Monmouthshire Merlin

BREACH OF PROMISE. An amusing case has just been decided in the Sheriff's Court of Foifarshire. Jane M.lne, factory Worker, a plain-looking woman of 22 years, sued James Craik, mechanic, for X50 damages, for breach of pro- mise of marriage. Evidence showed that the court- ship had extended over seven years, and" that the par- ties were engaged to be married in November last. Previously to this, however, defendant began to fre- quent regularly the refreshment rooms at Forfar rail- way station, ostensibly to take a glass of beer, but really to flirt with Miss Reid, one of the barmaids. lIe accepted her likeness, and wore it in a locket, and took long and frequent walks with her. Miss Milne, hearing of this, charged her sweetheart with being false. This at first he denied; but in September he addressed a letter to the plaintiff, in which he said-" I am sorry to have to write this letter, but, after due consideration, I have been com- pelled to do so, both for your sake and mine. Likewise, you ma.y perhaps hear from me about it afterwards suffice it to say that you and I cannot live together." Miss Milne was grieved at receiving this letter, and wrote to the defendant, imploring him to meet her but be would not. She then commenced the present action, when defendant made an attempt to see her; but the plaintiff s mother showed him the door, and told him that if they did not get money from him they would let him lie in gaol and rot.—The Sheriff found for the plaintiff, and ordered the defendant to pay .£25 dama- ges and the expenses of the action.

RED UC HON OF TEN PER CENT IN MINERS' WAGES. The first arbitration meeting relating to colliers' wages that has taken place since the recent extraor- dinary tide of prosperity began to ebb, has been held in Manchester, before Mr. Rupert Kettle, of Wolverhampton, as arbitrator. A few days ago the full text of the award reached the men and masters respectively. The masters had desired that the men should accept a drop of fifteen per cent. In reviewing the position taken up by the con- tending parties, the learned arbitrator, writes that in answer to the claim of the men for an equal per cen- tage in the rise of wages on the selling price of coal, the masters said that formerly it had been the custom to raise wages twopence per ton for every shilling added to the selling price of COP-1 but since the rapid rise in the price of coal that system could no longer be justly applied and they read a statement which showed that at the present time the increased cost to the colliery proprietor, from sources quite independent of miners' wages, was equivalent to 40 per cent. of the selling price. Now, to give full effect to the miners contention, they must receive per centage on that part of price-which, the colliery owner had taken to recoup himself for items of outlay quite independent of miners' labour. The old twopence in the shilling system,'if now applied, would give the miner 3d. per ton extra because of the charges upon mine owners (estimated at Is. 6d. per ton of price) imposed by the Mines Regulation Act; or if the percentage system was strictly carried out, they would be entitled to 10 per cent. more wages than they otherwise would have had, because compliance with -the new law had in- creased the coat of getting, and, therefore, and to that extent, enhanced the selling price of coal. The arbitrator then says:—In my judgment, the disturbed state of the coal trade during the last few years, renders it unsafe for either colliery proprietors or (luners to rely upon it as the only criterion tor the present rate of wages. I believe that in consi- dering this, as every other wages' question,great atten- tion should be paid to the prospective view of trade. The past may guide us usefully to a certain extent, but it is not our only guide. I think we should see, in the late excitement in the coal trade, quite as much a warning as an example. It is the common and para- mount interest, both of employers and workmen, in every branch of the coal trade to abstain from any- thing which may impel reaction froin the excitement of high prices._ On the contraryI believe it to be the permanent interest of all parties to meet the falling market fairly and cautiously. How should this be done by the men in the present case P. The colliery owners on their part have, since the highest regular price, in March, 1873, reduced 25 per cent, in the selling price of coal. The. wages of the miners had not, for reasons ex- plained to me, been raised in proportion to the highest regular price of coal. So that, sup- posing a|jJ, other conditions were equal, they ?ourr not be .called upon to reduce wages in tne s sbaDlÐ proportion that the selling price of coal has been brought down by the employers. The workm n the other hand, have had no reduction since t g onces. Their wages still stand at the Having regard then to the Oldham and ishton-under-Lyne districts, and taking into cQDSideration the circumstances brought before me on behalf of both parties,. I award thatthere be a reduction of 10 per.cent, in miners' wages. The re- duction is to come into operation after the next pay- day following the award, which is dated Feb. 25th. f

BOILER EXPLOSION AT- BLACKBURN. GREAT LOSS OF LIFE. A dreadful boiler explosion happened on Monday at Hollin Bank Mill, Blackburn, by which thirteen persons were killed, and many others injured. The boiler house was. blown down, the engine- house was demolished, and the people working in the weaving shed were buried in the ruins. The cause of the explosion is not known. The boilers were new, and the mill only started work last May. The work of getting out the killed proceeded very slowly,. as a great mass of Heibris covered the bodies* Up to five o'clock in the afternoon ten bad been got out. The corpses were fearfully mangled, and in some cases unrecognisable. The son of Mr. Aid. Thompson, proprietor of the place, was killed. His scalp was severed from his head. Besides the killed by the accident, there were many wounded. Fifteen were taken to the Infirmary. Alderman Thompson had not left his son more than five minutes when the explosion occurred. It was usual to work only one of the boilers at once, but on Monday morning both were at work. Great as the loss of life has been, it may be regarded as small compared with what it must have been had the mill been built in the ordinary style of stone; fortunately it was iron built. 0

The First Lord of the Admiralty has appointed Captain Michael C. Seymour to be his private MeretMT. Mr. Birley, M.P., attended the annual soiree of the Queen's road Conservative Club, Manchester, on Saturday evening, and delivered an a. dies. in the course of which lie moved a resolution to the effect that Conservative associations were calcu- lated to defend the institutions of the country, to guard the religious education of the people, and to perpetuate the connection of Church and State. SERIOUS DEFALCATIONS OF A BRADFORD CHARITY SECRETARY.—The Leeds Express says :-In con- nection with the Bradford Eye and Ear Hos- pital a serious defalcation in the accounts has been disclosed. The secretary, a man in whom every 'confidence was placed, died about six months ago, and the financial report for the past year had in a great measure to be made out from very defective data, consisting of scattered memo- randa and stray entries among his papers. The committee report that if all had been paid into the bank, £ 1321. 16s. lOd. would have been. placed to the credit of the charity. The expenses sub- mitted to and sanctioned by the committee, amounted to .£1002. 17s. lid., thus showing an ex- cess of receipts over expenditure of J8318. 18s. lid., which, with the available balance of 1872, should have left .£950. 12s. 6d. for investment. It thus appeared that .£483. 19s. had not been accounted for, and that that amount might consequently be considered lost 'money without any apparent chance of recovery. The committee added that no bl tme for the calamity can be attributed to the auditors, who, after the most painstaking exami- nation of the previous years' account, found vouchers for all- payments, and the cash balances perfectly correct. It is reported that in another charity for which the deceased was secretary, an examination of the accounts had led to the detec- tion of a considerable deficiency. THE SPARTAN SCOTTISH AND THE LUXURIOUS ENGLISH UNIVERSITIES.—Speaking to the students of the University of Aberdeen, Professor Huxley said: — Your little bursaries' of ten and twenty (I believe even fifty) pounds a # year, enable any boy who has shown ability in the course .of his education in those remarkable primary schools which have made Scotland the power she is—to obtain the highest culture the country can give him; and when he is armed and equipped, his Spartan Alma Mater tells him that, so far, he has had his wages for his work, and that. he may go and earn the rest. When I think of the host of pleasant, monied, well-bred, young gen- tlemen, who do a little learning and much boating by Cam and Isis, the vision is a pleasant one; and, as a patriot, I rejoice that the youth of the upper and richer classes of the nation receive a wholesome and manly training, however small may be the modicum of knowledge they gather, in the inter- vals of this their serous business. I admit, to the full, the social and political value of that training. But, when I proceed to consider that these young men may be said to represent the great bulk (3 what the colleges have to show for their enormous wealth, plus, at least a j £ 150'a year apiece, which each un er.graduate costs his parents or guardians, I feel inclined to ask whether the rate-in-aid of the education of the wealthy and professional classes, thus levied on the resources of the community, isnot, after all, a little heavy ? And. still further, I am tempted to inquire what has become of the indigent scholars, the sons of the masses of the people, whose daily labour just suffices to meet their wants, for whose benefit these rich foundations were J largely; if not mainly, instituted ? It seems as if Pharaoh's dream had bepn rigorously carried out, and that even the fat scholar has eaten the lean one. And when I turn from this picture to the no ,I less real vision of many a brave and frugal Scotch boy, spending his summer in hard manual labour, that he may have the privilege of wending his way in. autumn to this University, with a bag of oat- meal, tpn pounds in his pocket, and his own stout heart to depend upon through the northern winter; not bent on seeking The bubble repu. tation at the cannon's mouth," but determined to wring knowledge from the hard hands of penury; when I see him win through all such outward obstacles to positions of wide usefulness snd well- earned fame, I cannot but think that, in essence, Aberdeen has departed but little from the primi- tive intention of the founders of Universities, and that the spirit of reform has so much to do on the other side of the border, that it may be long before be has leisure to look this way.

THE ASHANTEB WAR. THE BATTLE OF AMOAFUL. (From the correspondent of the Daily News.) AMOAFUL, Feb. 1.—On the evening of the 30th 1 January it became known that the Ashantees were in position between Agwanassu and Amoaful, and on the return of their messengers from Sir GaiLneVs- head-quarters, then at Insarfu, with a letter refusing to giant more time for palavers, our foe cheered vociferously. There was no doubt of their j intention to seriously dispute our further advance. Colonel M'Leod, with the advance guard, was summoned to Insarfu with Colonel Wood to re- ceive instructions. The plan of operations was to advance in a hollow square, the 42nd Highlanders forming the front face extending 300 yards on either side of the road, where Raifs guns were to move, and the rear face being composed of the Rifles, while the left face was composed of 100 sailors and Russell's regiment, and the right face of 100 sailors and Wood's regiment. Sir A. Alison was to follow the 42nd, and Colonel M'Leod and Wood commanded the left and right flanks, the left being allotted to the senior officer of the two, as being most likely to offer the heaviest work. In the event this proved to be wrong, so far at least as the sailors were concerned, as in the Naval Brigade nearly all the casualties occurred on the right flank, amongst the men commanded by Capt. Luxmore, R.N. In the centre the carriers for ham- mocks and ammunition were to move. The plan looked excellent on paper, but no one thought it would all come off as wished in practice. The Chief of the Staff added a final order, some- what in the German style:—" If you can't carry out your orders, do the best you can." The fielcf hospitals were to be established at In- sarfu, in the first instance. About 7.40 a.m. yesterday the Highlanders met the enemy near Agwanassu, and advancing in gallant style, drove them back, though not without serious losses. Colonel McLeod's Engineer officer, Captain Buckle, at once began a road off to the westward, while Lieutenant Bell did the same for Colonel Wood to the eastward. From this point all correspondents must accept their information at second hand, for nobody could see any one at fifty yards' distance from him. I can only inform you of the result, viz., that the enemy was driven'out of Amoaful, where Sir Garnet Wolseley slept last night; that the action lasted from about eight a.m. till four p m., the Ashantees attacking Korraman, where, however, they were gallantly repulsed by Lieutenant- Jones with a party of 30 men of the 2nd West India Regiment, and a dozen of Russell and Wood's regiment. Later they attacked two convoys be- tween Korraman and Insarfu, but did not do very much damage. They have made partial attacks all down the line of communications to the south of the Dompoassi Range..They got .£80 in cash from a Control convoy. The general has gone on to-day. It is said King Koffee Kacalli was present yesterday, and made off as he saw our troops gaining ground. There are over one hundred non-commissioned officers and privates wounded, and seven officers. All the officers are doing well. HEALTH OF THE EXPEDITION. The Medical Times and Gazette publishes an in- teresting letter from the seat of war, from which the following is extracted:— Her Majesty's ship Victor Emanuel, Cape Coast Castle, Jan. 27. "Our hands are now full to overflowing with sick. Fifty sail this evening in the Thames, which takes them to the Siinoom at St. Vincent, where they catch the ma Is for Southampton. We have still 67 sick and 18 convalescent on board, and over 20 are expected this evening from the front. Although we had 152 beds in the hospital deck, we are crowded with 120 men. Remittent fever, uncom- plicated by anything except excessive prostration, is the prevailing type of the disease. Fortunately,dy- sentery is comparatively rare so far. The British soldier does not take kindly to the so-cal ed fresh meat in tins, and consequently starves himself; hence the signs of scurvy among the 23rd. If they ate all they got put before them, things would be better with them. It is generally supposed .we shall have another month of it; by that time we shall have had more than- enough. With all our preparations, I believe the sickness will be too much for our'medical arrangements; handsome as they appeared. If c^ses do as well with us here as th< y have done, I do not thiuk that we shall have a. great mortality; but I fear as we get crowded symptoms will not answer the helm so well. Our first death occurred this morning, in the case of Captain Blake, R.N., of the Druid, who was in command of the naval brigade. A large proportion of officers are suffering. We have been obliged to put them in cots intended for men here, our six cabins being.nowhere among so mlIOY. On crossing the Prah, on the 19th, the Rifle Brigade left 69 sick, and the Naval Brigade 37. Fever everywhere is the order of the day, and few manage to struggle on after the first attack. I have been hard at work all day: and still go on, having to go on shore to briog off our daily load of sick. We have had a few cases of ague and diarrhoea on board." A correspondent write" Great regret is ou all hands expressed at the losses sustained by the 42nd Highlanders in the late engagements near Coo- massie. The famous Black Watch," as is well known, is one of the finest infantry regiments in the British service. Indeed, it may, without any exaggeration, be reckoned as part of the flower of the army. Finer men as regards physique, more stalwart in their bearing, or more closely approach- ing to what may be called the beau ideal of a soldier, it would be difficult to conceive. Apart from their discipline 'and mere military efficiency, the regiment has the reputation of being bettei* educated than two-thirds of our ordinary.marching regiments, and wherever they have been located they have been extremely popular." A Dover correspondent writes :—" A melancholy interest is felt here in the intelligence that has ar- rived from the Gold Coast, in consequence of the announcement of the death of Lieutenant Arthur Hardolph Eyre, of the 90th Regiment. In the offi- cial telegram from Sir Garnet Wolseley, Lieutenant Eyre is descl ibed as of the 19th Regiment, but this is probably a mistake made in transmission, as there is no officer of that name in the 19th, and a mes- sage has been recei ed here which gives details of the death of the young officer. He was in the engagement on the 31st of January, and was wounded in the spine by a shot from the enemy. His bearers, whilst taking him to the rear, were attacked and killed, and the wounded officer, who was only 20 years of age, was killed by the natives, who afterwards decapitated him. From what I have ascertained, Major Baird, whose wife id now staying with Lady Wolseley, was not killed and beheaded, as stated in the telegrams that arrived on Wednesday, and his name must in some manner have been confused with that of Lieutenant Eyre when the messages were despatched." The following detail- respecting Captain Nichol, Captain Buckle, and Lieutenant Eyre killed in this battle will be read with interest:— Captain Nichol, of the Hants Militia, who was killed in the battle of the 30th ulr., was not one of the first ody of officers who went out with Sir Garnet Wolseley. He left England about two mails later. On his arrival at Cape Coast he was almost immediately sent down the coast to the Opobo River, where Ja-Ja is supreme, and also to the realms of Oko Jumbo. Captain Nicol dis- played considerable skill in dealing with these potentates. He played off their jealousy of each other, and thus succeeded in raising a much larger body of men than was expected. He brought up with him the men supplied by Ja-Ja, but it was not thought desirable that the two contingents should come in the .same steamer, it being certain that hostilities between them would have ensued. Oko Jumbo's men came in the next mail. Captain Buckle, Royal Engineers, also went out in the same steamer as Captain Nichol. On his arrival at Cape Coast he soon became conspicuous by. his energy and courage. At a time when the bush was full of Ashantees, both he and his g llant commander, Major Home, freely expo-ed them- selves with hardly any escort. The Engineers on the Gold Coast have suffered severely. Out of the first four officers sent out, Major Home has been 'I twice wounded, Captain Buckle killed, and Lieut. Mann invalided home. There remains -but one in good health—Lieutenant Bell. f Lieutenant Eyre, who is also among the slain, .-was with the exception of. perhaps. Lord Gifford. lii*? juuugeM' uixiuei <rvtio Weill out m Mie Aiuxiki with Sir Garnet Wolseley. He was Colonel Evelyn Wood's right-hand man in raising the native regi- ment so well-known on the Gold Coast. Although Colonel Wood had extremely unpromising material to work on, it being raised almost entirely from among the Elminas, this corps has, with Major Baker Russell's regiment, which is known as If Russell's Foot," excelled nearly all the other native corps. Lieutenant Eyre was remarkable for his skill with the rifle.

THE BATTLE OF AMOAFUL. The Daily News correspondent has furnished the following account of the battle of Amoaful:— AGAMMAMU (Twelve Miles from Coomassie), February 2nd. On January 31, we had a severe general engage- ment with the Ashantee army at Amoaful. The King's promises were merely treacherous. He had been spending the whole time he could gain in pre- paring for fighting us, and in. collecting his army. We moved at early dawn upon the village of Ingelasu, and as our scouts entered that place at 8 a.m., the first shot was fired from an Ashantee ambush, which was, however, placed on too high ground, so that all the shots went over the heads of our levies. Immediately following the scouts, the 42nd Regiment entered Ingelasu, and pushed through it beyond. The 42nd and the 80 men of the 23rd Regiment now up with us, were under Sir Archi- bald All!son's orders, and to them was entrusted the task of forcing the enemy's position in the direct front. As, however, the Ashantee tactics are always the same, and consist in an attempt to draw on their enemy in front while they. push one or both his flanks through the dense bush, great prepara-. tionR had been made for this. Half the Naval Brigade and Russell's Regiment were to clear and protect the left, while the other half of the Naval brigade and Wood's Regiment guarded the right. The Rifle Brigade was retained as a reserve in the general's own hands. Rait's two guns, under his own orders, were with Sir Archibald. A rocket trough was with each of the flanking parties. These arrangements, however, were some time in developing themselves, because of the slow pro- gress which alone can b6 made in moving out from a narrow path. The first comrany of the Rifle Brigade was sent out in skirmishing order thro gh the bush, and had soon to be supported by the second, and not long after by another company. Engineer la- bourers, moving with them, cut down the bush partially to aid the:r advance. The resistance offered to them by the Ashantees, completely concealed in the bush and knowing the ground perfectly, was even at first con- siderable, but it was not till a marshy piece of ground about 800 yards from Ingelasu was reached I that the really serious opposition was experienced. By this time the companies were already skirmish. ing. Foitunately, the enemy were :pltching in slugs, and not bullets, or scarcelv a man of the Black Watch- would have lived to tell the tale. As it was, there were few of the officers who did not receive a scratch. Major Baird was seriously wounded whilst in active command of the regiment; and although few of the officers' wounds were of a disabling character, several were by no means pleasant. Major Macpherson, among, the number, was hit in several places. The greater part of the 105 wounded men of the regiment were struck during the pause and delay, whilst it seemed impossible to subdue the fire of the Ashantees, and equally impossible to advance over the marshy ground and through the dense bush with such a rush as was necessary to make them give way. It was at this critical mo- ment that Captain Rait's gun—there was no room for two—came into action at 50 yards from the enemy on the direct line of advance. The shells fired at that short distance with deadly effect soon forced the enemy to clear the road. In a moment, as they gave way upon their own left upon the road, the 42nd pushed them on from thence along the whole line, and they b< gan to yield another 50 yards or more, and Rait's guns again came into action against the enemy, who had at once taken un a fresh position, as the bush prevented the Black Watch from forming quickly. Again the enemy perforce gave way before the shells along the road. Again the42nd took instant advantage of it, and the enemy rolled back. The men were now in such high spirits that the terrors of the bu-h were no more. Sir Archibald saw that the m ment had come. He ordered the pibrochs to sound. Down together with a ringing cheer went the splendid regiment under his orders straight at the concealed foe. No savages could have Stood each a charge when the opportunity for delivering it had fairly come. Away bolted every Ashantee in front of them away down one hill and up another on which stocd the village of Amoaful itself. Along the road Rait's little guns pelted after the enemy. As often as he tried to turn up the hill the guns went hardly less quickly than the flying enemy, though each had to be carried on by the Houssas and pelt down again for action. By twenty minutes past eleven the village was in our hands, and Rait had put telling shells after the retreating enemy as he was racing along the broad expanse of ground which had formed a por- tion of the Ashantee camp, and was wider and clearer than in almost any village we had yet reached. But though Amoaful was ours, the fight was by no means over at other points. Colonel Macleod, as soon as* Russell's first company, the Houseas, had arrived, sent theai out to the left into the bush, while the Engineer labourers cleared round the village, and cut a road as far as it was possible to advance. It had been intended that roads should be cut on either flank parallel to the advance of the 42nd and 23rd, but the time re- quired for such an operation made it impossible that the movement should progress rapidly under the heavy fire which was immediately met with by each of the flanking parties as soon as it was thrown out. Captain Buckle, of the Royal Engineers, fell mortally wounded almost, immediately, and died not long afterwards. His head man of the labourers was killed on the spot, and several others fell rapidly, wounded. By a rather unpleasant mistake the wounded in- stead of being quietly carried off to the houses, were left at the entrance of the village, so that whilst the men were arriving in cold blood, the first,sight that greeted their eyes was that of their wounded comrades. After their blood was up it would not have mattered a bit, but it did not tend at the time to make the uncertain loss which was taking place in the bush seem less serious. The Houssas, on clearing out the village, and after a somewhat irregular exchange ot fire with the enemy on the left, found a not very incon- siderable force in front of them on the brow of a hill, up which they crept, and drove them back by a rush. Captain Gordon, as usual, led them splen- didly, succeeding, despite the concealment of the bush in coming upon the hill at such an incline that the enemy could not meet him, and though much more numeious, yielded rapidly to the curi- ous race of which they hold so many slaves. The Ashantees, however, were not long in creeping back to their old quarters, as the Houssas were moved off further northwards to reach more closely to. the central attack. The Opobo dompany shortly afterwards had to repeat the operation, and on this left side the fight was during the greater part of the time not very vigorous, the Ashantees soon making it plain that they intended to direct their main effort not upon this but upon our other flank. Just at this time, first the scouts for a moment. then a supporting company of the Rifle Br gade, sent out by Sir Garnet, and, finally, a consider- able proport on of Colonel Macleod's force, gra- dually came in too, and the companies of the 42nd and 23rd, who were fronting eastwards. Colonel Macl od's force had, in fact, struct back into the main road. For the time the left was clear, and this moveme tof Colonel Macleod's force tended to the general advantage. The enemy having failed to break in upon our right, made another and yet another attack upon Ingelasu, all attempts being, however, met b a fire which he could not resist* Finally, towardshalf-pasttwelve.the Opobos having cut their way through the bush—one man firing his rifle while another cut-gradually arrived within charging distance of the top of the hill. They were then supported by a company of the Rifle Brigade. With a loud war sonsf they we t right to the Ashantees, who bolted in every direction 'before the charge; and their line being once broken on this nank, they gave way everywhere. I The last shot was fired about a quarter to two, a pretty furious fusillade having lasted ever since eight. Our wounded number nearly two hundred; of dead, officers and men, seven. We have buried over a hundred dead bodies of the enemy. Their losses in killed and wounded must therefore have been very large indeed.

On Monday a meeting of the Farmers' Club was held at the Salisbury Hotel, London. Dr. Voeleker read a paper on milk and its adulteration. He believed that London milk when unadulterated was richer than country milk, the animals being better fed. Milk was never adulterated with chalk. Adulteration was effected by withdrawing cream or adding water. He did not object to the use of sewage grass when mixed with concentrated food. Hasty analyses under the Food Adulteration Act were to be deprecated. PEBSONATJNG A DzTECTrvz.-At* JLeeds, Selby Tomlipson, ironmoulder, has been fin id £ 10, or three months* imprisonment, for personating a de- tective. The Pope is "about to make some new Cardinals. Without reckoning the death of Cardinal Tarquini, the state of health of the Cardinals Capatti and Barnabo betokens fresh vacancies in the Sacred College. Next June a Consistory will be held. Negotiations are being carried on between the Holy See and the Catholic Powers to settle the Cardinals elect. France will probably have two in the new l'.at.. PATTI IN A FLOWER STORM.—The Times cor- respondent at St. Petersburg writes Last night (February 18th) was Patti's benefit at the Grand Theatre, where the famous songstress received a welcome fairly astonishing to those who had never before witnessed the enthusiasm witE which a Russian audience greets a favourite prima donna. A diamond coronal and great bouquets and wreaths without number were presented between the acts, and at the conclusion of the opera the stage was literally heaped with flowers and wreaths. Patti at last could do no more than pick up one or two and press them to her heart, and the attendants had to come on with great baskets, and even then had hard work to clear the stage. The opera was La Traviata." Patti was in perfect voice, and looked an' sang and acted her very best. His Royal Highness-the Prince of Wales was present. ALLEGED MURDER.—-A coroner's inquiry as to the death of Richard Rutter, at Tunstall, has ter- minated in a verdict of • Wilful murder." The deceased was the brother-in-law of Mr. Charles Malpas, flint miller and earthenware manufacturer, and had been for some time in possession of Mr. Malpas's mill for the mortgagee. The office key had been left in a house near the mill, and on Friday week got into Rutter's possession. Malpas, hearing of this, waited in the street for Rutter to pass, and when the latter came up, seized him by the throat, and demanded the key. This not being produced, Malpas threw him down, knelt upon his chest and stomach, and beat him. A crowd collected, and a rescue was suggested, whereupon Malpas, with the assistance of a woman named Jones, dragged Rutter into Jones's house, where the attack was repeated. Rutter, when released, went to a neighbouring beerhouse, where he was attended by Mr. Brady,, surgeon, who said he appeared to be suffering excruciating agony. He died the following night, and the medical evidence went to show that death hai been caused by laceration and bursting of the bowels, and that these injuries were the result of violence such as that described by the witnesses of the assault. The jury, af er an hour's deliberation, found a. verdict of wilful murder against Malpas, and of being an accessory before the fact against Jones. The accused were formally dommitted for trial at the Stafford Assizes. SHOCKING BRUTALITY TO A WIFE AND DAUGHTER. —Ge rge Henry Witham, of Remington street, City road, London, was on Tuesday charged before Mr. Cooke with violently assaulting his wife Mary Ann, and his eldest daughter, aged 10. The evi- dence showed that the defendant had been in the habit of treating his wife very brutally, and beat- ing and otherwise ill-using her. A short time since the wife, who is 'the mother of four children, had to leave him in consequence of finding him committing adultery with the landlady of the house in which they resided, and when they parted he agreed to allow her 10s. per week for the support of herself and the four children. Oh the night of the 21st ult. she went to her husband, who was in a beershop, and asked him for the money, but in- stead of giving her 10s. he only gave her 8s., and he then told her that was all she wpuld get out of him. She remonstrated, and said she could not support the family out of that, when he, with an oath, struck her a violent blow in the face. The blow was given with such force that her face was badly bruised, and she was knocked to the ground. Her eldest daughter, aged 10, seeing her mother ill-used, began to cry, and that seemed very much to exasperate him, for he struek her a violent blow in the face and knocked out one of her teeth, which fell on the pavement. When he saw what he had done he went off with his paramour, who, the wife stated, was in court to hear these proceedings.—The defendant, in reply to the charge, said he had been out of employ, and therefore could not allow his wife more money than he then gave her. He did strike his daughter with his open hand because he was very much put out fct her telling him a parcel of lies," but as for knocking the tooth out, it did not want much of that, as it "was very loose before." His wife annoyed him, and that was the reason why he struck her, but for that he was now sorry.-Mr' Cooke said that he considered this a very bad case of assault, and as for the wife annoying the de- fendant, he thought she had very good reason for doing so after what she had seen. The defendant had done her a gross wrong,' and followed that up by violently assaulting her. He should not fine the defendant, but should sentence him to be im- prisoned and kept to hard labour in the House of Correction for two calendar months. THE ADVENTURES OF A PIONEER. — Mr. A. D. Piper, the president of a small party of colonists who sailed from Boston for Bolivia, and who was reported to have been murdered by hostile Indians, has been heard from. It appears that the party reacbed the river Amazon in safety, but there, owing to a lack of sufficient capital, the ma- jority of the party al «ndoned the formation of a colony in Bolivia until a more propitious opportu- nity presented itself. Mr. Piper, however, re- mained, and, having obtained a small'steamboat, pushed his way inlarido find penetrated a country which was so far beyoi d the reach of civilisation that a long time elapsed before his expedition was heard from. In July, 1873; news was received that he and his party had been massacred, and the tidings were believed by his wife and friends re- siding in Boston. Mr. Piper's letter, now •* eceived, is dated Labrie, December, 1873, and in it he describes his trip up the river Purus as the rough- est journey he ever made. On his way up the stream his party left him at Labrie, and he had to rely for assistance wholly upon his two engi- neers and the guide—a negro man named Dan- except what assistance he could get from the na- tives. Afterwards one of the engineers abandoned him, and he was compelled to ptoceed with the sole aid of the other and the negro. He finally reached Hucaialy, where he selected a site for a town. Here-he erected the frame of a warehouse, 54ft. by 34ft., and arranged with the chief of the tribe to cover it in with palm thatch. Mr. Remick, a young man from Newburyport, Massachusetts, also selected a tract of land in the vicinity for a farm, and cleared off a space for planting, and put up a frame house. At this place they were aban- doned by the black man Dan, who stole their best canoe and disappeared down the river. Mr. Piper was delayed so long that he lost the opportunity of the season's trade with the natives, but he secured a quantity of cotton and started down. The stream, however, had got so low by this time, besides being obstructed by fallen trees, that the return passage to Labrie was long and tedi us. Mr. Piper states that the Indians through these regions cultivate little farms, and he represents them to be peaceful and quiet and very kind. At the date of the letter Mr.* Piper was in good health, and expected to leave on another trip up the country in January. He I had made arrangements for a settlement on the Aquiry, which w uld be the second station esta- blished on Bolivian soil-New York Times, Five fishermen belonging to the Humt;-r fishing vessel Lord Lyons have been lost in the North Sea. The boat upset whilst the nets were being taken in. George Butler, a. gentleman's son, nged fifteen, has been killed at Chelmsford, through the in- cautious use of a large pistol by a companion named Cook. FEARFUL MURDER AT PRESTOiq.-Th e murderous assault upon a woman named Jane Watfrbousf. at Preston, terminated fatally on Tuesday m -mine. The murderer, John Caton, a power-loom weaver is in custody. At the Hopghton le-Spring Police Court on Tues day, 27 miners were tried for leading the riot at Helton-le-Hole, Durham, on the day of the elec- tion. The cases were adjourned. Four pitmen were sentenced to periods of imprisonment varying from one to six months, for assaulting the pol ce on the same occasion. CRUELTY TO HORSES.-At Chichester County Bench, on Saturday, Mr. William Upton, a farmer occupying abput 600 acres at Cole worth, near Chichester, appeared to answer a summons taken out at the instance of the Royal Society, for cruelly ill-treating several horses belonging to him by neglecting to supply them with a sufficient quan- tity of food. The magistrate inflicted a tine of Y,5 and costs, £ 8. 6s. 6d., with the alternative of two months' imprisonment. Farm labourers in his employ were also summoned for working the horses, and they were each fiaed 5s. The defendant paid the fines on his men, as well as his own, with costs. THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS AND THE NEW AD- MiNNTBATioN—An abstract of the proceedings at the meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee representing the Metropolitan and Provincial trade has been forwarded for publication. It appears that a prolonged discussion took place as to whether the committee should undertake to pro- mote a comprehensive bill, including a complete consolidation of the laws affecting the licensing and the regulation of public-houses, or content themselves with a ehort measure dealing with the most ambiguous and oppressive clauses in the pre- sent Licensing Act. Mr. Candelet, from Manchester, reminded the committee that public business had been seriously delayed through the elections, that the various departments of the Government we, e more or less in a state of confusion, and that, from a circular he had in his possession, it had been de- sired that Parliament would not meet for the despatch" of business until the 28th of April. He therefore thought that it would not be prudent for the trade to undertake any large measure this session. The committee concurred in this view, and there appeared to be a general belief that it would be impolitic to ask the present Government to concede more than was submit ed to the'late Administration. Therefore the same limited bill, containing only some nine clauses, was adopted, and the proceedings terminated. A GANG OF SWINDLERS IN LIVERPOOL.—The public of Liverpool will do well to be on their guard against a gang of swindlers that are known by the police to be making a good living out of the unwary, but who as yet have not been brought within the meshes of the law, through want of direct evidence. They are what are technically known as "duffers," and their modus opera..di is as follows. They purchase a lot of cheap but flashy watches and jewellery, and on meeting with their victim, one of them (they generally go about in pairs) steps up and asks if he will purchase a pawnticket of a watch, which he (the s Her) has been compelled to pledge through wa t of work, and is now willing to cell the ticket of it for just suffi- cient money to pay his railway fare home. A fort- night since one of this gang met a sailor in Dale street, and by some means go him to exchange a good silver watch and chain for a gold lever and albert guard, the sailor giving 10s. to boot. Of course he was duped, as he soon found that his appa. ently gold watch and chain were not worth more than .£1 together. One of the most daring gang can be easily recognised. He stands about. Pft. 6in., and is about 22 years of age. He wears generally a suit of light grey clothes, a Scotch cap, and has neither whiskers nor moustache. He speaks with a strong Scotch accent, and mostly loiters about Dale'street or Scotland road.. On Monday afternoon this same man. and another got hold of a German sailor, on whom they tried to force a watch, but on seeing it he declined to pur- chase. That peopje should be so foolish as to believe the stories of these "loafers seems won- derful, after the times they have been exposed, and it is a great pity that the authorities cannot make out a case against them.-Livet"pr,ol Courier. MR. JENKINS, M.P., ON TEFA RESULTS OF THE E LBC- TIONS.—OnMonday Mr. Jenkins addressed a meeting in the Kinnaird Hall, Dundee. He was most en- thusiastically received. He said he looked upon his election as a victory of honest and independent Liberalism. He. was proud that in the late general election the constituencies of the north and east of Scotland had remained true to their principles, and had not allowed side issues to interfere with their keen scent after truth. He did not believe in the existence of a Conservative reaction, but he did believe most firmly in the existence of a Liberal defection. He attributed the de- feat of Mr. Gladstone's Government to the disgust of the Nonconformists and to the disgust of the supporters of trade unionism. He did not approve of Mr. Gladstone's financial policy, which he cha- racterised as a policy of revolutionary finance. He could not approve of the policy of Mr. Gladstone with reference to the income tax, nor in his having declined to face the House after the general elec- tion. Having made his financial proposals he was bound to have submitted them to the new House of Commons, and to have taken an opinion upon this broad issu?. Had Mr. Gladstone done so, the position of the Liberal party would have been a better one at the present moment. Mr. J eckins then referred to the rumours that Mr. Gladstone intends to give up the leadership of the Liberal party. He ridiculed these reports, and said it would be a melancholy dayfor England when the leadership of that party was entrusted to the hands of Mr. Forster and Mr. Lowe, both of whom had been mentioned as his likely successors. Mr. Forst r, by his conduct in regard to the 25th clause, had alienated from the Liberal ranks the great body of the Nonconformists, and Mr. Lowe's speeches to working men were the most insulting that were ever uttered by a Cabinet Minister. Mr. Lowe's impertinence had done more than anything else to set class against class. A STRANGE SPECTACLE IN COURT.—A man, named John Lynch, was charged at Birkenhead on Monday with having wilfully destroyed his clothes at the Wirral Union Workhouse at Clatterbridge. The appearance of the prisoner in the dook pro- duced considerable laughter, for instead of being attired in the clothes usually worn by the male sex, he was enveloped in a large Back, which covered his nakedness from head to foot. Thomas Wim- bles, porter at the workhouse, said the prisoner applied on Saturday for a nigh 's shelter, and he was admitted into the vagrant ward. On Sunday morning it was found he had destroyed his clothes, and a decent workhouse suit was then given to him, but it was with great trouble they got him to put the new clothes on him. He then threatened to destroy the workhouse suit, and it was found necessary to give him into the cus- tody of Constable Hanford. During the seven years he had been at the workhouse, witness had not come in contact with such a bad character as the prisoner.—In reply to the magistrates, the' prisoner said he had paid his passage in Hr steamer from Cork to Wales, where he expected to get work, but he did not succeed. He travelled about the country, and on getting iow the workhouse at Clatterbridge he tore up his clothes because they were dirty and not fit to wear. —Mr. Inman: But why did you attempt to tear up the workhouse clothes ?—Prisoner: Because they were worse than my own clothes. (Laughter.) —Superintendent Egerton said the clothes given to the' prisoner at the workhouse consisted of a comfortable grey woollen suit The prisoner said his old clothes were so dirty that he could not stand them any longer, and the suit that was given to him was no better. He added that, after being dressed in a sack, his humiliation was so great that he did not care what became.of him; they might as well make a beast of him at once. (Laughter.)—Mr. Inman said the prisoner must.be- committed for a month to Chester Castle, where he would be taken care of.—The accu ecttben with difficulty walked out of the dock in the sack.

GREAT JEW El* ROBBERY. IN MANCHESTER. Early on Saturday morning a burglaryof an extensive character was committed in Manchester, but, for- tunately, the burglars were captured, and the whole of the property, consisting of money and jewellery, was recovered. From information received by the police in Manchester some two or three weeks ago, that Suspected persons were about to visit the city, who, it was believed, had committed a number of safe robberies in Birmingham within the last three or four months, the different railway stations and places of public resort were watched, and at eight o'clock the previous evenii g the prisoners were Been together in the vicinity of Shudehill Market. Mr. Coathupe, the deputy chief constable, with Detectives Henderson, Inspector Drysdale, and forty or fifty con- stables, surrounded a block of buildings bounded by Tib street, Foundry la11e, Scholes street. and Smitbfield Market, in which are situated the premises of Messrs. Kn ght, jewellers and watchmakers. Previous to the surrounding of the building, the two female prisoners were seen loitering about with three men in their com- pany. Th"y disappeared in the neighbourhood of Messrs. Knight's premises, and subsequently the females were apprehended. The premises were watched all night, and about half-past five o'clock on Saturday morning three men were seen coming out of Messrs. Knight's house, carrying what turned out to be a quantity of jewellery and money. The police imme- diately attempted to take them into custody, and a. severe struggle took place. One of the men, who gives the name of .George Montague, produeed a revolver, but a timely blow from the truncheon of one of the officers felled him to the ground, and the weapon was taken from him. The prisoners were ultimately secured, but not before they bad all been more or less hurt. An examination of the premises ^as made, and it was found that the safe, which is situated in the shop, had been drilled in numerous places, and the property found upon the burglars had chiefly been taken from it. A set of highly-finished housebreaking implements was found in their pos- session. On Saturday morning the five prisoners, who an- swered to the names of Arthur Gaylor, Alfred Coyne, George Montague, Ann Henry (who, the prisoner Coyne says, is his wife), and Jane Gray (who, the P"S°ivrer says, is his wife), were brought be- fore Mr. H< adlam at the City Police Court, and charged with the burglary. The prisoner Gaylor was so severely injured that he had to be assisted into the dock and placed in a seat.. Mr. Headlam remanded the prisoners. Messrs. Knight state that the .value of the stolen property is ^81,400, and the cash £ 107, the whole of" which has been recovered.

APPROACHING" MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.-A mar. riage is arranged, and will take T>LNOO T J after Ea-ter, between Signor Catalani, se'cret^r/of the Italian Legation, and* Mdlle. Cassandra Mu gurus, third daughter of the Turkish ambassador. Hi-i Excellency the Duke of Aoercor •, sir Michael Hicks Beach (the Irish Secretary'0f State) and suite, arrived at Dublin on Tuesday, his excellency was sworn in as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. His excellency afterwards returned to England for a short time. SALE OF INTOXICATING LIQUORS.—In the Parlia. mentof Ontario a resolution was passed unani- mously on the 11th of February that an address be presented to the Governor General praying him to make known to the Parliament or the Dominion that it is the desire of the Legislature of Ontario that power be granted to 'be several Provincial Legislatures to enact laws for the regulation and partial or entire suppression of the sale of intoxi- cating liquors as beverage. In the United States the practice of "praying out" the publicans ia spreading. The Secretary of the Treasury, believ- ing that there is nothing like leather," has recom- Biended increased taxes on spirits and other intoxi- satiue orinks.

FALL k)F A BblL.in.NG 1.N txaLFUKD. On Saturday afternoon, the rear wall of the cottage, No. 27, Hodgson street. Garden lane, Salfora, fell upon a number of young boys, one of 11 y whom shortly afterwards died. The house, with others, is in course of demolition, to make room for the new street from Blackfriarg street to Broughton; and one of the boys, by means of a stout piece of wood, was forcing some woodwork out of the ceiling of the scull ery-«-the object, it is said, being to get the wood to take home to be used as fuel—when some < ne shouted "police," and the lad gave such a strong wrench to the p ece of wood which he was using as a lever that the wall fell outwards, burying some, and partially covering others of the boys.. They were extricated as soon as possible, and removed to the Salford Dispensary. One of the number, Harry Bootherstone, eleven yea s of age, 2, Parker street, the son of a packer, died about an hour after being admitted. The other lads taken to the dispensary were William Jones, King street; Joseph Wild, 6, King street; Peter Bates, Philip street; and Chas. Coy, Garden lane. Jones was afterwards .taken home, but the others were so badly injured that they remain in the institution. No other fatal result is apprehended.

THE PANTECHNICON. THE SEARCH FOR SIR RICHARD WALLACE'S PROPERTY. On Saturday afternoon, after a long and tedious search, extending over at least twelve hours, the salvage corps recovered from the ruins of the Pan- techicon, close to the spot at which the fire broke out, the remains of a small but valuable collection of armour and other property belonging to Sir Richard Wallace, M.P., which he had deposited in the building for safe custody during the recon- struction of his London residence. The armour is. nearly complete, but very much burnt and broken, though the pieces are in sufficiently good condition to be recognised. The collection had been insured in the Sun Office for £ 15,000. Six splendidly enamelled dishes, insured for J615,000 in the Imperial Office were also found. Two of them were virtually uninjured as far as the paintings upon them went, but the enamel had been entirely burnt from the others. Some bronze Russian medallions of much value were likewise extricated. The property was found under a pile of ruins 10 or 12 feet deep. Now that the special search for Sir Richard Wallace's goods, which was conducted solely in the interest and at the expense of the two insurance offices, has been finished, the whole force of the salvage corps, together with the servants of Messrs. Smith and Radermacher, the proprietors, will be set to work at the Motcombe street end and proceed to clear the ruins in regular and proper order, and without diversion.