Monmouthshire Merlin

CONVENTS AND MONASTERIES. The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the state of the law regarding Conventual and Monastic Irritations have had another sitting. The ( ay wit- ness called was a conveyancer, Mr. Cuddon indeed, so far the only witnesses examined have beeu gen- tlemen connected with the legal profession. It appears that Mr. Cuddon represents the various re- ligious orders of this country. He stated that as a general rule, property held by religious communities of men is derived from the different members of the community, and is thrown together as common pro- perty. Securities for the property are held by two or three private individuals as absolute owners. He had no doubt that some orders are represented at Rome, but not all. He also asserted that there are no obligations in the order of Jesuits which militate against their being Englishmen, and discharging the duties of Englishmen, and he did not want Parlia- ment to interfere and relieve the institution of the law of mortmain. Mr. Cuddon urged that inasmuch as there are certain exceptions in the law of mortmain which operate in favour of Oxford and Cambridge, they ought to have the same exemptions, and, in- asmuch as Protestants manage their own colleges in the way they do, he thought the Roman Catholics should be. allowed to manage theirs as they please. The witness declined to answer one or two questions put to him by Mr. Newdegate, who desired to elicit which colleges held land. In reply to the chairman, he said he had consulted with the solicitors of the monasteries in order that he might get the fullest and most accurate statements, and the gross income of £ 10,350 was the result of the tot I amount brought by the religious persons to the monasteries. With regard to the devolution of property, Mr. Cuddon stated that the Pope's brief had no effect in this country. The worthlessness of his evidence on a matter of this sort was, however, shown by his ad- diug that he was speaking in a legal sense, and knew nothing about what effect it ought to have on the conscience.

SUSPECTED MURDER NEAR EGHAM. An adjourned inquest was held at the Compasses Inn, Frog Island, near Egham, before Mr. G. H. Hull, coroner for West Surrey, on the body of James Glazier, an agricultural labourer. It appears that on Monday the 13th June the deceased was out all day at his work, and at night went to the Ship Inn, Eo-ham Hythe, where he remained till about mid- night. He then set out by himself to go home, which he reached about a quarter to one. He was wet through, but said nothing about having received any injuries, although it was noticed he had received a cut on the back of his head. On Tuesday morn- ing he mentioned to one of his sons for the first time that he had received some severe injuries about the lower part of his body, and later in the day a medical man was sent for, who, on making an examination, discovered that the injuries which he said could not have been self-inflieted were so se- rious as to leave no hope of recovery. He died about six o'clock the next morning. The deceased seemed reluctant to give any information about the way in which he had received the injuries. After giving different accounts of what had happened, he said three men had attacked him. Afterwards he gave the names of two men, named Hacket and Jones, who reside near him, when he fell back exhausted, and just before his death he appeared as if he was going to make a statement. He said, Three men Murder! murder!" and these were the last words he spoke. Evidence was given that Hacket had threatened the deceased on account of some grudge he had against him. Hacket, Jones, and two other men were out mowing on the Monday. They were at the Feathers Inn, and left very late, one of the men "parting from the other three after they had walked about ten minutes. One of the three, named George Hatfield, swore that be, Hacket, and Jones went home together, and saw nothing of Glazier, and never heard his name mentioned. At the con- elusion of the evidence the coroner said there was no evidence to warrant the jury in criminating any one, and they returned a verdict of "Wilful mur- der against some person or persons unknown."

FAREWELL MANIFFSTO OF QUEEN ISABELLA. Spaniards,—My long reign has seen many sad and troubled periods sad above all for me, because the glory of certain facts and the progress realised while I ruled the destiny of our dear country can- not make me forget that, loving peace and the in- crease of the public good, I ever saw my deepest and most cherished feelings, my noblest aspirations, and my most earnest wishes for the prosperity of Spain thwarted by acts independent of my will. As a child, thousands of heroes proclaimed my name; but the heroes of war surrounded my cradle. As a girl I had no thought but to second proposals which appeared good and calculated to secure your hap- piness but the heated strife of parties allowed no time for the law and for the love of prudent reforms to take root. At an age when reason is fortified by experience, the ungovernable passions of men whom I would not oppose at the cost of your blood-more precious to me than my own-have driven me to a foreign country, far from the throne of my ances- tors to this friendly, hospitable, and illustrious land, but which is not my own country, north it of my children. Such, in brief, is the political history of 35 years, in which I have exercised the supreme representative power of the people committed to my charge, by God's law, by personal right, and by national right. Reflecting upon this period, I can- not accuse myself of contributing with deliberate intention either to the evils laid to my charge or to misfortunes which I was powerless to avert. As a constitutional Queen, I have sincerely respected the fundamental laws. A Spanish woman, before all, and a loving mother, Spain's sons are all equally dear to me. The misfortunes which I could not prevent were mitigated by me as far as possible. Nothing was more grateful to my heart than tc pardon and reward, and I omitted nothing to pre- vent my subjects' tears from flowing for my cause, with desires and feelings that have nevertheless been vain to spare me, in my country or away from it, the bitter trials affecting my life. Accepting the designs of Divine Providence, I believe I can yet freely and spontaneously make this last of my acts, all of which without exception have sought to promote your prosperity, secure your tranquillity. Twenty months have now passed feince I set foot upon foreign soil, apprehensive of ills which in their blindness tenacious supporters of illegitimate aspirations, who have been condemned hy the laws of the kingdom, by the vote of many assemblies, by the right of victory, and by the de- clarations of the governments of civilised Europe, do not hesitate to endeavour to reproduce. In these twenty months my afflicted soul has never ceased to hear the suffering cry which arises from my never forgotten Spain. Full of faith in its future solicit- ations for its greatness, integrity,and independence; grateful for the support of those who were and are attached to me; forgetting the affronts of those who do not know me or insult me,—for myself I ask nothing, but I would obey the impulse of rny heart, and the loyal sentiments of the Spaniards, by confiding to their honour and noble feeling the destiny of a traditional dynasty and heir of a hun. dred kings." Here follows the act of abdication, transferrin., the crown to the Prince, under the title of Alphonso XII., Isabella preserving all civil rights, and the custody of Alphonso while living abroad, and until proclaimed king by the Government and Cortes re- presenting the legitimate vote of the nation.

BRISTOL EYE HO S P I T A L, Admission Days-Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from half past Eleven to One. j Surgeon-DR. BARTLEY.

BREAKFAST. -Epps's COCOA.—GRATEFUL AND COM- FORTI.NG. -The very agreeable character of this pre- paration has rendered it a general favourite. The Civil lei-vice Gazette remarks The singula success which Mr. Epps attained by his homoeopathic pre paraton of cocoa has never been surpassed by any experimentalist. By a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a careful application of the fine properties of well-selected cocoa, Mr. Epps has pro vided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured oeverage which may save us many heavy doctors oills." Made simply with boiling water or milk. Sold only in ilb., -1 lb., and I lb. tin-lined packets. labelled—JAMES EPPS & Co. Homoeopathic Chemists Loudon. [14,755

THE JEWISH ABDUCTION CASE. In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Tuesday, the case of Lyons v. Thomas and others was heard, on a rule calling upon the defendants to show cause why a verdict should not be entered for the plaintiff, or a nonsuit. It will be remembered that the plaintiff brought an action for the recovery of damages for his daughter having been taken away by the Rev. N. Thomas, a Baptist minister at Cardiff; and at the trial at Cardiff Assizes the plaintiff recovered £50 damages. Mr. Giffard, Q.C.. and -Mr. Michael appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr. Grove, Q. C., and Mr. Turner, for the defendants. It will be remembered that the plaintiff, who is of the Jewish persuasion, took a shop in Mount Stuart- square, Cardiff, in May, 1867, and he took his daughter, Esther Lyons, who had just then come from school, into his shop. He got another girl, named Carver, to assist in the shop, and she lived with them at their home. In March, 1868, Esther Lyons left her home, and the plaintiff went to Mr. Thomas, who would not divulge the place of abode of Esther Lyons. Mr. Thomas referred the plaintiff to his wife, who would not give any information. She said, however, that plaintiff need not fear Esther Lyons had slept with them one night, and had gone to friends who would take care of her. The plaintiff had made several attempts to find his daughter out, but without avail. Mr. Justice Blackburn said the real question was, what evidence there was to show that they were the instigators of her removal. Mr. Giffard said the further letters he had on behalf of the plaintiff only showed that these defendants had persistently concealed the girl; and that fact might go to show that they had originally intended to take her away. The reading of the defendant's evidence was then proceeded with. Esther Lyons spoke to several acts of cruelty by her mother and she said that all the let- ters signed by her name were written by her. The evidence of the other witnesses on behalf of de- fendants was read but, at the rising of the Court the reading of the notes had not finished. The case was resumed on Wednesday morning, when Mr. Giffard and Mr. Michael argued at great length against the rule, contending that Mr. and Mrs. Thomas ° conspired to keep Esther Lyons from her father, and acted accordingly, and that this was an actionable wrong. On behalf of the defendants, Mr. Grove and Mr. Turner contended that there was not a single act to prove that Mrs. Thomas, still less Mr. Thomas, con- trived to induce Miss Lyons to leave her home. She left her home of her own free will, and he submitted that that being so, whatever took place after she had ceased to be her master's servant, would not allow an action to lie against defendants. After the learned judges had consulted, Mr. Justice Blackburn said though there was a difference of opinion on one point, the result was that the rule was to be made absolute for a nonsuit. It seemed to his lordship—and in this he differed from the rest of the court—that there was evidence by which the jury might legally and properly come to the conclusion that the girl had been induced to leave I her home. After going into the circumstances of the departure of Miss Lyons from her home, his lordship said he agreed that there was hardly sufficent evidence to prove that the defendants had induced the girl to leave her home up to the 23rd of March but when they took the subsequent conduct of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas into account—the del.be.-ate falsehoods in the affidavit sworn for the purpose of preventing the father seeing his child—his lordship said the jury were justified in coming to the conclusion that there had been an inducement held out. Mr. Justice Mellor said, though he agreed in the main with what had fallen from Mr. Justice Black- burn, yet still after giving a very careful consideration of the whole case he had come te the conclusion that there was no evidence of enticement which could be properly submitted to the jury. There was nothing to show that there had been an interview between Mr. and Mrs. Thomas up to the 23rd of March, 1868, when Miss Lyons left her home. Mr. Justice Lush agreed with Mr. Justice Mellor that there was no evidence to submit to the jury that the defendants enticed, procured, or persuaded the girl to leave her home. b Rule made absolute for a nonsuit accordingly.

LONGEVITY OF A PAUPER.—Last week an old woman named Mary Williams, living at Glanwern, Aberystwith, died at the advanced age of 103 years. WHAT NEXT ?-A movement is on foot in Ireland to relieve Roman Catholic prisoners from performing any kind of manual labour on saints'and "holy" days. Seeing that what is asked in this way in Ireland is equally legitimate in England, the ratepayers must be prepai ed to maintain all habitual criminals in idleness who avow themselves Roman Catholics. Of course it is quite possible for a strict priest seriously to embarrass any profitable industry, by insisting on the minute observance of the very numerous Church holy days, but what of that if the ''rights of conscience' be involved ? THOSE LADIES who have not yet tried the GLEN- FIELD STARCH, are respectfully solicited to give it a trial, and carefully follow out the directions printed on every package. It is rather more difficult to make than other Starches, but when this is overcome, they I will say like the Queen's Laundress, that it is the finest Starch they ever used. [13,319 The real enjoyment of the social meal is chiefly to be found in the invigorating qualities of the cup that cheers, bat not i nebriates." Consequently pllre tea,. of reliable strength, rich in flavour and moderate in price is daily increasing in demand. Messrs. Horniman, London, disallow the objectionable Chinese practice of colouring tea their imports consist only of the I choice jiowKj leaves that need no disguising, and are threfore reliable for lasting strength and cheapness. Prices 2s. 4d.—2s. 8d.-3s.-3s. 4d. and 3s. Sd. per lb. Genuine packets of Messrs. 11 ornillwn's tea bear their signature, and are sold by appointed Agents, those in this locality are advertised in our columns. HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT AND PILLS Danljerous Chest Gomplaints.-The enumeration of these diseases is scarcely necessary, as, unfortunately, most English- men know them to their cost. Coughs, common colds, influenza, bronchitis, asthma, pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, and even consumption in its early stages, are best treated by rubbing Holloway's Ointment upon the chest and upon the back between the shoulders. It penetrates internally, checks the cold shiverings, relieves the over-gorged lungs, gradually removes the oppression from the chest,°a'nd restores the obstructed respiration, hitherto so distressingly disagreeable and highly dangerous. In treating this class of diseases, Holloway's Pills should always be taken while using his Ointment; they purify the blood, promote perspiration, and allay dangerous irritations. ANOTHER CURE OF VIOLENT COUGH AND SORE THROAT BY DR. LOCOCK'S PULMONIC WAFERS.— Kirton near Boston.—Sir,—Having had an ulcerated sore throat and violent cough for several months, accompanied with excessive expectoration, and obtained no relief from my medical attendant, and being recommended by my neighbour, Mrs. Maddisou (who had experienced great relief from Dr. Locock's Wafers), to try them, I was induced to do so, and feel a great pleasure in bearing my testimony to a speedy cure ex- perienced by me from one box only.—CHARLOTTE HEAD." They give intant relief to asthma, consum- tion, coughs, and all disorders of the breath, throat, and lungs, and have a pleasant taste. Price Is. l £ d. and 2s. 9d. per Box. Sold by all Medicine Vendors.

AN IRISH BREACH OF PROMISE CASE. In the Dublin Court of Exchequer, on Saturday, Miss Mary St. Lawrence brought an action against Mr. Michael Skehan for alleged breach of promise of marriage, damages being laid at < £ 1,000. The defendant admitted the contract to marry, but pleaded that a reasonable time had not elapsed for its performance. „ Serjeant Armstrong stated the case for the plain- tiff, who, he said, was the daughter of a Limerick hat manufacturer. The defendant, Mr. Michael Skehan, was possessed of considerable property in the county of Clare. He had been married before, and was now between 40 and 50 years of age. In the month of April, 1869, he met Miss St. Lawrence, and commenced to pay her marked attentions. No secret was made of their engagement, and his pro- posal for her hand was accepted by the lady's fami- ly. The defendant had since requested an indefinite postponement of the marriage on account of his two sons and a daughter not being settled. Last Sep- tember the plaintiff wrote to him saying:— This business of ours is going on a long time, and I think the sooner it is arranged the better it would be for all parties. You said in your note of yesterday that you intended to settle down for the winter. I don't understand what you mean by that; it would appear to me that you don't wish to get married until Norah is settled; but if you are waiting for that, you might wait a long time." The defendant replied that he had no notion of getting married as long as he had an unmarried dauchte? at home. She told him this was a very frivolous excuse," reminded him that at the time he proposed it was understood that the marriage was to take place in a few months, and said it was generally reported through Limerick that he was o-oinc to be married to some widow, and that he had broken off his engagement with her (plaintiff). Mr. Heron, Q.C., in defence, said that Miss St. Lawrence, who was courted by deputy, was fully apprised of his intention not to get married until his daughter Norah was settled. The defendant, therefore, was in no hurry to get married; and he (Mr. Heron) believed that the plaintiff herself had postponed the ceremony from a disinclination to marry the defendant. He submitted that Skehan, forced into a corner, was willing to marry the plain- tiff all along, and if the Court was adjourned he was willing to marry her now. The defendant swore that he proposed to postpone the marriage, but had from the outset been sincere in his intention to marry the plaintiff.—The jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, damages 4100.

Tuesday was the thirty-second anniversary of Her Ma jesty's coronation. The ceremony took place on June 28, 183S. The Earl and Countess Fitzwilliam entertained a select party at dinner on Monday evening at their residence in Grorvenor-square- TIIREE" PERSONS BURNT TO DEATH.—On Monday Mr. Delsant, one of the coroners for Kent, held an inquest on the bodies of Mrs. Wamstall, a laundress and two children, who were burnt to death in their residence in King-street, Herne Bay, on Sunday The fire broke out at half-past twelve o'clock on that morning, and before the deceased could be saved the house was entirely destroyed. Mrs. Day a daughter of Mrs. Wamstall, escaped by jump n<y out of a window, but it is not expected that she will recover from the injuries she received. Evi- dence having been given regarding the finding of the remains of the deceased, the jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."

LITERARY SELECTIONS. To wish to do without our fellows, and to be under obligation to no one, is a sure sign of a soul void of sensibility. A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world; and if in the present life his happiness arises from the subduing of his desires it will arise in the next from the gratification of them. BOASTING OF PROFLIGACY.—The genuine man of gallantry generally endeavours to conceal his suc- cesses; but the counterfeit has the ineffable mean- ness to boast of favours that he has never received, and to represent that he is an object of admira- tion in quarters where he is regarded as a nuisance. PECULIARITIES OF AUTHORS.—The French his- torian, Mezerai, wrote only by a candle light, even in the day time and in the middle of Summer. He never failed to conduct his visitors to the door with a candle in his hand; and, whenever he wrote, a bottle of wine was placed on the table. Varillas, contemporary of Mezerai, wrote only by daylight. The French advocate, Cujas, always wrote and studied while stretched out on a carpet with his books around him. Magliabecchi, a learned Italian of the seventeenth century, passed all his life in the midst of books. His meals were most frugal, and a few eggs, with a little bread and water, his ordinary food. His usual bed was the chair he sat on, and, surrounded by his books, his thoughts were wholly absorbed in study. ICE.—The letter of a correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette on the price at which ice is sold in Lon- don touches on a grievance which is a perfect mar- vel to us that the English public endures so patient- ly as it does. The writer shows that London prices for ice are perfectly preposterous, nearly double what they ought to be, considering the cost of pro- due ion in Norway, the shipping dues, &c. For some time past we have had it in our mind to say 1something on this topic, and have only refrained from a perhaps exaggerated fear of seeming to sti- mulate public taste for what seems a luxury. But the more we think about it the more intolerable it seems to us that the present state of things should ,,s continue. We are fast coming to the conviction that the American view of this matter is the right one, and that ice ought not to be treated as a. luxury 1t all, but as a simple necessary of life in anything like hot weather. It is, of course, possible to abuse it. For example, there can be no question that the rapid eating of a large quantity of iced cream or pudding after a rich dinner may seriously interfere with digestion. But we wonder that it does not strike our social reformers that an enormous pro- portion of the intemperance of the lower middle classes is generated by the habit which they con- tract in hot weather of taking large quantities of malt liquor merely to satisfy thirst. Now it is absurd to ask these people, and still more absurd to ask folk whose notions are a shade more fasti- dious, to quench their thirst with that disgustingly fade liquid, London water. Ice, if it were reasona- bly cheap, would provide the means of quenching thirst to housands who now take strong drink for that purpose, very ineffectually, and with miserable afier-results.-The Lancet. AN ENERGETIC LAWYER AND STATESMAN.—In the spring of 1824 Mr. Webster was much concerned in the discussion then going on in the house of Repre- sentatives at Washington upon the tariff. One morning he rose very early-earlier even than was his custom-to prepare himself to speak upon it. From long before daylight till the hour when the House met, he was busy with his brief. When he was far advanced in speaking, a note was brought to him from the Supreme Court, informing him that the great case of "Gibbons v. Ogden" would be ealled on for argument the next morning. He was astounded at the intelligence, for he had supposed that after the tariff question should have been dis- posed of he would still have ten days to prepare himself for this formidable conflict, in which the onstitutionality of the laws of New York, granting a steamboat monopoly of its tide-waters, would be decided. He brought his speech on the tariff to a conclusion as speedily as he could, and hurried home to make such preparation for the great law argu- ment as the shortness of the notice would permit. He had then taken nofood since his morning's break- I fast,—but instead of dining he took a moderate dose of medicine and went to bed, and to sleep. At ten, p.m., he awoke, called for a bowl of tea, and without other refreshment went immediately to work. To use his own phrase, "the tapes had not been off the papers for more than a year." He worked all night, and, as he has told me more than once, he thought he never on any occasion had so completely the free use of all his faculties. He hardly felt that he had had bodily organs, so entirely had his fasting and the medicine done their work. At nine a.m., after eleven hours of continuous intellectual effort, his brief was completed. He sent for the barber and was shaved; he took a very slight breakfast of tea and crackers; he looked over his papers to see that they were all in order, and tied them up,—he read the morning journals to amuse and change his thoughts, and when he went into court, and made that grand argument which, as Judge Wayne said above twenty years afterwards, released every creek and river, every lake and harbour in our country from the in- terference of monopolies." Whatever he may have thought of his powers on his proceeding night, the court and the bar acknowledged their whole force that day. And yet, at the end of five hours, when he ceased speaking, he could hardly be said to have taken what would amount to half the refreshment of a common meal, for above two-and-thirty hours, md, out of the thirty-six hours immediately pre- ceding, he had for thirty-one been in a state of very high intellectual excitement and activity.— Ufe of Daniel Webster, by George Ticknor Curtis. DlLUYIAN FLOOD.—In every tribe of Indians in Korth America, from the Crows and Mandans on the sources of the Missouri, to the Mexican bor,lers —including the Crows, the Sioux, Mandans, Chey- enne, Arapahoes, Konzas, Pawnees, Osages, Paw- neepicts, Kiowas, Camanchees, the Snakes, the Apaehees, the Mohaves, Cochimtees, and many oth' rs—I found the existing tradition of the cat- aclysm of which I am speaking. Amongst the rorthern and mountain tribes the belief is, that the waters burst out from under the mountains and filled the valleys; alld amongst the Mandans that the submontagne agencies were four tortoises, on the backs of which the earth rests, each tortoise having rained ten days and nights, which caused the flood. Amongst the tribes further to the south, the waters were seen coming in waves like mountains from the east; and of the tens of thousands who ran for the mountains to the west, by some one man ) only, and by others two and seven, succeeded in reaching the mountain tops, and from these have descended the present races of Indians. The tribes in Central America and Mexico, in Venezuela, and in British and Dutch Guiara, distinctly describe these cataclysms—on by water, one by fire, and the third by the winds. These tribes nearer the vicinity of the terrible convulsions were cognizant of th";r whole effects of fire and winds, when the remoter tribes were sensible only of the flood and waters, which went to the base of the mountains. It is pro- ba1 ieand easy to suopose that, by a superstitious people, and from the looseness of traditions as tc dates and connection of incidents in great events, the three cataclysms of which these traditions spe ;k were all embraced in one. Fire and terrific flames would be the certain results of mountains sinking into the bo-om of volcanoes, such as exist under those regions; and winds and groaning tornadoes, mixed with the uprising and foaming mountain wit (rz;, would be sure to act their part. It is dif- ficult to conce;ve a cataclysm of fire or of winds only, and easy to imagine them at work together u" he terrible scenes to which we are alluding. That there has been one post-diluvian flood at least, destructive to the greater part of the native oopulations of the valleys of the American contin iil, there remains not a doubt; and there may have been two, or there may have been three, and from different, causes, though it seems difficult to identify them. That one such happened, and from the causes which have been named, may be received as an axiom, proved in the manner in which I am pro- gres.dng. Traditions of this, though for a long time received with supicion, g ive us the first account of it. From the date of the discovery of America by Columbus, to the present day, these traditions have stood, unchanged and unchangeable, as Indian history, but treated with suspicion or incredulity by historians, until the march of science has led to proofs corroborating all that such traditions had told us. It is often said of Indian traditions that they soon run into fables. This is very true, but when they relate to great events, like cataclys ms, they may be said to be longer-livgd than history. They may take the form and character of a fable, but the moral of that fable-the event-is never lost. History, and even monuments, may easily be destroyed, but traditions of great events never die ivhilst the rae4 exists, for it costs nothing to keep them up, and every member of the race, intelligent or ignorant, helps to keep them alive.-The Liftect and Subsided Bocks, of America,

All bread consumers will be pleased to learn that .?1afcurd iy's ,corn markets the price of| wheat fell one shilling aad, in some cases, two shillings per quarter

F A C E T T X. When the thermometer falls, how often, on an average, does it break ? What is the difference between the outer wall of a bridge and two nice young ladies ? The one ifl a parapet, and the other is a pair o' pets. A voter praising a favourite candidate at the late general election, said, "He is as fine a fellow as ever lifted a hat to a lady or a boot to a black-, guard." I QUERIES.-Is John's better half a demi-iohn R rvTi1>n oi n obtains a sweetheart is he an accepted Bill. biiould James a wife "want diamonds when she possesses a Jem already? Where are you going ?" asked a gentleman of an acquaintance. To see a friend," was the reply. "Then I should like to go with you," said his com- panion, for I never saw one yet." A RURAL PRINTER.—A printer out West, whose office is half a mile from any other building, and who bangs his sign on the limb of a tree, advertises for an apprentice. He says, A boy from the country preferred." ANTI-CLIMAX.-The hero of one of Balzac's shorter stories writes to a lady, from whom he has separated :—" Madame, not content with lacera- ting my heart, you have had the indelicacy to retain my tooth-brush." The following advertisement lately appeared in a. country paper "To Pianoforte Makers—A lady keeping a first-class school, requiring a good piano, is desirous of receiving a daughter of the above in exchange for the same. The Figaro gives a quick reply to an anonymous correspondent:—" A note written by a female hand, asks us, why in polite society etiquette allows a lady to pay a visit with her veil down. I really do not know, madame; but I would bet it is only ugly ones who set the fashion, and that it is only pretty women who make inquiries about it." UNCERTAINTY OF CONTENTMENT.—a gentleman had a board put up on a part of his land, on which was written, U I will give this field to any one who is really contented;" and when an applicant came, be asked, Are you contented ?" the general answer was, "I am;" ani his reply invariably was, "Then, what do you want with my field?" I heard the other day of a lady whose new house was elaborately decorated with parquctage and every fashionable novelty and, with no little pride, she was pointing out her parqueted fioor to a bosom friend, when said this bosom friend (who, of course, was not in the least envious), What a vory good imitation of oil-cloth.-Once a Week. TIME FOR ANOTHER TupN.Iii a real-property case before a French judge at an early period of the Revolution (the story is told by the elder Berryer), the defendant, whose title was contested, proved that the estate had been in his family for more than two hundred years. "Well, then," said the judge, it is now full time for another family to have a turn." A MISTAKE.—"Vat's de matter, vat's de matter ?" exclaimed on old Dutchman, as he tucked up his apron, and ran out of his shop to know the mean- ing of a crowd in his neighbourhood. There's a man,killed," replied a bystander. "Oh, ish dat all ? said the Dutchman, evidently disappointed ish dat all ? shoost a man killed ? I tho't it vas a JI fight." J Lord Erskine having lived a bachelor to an ad- vanced age, finally married his cook for the purpose of securing her services, as she had frequently threatened to leave him. After becoming Lady Erskine, she lost all knowledge of cookery; and it was a moral affront to hint the possibility of her knowing how any sort of eatables were prepared for the table. "Now, young people," said a professor of natural history to the class, now then, as to hens. A hen has the capacity of laying just six hundred eggs, and no more, and she finishes in just about five years. Now, what is to be done with her after that ?"I Cut off her head, and sell her for a Spring chicken exclaimed an urchin whose father dealt in poultry. At a tea party, where some Cantabs happened to be present, after the dish had been handed round, the lady who presided over the tea equipage hoped the tea was good."—"Very good, madam," was the I general reply, till it came to the turn of one of the Cantabs to speak, who, between truth and polite- ness, shrewdly observed: The tea is excellent but the water is smoky." BRINGING THEM TO REPENTANCE.—A gentleman, passing a country church while under repair, ob- served to one of the workmen, that he thought it would be an expensive job, Why, yes," replied he; but, in my opinion, we shall accomplish what our reverend divine has endeavoured to do for the last thirty years in vain."—" What is that ?" said the gentlemen.—" Why, bring all the parish to repentance." A naturalist wanted to take a monkey with him in a railway carriage from Southampton to London, but the guard of the train insisted that the monkey was a dog, and must go up in the dog van. The naturalist in high irritation took a tortoise out of his coat pocket, and demanded if that too were a dog. Whereupon the guard, like a true Briton, slowly but firmly replied, "No, sir-them's all right; them be hinsex." A GENTLE HINT.—A sportsman who, during the shooting season, had gone to pass a week with a friend in the country, on the strength of a general invitation, soon found, by a gentle hint, that he would have done better to wait for a special one. "I saw some beautiful scenery," was the visitor's first remark, as I came to-day by the upper road." —"You will see still finer," was the reply, "as you go back to-morrow by the lower one." RULING PASSION STRONG IN DEATH.—The grand- mother of a well-known celebrated English financier having reached the patriarchal age of ninety-nine years and eight months, feeling very weak one morning, sent for her doctor, and asked him if he thought she would attain the age of one hundred. "Well, madam," he replied, "you may depend upon my doing my best."—" Oh do," replied the old lady; I should so much like to reach par!" FACTS WORTH KNOWING.—Purchases at auctions are rarely bar-gains, but a counsel's profits are. It is fruitless work to plant railway cuttings and boot- trees. Troubles are the keys to silver locks. A miller is the last man to give bran new ide:.s. Age and experience give many a wrinkle." A disho- rest baker is the real champion of the light weights. The threepenny drinking den is the" ragged school" of vice. The brand of bad liquor is found on the toper's nose. The toast of a jilted lover is —" Women and whine." A lawyer at a circuit town in Ireland dropped a ten-pound note under the table while playing at cards at the inn. He did not discover his loss un- til he was going to bed, but then returned imme- diately. On reaching the room he was met by the waiter, who said, "I know what you want, sir, you have lost something."—"Yes, I have lost a ten- pound note."—" Well, sir, I have found it, and here it is."—" Thanks, my good lad; here's a sovereign for you."—"No, sir, I want no leward for being honest; but," looking at him with a knowing grin, wasn't it lucky that none of the gentlemen found it." A farmer, believing himself to be dying, sent for a clergyman, and somewhat shocked that good man by the off-hand, easy way in which he announced his fitness to die. Pressed upon certain topics, par- ticularly upon the question of forgiveness to his enemies, he said he forgave everybody who had in- jured him "except John Bat of Poundstock." John had played him such a trick about the sale of a certain cow, that the farmer declared nothing should make him forgive him. Impressed by the exhorta- tions of the clergyman, and moved by fear of the consequences of dying unforgiving and unforgiven, he turned to the minister and said, with an air of satisfaction at having hit off a solution of the diffi- culty, I tell 'e what, maister, if I die, I'll forgive un but if I gets well, I'll at 'un agen." WESTERN ETIQUETTE.—The Yankee traveller who saw the live Hoosier has again written to his mother telling her his experience as follows i—" Western people are death on etiquette. You can't tell a man here that he lies without fighting. A few days ago a man was telling two of his neighbours, in my hearing, a pretty large story. Says I, 'Stranger, that's a whopper.' Says he, c Lay there, stranger,1 and in the twinkling of an eye I found myself in the ditch, a perfect quadruped. Upon another occasion says I to a man I never saw before, as a woman passed, 'That isn't a specimen of your Western women, is it ?' Says he, You're afraid of fever and ague, ain't you ?'Very much,' says I. 'Well,' replied he, that lady is my wife,' and if you don't apologise in two minutes, by the honour of a gentle- man I swear that these two pistols' (which he held cocked in his hands) I shall cure you of that disorder entirely.' So I knelt down and politely apologised. I admire this Western country much but dash me if I can stand so much etiquøt.+l'" it always takes! me unawares."

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v i°&al a 1 imPossiKl °f rliayments for culivation. That would > not "ie\ "he circumstances of various localities it e a Bat' I comPared '• therefore they could not J 8s thin 10aJ" system of payments. It was one of ng adi J wever» that he did feel was capable of a Positing+i so that the tenant farmer might be in ^&atit,v 0 know what his concern was worth— srise to ° fetch in case of any exigency that might Iiis leaving a farm. (Hear, hear.) ^QiSof • sai(* should have touched upon and f a°^ce- Well, he purposely avoided doiDg Westahr i • reason that he thought that with any ^«y far^ u§ tenant right it mattered not whether P*otectjr, "uder lease or six months notice, their n WouW be in the custom suggested,—they Ver get the landlords into one mind as to vi'Ha Tlle>' c°ul(l never attain their object an<1 therefore it behoved them to do every- °ftev,COul<i to get that object attained by getting Me by which the farmers can at any time pr?per calculation of their outlays. He asix6 uMer sucll circumstances as those, that even Qotice to quit need not be a hardship, ^t Was at present, and was a thing he never T) r of being given to anyone. With regard Plyraellt for guano and superphosphate Mr. ? ^ialiea t taisocl au objection to his views. Now Puate understood that guano and superphos- °f any root apP'ie<1 to the root crop for the cultivation a°t only in that crop being valued, they were Pt0duces^yit>g for roots, but for every operation that ^PlainjQ^ose rootg. (Hear, hear.) Af:er lengthily VR°n*b]e Plrcumstances under which it would not be tlie r take artificial manures, in connection j,eVefalqD°°t crops, into consideration, and answering a etTer} t estions bearing upon this point, the speaker to oU ° 'he objections raised against his suggestion custom. Now as there seemed such Potye!Veel*no> he did not wish to go to Parliament ^leas th he would say they could not get custom ? a cow cl"lstom would bring them into recognition .tablp law. After illustrating the results of questionable customs, Mr. Fletcher ha C°11^ not make customs for themselves it °r gett1 a Gational system of custom. He would be at. them established without going to Parlia- °Pted !vey did in Lincolnshire; but if they were The fOe.y should be made secure and iirm. deut Contract is as good as custom, and Mr. can^Her And that is what you cannot get— t>t g^.get contracts generally. I mean to say I e landlntlrely agree with your suggestion as to taking upon himself the cost of valuation. Mr. t^'dent Then you would not let hiin. 'etcher I don't think anything would be Poll h. air ;t in the landlord would be taking Xjje p shoulders matters he ought not. Jljj. Resident And you say you would not let him. Ti) -r letcher I would not. w e ^resident Then I would. Fletcher considered nothing would be more tit POPular in the county than if it were suggested the landlord should take upon himself that por- of improvement left by the out-going tenant. e landlord would be prepared to find his money at y foment when a man left his farm. Me President thought Mr. Fletcher was under a sj^Pprehension. He was not speaking of cornpul- «lj,l"he would not allow a landlord to take that uPon himself, nor would he allow any com- faGir?n 111 the matter. His object was to render incoming tenants. He was only a small a i or(i himself, and only the other day he changed oi)f^atlt on a farm in Westmoreland, and paid the "gome tenant down £ 100. fciw1"' j;uvr<ince You are a rich man, you see—a SrmwC°uIdnotdoit- Pav ,i' ?^ins And you (Mr. Piesident) make him The'p1 the same amount" on tij "esident Not at all he pays small interest he Woul i ay'. Captain Fletcher quite mistook him, the ten f ay Was desirable in certain cases," and ^°t itrm easily repay by degrees, which would Mr. w.Ve,]ish his capital. at t thought you would have been the ^he p 1 v W01'ld to sanction a sliding scale. that s^rt (luite agree with a sliding scale Iher conversation, Mr. Fletcher urged such should ensure a definite understanding. icn W-J(;u £ ~><M or £ 60(> was Paid down for j evv ^othi ^provements, of wrhich the landlord ? 'an'Uord^' ifc was a most unsatisfactory thing for f Alt-, La',vr„to enter into. or main-1 thought it would be an inconvenieuce The Pj, 'Ofds to do it. °ther thin^Sl('ent remarked that there were many them 10 i?S ^au<llords found inconvenient to do. Let see through Monmouthshire, and they would buil r °s t-hey did not do. After referring to that r]. he said the object of tlieir proceedings to y W't to force anything upon anyone, but i, express their views—to carry out one object—and C1\at object was to further such arrangements as ^ight lead to keep up the fertility of the land and Whether it was the landlords who paid the outgoing tenant, or otherwise, was immaterial to them, so as they could agree amongst themselves what should be considered a tenant's interest when he was leaving. Mr. Till thought it would be much better if the Jknarit farmers settled that matter amongst thein- *ves. (Hear, hear.) He thought it was better to <Jthe outgoing tenant, in order that another should V^t0a farm in good condition, than it was to have farm into condition. They would have tc least seven years, and whilst the horse was tor corn, he would die of starvation. He it better a man should pay for improvements for aú to a farm in a bad state, and lay out money eOlldi/etl years—(hear, hear)—to get the farm into ^Hld'?11" Then, again, a system of tenant-right '»llvUJG much better than a system of lease. Geue- toot a maa t°°k a farm for a term of 21 years fajjjj seven years to get it in order, seven years to (I^o ,lt pretty well, and seven years to work it out. Alr lauShter.) 0njv Wiggins again addressed the meeting. They t)' Wanted a fair settlement of the question. Their Qn S!.Qess there that day was to get the principle of the uste(l improvements recognised, and to discuss ir^ Matter as to what they considered unexhausted ^^vements. ^oun Lawrence And another important subject 80 he for the tenants and landlords to come to }fo j Unanunous decision with references to leases. t0 °nbt very many .desire leases—he did not object i^t ease himself—but many landlords did. In many jjj ances ^eases were uupracticable. There were y Ulun who had insuperable objection to leases, c 1 thought it would be better if some principle + adopted by which a good tenant fanners ysterii could be laid down from which there could be 0 deviation. (Hear hear). He had grave objections 0 legislation still he did not see how it was possible 0 down a law without legislation. They might ■Possibly make a custom which would be a violation of law. Y The President You could not make a custom now. Q our lifetime you could not. Mr. Higgins said Mr. Fletcher had made remarks With reference to his (the speakers) allusion to a six ^onths notice. Well it was a short time, was that, i^elve months gave a man sometime to look around lm, and to shift himself somewhere but six mouths v< ry short time, (Hear hear). Ouf k ^etcher I don't think your views are borne y the facts in Lincolnshire, where they hold their Mr nionths' notice. better -his Twelve months' notice, I think, is Mr T give the tenant a chance. t0 (ln:n'JWr6'lce '• It is a great hardship for any tenant M pholding in six months. hiwh)' etcher Well, if a man had been farming <= !y> and spending his money liberally on improve- u-tS many years, it would be a hard thing if he had Mr. Higgins remarked that they could ask' the eehngs of the farmers present; or if they canvassed e county, they would find the feeling in favour of twelve months. VOTE OF THANKS TO MR. FLETCHER, The President did not think they could get into a 6 neral discussion, with any propriety, without first •ax Slng a vo^e thanks to Captain Fletcher for the Ce^ent paper he had read. He had brought before facts which they would have found troublesome difficult to collect; but they would find them etui when they thought the subject over hereafter. the same time, with respect to notices, he must °iess that six months was a miserably short time for with his wife and family to have to look °UQd him when he was sent adrift from his farm th much rather see twelve months given. If could have a recognised system of compensation ^Ween the outgoing and incoming tenant, it would t signify to the landlord giving a notice Gf twelve nths instead of six. Under a satisfactory system it tena' be as much to the landlord's interest as the at's, to adopt a twelve months' notice. He felt ofjJ"e w'as much cogency in the remarks that had been becf1"6^ ah°ut the six months being too little. He ^e'l sincerely to thank Captain Fletcher for the ^er he had read. Sjjj, r- Lawrence seconded the resolution. He was Xjj6 hey were much indebted to Captain Fletcher. D°t have had ihe information he had given (ft without devoting a great amount of time. £ >W) "Wiggins, on behalf of tite tenant farmers pre- Mr e§g°d to endorse what had been said. n t. Fletcher thanked t the meeting for the kind ia which they had received the paper. Its preparation had been a pleasure to him, and he would I only be stating what was correct when he said, it had ) been an arduous labour to bring all those facts toge- t ther regarding the interests concerned and touching upon facts without giving offence, or in any way hurting the feelings. It was a matter requiring some thought, and he might say he felt a heavy responsi- bility, after having accepted the invitation to bring a paper forward but having put his hand to the plough he would not look back. (Applause.) He had simply brought such facts as he considered plain truth, and they would go forth to the county, without, he thought, anything to fear. (Loud applause.) A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the proceedings.