshire. ♦ Simplicity of Finnish Manners.—The grand dignitaries who accompanied the Emperor of Russia to Finland, and who have just returned to St. Petersburg with his Majesty, bear witness to the extraordinary simplicity of the mode of life in that country, and which is in such direct opposition to that now pre- vailing in the Russian capital. The chief of the secret police, Prince Dolgorouky, paid a visit to the Arch- bishop of Helsingfors, when, to the surprise of the former, the only servant of the ecclesiastical dignitary took the light from the archbishop's table, and with it opened the door and admitted the Prince. On his departure the archbishop accompanied him to the door with the same light in his hand. One must be ac- quainted with the prevailing luxury of St. Petersburg, and with the fact that an immense number of servants are maintained at the mansions of the nobles, in order to appreciate the hilarity with which the recital of this anecdote is received. A still more comic adven- ture fell to the lot of Prince Gortschakoff when he visited the Civil Governor of Helsingfors. As the Prince's servants rang, the governor came to the par- lour window and lamented that he could not admit his Highness, as the cook had gone out and had taken with her the key of ihs-stre^si door1 The governor a.dded that he had himself just Returned, and had been obliged to get in through the parlour wincfow. The Pdnce, so goes atory,, did the sqrmp"

EARTHQUAKE IN ENGLAND. The very unusual and alarming phenomenon of earthquake was experienced over a widely extended area of the Midland and Western Counties at about half-past three o'clock on Tuesday morning. The shocks were felt almost simultaneously in the neigh- bourhoods of Liverpool, Worcester, and Hereford, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, Derby and Taunton, Bolton, Manchester, and Salford, and in Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Somersetshire gene- rally; it is also reported to have been felt slightly in the western suburbs of the metropolis. The following are brief summaries of reports from various localities:- LIVERPOOL, OCTOBER 6.—At about twenty-five minutes past three this morning a severe shock of earthquake was felt all over Liverpool and the im- mediate neighbourhoods of Cheshire and Waterloo— indeed, according to all accounts, the latter place appears to have been much more affected by the shock than either Liverpool or Cheshire. Although there was no rumbling noise-such as generally accompanies phenomena of this kind—still the upheaving of the earth was decidedly felt, and in some quarters rather uncomfortably. In the vicinity of Egremont and Liscard, on the Cheshire side of the Mersey, some people were nearly "frightened out of their wits on feeling their beds lose their customary equilibrium and hearing the crockery moving as if intent 1 pon a general smash up. At Bootle, Seaforth, Waterloo, and Crosby, the shock, it has been already observed, was very violent, and many of the residents were much terrified. In the town the shock was also severely felt, and several public-houses in the neighbourhood of the Exchange, Sackville-street, Everton, and Kirk- dale suffered much in the way of glass. As far as we can at present learn, however, no injury to the person has been sustained. BIRMINGHAM.—The shock of an earthquake was very distinctly felt at Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and all the intermediate districts. It occurred at thirty-five minutes past three o'clock. There were two distinct shocks, the second being the most violent; they were accompanied by a low rumbling noise—in some localities it was a grating sound. Wails were seen to move, windows and doors rattled very con- siderably, a)ld much of vibration was otherwise expe- rienced. A great number of persons were awoke from their sleep, rose from their beds, and examined their premises, the effects of the shock being quite as much seen as felt. At Handsworth, Barr, Kingsnorton, and other of the rural districts, the shock was more per- ceptible than it was at Birmingham. STAFFORD.—At twenty-four minutes past three a very decided motion of the earth was felt at this town, and for a considerable distance around. A rumbling noise was first heard, followed by a strong vibration. Many persons who were aroused from sleep by the shock thought at first that some one was under their beds; and in many cases the curtains were seen to shake. In some of the instances, chests of drawers were violently shaken, and in the bar of an hotel the glasses jingled violently. At the railway station the lamps swung about with considerable violence, and an inspector, who had just gone home, and was taking off his shoes, went back in haste, fancying that there had been a collision on the line. WORCESTER.—At thirty-five minutes past three many inhabitants of this city were alarmed by the violent shaking of their houses, rattling of crockery and furniture, and oscillation of their beds. A rumbling noise, described as being similar to that of a passing train, was also heard, and many persons were so much alarmed that they leaped from their beds. Some chim- ney pots are said to have been thrown down, but beyond this no damage has been done, though the visitation is the universal topic of conversation here. The shock was felt sensibly at the surrounding towns of Pershore, Droitwich, and Malvern. The weather yesterday was dry but cloudy, the barometer fell all day, but no rain followed, and a sharp frost occurred in the night. DERBY.—A singular and unaccountable occurrence took place here at twenty minutes past three on Tues- day morning. The town at that hour was visited by a severe shock, the shaking continuing for several minutes, and the greatest alarm was manifested by a large proportion of the inhabitants, who feared that their dwellings were giving way. Some assert that they experienced violent rockings of their beds, others that they were awoke by a noise resembling the so-and of burglars entering their premises, and, indeed, the town was thrown into great confusion, the prevailing belief being that it was an earthquake. The sensation was general, and was also felt in the villages in the immediate vicinity of the town. The night was very calm, not the slightest wind stirring to which such a remarkable phenomenon could be attributable. The greatest excitement prevails. HEREFORD.—The shock in this city is described as very violent, and the sound is stated to have been per- fectly awful. TAUNTON.—The town of Taunton was visited on the night of Monday, or rather early on Tuesday morning, by a severe shock of an earthquake, and hundreds of the inhabitants were thrown into a state of absolute terror. About twenty minutes to three o'clock they were suddenly awakened from their slum- ber by a violent shaking of the beds in which they lay, and a jingling of the furniture in the bedrooms. In some cases persons believed that their houses were about to tumble to the ground, the windows shaking so violently; others were raised from their beds, and in some instances furniture was thrown about the rooms. Great consternation was created at the county gaol, the alarm being no less intense on the part of the prisoners than on that of the governor and the officials, the latter believing that the prison was about to fall. The shock was not confined to the town, for in villages miles distant the same results were felt. Throughout Tuesday this alarming circumstance formed the gene- ral subject of conversation. In WOLVERHAMPTON most persons but the soundest sleepers were awakened by it, and not knowing from what the noise proceeded a large number of people appear to have been under the impression that their houses had been broken into by burglars, while others appear to have at once satisfied themselves that the shocks were those of an earthquake. The first shock took place about twenty-two or twenty-three minutes past three. It lasted probably about a minute, and had scarcely subsided when a second distinct shock succeeded, it being, if anything, rather more severe than the first. To persons in bed the general sensa- tion appeared to be that the whole house was being shaken with a tremulous, rapid, and undulatory motion, proceeding apparently from north to south, and accompanied by the vibration of water-, jugs, wash-hand basins, glasses, and window' panes. At the time mentioned a watchman was on his customary duty at the Wolverhampton and Staf- fordshire Bank, in the centre and the highest part of the town, when he and a policeman who was with him at the time suddenly heard the iron gates of an adjacent churchyard rattling, and the bank together with the ground upon which it stood, appeared to shake. The residences of Lord Wrottesley and Hatherton were shaken, and the inmates alarmed. The morning papers contain voluminous corre- spondence and reports regarding the earthquake, from which it would appear that it had an area much wider than was at first believed. Letters describing the sensations experienced have been received from scores of places. Mr. Chas. Dickens, writing from Gad's-hill, Higham- by-Rochester, says:—"I was awakened by a violent swaying of my bedstead from side to side, accompanied by a singular heaving motion. It was exactly as if some great beast had been crouching asleep under the bedstead and were now shaking itself and trying to rise. The time by my watch was twenty minutes past three, and I suppose the shock to have lasted nearly a minute. The bedstead, a large iron one, standing nearly north and south, appeared to me to be the only piece of furniture in the room that was heavily shaken. Neither the doors nor the windows rat- tled, though they rattle enough in windy weather, this house standing alone, on high ground, in the neighbourhood of two great rivers. There was no noise. The air was very still, and much warmer than it had been in the earlier part of the night. Although the previous afternoon had been wet, the glass had not fallen. I had mentioned my surprise at its standing near the letter 'i' in 'Fair,' and having a tendency to rise. It is recorded in the second volume of the 'Philosophical Transactions' that the glass stood high at Oxford when an earthquake was felt there in Sep- tember, 1683." Mr. J. Low&, writing from the Observatory at Beeston, says:—"A smart shock was felt here at 3.30. Many persons awoke from the shaking of their beds and windows. At Use time the sky was cloudless, the wind west, haromeie? stationary, and the temperature 31 deg. The motion of the earthquake pendulum at this Observatory was from W.N.W. to E.S.E., and the displacement of chalk by the 30-feet rod was half an inch, the index needle moving the chalk so as to leave an oval, or rather a lengthened-oval hole. There must have _been at least two shocks, as numerous letters describe the time as both 2.35 a.m. and 3.30 a.m.; that the latter was the time of a severe lateral shock is certain, as the zero pencils on my atmospheric recorder aiarked the paper in a remarkable manner at that hour. Information as to the extent of the shock is desirable, as in all probability the earthquake of this morning was of a severe nature." The Rev. H. C. Key writes from Stretton Rectory, Hereford:—" At 3.23 a.m., Greenwich mean time, or very nearly so, a smart shock of an earthquake was felt in this neighbourhood. Its duration, as far as I could judge, was about eight seconds some persons say more. The effect was that of a very heavy and long train rushing furiously through a station, but the jar or shock experienced was greater than any I ever felt produced by a train. The bed on which I lay was violently shaken, and the iron bars of the shutters of the room (the shutters being closed but not-barred) rattled loudly against the shutters and I found that it required a considerable amount of shaking with the hand to effect this. The sound at first increased rapidly with a gradual crescendo for two or three seconds, until the crash was felt (whichlasted for about one second and a half, and consisted of two concussions), and then subsided as gradually for some seconds more, until it died away in the distance. It appeared to me to equal the loudest peal of thunder I ever heard, but it was fuller and deeper and grander than thunder. In about three minutes afterwards a second faint rumble was heard. The night was beautifully still and clear, and not a sound was heard from any animal either before or after. The direction of the wave of concus- sion appeared to be from a little W. of S. to E. of N." From Clifford, in Herefordshire, a correspondent states that about half-past two his family were aroused from their slumbers by the smart shock of an earth- quake, preceded by loud rumbling noises, which con- tinued for several minutes. The house rocked steadily to and fro, and then settled itself with a violent trembling. The hoarse, volcanic-like groanings echoed back from the mountains on the opposite side of the valley like the peals of departing thunder, and then all was still. —— d.

THE IRON TRADE. The principal meeting of the ironmasters of the Midland Counties district was held in the Town-hall last week; there was a large attendance. The trans- actions were not large, but most of the producers of finished iron were well supplied with orders, and con- sequently no disposition to press for others; the fresh contracts entered into were at the full trade prices, none of the leading makers being disposed to accept below the rates fixed at the preliminary meeting, and the second-class houses were obtaining better prices in proportion than is usual. It was mentioned, too, that the works were all in full operation; where such was not the case it arose from a difficulty in the way of pro- curing labour, or in some other respect on that account. The fact of the North Staffordshire and Welsh makers being well placed with regard to orders must help materially to-sustain the trade in this district. With reference to pig-iron the prices were not quite so well settled as they were for the manufactured article; the pig-masters asked about < £ 3 17s. Gd. to C4 per ton for good hot-blast mine iron, but consumers conceded it reluctantly, and many of them were in a position to abstain from purchasing, having stocks of pig bought at low prices; moreover there was the competition with the inferior makes of pig-iron of Northamptonshire and the North, which was being pressed into this market at that moment at fully 5s., perhaps 7s. 6d., below the price of the pig-iron of this district. If, however, the demand for finishing iron keeps up Staffordshire pig will readily command the price above quoted. The trade in Shropshire pig-iron was steady, and prices advanced in proportion to the rise in the price of pig- iron the produce of this district. In reference to the North Staffordshire iron it may be noticed that the advances in the price recently made will place the general scale relatively higher than it is in South Staffordshire. The meeting was a cheerful one; all who are engaged in the trade as producers taking a cheerful view as to the future.

DREADFUL DEATH OF A WIFE. A dreadful occurrence has just taken place at Bury St. Edmonds. Mr. J. A. Scotcher, a gunmaker, has esi resided in the meat market of that town for the last five or six years, and is stated to have lived with his wife on the most affectionate terms. The smooth course of their life was, however, disturbed about three weeks since, when Mrs. Scotcher had, or fancied she had, reasons for entertaining suspicions respect- ing her husband, and accused him of inconstancy. The charge seems to have been felt by him acutely, so much so that he was only prevented from shooting himself about a fortnight since by the arrival at the critical moment of his brother. On Saturday a man named Shaw heard the report of a pistol while he was in the back shop. He had occasion to go into the shop to ask Mr. Scotcher a question, and directly he did so he heard his master coming from the parlour into the passage which separated the parlour from the shop, and call the servant and the apprentice, while he was told to "run for Dr. Cooper directly." Shaw afterwards went into the parlour where Mrs. Scotcher was lying on the floor, and Mr. Scotcher explained to him how it happened. He said that she had accused him of something that was not right, that he could stand it no longer, and that he had taken up a pistol off the counter with the intention of shooting himself. He then showed how he was holding the pistol, viz., in his right hand, raised above him at arm's length, with the muzzle pointing towards his breast; and added that his wife ran after him to save him from shooting himself, and that, in the scuffle, the pistol went off. The weapon is a revolver, of modern con- struction, and, having neither guard nor trigger, it explodes so readily that drawing it through the hand is sufficient to make it go off. Mr. Scotcher helped Shaw and one of the women to carry the senseless body of his wife upstairs and place her upon a bed, and then, finding that Dr. Cooper was from home, went himself for Mr. Smith, a surgeon living near, who at- tended directly, and to whom he gave the same version of the affair. On his arrival, Mr. Smith found Mrs. Scotcher just alive, but she expired a few moments afterwards. Mr. Scotcher was in a most excited state, so much so that it was deemed advisable to keep two men with him, lest he should carry out his original in- I tention. He remained all night in great agitation, and frequently gave vent to expressions of affection for his wife. An inquest was opened on Tuesday afternoon before Mr. James Sparke, coroner for the borough, when Mr. Smith detailed the result of the post-mortem examination, which proved that the bullet had entered the right side of the head of the deceased just above the temple, passed obliquely through the brain, and lodged on the opposite side, below the ear. There was also upon her hand a mark caused by the explosion of a gun cap, which proves that at the time the pistol went off she had her hand near the cap. The jury wished to have an opportunity of hearing from Mr. Scotcher himself some particulars as to the cause of the quarrel between himself and his wife, and the in- quiry was adjourned for the purpose of securing his attendance; it being thought that he was not sufficiently calm to be able to make a statement. The New Mexican Empire. Mexico has found an early friend in the Tynemouth Chamber of Commerce. At the monthly meeting of that select body a resolution in favour of the recognition of the new "empire" by our Government was unanimously carried, a hope being at the same time expressed that arrangements would be made with the Mexican Govern- ment for the extension of every possible facility to British shipping. Determined to take time by the forelock, these commercial gentlemen already picture a happy and prosperous future for Mexico under the Imperial dynasty of the Archduke Maximilian, for- getting that the conditions with which that personage has associated the acceptance of the throne render it very doubtful whether even yet he will wear the prof- fered crcVii, and certainly show that he is by no means ambitious of the honour of which he has been asked to become the recipient. For local topics, the Chamber seems to have been somewhat at a loss, bus in this emergency, the never-failing dock question again conveniently turned up, and a resolution ad- monishing the corporation and burgesses of Tyne- mouth of the necessity of returning to the River Com- mission staunch and true, supporters of that project, was duly adopted. Unfortunately for the Chamber, we fear its counsels will exert very little influence in | this direction.