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T O "W IT TAL IC,

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T O "W IT TAL IC, BY OUR SPECIAL COBEESrONDENT. --+- Our readers ixin understand that ice do not hold, ourselves rcpcn- sible for our able Correspondent's opinions. A FOOLISH rumour set afloat-nobody knows by whom, or fcr what purpose—that there would be a. dissolution of Parliament in November, has caused a flutter of excitement in the Conservative ranks. Of course, Liberals knew better; for with money at 9 per cent., winter approaching, and M.P.'s scattered about Europe, such a course would be sheer madness. Nevertheless the Tories believed it, for, say they, Lord Palmerston's popularity is all that the Whigs have to go to the country with, and fearing that some accident might deprive them of that before the spring or autumn, ministers have resolved upon that course; and such faith did the Conservative agent place in this mis- chievous canard, that he at once dispatched a circular letter to the members of his party, warn- ing them to be up and ready for contingencies. The joke, however, was too thin not to be soon seen through, and so the matter has been a subject of laughter among the clubbists, who, to the discom- fiture of poor Colonel Taylor, have been enjoy- ing the hoax. Apropos of Lord Palmerston-who, by the way, is England's first and only octogenarian Premier-I have heard it said that the summit of the noble lord's ambition was to retain the premiership until he reached his eightieth year. Well, in that he has succeeded; will he now resign his post ? Political pundits answer, Yes, before long; but that, after the example of the Marquis of Lansdowne, the noble lord will retain a seat in the Cabinet without office but nous verrons. My readers are aware that for some time past there has been much scandal afloat anent Mr. Thwaites, the Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the Thames Embankment. Thus it came about: During the investigation of a Parliamentary committee into certain contracts, it oozed out that Mr. Furness, one of the present contractors, obtained the contract, despite the fact that Mr. M'Cormick, M.P., in connection with another applicant, sent in a tender at a thousand or two less. Now, at the time, this looked an ugly transaction, savouring of favourit- ism, the more so that Mr. Thwaites would give no other explanation than" confidential commu- nication." But now the" murder is out." Mr. M'Cormick-the great contractor, and- member for Londonderry-has failed, which fully shows that Mr. Thwaites, having a better knowledge of Mr. M'Cormick's affairs than the public had, adopted the proper nay, only course for the public weal. In clubs, cliques, and coteries, but one name has been uppermost during the week, namely, that of the infamously celebrated little German tailor. It was a solemn scene those three days at the Court-house in the Old Bailey-one that I bitterly regretted could not be witnessed by thousands instead of hundreds; for assuredly the awe-in- spiring, calm, yet solemn grandeur of such a trial would do more to eradicate the germs of crime from the hearts or minds of beholders than public hanging. The mild, yet just, opening of the Solicitor-General—the energetic defence by Serjeant Parry of one of the weakest cases counsel ever took in hand—the clear, impartial summing up of the aged Lord Chief Baron, and the terrible, but solemn dignity with which Baron Martin, in delivering the sentence, shut out the most transient gleam of hope in this world for the miserable pri- soner, render it one of the most memorable of criminal trials. All this sunk deeply within the hearts and minds of the hearers, leaving the ring of a grand epic, or the words and acting of a Greek tragedy, in which mere human affairs are dwarfed by the transactions of gods and devils. It is curious that the merest accident-for in- stance, the temporary escape of Muller—should give the chief intensity of interest to so vulgar a crime-a crime, too, committed by a wretched being who, in intelligence, seems to be but little removed from the brute creation. The Briggs murder was in reality the most commonplace of crimes, without even the terrible interest lent by human passions; yet that very simplicity rendered it but the more obscure, and led people to believe that there was an intricate plot to be unravelled. At those clubs where litterateurs, barristers, and scientific men most do congregate," I heard but one opinion-namely, that Muller was innocent, at least, of the murder; but at the examination of the cabman, and the opening for the defence, the criminal's chance of escape became as the base- less fabric of a vision," and at once all the "talents"—-a little chap-fallen, perhaps ad- mitted that the wretched man's guilt was clear as the sun at noon-day. Let us hope that the wretched man will confess, and so we shall hear the last of railway ruffianism. Apropos of such crimes, it is thought that the letter written by a clergyman, and which has been running through the press, descriptive of the misconduct of a drunken ruffian in a railway car- riage, will, in conjunction with the Briggs murder, arouse the Government to the necessity of some immediate legislative measure for the pro- tection of travellers-such, for instance, as the adoption of the long-proposed means of communi- cation between guards and passengers. In legal circles I hear it reported that Mr. Justice Williams is about to retire from the Bench, and that his successor will be the able Solicitor- General. Others query, however, whether Sir R. P. Collier, being but two steps removed from the woolsack, will so readily foregojhis chance of ulti- mately attaining that goal which is the object of every able lawyer's ambition. That toilers' carnival, called the North London Working Classes' Industrial Exhibition, "at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, has made itself one of the lions of London. Its success has been almost incredible. Fancy twenty thousand visi- tors in one day! In consequence of that success the Exhibition will remain :open until the 7th of November, when it will close with a ceremonial no less imposing than that with which it was inau- gurated. It is said by some of the papers that it j is to be closed by the Earl of Shaftesbury. If such, however, were the original intention, the programme has been altered; for I am credibly in- formed, nay, authorised to state, that the closing, on the 7th instant, will be presided over by the Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gladstone, whose attendance must give additional eclat to the Exhibition, and who will, it is expected, in an eloquent harangue, expatiate upon the past success, and upon the possibility, or rather cer- tainty, that others will spring out of it. The right hon. gentleman will also inspect the works, and assist in the adjudication of the awards. In speaking of these awards to merit, I might say that, as the pecuniary success of the Exhibition has exceeded the most sanguine expectations of the committee, medals of tangible value will be given; but as these will take some time to prepare, the prizes will not be presented until the commencement of the New Year, and at that ceremony the Earl of Shaftes- bury will preside. Speaking of working men's exhibitions, I at- tended a meeting of employers and operatives engaged in the coach trade, held the other evening in Long Acre. Taking hope from the success of the Islington Exhibition, and that of the paper stainers in the City, the coachmakers have resolved to hold one of their own in, it is expected, the great hall of the Worshipful Com- pany of Coach and Harness makers. Was I not right last week in saying that the working men are making a "healthy sensation"-sowing seeds, planting roots, that must ultimately spring up over the three kingdoms ? Again, I was at the opening of the Working Women's College in Queen's-square the other day. Assuredly it is a step in the right direction, for no man, not of British calibre, will object to a well educated wife, and the lady directress and her friends are very sanguine of success. I do, however, think, with many others, that the plan requires some revision; for instance, I doubt whether "working" women will find time to become perfect in Latin, French, music, drawing, and botany. Surely this requires some modi- fication, and pure utility should be first con- sidered; for education, be it remembered, does not alone or even mainly consist in the acquire- ment of languages and accomplishments. In speaking of sculpture, I might state that Mr. Phillips, who is to receive dE4,000 for one portion of the Albert memorial, has just completed an exquisite monumental tomb, which is to be placed over Viscountess Canning's grave at Calcutta. It is an exquisite work, of vast size; the base is of pure marble, the top being inlaid with coloured marbles. Upon this base is a marble coffin, bearing a viscountess's coronet, and an inscription around the edge. From the foot of this coffin arises a tombstone, cut out of a solid block, fretted at the top. In the centre, in gold, is a touching inscription to the viscountess's memory, written by her husband, who, it will be remembered, was created an earl upon his return to England, but who died within seven months after his wife, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. In the same sculptor's studio I have seen the designs for the ornamentation of the viaduct over Ludgate-hill. It appears that the railway com- pany have gone to a considerable expense in the artistic ornamentation of that at present ugly piece of iron work. It is executed in bronze; scrolled brackets at each end, with the arms of the City and company four times repeated. The rail- ing is light, and as elegant as anything I could expect, on so horrible an obstruction as this eye- sore to the metropolis. A gloom has been cast over the art world at the sad intelligence of the death of Mr. John Leech from angina pectoris, at the comparatively early age of forty-eight. The loss is irreparable, for Mr. Leech was first and foremost among the artistic exponents of middle-class life in England, and for a long time the chief, as he was one of the first, supporters of Punch. Z.

OUTLINES OF THE WEEK. 4

ACCOUCHEMENT OF THE PRINCESS…

!CAPTURE OF THE FLORIDA.

AMERICA.

- WAGES MOVEMENT AMONG THE…

FRANZ MULLER.

PRESENTATION OF COLOURS TO…

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THE TERRIFIC HURRICANE AT…

THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN…

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