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METEOROLOGICAL REPORT.—MARCH.…
METEOROLOGICAL REPORT.—MARCH. I PENTYRCH. Latitude 51°31'N. Longitude 3°15'W. Height of receiver I Above ground 1ft. lin. of rain gauge. J Above sea level 100ft. u I 'Thermometer *o laT^Lbs 4i \kmAds a- =, s-G R« 352^IOO M' | g SjMaxi-jMini- -go 6^ 25 p jmum. mum. ^3 igorH-c 1st 30-50 45 38 E. 5 80 — 7 2nd 3045 56 3b E. 1 79 6 3rd 30 35 61 33 k.b.E. 3 79 — — 4th 30-07 59 3/ S.b.YV. 3 80 0 07 5 5th 30 05 53 38 S.W. 5 87 0 Oil, 9 6th 29-59 52 44 S.W. 7 96 0*06 8 7th 2!f90 52 42 N.W. 4 74 0*29; 8 8th 3002 49 40 N.W. 6 83 0'09i 9 9th 30-28 49 33 S.W. 8 92 0-82; 7 10th 30 21 53 34 N.W. 6 94 0 231 5 llth 30-10 53 40 YV. 6 91 — 7 12th; 29 801 54 41 S.W. 7 86 0'08i 8 13th ,29-72 50 39 N.W. 6 84 0 14 9 14th 29-94) 51 34 W. 2 83 001 7 15th 30-05 47 28 N.N.W 6 71 0"68 6 16th *29 52 47 32 N.N.E. 8 77 — 6 17th 30-36 49 28 N.E. 3 75 — — 18th 30-38 57 32 S.E. 1 74 — 19th 30-32 60 37 E.S.E. 2 72 — — 20th 30-17 59 33 S. 1 80 — 21st 3014 53 3t W. 2 79 — 6 22nd 30-20 53 41 S.S E. 1 78 — 8 23rd 3007 60 41 E.N.E. 3 94 — 7 24th 29 94 67 39 N.E. 3 74 — — 25th 29-95 65 42 E.N.E. 2 66 — 26th 3003 64 41 E. 4 63 0'02 1 27th 30-15 60 43 E.S.E. 7 62 — — 28th 30-49 49 32 E. 7 59 — 6 29th i 30 56 52 35 N.E. 6 67 — 6 30th i 3044 58 32 IN.N.W. 3 63 — 31st 130-23 60 42 N. 4 84 — 5 Total Rainfall 2'55 Maximum rainfall in 24 hours, 0'82 on the 9th. Rain fell on 12 days. Mean ozone, 4-710. Mean temperature, 45'7 Mean degree of humidity, 78.
THE WEATHER.
THE WEATHER. 1st. Dull, drier, cold wind, fine p.m., sunny. 2nd. Clear blue sky, calm, very fine, mild. 3rd. White frost, cloudless blue sky, fine, warm. 4th. Cirro- cumulus, blue sky, fine p.m., nimbus. 5th. Nimbus, blue sky, showers p.m., fresh. 6th. Overcast, damp, alight drizzle, windy. 7th. Cumulus, blue sky, fine; ,7 .P.m., dull, wet. 8th. Nimbus, blue sky, showers, FREAH. 9th. Overcast, heavy rain; p.m., high wind. JOth. Nimbus, blue sky, showers, hail, windy, llth. Overcast, rain 9.15 a.m., fine, fresh wind. 12th. Overcast, high gusty wind 7 p.m., rain. 13th. Nimbus, blue sky, showers, hail, gusty wind. 14th. Nimbus, blue sky, calm, showers, hail. 15th. Sharp frost and snow, nimbus, blue sky, windy; 7 p.m., rain and snow. 16th. Frost and snow, cumulus, blue aky, fine, high wind. 17th. Sharp frost, cumulo- Btratus, blue sky, fine. 18th. Frost, cumulus, blue :aky. very fine, calm. 19th. Cumulus, blue sky, calm, ROILD, very fine. 20th. Cumulo-stratus, blue sky, CALM, fine, mild. 21st. Slight frost, cumulo-stratus, blue sky, fine, calm. 22nd. Dull, fine, calm; p.m., cumulus, blue sky. 23rd. Overcast, line p.m., cirro- stratus, blue sky. 24th. Clear blue sky, very fine, ,warm, breeze. 25th. Cumulus, blue sky, fine and warm, calm. 26th. Cumulo-stratus, blue sky, fine nimbus, shower. 27th. Cumulus, blue sky, fine, WII5Y; p.m., cold. 28th. Slight frost, cumulo-stratus, blue sky, tine, windy. 29th. Dull, fine, windy; p.m., cireo-cumulus, blue sky. 30th. Slight frost, cumulo- stratus, blue sky, fine. 31st. Overcast, fine; p.m., sunshine. VR REMARKS. The weather of the past month was very fine and genial for the time of year, and presented many points of interest. The principal features which, when grouped together, combined to give an exceptionally Tair and favourable aspect to the period as compared with the accepted idea of March, were a high and generally steady barometer; a comparatively warm temperature winds less rough and boisterous than juaual; a dry air and only moderate rainfall, and an adequate development of ozone. Notwithstanding the Bard, winter, the Spring promises to be sufficiently early, and the appearance of the country is much greener than it was a year ago. This is due to the fact that the cold of the past winter, though very severe, was accompanied with snow and but little wind whereas the previous season was characterized by violent north easterly gales that seemed to wither every thing with which they came in contact. Lambs are pretty numerous, and favoured with dry and mild Vteather. The only drawback is, in many instances, a deficiency of fodder for unfortunately the promises of the present will not compensate for the short- comings of the past, and some animals are said to be STAVING while the grass is growing. The sycamore came into leaf about the 27th. Gooseberry and cur- rant trees about the 18th, and blossomed a few days liter. The wood anemone and wood sorrel bloomed on the 19th. Amongst other plants in flower were WHITE and blue violets, coltsfoot, butter-bur, barren strawberry, &c. Amongst trees the catkins of the H'&Sel, willow, birch, and alder, and the inflorescence Of the common and wych elms, were beautifully conspicuous. The peacock-butterfly, and the small tortoiseshell were noticed on March 2nd. There were pecks enough of March dust to ransom many kings, but our wealth in that respect was not blown irtto Our faces so much as usual by the traditional GFRITS of wind. The kind-hearted farmers and others of Glamorganshire, however, did not forget to "come dówn with the dust" in aid of the French peasants, but wafted across the Channel a goodly shower of gold aad seed to ransom them from the captivity of en- forced idleness, and to rescue from destruction the erops of a whole year. The barometer was hijh and steady with the ex- ception of a few sudden dips of oscillation. The MAXIMUM height 30'56 was attained on the 29th, and tlw, minimum 29'52 on the 16th, giving a range of i 04 The instrument stood above 30 inches on 23 datys.. The temperature of March was as warm as could be desired for the season, and above the average on <<very day but six. The highest reading of the day "thermometer was 67° on the 24th, and the lowest night record 28° on the 15th and 17th, showing a total range of 39 degrees. The greatest daily range was •28S on the 3rd and 24th, the least variation 7° on the lfet, and the mean daily range 180. The mean of the Maximum temperatures amounted to 54°7, and of the zttinimum to The mean heat of the whole month WAS 46v7, which is 4°1 above the average of the pre- vious four years, and the same amount in excess of the Government mean of 50 years, without correction, as determined by Mr. Glaisher. The excess of warmth ft some days was as much as 10Q or 12°, and the maxi- mum of Friday, the 24th—67°—is very much above MY previous records of this month. There were a few frosts at night, and a little snow. The general direction of the wind was more or less WESTERLY on 14 days, and easterly on 15 occasions. With these main quarters, southerly and northerly (jurreots were combined in the proportion of 11 to 13. These figures show a smaller preponderance of north- east, winds than usual for March, and harmonise with pther meteorological features. The force of the WI^IU was also moderate, unless we credit to March— PEOPLE seem mentally inclin'ed to do—the violent GIJLES that blew on the last two days of February. L;. The quantity of moisture in the air was near its proper value. The mean degree of humidity was 78, SQMPIETFT saturation being represented by 100. "The. rainfall of March was light, and decidedly below the average of a generally dry month. It amounted to 2 55 inches, which is equal to 257 tons, or upwards of 1,050 hogsheads to an acre. Rain fell on 1- days. The development of ozone was satisfactory, and J-atfier above the mean of the month. It was present in the AIR on 22 days. The antagonistic principle, ktitozone, was occasionally noted. The mean degree of oiiotie was 4-*?10. ■'•The diseases prevalent in March were similar to those of the previous month, but generally in a milder degree, and to these must be added mumps and small- pox', With regard to the latter, I fully believe that the efforts, made to meet it will confine it within rea- sonable limits, and mitigate the severity of the disease IH those who are unfortunately attacked. FRANKLEN G. EVANS, 4 M.R.C.S., F.M.S., &c. Ajiril..1st, 1871.
[No title]
THE COURT.-Her Majesty the Queen, accom- panied by their Royal Highnesses Prince Leopold and ■PRINCESS Beatrice, attended by the ladies and gentle- JJOEJA of the. Court, has arrived at Osborne from Wind- sor. Her Majesty is expected to reside at Osborne for about three weeks, and then return to Windsor. '.THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES,—Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, with Prince Albert Victor and George and the Prin- etessea, have arrived at Sandringham for the Easter holidays, where they will entertain some distinguished ignesta. >.<• DEPARTURE OF THE PRINCESS LOUISE AND IhIw. LOKNE.— The Princess Louise and the Marquis OF Locne left Dover for Ostend on Tuesday morning at 9;30 in a special steamer, the Maid of Kent, having spent the night at the Lord Warden Hotel. The Earl Of Mount-Charles and Lady Churchill took leave on board. Aldermen Birmingham and Churchward repre- sented the corporation, and Captain Bruce, R.N., the Admiralty. Fine weather prevailed. :.F .KETIR&JVTENT OF THE VICAR OF KEIGHLEY.— íThe respected Vicar of Keighley, Yorkshire (the Rev. W. Busfield), formally bid his congregation farewell on femoday afternoon, after a pastorate extending over at quarter of a century. The reasons which have in- <iticed the worthy vicar to retire are the delicate state thurhealth, which prevents him from attending to iis pastoral duties, and his conviction of the great im- portance of a younger man being appointed to attend -lw4b6 requirements of the parish. The vicar is a man ,universally <wteemed, and his retirement is very keenly -Mgrnkted by all classes in Keighley. His successor, the Rev. W. Malam, M.A., of Youlgreavo, Derbyshire, will enter on his duties in a month's tima.-Bradfurd Daihj Times.
MISSIONS TO SEAMEN.
MISSIONS TO SEAMEN. MEETING IN CARDIFF The annual meeting of the friends and promoters of the Cardiff Auxiliary to the Seamen's Mission was held in the Town Hall on Friday evening; the Lord Bishop of Llandaff in the chair. There were also present, Alderman C. W. David, the Mayor; the Rev. D. Howell, vicar of St. John's; the Rev. R. W. Boyer, chaplain of the Bristol Channel Mission the Rev. F. K. Mellis, chaplain to the Thisbe D. Dixon, medical superintendent of the Hamadryad Hospital Ship the Revs. J. W. Osman, J. D. Sparks, D. W. Morris, and Jones; Mr. Jonas Watson, Capt. Pengelly, R.N., &c. The attendance was large and influential. The Rev. D. HOWELL read prayers after which a hymn was sung. The BISHOP, in addressing the meeting, first alluded to the absence of the Rev. Canon Morgan, who he said had never been absent from one of the meetings in con- nection with the Seamen's Mission at Cardiff, but who j had written to Mr. R. Duncan, from Great Malvern, ex- pressing his regret at being unable to attend the meeting in consequence of the illness of Mrs. Morgan, whom he would be unable to leave till Saturday. His Lordship also said he was very thankful to find, by the report that would be submitted to them by and hy, that the work among the seamen during the past year had been making gradual and satisfactory progress, and also that it was becoming more and more appreciated by the sailors, who were very grateful for the advan- tages it offered to them in the use of the reading-room and in other respects. There was another point in the report to which he wished to revert, and he did so with great pleasure. It appeared from the financial account that during last year, while there had been collected from what were called the higher classes— and by the term higher he did not mean those who were intrinsically higher in mind, but simply those who under Divine Providence were blessed with a larger share of this world's goods—the sum of JE155 10s. 5d., no less a sum than about £42 had been collected in small donations—with the exception of five donations of 10s.—in sums of 2s. 6d. and Is. and other small sums, and was collected therefore from what might be called the middle and working classes (hear, bear)-and for this happv result they were exclusively indebted he believed to Mrs. Duncan. (Cheers.) He thought they ought to be very grateful to her for taking so much pains on behalf of this in- stitution. For his own part he begged to tender her his best thanks, and he thought in expressing that feeling towards her they would all heartily join. It showed what might be done in that direction if other persons would take up the same course, and in publish- ing this list of donations of small sums, the Mission was showing not only what progress it was making, but it was setting a very good example to other societies, for it struck him that that was the way in which all societies should work. He believed that the Church of England bad got a very strong hold upon the affections of the intellectual and more educated classes of the community, and he believed also that wherever the clergy of the Church of England rightly fulfilled their pastoral duties—which he was thankful to say they did in very many instances—he believed they also got a strong hold on the affections of the lower classes. A friend of his, a clergyman, told him of some visits that he paid to a poor sick woman in London, and, finding his visits well received, he very frequently called upon her. Some time afterwards he called a cab, and on getting out. of the vehicle at the place he wanted to go to, he offered the cabman his fare. The man refused to take it, and he then asked the cab- man why be did so. The man replied, "No, sir, I shall not take anything from you, because you were so kind to my wife when she was ill." This was an instance of the way in which the sympathies of the poorer classes could be enlisted by kindness. (Hear, hear.) He bad said that the Church of England had got a strong hold on what were called the higher classes, and where the pastoral work of the clergy was properly carried out it had also got a good hold on the middle and lower classes, but he must say he thought the Church of England had not done all it ought to have done to enlist the sympathies of the middle and lower classes by appealing in this way for the support of its charites, and he considered that the present was a very good example to other societies to in- duce them to go and do likewise. He was sure if it was done it would enlist the sympathies of a larger numbtr of persona and let them hope that in- creased aid would be forthcoming to this Society, to enable its promoters to carry out, with even greater success than for the past year, their enterprise in mission work both at home and abroad. Now they could not do this effectually without the aid of the lay members of the Church. It was quite impossible for the clergyman tube in two places at one time. or for his brains to be doing two things at once. If the clergyman was attending to the spiritual duties of the Church, he must look to the lay members of the Church for aid in such matters as these-in collecting subscriptions for the charities in connection with their churches. He (the Bishop) was very much obliged to Mrs. Dunean for what she had done, and he hoped there might be many others in the town of Cardiff who might be induced to follow her example. His Lordship then referred to a vif he paid to the Vicar of Scarborough, who had 24c lay members of his church assisting him in the work. He asked had they in this neighbourhood anything approaching to that number of lay members assisting their overworked clergy in their work. But while they were thanking Mrs. Duncan, they must not forget to mention the valuable services of Mr. Duncan, who had for many years been the life and soul of the Society. He knew what Mr. Boyer thought of Mr. Duncan's labours, and he was quite sure Mr. Mellis would be willing to bear the same testimony, and he was but expressing the feelings of all present when he said that they were greatly indebted to Mr. Duncan for his services also. (Hear, hear.) Perhaps it might appear that he had been drawn somewhat out of the proper subject for that evening's meeting, and if so, he would now address himself to the object that had brought them together. They had met for the purpose of celebrating the anniversary of the Association for Promoting Missions to Seamen, and there was but one feeling that he had with regard to this anniversary. He had a very distinct recollection in his own mind of what took place at the last anniversary, and he saw himself again filling the chair at this anniversary, but if he endeavoured to realize the time that had intervened between the one anniversary and the other, it seemed to him as if it had all passed away in a moment. It was quite impossible for him to realize the time that had elapsed, aud he believed that this was the case, probably with others as well as himself, if they enter- tained the same sentiments. They were all so fully occupied with other things that they had hardly any time to think about anything but the existing business upon which they were engaged. They did not stop to consider their individual circumstances, they were wholly engaged in the work they had in hand, so that they almost lost their individual consciousness with regard to the flight of time. And when they came to an anniversary of this kind it seemed impossible to conceive of the interval of time that had passed away without producing any impression upon them. No doubt their solemn responsibilities all remained. Everything that they had thought, everything they had done, everything they had said, everything they had not done that they ought to have done, were all written in the book of God's remembrance, and at the last day they would have to give an account of it but, so far as any partioularremembranee of the spaceof time that had intervened, it seemed to him that it had all passed away, and had not left a trace behind. Now, what was true with regard to the interval of time between one anniversary and another was true of their own in- dividual existence. He believed that at the time when they were drawing their last breath the cir- cumstances that bad occurred in the interval of time that had elapsed from the first moment of their consciousness to the time of their death would all appear as if it had been a mere dream, and so they realized the words, What is your life ? it is a vapour thatappeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." What was the practical lesson they learnt from this ? He thought it would recall to their minds their blessed Saviour's words—"I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is called day. The night cometh when no man can work." And the other words of our Saviour when near the close of his work "I have glorified Thfe on earth I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do." It should be the means of quickening within them the desire to do the work that God had sent them to do. What He had sent them to do was no doubt in the first instance to perform, in a Christian spirit and with a view to the glory of God, the particular work of their individual position. But he believed that this was not all: they were not to work for themselves alone, but that they had a dutv to per- form to others as well as themselves. When Sr. Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I have no man like Timotheus whom I can send unto you who would naturally care for your sake for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's," he thought St. Paul described a very sad condition of their churches. It was sad indeed when people did not care for others, but thought only of themselves. He said that every man had work to do in addition to that which pro- perly belonged to him, end that was to do all the good he could for his feilow-creatures temporally, and above all, spiritually. (Hear, hear.) And this, of course, connected itself with the particular object of this meeting. When they were advocating the claims of any particular society, they were perhaps apt to exaggerate those claims as compared with the claims of other societies. Now, he did did not want ts exaggerate the claims of this Mission, but he did say that it was a most important institution—did a most important Christian work, and therefore it should take a very important position in the work they themselves had to perform, es- pecially when they lived in a town such as Cardiff, whose interests were so closely connected with the mercantile marine of the country, so largely interested in commerce, and having its port frequented by so great a number of sailors. They all knew the ordi- nary arguments which were advanced in favour of this particular institution, and he did not mean to dwell upon them at any length. Year after year they were told of the great benefits they derived from their mercantile navy, and the comforts they received from it in times of peace and also the security from invasion which they look to their sailors in time of war. They had heard over and over again of the perils to which the life of a sailor was necessarily exposed. They knew the temptation to which he was exposed on shore. They knew also his isolated condition, and the comparatively few advantages he possessed when he was on a long voyage, from his not having received any Christian instruction. Upon these matters he should not dwell, but should say a few words upon one or two of them. In the first place they all knew of the peculiar danger to which sailors were exposed born the mode of life which they adopted, but bad they any idea of the actual loss of life which occurred at sea during a year? In the Government publication called the Wreck Chart for 1869, in the last Blue Book he had received, he found that the actual number of lives lost that year was 1,G85. He thought perhaps they never realized such a consideration as this, such a fact that in one year 1,685 of their fellow- creatures were plunged in a moment into eternity by shipwreck, or by hie, or some other calamity that might happen to them as sailors. During the sallie year nS3 vessels were lost or damaged. This was the actual loss in the course of the year, but how much more serious must have been these results if it had not been for God's providence in saving the lives of many imperilled by these calamities. Persons saved by remaining on.board, by as.-istance from other ships, or assistance from the shore, amounted to 11,927. That he thought was a very striking statement as showing the perils to which their sailors were exposed. Let him call their attention to one particular fact. They all knew that in the month of September one of her Majesty's vessels, called the Captain, was lost off Cape Finnisterre, in Spain, and that nearly 500 sailors—-480 perished, only 18 escaped. The vessel was struck by a heavy sea, capsized, and in a moment turned keel upwards. They were told- that within ten minutes of the time she was struck 480 persons lost their lives. What a terrible danger this to which their sailors were exposed I It was true that this was a particular vessel, and it might be said that she was exposed to special risks; but still she was built and fitted out, and her crew embarked in her. They did so, and 480 of them perished in ten minutes. [His Lordship banded round the blue book, in which the inquiry into the loss of the Captain was printed, and in which was a plate showing the position of the boats at the time they left the vessel after she cap- sized.] There was only one other point to which he would allude. He had just made reference to the isolated position of the sailor, and the few religious advantages that he possessed. Now, let him call their attention to this fact. The inhabi. tants of Cardiff had been favoured with some very peculiar advantages in this respect—the multiplica- tion of religious ordinances, and be bad heard with great satisfaction from the parochial clergy that these religious ordinances had been attended with, as he believed, a great blessing. He must say, and he hoped, this blessing was permanent. Rut what he wanted to impress upon them all was, if they bad been enjoying these ordinances—if they bad felt the blessings of them, did they not feel more kindly than ever towards those who were unable to attend them, and were thus deprived of their blessing ? And ought they not to show their gratitude for the parti- cular favour with which God had been pleased to bless them in making additional efforts in this or in any other way for the Christian welfare of their fellow-creatures ? (Applause.) The Rev. D. HOWELL said, in the absence of the Rev. Canon Morgan, he had to read the report, which was a very short one, and only contained three lines, the statement of accounts. The subscriptions for the past year amounted to .£197 13s. 3d., as com- pared with .£182 14s. 9d. for the year preceding-, showing an increase for the year 1870 of £ 14 18s. 6d. He thought that they would agree with him that this statement spoke far more eloquently than anything he could say of the increasing interest taken in the operations of the Society at a time when so many calls—more than usual—were made on the Church. It showed that the people of Cardiff bad' not been unmindful of their obligations to this Society, to which they were so deeply indebted. He regretted the absence of Canon Morgan from a. meet- ing of a society in which he (Canon Morgan) took a deep interest. There was no class of persons of whom he (Mr. Howell) was so ignorant as sailors. He could say that he knew more of almost every other class of society than he did of the sailor class. Nevertheless, he always felt a deep interest in the welfare of their Auxiliary Society. Although unac- quainted with sailors as a class, he felt that as Englishmen they owed a deep and lasting debt ot gratitude to them. He also felt a deep interest in the Society, because of the intimate relations between the prosperity of the district in which they lived and the class of persons whose spiritual interest the Society sought to benefit. He might say also that he felt a deep interest in the Society from a personal feeling. He believed that a great and good work had been carried on by the auxiliary they had at Cardiff during the past year. From the little he bad seen of it, he did not think that there was anything connected with the cause of religion in Cardiff which had been more abundantly blessed than the operations of this Society. He had known it to be the case that as many as eighty had been in attendance at a prayer meeting at the Mission Ship. This simple fact really contained a volume of what was deeply interesting to every child of God. Eighty persons assembled together in one simple, solemn object the offering of prayer to God. (Hear, bear.) He had also heard from many friends —he would not say more in his presence—of the devoted labours of the chaplain of the Mission Ship Thisbe. (Hear, hear.) He would take this opportu- nity of seconding the appeal which had been made by his Lordship that a cause which had already re- ceived so largely and manifestly the blessings of God should be brought nearer home to the hearts and con- sciences of those who had recently received so ines- timable and precious a blessing at the hands of God. He did most earnestly hope that those who had so recently received a shower of blesiings, infinitely more valuable than a shower of liquid gold wou'd have been, that they would be brought to feel that it was their duty to offer their thanksgiving in the shape of liberal donations for the special objects of this Mission. Let him earnestly commend the Mis- sion to them. Let him impress upon them that it was their duty and privilege to consider how they might promote its objects, and increase the in- terest felt in it, and how they might induce others to feel and act in the same way. (Applause.) The MAYOR briefly addressed the meeting, feeling, he said, that the chief officer of such anjmportant town as Cardiff, which derived so many advantages from the shipping connected with the port, should show an interest in the object of such a gathering. They all knew that Cardiff had become a very impor- tant port for commerce, and the district which sur- rounded it had derived its wealth from the mercan- tile navy. The inhabitants of Cardiff were very much indebted to the society or to any means which had for its object the spread of the Gospel among sailors. Those on shore had the advantages of fre- quently attending religious ordinances, but many of the sailors who left the port left for long voyages, some for even two or three years, and their opportu- nities of receiving religious instruction were few and far between. Anything that had for its object the spread of the Gospel among this class of men should be most cordially supported by those on land. (Hear, hear.) Dr. DIXON addressed the meeting on the usefulness of the Mission among sick sailors, and mentioned that the Rev. Mr. Mellis always attended the sick at the Hospital Ship once a week, and he was also most willing to come at all times, and his kind and pleasing manner had, he (Dr. Dixon) knew, won many a stray sluep back to the fold. His religious services and con- solation were most acceptable to the sailors, who were more susceptible of religious influence at the time when they were sick and when they left the Hama- dryad they were most grateful for the interest the Rev. Mr. Mellis had taken in their welfare. He hoped that the public would continue to support so useful a Mission. The Rev. R. BOYER then spoke at some length with reference to his experience for the last ten years in connection with the Bristol Channel, and referred to a small meeting held on board his own yacht some years ago, when an effort was made to establish a mission in connection with the seamen coming to the port, and the result of that meeting that an appeal was made to the Trustees of Lord Bute to make an application to the Admiralty for one of her Majesty s vessels, and the consequence was that the fhisbe was sent to Cardiff and fitted up as a place of meeting for the sailors, where now every day numbers of sailors might be found assembled. He then pro- ceeded to notice the good results, both spiritual and temporal, that arose from the Bristol Channel Missions, how sailors and pilots had been converted, and from temperance and religious influence there were parties living in the town and neighbourhood in very com- fortable circumstances, who were solely indebted for their independent means by the influence of religion which had been exerted over them at this ship. He also referred to many instances of the great good that had been exercised over the pilots in the Channel. The pilots were a very important class of men, and a class whose influence was very great. They were the connecting link between the sailor and the Mis- sion Chaplain, and they often introduced the chaplain to the captain, and gained his consent to their visits while some of them when taking a vessel out of port never failed to leave in the vessel a small parcel of tracts and books for the sailors to read on theu' voyage. Sometimes when the chaplain had no means of getting at the hearts of the sailors a few words from the pilot bad the effect of inj ducing the crew to listen to religious. instruc- tion. He also spoke. of the coldness that ship- owners felt in the spiritual welfare of the sailors as a riddle he could not understand. He spoke of the life of a sailor when ne religious influences was exercised over them, where the men were treated in what was called the black ball" fashion, that was for the officers never to speak twice, but to knock the men down with the handspike if they did not obey. He had been on board an American ship where the mate had been stabbed sixteen times on his voyage from America to Cardiff, and in another American ship where both captain and mate had been knocked down and stabbed by the crew, and where the use of the knife was thought but little of. After relating a number of anecdotes, showing the influence of the Mission on the Channel pilots and others, he made a powerful appeal to the meeting for aid towards the Mission. The Rev. Mr. MELLIS, chaplain of the Thisbe Mission Ship, then referred to the operations of the Mission during the past year. The progress had been more appreciated, and sailors were becoming more at- tached to the ship. The attendance of sailors on Sunday evenings at the religions services had been, during the past year, very good. The week night services had not been so well attended as last year, but this he attributed to the opening of the Circus, in St. Mary-street. Up to that time the attendance in St. Mary-street. Up to that time the attendance was very good, but since then it. had never been what it was before. The reading-room was much better attended than formerly, and many of the sailors had been induced to write home because at the ship there were pens, ink, and paper provided, and a place where they could write home and had that place not been provided, the letter would probably never have been written. He also mentioned an instance of one sailor who had been brought under religious influence, and had brought to the ship's keeper i70 which he bad saved in one voyage, and which he wished to be invested in the Savings' Bank for his relatives. In another case two sailors brought their advance notes to the chaplain to be sent home to their wives. These and many other instances showed the influence of the Mission on sailors in preventing that profligacy which even now, to a great extent, existed among sailors, as the money brought in this way to the ship would have been spent- in vice and debauchery had not the influence of religion caused the sailor to leave the temptation by which he was surrounded on shore. He also referred to his visits to the Hamadryad Ship, and hoped that his services there had been attended with some good, and thanked its medical superintendent for the kind assistance he had received from him. He spoke in very warm terms of the great benefit the ship had been to the port, and mentioned how many sailors bad expressed their thanks with tears in their eyes for the kind treatment they had received on board the Hospital Ship. He considered this in- stitution the greatest boon to the port of anything that had yet been established. He referred to his visits to the vessels in the docks, his treatment by some of the sailors, the difficulties he bad to encounter from ridi- cule on one side and insult on the other, which would only be overcome by frequent visits, and this could not be accomplished by one person owing to the number of vessels frequenting the port. It was, however, very desirable that, visits to a ship should be frequently made, but if this were done the general body of the shipping would be neglected, and he hoped before long a Scripture reader would be pro- vided to assist him, as it. was impossible that one person could visit one ship frequently, and ulso pay a series of visits to the whole of the ships in the docks He also appealed for assistance in the shape of books for the library, and tracts or periodicals to be given to the sailors who were leaving the port for a long voyage. A hymn was sung, after which his Lordship pro- nounced the benediction, and the meeting closed. A collection was made at the door.
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Julia Burrows, aged 70. was found dead in her house, on the Moor, Sheffield, on Sunday morning with marks of violence on her head. She was last seen alive the previous evening. RUGBY SCHOOL.—The London correspondent of the Scotsman says:—" The report here is that the trustees of Rugby School are divided in opinion as to the.course which should be taken in relation to the unhappy disputes which have so seriously compromised the good name of that institution. It ill however, believed that a majority, including Mr. Newdegate, take the side of the head master. DKATH OF CAPTAIN VALPY, R.N.—Captain Anthony Blagrave Valpy, whose death occurred at his residence, at Blaydon, Somerset, on March 30, at the advanced age of eighty years, was third son of the late Rev. Dr. Valpy. He entered the navy in October, 1805, and the following month was present at the capture, off L'Orient, of Le Nearque, 16. He afterwards served on the Irish, Lisbon, West India, and Channel stations, and from July 7 to August 2, 1814, commanded the Apollo, 38, since which time he does not appear to have been employed. He became commander July 19, 1814, and captain July *,1.851,
THE HOUSE OF PEERS.
THE HOUSE OF PEERS. Mr. Gladstone since his accession to office in 1868 has created sixteen new peerages, or exactly the same number as the Conservative Administration before him, under the Earl of Derby and Mr. Disraeli, excluding the peerage of the Viscountess Beaconsfield. Earl Russell in his brief term of office, from the 3rd of January to the 12th of July, 1866, placed ten new members in the Upper House; while Lord Palmerston in his Ministry of four years, from 1860 to 1864, only created thirteen new peerages, including those of the Countess of Cromartie and the Baroness of Buckhurst. It would seem, therefore, that in late years a manifest tendency to swell the ranks of the Peerage has set in.
¡VOLUNTEERS' CAPITATION ALLOWANCE.
VOLUNTEERS' CAPITATION ALLOWANCE. As some commanding officers of volunteers appear to entertain doubts as to the form on which the extra capita- tion allowance of JB2 10s. for the year ended 30th Novem- ber, 1870 is to be claimed, commanding officers are re- minded that they are in fact completing the annual return and nominal roll rendered by them on the 1st December last, which, owing to the extension of time allowed to officers and sergeants for obtaining certificates of profi- ciency (viz., to 31st March), they were obliged to render in an incomplete state. The extra capitation allowance in question should accordingly be claimed on War-office form 654, in the case >f the staff of administrative regi- ments, and on War-office forms 1,613 and 1,631 in the case of officers and sergeants of corps. Neither adjutants nor sergeant-instructors should be included in the list of profi- cients.—JAMES LINDSAY, Lieutenant General.—War Office, 4th April, 1871.
THE OAPE OP GOOD HOPE MAIL…
THE OAPE OP GOOD HOPE MAIL SERVICE. The Post Office authorities have issued the following notification relative to the removal of the Cape Mail sta- tion from Plymouth to SouthamptonPermission has been given to the Union Steamship Company to substitute Southampton for Plymouth as the port of departure and arrival of their packets employed, under contract, for the conveyance of mails between this country and the Cape of Good Hope. This change will take place commencing with the Packet appointed to sail on the 10th of April next, which will leave S"uthampton, and the mails for the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, St. Helena, Ascension, and Madeira, will be made up in London on the morning of that day, and thenceforward on the morning of the 10th and 25th of each month, instead of on the evening of the 9th and 24th, as heretofore. When the 10th or 25th falls on a Sunday, the mails will be made up in London on the morning of the following day.
LOCAL TAXATION.
LOCAL TAXATION. A report recently made by Mr. Goschen on the subject of Local Taxation gives some interesting particulars respecting the amount raised from this source. It states that in 1868 the position of local direct taxation was as follows:—Poor-relief proper, £7,500,000; Vaccination and other Acts, £300,000; highway-rate, £1,500,000; county, hundred, police, and borough-rate, £3,000,000; lighting and watching, £ 100,000 Improvement Commis- sioners, £ 400,000; general district rates, £ 1,700,000; general and lighting rates in the metropolis, £ ,1,000,000; rates levied by Commissioners of Sewers, metropolitan and extra-metropolitan, £ 700,000 other rates, including burial boards, fire brigades, &c., £ 400,000; total, £16,600,000. The indirect taxation, consisting of market dues, bridges and ferries, harbours, turnpike tolls, &c., amounted to JE3,215,000, making a total of £19,8lt.í,OOO. In 1862 the receipts from rates were £]2,201,000, and in 1851 only 1.8,916,000. The average yearly expenditure for poor relief does not appear to have increased much this last fifty years. From 1819 to 1829 it was £6,300,000, and from 1859 to 1869 the average was £6,500,000. The return shews that B5,765,000 of the money raised is for entirely new rates, namely—As regards towns—borough rates, general district rates levied by local boards, rates levied by improvement commissioners, and expenditure by burial boards, £3,106,000. Metro- politan rates—Metropolitan board, City of London rates, and metropolitan vestries and district boards, £1,578,000. Police rates: Metropolitan—City of London, £531,000; rural districts' police rates, £550,000. Total, £5,765,000, The heavy rates are, it seems, causing discontent amongst working people, for we hear that at the meeting of the Labour Representation League, on Saturday, notice was given that at the next meeting a resolution would be moved to bring the action of the League to bear upon the great and growing amount of local taxation in London and elsewhere.
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S…
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. As the Saturday Renew very ably explains, the De. ceased Wife's Sister Bill first reached the Lords in 1850, when it was rejected without a division. In 1851 it was introduced in the Lords and lost by 50 to 16. In 1856 the Peers rejected it by 43 to 24. In 1858 it was refused by the same House by a majorify of 46 to 22, and again in 1859 by 49 to 39. In 1870 the Lords were taken by surprise, and it was thrown out by 77 to 73. And this year it was rejected by a majority of 26, so constituted that if every one of the bishops who voted against the bill had given it their sup. port they could not have saved it. This alone must shew the irrational nature of the present agitation. Nor has the history of the measure in the House of Commons been more intelligently significant of a mature opinion in its favour. It was first proposed in 1842, but rejected by 123 to 100. In 1849 it was read a second time by 177 to 143, but lost in committee. In 1850 it was again read a second time by 182 to 130. In 1855, the majority on the second reading was 164 to 157. In 1858 the majority on the second reading was 116 to 134. In 1859 the numbers were 135 to 77. In 1861 the second reading was lost by 177 to 172. In 1862 it passed by 144 to 133, but was re- jected on the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair by 148 to 116. In 1866 it was rejected by 174 to 154. In 1869 it passed the second reading by 243 to 144, but was afterwards lost in committee! In 1870 it passed into committee by' 184 to 114. This year the majority in the Commons was 125 to 84, or only 41, and on the proposal to abolish the retrospective clause, for which the promoters principally care, the majority was only 35. It is therefore without the slightest foundation in fact that the advocates of the measure speak of its rejection by the Lords as 41 in the face of iucreasing majorities in the Commons."
--THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE.
THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE. Cambridge has once again carried off the laurels from Oxford, and there can no longer be a doubt of the supe- rior skill which the men have resolutely acquired within the last two years. There were critics last year who were bold enough to declare that Oxford might have won if the crew had not been somewhat softened into conced- ing a victory to their rivals by the long line of defeats endured by the Light Blues. Such opinions, vapid as they were last year, dare not be breathed in reference to 1870 now. Mr. Goldie, who all the world knows, WM the stroke of the first Cambridge boat that beat Oxford for nine years, has again carried victory to the Cam, and on this occasion in a style which will per- petuate this name, as fondly in the memories of the Cam- bridge alumni as Darbishire's will be in those of the Oxonians. Mr. Goldie began public life, it may be stated, by rowing four in the Eton Boys' boat at Henley, in 1868. In 1869 he rowed in the Cambridge boat on the Thames. Since then he has won two contests for his University, on the London water, and the Colquhoun sculls last Autumn. The most distinguished rowing man in the Cambridge eight was, however, not Goldie but Close (No 2). This gentleman in his day has rowed stroke to a winning university four and trial eight; he has carried off the diamond skulls at Henley and the Colquliouns a; Cambridge. Indeed there were i;o less than three successful scullers in the crew on the Thames this year. Of the lot Goldie and Lowe can never row in the eight again. It therefore is as well that they immortalised themselves on this occasion. The Oxford eight this year was tremendously heiivy, and there were old Dark Blues on the banks during the race who declared Oxford would have behaved better had not so much trust been put upon weight and strength. In the last half-mile, when the tide had begun to turn on the crews, the Oxford eight instead of pulling steadily tottered along the course in rapid d..cay. Within a hundred yards of the post their men looked, one and all, dead beat, their boat made little response to each laboured stroke, the merinos of the heavy men, were actually glued to their backs, and no encouraging spurts from Lesley could make the eight remember the glory a dauntless attempt with muscular strength might gain them even then. At Putney from an early hour the ecene was, as usual, very lively. The trains of the South-Western Railway Company brought down large numbers of persons, while the number of vehicles of all kinds, from the drag-and- four down to the velocipede, which passed through the streets was something astonishing. It was remarkable, however, that few remained to witness the start, the great bulk proceeding higher up the river in order to see a portion of the race. THE RACE. The three steamers appointed to accompany the race were in position off the Aquaduct at ten o'clock, and the members of the two Universities, who formed the major portion of the freight on those vessels, were anxiously and nervously expectant of the moment when the crews should put off from the shore and paddle across to the boats whence they were to be started by Mr. Searle. They had not long to wait, for with the aid of a good glass the crowd in front of the London Rowing Club was seen to disperse, and the Light Blues to step into their boat. But though first to take ship, the Cambridge eight being the challengers, were not the first to shew in the open stream. Shooting out from the shore like an arrow from a bow came the Oxford boat, and with a long and indisputably powerful stroke it was propelled to the Middlesex side of the river, for the Dark Blue men had gained the pick of the stations. There was scarcely time to observe how strong, and yet somewhat overweighted the Oxford crew appeared, before they were joined at a respectful distance by their opponents, who are certainly one of the finest crew Cambridge has sent up for many a year. Looking at the two teams as they s&t in their boats waiting for the word to be off, perhaps no one would have been rash enough to predict which would win, but those who had seen them at their daily practice were so convinced of the superiority of the Cantabs that backers without stint were found at 2 to 1 before and at the time of the start this year. It was when the men were at their work that the qualities which have won them a victory could be appreciated There was an exquisite finish about their style which, supplemented as it was by excellent form and undeviating regularity of stroke irre- sistibly impressed the observer with confidence. This confidence was not lessened when the weights of the crews were considered. These were as under :— CAMBRIDGE., OXFORD. St. lb. at. lb. 1 J. S. Follett, 8rd Trin. 11 IS. H. Woodhouse, TTni- 2 J. B. Close, 1st Trinity 11 8 versity 11 61 3 H. T. Lomax, 1st Trin. 12 2 2 E. Giles. Christ Church 12 13.1 4 E. A. A. Spenser, 2nd 3 T. S. Baker, Queen's.. 13 Trinity 12 9 4 E. C. Malan, Worcester 13 1 5 W. H. Lowe, Christ's.. 12 10 5 J. Edwardes-Moss, Bal- 6 E. Phelps, Sidney 12 1 liol 12 81 7 E. S. L. Randolph, 2nd 6 F. Payne, St. John's 12 91 Trinity 11 10 7 J. M'CIintock-Bunbury J. H. D. Goldie, St. Brasenose 11 8 John's (stroke) 12 6J R. Lesley, Pembroke H. E. Gordon (cox.) 7 13 (stroke) 11 101 F. Hall, Corpus (cox) 7 10 From the above it will be seen that the Oxford crew was in excess of its opponent in point oi flesh, and this told against it. Up to a certain point and under certain conditions a few pounds more or less may matter little, but beyond that point it may materially militate against the success- ful issue of a race. Of those who have any pretensions to be critics, there was scarcely one who had not grave doubts upon the subject of Oxford coming in first at Mortlake to- day, and those who did stick to the Dark Blue though so many smiled upon the Light, began to alter their opinion when the two ships were well under weigh. At a little over eight minutes past ten the boats got away upon a very level start, and with a rapid stroke, Cambridge almost immediately drawing perceptibly ahead. The Oxford crew evidently felt that Cambridge meant winning, for the rapidity of their stroke was instantly increased, though in years past Oxford has been wont not to be alarmed when her opponents were in front of her at the outset. The first attempt of the Dark Blue eight to collar the Cam- bridge crew at the commencement of the struggle having failed, the latter proceeded steadily to improve the advan- tage they had gained, and so well, notwithstanding the fierce,but somewhat rugged efforts of Oxford, did they do this that at the Rose Cottage the Cambridge boat was a clear length ahead, and was increasing that distance. In the straight bit from the Soap Works to Hammersmith Bridge nearly, if not quite, two boats' lengths separated the crews; and Oxford, making desperate efforts to over- haul the boat in advance was rowing with vigour, no doubt, but with a stroke which appeared rather to jerk and sway than lift theboat along. Hammersmith Bridge, crowded with spectators was shot by the Cambridge boat two lengths in advance, and then came the reach where Cambridge has so often succumbed to the greater staying qualities of Oxford. The water here was rough and lumpy, and the wind blew with some force from the north-east. Under such conditions Oxford ought-if Oxford had been represented as in many former years-to have snatched the victory from the Cambridge Eight. True to the traditions of past races, the Dark Blue crew bent low to a desperate effort, but a quicker stroke, and a longer pull for a few moments did little towards placing Oxford in a better position, and to add to their disaster, in paseing by Chiswick Eyot, the coxswain of the Dark Blue boatforno reason that was apparent tookit out of its proper water a considerable distance, and, indeed, steered altogether in a most eccentric manner. At this time Cambridge, with a superior stroke, was aiming so to increase its lead as to be ab!e to take its competitor's water, a task which Oxford struggled most gamely to defeat. Both crews at this time-Oxford having put on a tremendous spurt, to which Cambridge answered in gallant style-were pulling 40 strokes per minute, a pace which was adopted at several points of the race. Barnes Railway Bridge in sight, the Oxonians, who must have felt that the case was well nigh hopeless, sought hard to maintain their own water, but though they prevented Cambridge, who were admirably steered, from taking it until after three or four fruitless attempts, they were seen, just as the bridge was reached, rowing in the water of the Dark Blue boat. A desperate struggle now ensued, the Dark Blue eight spurting in a most plucky manner, and with some good results too, for as the Ship atMortlake was approached the Oxford boat had crept up to that of its opponent, but only to be distanced again. Indeed, throughout the race, every spurt of Oxford, and they were many and brilliant, was immediately an- swered by Cambridge. From the Ship to the finish Oxford, fell off, and as the flag boat was passed the Light Blue won their second victory, after a long spell of defeats, by two and a-half boat's lengths. Time, 23 minutes 9j seconds. MORTLAKE. The scene at Mortlake, the winning point, was trom seven o'clock in the morning an excitable one, hourly becoming more so. Numbers of pretty little steamers, amongst them the much admired new velocipede packets, which were all clad with bunting of very gay description., kept up one continual paddle on the water. The ll"s indeed, and the yellow varnished decks of the latter tiny craft made them the most picturesque objects on the Thames. All the steamers, huge and small, for some wise reasons probably, were obliged to take a policeman on board at P'lMiey-hriilge. The appearance of these functionaries on the deck: was humourously commented on by the crowds on the banks, the policemen in the majority of cases standing ) meekly by the funnel, "looking perfectly out of water." j These feUowj^'iTo .JiaWe^soliaaH ^O'Lth.to restrain 1 t'leir enthuSuuftnTlts tfifeywereTseen clawing TT>fF gTAvect, hands vigorously during the passage of the racing boats up the river. The spectators at Mortlake were nearly all of the male sex, there beingprobably only one lady to every fifty men. This w .s doubtless owing to the raw morning, and the early hour at which the race came off. The ladies who did grace the scene suffered woefully for their hardihood, as there was a cold breeze blowing all the morning, and the sun only appeared three times in brief glimmers between the hours of 8 and 11. Once, however, its visit was not fitful, and it came at the right moment, immediately after the race was over, when it lit up faces and light blue dresses in a delightful man- ner. The mass of people on the barges at Mortlake was so compact that no one at a distance would have thought the river ran beneath them at all. Ribbons fluttered above the white heads, and cloaks were being perpetually lifted in the air, for the purpose of covering their owners from the blast. These spectators were all most orderly, perhaps owing to the fact that the vaccination process had, in the majority of cases, taken well. The hours before the race, however, passed very monotonously for them, until the music of two rifle bands began to echo over the water, and then few could help becoming cheerful. At the north side of the river, opposite the well-known Ship Tavern, Mr. Villiers, the enterprising manager of a London Music Hall, had hired the grounds, and he made ;L small fortune by reason of the number of visitors. Here the more respectable classes assembled on the n ight green grass, and amid short clumps of trees which were anything but agreeable for the tender feet, that had to get over them. Here also, resplendent in black and gold uniforms, were the men who kept the ground, aud who charged enormous fees for the privilege of even .standing room. Summer dresses were worn by the ladies in abundance, a matter that must have caused them ex- ceeding regret at some portions of the morning. Among the people the Thames bargemen were largely scattered. These poor fellows shewed- the only indignant faces on the ground. They were talking of the Many craft on the river" with a contempt that shewed how they felt being deprived of their legitimate homes and traffic, even for a few hours, by such a minor affair as a race with outriggers. Barges occa- sionally, with full canvas set, passed up the tide, giving to the scene an almost Venetian look in the dull grey morning, while the imagery was heightened exceedingly by the music of the bands. The Prince of Wales' flag, the Union Jack, and the French flag were all hoisted at the winning post; but the Prince of Wales did not visit the race at all, neither did the Emperor, neither, we are sure, did any member of the British Government. Mr. Goschen even did not appear among the visitors on the stand. Opposite this erection myriads of little boats were moored with their loads of passen- gers, and beyond these again a black crowd of people congregated in and about the Mortlake Brewery. On both sides of the Thames the budding osiers, the bright green grass, and the fresh bloom of blossoming trees, all lent a sort of enchantment to the scene. There was an almost total absence of the rough element, as might have been expected at so early an hour on Saturday. When the winning crew returned in their light blue jerseys down the river, cheer after cheer and repeated roars of "Goldie, Goldie," rose in the air. The men were very calm, and when the band on one of the steamers played "See, the conquering hero comes," they stopped their boat and acknowledged the compliment by taking off their hats. On the ieturn of the Oxford men iof whom number six looked most fatigued), -;his same band, with a hearty goodwill, played Cheer, Boys, Cheer." There were no carriages in the Mortlake oeighbourhood; and so, when the bright spring noon had set in, everyone formed a part of a little army of infantry, clad in all variety of colours, scattered themselves over the Chiswick fields and hurried across the soft green carpeting in all directions. It may be interesting to add tiiat the news of the result of the boat race which arrived at the Post Office, St. Martin s-le-Grand, at 10.39, reached Lisbon at 10.40, Kurrachee at 10.43, Gib. raltar at 10.41, Malta at 10.41, Alexandria at 10.42, Teheran at 10.40, and Bombay at 10.44. The time of the race, as taken by Benson's chronograph, was 23 min. 9J sec., or a few seconds longer than any contest of the last four years. The water was disturbed into a turf, however, by the wind, and this may probably have tended to delay the course of the outriggers. By the victory of 1871 the Cambridge deficiency in winning the f.nnual race with Oxford is reduced to three defeats. That is to say, Cambridge will have three more victories to ob. tain to be equal with Oxford in the number of successful struggles on the Thames since 1829.
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At a special meeting ot the members of "tne Sheffield branch of the National Educational League the whole executive body resigned, on account of their dis- Hgreeing with the fifth clause of the League platform," which provides that all schools under the Education Act should be free. THE COAL RATE TO LONDON.—The dispute be- tween the Midland and Great Northern Railway Com- panies as to the for coal going to London over the two lines still continues, and the directors of the former have just made a further reduction of 4d. per ton. The rate by the Midland in now 3s. 3d., and by the Great Northern 2s. lid. per ton less than it was up to the 14th of January, being equivalent to a reduction of 50 per cent. on the price of coal at the pit mouth. The two companies are low losing by the reduuetions at the rate of £320,000 a year, while the price to the London consumer is without alteration. THE TELEGRAPHS.—Although the sum which has been paid into the Exchequer on account of telegraphs •ias not reached the amount of the estimate, the amount actually earned during the past financial year falls, we are informed, very little short of the estimate. The number "f public messages forwarded from postal telegraph stations luring the year just expired must have been, if the number for the present week be 200,OOO-i.e., 12,000 less than the number for last week—no less than 10,002,894, and these, at B58 7s. 3d. per 1,000, the ascertained produce, must have yielded £583,71)3. To this must be added the produce of Press messages and the rents of private wires, which are stated to amount to £65,000 per annum so that the total revenue must have amounted to .£648,793. PENS FOR PUBLIC OFFICES.—A more economical consumption of small stores is this, reported in the public departments. The steel pens consumed in the financial year 1870-71 have been about 10,344 gross, costing £1,315; and the quill pens have been about 430,087 in number, costing JE871. Five years previously the quantity used was very much larger, and the cost exceeded £3,300. That the pens are pretty well worked may be inferred from an estimate presented by the Post Office Depart- ment, giving a list of public offices, which it is calcu- lated will together send through the Post Office 22,566,680 ounces of correspondence in the financial year 1871-72. If the postage were paid it would amount to £ 209,156. About 2,500,000 ounces of the above quantity would be liable to book postage only. THE SUCCESSION TO THE THRONE OF FRANCE.— The Westminster Gazette contains the following paragraph: —"We learn from very trustworthy sources that the Comte de Paris has now not only recognised the Comte de Chambord as the head of the House of Bourbon, hut as the rightful King of France. Until quite lately, the Comte de Paris made It a condition of his allegiance and that of the house of which he is the head, that the rights of the Comte de Chambord to the throne o £ France should be subjected to the vote of the people. At the same time the Comte de Paris declined to say whether he would refuse the Crown if it were conferred upon him by a Plebiscite. Such terms, it is obvious, could not be accepted by the Legitimists, unless by an abandonment of their principles. Now, however we are enabled to state the Comte de Paris has unreservedly recognised the rights of the Comte de Chambord. In doing so, however, the Head of the House of Orleans has separated himself from several members of his family, who true to the traditions ef their house, will still form an.Orleanist faction. Indeed, between the Comte le Paris and the Due d'Aumale it has come to an open r II pt lire. MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.—The other afternoon great excitement was created in Bridport by a man named John Hyde, a plumber, whilst at work in a well near Hype having been buried by the earth falling in on him. Luckily, the poor fellow, though at a distance of thirty feet below the surface of the earth, could make himself heard, and say that he was not hurt. Messengers were sent to town for workmen, and on their arrival they im- mediately began to dig down in the direction of the im- prisoned man, indicated by Hyde himself. The work of rescuing him from his perilous position was a long and laborious one, but those who undertook it weIft at it with a will, and rapid progress was made. At seven o clock in the evening it was found that they were still within loofeet of the place where Hyde was. At 11 o'clock it was thought by the sound of Hyde's Vi.ice, which could then be distinctly heard, that he w«s but a few feet farther down, but now came a disheartening surprise. Hyde called to the workmen to tell them the ground was giving way over his head, and this necessitated their excavating in a slant. ing direction, so as to get at him fiom the side. On fol- lowing this course it was discovered that they were digging round a solid piece of rock, which was directly above Hyde's head. Great care had, there)"ore to be taken to prevent this from falling, and as a proof of the extra- ordinary nerve Hyde must possess, lie actually assisted his rescuers when they could get to him in putting ropes around this piece of rock, so as to keep it from falling. A place large enough for him to creep through having been made under the rock, Hyde, about four o'clock the next morning, was extricated from his uncomfortable situation. —Bridport News. ANOTHER CENTENAEIAN.—The Cork llearld. announces the death of "probably the oldest man in the country," Mr. Maurice Ahern, farmer, Five-mile Bridge, near Ballinhassig, and about six miles from Cork, at the age of 115. He had lived on that farm, for 108 years, and retained all his faculties till within a fortnight of his death. Mrs. Grady, of Staten Island recently gave birth to four boys. The only member of the little family who is not so well as might be, under the cir- cumstances, is diti unfortunate father.—New York Herald. THROWING A MAN INTO A RIVF.R.—On Monday, a Leeds pu Idler, named Frederick Drake, was thrown into the river Aire and drowned by another puddler, named William Whiteham, dutiug an alteroa ion. Whitehnm, on seeing what be had done, manif sted his sorrow. He is in custody ou n (charge tf man- slaughter.