The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

A COLLIER'S ACCOUNT OF A PIT ACCIDENT. The following account of the. dreadful accident at Iteeswood Colliery, near Mold, as related by Robed; l Hughes, one, of the man in the pit at the time of the accident, will be interesting I George Lloyd, John Foulkes, and myself were all together in the far end of the working, where the hoc39 was taken out. All of a sudden we heard a craok, and we then ran and met the water half way upihe 'cutting, about twenty-two yards from the place where it broke through. When we heard the crack we were about eighty yards from the water. We turned into a place which goes up a little higher than the level, and then the water passed us. And there we sat, all three of us. The other two sat crying jnd praying, and I kept walking up and down to the water at the bottom. Farther on it was deeper. At last I Qould see the water turned back, and came rising up-higher and higher. So I says to one of the men, "If lam going to die here, I must die in the middle of and away I started. One of them jumped up, and.caught me by the back of the neck and followed, the other chap getting hold of him. The water was Banning very strong. Sometimes I was walking, and sometimes swimming for a little way,, and the man Tplio could not swim took hold cf me. At last we aaraae to a place where there were four other men. Their names were Thomas Williams, Edward Williams (two* brothers), William Jones (manager's son), and Samuel Hughes. They were crying out, "Lord Ho,d Almighty have mercy upon us," I asked them if thay had been trying to get through that air .holev They said, "We have tried several times." I- said I would try, but asked them not to make such a noise. Then I went, and all the afchers followed, and we got through to a dry place, ail seven of us. The reason they could not get through -^hqn they tried before was fcecause there was a Jiaavy flood on. When we wont through the water was-within six inches of the -roof of the hole. In two minutes after we had got through it was up to the top. When I got through the first man I saw was John Pierce, him that was- killed by the falling of a lump. Hearing a. crack he ran off, and being farther from the spot got through. The second man I saw was Thomas Roberts, all covered with blood. He had been c!trried by the water forty yards, but catched hold of a. block. Pierce gave me a light, as mine had gone ,aliti I asked him whether the men in No. 5 were safe, amd he said, No my lad, they are every one drowned." As. I was coming up the pit I came upon a boy named Tom Lloyd and one named Joe. They were stumbling Obou-t in the dark, and "screeching." I took them up and carried them out. Edward Harrison was the man who broke into the old mine, and Thomas Roberta was next him. Both got away.

AGED PAUPERS AND THEIR CHRIST- MAS PRESENTS, Among the applicants who appeared before Mr. Dayman, at the Wandsworth Police-court, was a little aid woman, who gave the name of Alice Blake, and the address of Gardiner's-cottages, Battersea. She stated that she had been in the habit of receiving a half-sovereign from the Usher of the Court at every <01asstmaa. Mr. Dayman: Did you think we should forget you this year ?—Applicant: I did not like to trouble him. Mr; Dayman: How old are you P—Applicant I am within three years of my hundredth. u Mr. Dayman: How did you get; Here?—Applicant: I. walked. Mr. Dayman: How long did it take you ?—Appli- cant Not long. I am not so very helpless. In answer to other questions, the applicant said she was in the receipt of parish relief. She lived with her daughter, who had grandchildren. Mr. Dayman told her to eit down, and that she should not go away without her Christmas half- sovereign from the poor-box. Another woman, named Griffin, who said she was seventy-eight years of age, also applied for assistance fnMn the poor-box. She lived in the neighbourhood of the court with her sister, who was helpless, and all the money they had to depend upon was a small sum from the parish for the applicant, and another small sum which was allowed her sister. Mr. Dayman granted her ten shillings from the poor-box, and said she could apply again in a few weeks.

WEE STUART PAPERS IN THE ROYAL LIBRARY AT WINDSOR. Among the treasures of the Royal Library, at Windsor, are two collections known respectively as the" Cllmberland Papers" and the Stuart Papers." The first consists of letters, &c., collected by William Henry, Duke of Cumberland, the victor at Culloden, and; uncle of George III., and relates to the affairs of England and Europe during the whole of his official life. The other consists of a series of letters, docu- ments, &c., many thousands in number, collected by the exiled Stuarts, containing important materials far the history of England during the last century, and tjartioulariy for the period between 1716 and l7W;/when the last hopes of the restoration of the aispdssessed house was abandoned. The papers ha/ve been arranged in chronological order, and a calendar is being made, the late Prince Consort desiring that, if possible, this calendar should be printed for general use; and that a3 soo» as the papers were in a condition to be consulted by those who required more speeffia information than the calendar could give, they should, under the needful restrictions, be made accessible to them. In the course of this work many doeuments of great interest have fallen under notice, and among them some relating to the secret visit made by Prince Charles Edward fthe young Pretender) London in the year 1750, and to his profession of Protestantism. Two of these were-known to the com- missioners, and the them having been sub- mittied bv Mr Woodward, the librarian, to the notice of the Queen," her Majestylhas been pleased to com- mand him to make them publiflly known, considering them too valuable a contribution to the exact know- ledge of our history at that time to wait until the calendar should be published. Among the papers are the following fragments, which are of the class which Lord Stanhope has printed, as Lays of the Last Stuart." If they do not illustrate the poetical genius of the prinee, they show, Mr. Woodward thinks, that he was negatively sincere in his profession of Protes- tantism. They occur among the numerous scraps of paper on which he was accustomed to scribble memo- randa of every conceivable kind:— Papisli, Irish,, st&h is fools, < <o.. t. Such as them Cant be my Tools. I hete all prists, and the regions they rein in, from the pope at Some to the papists of Britain. And to this he has added a couplet from Rochester's well-known poem, which similarly illustrates hia being a Republican:"— I hete all Kings and the Throns the sit-on, Prom the H [ector] of France to the Cnlia. [Cully] oi B [ritain]. Vice versa at present," he adds, which seems to show that he appreciated the differenee between the wretched Louis XV. and our valorous George I j., who certainly were vice versa to Louis XIV. ana Charler II. in Rochester's time.

VICTOR HUGO'S CHRISTMAS FETE, M. Victor Hugo is now as popularly known (says a, local paper) for his liberality and kindness to poor children as for his literary taste and productions. Forty-one children are entertained fortnightly- say twenty on the Thursday of each week—at Hautevme- house, Guernsey, the residence of the poet, where they partake of a substantial dinner, being waited upon by Madame Hugo and her noble family with kind courtesy and condescension. In addition to this, these children are entertained each year to a Christmas fclte. The children were received at Hauteville .101113e at noon on Thursday last, when they were regaled with an excellent luncheon, which they thoroughly enjoyed; after which they were conducted into another apart- ment, in which, on a large table, never employed to better purpose, were ranged dinerent lots of warm, useful wearing apparel, eash lot bearing tne name or the child for which it was intended. This distribution of clothing having takan place, the folding doors were thrown open, when the children, together with the guests present, had the gratification and pleasure of the better than fairy sight" of a fine Christmas fir-tree, gloriously lit and loaded with cholop toys, beautiful flags, and delicious oranges the Union. Jack "the flag which, for a thousand years, has braved the battle and the breeze"—being the top and crowning ensign of them all. The tree was soon stripped of its goma, each child receiving such toys as fell to its lot; but although this was a lottery there was not a single blank, each child held a full ticket which infallioly drew a valuable prize. The joy manifested in the happy countenances and bright eyes of these young children on receiving so many proofs of kindness may be well supposed: it was a most gratifying sight to behold. The children were waited upon by Madame Hugo and Madame Chenav with hearty goodwill, assisted by several ladies and the domestics of the house. M. Victor Hugo, just before the diatnoution of the clothing took place, gave an eloquent address to the guests present, in French, of which in the following report we give only a brief and imperfect outline of its line of argument, beauty of conception, and force of illustration :—"Ladies, to you I would address my- self for a few minutes on the subject oc this, what I call my little Christmas feast. I admire charity: it is a Christian virtue, and as such its exercise has done and is doing much for the relief of human suffering. However, this little weekly entertainment which I have established for children of poor parents, irre- spective of country and of creed, I look upon net as an act of charity, but of fraternity. This is the third year of its anniversary, and each time I have only the same thing to repeat. It is but a verj small act, a very small seed, which, however, may, and, I am happy to say, has borne fruib. The poor child is under a moral fatality, and 'we should ask, 4 What can I do to remove it ?' Some take one way, some another—I take tbis-to improve it. The commissioners ap- pointed by the Republican Government of France to examine and report on the causes of sickness and death of so large a proportion of the children of the poor born in that kingdom, stated in their report that the chief cause was the want of nourishing food. They added that, if even one good substantial mea,t dinner, with one glass of pure wine were given monthly to each poor child, their health and strength would be greatly promoted, and their lives preserved. It struck me that it would be well for one to carry out the suggestion practically. But the public duties which I had to fulfil in Paris prevented my doing so then. I have to thank M. Louis Bonaparte that, owing to my exile, I have been enabled to do so, now that I am away from the bustle and political duties of Paris. He has thus unconsciously been the means ef enabling me to do what was in my heart. (Here the guests were visibly affected, some even to tears.) Forty-one children, whom you see around you, come in two divisions, to twenty of whom we give a dinner each Thursday of the week, so that each of them has, to my knowledge, not one but two sub- stantial meat dinners every month of the year. In all of them we see marked improvement: their health is good, their strength much greater. This physical improvement is, at the same time, moral and mental improvement. It is a well-known fact that the robust and healthy child will possess a superior degree of moral power and intellectual development to the weak and sickly one. We further insist that all those who would continue to be our guests must learn to read, or else they will have to be replaced by others; hence their anxiety to learn. We wish to teach them the divine doctrines of equality and fraternity. To do so we, the members of my family, wait upon them and serve them at table, so that finding themselves waited upon by those whom they are taught to look upon as rich and noble, they may in early life understand the sublime doctrine of the equality of mankind, t'he divine frater- nity of the human family. There are some philosophers who find sixteen or seventeen original Adams. I do not participate in such views; I hold to the scriptural doc- trine of one Adam only, the father of all mankind. We are thus one family, one sacred brotherhood, sprung from one stock, partakers of one nature; hence there is not, properly speaking, the rich and the poor, for all are from one original father; the difference being that one brother has more of this world's goods than another, which, however, is of an uncertain, fleeting, and transitory nature. Indeed, I have some- times thought that if one Adam' had not been made known to U3, it would have been necessary to invent or at least to desire one. Rich children may become poor men and women. Well, if during their pros- perity they have ministered unto others, and some of these poor children may become rich and noble, they may then remember these days; and from these they may be prompted to act in a similar manner towards the poor children of their future years. Bat we do not forget that the children of the rich have their toys at this festive season of the year; nor can we forget that poor children love toys equally as much as their more fortunate brothers. We provide them with clothes, as you see; first, because necessaries, before all things, should be provided and bestowed, and when these have been distributed we shall proceed to a distribution of toys. I said that this weekly meal was a small seed sown, and that already it had borne fruit. I am happy in being informed that from it similar institutions on a large scale are in active operation in South America, in Sweden, in France, in Switzerland, in England^ and in several other countries, A report of one established in London by a worthy clergyman was sent me yesterday, with a. drawing of the room and children at table (the drawing was then handed reund for inspection to the company present), in which, as you will find supported by generous con. tributions, two substantial dinners are given weekly tn 1.400 children." This agreeable ftfe reminded the guests present of the conduct and commands of our Lord, who went about doing good; and its effect cannot but prove an incentive to all to go and do likewise. At the con- clusion an unexpected but highly appreciated act of kindness took plaea. The ladies present drew Iota for a beautiful illustrated album of music, in which the distinguished poet had inscribed, together with his valuable autograph, a memorial of the J&te. —♦—

"Running "a Religion.—" To run is a term of modern American loeutisn, meaning to start, organise, and conduct a given undertaking. You may run anything-a railroad, a bank, a school, a, news- paper, a quack medicine, a spiritualist lecture, a gas- works, a giant, a dwarf, a locomotive engine, a galaatee-show, or an administration. "f run this Government," said Mr. Abraham Lincoln to a friend who was. remonstrating with him on some ministerial esoapade, and I alone am responsible for its short. comings." Finally, you may run a religion. I was talking to a clerical gentleman on board a steamer, of the little foothold which the sect known as Universalists, and of whom Dr. Chapin is so eloquent an exponent at New York, seems to have obtained in Boston. "Yes, sir," replied the clerical gentleman; "I guess Universalism's pretty well played out in the State of Massachusetts. A friend of mine he run a chapel in that connection for six months down to Boston, but she never paid working expenses. Well, sir, he con- eluded to clear out; and now he got a good old Con- gregationalist concern running on the same premises,, and paying her way h_,a..Mly Item-you also run a candidate for Congress or the Presidency.— £ ?. A. S,

A SINGULAR FAMILY HISTORY. The Paris correspondent of the Daily News mentions a painful ease of family litigation, which came before the civil tribunal on December 21. The parties, he says, were the two sons, both confessedly illegitimate, of "the late M. Musard, the originator of the concerts which yet bear Ms name. The plaintiff, Ednae Musard, was born in 1818. His mother, Madame Charlotte Suzanne, is described as a rentiere, and must, there- fore, be supposed to have had property. It was not dis- puted that the plaintiff was leglly "recognised" by M. Masard as his illegitimate child. But in 1819 there came to Paris from London, where she had been living for several years, a married woman named Virginia Conne, the wife of a glass-cutter. She was, as it is al- leged by the plaintiff, enciente before she ever saw Musard, but before her accouchement she became his mistress, and obtained a great ascendancy over him. Her child was born on March 1, 1819, in the Rue St. Appolline, as several witnesses are pre- pared to prove, but she omitted, at the risk of a prose- cution for a serious misdemeanour, to register its birth in Paris, M. Musard adopted the child and brought it up as his own, and five years afterwards this child was baptised at St. Anne's, Westminster, in the register of which parish for the year 1824 appears this entry:—" Alfred, born March 1, 1819, son of Philip and Virginia Musard." In 1846 Musard, by a notarial act, recognised Alfred Musard as his illegitimate son. Madame Conne's husband lived till January 10, 1850, when he died in London, and on November 12 of the same year Musard manied her. From the time of his acquaintance with Madame Conne he neglected his son Edme, who, however, received a good education from his mother, Charlotte Suzanne, but she dying, and leaving him an orphan at tfie age of sixteen, he found himself in a destitute condition, and applied to his father for assistance. The latter consented to do something for him, but on condition that he should only call him his uncle. Edme Musard seems to have led a hard and precarious life. He was iirst of all bound apprentice to an engineer, in order to ba got out of the way of his more favoured brother Alfred. Afterwards he learned pianoforte making, and was for a long while in the "0 house of Sax. He married a woman who had money, but unfortunately it was all invested in a firm which became bankrupt. By the marriage he has a son sixteen years old, who is now studying music at the Conservatoire. He was always treated as a pariah by the prosperous Alfred, who, in character of his father's secretary, wrote him a .very harsh letter, which was read to the court. At Musard's death, in 1859, Alfred was found to be already in possession of the greater part of his property. The plaintiff alleges that fraudulent deeds of gift had been made in order to exclude him from his legal share but the defendant answers that Musard was in difficulties during the latter years of his life, that he (Alfred) had paid his father's debts and taken his property as a security. Shortly after the father's death, Edme Musard, being in great distress, signed away all his birthright to his brother for the sum of 300 francs in ready money, Latterly Edme Musard has endeavoured to give con- certs in Paris, but Alfred, so far from helping him, has, it is alleged, always contrived to prevent his con- certs from taking place. On one occasion when Edme described himself in his bills as the only son of the celebrated composer," the prefect of police, on the suggestion of Alfred, made him strike out the words, and the concert was a failure. The object of the present asticn was to have it declared thpt the release for the colourable consideration of 300f. was void, as having been obtained by undue pressure,, and to have an inquiry whether Alfred Musard was not in reality the child born in the RllV St. Appolline on March 1, 1819, of the married woman Virginia Copne. The con- sequence of establishing the latter fact would be to show that Alfred was the legitimate son of Nicholas Conne, and that Musard's recognition of him was null and void. The court, however, presided over by M. Benoit Champy, held that Alfred Musard had acquired by notoriety, by the baptismal entry at St. Anne's, Westminster, and by the notorial act of 1S46, the status of Musard's son, orl and that it would be against public policy and the articles 335 and 342 of the Code Napoleon to admit evidence to show that at the time of his birth his mother was married to another person than Musard. It was also of opinion that there was no proof of fraud in the relea,seby the plaintiff of his rights for 300f., and accordingly the action was dismissed with eoats. The decision, on the ttMn point, seems to me a very extraordinary one; and quite contrary to equity and common sense, whatever may be the true construction of the articles in question of the Code Napoleon. If Alfred was really the legitimate son of Nicholas and Virginia Conne, it passes my understanding to con- ceive how that status could be affected by any trans- action whatever between Musard and his mother. The registry at St. Anne's, Westminster, was clearly the result of a false declaration, for Virginia is therein described as Virginia Musard, whereas her husband, Conne, was then living, and he lived for many years afterwards..

GROSS CRUELTY TO A FOX. At the Hyde Petty Sessions, Thomas Henry Harri- son, landlord of the Globe Inn, Hyde, and J. Etchells, were charged, on an information laid by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with torturing a fox. It appears that on the 21st ult. the defendant Harrison got up a fox hunt near Hyde, which was attended by such cruelty that a para- graph got into a local paper in condemnation of what had been done, and was subsequently noticed by the Field, and this ultimately led to the above society sending an agent down to Hyde, and the present prose- cution. Mr. Lord, after opening the case at length, called, amongst others, William Timperley, an officer of the above society, who said that in con- sequence of information he had received, he went to the Globe Hotel, Hyde, on the 10th inst., and there saw the defendant Harrison. Observing that his finger was bandaged, witness asked him what was the matter, when he replied a fox had bitten him. Afterwards, in conversation, Harrison said he had bought a fox for 15s. two or three weeks ago, from a. man named Hague, to have a hunt with. and the fox was produced. Its off hind leg was hang- ing and dangling down. The fibres and sinews were both visible, and its tail and body were covered with congealed blood. The leg was partly bound round, and it looked as if it had been chopped with a knife or some sharp instrument. Harrison said that he had had a nice bit of fun with the fox on the previous Monday, for when he turned him out he had only three legs, having broken his leg two or three days before the hunt; and he acknowledged that the fox had thus been turned out that he might be caught by the dogs, because he did not like to lose the fox. Samuel Mason, an overlooker at Hyde, proved that he was at the hunt. The fox ran on three legs, one of the hind legs dangling as the fox ran. When it had run the length of two or three fields the dogs came up, but they durst not face it. The defendants then went and lifted him up and brought him back, and then Etchells again turned him off, and there was another hunt. Etchells then caught the fox by the tail, and carried him back to Harrison's house. Mr. Ellison, in defence, said the animal was a wild animal, and when turned loose it was not unlawful within the Act to hunt it. Harrison was fined.£5 or to be imprisoned for two months with hard labour; and Etchells .£2 and costs, or two months with hard labour.

Animal Life in Valleys.—Bulls cannot long be kept sane in narrow valleys the constantly repeated echoes of their own bellowings make them mad. There are some local" bogies" of this kind-always a mad bull somewhere in the Lake district; and awful brutes they are to look at,-and something more than awful to meet. This mad bull of Seathwaite had no mean list of killed and damaged, more or less true, tacked to its reputation; and, indeed, even a brave man might own to something like tremor at the sight of its fierce head thrust above a low stone wall, its eyes literally flash- ing with fiery red rage, foam hanging about its lips and nostrils, its whole attitude, as it pawed and stamped and tore up the ground, one of ungovernable fury, and its voice a low, harsh grunt, like a bellow dwarfed, and roughened, and strangled by passion. The wall looked perilously low, and the padlocked gate seemed dangerously old and crazy, when we passed the field where our man-keen friend was snorting, and grunting, and stamping, as he glowered after us viciously, and with a. wioked expression of disappoint- ment in his blood-red eyes, and though we had met and passed tranquilly enough many a bull and many a wild-looking herd of kine on the hilla in our rambles, we did not pass the plact of the Seathwaite bull with pulses quite so calm, or steps quite so even, as hsreto- [ore; nor did the dalespeople themselves; all were more or less terrified at the ssad m&n-hater.JiiiHfo?is La he Country. 1(., j .„

THE POPES ENCYCLICAL LETTER, The following are extracts from the Pope's Ency. clicsl Letter:— To our venerable brethren, all the patriarchs, pri- mates, archbishops, and bishops, in. communion with the Apostolic See, we, Pius IX., Pope, send greeting and our apostolic blessing. As you are awara, venerable brethren, we had scarcely been raised to the chair of St. Peter, above our merits, by the mysterious design of Divine Provi- deuce, than, seeing with the most profound jjriof of our soul the horrible storm excited by evil doctrines, and the very grave and deplorable injury ca,uMd espe- ciaily by so many errors to Christian people, in ac- cordance with the duty of our apostolic ministry, and following in the glorious footsteps of our predeces- sors, we raised our voice, and by the publication of several encyclicals, conaistorial letters and allocutions, and other apostolical letters, we have condemned the principal errors of our sad age, re-animated your ut- most episcopal vigilance, warned and exhorted upon various occasions all our dear children in the Catholic Cburch to repel and absolutely avoid the contagion of so horrible a plague. But, although we have not hitherto omitted to pre- scribe and reprove the principal errors of this kind, yet the cause of the Catholic Church, the safety of the souls that have been confided to us, and the well- being of human society itself absolutely demand that we should again exercise our pastoral solicitude to destroy new opinions, which spring out of these same errors as from so many sources. These false and perverse opinions are the more detestable as thay especially tend to shackle and turn aside the salutary force that the Catholic Church, by the example of her Divine^author, and His order, ought freely to exercise until the end of time, not only with regard to each individual man, but with regard to nations, peoples, and their rulers, and to destroy that agreement and concord between the priesthood and the Government which have always existed for the happiness ar.d security of religious and civil society. For, as you are well aware, venerable brethren, there are a great number of men in the present day who, applying to civil society the impious and absurd principles of naturalism, as it is called, dare to teach that the per- fect right of public society and civil progress abso- lutely require a condition of human society constituted and governed without regard to all considerations of re- ligion, as if it had no existence, or, at least, without making any distinction between true religion and heresy, And, contrary to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, of the Church, and of the Fathers, they do not hesitate to affirm that the best condition of society is that in which the power of the laity is not compelled to infiict the penalties of law upon violators of the Catholic religion unless required by the con- sideration of public safety." Actuated by an idea of social government so absolutely false, they do not hesitate further to propagate the erroneous opinion, very hurtful to the safety of the Catholic Church and of souls, and termed delirium by our predecessor, Gregory XVI. of excellent memory-viz., "liberty of conscience and of worship is the right of every man-a right which ought to be proCllaimed and established by law in every well eonstifcuted State, and that citizens are entitled to make known and declare, with a liberty which neither the ecclesiatical nor the civil authority can limit, their convictions, of whatever kind, either by word of mouth or through the press, or by other means." In their impiety these same persons pretend that citizens and the Church should be deprived of the opportunity of "-openly receiving alms from Christian charity," and that the law forbidding servile labour on account of Divine worship upon certain fixed days should be abrogated, upon the fallacious pretext that this opportunity and this law are contrary to the principles of political economy. Not content with eradicating religion from public society, they desire further to banish it from families and private life. Teaching and professing those most fatal errors of Socialism and Communism, they declare that domestic society, or the entire family, derives its right of existence solely from civil law, whence it is to be concluded that from civil law de- scend all the rights of parents over their children, and, above all, the right of instructing and educating them." By such impious opinions and machinations do these false spirits endeavour to elimi- nate the salutary teaching and influence of the Catholic Ciiurfh from the instruction and education nf and to infect and miserably deprave by their pernicious errors and their vices the tender and pliant minds of youth. Amid so great a perversity of depraved opinions, we, remembering our Apostolic duty, and solicitous before all things for our most holy religion, for sound doctrine, for the salvation of the souls confided to us, and for the welfare of human society itself, have con- sidered the moment opportune to rais: anew our Apos- tolic voice, and therefore do we condemn and proscribe generally and particularly all the evil opinions and doctrines specially mentioned in this letter, and we wish that they may be held as rebuked, proscribed, and condemned by all the children of the Catholic Church. But you know further, venerable brothers, that in our time insulters of every truth and of all justice and violent enemies of our religion have spread other im- pious doctrines by means of pestilent books, pam- phlets, and journals which, distributed over the sur- face of the earth, deceive the people and wickedly lie. You are not ignorant that in our day men are found who, animated and excited by the spirit of Satan, have arrived at that excess of impiety as not to fear to deny our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, and to attack his divinity with scandalous persistence. We cannot ab- stain from awarding you well-merited eulogies, vener- able brothers, for all the care and zeal with which you have raised your episcopal voice against so great an impiety. T- 4.1. i. '1.&.1' I.T. £ -1- l i jlu IIll" prewwiib 1"" "Jr, uxiertjiurtj, we tspuaii to you with all our heart, to you who, called to partake our cares, are our greatest support in the midst of our very great grief, our joy, and our consolation by reason of the excellent piety of which you give proof in maintaining religion, and the marvellous love, faith, and discipline with which, united by the strongest and most affectionate ties to us and this Apostolic See, you strive to valiantly and accurately fulfil your grave episcopal ministry. We ought then to expect from your excellent pastoral zeal that, taking the sword of the Spirit, that is to say, the Word of God, and strengthened by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you will watch with redoubled care that the faithful committed to your charge abstain from evil pasturage, which Jesus Christ does not cultivate because it was not sown by His Father." By these letters emanating from our apostolic i authority, we grant to all and each of the faithful of both sexes throughout the universe a plenary indulg- ence during one month up to the end of the year 1865 and not longer, to be carried into effect by you, vener-, able brethren, and the other legitimate ordinaries, in the form and manner laid down at the commencement of our Sovereign Pontificate by our apostolical letters; issued as a brief upon the 20th of November, 1846, and sent to the whole episcopate of the world, commencing with the words, "Arcano divinae Providentise con- silio," and with the faculties given by us in those same letters. We desire, however, that all the prescriptions of our liters shall be observed, saving the exceptions we have declared admissible. We have come to this determination notwithstanding all which might be ordered to the contrary by special and individual men- tion, and which might be worthy of departure from that decision; but, in order that every hesitation and difficulty should be removed, we have ordered that a copy of our letter should be again forwarded to you. Let us implore, venerable brethren, from the bottom of our hearts, and with all our souls, for the mercy of God. He has encouraged us so to do by saying, I will not withdraw my mercy from them." Let us ask and we shall receive; and if there is slowness of delay in its reception, because we have gravely offended, let us knock, because He opens to those who knock, for prayers, groans, and tears, by means of which we must persist and remain, knock at the door, &c. (St. Cyprian, Epistle 11). Bat, in order that God may accede more easily to our prayers and our wishes, and to those of all his faithful servants, let us employ in all confidence as our mediatrix with Him the Virgin Mary, who "has destroyed all heresies throughout the world, and who, the well-beloved Mother of us all, is very gracious and full of mercy allows herself to be touched by all, shows herself very clement towards all, and takes under her pity- ing care all our miseries with unlimited affection," and who sitting as queen upon the right hand of her Son our Lord Jesus Christ in a golden vestment, shining with various adornments, knows nothing which she cannot obtain from the Sovereign Master. Let us implore also the intervention of the blessed Peter,' chief of the Apostles, and of his co-Apostle Paul, and of all those Saints, of Heaven, who, having already, become the friends of God, have been admitted. into the celestial kingdom, where they are crowned and bear palms, and who, henceforth certain of immor- tality, are entirely devoted to our salvation. Lastly, let us ask of God from the bottom of oar heart the abundance of all His celestial benefits for you. We ourselves bestow upon you, venerable brethren, and upon all clerks and faithful of the laity committed to your care, our apostolic benediction from the most loving depths of our heart, in token of our charity toward you. Pius IX., Pope. Given at St. Peter's in Rome, this 8th of December, 1864, the tenth anniversary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

THE GARDEN IN WINTER. The warblers of the grove are flown, and, from the shrub the jay, And from the tree-top calls the crow through all ihe gloomy day. Where are the flowers, the fair young Sowers, that lately sprung and stood, In brighter light and softer airs, a beauteous sister- hood ? Alas! they all are in their graves; the gentle race of flowers Are lying in their lowly beds with the fair and good of ours. The snow is falling where they lie—but neither snow nor rain Will call from out the gloomy earth the lovely ones again. The lily and the violet, they perish'd long ago, And the wild rose and the orchis died amid the sum- mer glow: But on the hill the golden-rod, and the aster in the wood, And the yellow sunflower by the brook in autumn beauty stood, Till fell the frost from the clear, cold heaven, as falls" the plague on men And the brightness of < heir smile was gone from upland glade and glen. But now and then there comes a calm, mild day, as still such days will come, To call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home. When the sound of dropping nuts is heard, though, all the trees are still., Then twinkle in a cheering light the waters of the rill; The south wind searches for the flowers, whose fra- grance late he bore, And sighs to find them on the banks and by our paths no more!

ALLEGED MANSLAUGHTER BY AN OFFICER. A fatal catastrophe occurred last week at the village of Preston Plucknett, about a mile from Yeovil. It appears that Lieutenant Langworthy, of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, who is now on a visit to his father, the well- known solicitor of Ilminster, left his home on Wednes- day in order to attend the county ball at Yeovil. He drove a horse and four-wheel, and was accompanied by his father's groom. He reached Preston all safe shortly after nine o'clock. In the centre of the village the Yeovil Rifle corps band was playing, and a crowd had collected around it. Lieutenant Langworthy drove right through the band and crowd at a gallop. The horse knocked down a. man named John Gear, and the wheels went over his head and neck. Lieut. Lang- worthy went on, but pulled up about 70 or 80 yards from the scene of the accident. The mob, on his alighting from the carriage, became very excited, and Lieutenant Langworthy was assaulted by the sergeant of the band and others. The poor man, Gear, on being taken up, died almost instantaneously. From the manner in which Lieutenant Langworthy drove through the crowd, and from what was alleged to have been seen by several persons standing near, the liutenant was given into the custody of the police at Yeovil, but was admitted the same night to bail. On Friday Lieutenant Langworthy was taken before Mr. W. Harbin and Mr. T. Messiter, county magistrates, charged with causing the death of John Gear. As the inquest upon the body had not been held, the officer was remanded, bail being accepted, himself in .£500, and two sureties in < £ 250 each. On Saturday morning Dr. Wybrauts, county coroner, held an inquest upon the body of the unfortunate man Gear, at the Bell Inn, Preston. Mr. Sydney Watts, solicitor, of Yeovil, watched the case on behalf of Lieutenant Langworthy. A witness, named George Tutton, swore that he hallooed out to the lieutenant to stop, but that directly he did so the officer struck the horse with the whip and it galloped through the crowd. The horse was going so fast that there was not time for the crowd to disperse. Instead of Lieut. Langworthy endeavouring to prevent the accident, Tutton swore that he urged on the horse. A man named James Gamblin corroborated Tutton's evidence and swore that he saw Lieutenant Langworthy strike the horse three times after he had been called to pull up. Sarah Roper said that she saw the lieutenant strike the horse with the whip as it dashed through the crowd. On the other hand, Lieutenant Lang- worthy, who expressed a wish to be examined, and the groom, stated that upon the horse hearing the music it immediately became restive, and as it neared the band it became wholly unmanageable. The horse rushed through the crowd, and the only thing they could do was to keep it in the middle of the road. Both swore positively that the whip was net taken out of the pocket during the whole journey from Ilminster to Yeovil, and Lieutenant Langworthy em- phatically denied having struck the horse when near- ing the crowd. The lieutenant and groom each stated that a whip had never been used upon the horse since it had been in the possession of Mr. Langworthy, sen. To contradict this evidence a young woman was called, who said that when stopped she distinctly saw that the groom had the reins and whip in his hand. The coroner said that if they believed the three wit- nesses who had sworn distinctly that they saw the lieutenant strike the horse with the whip, they must., however painful their duty might be, return a verdict of manslaughter. But if they considered that the three witnesses were mistaken, and that the explana- nation given by Lieutenant Langworthy—supported as he was by his groom-was correct, they would return a verdict of accidental death. The jury, after a long consultation, returned a verdict of accidental death, adding that there was not sufficient evidence to show whether Lieutenant Langworthy had used dili- gence to prevent the accident or otherwise.

A PROFLIGATE DAUGHTER. Rebecca Evans, a fine-featured and well-grown girl, with a profusion of hair beneath a black hat and feather, was charged, at the Worship-street Police- court; with stealing a dress and a blanket, the property of her mother living at 18, Prince's-street, Hagger- stone, and who, addressing the magistrate, said: "I don't know what to do with the girl, sir. She is evidently bent on being bad and wicked, so, as a last resource, I determined on bringing her to a police- court. The other morning she took my gown from behind the room door, and took it away with the blanket on Friday night. She came home in a perfectly unconscious state from drink, so of course it was useless to say anything to her; besides, she is subject to fits. This morning she would have gone out, I do believe, quite naked, but for my putting a few things on her back. So, as I said, I thought the best thing to do was this-I followed and gave her into custody. She stops out all night sometimes, I'm sure I don't know where, and is a disgrace to be seen. I have been told she is living with the son of a surgeon in Hoxton, but I can't find out. Over and over again I have promised to look over all her faults, and never speak of them to her if she would mend her ways, and yet no sooner is she made decent than off she is again, and the same conduct is repeated. I feel that it is impossible to do anything with her myself, and I have not a friend in the world." Mr. Cooke (to the prisoner): What can you say to robbing your motker, and behaving in this disgraceful manner? Prisoner: I took the things because I wanted them. Mr. Cooke Where is the ticket ? I understand you pledged the dress. Prisoner: I tore it up on Friday, I was going to redeem it, but met some friends of mine, and they persuaded me to have some ale; it made me ill; and then they told me they had put rum into it, and then I had more ale, and then Mr. Cooke: How old is this girl? Mother: Sixteen on the 3rd of January, sir. Her father died when she was eight. Mr. Cooke: Is this your only child? Mother: My only girl, sir; but I have six children, and not a friend in. the world. Mr. Cooke: I shall remand her, u-. sh% will not Ml where the things are pledged.