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nr fjttbim ComsjMitknt,
nr fjttbim ComsjMitknt, rwe deem it right to state that we do not at all times ttentify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.] The gathering together of the eagles was the subject of a Scriptural simile which applied to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman legions under Titus. The symbol of the Roman power was an eagle, and the same bird of prey is adopted in our own times as being typical of the strength of most of the European nations. France places it at the head of her standard; So does Germany; and so alst > do Austria and Russia, the two last mentioned Powers giving their birds a double head. The advance of the Russian armies upon Con- stantinople, and the watchful attitude of Germany and Austria irresistibly suggest the truth of the saying in Holy writ—" Where the carcase is, thither shall the eagles be gathered together." Many a vicissitude has the Turkish capital witnessed since it first rose upon the shores of the Bosphorus more than 2,000 years ago. Its history extends back very nearly as far as that of Rome itself; it was taken successively by the Medes, the Athenians, and the Spartans; it re- pelled a formidable attack by Philip of Macedon it was captured by the Romans and laid in ruins by Severus was reformed by Constantine, rebuilt by Justinian, attacked by the Saracens, assailed by the Russians, taken by the Latins, recovered by the Greeks, and was finally besieged by the Ottomans, under whose sway it foil. Travellers approaching it from the sea have described the impression produced upon them by the magnificent appearance of this great and important city. In fact, in this respect, it occu- pies a position which may well be said to be unique. London stands upon the Thames, Paris on the Seine, Vienna on the Danube, Rome on the Tiber, St. Petersburg on the Neva, Lisbon on the Tagus, Berlin on the Spree, Madrid on the Manzanares, but not one of them is, like Constantinople, open to the sea. Upon one side of it there is the troubled and cloudy Euxine, on the other the bright ^Egean, right in front of it are the gleaming waters of the Bosphorus, close at hand is the Sea of Marmora, joining, through the Straits of the Dardanelles, the broad rolling waves of the Mediterranean far away in the distance. The sun, as it shines upon the glittering mosques, and lights up the picturesquely-turned minarets of the city, produces an effect upon the traveller as though he were gazing npon one of the Bcenes of Oriental romance pourtrayed in the "Arabian Nights." It is only when he lands, and makes his way amid the squalid alleys of Stamboul, and threads his path amongst the common-place bazaars at Galata, that the spell is broken. The tinsel splendour has dissolved; it has faded away as a phantom of the night; and like the baseless fabric of a vision has left not a wreck behind. Dear to our overworked legislators is the time- honoured Twelfth of August. The very mention of the date reminds them of wide wastes of heather, ranges over miles of moorland, wild Highland scenery, and pure mountain air. It tells them of those high latitudes in far-off Sutherland and Caithness, where, when the days are at their longest, the sun does not sink below the horizon until eleven o'clock at night, and then dis- appears amid a sea of light and glory. The Twelfth is the day when grouse shooting begins, and soon after the dim grey tinge of dawn is seen in the east, the birds are falling fast under the fire of enthusiastic sportsmen. They have been released from the Palace of Westminster, to which, unless under very unfore- seen contingencies, they have bidden good-bye for six months—a period when the vast building will be in the hands of the painters and the decorators. All Ad- ministrations, of whatever political creed, endeavour to wind up the business, so that the members may get away within a day or two of the long-anticipated Twelfth. The session may run on to the 15th or the 16th, but the business transacted is merely that of necessary routine, such as the passing through its various stages of the Appropriation Act. This, as its lame implies, appropriates to the various departments f the State the several sums which Parliament as voted for their maintenance during the next welve months. If any balance remains it must be epaid into the Treasury, and nothing which has been oted for our service can be applied to another with- the consent of the House of Commons. If, for nstance, the War Office found itself with a surplus of ;100,000, and the navy wanted just that sum to com- pete an ironclad, the money could not be handed over rom one to the other without the authority of Parlia- nent. The recent departures of troops for Malta did not an forth those stirring scenes which are associated th the memories of 1854, when war having been leclared, it was known full well that many of the jallant men who then set out would never return. Thousands of them left their bones bleaching upon the r>1 is of the Crimea and although these wcci gather-id upaad interred in one "¿j,.st ceme- tery near the then terrible fortress of Sebastopol, the fer..V^n aol-imn* And t-Kfi .li-cxLyizuj m.ir;i: .r:atiifwlav toll a story of neglect and of desolation; The wind, ?« H sweeps in from th« ?"*♦ aotiarn ia the fate of those who tell m that sanamnutrx straggle, for Mr. KingIake has told 118 that that war cost the vtsHora who engaged in it the live* of three-quarters of a million of men But the regiments who have now gone out to Malta have departed more upon a summer cruise than npon an expedition which is likely to encounter the onslaught of an opposing army. They will tread upon historic ground in that well-known Mediterranean island. In days long ago it was held successively by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, and the Romans and here it was that St. Paul was wrecked in the year 62. The apostle has told us that the barbarians showed us no little kindness, for they kindled a. fire, and received us every one because of the rain and because of the cold." Aftdr St. Paul had massed away, Malta was taken by the Vandals, by the \.rabs, and by the Normans it becaaae a part of the ossessions of the Houses of Hohanstaufen, Anjou, ud Aragon; it then passed to the Knights Hos- itallers, was occupied by the French for two years, id finally ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty I Paris in 1814. Standing 60 miles south of the Ulian coast, it is looked upon as one of the most im. irtant of our possessions in Europe, and its docks and bres are found of immense service in repairing and fitting the vessels constituting the British squadron •the Mediterranean. I he palatial hotels which, during the last twenty ars, have risen in various parts of London, have ded materially to the improvement of our capital. ou find them now in all tquarterø-the Great estern at Paddington, the South-Eastern at Charing- pss, the City Terminus at Cannon-street, the fosvenor, at Pimlico, the Great-Northern at King's- the Midland at St. Pancras. The latest addition the number is the Imperial, at the eastern end of the jlborn Viaduct, close to the new station of the mdon, Chatham, and Dover Railway, and exactly posite the church of St. Sepulchre. A few of its ndows, but not many, overlook the gloomy prison- rtress of Newgate, which, standing as it does almost thin sight of the shadow of St. Paul's, is the greatest e-sore in the City of London. We all hope to see it moved some day, planted out in the clear, and its ,e, now of enormous value, occupied by public build- 58 which would be a credit to the metropolis. As to e Imperial Hotel, the kitchens and laundry are at e top, where also is a steam engine which works the t whereby the inmates descend and ascend. The rangements to prevent fire are very complete. There a very extensive view of London from the upper mdows. A very splendid hotel is also to be con- ducted in Northumberland-avenue, the new thorough- re which occupies the site of Northumberland House, lel enables the converging traffic at Charing-cross to it on to the Thames Embankment. There have been few Sessions of Parliament of late ears so utterly devoid of interest as the expiring ne so far as political contests are concerned. Since he year opened there have not been more than a .ozen elections, some of these have been unopposed, ,nd those which were contested, did not awaken very nuch excitement. For this there are too reasons-first he absorbing attention devoted to foreign affairs md secondly the consideration that the gain or the .oss of a seat makes no appreciable difference in the valance of power in the House of Commons. When a jrovernment has a steady working majority of fifty TOtes, it takes a very long time materially to pull it lown. It is when the Administration depends for its ixistence upon the fidelity of a majority of less than a lozen that party feeling rises to pitch when a vacancy iccurs in a great constituency. Many of us remember he contest which took place in theWest Riding of York- hire in 1849, when Jr. Edmund Beckett Denison and iir Culling Eardley were the champions of the respec- ive parties. There is a tradition that when the West hiding speaks, Yorkshire speaks and when York- hire speaks, England speaks. At that time the tVest Riding was one constituency, whereas, it s now divided into three—north, south, and east. Che battle was a fierce one, and was watched .11 over the land. The voice of the West Riding was hen given against the Government of the day, and his verdict was soon afterwards endorsed by the louse of Commons itself. We have nothing like uch exciting contests now, nor does occasion arise for uch a struggle over a seat as was then witnessed. There are more excursions associated with the uigust bank holiday than with any other of these istitutions. Easter and Wliit-Mondays see a good lany; but August is the time when people think tore about going away, and when a variety of attrac- ons is offered unto them. Londoners are invited by ictorial advertisements and by printed descriptions > select one out of a host of routes to the seaside; the dwellers in the country, who would like to spend a day in the metropolis, find that they are enabled to do so at a remarkably reasonable rate. The conse- quence is that at such a time the residents in the capital pour out of it by every avenue, and the people from the provinces come in. You meet them in large numbers in the principal thoroughfares they find their way in thousands to the Zoological Gardens, or inspect the art treasures of the South Kensington Museum, or besiege the entrance gates of the Tower of London. The holiday is made so com- plete in London that most of the dining halls and restaurants are closed, so that if our country Liends have not taken the precaution to bring their dinners with them, they must fain be content with Bath buns and light confectionery, and must think themselves well off to get even those. There is another reason why the August holiday is looked forward to and appreciated more than the others. It is very well known that several months must elapse before the next comes. The largest interval of all separates the first Monday in August from the 26th December, when the recreations are of a widely different character fl" those which are sought upon a warm summer afternoon. Often as disputes between capital and labour have arisen in this country, we must all be thankful that we have never witnessed anything like the scenes which have spread so much uneasiness throughout the L'nited States, and have resembled a condition of civil war. When we read of fifteen persons having oeen killed in Chicago on the same evening that seven hot their lives in San Francisco, and reflect that this was only a specimen of what had happened in many other parts of the Union, it seems difficult to uuder- that all this turmoil arose from the determination or the railway companies to reduce the wages of their employes by ten per cent. There seems a disregard for human life in the course adopted by the rioters, and in she means taken to quell the disturbance, which can -(arcely be comprehended in this country. There has been on view at the Alexandra Palace the little boat, ten feet in length, in which an adventurous captain and his wife braved the perils of three thousand miles of ocean, and at length arrived in safety off the beetling crags of the iron bound coast of Cornwall. Many of us have been upon the restless surface of the English Channel, or have crossed the Irish sea, or have looked out upon the turbulent waters of the German Ocean, but the whole of these heaped together could not give the slightest idea of che mighty Atlantic. Eternally rolling between the eastern and the western hemispheres, and with a more fi rmly established reputation for storms and violence than any other ocean in the world, it seems to be waging a perpetual war upon the land against which its billows beat, and many a stately vessel has gone down before it's merciless onslaught. Where art thou going, gallant ship, With sails before the wind" might have been asked of many a noble liner as in the olden days she set out from New York or Liverpool to brave the perils of that tempestuous western main but not only sailing ships, but swift and powerful steamers, have time after time succumbed to its attacks, and rone down Defore the fury of its angry surges. Smaller in dimensions than the calmer wastes of the outspreading Pacific, it is infinitely more terrible to 'he mariner. But the foaming waters which have engulphed iron steamers fitted with every scientific appliance for encountering its dangers has been safely traversed by a little boat, which must have ;-e"med like a speck indeed amid its tumbling hills and its never-resting valleys. Fifty days upon the storm-tossed ocean, with the waves mounting to the distant sky, and with water, water everywhere" seven weary weeks, it must have been difficult for lie occupants of the tiny cockle-shell to realise the n cture presented in the visions disclosed to St. John in the Isle of Patmos—"And there was no more sea I"
MR. BRIGHT ON BRITISH POLICY.
MR. BRIGHT ON BRITISH POLICY. The Times, in a leader, says that for many a day Bright has given no wiser counsel to his country- men than in the admirable speech which he delivered tt Bradford the other evening. He finds a noisy, if i a large, party eager to plunge this country into a A ;).r which would be one of the most costly and instructive contests of this century, and which would e waged for such objetts as would scarcely stand the test of statesmen in plain, homely, English speech. With more vigour than politeness, he styles that ruction the Rowdy War Party, and he shows that if this country were to be guided by its principles we should scarcely ever be at peace. Mr. Bright exhibits the folly of such a temper by running over all the great wars of the last twentyyears, and by pointing out howstrongly this country was tempted to embark in each. The moral of his examples is that the interests of England are often better served when she remains neutral than when she goes to war, and that they are never so well served as when she allows other nations freely to level op themselves in their own way. The cause of "lch a result may easily be seen. The real interests of Mr,gland being those ef general peace and freedom, he community of States tends to find its interest r-identical with hers. A her commerce is connected I that ofjth* wholef world, it is protected by the tr-«*de. As she •.Us.U» llot >>♦ jnv;
. THE RAILWAY STRIKES IN AMERICA.
THE RAILWAY STRIKES IN AMERICA. Telegrams from New York sny that quiet is restored ■ R nearly all parts of the country, though the strikers continue obstinate. f The mails are running regularly, the New York Militia has been dismissed, Aid the movement of freights has begun on the whole of the Pennsylvania line, generally with new hands, and under military protection. The strikers at Johnstown on Friday night wrecked a troop train on its way to Pittsburg, attempting to throw it down an embankment. Colonel Hamilton, of the regular army, was seriously injured, and several ■v ldiers also. One hundred of the rioters were captured. The Baltimore and Ohio line has been opened by the regular troops as far as Cumberland. An attempt of the civil authorities to open the Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne line failed after a fight with the rioters. The Canada Southern and Michigan Central have resumed, but there is still a very serious interruption of traffic in New Jersey, and most parts of the West. The situation in the coal regions does not improve. Six thousand miners in the Frostburg district of Maryland have resolved to strike. The mines are flooded at Wilkesbarre. The coal trade in New York is virtually suspended. All the companies, except the Philadelphia and Reading, are refusing to make any sales.
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A telegram dated July 29, says: During the riots at Chicago there were 21 persons killed and 90 wounded. Affairs are generally quiet now, and all attempts at rioting are promptly checked. The attempts made by the authorities to break the blockades, and reach the western roads have been resisted by the men on strike and have failed. Busi- ness has been resumed on the Baltimore and Ohio, the Pennsylvania, < 'anada, Southern, and various other roads. The principal trouble. now is caused by the miners on strike allowing the pits to become flooded."
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The Daily Ncws, in a leader, notes one remarkable fact in the American railway strikes. There was nothing in all that has happened of what we in Europe should call Communism. there are Com- munists enough in the United States, and great effort was made by them to turn the movement into a Com- munist demonstration. But they do not seem to have been able to do anything or even to draw much atten- tion to their view of the way of settling social ques- tions. The impulses to the American riots were much simpler and far more dangerous. In the States there are really only two classes, the employers and the em- ployed. The one broad, clear distinction, not in New York or any other great city only, but all over the States, is that between the man who hires the labour and the man whose labour is hired. The moment the flag of the working man is hoisted anywhere it is recog- nized as the standard of the class, and the impulse of all the class is to fly to it To a large proportion, too, of this mass of labourers, representing nearly all nationalities, America is not so much a country as an employer; and when the stress of hard times comes on they have not that common devotion to the laws and the social order of the country that its own born citizens, however poor, might be expected to have. Of course as years go on the inconveniences and dangers arising from the present conditions of society in the States will gradually disappear, and the com- mon-sense and firmness of the majority will keep things from getting too much out of gear in the meantime.
A SEVERE GALE.
A SEVERE GALE. Captain Horatio Moody, of the American ship Rem- brandt, which arrived in the Mersey the other day from San Francisco, gives an account of a terrific gale, through which he passed on the voyage, and in which he lost two sons, while his wife sustained serious injury. He left San Francisco on the 22nd of March. On the 10th of May, in ]at. 49 S., Ion., 97 W., the vessel met with a heavy gale from the north-west, with a very bad cross sea. At 3 o'clock that afternoon, continues the report, ''the captain's wife, two sons, and stewardess were in the pilot-house when a heavy sea broke overboard, stove through the doors of the pilot-house, washed the .captain's wife down into the cabin broke her collar-bone and brused her severely. washed the stewardess through the pilot-house, breaking two of her ribs, and swept the two boys overboard. It was blowing so hard, and such an awful sea running, that it was impossible to do anything to save them, and they were both lost. No one saw them after the sea struck the ship. Through that night, next day, and the following night the gale continued with great violence and very heavy seas continually broke on board the ship in all directions, smashing the galley doors and bulwarks, washing through the for- ward house, and completely flooding the decks with water. On] rlday night all hands came aft, expeoting the forward houses would be carried away. We boarded up the doors and windows of the cabin, but there was such a depth of water on deck that a creat deal got into the cabin, and did much damage. Three days after we had another gale from the south-west, but the sea was regular and we received no damage."
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There is still no prospect of a settlement of the Man- chester and Salford carpenters' and joiners' strike.
WAR NEWS.
WAR NEWS. The Special Correspondent of The Times at Constantinople, under date, Syra, July 29, telegraphs :—"There is a panic pre- vailing at Pera, ctue probably to the dismissal of the Shiek- ul-Islam, which i8 generally attributed I cannot say whether rightly-to his refusal to hoist the Sandjak Cherif, or sacred flag. It is generally believed, too, that the Sultan will shortly leave for Broussa, unless a Turkish success makes his position more secure. It is feared he may neyer return if the Russians occupy Constantinople, but that they will abolish the Turkish form of Government; hence those who wish the present Government to remain, as the least of many evils, strongly urne that an English force should be sent with the fleet to Gallipoli, not to make war, but in case of a Turkish de- feat to procure peace advantageous to the RnssiaIJ8 on COll- dition that they make it at Adrianople, without occupying the capital. It is believed, too, that the Russians will never leave Constantinople, but find a pretext for remalJllllgto put down the disturbances which they themselves foment. On the other hand, it is urged by anti-Turks that England would find herself completely isolated, other Powers not intending to try to prevent the Russians from entering Constantinople, and there dictating peace, as the Germans entered Paris, The panic is a130 attributable to dally reports of massacres, most of them inventions or exaggera- tions, but manv truc, the chief criminals bein Turkish Irregulars on the one side and Bulgarian returned exiles on the other. Many Christian families are leaving. "Baker Pasha went yesterday to iMpect the lines at Derkous, and found the fortifications at last in course of construction. He has not yet been given a command, but daily expects it. It is still asserted that about 2,000 Circassians refused to go to the front, on the ground that they wished to guard the capital, but some have since been forced to go."
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CONSTANTINOPLE, Monday. A strong body of marines and soldiers having been landed at Kustendje from the Turkish fleet, attacked the Russians, who nccupied entrenched positions on the hill siùe there. The Russians for a time resisted resolutely, but they were eventually compelled to retreat before the Turkish forces, who were more numerous. The marines fought splendidly. They stormed the Russian batteries, spiking four guns. The Turkish fleet, which is cruising off the mouths of the Danube, has captured two vessels currying contraband of war. They claim to be of Swedish nationality. BUCHAREST, Monday. Rustchuk is again completely invested. the Russians hav. ing received reiuforcemeuts after their retreat in the direc- tion of Sistova. Another battle is imminent. Both sides appear anxious to assume the offensive. The Turks daily make strong cavalry reconnaisances. PERA, July 29. A vigilance committee has been formed in Adrianople for the protection of the, citizens. The Bulgarians and Alaho- medim prisoners from the last insurrection escaped, but most of them have been recaptured. Great misery prevails among the poorer part of the population.
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7 he Times' Correspondent with the Turkish army, under date Shumla, July 27, telegraphs Mehemet All Pasha, during the few days of his command, has succeeded in in- fusing new life into military matters. He already enjoys great popularity among the soldiers, whose confidence he has thoroughly awakened. In military circles and among the population there are better hopes, because it is known that the new commander will put an end to the state of in- activity, and that he will act with determination. Yesterday afternoon four battalions covering the flank of a Turkish column marching from Rustchuck towards Ras- grad were attacked by the enemy west of Turlata. The fight was stubborn, but resulted in ncthing except the de- plorable death of Ferik Aziz Pasha, one of the ablest Turkish Generals. Major-General Feizik Pasha was also wounded. The day before yesterday the Cossacks destroyed the railway between Jamboly and YeniSaghra. They were sub- equently driven away, however, and the raIlway has agam been restored to working order. JCLY 28. Those Russian columns which have hitherto crossed the Balkans used exclusively for this purpose paths which are impasable for larger colnmns and vehicles of every kind, and can only be trodden under the guidance of those who are acquainted with the country..Nevertheless, all important mountain passes are still in the possession of the Turks, the only exception being the road from Tirnova through the Ship ka defile to Keranlik, which the advancing Russian columns made use of."
MIDHAT PASHA.
MIDHAT PASHA. "P16 Vienna Correspondent of The Times writes under date, July 30 :—"As I stated yesterday, Midhat Pasha will not return to Constantinople. The Sultan has had recourse to his sagacity, but has no intention of sacrificing for his sake either Mahmoud Damad or Edhem Pasha. The former especially enjoys the full confidence of his master, and is all powerful. His dismissal, therefore, could only be obtained by means of a popular movement, which Midhat disapproves, preferring to wait, or finally to be reconciled to his adversary. His visit to Vienna, moreover, like that to London, furnishes Midhat with an opportunity of personally acquainting him- self with the dispositions of the two Governments towards Turkey. The advice he gives to the Sultan will consequently be positive, practical, and conformable with the situation. Midhat is enthusiastic about the heroic defence his fellow- countrymen are making, and he is convinced that the Russians will soon be obliged to retrace their steps with great loss. For some men misfortune is a benefit. The exiled Midhat bears no responsibility. He will return with his popularity unimpaired, and welcomed by his country, to the regeneration of which he may some day set himself. This is the one idea of Midhat s life."
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The following intelligence has been issued by the Porte "His Excellency Raouf Pasha telegraphs to us that the Russians, in their retreat from Yeiu-Zaghra, massacred 345 Mussulmans belonging to seven villages of the district of Eski-Zaghra only two or three families succeeded in escap- ing the massacre, and they came to Raouf Pasha bemoaning the fate of their fellow villagers." The Daily News' Constantinople Correspondent says :— "There exists in certain quarters a perfect craze for the manufacture of atrocities committed by the Russians and the Bulgarians. The Turks and certain of their friends who ought to have more honesty about them, appear to imagine that as the horrors of Moslem atrocities did much towards turning public attention towards the character of the rule from which the Bulgarians had revolted, and towards alien- ating English sympathy from Turkey, it is only necessary now to get lip a similar cry in order again to change the current of piblic feeling, and to direct it against the subject races and u^aiust Russia." A report is telegraphed from Berlin that Midhat Pasha is about to be entrusted by the Sultan with an important mis- sion to the Great Powers. The Russian man-of-war Constantine has ldt Odes. a for I Sebastopol to assist in the defence of that tort. During the last ten <3a;rs light Turkish vessels bave been observed out- side ffarboui at night, from whicl* the nuthoritiefi infer that the%- ~j> r* > J tKtrcinieuc hy tTfa Ottoman fteet. The^ort'Acations theiv continual.1;, .aiiw fhr.t every day's ueiay reuders silch an an enterprise more Hazardous and uncertain. The Special Correspondent of the Globe telegraphs from Sebastopol that on the eveuingof the 23rd inst. an encounter took piaee Oir Kustendje between the Russian steamer Vesta, from th»tport, a Turkish ironclad. The fight is decribed as ha.iug heen of a most de8pcrate character, f-.jmd lasted more than five hours. By a skilful use of her ram, the Y 0sta managed to beat off her assailant, "and made him retire, but not before she had been severely mauled by the ironclad. The losses on the Russian side were 2 officers and 11 men killed, and 5 officers and 17 men wounded. The damage done to the Turkish vessel is not stated. The new Governor of the vilayet of Adrianople has ordered all the carpenters and bricklayers in the district to render service on the fortifications. A correspondent of the Standard telegraphing on Monday from Adrianople. says :—"This morning seven Bulgarians were hanged on trees near the station. They had been tried by courts-martial and founij guilty of the destruction of a railway bridge by dynamite. The orders from Constanti- nople authorize the execution without trial of all insurgents taken red-handed in arms." The European residents are leaving Constantinople in great numbers. It is announced from Czernovitz that the difficulties of provisioning the Russian army increase as its march pro- ceeds. This provisioning is being- effected by means of 25,000 trucks, 7,000 of which are engaged in Roumania, and 18,000 requisitioned and paid for at the rate of 20f. a day. This number being still insufficient, the Russians wished to engage a certain number of trucks in Transylvania by means of more advantageous offers, but the Austrian Government has strictly closed its frontiers. The Special Correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Bjela, under date, July 26, says :—' The official reports of Baron Liegnitz, the German military attache, amply corro- borate the accounts already transmitted of the Turkish bar- barities practised on the fallen Russian soldiers at Shipka. Baroji Liegnitz found a mass of Russians with their heads cut off, and collected in one place. Russian dead bodies lay about naked, headless, and mutilated. The Russian wounded in the recent reverse at Plevna suffered equal cruelties. A wounded soldier, who on falling pretended to be dead, and afterwards rejoined his regiment, reports seeing one of his own officers, who feU near him, mutilated, and his ears, nose, and tongne cut off. A retreating regiment endured the horror of seeing its own colonel, who had fallen in the re- treat, cut to pieces before the regiment had got out of sight. It is believed that none of the Russians W30 fell at Plevna were allowed to survive. The Russians loet about two thousand men there."
THE P0 £ T-CARI> REFORM.
THE P0 £ T-CARI> REFORM. There were many boastful crowings over the intro- duction of post-cards and more than a few jeremiads were composed by those who feared more loss to the revenue and exposure of private affairs than benefit to the populace from cheapened correspondence (remarks the Globe). Yet the bulk of those classes of the people who were supposed to be going to derive most advan- tage from the innovation, or to do most harm by its means, has gone through the years that have since elapsed without the least practical experience of the change. Poor people who write few letters, and those at long intervals, and to whom the difference between a penny and a. halfpenny postage is really appreciable, have gone on paying the penny postage till now for the paradoxical reason that they could not afford to pay for the halfpenny post-card. Well-to-do folk, with large need of correspondence tradesmen and adver- tisers, whose savings upon scores and hundreds, or even thousands, of posted communications will amount at 1.d. apiece to a considerable sum of money in a single day and all sorts of people to whom it is as easy to spend sevenpence at any moment as to spend a penny have had the benefit of the change. They have bought their packets of post-cards, and made their profit; while tens of thousands of the very poor have railed at the mockery of a system under which they were forbidden the advantage of the halfpenny post unless they could invest in a dozen halfpenny cards (at 7d. at once. The change which is now announced by means of which anybody can buy a single card for three farthings, and any number at a time on a reasonably graduated scale, will be a benefit to the public at large and at length we shall put the useful- ness of the post-card to a practical test.
TEN DAYS WITHOUT FOOD or WATER.
TEN DAYS WITHOUT FOOD or WATER. On Saturday another sad story of the sea reached Liverpool from Quebec. The Norwegian barque Hebe, Captain Coch, which had arrived at that port, had on board two French fishermen who were picked up at sea in an open boat after having been drifting about for ten days on the Atlantic without food or water. Captain Coch, in his report, says that on the 18th of June, about two p.m., when in lat. 45 N., long. 55'3 W., the man on the look-out reported an object in the water resembling a buoy or a boat, and on closer examination discovered it to be a boat with two men in it. At the time the wind was blowing strong from N.N.W. The ship bore down upon the boat, a.nd a rope was thrown to the men but they were unable, through complete exhaustion, to take hold of it. A boat was then got ready, and with difficuty launched, as there was a very heavy sea running at he time, and af ter considerable trouble and risk to he lives ef the crew they succeeded in getting the two men on board. After being carefully nursed for a few days, for they were in a deplorable state whea taken on board the Hebe they informed Captain Coch that they were two French fisherman from St. Malo, and that the boat in which they had been found had drifted away from their vessel when off St. Pierre Miguelon. They had been knocking about for ten days, exposed to all kinds of weather, and had had nothing to eat or drink during all that time.
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Friday, the 17th of August, is the day now named for the prorogation of Parliament.
DEATH OF MR. WARD HUNT.
DEATH OF MR. WARD HUNT. (From Monday's Times.) Our readers will be both surprised and shocked to read to-day the news of the death of the First Lord of the Admiralty, which iccurred at Homburg yesterday morning. Up to Saturday encouraging reports had been received of the benefit which Air. Hunt was de- riving from the waters at Homburg. It was even hoped that he would be in his place in the House of Commons this week to take part in the discussion of the remaining Navy Votes. This hope, which he himself shared, was not, however, to be fulfilled. In his place on the Treasury Bench, as well as in his office at Whitehall, he struggled with in- domitable spirit throughout the early part of the Session against an unusually severe attack of gout. Perhaps a valuable life would have been spared had he then sought rest and change. But important work had to be done, and Mr. Hunt was not the man to shrink from it or leave to others the task of defend- ing the acts of the Department which he administered. One of the most spirited and successful speeches which the'late First Lord ever delivered in Parliament was made by him this Session in answer to Mr. Seely and other critics at a time when he was sorely crippled by gout, and must have been (buffering acute pain. When he was at length forced to relinquish for a time his- attendance in Parliament Mr. Hunt worked assi- duously in his sick room, and returned at the earliest moment to his place in the House of Commons, where cheers from both sides of the House of Commons greeted his reappearat ce and proved the universal respect felt there for his character. The disease from which he suffered so cruelly soon compelled him to retire once more from active duty, and at Whitsuntide, under medical advice, he went to Homburg. Here, as we have said, he seemed to be recruiting his strength, which had, no doubt, been taxed by much arduous and anxious work during his three years of office. His disease, however, must have taken a sudden and fatal turn, and members on both sides of the House will learn with deep regret that death has struck down his massive form and stopped his career of useful public service at the comparatively early age of 52.
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It is stated that on the Sunday preceding his death Mr. Hunt had been ahle to drive out, but during the week there was a sudden change of weathtjr at Homburg, and 111', Hunt felt this. He was distressed by the cold and became ex- tremely weak, with great difficulty in breathing. His heart, which seems to have suffered from fatty degeneration, be- came oppressed, and he died on Saturday morning at 11 o'clock, retaining his intellect until almost the last moment of his life. Mr. Hunt was attended by Dr. Dietz, the most eminent physician at Homburg, and he had also the advan- tage (f the aid of an English medical man in Dr. Holman, of Reigate, who, being at Homburg for his health, was sum- moned to see Mr. Hunr. i (: The Right Hon. George Ward Hunt was the only son of
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the late Rev. George Hunt, of Wadenhoe, Northampton- shire, by his marriage with Emma, daughter of the late Mr. Samuel Gardiner, of Coombe lodge, near Goring, Oxford- shire, and was born in the year 1825. He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church. Oxford, where he took the usual degrees, and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 185t, joining the Oxford Circuit, but, pre. ferring politics to legal studies, he entered Parliament at the General Election ot 1857 as one of the Members for the Northern Div;1ion of Northamptonshire, which he has represented without a break for twenty years. He acted as Financial Secretary to the Treasury under Lord Derby in 1866-67, and in the following year, when Mr. Disraeli became Premier, succeeded to the office of Chan- cellor of the Exchequer but his career in this position was but brief, as he was obliged to retire with his colleagues in December, 1868. On the return of the Conservatives to place and power he was appointed a first Lord of the Admiralty. The position is, perhaps, one of the least enviable in the Cabinet and the most exposed to criticism. Mr Hunt, however, had been a keen critic of the Admiralty ad- ministration of others, and bore up manfully against the very free criticism directed against his own ad- adininistration of the Admiralty. Apart from official position and duties, Mr. Hunt had an intimate knowledge of all subjects relating to county administration and took great interest in all questions relating to agriculture. In 1866 he introduced a Bill dealing with the Cattle Plague, and was prominent in the somewhat exciting debates on this subject. In 1875, again, he was equally at home on a kindred subject, and was, after the Prime Minister, the member of the Cabinet chiefly charged with support- ing and explaining the difficult provisions of the Agri- cultural Holdings Bill. 11" Illlllt was a magistrate and Deputy-Lieutenant for orthamptonshire, and for some years acted as Chairman of the Quarter Sessions for that county. He was also a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn, and was created an honprary D.C.L. of Oxford at the Commemoration of 1870. In 1857 he married Alice, third daughter of the Right Rev. Dr. Robert Eden, Bishop of Moray and Ross, in the Episcopal Church of Scotland, by whom he has left a family to lament his premature decease. The Times (in a. leader) says that the death of Mr. Ward
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Hunt will strike the country with surprise as well as regret, for few of the public, probably, suspected that he was in serious danger. Mr. Ward Hunt was in the prime of life, and, compared with the majority of Cabinet Ministers, he might almost be called a young man. Reviewing his political career, The Times remarks that as Chancellor of the Ex- chequer he did not disappoint the general expectation, and he showed not a few valuable qualities as a Minister of Finance—caution, clearness of perception, directness of statement, and a judicious preference of simple ex- pedients and instruments. The same common-sense and firmness, it might well be thought would at the Admiralty be found eminently useful, and he seemed as likely as any other competitor for Cabinet office to keep the energies of that department braced to their work. If the three or four years during which Mr. Ward Hunt ruled at the Admiralty have been signalized by a melancholy 8eries of mischances, there are few among his most vehement opponents who will not readily admit that for many of them Mr. Hunt generously assumed a responsi- bility which others might have shifted on their colleagues. It is rather, however, for social than for political reasons that Mr. Ward Hunt will be missed; and it is painful to reflect that the misfortunes and chagrins connected with the department he governed may have contrihuted to break down his constitution and to bring him to the grave in the prime of hh powers.
THE GORILLA-MR. PONGO. ---!
THE GORILLA-MR. PONGO. <4 1/T fiB <he gorilla' recenuj cft-ougiis to the SWestmiii&ttsB A^uatium:— A^uatium:— Pongo, it is quite evident, is not very arboreal in his habits. He sits nearly always on the floor with his legs tucked under him, exactly as does a tailor in fact, Mr. Bartlett suggests that he very likely might I live in a cave. His face cannot be called uglv, certainly; but at the same time it cannot be (JaIled in- telligent. The nose is much depressed into the face the lips are even with the nose, and pink inside. He cannot smile, but he grins like a dog. He will snatch and pull away anything put near him. He took a pocket-handkerchief from a lady's pocket, put it round his neck, and afterwards wiped his nose with it. This, I am inclined to think, was not imitation, but an acci- dent. He is apparently not right-handed, but uses both hands equally. If there is anyone distinctive point between man and the gorilla, it is in the conformation of the hands. The thumb is exceedingly short, and cannot be used with anything like the facility as in the human subject. one seems to have noticed in this specimen the great difference between the human hand and that of the gorilla, first pointed out to me by Mr. Bartiett. In the human hand the three bones form- ing the finger spring direct from the palm of the hand. In the gorilla, the spaces from the knuckles to the first joint of the finger are united by a membrane, and become practically a continuation of the palm of the hand. The gorilla uses his hand as a foot much more than as a hand. Yrleii. Progresses the fingers are bent inward on to the first joint of the fingers, thus forming a sort of pad on which the animal walks. When walking the fore arms and hand form as it were, supports for the rest of the body; in fact, the gorilla's gait may be likened to a man going on crutches. The hind legs are comparatively small and much bowed outwards like the legs of a baby. the thumb of the foot has great powers of pre- hension indeed, it may be said that the thumb proper is carried on the foot It is to be carefully marked that the gorilla has no calf to the leg and no biceps m the forearm. According to my observation, he cannot stand upright without sup- porting himself by means of some object. The gorilla has apparently no more voice than a roughish guttural sound. We have not, however, yet seen him in arage. Under these conditions it is just possible he may make a great noise. I have put my finger into his mouth, and have ascertained that he has n > pouch nor any- thing like a pouch. He puts everything he can get hold of into his mouth, and on all occasions his mouth and teeth are used as weapons of offence and defence. In this one fact alone there is a vast difference between human beings and gorillas. When men quarrel they always use their hands, and in very exceptional instances their teeth. The gorilla, as far as I have ascertained, does not use a stick for the purpose of striking, nor does he as yet ever strike with his hands; it is, however, most remarkable that he frequently claps with his hands in doing this, his right hand is always uppermost. I do not think this is the result of imitation, or that he has been taught it; it is, I think, a natural action. I gave him my hat; he placed it before him upon the floor, and began immediately to drum upon it. I am afraid the disciples of Darwin will be greatly discomfited by the advent of this gorilla. If the reader will kindly put his or her hand to the ear, he or she will find a very slight little hard knob on the external edge of the fold of the ear, about a quarter of an inch from its highest part. The presence of this knob, according to Darwin, indicates "the descent" of you and me, my friends, "from a hairy quadruped, furnished with a tail and pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits, and an inhabitant of the Old World." I was especially careful to examine the gorilla's ears, and I discovered that he does not wear a knob on his ear. What will Mr. Darwin say now ?
THE SHAH AND THE HUASCAR.
THE SHAH AND THE HUASCAR. The Royal Mail steamship Tasmanian, which arrived at Plymouth on Sunday, brought a copy of the Panama Star and Herald, which gives details respecting the Huascar diliieulty. The promise made by General Prado to the nation that immediate redress should be demanded for the proceedings of the Shah and the Amethyst is being complied with an important circular addressed by the Minister ot Foreign Affairs to the Peruvian Diplomatic and Consular representatives abroad, has been made public. The Minister states that although the Huascar declined to obey the Con- stitutional authorities, she was. nevertheless, a national vessel—the power of the Government to vanquish her was proved at the fight of Pisaguas, where she was forced to fly before the squadron. This circumstance was instantly communicated to the dip- lomatic corps in Lima" Although the decree of the Government authorized the capture of the rebel by a third Dwtv, this could not refer to any foreign force, as h inte erence would be in direct contradiction of interiirtii i.id right, and the very fact of offering a re- ward to the captor effectually debarred the commander of any foreign man-of-war from taking part in the affair. The offer of reward was made princi- pally to create a counter movement on board the vessel itself. The Huascar was attacked in Peruvian waters, as is clearly proved from the shot and shell discharged by the S hah and the Amethyst, which passed over the Huascar and fell into the village of Pacocha. There was no cause for attacking the Huascar, as the alleged outrages on British interests were disproved. The Minister having made these statements declares that the proceedings of Admiral de Horsey were in contravention of international laws and constituted an outrage against the sovereignity of the Republic, and an immediate demand for redress and apology will be made to the Cabinet of St. James's.
CONVICTION FOR CHILD MURDER.
CONVICTION FOR CHILD MURDER. At the Liverpool Assizes, before Mr. Justice Haw- kins, Sophie Martha Todd, a woman 28 years old, was indicted for the wilful murder of an infant female child unknown, at Liverpool, on the 25th July, 1875. It appeared that in" Apri), 1875, the prisoner went to lodge at the house of Mrs. Jolliffe, Prospect-road, Liverpool, representing herself as a married woman living apart from her husband. On the evening of Sunday, the 25th July, a child was br ,ught to her at the house, and she explained to Miss Jolliffe that it was to be called for later in the evening. Miss Jolliffe sat up with her until half-past two in the morning, and then went to bed. The next day the baby had gone, and the prisoner said it had been called for immediately after Miss Jolliffe had gone to bed. In October of the same year prisoner left Mrs. Iolliffe's and went to lodge with Mrs. Oldham, of Springfield, Liver- pool, taking her box with her. She left Mrs. Oldham's suddenly at the end of 1875; but thinking she would return, Mrs. Oldham kept her box until March last, when she had it searched, the result being that the body of a mummiiied child was found. When a de tective untied the bundle the head appeared to break from the body and dropped off. The prisoner was ap- prehended near Manchester on March 21, and brought to Liverpool, where she made a statement to the de- tective to the following effectThat she had put an advertisement in the paper, and that, in consequence, the child was brought to Mrs. Joliffe's that it died W' suddenly on the night it was brought, and that, being afiaid, she had put it in her box and told the Jollifies that it had been called for. When the body of the child was examined by medical men, and the clothes in which it was wrapped were submitted to micro- s opical examination, it was found that they were stained with blood and blood corpuscles were found thereon, whi -h, the medical men deposed, went to show that the bloo i must have flowed during life and not after death. No wound or injury was found on the remains. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder." Sentence of death was passed in the usual form.
---------------A GALLANT ACTION.
A GALLANT ACTION. On Monday the crews of four vessels which were wrecked on the Peruvian coast during the recent earthquake and tidal wave arrived at Liverpool in the Pacific. Steam Navigation Company's steamer Cotopaxi. Amongst these seamen is one who, for his bravery, has been awarded a valuable- watch by the merchants of Lima. His name is John Mitchell, and he is a native of Devocan, Cornwall. On the night of 'the terrible earthquake he was on board his vessel, the Conference, lying in Huanillos Bay, when cries were heard proceeding from persons struggling in the water. The sea at the time was raging fearfully, and the night was very dark. Vessels were being continually driven from their moorings, and gigantic rocks were dislodged from the summit of the hills, and rolled down into the sea with tremendous crashes. Notwithstanding all these circumstances Mitchell with two others of the crew lowered a small boat from the Conference, and succeed in picking up six persons, who afterwards proved to be the master and four of the crew of the ship Avonmore, the former having his child lashed on his back. For this gallant action the merchants of Lima subscribed and presented the British Consul at Callao with three watches to be given to the three men who so heroically rescued six of the crew of the unfortunate ship Avonmore. The names of the other two men are William Stewart and Charles Wilson. The vessels lost, and whose crews landed at Liver- pool on Monday, are the Conway Castle, Lady Belleau, Avonmore, and the Conference. A number of them were taken to the Liverpool Sailors' Home, and after- wards forwarded to their native places.
"BURBIDGE v. THE GREAT NORTHERN…
"BURBIDGE v. THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY." The above case has been heard at the Nottingham Assizes (before Baron Pollock and a special jury), and was an action for personal injuries, and under Lord Campbell's Act, for the loss of the plaintiff's husband, caused by the well-known accident at Arsley siding, on the Great Northern Railway, in December, 1875. lr, Mellor, Q.C., and Mr. Graham appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. Lawrence, Q.C., and Mr. Monckton for the defendants. The plaintiff and her husband were travelling in the train which met with the accident at Arsley. The carriage in which they were travelling was broken to pieces, and they were thrown out to a considerable dis- tance. The plaintiff's husband sustained a fracture of the thigh, which necessitated amputation, and he died from the shock to his system. The plaintiff herself was frightfully injured, her right leg was broken and the pelvis crushed, the pubic bone being displaced and moved downwards: She is now lying at the Three Counties Asylum, to which she was taken from the Arlsey Inn, to which she was moved immediately after the accident; and though her general health has from time to time shown signs of improve- ment, there is but little hope of anything approaching to a real recovery. At best she must always he a hopeless cripple, unable to move without the aid of machinery. The railway company after the accident did everything in their power to alleviate her sufferings and provide good medical attendance. Mr. Erichsen, Mr. Carr Jackson (the medical officer of the company) Mr. Barnard Holt, Dr. Ransome, and Mr. Shilleto attended her, and on theirreports the plaintiff based her claim. No very accurate examination could be made without chloroform, even up to the present time, in consequence of tic intense pain caused by even the slightest movement. The expenses of medical attend- ance, &c., already incurred were agreed at about J6600. The plaintiff's husband was head clerk of Messrs. Baxter, merchants, in London. He had been lately in receint of a. j o-r IADO per annum, which had oeen .1i.1;t increased to 1:500, with a prospect of further advances. His age was 37 and the plaintiff's 41. The damages, including those under Lord Campbell's Act, as well as those for personal injuries, were laid at £ 10,000. The leading facts of .the case were not dis- puted by the defendants. Mr. Lawrence addressed the jury in mitigation of damages, pointing out that the loss of the husband did not involve the loss of an absolutely fixed income, but was more analogous to the loss of a basiness, the n, was more analogous to the loss of a basiness, the selling value of which would be about three years' purchase. He also observed that the plaintiff had no children, and that the amount recovered should be merely the actual pecuniary loss sustained by her, together with some reasonable compensation for her sufferings. The learned judge, having enumerated the various heads of damage for which compensations was claimed, and having cautioned them against giving vindictive damages, The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff— Damages, £ 0,100, including £ 600 agreed upon for the expenses, £ 3,000 being given for the loss of her hus- band and t2,500 for the personal injuries.
The WAGES QUESTION in the…
The WAGES QUESTION in the NORTH of ENGLAND IRON TRADE. On Saturday a meeting of the Board of Arbitration for the manufactured iron trade was held at Darling- ton, the arbitrator, Mr. David Dale, desiring some in- formation in addition to that previously given him with respect to the average amount of the earnings of the puddlers and the number of shifts worked, &c. The employers presented a number of returns on these heads, but they were objected to by the men on the ground that any return should show the amounts divide 1 equally over the number of men employed at the works. By the statement of the employers it ap- peared that only three works out of those employed in the North of England were on short time, which it was argued, on the part of the men, showed that there was no depression in the trade if the railworks were excepted, the manufacture of which had been largely superseded by steel. The employers, however, rejoined that nearly half the puddling furnaces with the allied plant were idle, and that iron had gone down above £ t per ton. In answer to this the men stated that since 1875, from which the employers dated, there had been a reduction in the prices of coal, labour, &c., representing above 19s. per ton, which about counter- balanced the reduction in the price of iron. They further urged the very low wages and the exhausting labour of iron working, and the difficulty that would be found in inducing men to perform such labour if less money were paid than at present. The arbitrator then had private interviews with both masters and operative representatives, but as neither were prepared to make concessions, the meeting was brought to a termination.
AMERICAN HUMOUR.
AMERICAN HUMOUR. Beaux at Saratoga are called" parasol-holders." A peculiar tomb stone has been placed in the Yantic (Conn.) cemetery to mark the grave of Mrs. David A. Wells, who was rather loquacious. It is a boulder some four feet in diameter, one side of which is faced and bears the in- scription-.—" And they rolled a stone to the mouth of the sepulchre." President Hayes has asked whether there is any good reason why negroes should not be appointed as agents and superintendents amongst the Indians. Well, the Indians object to them on account of the difficulty experienced in getting the scalping knife through their hair. A shopkeeper in the Far West, having had a stormy discussion with his better half, put up the shutters and affixed the following notice :—"Closed during altercations." He is a man after my own heart, pa," said Julia reverting to her Augustus. "Nonsense," replied old Practical; "he is a man after the money your uncle left you." And then all was quiet. The characteristic of the umbrella is its power of changing shapes. You can leave a bran new silk with an ivory or rosewood handle at any public gathering within three hours it will turn itself into a light blue or faded brown cotton, somewhat less in size than a circus tent, with a handle like a telegraph pole, and live fractional ribs. The Free Dress Reform Club of Philadelphia has boldly declared that "the garmenture for women's legs should be of dual form." And then there would still be the same old formal duel who should wear the "garmenture." And the Reform Club did not settle the question whether this "dual garmenture" would be fastened around lovely woman's waist with a pin, or be held in place by suspenda- ture. Xor did it resolve the buttonature of women's dual garmenture. A belle's summer outfit for a fashionable watering place Dresses to sit in, and stand in, and walk in Dresses to dance in, and flirt in, and talk in Dresses for breakfast, and dinner, and ball Dresses in which to do nothing at all. An American paper has found out the reason why persons cannot sleep, It is because there is not accumula- tion in the oraanism of the. products of oxydation, mainly that of carbolic acid, that accumulation being favwureo and controlled by reflex action of the nervous system, which thus protects the organism from excessive oxydation, and allows the organism to manifest its normal functional activity throughout a succeeding rythmic period."
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It is many Sessions since the House of Lords had such an easy time of it as in that which is now drawing to a close. The House of Lords is a curiously precise meter of the amount of real work done in the Commons. Their Lordships are not given to vam talk, being chiefly anxious to have the business over in time to take a canter, or a drive in the Park. If the Commons do any real work, their Lordships must fain discuss the Bills as they are sent up. But as, this Session, the Commons have been almo-t exclu- sively engaged in talk, and have passed exceedingly few Bills, the leisure moments of their Lordships have length- ened accordingly. "-Mayfair.
■ EPITOME OF NEWS.
■ EPITOME OF NEWS. BKtTISH AND FOREIGN There is a scarcity of tourists in Switzerland. Rus- sians and French are lacking. The Knglish seem to prefer less-explored countries, and Germans alone, who spend little money, are numerous. "It has not, I think, been remarked that the last three pieces of valuable Church preferment in the gift of the Crown—the Bishoprics of Rochester, and of Sodor and Man, and theCanonry of York-have fallen to decided Low Church- men. Moderate men are grumbling, and the" High" ones are furions, Whitehall Review. The leading spinners and manufacturers in Dundee agreed to reduce the wages of their workers by five per cent, owing to the present dull state of trade and to the unre- munerative price obtained for manufactured goods. A telegram from Adelaide, dated June 14, says that the Knnly Smith, brig, from King George's Sound, is a total wreck on Kangaroo Island. Captain Davidson's wife and three children, the whole of the passengers, twenty in nUIll- ber, and nine of the crew were drowned. Three of the crew were saved. The horse nail makers in the Sedgley district, who have been on strike for the past two months against a pro- posed reduction in prices, resumed work at the reduction. It is reported that the men in the Rowley district have also submitted. Thomas Jones, a fireman on the London and North Western Railway, fell from his engine on Monday, when running between Holyhead and Bangor. The whole train passed over his arms, and he died soon afterwards. It is intended to arm all the volunteer corps in India with the Henri-Martini rifle in the course of the current year. The Maharajah of Cashmere, it is stated, intends arming one of his infantry regiments with Martini-Henry rifles manufactured at his own gun factory at Siiuuggur. The present war has given rise to an unprecedented amount of enterprise in the management of the Russian Press, and some newspapers have attained a circulation which a few months ago would have been considered fabulous. The sudden death of the Rev. Henry Vaughan Palmer, rector of St. Margaret's, York, occurred on Sunday morning at the age of 59 years. He had been announced to preach a sermon in aid of the city medical charities on Tuesday. One of the novel features of next year's great exhibi- tion at Paris will be that instead of being closed at dusk, it will be opened iu the evening and illuminated by electric light It is stated that Mr. C. Semon has bequeathed by his will a sum amounting to between £ 30,000 and £ 40,000 for the benefit of educational institutions in Bradford. Mr. Samuel Warren, formerly Recorder of Hull, and author of the well-known" Ten Thousand a Year," and other works, died in London on Sunday. He was one of the Masters in Lunacy. Some one who has interviewed Mr. Carlyle says, that his recent arpeet betoken8 the enjoyment of a hale old age. He iq fresh in colour and clear-eyed, but stoops a good deal, and his hand shakes a little, which is not to be wondered at seeing he is now in his 83rd year. He is by no means unspeakable, his gift of speech is as vigorous as ever, and his conversation is made lively by hearty laughter at times. He enters warmly into the topics of the day, especially the Turkish question, on which he has formed final opinions, which are not a little amusing from their eccentricity. Among the presents to Lady Mary Scott on the occasion of her marriage, was a costly fishing rod This gift was made by the tenants on the Duke of Buccleuh's estate at Sanquhar.—Court Journal. A priest of Arezzo is now making, in the paper mills of Tivoli, a fire-proof fabric from the asbetoa found in the valley of Aosta in the Italian Alps. This paper is manufactured at a cost of four francs per kilogramme, and it is said by the Papier Zeitung to be successfully used for the decorations of theatres, &c. The body of a well-dressed female has been found in a large pool twenty feet deep at Lichfield. She was a stranger to the town, and it is said that she was seen on Sunday in Lichfield Cathedral. Great numbers of what were supposed to be Colorado beetles, and to have been hatched from eggs brought in seed potatoes from America, having been discovered on potato plants in the suburbs of Hereford, the Home Secretary sent down Mr. Tennant, the naturalist, to inquire into the mat- ter. By that gentleman it has been found that the insect observed was one of the ladybird species, and a good friend of the potato grower. The eggs of the Colorado beetle are somewhat similar to grains of sago seed, and are invariably deposited on the underside of the potato leaf, and it is there that the female beetle will be found at work. She is estimated to lay from 700 to 1,200 eggs, so that 100 Colorado female beetles would produce a 70,000 to 120,000; the second generation arrives in about fifty days, so that supposing the eggs to be laid in May, there would be produced in July from 21,000,000 to 72,000,000. A native of Strasburg, 36 years old, formerly a butcher, lately threw himself from the bartizan of the Cathedral, and fell on the roof of the aisle, being, of course, killed on the spot. Twenty years have elapsed since a suieitle of this kind. A Correspondent of the Daily Neivs writes :—" It worth recording, connected with Mr. Bright's late visit/to Bradford on the occasion of the unveiling of Richard Cobden's statue in that town, that there was present a working man of Rochdale, who, too poor to pay railway fare, and unprovided with any ticket of admission, walked the whole distance from Rochdale, 30 miles, on the morning of the 25th inst" on the chance (If being admitted alld hear- ing lii-f distinguished townsman speak." Unfavourable weather interfered with the prosecu- tion of the herring fishing on the east coast of Scotland last week, and the catch was not so large as it might other- wise have heen, It has been ascertained that the tempera- tUl e of the sea off the coast is considerably lower than usual at this period of the year, and from this fact a success- ful fishing season is anticipated. By far the most successful of the fifty Shows which the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland has held closed on the Edinburgh Meadows on Friday night in last week. About 110.000 people visited the yard during the week, and the takings at the gates, &c., amounted to £6,718. Her Majesty the Queen, who sent a pair of shorthorn cows from Windsor, obtallled third honours for one (if them. Lord Derby and Mr. Bright are personal friends I of old standing, ana have had many a pleasant conversation oil the benches of the House of Commons when the noble eaarl was Lovd Stanley. Meeting the other day the friendly chat was renewed, and of course the subject of the war came to the front. Lord Derby, among other things, sÚll t., Mr. Bright, "You and I are understood to hold opposite views on the question of the war; hut you will find that a.s. far as action is concerned we are not so far distant as we appear.' "—May fair. It appears from the report of the Metropolitan District Railway Company, that in the half-year just ended no less than 14,562,122 passengers, iu addition to 4,823 season- ticket holders travelled on their line. The operative masons of London have struck work generally for two distinct objects. First—the shortening o the hours of labour from 52J hours per week in summer-time as now worked, to 50 hours per week. As to this the master builders object that the hours of labour having been al- ready reduced within the last few years from 60 hours per week to 52t hours, the reduction has gone far enough. Secondly—the operative masons require a general rise of Id. per hour for all—viz., from 9d. to lOd. per hour, without regard to the skill and ability of the operative. This, also, the master builders have declined. "The death of the Dutch Admiral, James Emslie, recalls to my mind a curious anecdote of the last great naval battle against the Dutch at Doggerbank, in 1781. Admiral Zoutman commanded the fleet, having under him Schout by Nacht' (Vice-Admiral) Dedel, whose ship, with five others, was sunk by our fire. Vice-Admiral Dedel had his son on board, a lad of five years of age, who with the rest of the crew was rescued. To commemorate this great instance of bravery the boy was decorated by the king with the military cross of William's Order. I do not remember any other cases (princes excepted) of boys being decorated with military or civil orders; it seems very ridiculous when I think of it, and I do not suppose that Baron Dedel when Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands in London, where he died, availed himself often of the opportunity of displaying the insignia which a royal caprice had conferred upon hllll when he did not even yet know his Christ cross- row. — The World. At Bath, a youth, 19 years of age, named Cambridge who has been employed at the Inland Revenue Department, Bristol, was attacked with sudden vertigo as he was riding upon a bicycle down a hill near Bath. The result was that he was dished to the ground and received such injuries to the, brain that he died after lingering some days in a pre- carious condition. The deceased was riding a high machine at the time, and was on a holiday tour. Monday's Magnet says :—"The growing crops have made fair progress towards maturity, but it is very evident that the harvest will be late. It is also tolerably certain that the yield will be short, but it is questioned wheher the deficiency will be as great as was anticipated. It will, how- ever, be an agreeable surprise if the > ield should come up to the average. The hay has mostly been got in under favourable conditions." The Spectator records the death of Mr. J. Langton Sanford, the historian. Though incapable of sustained labour, weakened by a latent heart-disease) which ultimately carried him off), and for the later years of his life irremedi- ably blind, lr, Sandford's work was of the highest order. His book on the Commonwealth has become a standard work, while his "Characteristics of the English Kings" called forth warm commendations from men like Mr. Free- man and Professor Stubbs The French Sport tells a good repartie of a scape- grace whom a Mentor reminded that his aunt had paid his debts, and that he should be more submissive to the wishes of his relative. The young good-for-nothing did not take much need of the sermon, but when his creditors were mentioned he had a real cti du cceur: 'Yes, yes, my aunt paid my credi80rs, but what has she dene for me ?'The World. A jury met at Bristol on Monday to assess damages in a claim for compensation, brought by the executors of a tailors foreman named Way, against the Great Western Railway. Way was in a train at Bristol station last summer, when an incoming train, overshooting the mark, dashed into the stationary traiii, causing injuries to a number of passengers. Way, who was in a delicate state of health, received buch a shock that it hastened his death. The eom- pany agreed to pay his eldest son £150, and the second sou £200. A return hns been issued of the expenditure in the Tichborne prosecution. The total costs, charges, and ex- penses of the prosecution amounted to £(jO,OH 19s. 4d., of which £23,676 17s. went in counsels' fees, £18,712 6s. Id. to witnesses, agents, &c lid. to law stationers and for printing, £3,637 10s. 4d. for shorthand writers' notes, and £3,780 to the jury. A telegram to The Times from their Calcutta Corres- pondent,says There is Mews from Quetta of a disturbance which broke out among some Patlian coolies employed on works under our engineers. They murdered Lieutenant Hewson, stabbing him from behind, before assistance could ) be rendered. The ringleaders were at once seized. The cause of the outrage is not yet ascertained, though it is be- lieved that it was in revenge for some trifling punishment indited on the headman of some villages. Strict inquiry is proceeding before a Court composed of the Khan's Vakeel and deputy and several chiefs. Part of the British force was moved into Quetta Fort on the day of the riot as a pre- cautionary measure, lest the excitement might spread. The aitair has apparently no political significance, and everything is now quiet." The Daily Neivs correspondent at Alexandria gives an account of the wreck of the British steamer Cashmere njar Cape Guardafui, the easternmost point of Africa, at the very spot where the Meikong was lost only a fortnight before. The Cashmere was on her way from Zanzibar to Aden. All went well until the 5th of July, when sheraninto Sandy Bay, and it was at once seen that she must become a complete wreck. Several lives were lost in reaching the shore, but eighty-nine were saved. The shipwrecked crew and passengers underwent many hardships, and five days and live mghts passed before assistance came to them. The steamer Queen Margaret then appeared and took them from the small port they had succeeded in reaching, about thirty miles to the westward of Guardatui, and conveyed them to Aden. It is stated that the British Consul at Cairo has called the attention of the Khedive to the necessity of establishing a lighthouse at Cape Guardafui. On Thursday night in last week, four boys were drowned at the Edgbaston Reservoir, Birmingham. Three of them, named Graham, went there with their parents, but strayed away.— On search being made their boots and hats were found on the bank of a water course. All efforts to re- cover the children proved fruitless till next morning, when their dead bodies, together with that of boy named Wharman, were discovered in a deep part of the water. It is supposed that the beys were wading in the water-course, and were carried by the current into the reservoir which is fiiteen feet deep, At the inquest it was shown that the water where the boys had been paddling was about a foot deep for a short distance, and then there was a sudden fall of nearly 14 feet. No protection to visitors to the grounds had been provided. A verdict of Accidental Death was returned, the jury recommeuding that proper fencing should be put up to prevent the recurrence of such accidents. It is proposed at Amsterdam to •reot a hnmhubj'1!, on the grave of the late Mr. Motley, as a tribute of from the Dutch nation to its distinguished historian. A well-informed correspondent says :—" One of tn; items which will be considered by Russia indispensable- she is enabled to impose the conditions of peace upon Porte, will be the surrender of the Turkish fleet." Marshal MacMahon, in reply to an address fro^ the Mayor of Bourges, made a speech on Saturday, in wh'1-? he said that Radicalism was the common danger, and il<r his object ever had been to check it. His intentions, ho*' ever, had been called in question, and his acts misrepj* sented. A return to the abuses of the old regime under tnj occult influences of a priestly government had even spoken of. These were caluminies which had already he disposed of by the public good sense at home and abr8 They would not discourage him, or prevent him from fi'dsj* ing his task, by the help of the men who had aided him "J carrying out his policy. He was confident that the patio* would repond to his appeal. From an ecclesiastical census recently completed I learn that out of the 848 churches in the metropolis there are only thirty-five in which the clergy brave their bishops in Eucharistic vestments; thirty-nine which main' tain candles on the altar and fifty-eight which have altar, lignts sixteen in which incense is used—just double tho. number in 1873; 269 which are dressed with floral decors tion 152 in which the eastward position at Communion :< maintained; and sixty-seven in which shortened service performed. Daily Communion is celebrated in thirty-nin" only, but in 122 there i3 no week-day service 340 maintain surpliced choirs, 144 of which are paid. There are in addi- I ti(i)JI 400 voluntary choirs; 127 adopt the Gregorian tones. iBj In 465 churches the surplice is used in the pulpit There is no return of the number of churches in which the con- fessional-box is in vogue."—May/air. ■ The Cologne Gazette reports that on Friday in 1^ Hj week about forty Colorado Beetles in various stages wei* H discovered iu a potato-field at Mulheim, adjoining tha^ H recently disinfected. Quantities of benzoline were H mediately poured, not only on this field, but the land rouB<* JH! it for some distance, and tire was then applied to it: H were then set to dig up the soil and search for larvae. jflE will then be ploughed up, drenched with benzoline, and IK on tire, The French Government has sent. over severi" I officials to make^ inquiries. I It will be news to many to hear that some time 1 —at least two months- the steamers of the White Star un8 { were surveyed under the direction of the English Govern' ment with a view of ascertaining the troop-carrying capacity of those vessels. Apropos of this circumstance, it will o? remembered that during the Crimean War the Liverpool steamers were fully occupied in the conveyance of our troop" tu the East.- Whitehall Ilemew. Some one recently said to Victor Hug-o; Itmust be very difficult to write good poetry." Xo, sir, replied the poet, it is either very easy 6r utterly impossible." The Government of the Canton of Zurich has just authorized the cremation of human bodies. It will be optional, subjected to certain restrictions. The law officers of the Crown have, it is announced. given their opinion in the affair between the Peruvian iron' clad Huascar and her Majesty's ships Shah and Amethyst- They tind that the Huascar was to all intents and 4 acting as a pirate on the high seas, and that, for the p1^ tection of commerce, the attack made upon her V" justifiable. There was a considerable improvement in quantity of American beef which came to Liverpool weeK. Three steamers arrived, having on board collectively 3,035 quarters of beef and 150 carcases of sheep. In live stock there arrived two shipments, comprising 290 head ot cattle, and also ten horses. The importation of live cattle is gradually extending, and next week in addition to the usual consignments, there will probably arrive two steamer6 from New York, having on board 247 head of oxen and 675 li" sheep A serious explosion has occurred in a casemate of Mont Valerien, by which seve soldiers were killed. They were engaged in extracting the charges Ïrolll 80me old shel1s, one of which exploded. A serious collision occurred on the 4th instant, on the St. Lawrence between the steamers Redewater and ElphiD- stone. which came together with such force that hoth sank. ThØ first-named vessel was laden with corn for England, and tbe other wit h iron rails from this country. It was expectr that the latter would be raised, but it was thought that the wheat in the former wonld swell and burst the plates of the ship. Happily the crews of both vessels were saved. In London, on Wednesday in last week, one of party of lads from the Boys' Home in Regent's Park-road engaged in unloading a cargo of timber at a wharf, narrowly escaped drowning. In an interval of work the lad tumbled from the barge into the Regent's Canal, but was observed by 1 another boy with whom he was playing, and who shouted j for help. MT. George Underwood, one of the masters of the Boys' Home, hearing the cries, sprang overboard, and with no small difficulty rescued the boy from almost certain death in eight feet of water. Mr. lTnderwood, though not all experienced swimmer, was able to keep both himself and the boy afloat until further help from the shore was obtained and both were hauled out greatly exhausted. A new bye-law which the Town Council of Liver- pool have obtained, chiefly to deal with the betting-men who have hitherto congregated in Williamson-square, came into operation on Saturdny last, and it was noticeable that there was a general clearance of bookmakers, very fe* of them being seen loitering about. The Hints Estate, near Tamworth, comprising the ( manor, mansion-house, village and estate of 1,576 acres which for nearly 300 years has been held by the Floyer funiily, has been sold to Lord de Clifford for £127,000, exclusive of the timber, which is valued at nearly £9,000. It may be of interest to note that it is just twenty- one years this mentlt since the British forces evacuated the | Crimea, that event dating from July 1856. Peace, as far as England and the Eastern Question are concerned, has con- sequently just reached her majority.—Mayfair. The Neue Freie Presse of Vienna says that the town of Wurz, in Saxony, has been thrown into a state of excite- ment by a butcher having sold to the inhabitants of the town the diseased meat of a cow suffering from spleualgia- Over 100 persons have been poisoned in consequence, and four cases have already proved fatal. The extent of the misfortune which has befallen the townspeople of wrz cannot as yet be ascertained clearly, the number of cases lU- creasing from hour to hour. The correspondent of a contemporary at Rome states that' a league, called the Universal Catholic League." which has for its object the re-er 'JC the terresuw throne of the Popedom, has just been formed. It is in- tendd to expound and demonstrate the dangers of liberty, to combat political fanaticisms, to c()untermJn0the press, to attack the usurping State since the 20th September, 1870, and to re-unite all theforce8 of civili7.ed society, its intelli- gence and its material resources, for the benefit of the holy cause. At the sitting of the We-deyan Conference at Bristol it was announced that £17,92-8 had been contributed to t-he W orn-ont Ministers' Fund this year, ill addition to whícb the Rev J. Rattenbury has lately raised £ aa,706 towards investment, fund for the. same purpose, One hundred eighty-three names of candidates for the ministry were presented, of whom 151 were accepted 31 were aho accepted from foreign stations 111 China, India, V.I;ica, italy, and the West Indies. In the evening the characters of deceased ministers were considered until the close of the sitting. The number of sheep and lambs killed by dogs in Scotland during the three years ended the 15th of May last, was 2,015. The owner of the dog or dogs by which 1,104 were killed was undiscovered in the case of 588, the owner was discovered, butno compensation was ascertained to have been made and in regard to 328, the owners was discovered and compensation was ascertained to have been lid. The i"]™1 IUIInt,er killed was 937 in the year endi (May 16. 1875' coxnpared 'th 631 in the previous year and 403 in All the 36 candidates for the diploma of school- mistress have just been rejected at F >ix for inability to solve the following problem :—Two persons employed in a shop have dliferent salaries, together amounting to 4,400 francs per annum, Ihe first spends two thirds of her salary, and the second three fourths. Their joint savings amount to 1,310 francs a year. What is the salary of each? The Manhattan (New York) Cab Company has ordered 150 cabs of an English firm. I hear that the Charity Commissioners have long been considering the state of Christ's Hospital in view of suggested reforms but that the governors of the school dis- played such power of passive resistance that they fairly paralysed their efforts. An offer of half a million sterling failed to tempt the governors to let the London railways have the site of the school, though there are in it no day scholars, and the excellent health and moderate cost of the boys at Hertford plead for the removal of Alma Mater from its historic site. —Mayfair. Canary colour has not, after all, found its way into general fashion, and those milliners who unwiselv thought that the unlovely tint—for unlovely it is in the majority of instances—was going to carry all before it, have found them- selves sadly out in their reckoning. The effects of the colour on many complexions was too disastrous, hence the failure of the leaders of fashion in their latest and most absurd at- tempt to dictate to the fair sex what should, and what should not, be worn.—Court Journal. The Regiments proceeding to the East are to be pro- vided with the new head-dress. It is of white felt, and bound with white leather gilt spike, brass scale chin strap, lined with cloth, of same colour as facings brass plate in front same as on shako. It looks remarkably neat and soldierlike.—Whitehall Re-view. Recently the asphalte flooring of Lowestoft Skating Rink appeared to be "blistered" in several places, audit was found that tl1ey were causen by the forciug up through seven inches of concrete of some asparatrus plant, the roots of which had been left in the ground, which had formed part of a kitchen garden. It is said in Vienna that in the course of a few weeks the Emperor of Russia will visit a German watering place, where he will meet his cousiii of Germany, and pro- bably him of Austria. I mention this rather as indicating what is current in Vienna than as reporting a fact.—Mayfair. A monster meeting of Parsees has been held at which Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the third baronet and the present holder of the title, was unanimously elected head of the Parsee community, in the room of his father, the late Baronet. Much mischief is being caused to the potato crops ÍIJ" Jersey hy an insect of the beetle kind. It turns out, how- ever, not to be the dreaded Colorado beetle. The potato disease has manifested itself in a severe form in the high lands of the island. At a meeting ofthe Scottish Meteorological Society at Edinburgh last week a report on meteorology and the herring fishery for the four years 1873-0 was made by Mr. Buclian. Reckoning every time a boat went out as one boat, it appears that there were in 1873, 945,000 boats engaged in the herring fishery, in 1874. 102,000 in 1875, 96,000 while last year there were only'80,OOO. Adding the whole of the takes together, the average was in 1873, 6.4 crans 1874, 6.0 crans; 1875, 6.2 crans 1876, 4.6 crans-the net average over these years being 51 crans, The unusual process of forbidding the banns was witnessed in St. James's, HaLcliam, ou Sunday morning The Rev. Mr. Oardiner, the pro-vicar, was reading them at the usual time, when a young man rose and forbade them. lie is said to be a near relative of the lady. The pro vicar invited the objector to the vestry after service. The formal objection was that the lady was non-resident, but this was denied,—Daily Neivs. M. de Fourtou, the French.Minister of the Interior, has bsued another circular to the l'rcfects warniug them against too exclusive attention to the political part of their functions, to the neglect of the Administrative. The Pre- fects are admonished to encourage the efforts of municipali- ties in forwarding enterprises interesting to the people, to stimulate the zeal of their agents in any case where recent changes have slackened business,and to leave no doubt of tl eir goodwill towards matters which they cannot immediately solve. The woman. Mary Bennett, who was sentenced to death at the recent lauchester Assizes, for the murder of her infant son at Heaton Konis, near Btockport, and who has since been lying in Strangeways Gaol, Manchester, has been respited. The jury who returned a verdict of" Guilty" against her added to it a recommendation to mercy, as they helieyed she was of weak intellect. Mr. Justice Denman promiqed to communicate the recommendation to the proper quarter, and a few days ago medical gentleman, sent from London by the Home Secretary, examined the prisoner to ascertain her mental condition. An inquiry has been held at Battersea touching the the death of Caroline Finney Elliott, aged fifty-nine years who died suddenly on the morning of Thursday last. It ap peared from the evidence that deceased, who had lived by herselt, was found by a neighbour to be very ill, but refused to allow a doctor to be summoned, and died while her neigh- bour was absent, she having gone to her own house to pre- pare some coffee. A police-serjeant produced a box and several documents found in deceased's house, and stated he found £11 in gold, some silver, stockbrokers' receipts for the deposit of considerably over £1,000 in the Three per Cent. Annuities, four promissory notes, being for the various sums of £ 285, £ 300, £ 100, and £ 25. He also discovered two silver watches, one gold watch, two massive gold chains, a silver chain, twenty silver spoons, a silver pencil case, and other articles, including some diamond studs. There were Some documents and other property yet remaining in de- ceaed's house, Dr, Kempster said he had made a pOi mortem examination. The cause of death was serous apoplexy —The Jury returned a verdict of "Death from nature causes."