Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills

THE PROSECUTION OF THE REV. C. VOYSEY. A fund is being raised for the purpose of enabling the Rev. C. Voysey, vicar of Healxugh, to defend himself against the charge* of heresy alleged against him by the Archbishop of York. In subscribing to the fund, Dr. Stanley, Dean of Westminster, says that, while strongly deprecating Mr. Voysey's mode of treating Biblical nd sacred subjects, he cannot but be aware that it is an exaggeration caused by equally reprehensible exaggerations of another kind, and at the same time he con demns and r. grets n uch that the sermons contain, he recognises in them no It-as a rare honesty of purpose, as well as a humble and devout faith, which seem to him to demand the utmost sympathy for the frame of mind which has led to results in other respects to be lamented. There a-e, however," sayoi the Dean, other and more general rra-ons why I am glad to have this opportunity of pro- testing against a course which appears to me fraught with mischief to the Church ;— "(1.) The questions which Mr. Voysey has stirred are such as agi ate he minds both of clergy and laity in an unusual rla- gree at the iressnt time. They admit of every conceivable shad., n ta--ir mode of exposition and solution. Persons of hiah tank in the Church are known to have entertained them, .ia at times given them utterance without drawing Upon thurnselves legal prosecution, or even considerable bUme. Under tnese circumstances an attempt at an abrupt suppression of their agitation in asmele instance appears to ziie ti e leat desirable conclusion that could be an iverl at (2) Tht-se questions are agitated not only in the Church of England bun, more or Itoss, in all the Churches of Europe. On some of the most important of tnem latitude of thought find expression, at least in theory, is still left. in the Roman Ca hohc and Eastern Churches, is openly allowed in many Piotestant Churches, and has o. been authoritatively res- tiviined in some narrow and liru it" communities. It would be a deplorable issue if such a restraint were to be enforced hy the Church of England, first amon- the historical Churches of Christenoom. "3 In principle, the latitude demanded has been conceded by recent judgments, as is confessed hy those who regard tliefe judgments with alarm All, therefore, that could be ifiVcitd by an adverse decision In this instauce would be a limitaijon in point of detail which would leave a sense of personal hardship, without fu: iiisliing any guide for future action 4.) These are some of the evils which would result if the prosecution were successful. On the other hand, even those who have urged the prosecution must be sen-ible of the evil cousi-qnences if it were successful. Theie are many among the hi.If-educated and uneducited classes who, not being able to distinguish between the form and the substance, the ier er and the spirit, would imagine that if Mr Voysey were i., quitted the Church of England would stand committed to l Ltit the crude or extravagant expressions which he may have u-Hi 1, It would certainly be presumed, with reason, that i e:• "y statement public! ed by him and either tiot .prosecuted S o not condemned is he.no foi ob admissible. It ill obvious tn n this would ietul to an agitation and reaction of the very kiud which the prosecution is intended probably, to avert."

THE BURG COLLIERY EXPLOSION. The opinion that the unfortunate miners in the Bury Colliery in Saxony were all immediately killed by the explosion proves incorrect. In the note book of the miner Bahr the following entry has been found:— "This is the last place where we have taken refuge I have given up all hope, because the ventilation in the Sc^engottes fchfift and the Hoflnungs shaft has been destrojed in three separate places. May God take myself, and my relations and dear friends wno must die with me, as well as our families, under his protection.—Ernst Bähr" In the HoffiiuDgs shaft, too, the following word. have been found Janetz died. Richter left his family to God." And again :— "Farewell, dear wife! farewell, dear children! May God keep jou.—Gottlieb Heimann." And lastlv Farewell, dear wife and children! I did not think it would end so.—Obermann." One of the name of Schmidt had pinned a paper with the following words to the breast of his blouse My dear relation*, while seeing death before me I remem- ber you. Farewell till we meet again in happiness. The rest I must leave to you. Between nine and ten o'clock." On the other side stood the words :— "Dear wife, take good care of Mary. In a book in the bed room you will find a thaler. Farewell, dear mother and Sisters, till we meet again." All must have been over about ten o'clock on the 2,;d inst. Ou the 12"h, 236 bodies had been recovered. By far the greater part must have died suddenly. Some time will probably elapse before the others are recovered, on account of the masses of earth that ob- struct the way.

OUR DOMESTIC SUPERSTITIONS. Proselyte sends the following letter to The Times for publication :— In >our article of this day relative to the ill-treatment of Mr. Henry Jencken in the south of Spain, you express great doubts of the power possessed by some persons, under extra- ordinary conditions, of moving tables, Ac I was always a se ep ic "until I was a witness, with several others, of the lol- lowing truths:— 1863 one of my sisters was visiting a lady who had a niece possessed of wonderful power. Orie morning my sister niece possessed of wonderful power. One morning my sister Will seated on a large sofa, and the subject was introduced. She expressed greit doubts, on which the young lady re- quested my sister to place her hand on the mahogany frame of the sofa. The young lady placed her hand on the opposite part, and immediately the sofa moved away from its position and came violently in contact with the diaing-table. My sister was frightened and got up, and subsequently the young do dy asked her to ge on the table. This she did, and being again requested to place her hand on it, the operator placed hers also, and without a moment's delay the table moved towards the bow window. My lister jumped down and looked fearfully at the lady. A few moii'hs after my sister related this to me. I was as towards the bow window. My lister jumped down and looked fearfully at the lady. A few mOIJlhs after my sister related this to me. I was as well acquainted with the parties as she was. It happened that in the following year, 1864, I came with my family to London, and, among other visitors, the aunt and niece called one morning, while we were at lunch. We mentioned the circumstances which I have related and on expressing our doubts the aunt said her niece did not like to show her power, as she really felt frightened at it herself and her father Atrut,gly objected to her displaying it, but as we were such Old friends she would not mind showing us, provided any oue had the influence nece sary to assist her. Joi- wife went to a heavy armchair, which is in my house at tbi. and bdllll of rather an excitable temperament the lady thought b.e might aid her po" er. The hands were Mftrerf mv wife's on one side and the lady's on tbe other. ThechaiMnstanth moved several feet wiihmjwii« on it, who got up in fright and astonishment Isa d totirty r, e. will you try to move tlwcabiuet piano ? ^nd^Tthe, against the wall. The two ladies placed their hands "the extreme enrs of the piano, which advanced out from the wall some distance. rnnTT1 At that moment a young man-servant was in tne rojm clearing awa.v tbe lunch, and locking with surprise the lady said, I I wonder if George has any power? Be was re- quested to plate hi hand on the dininy-t ble The hQy placed hers, and the table with all tne lunch things on It made a riaih towards the fire place, and the boy was fixed L-g.ty.st the wall His fright can only be judged of by those "ho witnessed it. A round table, mahogany, was standing in the bow win- dow one of the casters was off. The young lady touched it accidentally at the same time that my wife's hand was on it, looking at the boy's wondering gaze. A noise was heard coming from the table, which ultimately moved hastily towards the window, and there it remained close to the frame. All this occurred in my dining-room at Malda- hill We were afterwards told that on one occasion in her own house tne servants wanted to move a four post bed, and, not being able, the housemaid said, Let us ask Miss M- to assist us." She came up, and, telling the servant to place a hand upon the wooden post at the foot, the young lady placing hers on the other, the bed moved forward, and would have proceeded, had not the lady and servant taken on their hands. The bed required men's aid to get back again to its original place, being large and very heavy. I give you the names at foot for private information, to satisfy you of the truth of these very extraordinary circum- stances.

A NATIONALITY FIGHT. Thd Brighton Daily New. reports a aevere fight between Belgian and English workmen near that town. There are si large number of foreigners, principally Belgians, employed in building the new nunnery at Ditchling Common, and a feud seems to have existed between them and the English workmen in the neigh- bourhood, but there has never been an actual outbreak Until now. There haying been a club day among the members of a ClJurt of Foresters held at an inn last week, a large party of the foreign mechanics came over in the even- ing, but it was not thought proper to allow them to go upstairs into the club-room, and this seems to have led to a ùisturbance the foreigners drawing their knives and uiaku g an indiscriminate attack on the company and a young man, a blacksmith, not being aware of what was going on, on coming down stairs was severely Wounded, his head being laid open by a thrust with a kiiiie. The aggressors wcie soon bundled out 0' doors, when, meeting wit); a reinforcement, they made an attack on a cart belonging to a man named Donovan, and, arming themselves with some sticks he had, again forced their way into the house and attacked the party. By this time the blood of the English was thoroughly aroused, and a terrific hand-to-hand fight between the club men and the Belgians took place, the former being supplied by a man named Walder with his ''three-a penny" sticks, which they found very handy cudgels, the foreigners brandishing and freely u.ing their knives and sticks. Poor Walder came in for a tremendous blow on the head from one of the Belgians, who stood six feet four inches high, which completely stunned him. Wnile the fight was furiously raging, police-constable Diven stepped in, a,d siding with his countrymen, coolly drew his truncheon, and before the invading party, who made a furious onslaught on him, could say Jack Robinson," gave them some gentle reminders, laying six or seven prostrate in half as many minutes. The Belgians now numbered between thirty and forty, and fought savagely, but their opponents were too nimble, and used their fists and sticks too skilfully for them, and, not caring to give quarter, drove them before them. until every one was fairly cleared off the c immon. This occurred between eleven and twelve o'clock at night, and it seems that on their road home the foreigners met a young man named Joynes, whom they shamefully assaulted and ill-treated. The police are in possession of the names of several of the ringleaders, but although the lady superior of the nunnery treated them with marked politeness, hnd pretended to give every information in her power, they are studiously kept out of sight, and it is reported that sixteen have been sent home to Belgium. Three of the wounded are confined to their beds.

THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS AND HIS WARNING. Much as the Crimean war crippled Russia and hu- miliated her statesmen, Russians have good reason to be proud of their gallant defence of Sehastopol; and we are not surprised to learn that they are anxious to preserve even the minutest memory of the war. On the 15th of the present month they opened at Sebasto- pol a great Museum wholly devoted to reminiscences of the famous siege. First of all it contains portraits of the Emperors Nicholas and Alexander of the Grand Dukes Nicholas, Michael, and Constantine; and of the different commanders who directed the Russian forces. Then there are models of the fortress, models of the Russian fleet which was sunk, models of all the various arms employed in the operations, pictures ot the chief incidents of the siege, and every possible publication and sketch that can be obtained relating to the war. These were all to he collected in time t" greet the arrival of General Todtleben, who so gal- lantly sustained the s ege, and who was to open the Museum. A grand ceremony was to take place at the opening, followed by public rejoicings, and the date of all dates chosen for the occasion was that on which France celebrates her victories and her glories—the Napoleonic aiiTjiversary-Augiist 15.. Remarking upon this the Daily News says :— We pay our tribute of respect to gallant foes, and do not grudge to the Russian the pride which he takes in his stub- born though uvsuccessiul opposition to the am>ie= of p, West; yet as we read the programmes of these lejoicings we are irresistibly reminded of the Czar who raised the con- test, and of the feafui humiliation which it inflicted upon him It Killed him It may even be said that this proud, imperious spirit, which alone defied the public opinion of E irope and provoked the war, so quailed before his defeats as in a manner to commit suicide. Every message from the south brought him ill tidings, and he giew thin and haggard, his ejes sunk and weary. It was winter, and for two da a he shut himself up in his apartment-ill. On the third day it was colder than ever, yet he incited on going < ut to wit iie'i a:'VrAtid review. As he left his apartment lie met Ills physician. Dr. Mandt, and thanked him, declaring him- self better. But the doctor hung to the CYar, begging and praying him for his li e's sake not to go out. Yon are mad, Mandt," said the Emperor. Sire, >on musk resign yourself," still U'ged the doctor Do you think it would t»e daneerou* for me to go out r, the Emperor asked. "It is my duty to warn you tnat the danger is great." Well, then, Mandf, you have done your duty in warning me I will do my duty by going out." Mandt was for a moment astounded, but recovered him self, and rejoined the Emyeror just as he sprang on his hor-e But to his renewed solicitation, the Czar only replíed-" I have spoken, Mandt; 1 thank you, but to insist would be useless." The doctor then pointed to the light coat which the Emperor wore, and declared that thus cld he -as rushing on cel tain death. "What more?" tain the E nperor. The doctor, emboldened, delared that the Emperor's conduct amounted to suicide. And who permit'ed you, Mandt, to scrutinise my thoughts? Go-do not insist further-l order you After the review the Emperor returned pale—shaking— frozen I am very ill," he said to an aide-de-cimp It was immediately suggested that Mandt should be sent for. U is useless; he warned me." He warned your Majesty 1" "Yes, that I was killing myself" The aide wa shocked, but the Emperor continued: "Death! is it not the best thing for mi: ? Good-bye, old friend. I wish to sleep. Let no one disturb me" And so the proud spirit departed, crushed by the defeats which the Russians BOW, and with jus- tice, are proud to have withstood so long.

PEASANT PROPRIETORS. The Rev. Henry Moule, of Fordingham Vicarage, writes the foUuwmg tn The Times:- During 50 years' residence among the pesantry of Wiltshire and DOl et.hire, and with the improvement of the condition of tte working elas.es continually befure me as tbe second great object 0; my life, 1 have had full opportunity of observ- ing the working of peasant proprietorship, and though on grounds V61'Y d¡1f"reut frim those adduced in your leader of w-d..), I have loog heen convinced that its tendency ili rather to the misery and the deterioration thu to the happinelll and improvement of the peasant. About 70 years ago tbe Earl of Shaftesbury If that day sold about an acre of laud in thi. parish-a suburb of Dorchester, in ahout eight 01' nine lots. At or near the same tim about a, many peasants weie allowed to make themel ve. proprie- tors "f aR many portiolls of a piece 01 waste of the eltatø of the Duchy 01 C,)rJl wall. There åre persons living who reeollect there being eighteen or twent) tolerably comturtable cottages on these two pieces of land TheIe ill now dWtcllillg on them a population of 1,0.0 or 1,10 > s'uls. J have seen myself n'uch of diviiion and subdivision I f tile properties I have et-li the divided or the suI/divided portion fall into the hands of the mrtfj'ugf'1 "ho tad advallceol money for repair 01' for additioual bUlld- inet. On one of these peasant < roperties there has stood for the last thirty-five years a square of wretched dwellings, al,out ten feet square, without oue oot of accommodation heyond Ihe ground floor. These were erected Ht>y a builder to whom the peaant proprietor (Oold the land I don't hesitate to assert ilia* the misery and vice which h,w6 at- tetmed that e8tahlihmer,t of eighteen or twenty cottalle prolJertles seventy 01' euh'y years ago have va.tly out- weighed all7 beuetlt it could have expected to confer on the workii g classes. But while I fed thus as to peasant proprietorship, my convictions lire very ditferent as to Jlf'Ii8"-nt tenantry • and 1 hope so >n to be ab)., to show the public that it will bti greatly to loe interest of all clnsses, that it WIll tend greatly to the social and moral improvement of the working classes, and that it wjlJ add greatly to the increase of the produce of the soil, if, at least in the neighbourhood of our vilhges and smaller towns, the labourer, the mechanic, and the shopman uny have the opportlllÜty of renting a quarter of an acre, halt au acre, or t'ue or two acres of land at a fair rent. If the cultivation of tOuch portions, varying according to cir. cumstances, be feasible (alld thl" is fudy capahle of proof) if It can he done wIthout any abstraction of his time and strength from the mail's employer; nd it fro, the culti vatiou of evrn tbe 8maller of th se portions it can he shown that a man ma) add 4s. a week to hil income, theN I am Bur" that iu the absorpiion of small propertielil iuto larger, of which In your leader you speak, there must oe some con- sideration shown for thee c as-es. The advocates of edu- cation and 01 emperance UlUBt pay more attention to thil 8ubJect than they have hitherto done,

RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN AMERICA. .A. orrespondent gives the following particulars of the dreadtul railway accident that recently occurred in America. Rulway disasters, with logg of life and terrible wounds are such common afTairs ill America that they dn notaUract my great amount of attention, It may b. otherwise, how- ever, In El1gIand. A dl!!lI.8ter, accompanied with more than the uual horrors, was repored m my hst letter alii having occurred by a train ILt nlldmght breaking through a bridge ami then getting burnt, near ClarkwlUe Tennessee. Tne train, c01!htin of an express, lllgga¡l8, to passenger, and oloe xl.-eping ars, was runniug f om Memphis, Tennessee, during the HIght, to Louisville, Kentucky. It carried pro- bably •50 passengers, man- Of whom had come long distance*, the tram being a last oue, ou th", througl1 route from New Or/ealls to New York The passengers h .d retired for the night, and the guard, htiug behiud time" increased his rate of speed to such a degree that leveral passengers had a feeling of insecurity, and some of those tn the sleplllg car rose and j ut on their clothing. About on6J o'clock itsudùenly became evident that lIomething was wrong. There wall a rough, jolting mOTement u J the tram wu off the track and the can came to a sudden standstill. The passengers were congratulating themselves that ali dangor was over, when the carl, which were really on a poise ou the top of the broken bridge, pitched down, carrying all hands with them, and lay a crushed ana ghastly heap in the basin of the stream, 50 feet below. notwithstanding the shattering of the cars and the terrible woun,1s inflicted, after the crash nut a voice was heard. Everything was as still as death. About 100 feet of the bridge had fallen, and the speed of the train had been 10 high that it carried the train ullder the por- tion of the bridge that was aim standing on the other aide of the creek. The people who were unhurt set to work to care for the wounded, when the wreck caught 11re from the IIn. gine furnace and burnt fiercely, consuming in a little while the entire traIn, excepting a portion of the sleeping car, and alllo buming the remails of the bridge. One or two of the dead were burnt, hut 110 bravely did the survivors work that it is believe,1 no living person suffoered from the fire. There were four persons killed and I',me forty seriously injured. Alm"st all the luggage and all the mail matter were burnt. The dstruction of property is estimated at 300,000 dols. The sceiie after the ois .ster was most forlorn. It was a dark, moonlesl night, cold and damp. A dense thicket lined the road, shrouded by the thick smoke arising from the burning ruins. Many tlf the wouncted were undressed, aud, suffeiing from the cold, lay on the wet ground in UII- tuld agouy. It was fWO hours bef,¡re HlJother train came alollg fiom whICh assistance could Ge proemed tnd hy thi th" do,¡a(t and wounded were taken to Claksvilie, eijfht llliia distant, a' living soon af er daybreak, and recddIJg wost Ù",yoteua,Lt:IJtiv;J.s ÜO..ll ale ciiizeus.

A MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY. Every one residing in Naples has been horritled by the details of a III urd.!r, which was committed last Thursday night, fa a first-class carriage of the night train to Rome and Florence. The particulars are thus given by the correspon- dent of The Tmœll The victim was the Contessa Armanda Sartores Ribrandi Cattaneo da Novat a—a long name, but you roust take it as it is. Separated from her husband, to which it is necessary to allud she came from V ogbera, in the north of Italy, to Naples about a fortnight since, and took lodgings at San Paolo, a village near Nola! Here she was in the habit of receiving every evening leYeral officers of a cavalry regiment, among whom waø a Lieutenant Negri. ODe evenmg last week, the cries of the Countess, in a half-8uffocated tone, were heard beseeching for belp, on hich thelandlord, Signor Contieri, went out on the staircase, fired a phot, and met Negri runnin down. He then went to the Co- tess, who confessed that 8he had come to San Paolo III order to see Negri, who had SOIDtj letters or papers of herB which he rfused to give up that aftlilr her "society" had left her tbat evening he returned, having Bent away the servants under Borne excuse and closed th doors, when he endeavoured to force her to write a letter to her friends stating she had committed suicide. What could have been the mo- tive for this can only be imagined. On her hesita- ting to do this he snatched a dagger from her hand, whieh she carried for self.defl;lnce-" aDd was in the act of IiItriking her, when he fled to aother room, followed f her maddened lover. The dagger was again up- htted, when he pistol-shot fired by the landlord seemed to paralyze hIm, and he made his escape. In apartmeut she remained all the night, and Negri re- turned to ask her pndun, in8i8ting also on remaining ill another room. Ou the Dext day (Wednesday) several of the officers of the regiment, hearing of the affair, oa.meh the bouse to piotect the Countess, who determined to return to Voghera the next cl-AY-Tbursday last. Two officers and the landlord,. Contieri, accompanied ker as far as Caserta, where they left her, the Countess re- fusing their society any further, adding that she had no longer any fear. On the train arriving at Isoletta, the station on the Roman frontier, the body of the un- fortunate woman was found extended on the floor of the carriage, a revolver at her feet, a pistol-shot in her head, and her hands covered with blood and cut as if by glass. More than this is not known at present. Some assert they saw Negri get into a third-class carriage, dressed as a civilian, in the same train by which the Countess left, and that his cap was found near her. If so, he is suspected of having walked along the foot board to her carriage, and of having shot her through the win- dow,^ Of him nothing has yet been heard. This horrible tragedy, which I report almost in the same jvords that it is described in all the journals of Naples, has created here an immense sensation in all its de- tails it is most revolting, and might furnish another Mrs. Rtdcliffe with materials for a sensational romance. A highly-respectable journal, in de- fending Negri against the imputation of theft, also says there wan be no ground for the cu,picit)n in the simple fact of his having loved a woman so desperately as to murder her. "He was not a mauvais suiet. He was well-born, rich, honest, and only vain." In another^ passage he is described as unfortunate." Thus it is (continues The Times' cor- respondent) the crime is condoned, and that a sympathy with it generates that prevalent sentimental feeling against capital punishment. Wonderful to relate, however, Neapolitan juries have within the las two months brought in verdicts in three cases without attenvanti civr.ostanu." Justice still hesitates; there are the Court of Appeal and the Royal mercy to be ] invoked. The probabilities are that the sentences of three heinous murderers will be commuted. (

DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT OF MINERS. On Monday a mass meeting of S uth Yorkshire miners was held at Sheffield. The gathering com- prised from 4,000 to 5,000 miners, many of whom are either locked on or on strike. The president was Mr. Moore, of Sh, ffild, who, as mayor of that town, ha.1 taken an active part in trying to bring about a settle- ment of the disputes in the distiict by means of arbi- tration. Addresses were delivered by Mr. S. Plimsoll, M.P. for Sheffield, and other, Several resolutions, pledging the meeting to support those locked out, and also re- gretting that the masters would not settle the differ- ences between them, were carried by the meeting. At about one o'clock a non-unionist was decried coming from his employ, and was immediately chased by a number of the union men. Volleys of stones were thrown after him, but he succeeded ia reaching u-S v~ome'an<^ barred the door behind him. Adjoiuing his house were three others, and the unionists at once made an attack upon them. The first was occupied hy a small shopkeeper. The door of the house wa- smashed in, also the windows, and, in fact, almost every piece of household furniture in the dwelling. Ihe cl ck upon the wall was kicked to bits, and the flJor of the house covered with large pieces of stone and bricks.^ The occupants managed to escape with but a few injuries. A chest of drawers was broker open and the money taken, and a bag of flour dragged out of doors and distributed over the ground. (( The second house iu the row was inhabited by a knob-stick notoriety, named Daniel Ensor. This man had just returned from his work, and he at once barred the door and closed the shutters of his house. He then prudently retired into the ctllar with hi" family. A volley of stones thrown at the premises intimated that the attack had begun, and the next in- stant the door was kicked almost to match-wood. A scene of destruction then ensued, the furniture of the house being broken and the pictures dragged from the walls. A handsome chest of drawers was broken into and B7 taken out of it. It then became known that Ensor was in the cellar, so he made a rush up- stairs. He snatched a red hot poker from the fire and a miner's pick, and with these he struck at his as.atlauts. He speedily cleared a road for himself and his family, and Oe it a hasty retreat to the adjoining pit. He was much bruised and cut with the missiles which were thrown at him. One large Rtone, weighing about SIb., was thrown through the window of an upper storey, and so firmly embedded in the wall that it was unable to be with- drawn. A lodger in the house had to jump from an upstairs window, and run the gauntlet 'through a shower of brickbats. The whole row of houses looked as though a volley from a number of field-pieces had been directed against them. At about four o'clock a force of police arrived, and the rioters dispersed.

A "CORRESPONDENT" AT A FENIAN CONCLAVE. A hisrhly sensational account, furnished to a recent number of the New York Herald, by its London corre- spondent, of a Fenian conclave, at which he repre- sents himself to have been present, illustrates the sii ns to which that unfortunate class of men, foreign correspondents, are driven when they have to fill up their allotted space at oft-recurring intervals, whatever may be the dearth of news ('a) s the Pall Mall Gazette). The Herald correspond,ut had believed, like other people, that Feriiani in was at its last gasp. But he was destined to be undeceived. A friend undertook to convince him of the mistake by arranging for his appearance at a Fenian meeting. As utual in such cases, a trusty cabman was picked up in the street, who took them by such a devious route that our New York jnfSBS^anT, though few men know Irtudon better, quite lost himself, and was, in fact, across the river before he was aware of it. There he submitted to be blindfolded, and, after a ride of about half an hour longer, arrival at his destination^— "one of those poor-looking streets that form the fringe of this great metropolis on every side," but where situ- ated be knew no more than if be had been set down half-way to California on the Pacific Railway." Pas- sing through a kind of wood-yard, and then a garden, he was ushered into a large room in whi h were seated some twenty-five men wearing black half-masks on the upper part ot their faces. They were well- dressed, and the majority of them, our readers will be surprised to learn, were English. Their visitor, as in honour bound, is reticent of their secrets, but he telfe us enough to disturb our rest. Fenianism," it seems, "is much stronger than ever it was before." It has thrown off all friendly feeling for Romanism," and" a Fenian may now travel from Calais to Naples, and be certain of aid and help from all the Reds he meets with; and we are assured that we are on the eve of a very great political convulsion in Europe, and before many months are over we shall witness an up- heaving of the rocks on which we believe our institu- tions are so firmly built, and an oversetting of a vast deal of what we now look upon as impossible to over- turn." We wonder whether the police have any knowledge of this desperate conspiracy?

ACTIONS FOR FALSE IMPRISONMENT. At the Croydon Assizes last week, the causes of Walker v. The ^outh-Ba: tern Railway Company, Smith v. The Same," which were actions for aisault and false imprisonment and malici us prosecution, brought bv two persons, but arising out of the same matter, aod therefore, by consent were tried together. The c ses had already been tried and sent for new triil Mr. M. Chambers and Mr. Baker Green were for the plaintiffs: Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. Boyce, and Mr. E. Clark were for the company On the 30th of June. 1867. the plaintiff Walker went to Gravesend and back to London. He went as first- class passenger, and at Gravesend, when he was coming back, third-class passengers were put into the car- riage with him, upon which he remonstrated. When he reached the London-bridge station he took part in some dispute between the company's ser- vants and another passenger, upon which the in- spector turned upon him and accused him of having caused a disturbance at Gravesend, alld one of the company's men forcibly pushed him beyond the barrier, and soon afterwards thrust him out and kicked him. Another altercation arose with the other plaintiff, Smith, who also was treated with great violence, quite unprovoked, and in the result both of them were charged with assaulting the railway offi- cers, and committed for trial and tried, but acquitted. They then bi ought these actions, one of which— Walker's—had been tried (before Baron Martin), and a verdict found for him for 2170, but it had been set aside on the ground that, aa the learned Baron held that the company were only liable for the first assault, and not for the subsequent acts, the damages were ex- cessive. It appeared, however, that there was an admission by the company that all the acts com- plained of were done on their premises, and also thai; the company's solicitor conducted the prosecutions which had been instituted against the plaintiffs. Mr Chambers opened the case for the plaintiffs in a very powerful and impressive speech, putting it as a case of great and grievous outrage on the part of the company's servants -upheld and defended by them, and calling for exemplary reparation. The case was, in substance, admitted on the part of the company so far as the outrages of their servants went. It was admitted that one of their seryants-a constable- had behwed (as Serjeant Billantine txpresssed it) "like a brute;" but the company contended that they were only liable for the llrst assault, and that for the rest they were not liable, as it was a gross excess and* Mr. Serjeant Ballan- tine submitted that a corporate company could not be hable for malicious prosecution, nor for any act of violence clearly in excels of duty—points which were reserved. S uith's case ha" not yet been tried, and was now for the first time brought forwar-1, and he wai examined as a witness and ac- cording to; he evidence o. fcoth plaintiffs one of the com- pany's servants—a con«ti-ble—had behaved certainly, as'he •orjeant admitted, in the most brutal ma: ner, and the other hart supported him in his misconduct, and had behaved with great !Lnd unprev"ked vi lence In the course of the scuffle they also had received biows, and they gave the plaintiffs iut. custody for assaulting them, !tl:d the plain iffs after heing locked up were brought before the magistrate, and after he had remanded them again and again for further consideration, he committed them for trial. It was admitted by the company that the prosecution was instituted I,y their db-cetion. At the trial at the surrey Sessions the jury stopped the case, and, as already stated, acquitted them. The costs incurred by Walker were, he stated. £88, and his other expenses raised the amount to ZIZO Smith put his costs at Z16 and his actual Ions at je5. In the course of the cae, however, the depositions of the company's servants, taken before the magistrates, were put in, which, of course, gave a very different version of the transaction, and threw the blame upon the plaintiffs, and upon this evidence the learned serjeant. the counsel for the company, contended that there was reasonable and proper cause for the prosecution. Evidence was offered that by the rules of the company their officers were authorised to take into custody persons committing assaults or taking part in affrays on their premises; but they were also directed to exercise this authority with care and caution, and not in cases where the addresses of persons were known. Upon this the Lord Chief Baron asked whether it was the case for the plaintiffs that these rules had been observed or violated, to which the plaintiffs' counsel an- swered that they had been in a certain sense followed,— that is, that it was in the course ot a proper exercise of authority that the alleged outrages had been committed. Mr. Baker Greene replied on the part of the plaintiffs (in the absence of Mr. Chambers), and Mr. Serjeant Ballautine, addressing the jury for the company, said the case for the cempany, in a word, was that the acts alleged had been com- mitted not within the scope of the rules, but wholly in excess of them, and wholly without the authority of the company. In the course of his address Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, however -sul,mi; tiijg the defence thus indicated ou behalf ef the COPHIY, disavowing the acts of outrage alleged, and dis- claiming all responsibility for them- The Lord Chief Baron said he con-idered the case divided itself into three states or portions: The first, the original assault, in pushing the II mtiffs out and kicking them the second, the giving hem Into custody on a charge of assault, the third, the prosecution instituted against them at the sessions..Now, his opinion was that the company were liable for these various acts, nor did he see any distinction | between the previous aut* of their officers and the subsequent I prosecution, because they appeared to have adopted it. The company had distinctly admitted that the subsequent prose- cution was at their instance and direction. This being so, it further appeared that the company had sanctioned the pro- secution without, so far as it appeared, any inquiry into the facts. The depositions put in had been taken before the magistrates after they had adopted the prosecution, and previous to their taking that step it did not appear that they had instituted any inquiry at all. It appeared to him, there- fore, that the company were liable for the whole. Mr. Serjeant Ballantine said this was contrary to the view taken by Mr Baron Martin, who tried the case before. The Lord Chief Baron said he was aware of it, and for that -eason he would reserve leave to move against his direction. But such wai his opinion. .lr. Serjeant Ball iiitine upon this cut short his address and intimated that he should take that course. Upon this The Lord Chief Baron proceeded to sum the case up to the jury, directing them in accordance with what he had already laid down. It was, he said, the duty of a rdlway company to provide themselves, not only with proper efficers and servants, but, as they are intrusted with power to appoint police-constables for the prosecution of order throughout their premises, they are bound to take care that these officers conducted themselves with propriety, and did not commit wanton outrages upon people within the company's premises. For what had been done in this case it was admitted that there was no justification whatever, and the question resolved itself, therefore, into one of damages. There was no evidence of any reasonable cause for the prosecution which had been instituted by the company, nor of any cause or excuse at all, and the jury, therefore, were called upon to give the plaintiffs reasonable damages for the grievances they had suffered. As to this. they would be answertd that after t .e outrages they had suffered on the company's premises, they were dragged through the streets and thrown into prison, and brought up before the magis- trates again and again, and ultimately committed for trial, and brought np for trial, and subjected to trial upon criminal cha-ges This wvs a matter entirely for the consideration of ,he itir-y, but he would a-k them, with a view to the pointa of law which arose, to sever the damages. The jury, after some consideration, returned a ver- dict for the plaintiffs As to Walker—for the assaults, £ 50 for the falpe imprisonment. £.1)0; for the prose- cut ion, 50; and for the expenses, £130. As to Smith- for the assaults, 260 for the false imprisonment, £60 for the prosecution, £50; and for the expenses, £16. Total, in Walker's case, £280; and in Smith's case, £186. The Lord Chief Baron stayed execution in order to allow time to move on the points of law.

ACTION AGAINST A RAILWAY COMPANY.-DAMAGES, £250. The cause of Clarke v. the South-Eastern Railway Compmy" has been tried at the Croydon Assises. The plaintiff in this case, a schoolmaster, complained that as he was about to enter a carriage of the com- pany he was struck by the door and injured, through the carelessness of one of their servants. The plaintiff, who is a young man, was before the accident active and athletic, had a wife and family, and a situation of £130 a year; and he increased his income by going occasionally into the country as a collector. In December last he was on the platform at Chiselhurst station, about to enter the carriage, when the guard came along, and crying out, "Next carriage, Sir," shut the door sharply, which struck the plaintiff on the head, and, as he said, caused the injuries complained. At first he did not think the injuries serious, and shortly afterwards he went to the London Station to complain, and saw the guard, who at first denied it and then said it was the plaintiff's own fault. The plaintiff delivered to him a letter of complaint stating that he was still suffering from the pain the blow had caused, and only asking for an p polony. In January he had an answer from Mr. Eborall, stating that he could not trace the matter to any on Le. According to his ac- count the effects of the blow become more serious, and had not yet disappeared. In fact, his case was that he had sustained a concussion of the brain, and had been incapacitated from the discharge of his duties either as a schoolmaster or collector, and, indeed, according to his case, he was not likely to recover for two or three years. The via ntiff was examined in support of his case, and ac- cording to his evidence the word and ttieblow were almost at tue same moment; so that the guard mii,th;iveshtit the door ai he spoke. The )laiutiff ta;d he remonstrated with the guard, who made no reply. He could not tay whv the guarl had told him not to go into the carriage. Thehlowwas on the tunple, on the side of his head. The blow was. he fa:.d, severe. Pn arriving in London he again remonstrated with the guard, and got his name. When he git home he felt oizzv, and had no sleep at llight, aud next m rui g was un- able to attend to his duties, nor to resume tritm after tile i tervul of several days. V r more tau a fortnight lie could not get up ui til late in tne cay, and the i-e- sult bad besu as above stated The expenses, he saiu, had been £3i, out he could not fay that he had aitually 10. any of his Ealary, because the trustees of the school had been kind enough to continue him for the present notwithstanding his deficiencies. This, however, was their indulgence, and he had lost somewhat iu the way of commission ou his collections. In crots-examination he said he had a hat on at the tinie-a wMeawake. He said that the door struck him as his foot was actually on the step of the carriage, and it struck him on the shoulder and el- bow, but the full force of the blow fell on his head. Asked to show where the blow was, it appeared that it was where the hat would be, and he admitted that it was partly so. Pressed as to whether there was any bruise or marl;, he ad- mitted there was not. It should, however, be f-t.>ted that his countenance and complexion, and the dead look of his eyes, betokened the presence of a -me cause of weakness, whatever it might be, and elicited several questions from the jury to the witnesses who had known or seen him. The plaintiff's wife gave confirmatory evidence, and ob- served she saw a slight swelling on the side of the head. A clergyman who had known him for 13 years gave evi- dence as to his diminished physical and mental energy, an uncertainty of tread, &e. This witness was atkad by the jury whether the plaintiff (whose worn and enfeebled look has been mentioned) had at all altered in appearance since the accident, and he said he had very greatly altered; he used to have a full, fresh face, whereas now it certainly showed great feebleness. His medical attendant, (Mr. Edmunds,) was of opinion that he had suffered a concussion of the brain, and that there was some slow mischief going en in the brain. He was also of opinion that he required total rest, and that his depend- ence on salary retarded his recovery. Those, he stated, who had sustained concussions on the brain were never the same, and its effects were very uncertain. He should say that in about three years he might recover, provided he had some months' entire relaxation. and afterwards mere routine and easy employment. But he douhted if he would ever entirely recover the tone of his mind or be fitted for much mental ex- ertion. In cross examination the witness admitted, however that there was a vast number of ctses in which concussion of the brain occurred without serious consequences There was, however, here, lie thought, very likely an injury to the bone, or nervous tissue under the bone, which might here- after cause serious consequences, and he also thought there might be lnsipient softening of the brain. It appeared that in June last, the plant ff had sent in a claim stating that he had lost half ayear's salary through his being unable to attend to his duties Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, on the part of the company, de- clared that they had been induced to defend the action from the persuasion that the case, if not an (ntire fabrication, was based on gross misrepresentation, and that the plaintiff was not suffering from any injury sustained on this occasion. He dwelt a good deal on what he called the utter untruth- fulness of the plaintiff's claim, seeing that he had not lot a shilling of salary. This, he urged, was of itself sufficient to justify distrust of the case, as it showed a spirit of falsehood, The fact was that it was almost impossiole for anyone to imagine such au occurrence as a blow on the back of the head from shatting a door upon a person whose whole body was interposed, and must necessarily receive the blow. Such a blow, he urged, must on the head be extremely slight, and he relied upon the fact that the plaintiff at first had not claimed damages at all. The real truth was that there was an unprotected female in the carriage who de- sired to travel alone, and this led the guard to prevent the plaintiff from entering the carriage but there was no blow on the head inflicted, and nothing that could have caused the injury suggested, so that the plaintiff's symptoms must have arisen from some other cause. The guard was called to support this defence, and denied that the plaintiff was struck on the head with the door. It was impossible that he should be struck in such a position, as he was merely standing on the platform, nor did he com- plain at the time. But on getting to London the plaintiff taid, Do you know you struck my head r" to which witness replied, It I did I am sorry, but I don't believe I did." Nothing more passed between them. In cross-examination the witness was asked if he had ap- pealed to the lady against the plaintiffs complaint and he said he had not. A fellow passenger of the plaintiff was called to show that he had made no complaint at the time, and he confirmed the guard's account as to what occurred on the occasion of the subsequent complaint. Air. Adams, the eminent surgeon, who had so often given evidence in railway cases. and who had just retired from the post of senior surgeon of the London Hospital and is now consulting kurgeon-was then called on the part of the com- pany, and stated that supposing a concussion of the brain, t;11J symptoms were loss of consciousness (more or less com- plete) and inability to move, and sometimes to see or heai. There was no actual limit to the time of the appearance of thesa sjmptoms, but he should say ten days or a fortnight. Having heard all the evidence in this case, and having examined the p'aintilf, he was clearly of opiniou that there was no injury to the bone and no softening of the brain. There was nothing radically the matter with brain or bone —tnat is, no organic disease of either. Iu cross-examination, he admitted that he was the consulting surgeon of the company. He said he had seen the plaintiff for twenty Uiioutes. He had n ver, he said, seen softeuitig of the brain as the result of an accident, but he admitted that rotteuing of the brain might come on a considerable tirue after a colicussioxi-perhaps as long as one or two years, although such a case had not arisen in his experience Softening of the brain, he said, was a very rare thing. He had not seen a single instance of it as the result of a railway accident. But again, he admitted that disease of the membrane of the brain might be going on as long as pain existed, and he found from what the plaintiff said that he still had pain. In re-examination he said he had never met with softening of the brain except as the re- sult of inflammation, of which there was no symptom here. He had 60 cases a year at the Lendon Hospital of concussion of the brain, and no case of softening of the brain. Being asked by the jury, he said that there were, at an early stage, even symptoms of softening of the brain which would reveal it. In answer to the Lord Chief Baron, he said there might be disease ot the bone, and being asked, taking all the plain- tiff's evidence, assuming it true, how long a time the plaintiff's recovery would take, he said seven or eight months, provided there was an abstinence from exertion and entire rerreation. In cono usiod, he said that such a blow as had been described liiigiii cause such an injury. Mr. Le Gros Clark, surgeon, gave similar evidence, and said he should uot pronounce the plaintiff ill from his present appearance alone, though, contrasting him with his previous condition of health and strength (taking his own account of it), he should think there was disease. There was, however, 110 evidence of disease apart from his own statements, and he found 110 objective sjmptoms of disease in bone or brain. In croas examiimtion, he txplained that he meant external sign-, or appearances or symptoms apartfrom the path nt's own statements. Aud he agreeu with Mr. Adams as to the pos^i- biliiy of disease from such a blow. The fact that the plaint iff was getting better was, he said, inconsistent with the existence of organic disease; nor did he believe there was any such disease. Softening of the brain. he said, never existed in young persons without decided symptoms. And so as to disease of the l.r .in, there would be material interference with cerebral functions, and far greater sensitiveness than appeared in this case to exist. But, in answer to the Lord Ciuef Baron, he said that disease of the bone or brain might after an interval of months, arise from such a blow as was here stated, but there would first be great stupor and intense tenderness of the spot. Being pressed by the Lord Chief Baron as to whether diminished energy of body and mind might not be a symptom of such a disease, he said it possibly might be 10, but had not been so in his experience. In answer to ques- tions from the jury, the witness said he should not, from the mere examination of the plaintiff alone-not having heard of any blow—have supposed that there was anything the matter with him beyond this, that he was an over- worked denizen of this crowded city. Being asked there- upon how he could account for the continuance of pain, he said he could not account for it. This was the whole of the evidence, upon which, after a speech from Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, in which he rather I idiculed the case, Mr M Chambers made an energetic reply on the part of the plaintiff, denouncing the company for an attempt to es- cape the consequences of an injury hy blisting the character of the sufferer as an imposter. The case for the defence in substance came to this, that the plaintiff had invented the injury he complained of. On the contrary, it was, he in- sisted, the defellce which had been trumped up, and was fouHded upon falsehoods of the guard. It was ahsurd to pretend that such a blow could not he infl cted in such a way, and the medical witnesses for the company admitted that such injuries mitrht be the result of such a blow. Unless the plaintiff was entirely fabricating the case, he had re- ceived su,h a blow, and the evidence of the guard himself showed that it was not an entire fabrication, for the plaintiff complained of it almost immediately afterwards, and it was manifest from the guard's own account that such a blow might have been inflicted. The Lord Chief Baron, in summing up the case to the jury, said the question was the same in this a. in so many similar cases, unhappily^ at these assizes-namely whether the injury comp ained of had beeu and was caused by the neg- °' the co,nPany. According to the case for the plain- tiff, the guard slammed the door sharply while he was in the act of speaking if that were so it would he a waste of time to consider whether the company were liable, as of course they would be for the servants of the company could not be justified in so acting. The case, however, was met on the pait of the company by a direct denial. They denied, indeed, the possibility of such a blow in such a way. It was for the jury to judge upon that point; but all he could say was that he should be very sorry for the experiment to be tried in his person. It seemed to him that the effect of slamming the door on a person in such a position might be to infli t such a blow. But of this the jury must judge. He had had a very long experience—perhaps longer than that of any living man—in cafes of this class—that is, railway acci- dents—and he had never until now known a case in which a per- on in a respectable position and of a respectable character had wholly invented such a claim. If the case for the defence was well-founded, the plaintiff must have not only made a deliberate fabrication of his story, but he must have supported it by the most systematic hypocrisy, and finally by the most penistent pei;ry. On iht "t: or hand, at the moment he did not, very piobably, iaiagaie the injury serious. That would easily account tor the absence of any serious complaint at the moment. But if the case was fabricated he must have gone home quite uninjured, and have gone through the mockery of a pretended iIIness- all this in concert with his wife, who supported him. So that it must be supposed that there was a conspiracy between them, and not only so, but he must have managed to deceive all his friends and relations, and even to deceive an expe- rienced medical man. Such things might be possible, but it was for the jury to judge. In the story of the plaintiff there was nothing at all improbable or unlikely on the con- trary, it was quite in accordance with what one constantly observed on railway platforms—the guards running along hastily. alld slamming the doors as they passed along. Under such circumstances, such an accident might easily occur. As to the plaintiff's claim of damage's, it was drawn up by his attorney, and he might easily have supposed that the trustees would deduct his salary on account of his deficiencies of ser- vice. It seemed rather hard to represellt this as a fraudulent chim, The main question, however, as to damage depended upon the evidence of the medical men. Coupling that with the evidence of the relatives, it was clear that the plaintiff had sustained a considerahle injury from some cause; and the meaical men admitted that such injuries might re- sult from such a blow. There seemed to have been a great Joss of physical and mental energy, and this would be a just claim tor compensation. In s. cti a case, where there was any differeliC6 of opinion between medical men, it was well to see how far they were agreed, and the company's medical witmsses admitted that, assumiug all the plaintiff stated to be true, it might have resulted from such a cause. He did not, see, therefore, that there was any very substantial difference between them and if there were probably they would give thdr preference to the opinion of the medical man who had atteuded the plaintiff for months, rather han to those who had only seen him for half-an-hour. It was, it appeared, quite possible that there might be disease of the bone or of the brain, and the mere possibility was not to be dismissed from consideration in the estimate of damages. If it should turn out to be a certainty the jury could give no further compensation. But, even apart trom that, the medical witnesses for the com- pany admitted that th* plaintff required seven or eight months' retirement and recreation, and there was the risk of his losing his emplo) ment All these risks must he con- sidered along with the positive injury he had already suffered for several months. Taking all the circumstances into con- sideration, and including the expenses of medical attend- ance, the jury must assess the damages in the best way they could. The jury, after a brief consultation, gave a verdict for the plaintiff for £250.

PENS AND INK TOO OLD-FASHIONED FOR OUR TIMES! An ingenious remark was made a short time since to the effect that until the invention of railroads mankind had made no real advance in locomotion since the day* of the Pharaohs (says the Pall Mall Gazette). The same thing may be said of the process of writing, which is carried on still in the same clumsy way that it was in the days of the scribe who heard all the words at the mouth of his master and wrote them with ink in a book." Think seriously about it, and what can be more cumbrous or vexatious than our mode of writing ? It involves the making of ink, the making of pens, the procuring of paper, and of blotting paper or pounce, the possession of a separate receptacle for the ink, the carrying of the pen over to dip it into the ink, the constant interruption of'the flow of thought to re- plenish the flow of ink, the longer interruption at the end of each page to blot the writing or cover it with pounce. Then observe the varieties of torment that may be introduced into this already complex operation. The pen may be bad the paper may be bad the ink may be bad—bad in colour, or too thin or too thick, or may (like copying ink) have a vile smell, or (like copying ink again) may remain sticky and smeary for hours after it is written with. Each of these possibili- ties creates some fresh nuisance fur the writer and in- terferes with his comfort, and therefore with the ease and effect of his composition. His pen leaves a path- way oi plots on the table between the inkpot and the paper, or has to be shakeu out by his side after each dip to tbe disadvantage of tbe carpet. If DOt, the writing suffers. Every i is surmounted by a round pond, and the tails of all the g's, and other caudate letters form little lakes of ink, to be dissipated into broad lagoons on the pressure of the blotting paper. Then think of hairs in your pen, of black smears up the side of your finger, of pens digging into the paper, or gliding innocuously over greasy spots In a word, the pen and ink are thoroughly antiquated, and lit for a place in the Kensington Museum, near the anti- quated Italian coaches. Who will rise up and give us a pencil which shall do all the good that the pen and ink do, with none of their drawbacks?

REMARKABLE TRIAL FOR MURDER IN FRANCE. The Assize Court of Aix is now occupied with the trial of a charge of murder of peculiar atrocity, which appears to have excited as mUJh interest as the trial of a priest for poisoning, which has Just been (ii posed of by the same tribunal. A woman named Bonnefoy is accused of having, in June last, killed her husband and two children with a re volver, and attempted the life of her sister with the same weapon. The motive supposed to have actuated her is Jealousy of her sister, and the facts, as recorded in the acte d'accusation, are as follow The accused woman, Bonnefoy, and ber husband, kept a restaurant at Marseilles, frequented chiefly by shipwrights of the port, and the sister, named Annette, resided with them. Fur some time past quarrels have occasionally arisen between the sisters, owing to the conduct of a man named Borelly, who appears to have been on equally intimate terms with each. The hushan'), who for a long time had taken little notice of the misconduct of his wife and sister-in-law, was at length exc.ted to take action, and on the 21st June, loaded a six-barrelled revolver, and went to the yard where Borelly was at work, and threatened to shoot him, but was easily disarmed by a bystander, who secured the pistol. In the evening the wife came to reclaim the weapon, which was readily given up to her. The possesliion80f the pistol seems to have suggested b her the terrible debign which she afterwards carried out, and although her sister had been ordered by her husband to leave the house, she retained her for the night, with a view apparently of completing her ven- geance. The supper was partaken of in silence, after which the three children were put to bed in an upper room, Annette occupying one adjoining it. About six o'clock next morning Annette came down stairs, but was met by her sister, who was waiting for her, and who discharged one barrel of the revolver point blank at her, and then rushed upstairs to the room where the children were, and discharged one ball at the youngest son, Joseph, and another at the second son, Marius, the eldest, Jean Baptiste, vainly attempt- ing to defend the-m. The husband, hearing the reports, came downstairs, but was met by his wife, who dis- charged another bullet at him, and then, as if deeming her WO) k of destruction complete, fired a fifth into her own breast, and threw herself on the bed where her cuildren lay dying. Annetttt, although wounded, endeavoured to raise an alarm, but the keys of the house had been concealed by the murderess. She suc- ceeded, however, in opening a window, and assistance being at hand, the husband and the two children Wlre conveyed to the hospital, where they died in the course of the day. Annette, however, who had received a wound in the side, recovered, and the wretched woman herself likewise survived her injuries. She afterwards confessed her guilt, avowing that she intended to kill her two youngest children, in order that she might tnke them with her," and likewise her Bister. It would seem that she did not originally intend to kill her husband had he not stood in the way, and she spared the eldest son because the father was more at. tached to him than to the other two. Among various notes which were found in the house was one addressed to the husband, informing him in the ordinary form of the death of his wife and his two children.

THE NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW. The new Act to Consolidate and Amend the Law of Bankruptcy has just been issued. Tnere are 136 sec- tions and two schedules in the statute to take effect on the 1st of January next. The law is divided into eight parts. The first chief judge is to be one of the present Commissioners, and afterwards to be tilled by one of her Majesty's Common Law Judges. The officers of the London old court may be attached to the new court and the Lord Chancellor to make provision for concluding the old cases which cannot be conveniently transferred to the new tribunal "The business under the old system is expected to increase, as. under the new, debtors cannot make themselves bankrupt, and until they pay 10s. in the pound (unless by the consent of the creditors) they have no status, and after three years the debts can be enforced against their property. It must take some time to form a iiev practice out of the raw materials contained in the Act. The first part relates to the adjudication by creditors on petition, and the appointment of a trustee to administer the property. The second part has reference to the administration of the property. The third part relates to the constitution and powers of the county courts acting in bankruptcy and from the latter there may he appeals to the chi. f judge. General rules may he made by the Lord Chancellor with the assistance of the chitf judge. There are supplemental provisions in the fourth (jart, and the fifth part treats of persons having privilege of Parliament. An adjudication is to vacate a seat in the House of Commons. Various provisions as to "liquid ttion by arrangement" are contained in the sixth part. The seventh deals with composi- tion wita creditors;" and the eighth relates to tem- porary provisions as to the Bankruptcy Courts. Solicitors, as well as barristers, are to practise before the chief judge and the registrars both in court and chambers. _———

MURDEROUS ATTACK UPON AN ENGLISHMAN IN SPAIN. Mr. H. D. Jencken writes from Lorcea (an ancient Moorish town of Spain) on August 7, a detailed aocount of a murderous attack made upon him at that place on the 20th July. This attack was made under the extra- ordinary pretext that be was one of the suspected "Tios del Sain," or child-stealers, to whom reports have imputed the horrible crime of catching and but- chering young children for the purpose of using the fat of their entrails to repair the telegraph wires. It should be mentioned that Mr. Jencken, who is a barrister, was engag-ed about professional duties in the locality. On the night in question, he says I had strolled into the Paseo, or public walk, the ordinary evening promenade of the townspeople, and sauntering fown the main road that runs at a right angle to the tree sheltere i walks t,f the Paseo, I was met by a woman leading aclii.d ny the hand, whom 1 greeied with the customary salu-aMou Hue- .as tardes," which she returned in the usual inantier, v, he" suddenly the turned round, and crying" Antonio," ran iu the direction of some small houses 5 ) yard" distau. As I nad nOt idea that the cry of alarm referred to me, I slowly sauntered back to the Paseo, but before I had proceeded looyards I noticed three men following me; iustantly they closed in upon me, and commenced a most desperate attack upon my percon. For the first two or three minutes I successfully warded off the thrust made at my stomach with long knives (the usual mode of Spanish attack), when one of the men doubling UP-)[] one, struck mt a furious blow on the back of my head with a ftOi.e; I staggered forward and sunk upon mv knees; but, still retaining my senses. I warded off several thrusts of the knives aimed at my throat and chest, receiving at the same time severe wounds on my face and hands. One thrust actunllv penetrated my chetk and broke the bone of my upper fitw. Regaining strength, [ sprang to my feet and ran for about 100 yards in the direction ef the Paseo. By this time a crowd had collected, for the cry Tio del Sain" had been raised by the assassins, when a terrible blow upon my eft temple was inflicted by a seoond stone hurled at my head. I fell flat upon my face, when the crowd instantly s. ized me by the beard and hands, and in this matter dragged me along the road for some di-tance with isuoti violence that the back of my watcn (a gold hunter) was literally ground off. At this juncture some few Volunteers, attracted by the noise, arrived on the scene, and I was made to stand up and my hands were bound behind me with cords drawn so tightly that they acted like ligatures, causing serious loss of blood from my wounded arms and hands. The crowd had now increased to hundreds, who raised the cry, "Co,tarle la cabeza (cut off his head), "Revanarie la barriga (rip up his belly); and, brandishing their knives in my face, they pushed me on- ward into the main Paseo, which leads to the town. The Ecene presented was truly wild, the moon of a southern sky casting its clear light upon the grouo of excited faces that surrounded me, the Spanish-long-hladed p linaids vUible on all sides, the half-dozen dingy Volunteers carrying old- fashioned muskets, with their well-polished bayonets glisten- itig in the moonlight; then the wild tierce cry, A la plaza a cortarle lp- cabeza" (to the publio square to cut of h s head), raised by hundreds of voices—altogether formed a scene singularly picturesque and terrible, and worthy of the canvas of Salvator Rosa. One of the ruffl un, brandishing iiiskni e in my lace maiie a thrust at my ches', but missing his aim, his knife only passed th:OU h my clothing. Inflicting a sliuht wound. Another me WI' h" beavj suck, ore King one of the bones of my lett h md. N ithlntt Could excted the excitement of the molt 1 was struck in the face ul. edii g and wounded as I btard puled, aud whenever l btaggerwdor ha ted, taint from loss of blood, »ith blown ar.d imprecations they urged me forward. I could not refrain from looking back; the scene reminded me of those d.rk days of the Rel^u of Terror, so graphically described by Carlyle in his "History of the French Bevoiution." Gradually we approached the Plaza l'ubuca, the crowd forcing their way into the Council Chamber, along with the guards who had now surrounded us. i Wall ,,u«hed into a chair, a group of wild, exulted faces ft'led the b,(,k Of the judgment-hall, with the md.tavy in trout the crowd out- side still continuing to cry, Curtarle la cabeza One gen- tleman, induced by curiosity to enter the hall took com- passion on me, and unfastened the cords that bound mv lacerated and wounded hands. By this time my Spanish secretary, Senor Cervetto, had arrived, followed shortly by the Alcade and the judge of the town, accompanied by my worthy friend Senor Don Regino Mercader, whom I had engaged as advocate in the causes I was conducting. The prompt, energetic measures taken by these gentlemen at once quieted the infuriated mob. Some 20 of the ring- leaders were immediately arrested, and the crowd dispersed so soon as they learnt the seriousness of the crime com- mitted. Senor Mercader had in the meantime caused his carriage to be plaeed in waiting for me and in this I was conveyed from the Town Chamber to his hospitable house, where under the care of skilful surgeons, I have so far re- covered that I hope within a short time to be able to leave Lorcea.

The Timet in a leader noticing the above affair re- markx The personal narrative given by Mr. Henry Jencken of the ill-treatment he met with and of the risk he incurred in the South of Spain cannot fail to have suggested strange and painful reflections to English leaders. Among the crowd who handled Mr. Jencken so cruelly there may have been men bribed by his personal adversaries to take his l.fe, but, independently of all conspiracy, it seems that the mere cry of child- stealer" raised against any man in the present mood of the Spanish population is a likely to cause that man's murder as the designation of "poisoner" was in cholera times at Naples, Palermo, and other places iu the South of Italy. That a murderous fury may be r.-list d in the minds of a people against one whom they look upon as a p lblic malefactor is uothmg that should surprise us. What seems amazing is the nature of the charge brought against the supposed evildoer. It is the ready belief of the multi- tude III a cnwlI 01 which the end b 110 ludicrously dispro- portion *ie to the meaDI. That children are "tolen for atrocious purposes is anotion whichhulJeen rUllningthr"l1gh the brains of most European nations at allyperiocU. Jews, g1psi08, and a variety of proscribed races and sects haTe sgalu and agam been denounced, persecuted, and mallacred asldd- nappera of children. Even lately, within a few daYI. we have read reporta of missing children In me of the Belgian cities, and of luch sUlpicionl arlllDg among the inhabitants aa to make It dangerous for a stranger to caress, or even limply to notice, the infantlil he meets in the streets. Hut, of all uses to which kidnapped chilrlren were ever supposed to be put, nothing seems so extrai >r- dinary &I the application of their fat to lubricate teleaph wires. Ever one has heard of that landlord of Barl who minced the little hlhoCttntl up as tonnina. or pickled tunny- fish, and served them to his customers till the blessed St. -Nicholas exposed the trick and brought the perpetrator to justice. fhe picture of the mirlicle is to be seen at the d"r of most churches dedicated to the saint 011 the Continent the good Bishop holding forth his fore and middie tlng"rain the ad of benediction, and the children rising at the spell and boundIng 01.1t of the tub in which their identity seemed for ever lost It 10 difticult to say to what extent this legend, which many of the lower Italians stilI helievlI may have contributed to foster among Southerll people thd worst apprehensions about the designs of wicked persons upon their children. But the notion that telegraphic wirel require to be greased, and tRat nothmg but the bt of children will avail for the purpose, must needs appear to eVl"ryman so strang and preposterous as to make WI wonder with whom it may have originated, and with whom It may first have found belief. It S8eml euy to set down thil wonderful proof of brutality to the backward state of education among the Spanish people. Whell the Ichoolwaster gets home, the Spaniards (who, Mr. Jencken is convinced, with all their faults, have still the elements of a great people, being lit heart hospitable, kilJd, and generous") will, it is to IJe hoped, know better. Yet we would advise people not to be over-sanguine &I to the civili- sillg influence of mere school learning. Not a lit Ie has been and is beinG døne in thele bland. towards the diffusion and improvement of popular instruction. Even more is being attempted in France, in Ger. many, in the United States. But what are we, then, to think of the Spirit R,ppers and all the legion of their American and European votarie 1 What are we to think of spirit kilel. rocking chairs, migratory beda, guitars played by invisible agencies, and other experiences," for the aut hen- ticity of whIch men of the highest intellectutl attainments make themselves vouchers ? What are we to say wheu we come upon a party of -r end*, for whom on aU other subjects we entertaill the greatest esteem, 8.1 they sit gravely round a table in full expectatton that the ahle W'lllspin round, and in equally full conviction, after an h ur or so, that they have seen it spin round, and that the spinnillg round of the table is a wdl establishell pheno- menon, never fatling to reproduce Itelf unless it he under the h!\n4ilful Ïi fluence of 10mI' heathen hard of belief? What are we t" uy ? Simply that to believe, Imd to believe what i least credible, what is lellst possible, ii, apparently, one of the neceuitiea of our poor human nature. Child-stealing In L' rca, spirit-rapping iu New York or London, are but Iymp- toms of tbe same infirmity. And, at the same time, a fanatic youth at Berlin will give the lie to IInd shoot a clergyman at the altar, simply because the latter professes to belIeve what hil would-bo murderer suspcts him of nüt believing.

FATHER IGNATIUS. In London, on Friday night, Store-street Music-hall was filled by a hostile audience, who had assembled to oppose th Rev. Father lnatius in his reply tu a lec- ture by the Rev. J. Gikie, of Islington. The lecturer had "tated that the Reformation in England did uot owe its origin to Henry VIII. that the ReforllJation wa a blessing that the monks were the curse of the land. All the8 8tateuI8uts Father Ignati11s undertook to controvert. His aparance on the platform, in his Il.1oDastic attire, was the signal for a stolm of his8es, which lasted for several minutes. Having witn great ditfieulty obtained silence, he begged, for the sake of fair play, tbat thuy would aecord to him the Rame attention they had giveu tJ his adversary. He then commenced, but on saying he would show them the Re- formation was a cure, the storms of dissent were so deaft-ning that he had to atop and seat himself. He proceerled, but on arriving at the 8t cond point, loud cries Were ri8ed, "Prove the first I" You aud your historians have made a mÜ"take!" &c. He said a brilliant idea had just stiuck him a certain numher among his audience were Baptists, who had been taught to act like chiBrell, but he would prefer on the present occasion to see them imitating the simplicity anri ilence of children. Having arrived at the third point, considerable uproar was created outside the doors of the hall by those who had been unable to gain admittance. The confu8ion among the audience was thereby increased tenfold, and cries of "There's plenty of room on the platform?" were raised. To this the lecturer replied that he had paid over £ 7 for the nse of the hall. and he always reserved the platform for him8elf. The rev. lccturer finùing it impossible to conclude, said he had come to reply to the lectnre of the Rev. J. Geikie they had promised him attention, but they had not given it, and it would be a loss of phYRical energy and a waste of time did he IItay longer. He then wished them good night, and left the platform amid cries of "No, no," "Come back," Ac. A few minutes after leaving the platform the rev. father sent one of his monks to announce that the reason of his not continuing the: lecture was on account of physical weakness. While separating hearty cheers Were given for '"the glorious Reformation," the Rev. Father Ignatius, and the Rev. J, Geikie.

WILL GOVERNMENT DO IT AS WELL AS PRIVATE ENTERPRISE? With reference to the important question of the future management of the telegraphic business of the country when the monopoly of it comes into the hands of the Post-office, a mercantile correspondent expresses himself in terms of misi-iving, on tne ground that there will be an entire absence of that principle of competition which has hitherto proved so beneficial in all classes of enterprise. He explains his views as follows Our firm, having a branch in Liverpool, expends f 500 to £600 per annum on inland telegraphy and it frequently happens that we send messages in duplicate for the purpose of quick despatch-sav, for example, by the Magnetic and Electric, marking on the former" Duplicate by Klectric," and on the latter, "Duplicate by Magnetic." The conse- quence is a race to send out the message and the required eply; and it has happened that the active lads enilloy ed, who appear to enter into the spirit of the thing, have rushed into the office with" Here you are, sir; five minutes from Liverpool!" one following close on the heels of tne other. Now, with the Post-otliee directing all the wires, this com- petition will be completely d"ne away with, and a merchant who is willing to pay a double price for quick despatch will he no better off than one who is contented to let things take their course.

THE LAW OF EVIDENCE. The Act for the further amendment of the law of evidence was issued a few days since. The amend- ments are important. The preamble declares that the discovery of truth in courts of justice has been signally promoted by the removal of restrictions on the admissibility of wit- nesses, and it is expedient to amend the law of evi- dence with the object of still further promoting 8uch discovery. The statute has immediate operation from the 9th inst., and now parties in any action for breach of promise of marriage are competent to give evidence, provided that no plaintiff in any action for breach of promise of marriage shall recover a verdict unless his or her testimony shall be corroborated by some other material evidence in support of such promise." The law is altered as to suits for adultery, and it is enacted that the parties to any proceeding instituted in con- sequence of adultery, and the husbands and wives of such parties shall be competent to give evidence in such proceeding, provided that no witness in any proceeding whether a party to the suit or not, shall be liable to be or bound to answer any question tending to show that he or she has been guilty of adultery, unless such witness shall have already given evidence in the same proceeding in disproof of his or her alleged adultery." With respect to persons who object to take an oath, there is the following provision :—" If any person called to give evidence in any court of justice whether in a civil or criminal proceeding shall object to take an oath or shall be objected to as incompetent to take an oath, such person shall, if the presiding judge is satis- fied that the taking of an oath would have no binding effect on his conscience, make the following promise and declaration I solemnly promise and declare that the evidence given by me to the Court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," and any person who, having made such promise and declaration, shall wilfully and corruptly give false evi- dence shall be liable to be indicted, tried, and convicted for perjury as if he had taken an oath. The Act, which repeals some sections in former statutes, is not to extend to Scotland.

THE MARKETS. MARK-LANB.—MONDAT. The receipts of English wheat fresh up to Mark-lane this morning, coastwise as well as by rail, were very moderate, but sufficient to supply the demand. Much caution was used in transacting business, and millers were disinclined to pay the advance obtained on Friday. Altogether the trade was in a very unsettled state, the improvement in prices since Monday last being about as. per quarter. Some new produce of but moderate quality was on sale. Pair supplies of foreign wheat were on the stands. Next to nothing was doing, at barely the advance obtained on Friday, or at an enhancement of from Is. to Ss. per quar compared with t)1is day week. The show of barley wal moderate. Firmness pervaded the market, but transactions were much restricted. Malt was dull, at late prices. Fair supplies of foreign oats were* on the stands, but very few home-grown. Sales pro»«~ slowly, and prices had a drooping tendency, »- quiet, at about late rates. For peas the i»"1!1i_^>lan8l,were at last week's quotations For flour demand w^ flrm LinsePeT ww^ui^t Ct -but w»T UmiS i^eeds werTsteady hi» -*peseed was firm. Agricultural seeas were steaay iu H)ue_ Cakes were Unaltered. METB'Ti'OLITAN CATTLE MABJCET.—Me»»AT. J'lt Supplies of foreign stock were on sale. The trade on the "Whole was quiet, but sheep were steady in value. The onow of English beasts was rather more extensive. A want of animation characterised the inquiry for all breeds but no change took place in prices. The best Scots and crosses sold at 63. to 5s. 2d. per 81b. From Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire we received about 2,000 shorthorns, &c.. from other parts of England 300 various breeds, from Scot and IS Scots and crosses, and from Ireland 50 oxen With a falling off in the supply of sheep increased firmness was noticed in the demand for all breeds, and choice stock com- manded rather more money. The best Downs and half-breds sold at 6s. td. to 6s. 4d. per Sib. Lambs were dull, at 5s. 4d. to 6s. 10d. for the best breeds. Calves were in limited re- quest, at about late rates. There was not much inquiry for pigs, at last week's quotations. HOPS. Although complaints are heard from some quarters that considerable damage has been done by vermin, the accounts from the plantations generally notice an improvement. Very little business has been doing in the Borough, but prices have undergone no alteration. The first pocket of new hops has sold at £10. Quotations: Mid and East Kents, je2 6s. to L6 10s. Weald of Kents, £2 5s. to £4; Sussex, to £ 15s. Farnhams, £3 10s. to £6; Country, L3 10s. to £4. 10s.; to £3; Belgians..6; to £ ? 10s. Tearlings, £ 2 6s. to a 101. WOOL. The public sales of colonial wool are well attended by both home and Continental buyers. Biddings progressed with fair spirit, and the opening prices are well maintained. English wool is firm in value, with a moderate inquiry. Cur- rent prices of English wool:—Fleeces: Southdown hoggets, Is. ltd. to 1!. 2td. half-bred ditto. Is. 4Jd. to Is. 6d.; Kent fleeces, lB. ad. to 11 SJd. Southdown ewes and wethers lB. ltd. to Is. 2d. Leicester ditto, is 2Jd. to Is. Sld. Sorta Clotili, is. to Is. combing, lid. to la. 6d. per lb. POTATOES. The supplies of potatoes are good. Business Is of a very moderate character, at our quota ions. Rnglish shaws, 808. to 90s.; regents, 90s. to 106s. French 60s. to 701. per ton. TALLOW. The market U quiet. Y.C. on the spot, it »d. per cw Town tallcw, 44s. net eash.