The Aberystwith Observer

Fa* following letter Is published, in which the Bishop of A' Chester suggests that the operatives should return to work on the same terms that were approved by Mr. Alder- man Pickop, their advocate at the employers' meeting on The letter is addressed to the chairman and secre- Gary of the Weavers' Association :— May lG. Sirs,-I"understand that you are holding another meeting of delegates to-day, to see if it be not possible to come to terms with the masters in relation to this unhappy strife. I am afraid that the lamentable events of the last two or three days will not have made the settlement easier: but I do most earnestly trust the representatives of the operatives will look matters fairly in the face, and see to what issues the conduct that is being pursued is tending. Confidence is being destroyed, naturally bitter feeling are aroused, order has been rudely invaded, property violently attacked a-id wrecked, public sympathy is certain to be alienated, and, as a necessary consequence, a. revival of better times rendered more remote and uncertain. Gould not a. proposition which is made in this morning's Man- chester papers be accepted—viz., that the men should resume work for three months at least at the 10 per sent. reduction, with confidence in the fair dealing of the employers that if trade revives in that period they should be entitled to the return of the old or any pro- proportionate rate of the old wage? At any rate, whether the suggestion—which seems to me, in the face of the admitted depression of trade, to be a rea- sonable one—is entertained or not, I do hope that the n:ost strenuous effort will be .made to put an end to the present depressing state of things. I feel most deeply on this question, involving, as it does, not only the credit of Lancashire in the eyes of the nation, but the good name of the working classes and the happi- ness of almost countless homes, and I trust I shall be forgiven for interposing myself even for a moment in your deliberations. —I remain, gentlemen, your faithful servant, "'J. MANCHESTER, Messrs. Birtwistle and Whallay."

"The following circular was issued on Saturday afternoon for circulation throughout the whole of the districts affected by the strike 'To THE FACTORY OPERATIVES OF NORTH AND NORTH-EAST LANCASHIRE. I have taken upon myself the difficult office of mediator between the employers and employed. Negotiations between the tepresentatives of the parties had come to an end, and were not likely to be resumed, aLd it seemed to me very desirable that some dis- interested person whose ssrvices might not beunaccept- able to both parties might properly introduee and- endeavour to bring about a. settlement of the lament- able struggle between them. With this view I have bad several interviews with the masters and work- people, and the result is that the masters will re- open their works at a reduction of 10 per cent. in wages, with the distinct understanding that in three wion ths, or at any other time, 4 either earlier or later,' the in atter should at your requset be subject to revision. I need scarcely tell you that the cotton trade is exceed- ingly bad, which is owing to a variety of causes—the famine in India and China and the disturbances in the TC; st among the number. I know on that account ojany employers would rather keep their mills closed, even with the reduction, than run them. Taking all the circumstances into consideration I would strongly urge, nay, implore you to resume work on the terms proposed, and so put an end to the misery, distress, and starvation existing among you. It is proposed to h tve representative meetings of the spinners, carders, and weavers on Monday next, and I ask you to em- power them to consent to the proposition.-Yours faithfully, PICKOP."

The prospect of a settlement has certainly had the effect of keeping the riotous spirit in check, although some dis- turbances occurred on Saturday in Olitheroe. Early in the rooming a mob of youths congregated in the principal streets, and used threats of a violent nature. They formed them selves inte a kind of procession, and went in a body to LittJemoor, where the residence of Mr. Richard Dawhurst, cotton manufacturer, member of the Town s iouncil and justice of the peace, is situated. The roughs attacked it with stones and broke a number of windows. The police were speedily on their track, and charged the mob, who threw stouee and mud at them. The town was soon in a state of confusion, and apprehen- sions of serious rioting wore entertained. A meeting of the magistrates was hastily summoned, and it was rf^olved to telegraplAmmediately for military assistance. V>)Out half-past ten in the morning a detachment of the 17th Xf-ncers was despatched from Leeds and arrived in Clitheroe early in the evening. An order had been issued during the day that all public-houses should be closed at eight o'clock In the evening, under the penalty of £ 50. Unfortunately a dinner in connection with the local Rifle Volunteer Corns wis held at the "Swan Hotet," attended by some magistrates and other gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood. At e'fht o'clock, when all the places of public entertainment were closed, a crowd assembled around the hotel, and in- sisted in a very demonstrative manner on the" swells" being turned out, and that they bhould not have greater privi- li j "S than meaner, people. Their request was not imme- diately complied with, mob law was resorted to, and stones wore thrown at the house, all the windows in front being smashed The result was that the gentlemen had to leave their dinner and go home like the rest of the people. The town clerk, Mr. Eastham, accompanied by the ex-Mayor, M) Mitchell, the Mayor being confined at home through ill- t'< M. appeared on the steps of the hotel, and the former read tint Riot Act amid much uproar. Missiles were thrown at them, and one struck Mr. Mitchell on the hat. In the mean- time the military were called out, and the order given to charge. The Lancers walked in amongst the people and dis- persed them amid much confusion. A number of persons wore thrown down. The police also charged, under the direction of Inspector Walling, and conducted themselves admirably Much excitement prevailed on Sunday in CHtheroe, and the authorities were prepared for a fresh dis- turbance, but noce arose.

Preaching at the Parish Church, Bolton, on Sunday morn- ing, the Bishop of Manchester referred to the Lancashire riots, and said that he had in a recent sermon attributed ¡OI! ::11 riots to a mob of reckless people, mostly young of all 'H cupations He came to that conclusion from what he it)jew of fbe character of the operative class and working men generally in that great district. He believed that con- fidence had been perfectly restored in Botton by the friendly ar d mutual sjmpathising attitude of all parties, and that those relations would not be rudely disturbed. He thought it was time for the great mass of operatives, if they wished to retain public sympathy, to show themselves guiltless of discreditable acts of violence and place themselves distinctly on the side of law and order.

Tiie Secretary of the Oldham Master Cotton Spinners' Association has received an intimation from the Card Blow- ing-room Operatives s Association stating that they accept the 6 cent. reduction, but crust that an advance will be given when trade revives.

It is reported that the Home Secretary has telegraphed to the authorities of the various towns in the strike district stating that any number of troops they may apply for will be wot down in eight hours, and adds that the authorities are not to hesitate for a moment in applying, if they think Necessary, as the rioting must at once be put down. It ii understood that the authorities in several towns have applied for more troops in view of further disturb- ances..

meeting of delegates, comprising the Wages Com- North- East Lancashire, was held in Blackburn on evennifr, to consider the proposal of Alderman « Mrpsm i Mr" Tickop addressed the meeting as he had auuressea the spinners and card-room hands, urging upon l,' desirability of adopting the proposal he had i t "a matter was discussed at considerable Joflgtn, arid it was finally decided that the matter should be Bnbmi.tea to the operatives throughout the strike district, to h3 voteo upon by ballot The meeting was adjourned a makin8 arrangements aB to the carrying out oi the hallo u among the hands in the whole district. This scheme WHS very cordially received by the meeting, and a defcire to have the dispute settled seemed very prevalent.— Tho ipmners and card-noom hands also held meetings in Black barn durmg the day to consider Alderman Pickop's proposal. The :ormer rejected ft, offering to accept a 5 percent, reoucii, and the latter poetponedtheir decision to another meecng. Although great excitement prevailed in raetown, no mrther violence was resorted to. Applica- tions for comp- nsaticn for damages sustained during the aw riot were under coBBideratKK. cf the county magistrates the whole of .Monday. The chief claim was that of Colonel Jackson, whose house was set on fire and completely destroyed, for £12,700.

The spinners of Church and Oswaldtwistle held a large meeting at the Castle Inn," Oswaldtwistle, on Monday evening, when Mr. Alderman Pickop's proposal was rejected, and it was unanimously decided to accept a reduction of five per cent. unconditionally.

The Preston Correspondent of The Times, writing on Wed- nesday, says" Preston has not presented a more peaceful aspect since the outbreak on Friday night than it does to- night. There are no crowds and the operatives walk about in friendly groups together. Although every precautionary measure was taken by the police and the military, their services were not required, and the scouts who hurried off on horseback returned with the message that all was quiet and orderly. Tradespeople and others, in large numbers, are generously coming forward, and, notwithstanding the general depression of trade, are giving largely to stay the pangs of hunger of the poor operatives."

The following is copy of a telegram which has been sent by the Earl of Shaftesbury and Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P., from London, to Messrs. Birtwistl^ and Whalley, the chair- man and secretary of the Weavers' Association Without offering any opinion whatever on the merits of the dispute on either side, we would conscientiously, and as the friends of the cotton operatives, having regard to their manifest inability to maintain the struggle and to the inevitable suffering which must accrue to both parties from its continuance, urge upon them the acceptance of Alderman Pickop's suggestion for the settlement of the present un- happy difference."

The Tii&es of Monday publishes the following letter:— Sir,—ivo reader of your columns can pursue the daily accounts from Lancashire without feelings of sorrow. We had all thought that such scenes of disorder, not to say riot and bloodshed were things of the past. We had thought that a people who could patiently bear the dark days of the Cotton Famine would bear with fortitude the reduction in wages in order to tide over that present great depression which attends all commercial industries. This has not been the case. Mills have been burnt, masters' houses destroyed, present calamities have been increased, and a source for future heartburnings created. The question at once arises; Could this state of things have been avoided 7 I write as a large employer of labour, and venture to suggest that it need never have occurred. Every one will admit that when war of this nature breaks out between employer and employed, it is impossible that all the fault of such a state of things can rest with either one side or the other. As I read the accounts in the papers, the masters have entirely declined to arbitrate the question of a reduction in wages. I have no desire to judge the Lancashire masters without hearing their side of the case; we all know that there is a state of trade which demands a reduction in the price of labour, and that in the case of an arbitration the award might be of such a character as to necessitate the closing of the mills, as the market value of the produce might not pay for the labour price fixed by the award. I say such a case might be, but is it likely to happen ? After a good deal of experience in trade arbitrations, I have not yet seen it occur. In such an arbitration as I presume might have been fol- lowed, the masters' figures would be placed by their referee before the umpire. If the men in Lancashire are as astute as those in North Yorkshire and Durham, which I do not doubt, those figures would be minutely dissected, and the umpire would award according to the facts brought before him. Let me take a very recent instance. My partner, Mr. David Dale, was appointed referee by one branch of the iron trade. He was almost immediately named by the men as their referee, and therefore became umpire. His award was a reduction of 71 per cent., which, making 571 per Cent. reduction since 1873, was accepted by both parties. There is, however, nothing to prevent the men raising the ques- tion again if they see trade improves, or to prevent the masters raising the question should the fall in prices still continue. I am writing of a process under which the wages of the industries with which I am connected rose during the years of prosperous trading to a maximum advance of about TO per cent., and have nearly receded to the old standards, and in some cases to even a lower figure. There has been no intrusion by the men into the affairs of the master, as the report of a public accountant employed to obtain the general results of costs of production and realized prices, and the amount of wages earned, has been admitted as evidence before the referees and umpire and accepted as established facts. Fader this process the good feeling between masters and man has, almost without exception, been maintained. I am speaking of the past and present-what the future may unfold no one can say, Each day's report is of a more depressed state of trade. Able-bodied men are receiving the charitable relief of soup kitchens and working for a pittance in the stone-yard. The landowners have been engaging them at 3d. per hour as charity, but as yet there has been no ill- feeling between employer and employed. The Council of Conciliation and the Trade Arbitration have shown to intel- ligent men the difficulties of their employers in times like these, and they are bowing their heads to the storm with wonderful fortitude. I feel compelled to ask the question through your columns, if this can be brought about by arbi- tration in South Durham and Yorkshire, why will it not produce the same effects in Lancashire ?—Yours obediently, House of Commons, May 17. JOSEPH W. PEASE.

THE LOSS OF THE EURYDICE. Writing from Portsmouth oa Saturday, a correspondent says:- Within the last ten days no fewer than sixteen bodies from the Eurydice have been picked up. Eight had been recovered up to Thursday. On Friday six were found in the neighbourhood of Chichester, and on Saturday two more were brought in to Portsmouth Harbour. One of these was the body of George Curd, an ordinary seaman, which was identified by the name on the jacket; and the other was the body of John Mitchell, a chief petty officer and seaman gunner which was identified by his widow by some tattoo marks on his arm.

On Tuesday afternoon the funeral of the late Lieutenant S. A. B. Burney took place, at Haslar Cemetery, in a spot which has been selected for the officers whose bodies may be recovered from the wreck of the Eurydice. The corpses of the crew are being buried in a plot of ground adjoining the square in which the sufferers from the Thunderer explosion are laid, and the spots which have been chosen for the graves of the officers lie on each side of the middle line, and contiguous to the site on which it is proposed to raise a memorial of the disaster. Lieutenant JBurney was buried wu6h naval honours, the funeral cortege* being composed of a couple of officers in full dress and of the same rank as the deceased, and twenty Bluejackets from each man-of-war in the harbour, beaded by a firing party of 100 rank and file from the Royal Marines, under the command of Captain Bamber, and the band of Her Majesty's ship St. Vincent, which played Dead Marches to the cemetery. The father of the deceased, Captain Burney (Superintendent of the Greenwich Hospital Schools), and his three aons were the chief mourners, and were folipwed by the Rev. E. Bumey, Captain Balliston, of the Alberta, and a number of personal friends in and out of uniform. The coffin having been covered with a Union Jack and placed on a gun carriage, was drawn to the cemetery by seamen of the fleet, the pall being supported by Commander Hulton, Staff-Commander Macfarlane, and four senior lieutenants. The funeral service was read by the Rev. F W Nickoll, the chaplain of the hospital, and the usual three volleys were fired over the grave. Lieutenant Burney, who was only twenty-three at the time of his death, joined the Eurydice on her being commissioned for the special service on which she Was employed, having just previously gained his lieutenant's commission as a reward for passing a highly satisfactory examination at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. He was considered one of the most promising young officers in the service, and his loss is deeply deplored by his friends and relatives. His body was picked up on Saturday morning by a pilot boat about a couple of miles out to sea to the eastward of the wreck, and was landed at Sea View, Isle of wight, and thence conveyed to Haslar Hospital. The body was identified by means of a gold watch, which bore an inscription showing that it had been presented to the deceased by his father on his obtain- ing his lieutenant's commission.

The tugs and divers went out to the Eurydice on Wednesday morning, but in consequence of a heavy swell prevailing at the back of the White they returned again into harbour. Hicks, the shipwright's diver, made a descent, found that the result of the late gales had been to bring the upper sill of the lee ports on a level with the mud bottom. The channels are now within 1ft. of the sea floor, J ship retains the same angle of heel, it is evi- dent that she has sunk 2Jft, further into the ground, that the lee ports are now wholly under the sand, and that she is fast making a hole for herself. During the high wind of Tuesday a diver's boat was stove in and one of the mooring lighters received a great deal of injury and was nearly swamped. On Wednesday morning the body of Albert C. Doogood, an ordinary seaman of the first-class, was landed at Sea V iew, Isle of Wight, by a pilot boat, and afterwards taken to flastar.

AT LONDON, AND ST. PETERSBURG.—Shumo -an, and Selio u valeff. -punch. TAKING HIM AT HIS WORD !—" John, where was the clergyman's text last SUD?a.y? Let me see," said John. I believe it was in the Oh, bother my short memory! I can't recollect'the place, but the words were, Sleep on now, and take your rest. —"What did he make of that, John?"—"I don't know," was the reply; "for he's continually been telling us that truth is always practical; so thinks I to myself, I'll take you at your word for once, ind I i never awoke till after the Amen."

[From Punch.] THE LATEST INTELLIGENCE." (From Our Own Correspondents.) PARIS, Monday. I have it on the best authoritv that Count Schouvaloff in his interviews with the Czar has in- formed His Majesty that it is the intention of the British Government to seize Cronstadt, Sebastopol, and Odessa, unless the Treaty of Stephana is imme- diately withdrawn. ROME, Tuesday. I am told on authority which I cannot doubt, that Count Schouvaloff, in his interviews with the Czar, has urged his Majesty to be firm. The Ambassador declares that the British Government will submit to any terms to avoid war. VIENNA, Wednesday. There is no doubt that Prince Bismarck will sup- port Russia. I am assured that the German Chan- cellor, in biding adieu to Schouvaloff, made use of the following remarkable words Russia may rest assured that we will not permit the Triple Alliance to be disturbed. My authority is beyond question." ATHENS, Thursday. I have no hesitation in declaring that Russia can hope for no support from Germany. Prince Bismarck, in bidding adieu to Count Schouvaloff made use of the following important words :—"The Triple Alliance, commenced as a mystery, has now become a myth. Russia must fight her own battles. Beati possidentis,' no doubt; but even possessors have responsibilities as well as rights, Thi3 in confidence." BERLIN, Friday. I hear from St. Petersburg that the mission of Count Schouvaloff will certainly end in peace. ST. PETERSBURG, Saturday. Advices from Berlin declare that the mission of Count Schouvaloff must inevitably terminate in war. PARIS, VIENNA, BERLIN, Sunday Morning. We are in a position to state that the news you pub- lished from Rome, Athens, and St. Petersburg, is thoroughly inaccurate. ROME, ATHENS, ST. PETERSBURG, Sunday Night. We are able to declare that the intelligence you have derived from Paris, Vienna, and Berlin is ab- solutely incorrect.

A COLONIAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER FORCE. Mr. T. Brassey, M.P., read a paper the other day, at th Royal United Service Institution, London, On the Establish ment of a Colonial Naval Volunteer Force." The hon. member said it was not surprising that the idea of organising such a force had been deferred to the present time, the population of the colonies having quadrupled in the last twenty-five years. The means of organising such a force now existing in ample sum- ciency, the colonies should be reminded of the obligation of undertaking their own self-defence. Sir Garnet Wolseley had lately drawn a picture of a Rus- sian squadron circumnavigating during a war and levying black mail on all our colonies. The colonies were bound to take part in the defence of the Empire, and their share ougt to have been defined when self-government was conceded. The best defence of the colonies was a powerful navy, and there- fore the colonies might fairly be called upon to con- tribute a portion to naval expenditure, seeing that the colonies had now a tonnage nearly equal to that of France and Germany combined. He was in favour of Captain Colomb's suggestion to transfer Pembroke Dockyard to Sydney or Melbourne, as a counter. balance to the growing Russian naval force in the Pacific. The Colonial Government have already begun to consider local defence by providing turret ships. Victoria and New South Wales had recently voted £350,000 each for ships and torpedoes, with an annual expenditure of £75,000 a year; New South Wales had also a naval brigade of 250 men Halifax had made suggestions for the organisation of naval reserve, so that there was no doubt that the Colonial governments would be prepared to bear their share in any complete scheme. The number required was a subject worthy of examination by a Royal Commission, on which most important work would devolve. As an example of what might be done he would submit a suggestion as to Canada he had made in 1872. The force of seafaring men in Canada was immense, 87,000 in 18/2, and the numbers were annu- ally increasing. From the rigour of winter the large force of fishermen and sealers could not work, and they should be enrolled as a naval reserve to be drilled in winter. They might embark in one of their own ports in a corvette with covered deck, so that the drills could be carried on in all weathers, the corvette being shifted round the coast to different points, so as to give all the population their share of instruction. In the discussion which followed the reading of the paper there was a general opinion that it would be desirable to appoint the Royal Commission which Mr. Brassey had suggested.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS. In reply to a letter from Inquirer," on the subject of Alcoholic Drinks, The Times publishes the following :— Sir,—If Inquirer will forward to me his address, I will send him a copy of my paper on "Alcoholic Drinks." If he will take the trouble to read it, he will find that the teachings of science have not left the matter as far from settlement as ever." Science tells us most clearly that the use of alcohol in health is necessarily hurtful, and observation shows us that men and women shorten their lives without knowing it by its daily use. "Inquirer" uses the arguments which have always beenheld against sanitary laws. Because some one among us have escaped from the effects of an evil influence therefore there is none such; because some drinkers have lived to old age, therefore (say they) drinking is not an evil. We might argue just as soundly that as the Duke of Wellington lived to a good old age, and died at last in his own bed, there is no danger to life in active service against an enemy. We cannot prove the saiety of moderate drinking by citing the evidence of those who live to old age jn spite of it; but we can prove the deadly influence which it has upon the human body by the distinct evidence afforded by the mortuary of any general hospital, which tells us by unmistakable testimony that the person who habitually uses alcohol, as at present supplied, saps the foundation of his health and shortens his life and that its administration to our children tends to produce a race of individuals who are naturally weak both in mind and body, and who have shorter lives than their fathers. Inquirer" would probably object to the facts being applied to the human family which are well known to the breeders of animals, but they are already acted upon by insurance companies in assessing the value of a given life. If the use of alcohol as a diet were abolished for all persons under 50, our grandchildren would find the length of life much beyond that which is settled by Dr. Farr as the average to which men now live. If Inquirer lives in a district in which chalk water is habitually used, and if he will look into the way in which the pipes of a hot-water appa- ratus are gradually rendered useless, he may under- stand something of the way in which alcohol is sapping his own health. There is a gradual accumulation of matter in the wrong place. If the householder is careful to remove the deposit from the pipes at regular intervals, no harm results beyond the expense and the temporary inconvenience which arises from the machine being out of gear but let him omit to do this, and sooner or later there is a stoppage, perhaps an ex- plosion. He would not use the chalk water if he could avoid it for such purposes. So it is with the habitual use of alcohol. A material is produced in the blood which, like to the cloudiness which arises from boiling chalk-water, must be de- posited somewhere. It may be removed by vital animal power if in moderate quantity, but no one can tell when that quantity is exceeded. It is surely wiser not to foul the machine than to reduce it to a condi- tion of impurity and danger. Science teaches this as a truth. It has only been known within the last few years. It is true that there is a vital power in the human body which a hot-water appa- ratus does not possess, but that power is not per- petual, and must not be taxed beyond a. certain limit, or it fails to act. I contend that, as alcohol is not a necessary of life, it is better not to tax the machine at all and to give up its habitual use.-I am, Sir, your obedient servant, ALFRED CARPENTER, M.D. Croydom, May 15.

THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES IN AMERICA. Leather is now the material of a leading industry of the United States, and the manufacture of boots and shoes by machinery in Massachusetts is carried on to an enormous extent. The first tannery in New England was established at Lynn in 1630, and shoe- making began there and at Salem in 1635. At the present time the State of Massachusetts alone manufactures annually 89,000,000 pairs of boots and shoes, to the value of nearly 25,000,000 dollars per annum, besides exporting vast quantities of leather and also the machinery for making boots and shoes. To such an extent has ma- chinery superseded hand labour in boot and shoe making, that whereas in 1855 there were 30,000 more shoemakers in Massachusetts than there ar6 to-day, yet the value of the products of the various factories is, it is estimated, greater by 71,000,000 dols. now than it was at that date. The machines, which perform every- thing required in the manufacture, give employment to a number of female operatives. One woman alone working ten hours a day can, it is stated, with the eye-letting machine, put holes in 1,440 pairs of shoes in a single day; and in the stitching, bordering, and sewing machines also they find work equally adapted. for their capabilities. Women, moreover, are in many places employed in taking charge of the ac- counts and books, and even superintend factories where so many as 500 operatives are engaged. America, in addition to supplying the world with boots and shoes made by machinery, now exports leather to a large extent. A few years ago the import of hides to that country was greater than the production, and foreign prices then ruled the American markets. Now the entire business is reversed, and American hides are exported to Liverpool, London, Havre, Antwerp, Genoa, and Hamburg? but only those hides which are taken from the heaviest grades of cattle. The hides still imported are light. An estimate based on the number of home-produced hides brought into the market during the year gives the number of cattle annually slaughtered in the United States at 7,500,000. -Pall Mall Gazette.

THE SEAMEN OF THE ROYAL NAVY. As the seamen of the Royal Navy are precluded by the rules of the service from memorializing the House of Commons, a movement has been started in Ports- mouth for petitioning Parliament in favour of the scheme of insurance lately propounded in the House by Capt. Price, R.N. After pointing out that it is not alone in time of war that the lives of Her Majesty's naval forces are endangered, and that they are denied the opportunity of joining union or benefit societies, the petitioners state that the time has arrived when Parliament should take into consideration the propriety of giving public support to the widows of our seamen and marines. The men are wllling to have such deductions made from their pay as would, with an entrance fee and some assistance from the country, be sufficient to provide a pension of 22) a year to each widow. It is believed that an annual benevolence oE J320,000 is all that is required to supplement the sub- scriptions of the men, and it is contended by the petitioners that the Admiralty are at present gainers to the extent of from £60;000 to £ 70,000 a year from the unclaimed effects of dead or run men, mulcts of pay, &c. It is also believed that the grant in aid would only be required for a limited period.

POPULARITY OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. The Paris Correspondent of The Times writes: The Prince of Wales must certainly have earned home with him the most agreeable recollections of his reception here and of the marks of respeot lavished on himself and the Princess during their stay. Although his visit was simultaneous with that of the represen- tatives of other Royal Houses, on him were concen- trated the attention and lively interest of the public, and on him were turned the eyes of all crncerned in the progress of the Exhibition, the success of which he has taken so much to heart. The sympathy he expressed for France at the English exhibitors' banquet added assuredly to his popularity, but did not create it, for it dates from the day when he consented to place himself at the head of the British Commission and materially contributed to the success of the enterprise. His affability, moreover, has strengthened the excellent impression produced by his co-operation as President of the Commission. There is but one voice here on the subject, and the attachment which the Prince has inspired is widespread. 4 It is fortunate,1 someone remarked the other day, that there are sot many Princes capable of exciting each sympathies, for that would not be well for the Re- public. Why not!' replied a member of the present Cabinet; there should be many perfect Princes and then Republics would not be necessary.' The Republicans, indeed, have paid the Prince as many attentions as the Monarchists, and if they make any inward reservations, it is because the Bona- partists affirm that they alone command his sym- pathy. The Republicans, of course, do not pretend that the Prince should desire the durability of the Republic; that, they feel, would be too much to expect; but they hope that he will not be the avowed partisan of the opponents of the existing Government, who might make capital out of such sentiments, I am simply repeating what people say, but I believe these complaints are unfounded, and that the Prince has been giving the Government and nation sufficient proofs of good-will to show that his attentions to the PrinGe Imperial are based merely on personal sympathy and social propriety. It would be a mis- conception to attribute to him a preference for any particular party. Placed almost at the head of an essentially political nation, and one profoundly re- spectful of the independent wishes of other nations, the Prince is too well aware of the bearing of all he does and says not to take up an impartial attitude towards Republican France and if I repeat here what I have heard, it is simply to show how un- founded these apprehensions are and how thoroughly the Prince is imbued with the circumspection in- cumbent on one in his position. But the Prince's sojourn in Paris and the great popularity attaching to his name have their comical as well as their serious aspect. Every one has observed the effect produced on people's imaginations by a popular name. Medical men have reported the most curious phenomena on this point. Among persons dlis- posed to insanity a name much spoken of or lauded in conversation or thenewspapers produces strange effects. During Napoleon's reign the number of insane persons who fancied themselves Napoleon was immense. During the Franco-German war, whenever a name came prominently forward, there were lunatics who r thought it was their own; and a medical man has told me that at that time he had three patients who imagined themselves military correspondents of The Times and drew up the most fantastic telegrams to be sent by balloon or special train. The Prince of Wales's popularity has, it is said, inundated him with communications, and there must be imaginary Princes of Wales somewhere or other presiding over ima- ginary Commissions. Chance has brought me in contact with three personages who form part of this assembly of suppliants, and who have in- formed me that they have written to the Prince, one asking him for money to buy a vine he would call the Prince of Wales's vine,' another begging him to recommend to his innumerable English friends an excellent cognac, and a third asking him to patronize an apparatus for saving life by publicly making a trial of it in the Seine. It is affirmed that the Prince never leaves unanswered any of the letters or supplica- tions with which he is overwhelmed. It is to be hoped they will not pursue him across the Channel and that the Prince and Princess may now enjoy the repose they have so amply earned by their well-spent sojourn in Paris."

"ONE MAGNIFICENT OVATION!" There was much excitement at New York on Satur- day, the 4th inst., when the famous "Tally-ho" coach, with twelve members of the Coaching Club, was driven from that city to Philadelphia, a distance of ninety miles (says the Pall Mall Gazette). Sympa- thizing reporters tell us that relays of horses were provided at intervals of ten miles, each driver holding the reins over his own team. The members of the club were all clad in bottle-green cutaway coats with gold buttons, yellow plush waistcoats striped with green, and trousers of all shades, cut, and pattern. All wore high standing collars, white linen scarves, and all but two had tall white hats. These two had black silk hats. The journey was accomplished in twelve hours, and is described as having been "one magnificent ovation" all along the road. About thirty thousand persons assembled to wit- ness the entrance of the coach on its arrival at Philadelphia. The road was lined with carriages and banners and flags were hung from the windows of the houses. Dense crowds filled the streets and cheered at the top of their voices. The hotels also were deco- rated with parti-coloured" bunting, and the whole city gave itself over to the excitement of the moment. The return journey was performed on the following Mon- day, and was a like success. It is more than forty years since a four-horse stage coach travelled along these roads. The delight with which this revival was welcomed shows that American Republicanism is not wholly untinged by Conservatism, and that among other English tastes which still linger in the United States is attachment to the old "four-horse coach," with all its pleasures and inconveniences.

ENGLISH ARTISANS FOR THE PARIS EXHIBITION. The Daily News publishes the following letter.- Sir,-It has been well said that no man is justified in taking part in public matters at home until he has had six months in the United States. It is certain that few Englishmen can know what the future will demand of them without at least a fortnight of the Paris Exhibition. It should be a matter of deep con- sideration for our Board of Trade whether it is safe to let the occasion pass without possibly 10,000 of our artisans taking their cups to this marvellous fountain of universal skill and practical ability. I wish I had all the kings and prime ministers of Europe in a bag for six months. There should be no game of carnage until after the close of the Exhibition. Let the Daily News say the word. No time is to be lost in making the necessary arrangements. Earl Granville's banquet at the Louvre struck the key note in masterly style, but it seemed to me that the business of the evening should not end with cheers for the French Republic, and no regard for the momentous impulse that must be given to the course and character of our commerce in the immediate future. Foreign competition sent us last year 150 millions of imports in excess of our exports. Whether fer war or peace, our Chancellor of the Exchequer must calculate the alarming extent of this ugly rush of our rivals abroad. No national investment can be more profitable than a vote, say of 100,060, to. enable some 10,000 well-selected workmen to take their eyes, their brains, and their note-boolM to the ^a^P de Mars. The rail could transport a hundred* day With- out difficulty, there and back, for a pound, while M. Krantz would welcome the visit of thousands upon thousands of genuine artisans m succession without inconvenience and for a lump sum that we could well afford to pay.. The men should be young, intelligent, and animated with an earnest desire to make the most of their trip. They should muster every morning early, and devote at least six hours to their studies in the building. Every hundred should elect a. reporter, whose matter could afterwards be edited and utilised. We know the whole Press is prepared to tell the tale, and so I venture to ask the Daily News to give the word to the Board of Trade, that each great centre of our manu- facturers may at once select the best students for the purpose.—Yours respectfully, JOHN BENNETT, 65, Cheapside, London.

RUSSIAN CRUISERS. A Liverpool Shipowner writes to The Times Sir,—There can be no longer any doubt that Kussia is making active preparations to fit out a n^oer oi cruisers to prey uoon our commerce in the u* war. So far I cannot learn that our Government have taken any steps to checkmate the iheir neu. less to rely upon the Americana obee Govern- Mitj obitoSiT. ment will loyally do what^tney which they oh6V Snd Su be^evadJd by Russia^ and American SHJEV^T^Xerican cowt line is of. enormous w?h w^fc^to enforce neutrality few in number, She'r oSTwe know not always above suspicion. Tj.- f~.ut. Brluallv unwise for our Government to It isalmosteq Y k WJir ^efore taking active measures The first batoh of English ships destroyed win doenormous damage to our shipping interests: premiums of insurance would at once advance, and InXh Bhips would be at a discount. It is almost Woarible to estimate the low to this country wMch the destruction of only a .few ships would entail. There is also another consideration-it would take 1 more cruisers to capture one escaped privateer than, it I would require to watch all the Amencan porta, Ou ■v Let the Government station one or two smart cruisers at each American port to watch all suspicious craft, and it would nip the Russian preparations in the bud. If the Government have not sufficient vessels to spare, let them at once buy a number of merchant steamers and arm them; they can be now had, if the Government goes the right way about it, at a price at which there would be little or no loss on their re-sale- For the cost of one ironclad twenty or thirty smarc merchant steamers could be bought and armed. time should, however, be lost. It appears to me that the preparations making to equip our ironclad fleets, which will only be required for blockade purposes, are out of all proportions to those making for the Pror?9" tion of our great mercantile marine, and, after all) thw is our one vulnerable point. » I have a further suggestion to make—that a staff of naval officers should be specially appointed under a smart leader to watch the movements of the Russians in America. I know the working of our Consular staff in America and that it has not time to properly discharge this important and arduous duty.

RAILWAY ACCOMMODATION AT HASTINGS. The Railway Commissioners on Saturday gave their decision upon the application of the Corporation of Hastings to compel the South Eastern Railway Com- pany to provide better accommodation for travellers by their railway at, Hastings and St, Leonards. Theyde' cidedthattheeompanymustprovidetwogeneral andtwo first-class waiting rooms at Hastings, each at least tWIce as large as the largest of the present rooms, and to reserve also a part of their buildings for refreshment purposes. They thought also that in the booking-office tickets for the South Eastern Railway ought to be delivered at more than one window. As to the accommodation i'-ji ii > -iook ww decided that cattle pens shoulo be added to the existing cattle dock, and that that structure should be reserved when wanted for Its original purpose. Some improved arrangements ought to be made with respect to the unloading fish, which at present was unloaded on the passenger platform. Similar orders were made with reference to the accommodation of the St. Leonard's StatioBi and the Commissioners wished that they had jurisdic- tion to try and to give judgment upon this matter. The applicants were allowed half their costs, and the issue of the order was suspended for two months.

LONGEVITY OF PAUPERS. It is frequently affirmed that persons over 60 years of age never live long if once taken into a workhouse, on the plea that their habits of life undergo a comply" change, and the pauper rapidly droops and Paupers are very differently cared for to they were a few years ago, and from it would appear that when the aged are taken into a workhouse they seem to renew their youth. There are at the present time, the City-road Workhouse (London), no fewer than-l*. 'paupers of both sexes over eighty years of age, some of these have been in the infirm wards to years. Of these, twenty-five are eighty years old fourteen, 81; eighteen, 82 twenty-six, 83 twent17: three, 84 ten, 85 sixteen, 86 twenty-five, 8'; sixteen, 88 twelve, 89; eleven, 90; eleven, two, 94 two, 95 seven, 97 years of age. All th aged paupers who have long since passed appointed three score and ten years are in coJX1- paratively good health, and though feeble are able to move about the wards. They are all in some afflicted with infirmities concomitant to their life but it is merely the decay oi nature. Many these have been for years in the wards, and are happy. They eat and sleep well, and in many they have not only outlived their day and generatio < but are without a single relation to inquire after the welfare.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY olf DISESTABLISHMENT IN IRELAND. The Archbishop of Canterbury presided on 140 day at Lambeth Palace at the annual IDee 118 of. the Church of Ireland Sustentation Fund. said he had visited the north of Ireland recen and had been strongly impressed with that those who had urged on the disestablish1^^ of the Irish Church had expected some jrfl- great result for the benefit of the Church "t land. He confessed, so far as he had been a discover, that very little symptoms of such bene the Irish community generally had yet been pro by the measure. There did not seem to slightest symptom in Ireland of the various Cbvw}$ communities holdingout the right hand of felloes ^8 all works concerning the benefit and prosperity- 0gt kingdom. In the north of Ireland he could mP positively of the feeling for unity being feeling0" hitherto; in fact there was a strong °PP £ VK the part of the Presbyterians towards th "f r jjl establishment had not proved to be p«»«» J. Irish difficulties which some admire th Z09* had called forth zeal, but ne °°ortantand minor Vol^ t which was wasted upon ummPwed disestabUsb One thing had.certainly the # ment and that was disestablisbed Ch^rch powerful infl"?nvceeiany of the disestablishment he did not believe miatedi "1" it, although he saw a danger in it fmiraeed too much. He believed that the Irish woulcf surmount all the difficulties which stood 111 way.

LOSS OF AN ENGLISH STEAMB^ A despatch from Lloyd's says :-The followiog- telegram from Lloyd's agent at Ifax (Tunis) haS v received:— "Ifax, May 18.—There are indications 'h^ English steamer has foundered in consequence fjp* explosion. A door has been found with the tion Lamproom' t>n it, and another word e amen, a passenger by a coasting steamer having passed a. quantity of floating wreckage Cape Bon and,, Susa. I have sent telegrams row coast, and a courier to Galippia." « There is little doubt that the wreckage has «P froi^ the Mangrove steamer, which foun^ short cime ago off Cape Bon, after collision « £ ^61 stealer Rose Mary, while on a voyage tr „ POOL to Bombay. The word "Lamproaa*. ot tB« I Message is probablv a telegraphic distortion BTMae Mangrove. ly

■ fOO'ht MAKING A NIGHT OF IT.—What can be mor than to remain dancing from ten or up until three or four in the morning ? Staying oJJ iv ing and listening to talk from four one. atcei^i* twenty-five minutes past fcsu next mornw&« ,j>

That the cotton operatives of Preston are not only averse to violent measures as a body, and that they are most anxious to resume work on the masters' terms, is evident from a letter addressed on Monday by Mr. T. Banks, secre- tary to the Operative Spinners' Association, to Mr. R. G. Threlfall, secretary to the Masters' Association. In it Mr. Banks says he is authorised by the operative spinners, in general meeting assembled, to request the masters of Preston to consider the great desirability of re-opening their mills, inasmuch as the operatives of Preston- the spinners in par- ticular—submitted to the masters' terms of a ten per cent. reduction. To be locked out afterwards they consider very bad treatment indeed, and they earnestly request a recon- sideration of the masters' decision as early as possible. Great distress everywhere prevails.

At Accrington, the Weavers' Committee, at an adjourned meeting on Wednesday evening, again decided to reject the ballot. The districts rejecting the ballot will be deprived of their share of the public contributions, which in Accring- ton is about £50. The committee take upon them- selves to decide for the weavers, whom they believe to be thoroughly opposed to the 10 per cent. reduction. The Mayor, Mr. Alderman Lightfoot, gave a tea party to the children of the Ragged-school. Replying to Councillor Clayton, he said that, if 2,000 operatives would pledge them- selves to assist in maintaining law and order, the soldiers should be withdrawn.

« —— PHYSICAL TESTS IN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS. i (From Wednesday's Times) It is somewhat difficult to treat with becoming seriousness the proposal discussed in the House of Lords last night to introduce physical tests into the competitive examinations for commissions in the army. No doubt an officer, even in these days of scientific soldiering, needs to be something more than a mere bookworm. If he is to enter the mounted services, he should know how how to ride; and even in the infantry he will find the art indispensable if he is to rise in his profession in any case he should be sound in health and strong in limb. It would be the merest pedantry to maintain that the modern art of war can dispense with physical qualities because it peremp- torily requires them to be supplemented by intellectual attainments, Every soldier still needs sound health, physical endurance, and muscular agility just as much as he ever did. If he is lacking in these, he is not fit to be a soldier, but it by no means follows that his fitness is proved because he possesses these and nothing else. On -the other hand, we examine candidates for commissions because we require that our officers should be educated men, but we do not pretend that the examination tests their fitness in every respect for the profession they seek to enter. War is now a scientific profession, and we therefore require that those who choose it should show their intellectual fitness to pursue it with success. For this purpose we test their mental qualifica- tions by an appropriate examination. Their physical apti- tudes need, no doubt, to be tested too; but to combine the two tests, and thus to balance one set of qualifications against another wholly distinct, would merely result in confusion. A young man who can walk fifty miles in a day has one of the qualifications of a soldier one who has mastered the lunar theory has another. If the former fails to acquire the rudiments of mathematics, or the latter cannot be taught to ride, both ought to be rejected; but we can imagine no more ingenous device for bringing the whole system of competition into contempt than to establish an examination in which physical strength and athletic accomplishments should be allowed to compen- sate for mental inferiority, or vice versd. The two quali- fications are both equally necessary, but, if tested at all, they should be tested separately: in the one case, a mini- mum proficiency is all that is needed; in the other, super- iority of any kind is fairly entitled to corresponding advantage. There is not much ground for the fear expressed in the House of Lords that the physical prowess of British officers is on the decline. Not only has the taste for athletic exercises of all kinds been developed to an enormous extent in the present generation, but the class from which the large majority of officers is drawn is one to which field sports and muscular contests of all kinds are at once a passion and a science. Moreover, the military profession is one which is naturally chosen by men of exceptional physical gifts rather than by men of weak frames and sedentary habits. The opinion is generally pre- valent that too much attention rather than too little is given to athletic exercises in English education. Lord Hardinge seems to think that there is a difference be- tween public and private schools in this respect, but we doubt if any school whatever would now be popular among parents or boys if it did not offer abundant facilities for athletic exercises of all kinds. Every school- boy now boats or plays cricket or football. At the Uni- versities the annual athletic contests excite far more public interest than Classlists or Triposes, and we have not heard that the students of Woolwich and Sandhurst have manifested any undue disposition to neglect the pastimes they learnt to love at school. To promote athletics to the dignity of a place in competitive examina- tions would be to invest them with an importance the lack of which at present keeps them in their proper position below the level of serious studies. There is far more danger of their being exalted above their proper value than of their being unduly depre- ciated. Of course every candidate for a commission should be required to undergo a preliminary physical examination. If he cannot ride he should be taught to do so; it is well for him to learn to swim as well as to walk and to leap; but we cannot see how the possession of such aptitudes can properly be measured against intellectual qualifications or be made the subject of competitive tests. After all, competitive examination is pot an ideal system of selection it is attepted in default of a better, because on the whole it is found to work fairly well for certain definite purposes. But because it is useful as a means for securing certain indispensable qualities which are too important to be left to take care of themselves, it by no means follows that it is universally applicable for all qualities, physical as well as intellectual. If there were any fear that average English- men would be likely to neglect the cultivation of athletics, it might be necessary to encourage it by special means. But if there is any fear at all it is entirely of an opposite tendency. If men were as certain to cultivate their intel- lects as they are to train their muscles we might almost be content to dispense with examination altogether, for we should be sure of good material to work with, however we selected our officers. No onewill underrate the importance to military Men of proficieney in martial and athletic exercises. All officers should be required to reach a certain minimum standard of skill and agility, and should be encouraged to cultivate physical endurance and bodily dexterity as part of the train- ing indispensable to an active and arduous profession. This much every one will admit. But the proposals discussed in the House of Lords go very much further than this. Lord Hardinge would require every candidate for a commission to submit to an examination in one of four physical exercises-swimming, leaping, walk- ing, and riding. All these accomplishments are useful, perhaps indispensable, to an officer, but they are not on that account fit subjects for competitive examination, nor would there be any propriety in allowing exceptional proficiency in any one or in all of them to compensate for intellectual failure, as would certainly be the case if they were intro- duced into one general competition. The inevitable' result would be that some of our officers would be athletic blockheads, while others would be mere sedentary students. It is no injustice, perhaps, to ascribe this rather grotesque proposal to a survival in some quarters of the old impatience against the whole system of competitive examinations. It is very exasperating, no doubt, for a manly young fellow, full of life and strength, and a master of all athletic sports, to find himself distanced and defeated by a student of modern languages and military history, who has never handled a bat or ridden across country. But the latter may, after all, make the better officer if he is not deficient, as few Englishmen are, in physical strength and love of hard exercise. Such a deficiency would be a disqualification and ought to be treated as such, but the qualities in which the other excels are not in them- selves sufficient to make a good officer. Still less can the tests of the two be combined without a serious risk of sacrificing the advantages of both. No further security for physical proficiency is needed than is to be found in the ordinary training of ordinary Englishmen. When athletics are rampant everywhere they are not likely to be found wanting in the one profession in which they are not merely a pastime but a duty, and when Englishmen begin to lose their love of field sports, and of muscular exercise, it will be time to think of special athletic tests for the army. In the meantime we may well be content with the opinion of Lord Sandhurst, which Lord Lansdowne quoted, that under the existing system of examination the young men who obtain commissions are far from being worse than those who entered the army formerly. The in- tellectual standard has manifestly been raised, and if the physical standard has not declined it may fairly be left to take care of itself.

THE TURKISH FLEET. It is a fact that in the negotiations for the Treaty of peace, the Russians absolutely required the cession to them of the six best Turkish ironclads, (says Vanity Fair). It is also a fact that the Sultan was on the point of yielding to this demand, in order to prevent the entry of the Russian troops into Constantinople, which he believed was otherwise inevitable, and was only dissuaded from it by the strong remonstrances of Hobart Pasha. At the time when it was doubtful what the decision would be, the commanders of those vessels, which were then in the Bosphorus, offered to hand over the whole fleet to Admiral Hornby rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Russians; but Admiral Hornby, having telegraphed home for instructions, was directed to decline the offer. They then declared that they would sink the ships rather than allow them to be seized, and preparations were actually made to do this at a moment's notice, with so much effect indeed that one of the ironclads very nearly went down at her moorings.

PIONEER AND MILITARY RAILWAYS, A section of a novel military or pioneer railway built en Monday, on the ground lying waste at rear of Whitehall-place, in four hours; and to sh<> the simplicity of the work, its constructors were A soldiers sent as a fatigue party from the Grenada Guards and one or two ordinary unskilled This railway is the invention of Mr. J. L. HaddWj ex-engineer in chief of the Ottoman Government, the railway was primarily designed to meet the ae&o the East of having a speedily constructed, cheap, a & effective means of transport for men and stores ov«v wild country without the necessity of surveying, leSj, ing, and passing through the preliminary of nary railway making. The new railway built on Monoi in the grounds of W hitehall is a'' one rail" structure; & the line it represented requires neither sleepers nor f<> dations, the line running upon 7ft..posts, 440 to a 1111 J the rolling stock upon it being shaped like an inverto V, designed upon the camel saddle principle. carriages and engines fall on each side like panniers 01 an animal's back, the wheels of the engines, truckw and carriages being horizontal, and gripping on eft" side of the rail. The material of the new railway wholly of timbers, which were brought on the SF0^e(j ready cut for use, and the plans having been e.xP to the sergeant of the fatigue party, the piles yy sunk*in the ground, the cross timbers were j0. fixed and bolted, and by a series of inganiousiy signed wedges an 80ft. or 1 AJft. section of the running over yery uneven ground, was made sec"* and apparently quite solid. In the evening, the inventor read a paper subject at the Royal United Service Institut General Sir Garnet Wolesley, K.C.B., pres.1". 0f During the discussion which followed the rea £ ,-jl' the paper, Sir Garnet Wolesley, speaking of the ways in the Crimea, said that, though that was great success, it was very useful and by making t, English nation was the first to use railways in The great thing in regard to railways used in war that they should be quickly made and worked, f°r was everything. If we had to go to war and to op inland in a country where there were no roads, it" be of the greatest importance to have a line base to the scene of operations, and Mr. HadOj., proposals gave a system which would meet the req*1^ ments of an army in that position. As to partic13^ railways which had been proposed for army tra^ ports, in these days of short and sharp earthworks were out of the question, for now did not sit down to long campaigns like the sieges o. Troy and Sebastopol. Others systems required f?° roads, but for a country without the roads, aJvn'g rapidity and simplicity of construction, Mr. Hadda" railway would meet an army's wants. t-t, The proceedings lasted until eleven o'clock at nigà; and the company then went to view the section in „ grounds at Whitehall lighted by port day's Times. „