The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

I SPORTS AND PASTIMES. THE foot race between Captain Machell and -Mr. Jackson is off by consent. A ONE mile race took place on Wimbledon-common last week between two grooms, for £ 5 a side, the one to run on foot and the other to ride a ^ors course was a quarter of a mile of road, and although the horse was the swifter of the two, it was unable to turn so rapidly as its opponent, who won by 14 yards. A FIGHT between a terrier dog and an opossum, which had escaped from Mander's menagerie, took place recently in Friar-lane, Nottingham. The dog was the property of a policeman, and was accom- panying Inspector Soywell on his rounds, when it bolted off in pursuit of what seemed to be a cat. A fierce struggle ensued between the animals, resulting in their being parted the opossum being taken to the police-station. Its hide bore marks of the struggle, police-station. Its hide bore marks of the struggle, whilst the terrier was unhurt. i. A FOOTBALL match (Civil Service v. Charter-house) was played on the latter school-ground the other day, and terminated in favour of the Civil Service, who won the only goal of the day, which was cleverly kicked by Mr. Kirkpatriek. The following were the elevens: Civil Service-Messrs. Buller, Kirkpatrick, Lawson, Malkin, Pattison, Peake, Piggott, Phillips, Voules, Waudby, Wawn. Charter-house-Messrs. F. O'Grady. M. Mackenzie, L. Ogden, H.' Camerson, G. Smythe, G. Davies, A. Seymour, E. Gibson, G. Scott, J. Bvng, O. Walford. t TURF NOTICES.—Exeter-houso, Newmarket, lias been purchased by a rich banker of Diss, in Norfolk and will be occupied by himself and lady during the meetings.-Lord Naas has possessed himself of the pick of Lord Yarborough's late sale of horses. No doubt the Kildare hunt will have the pleasure ot seeing his lordship's choice. arke, of th,3 -o i TIGER SHOOTING.—Lieutenant Clarke, of the Eoyal Artillery, stationed at Deesa, on the 23rd of Augus fired at a tigress, and believing that he had wounded the beast, he followed it up at a fast pace through a lofty jungle, almost alone, his shikarees keepingbehmd when suddenly the brute sprang from behind a patch of jungle taller than the rest, and with a roar sprang on Lieutenant Clarke, receiving the contents of his rifle in her chest, but which did not prevent her seizing his lit arm, .boW th. elbow; fa her ja»S tboboM, and inflictmgaterrible wound.HotBtongth, ■r „ armears to have failed, as she let mm go l:r»e feTSea and went■ ?«. wounded, into the jungle. Lieutenant Clarke was conveyed to his quarters, where his arm was ampu- I ALDCROFT, the jockey, has declined Joe Dawson s offer, and har- engaged himself to the French Con- federacy. A. Edwards leaves them at the end of the year, and returns to the Earl of Stamford. GENERAL PEEL and Ackworth are matched, for .£1,000 a side, to run at the Houghton Meeting next year; the Cambridgeshire winner to receive 101b. FRENCH sportsmen, always eager for novelties, are I organising a race meeting to take place at Mans next May, at which there is to be a day's racing exclusively devoted to gentlemen riders. Forty-five subscriptions bave already been received. IT affords us no little pleasure, says the 8porting a-firoHp to be in a position to state, and we are sure the announcement will be received with <equalgratifi- cation by every one connected with the turf, that the Duke of Beaufort will, in all likelihood consent to resume office as steward of the Jockey Club, at the expiration of Mr. Alexander's term in the Craven Meeting. Several reforms are in contemplation a "head-quarters and amongst the probable change, will be one in connection with the Nursery, which, it is proposed, shall be one grand handicap, instead of being divided into classes," to be run on the Rowley Mile instead of the Ditch Mile.

The Management of the Dairy. Mr. Burn. has brought out his fourth volume on "Outlines of Modern Farming," which contains articles on the management of the dairy, pigs, poultry, &c. The whole series will prove a very closely and well packed compilation, containing a multitude of facts relating to every part of the agricultural field, which a good index will make accessible to any one, whether mere student or a reader in actual farm prac- tice. We extract a passage on the winter feeding of cows, appropriate to the present occasion :— Dr. Voelcker, as corroborative of the fact, which seems obvious enough, but, nevertheless, is really very much overlooked by dairymen, that the food has an influence on the quality of the milk, mentions that the cows of the Agricultural College, when taken in from the scanty supply of the grass in the October fields, and placed in stalls, and fed with hay, roots, and meal, the quality of the milk increased at once, and gave 4t per cent. of butter in place of 3t per cent. when not so treated; the evening's milk, after the cows were out all day at grass, yielded only 3 per cent. of butter. In the winter months the cows where wholly kept in doors, when the milk was at once more abundant and richer in quality. In February the daily food was as follows:— At 6i¡- a.m. 121bs. of hay. 9 151bs. of mangels, cut fine, and mixed with 3Jibs. of straw chaff and llb. of hay chaff. 114 >> 41bs. of rape cake. 3| p.m. 151bs. of mangels, cut fine, and mixed with 3-ilbs. I. of straw chaff and lib. of hay chaff. 5 „ 121bs. of hay. We now give brief details of other modes of feed- ing, the first being taken from the Agricultural Ga- zette I Half a cwt. of turnips, 161bs. of hay, and 241bs. of wheat and oat straw daily are very large rations for a small cow-say six score a quarter. # Cut the straw into chaff, mixing a very small quantity of hay, and pulp the roots, mixing them all together. You will thus save much hay. The following is the mode dptailed in the Prize Essay on Dairy Management," published by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and of which the Rev. Mr. Pulline is the author:— It is a good plan to take up the cows as soon as the nights become cold—say the middle of October—as the white frosts which occur about that time cause them to run off their milk. They are turned out during the day till the middle of November if the weather keep fine. From that period till May-day they are kept entirely in the house, except being turned out a few minutes every afternoon to water. They are milked at half-past five o'clock, morning and evening. As soon as the man who feeds them comes in the morning, the dung is all removed, and each cow has a feed of 281bs of roots :— At 7 a.m. 71bs. of chopped hay. 9 A pail of water with Jib. of bean meal stirred into it. 10 „ 21bs. of linseed cake, 1 p.m. 71bs. of chopped hay. 2 Turned out to water, and then 21bs.,of linseed cake. 5 281bs of roots. 8 Tibs. of chopped hay. On this system of management five cows produced in seven weeks, from the 25th of March to the 10th of May, 191 rolls of butter, 24ozs. to the roll-equal to about 2541bs., 16ozs., to the lb. To this must be added, 154 quarts of new milk, and 42 quarts of cream, con- sumed in the house. The milk was not regularly measured, but averaged about 60 quarts per day."

The Flower Garden. CHRYSANTHEMUMS.—These are now coming fast into bloom, and care must be taken to see that they do not suffer from want of water. A little weak liquid manure given occasionally will also assist them in making a better display than they otherwise might do. CROCUSES.—While bulbs of these in pots are kept in a. dark place, very little water need be given, merely sufficient to keep the soil, moss, or sand from becoming too dry. When the roots have made some progress, the crowns will soon make their appearance and as soon as they are observed, remove the plants to the greenhouse or conservatory.

+ Hardy Fruit and Kitchen Garden. Apple stores should now be often examined, picking out all that show symptoms of rotting. Any of the more choice varieties of pears that do not ripen properly should be removed to a warm dry room for a few days, which will be found to greatly improve them. Keep all fruit as cool and dry as possible. If frost is excluded from the house it can scarcely be J' too cool, where the object is to preserve fruit plump and sound as long as possible. CABBAGES.—Where the late dry weather has hitherto prevented these from being planted, now that wet has come no time should be lost in getting them in. Where they have been well looked after they will be good sized plants, and if carefully trans- planted they will be nearly as forward next spring as if they had been put in earlier.—Gardener's Chronicle. -T--

AN AMERICAN STORY OF A NECKLACE. The history of the United States affords us an authentic and stirring story of another diamond neck- lace, in striking and most favourable contrast with that of the unfortunate Marie Antoinette. The fol- lowing is an outline of the particulars of this altair :— The proceedings of the American Congress were very imperfectly reported before the time of Mr. Joseph Gales, senior, who was the first that made a report of the debates which appeared in the newspapers the next morning. The day (Tuesday, January '26, 1830) that Mr. Webster made his memorable reply to the attack of Mr. Hayne, of South Carolina, Joseph Gales met him as he was going to the Capitol, and inquired how long he intended to speak. About half an hour," was the reply. The editor's duties at that time were pressing, but he ventured to take so much time from them. Mr. Webster, however, directly after waS joined by Judge Story, who said that the time had come for Mr. Webster to give the country his views on the Constitution. To this proposition the senator assented. Mr. Gales took up his pencil, unaware, of this new arrangement, and, alike uncon- scious of the lapse of time under the enchantment of the orator, he continued to write until the close of the speech. But, when he came to look at the notes, the magnitude of the task that it would be to write them out appeared so formidable, than he shrank from it as an impossibility. Soon after Mr. Webster called on Mr. Gales, and requested a report of his speech. "I have the notes," said the reporter, "but I shall never have time to write them out. This led to some remonstrance and persuasion, but the overworked editor stood firm. At this junc- ture Mrs. Gales came forward and offered to undertake the task, saying that she could decipher her husband's shorthand, as she had occasionally done so. She had heard the speech, and the resistless sweep of it sargu- ment and the gorgeous magnificence of its imagery were yet vivid in her mind. In the course of a week Mr. Gales submitted to Mr. Webster the report of his speech in the handwriting of his wife. Scarcely a worded needed to be changed; and soon a diamond necklace accompanied the rich thanks of the eloquent statesman. Thus was saved to literature the most memorable oration of the American Senate.-New York Home Journal.

A Singular Present.-A gentleman residing in the parish of Clifton writes that amongst his visitors during the Congress week were a country parson and his wife. And what think you," he asks, did our reverend guest bring us ? You will doubtless guess a tithe-pig, a side of bacon, or a turkey poult, to help keep him and his belongings from Monday to Friday. Nothing of the kind, but a gallon of spring water! Ay, truly no joke, I assure you—a veritable jar full of bright lymph from the lower part of Somersetshire. He had read in the papers of our water famine, so he rinsed out- an old whisky jar, filled it at the parish fountain, and it was a treat, I tell you. After the deadness and flatness of the filtered element, did we not enjoy it, that's all! Fancy bringing water forg- ftve miles! What next?" The whole thing rounds like a merry joke, but It was a melancholy fact during the dry weather.

OUR MISCELLANY. The popular phrase, He's gone to pot,1* isrtiEw questionably derived from the ancient Greek eastern «t* burying the dead in jars. Confession of Jealousy.- Jealous, I own it, I was once, That wickedness I here renounce I tried at wit-it wo aid not do- At tenderness—that failed me too- Before me on each pith there stood The witty and the tender Hood.—LAiraHTe;. A Reflection.—A comfortable old age is the re- ward of a well-spent youth therefore, instead introducing dismal and melancholy prospects of decay; it should give us hopes of an eternal youth in a better world but to think of pleasing, when the seascn cf agreeableness is past, is want of discretion merit, of pleasing belongs only to youth. Frequent disappoint ments of this kind should direct a discreet penon to retire in time from the gaieties of life, it beratf ass proper for such to do so, as it is for the young, the brisk, the gay, to produce themselves in the woii'f. men are to be pitied who are fond of the world whecs it is weary of them.—Palmer's Aphorisms. Past and Present in Western Frwiiee, In these days," he said, things are very different, at Anray and all through this country. Then I was lodged and boarded, fire and candle, for thirty frsccst- a month; but now I pay sixty, precisely double, ano. the pay of the office is the same. In those days I pasdl six sous the pound for beef; partridges, four sons each; eggs, four sons the dozen; chickens, ten sons, the couple; mutton and veal were not sold by the, pound, but the lump; they were not weighed", they were so plentiful. The butcher—well, he cut off a- shoulder of mutton or a leg, and he sold ir. you there for two francs, one franc, as you will, and veal ihi? same—a lump for a song; and then fish, you had & fish as long as my arm"—an3 the overseer stretched out his arm with a grimace-" for four sous there was plenty-now ah! parbleu!"—Wanderer in Western. France. One Touch of Kindness makes the whole- World Kin. — The late venerable and respected Dr. Crichton was in a gaol one morning on a message of mercy. He took special note of a young woman, and on getting into the lobby he asked the gaoler, about her. Oh, doctor, that's one of the irreclaiia- ables; she's constantly in gaol; from her there's no- hope of anything good." The doctor sr..id, "Did ye ever try the lassie wi' a little kindness ? No, sir that would be absurd." May be, but I'll try her my. sel' So, returning to the cell, he clapped her heartily on the shoulders, and said, Ye're a. bruià- lookin' lass, and some day sure ye'll be as good as ye're bonny." The poor girl burst into a flood of tears, the first she had been known to shed; possibly these were the first kind words she had ever heard. The- kind tones of the old doctor's voice had touched soBM- hidden chord which had never vibrated before. They had touched some hidden spring, and the heart ilewr open. Royal Gratitude.-The Nord Zeitung of Hanover publishes the following anecdote on the occasion of the anniversary of the battle of Leipzig: After that famous engagement Frederick Augustus, King of. Saxony, who had been one of Napoleon's moat de-voted, adherents, was made prisoner and taken to ±Se?im» At the same time the whole financial adinimstratiO-Cvr of Saxony fell into the hands of the conquerors.- Under these circumstances, M. B-, a Saxon super- intendent of finance, who was devotedly attached to the royal house of Saxony, thought it would' be an &ct of patriotism on his part to secrete for the King as much as possible of the funds in his hands. He- accordingly abstracted several millions of thalere.. and in the confusion which then prevailed the Austro- Prussian administrators never missed uhe raoney. When the Kine was restored to his throne, Si. B——• When the KinlZ was restored to his throne, M. B——• solicited an audience to inform his Majesty ot tfee existence of this sum; bat as, according to U" etiquette of the Saxon Court, he was not oi a iats.. sufficiently high to claim that honour, one ot ttis. ministers, M. de Zeschwitz, was. charged to receive his communication. M. B- then informed the; minister how he had managed to secure the mcmey., and where he had concealed it. The minister ex- pressed his satisfaction, and at once oommimwated.- the fact to the King. M. B-- has done exceedingly well,' said Frederick Augustus; 'but how shall we- escape the obligation of rewarding him for this service?' The minister promptly responded Hire. we will give him a reprimand.' M. B- accordingly received a letter acknowledging his good intentions and accepting the money. He was, however, told that he had acted very rashly, but that the King was gra- ciously pleased to overlook his fault and pardon him, M. B- was so chagrined by this reprimand thut IA. died in less than a year afterwards." Ramsey Island.-The island will well repay a- visit. It is about three miles long by one broad, and at either end it rises into lofty cliffs, whose face to- wards the sea is precipitous, and at certain periods +>f, the year literally swarms with all kinds of sea birds, including puffins, eligugs, gulls, &c. The hawk, tie eagle, and the peligrine falcon, too, often bang about, these cliffs on the look-out for rabbits, in which .Ram- sey still abounds, though their numbers have been thinned sadly of late years by rats. The island was- once, according to tradition, a home of monastic- sanctity, and seldom or never trodden by the foot 0* a woman—little wonder, by the way, considering the difficulty and danger of thepassage, except to such beings as St. Justinian. The antiquary will find some rnixs ot an old farm-house, and traces of two chapels, which osee were holy places, and several stone ooffins have been dug up in the island. The finest scenery is to Lc found at the south-eastern point, where, from eiiiis some 400 feet high, you look down upon two Klr.lp rocks called Kite's Island and Precentor s Is.;an4 both of which consist of steep craggy elms, trited with thick matted herbage, and abounding m sea; fowl Beyond, outside Bamsey, lie a cluster of ragged' and rocky islands, entitled the" Bishop asd ins Clerks," which have often proved themselves, classic language, the "step-mothers of seafaring men." And far away, at the distance of seven leagues,, the visitor may descry in the offing the lighthouse on the Smalls, another cluster of some twenty rocks, more or less hidden at high water, most darjgesoRB objects in rough weather, though there is deep water enough between the coast and these remnar. ts of a submerged continent for all her Majesty's fleet to sail.-Once a Week. An Eccentric Citizen.-There are persons yer alive who can recollect the hardware shop in leaden hall-street, known for many years as the Ware- house—the nick-name of the owner being Dirty His father had carried on the same business, and sa prosperously, that he kept his carriage, and had a country house, a circumstance which proves thai ilis means were considerable, since, in 1760, the citizen!?}. as a rule, were content to reside over their public? premises. Young Bentley received a good ediioEtion, but his father was a domestic tyrant, and treated "he,. lad in the harshest manner, so that he absconded, arm remained absent for several years. His love of saving-, appears to have been hereditary, for Mr. Bentley, senior, who possessed a number of houses at married a lady, it was thought, chiefly on of her wealth, and, finding she kept a coach, laid dowsr his own. He was a Dissenter, but, with an odd touch of vanity, gave a bell to the church of St. Catcer.mct Cree, near which he lived, conditioning that a.pea:, should be rung on each anniversary of hrs birth- day till his death. It occurred about 1761, and IK* left all his estate to his son Nathaniel, who it tflnJ t appeared disposed to relinquish the business to a Kiv. Bliss who resided in Pall Mall. The terms offered were,' half the money to be paid down, and the re-vhw to remain at interest on good security. He rejested this arrangement, and, in 1764, left England for Paris; hired a respectable man to take charge of the sacp; 8p and the trade went on increasing. For a long time after his father's death young Bentley was thought quite the beau of Leadenhall-street, and appea-rea in public very fashionably dressed. His favourite 8nit was of blue and silver, and his hair was arranged 07 a Court friseur. He attended the coronation of La-nis XVI., to whom he was introduced, and passed fcr the most' accomplished Englishman then in France, He i spoke French and Italian fluently. On his return England, he paid his shopmen's accounts, without re- quiring any vouchers, and was extremely liberal to them. It has not been ascertained when he begss ic- contract the loose habits which gained him the nick. name of Dirty Dick." He went to masquerades afid assemblies splendidly attired, but at home grew negji. gent and repulsive, commonly attending in the shop without his coat, and with his shirt-sleeves tucked np. Once a friend insisting on greater personal he answered, It's of no use; if I wash my hands to- day, they will be dirty again to-morrow."—City

THE COURT. HER Majesty the Queen, accompanied by their Royal Highnesses Princess Helena, Princess Beatrice, Prince Arthur, and Prince Leopold, and the infant Prince Albert Victor, left Balmoral on Saturday morning, and arrived at Windsor Castle at half-past nine o'clock the same day. The suite in attendance consisted of Lady Augusta Stanley, the Hon. Emma Lascelles, Lord Alfred Pagst, Lieut.-General the Hon. C. Grey, and Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps. Her Itayal Highness Princess Louisa, attended by Viscountess Jocelyn, Colonel the Hon. D. De Ros, and Dr. Jenner, stopped at Carlisle to sleep, and did not arrive at Windsor Castle until the following evening. As the Royal train was proceeding on Saturday, about two o'clock, a goods train from Barrington was driven off the rails near to Minshull Vernon by a horse straying on the line. The animal had got through a gate, which, although securely" fastened with a chain, had been completely lifted off its hinges and thrown back into the field. By this affair the Royal train, containing the Queen, was detained nearly an hour. This is a very serious matter, and will be most carefully inquired into. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, attended by Major Cowell and Lieutenant Haig, left Windsor on Friday for the Continent..The Prince proceeded direct to the University of Bonn, where he will prose- cute his studies, a house having been engaged there as a residence for his Royal Highness for some months. The suite of Prince Alfred while at Bonn will consist of five gentlemen. „ THE flooded state of the Tweed unfortunately pre- vented his Royal Highness Prince Alfred, while at Floors last week, enjoying his favourite sport of angling. The previous week, however, he went out shooting with his Grace the Duke of Eoxburghe, accompanied by the Marquis of Bowmont, the Mar- quis of Normanby, and Lieutenant Haig, and had some capital sport. The party bagged 130 head of game, consisting of pheasants, haresj and partridges, of which 48 fell to the Prince's gun. THE Queen, their Royal Highnesses Princess Helena, Princess Beatrice, Prince Arthur, and Prince Leopold, and the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting, attended Divine service on Sunday morning in the private chapel. The Rev. C. Tarver, Chaplain in Ordinary to her Majesty, officiated. LORD CREMORNE and the Hon. Mortimer Saosvilie West have arrived at the Castle, as Lord and Groom in Waiting to the Queen. THE Countess of Caledon has succeeded Viscountess Jocelyn as Lady in Waiting to the Queen.

POLITICAL GOSSIP. MEMBERS ANDTHEIRCONSTITTJENTS.—Mr. Knatch- bull Hugessen addressed his constituents at Deal on Friday evening. Mr. Grant Duff met his constituents at Elgin on Thursday, and delivered to them. a most interesting speech. On Thursday Mr. Charles Gilpin and Lord Henley were present at the banquet of the United Liberal Association at Northampton, and both delivered addresses. MR. MITCHELL HENRY, of Stratheden-house, Hyde- park London, son of the late Mr, Alexander Henry, member for South Lancashire, has announced himself a candidate on Liberal principles for the borough of Woodstock, in opposition to the Duke of Marl- borough's nominee, Mr. Henry Barnett, of Glympton- park, Oxon, and partner in the firm of Messrs. Barnett, Hoare, and Co., bankers, London. Mr. Henry has commenced an active canvass, and pledges himself to fight the battle. THE Italian despatches on the subject of the Con- I- 'j; vention have been printed, and show conclusively enough that the Italian Government have reserved jealously their right to Rome, and only pledged them- selves not to ase, or permit the use of, any violent means to attain that end. They have agreed to the strictest application of the principle of non-mter- vention to the Roman territory. The choice of a new capital was only a moral assurance to the Emperor that the Italians are willing and prepared to wait patiently till the question of their relations with the pope is solved without the use of violent means. We accept, then, seriously and loyally the engage- ment not to apply those violent means which cannot solve questions of this class, but we cannot give up our reliance on the force of civilisation and progress to assist us to arrive at the union of Italy and the Papacy." "A free Church in a free State" is still announced by the Ministry as the goal of their efforts. A MEETING of the supporters of the Conservative members for Cambridge, Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., and Mr. Powell was held last week at the Eea Lion Hotel. Some hundreds of friends of the Conservative cause were present, voters and non-voters, and here and there an undergraduate's "trencher" showed up. Several members of the Liberal party, too, made their way into the room, just enough, in fact, to throw in now and then a little good-humoured dissent. Mr. Charles Balls, the chief of the Conservative party, rire ided. IT is reported that the Hon. Colonel Eowley, M.P. for Harwich, will retire from that borough at the nest election. We learn that the electors for the con- tributory boroughs of Flint are most anxious to seeure his services as a Conservative candidate. He has sat for Harwich since 1860, and is a consistent constitu- REPORTED DISSOLUTION.—There were rumours in the Conservative camps last week or a speedy dis- solution of Parliament. It appears to have been caused by Colonel Taylor, who has charge of the general electorial business of the Conservatives. About a fortnight ago he Th? them prepare for a general election m November, ine news spread like wildfire and because of its source does not seem to have been doubted. One of the provincial Conservative journals m giving it declared that it did so on "all but official" authority, con- sidering, we presume, that Lord Derby is all but in office. The announcement has caused a good deal of trouble to the Conservatives, who by this time are satisfied that it has no foundation. The journals which at first encouraged the story now say that, if the dissolution does not take place, it will be because Colonel Taylor's exposure of the plot has destroyed the chance of its success. If, therefore, we get through the next month in peace the gratitude of the country S be due to that gentleman. It would be interesting to know how Colonel Taylor was led mto his singular error, since it is certain it never had the least basis m the acts or intentions of the Government. THE Lord Mayor of Dublin has received official in- timato SI Lotd Wodeionse will »riTe m tha city at about two o'clock en Tuesday, the 18th of NIT6S expected that the new Exchange, in Stephen- son-place, Birmingham, will be opened towards the end of December, and the Directors of the company propose that it should be done with some eclat. With this view they have resolved to invite Lord Palmerston to inaugurate the building. The Mayor, the Chair- man of the Exchange Building Company, and the Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce, have been appointed to wait upon his Lordship with the EARNSHAW, Mr. William Hope Fortescue, and Mr. James Ball Lakeman, have been appointed Government sub-inspectors of factories. SEVERAL paragraphs have recently appeared in the London and provincial papers, giving alarming ac- counts of the state of health of Mr. Roebuck and stating that, in consequence of his illness, he had been obliged to decline invitations from his constituents and other bodies in the north of England. It may be satis- factory to his friends to hear that thehon. and learned gentleman was on the Old Bailey bench on the several days of Muller's trial, and on Saturday he sat out with exemplary patience the proceedings of a seven hours trial He looked remarkably well and as hearty as he does while sitting through a long wearisome debate on the first seat below the gangway, on the Opposition side of the House ol commons. TTwtui TON BTSMARK, the Prussian minister, has re- •h^d to Berlin, where he still keeps up the game of turned to j ediateiy on his; arrival he went to Master of War, afterwards he visited Prince £ i rp Thev say in Vienna that Von Bismark Nap°ieo11 his co^ s the annexing of the Duchy of Lauenburg, provided it ™ the »f A»^»drrHe°r<? as compensation for the expense.! o u ■ ? tested, at the same time, that Prussia naa BO inten- tion of annexing Schleswig and HoJstem.

THE ARTS, LITERATURE, fee. DURING her Majesty's visit to Balmoral Mr. Kenneth Macleay, B.S.A., was engaged painting the portraits of Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold. THE town of Troy, in Champagne, is about to erect a statue of Pope Urban IV., a native of that 'town, where his father was a shoemaker. Urban was elected P°THELondon Winter Exhibition of Cabinet Pictures ,v. was opened on Monday. The exhibition comprises works from many eminent hands. MR. FRITH'S celebrated picture, "The Railway Station," is being exhibited at Birmingham. > Great numbers have taken the opportunity of viewing this interesting and descriptive painting. CLAUDE, the celebrated painter, resided for many years in a small chateau at HarlsAmg, in Bavaria. The Augsburg Gazette states that King Louis I. pro- poses to have a monument erected in that place to the memory of the French artist. THE Royal Museum of Casts at Berlin has lately received some very valuable additions. A copy of the celebrated Brunswick lion, said to have been cast in iron in 1166, has been added; as also a copy of Victory, by Rauch, the original .of which is in the White Chamber, at the Palace. Not the least inter- esting is a series of casts ordered by a recent commis- sion sent to Athens for that purpose. MR. HERBERT, E.A., has just left England for the East. It is his intention, we believe, to remain there some months, with a view to collect materials for the execution of other works of a similar character to that which has excited so much admiration in the Peers Robing- Room. Mr. Herbert is accompanied by his son, Wilfred, who is an artist of much promise. IT is said that the projected new London gallery of pictures in water colours will be opened somewhere about the middle of February next, and continue open until the same time in May. The admission fee is proposed to be the customary shilling. The guarantee fund contains forty names, and numerous applications for space continue to be reoeived by the secretary, Mr. W. Severn. Piccadilly appears to be the locality pro- posed for the new exhibition. The object wisely kept in view with regard to this scheme is not the formation of anew society, but simply the acquirement of aaother place for exhibition free to all, and not for the exclusive use of members of existing societies, as m other water- colour exhibitions. Two interesting portraits, by Vandyke, have lately been found in an old house in Oxfordshire, and are now in the possession of a well-known collector. They represent King Charles I. and his Queen Henrietta Maria shortly after their marriage, and before the troubled future had begun to write its eventful story on their brow. The King wears the deep lace collar of the period, and a blue doublet with a diamond star. The Queen is represented with a coronet on her head, and dressed in an amber silk robe, richly embroidered, and the upper portion covered with lace. She looks very voung and very fair—like what she must_have been when Charles I. saw her at Canterbury, and was wedded to her the same day. She is painted with her hands upon a St. Catherine wheel of the usual de- scriptiod. THE complete works of Beethoven have been pub- lished for the first time. The total number is 259. DURING the forthcoming season M. -kouis -Djan<± will publish in Paris a couple of volumes on i-ngland and the English, as seen from a French point of view. A VERGER of Westminster Abbey intends to publish some coloured lithographs of the enamels on the tomb of William de Valence. ovn THE admirers of Mr. Tennyson s poetry who are unable, on account of the price of his works, to possess them, will be glad to hear that he purposes publishing a cheap edition of his poems, including the most fa- vourite and popular. IT is curious, says a contemporary, how old papers sometimes turn up. In the British Museum they have found the orierinalreturn made fromCambridge to the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror. From these returns the compilers made their entries in the great book. It is interesting to see the number of inhabitants and cattle, and the names of places eight hundred years ago. J. J.T,„ A DURING the Industrial Exhibition at the Agricul- tural Hall, a new daily paper, the existence of which we presume is limited to the length of the duration of the Exhibition from which it takes its name, is one of the smallest papers published. As a literary curiositv the North London Worhong_ Classes Exhi- bition Reporter is well worth purchasing and preserv- WOULD any of our readers, the Athenceum asks, like to see the first literary effort of the poet Jordan ? In 1769 this poet sent an address to Garrick, which has not, we think, been printed :— And from our Avon's flowery hanks, Accept our Corporation's thanks, For the sight that we shall see v When thou dost come to visit we; And in a box of mulberry tree Of our town we make you free Our small present we hope was good, ( The box was made of Shakespeare s wood.

TOPICS OF THE WEEK. '+- THE VICEROY AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE.— Mr. Laing called attention last week, in a singularly ill-reporteit speech, to a new trouble which threatens to cripple the administration of India, the difficulty, not to say impossibility, of dividing- power between the Viceroy and the Secretary of State. That difficulty has always existed, but while the empire was growing its effect was scarcely perceptible. From 1756 to 1858, Indian history is, with the break caused by Lord W. Bentinêk's policy of retrenchment, one continuous war, and in war time every act is justified by emer- gency. The Viceroy could not be checked except at great risk, and as the Board of Control made it a. policy to support the'Governor General when snubbed by the court of directors the check was very seldom applied. The Home authorities censured or remon- strated, but orders nine months old were seldom of much importance, and were pretty habitually disre- garded. Peace, prosperity, and steam have changed the face of affairs, and Indian officials complain with Mr. Laing that while the powers of the Viceroy have in theory been increased beyond precedent-he can now pass an Act of his own mere will-he is com- pelled in practice to refer everything to Great Britain. The absurd rumour restricting the Viceroy's right of sanctioning expenditure to 450 rupees is of course a mere blunder, but he is compelled to refer questions which at all previous periods have been settled within the country. The change is bitterly deprecated in India for two reasons, one un- reasonable and the other perfectly sound. Indian officers of all classes distrust the action of the Home Government, declare that its views are usually at once ignorant aNd Utopian, and affirm that it is conserva- tive to a degree which arrests not only all progress but all movement. This charge springs in great part from mere colonial jealousy and inability to compre- hend the motives of Parliamentary action, but that of loss of time is far more serious. So great is this evil that it will unless checked lead before many years have passed to a visible deadlock. The Home Govern- ment, it must be remembered, from principle, never initiates anything except it be of the very first im- portance, and the Viceregal Government from over pressure of work generally follows the example. Every new movement, therefore, commences originally with some subordinate officer, who reports the evil or suggests the improvement, and so sets the machine in motion. It is established as far as statistics can es- tablish anything that the continuance of an Anglo- Indian in any office whatever is limited to four years as a maximum, and, in most instances, the average is much less. Unless, therefore, there is a chance of a decision within some reasonable period, the officer has little motive for giving the machine the necessary im- petus and, under present arrangements, no such reasonable chance exists. The scheme goes first to the local government, and there waits till an over- worked man can find time to examine, discuss, and comment in writing on its details, always, to avoid further references, at most wearisome length. It is then sent up to the Viceroy, to be subjected, three times over, to the same process-once by his secretary of State, once by the member of Council who attends to that department, and once by the Viceroy himself, the whole ending nine times out of ten in a demand for further explanation. If the matter ended here, the delay, annoying as it is, might be bearable—for the original mover can get at all these authorities, can frequently see them, can always send private explanations, and, as the Irish say, "insense" them with some completeness and in reasonable time. But when, after a delay often of twelve or eighteen months, it is discovered that the project must be sent home, the mover gives up in despair. "Reference home" means three months lost in more transmission of papers, weeks of examination by clerks, months of examina- tion by Committees of Couneil and the Council as a body, and finally a full reconsideration from a Secre- tary of State unacquainted with half the facts. The result of the whole process is an order which arrives months, often years, after its promoter has quitted the office, the station, or the country, and then has to be sent once more downwards from step to step in the official hierarchy. Is there any cause to wonder that good officials, after one such experience, decline to ex- pose themselves by any unnecessary richness of sug- gestion to this form of slow torture, or that officers feeding upon grievances which for months cannot be remedied or even heard should contract a bitterness of spirit almost amounting to a desire to rebel ° No serious grievance in India can now be remedied under two years, no large suggestion decided on under four, a state of affairs as fatal to the progress of the country as to the zeal of individual administrators.-Spectator. THE MAGISTRATE AND THE ORGAN-GRINDER.- One Zorella Stephano, an organ-grinder, of Parma and Saffron-hill, was charged at the Marylebone Police- court with refusing to desist grinding and move on when requested to do so by the Marquis of West- meath. The noble marquis, on being sworn, stated in evidence that the man was playing near his house. He went out and told him to go away, and made signs to him. The man made a soowl at him, and wheeled up two doors farther on. He went on playing for a considerable time." The marquis then brought # a policeman, and gave him into custody. The magis- trate, who seems to have zealously acted on the principle that the judge should be counsel for the prisoner, asked if the complainant. had any illness in his house. To this the noble marquis replied that he had not, but that he was employed about his lawful business which the discordant nuisance in question seems to have interrupted, not only on this but on former occasions. The policeman who took the charge deposed that when brought to the spot he found the organ-grinder playing his instrument three or four doors from the complainant's house. The marquis then gave him into custody; and, when the policeman took him, ho said he would go away. Upon this .the marquis said, You have had a chance before and would not go. I shall now lock you up.' The com- plainant was about to state some previous instances ot the same nuisance by the same man. But the magis. trate cut him short with, Never mind any former day. The prisoner is only charged with an offence alleged to have been committed to-day." Such are the facts and evidence in the case, and the decision merits notice. The magistrate did not think the organ-grinder was liable under the Act. He did move away when he was told. He had no reason assigned hi si for being requested to aesist playing. From the evidence of the officer, the prisoner wanted to go away altogether. Even when the mar- quis spoke to him he moved two houses away, and after this he volunteered to go. There was not sufficient evidence to support the case. The prisoner must be discharged." If this is to serve as a leading case and precedent, there are various exceedingly curious principles to be deduced from it. First, if an organ-grinder moves a few yards—or "two houses awav." to use the magistrates' phraseology he exempts himself .from the operation of the law, albeit his braying instrument may be powerful enough to torture the nerves of everybody with an ear from one end of a long street to the other. Secondly, it seems that an organ-grinder is entitled to assume the part of inquisitor and judge-to be in- formed of the cause for his being reqaired to go away, and then to decide, according to his lights and his in- terest, whether it is a good and sufficient cause or not Thirdly, it will follow that an organ-grinder may law- fully keep on applying the torture until a policeman is found and brought to the spot, and then, if he, offers to go away, he is to be held excused for the whole pre. vious nuisance. It is as well that these consequences should be known, in order that some reform may be applied either to the law itself or to the method of its administration.—Morning Post. THE MURDERER.—Nothing in the whole of this horrible business is more strange than the conduct of Muller himself. He seems to have gone to work with full deliberation to leave about him marks of his guilt and traces of his whereabouts. In full daylight, he bartered Mr. Briggs's chain in Mr. Death's shop. Still he might have avoided detection had he not with extraordinary fatuity left a record of his visit to the jeweller's at the house of the cabman Matthews. Further, he announced openly that he was going to America, told his friends the name of the ship, and, as if to make it certain that he had carried out his announced intention, he wrote to his friends from on board the Victoria. Mr. Briggs's hat he might have thrown overboard at any time, and he could easily have got rid of the watch. But he care- fully kept together the witnesses of his guilt. All this conduct might, it is true, have been but the natural result of innocence. If he really bought the watch and chain, and if he really came in honest fashion by the hat, then he would know of no reason why be should part with them. But the probability is that once at sea he thought himself safe from detection, and limed the branches which were to catch him. That he is no ordinary man is shown by his demeanour on the trial. Either he is a poor half-witted wretch, unable to understand the peril in which he is placed — and that we do not. believe—or he is possessed of unbounded deter- mination, the most perfect self-possession, and no small degree of callousness. Now, however, his doom has been spoken, and in terms the most emphatic he has been told he has no ground for hope of earthly mercy. Whether that awful sentence will be carried out, a few short days will show. But if Franz Muller be hanged, as in all human probability he will, his own hand, in piling up the proofs of his guilt, will have made the rope by which he is strangled.—Morning Star.