The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

■! J ARLIAMERTAHY JOTTINGS. 4»- |r°phets have prophesied falsely. They said ft the noble Premier would never take an ^1Te part in the business of the nation. They k 5e mistaken, however; and not only Liberals, in ?°nservatives are glad of it. There is no ^an in the House of Commons personally more than Lord Palmerston. After some absence he made his appearance on Thurs- ray> and was received with cheers. On Friday he 80 took his accustomed seat on the Treasury | eQch, and came with all his former vigour to the ^cue of the Ministers, when they were very beaten. The trivial defeat of the Govern- jteent was caused in the following manner:— All moneys for national purposes must be voted what is termed a Committee of the Whole -ifctuse, over which Mr. Dodson presides, and the Speaker retires during the time the committee ;5 Before doing so, however, he puts I, it he following: H The question now before ■ (^following:—"The question now before House is that I leave the chair. Those ^uo are of that opinion say 'Aye;' those who of a contrary opinion say No.' If members 816 desirous of discussing some subject, they may address the House, having previously put the taot- ^°tion on the paper. Thus, one of the orders of day on Friday was to this effect:—" On the ^°tion for going into Committee of Supply, Mr. will move that it is inexpedient to Continue H, !.«« practice of appointing naval officers, who are fot; possessed of a technical knowledge of the Rainess carried on in her Majesty's dockyard, the offices of superintendents thereof, and the Practice of limiting their tenure of office to ja period of five years." The hon. member B rather a lengthy speech; but Lord ,arence Paget, as if he thought it useless waste much time on the matter, replied very H jportly'to the question, and asked the indulgence the House ef a speedy march into committee. H T*his was not to be done so readily; it was a kind H Of Up, guards, and at them" from the Opposi- tion. A division was pressed, and to the surprise of ■ Ministers, when the four tellers advanced to the table, instead of the division numbers being given to the Government official, they were handed to ■ Mr. Seely. The Opposition cheered and laughed; ■ eventually the teller recorded the numbers—ayes, 34; noes, 36, making a majority of two against I the Government, and obliging the Speaker to re- ■ tain his seat; and now Mr. Seely's motion had to ■ we discussed on all its merits; it had to be put ■ before the House as a substantive measure, and, if ■ carried, would have been a thorough defeat of the B Ministers, but as the discussion continued, Mr. Brand and the Government whips disappeared m ^th the evident intention of picking up recruits, i.he thing was to talk against time, so as to enable Hj filers out, the gentlemen from the clubs, the billiard players, &c., to be summoned to give their ■ y.°tes. And now Lord Clarence Paget was de- ■^liberate; he dwelt upon every little detail in the aPPointment of these officers, and before hesatdown ■, Pr^voked replies from the Opposition benches, ■l was just what was wanted, but the Conserva- wves did not see it at first, and so talked on. At H when they noticed one Government supporter H after another passing into the House, they began v to <f smell a rat," and there were loud cries of H .leng th WRen they noticed one Government supporter H after another passing into the House, they began to <f smell a rat," and there were loud cries of H "Divide, divide." Mr. Brand, however, had not arrived to give Ministers the welcome information H*: %at they had votes enough and to spare, and so K Wd Palmerston rose. If it had been any one ■< ^sethe members would have expressed their im- V | faience, but not to the venerable Premier; and ■ | be addressed the House for about a quarter H, I a ai* hour, arguing the point, that no other than ■m £ j.?a,Va'l officer could efficiently superintend the V' t, m out of a ship intended for warlike purposes. I feofi e w^° held the office," he said, were per- il re v Coaipetent to perform its duties, and the I j(,8°^tion was erroneous in the conclusion to which an<^ UBius*' *n regard to the censure it I' i v. -eared to convey." He had just got to this ■i< and, seeing Mr. Brand, all smiles, seated Hi >>f the front Ministerial bench beside him, he H" t ^etely added that "he hoped the House would not H* j ^jr°pt such a resolution as that before them." The H* i ^vision was then taken, when there were only 33 H*| "^otes in favour of Mr. Seely's motion, and 60 K j gainst it. It f even a^er tbis had been disposed of the In ^Ulsters could not get the House to go into com- ø, fittee of supply. There were many motions on ■ 3 j the paper, and the members were determined to ■ "ring them forward. There was Mr. Berkeley, I too,who had adjourned his annual motion from a w I$reyious day to this and he had declared that, III I^ess ha was permitted to bring it on before ■ f/j) ^^Ive o'clock he should again postpone it. Seeing i there was no probability of going into supply i ^at evening, the hon. member for Bristol was ,s to address the House. The subject, how- ?Ver, has been so often repeated that, when Mr. ^erkeley rose, cheers and laughter followed. Nevertheless, with the same solemnity as l0rmerly, he advocated the claims of the I to the ballot system. He moved That as a general election is impending, and as { Y6 bave no law which can put down the intimi- 1 Ration of voters nor prevent bribery, it is there- *9re expedient that a trial should be given to the ^ote by ballou In a speech of some humour, ^hough not up to the mark of previous effusions, the hon._memoer observed that notwithstanding vast body ot legislation, since the passing of j Reform Act, with the_ profeSSed object j SeCuring purity of election, intimidation and cor- ^ption were as rife as ever, and the electors in ( Numerous places were reduced to mere voting ^chines of their landlords. In this state of things hoth political parties were on the eve of throwing themselveB upon the country in the shape of Sovereigns and beer; and he contended that it | of no use expect a remedy for the evil from r other measure than the ballot. The hon. Member replied at considerable length to the j a"guments adduced against the ballot, and cited I kit Edward Coke, Sir John Eliot, John Hampden I ^yhn Pym, and John Selden, in Commonwealth V^es, and Bentham, Grote, and the elder Mill in { j^odern times in its support. Cicero, he said, had j^med secret voting the silent vindication ot j^erty, and Demosthenes the wisest regulation L ia-Wgivers had ever made. _The gallant old Premier, who had sat in the ^ouse with the express purpose of answering the gentlemen, ro3e, with all the alacrity of *° £ raer years, and said a vote was a trust, and a • ^oter, therefore, a trustee. Even if universal ffrage were adopted, it would still be a trust tllat each individual elector would have confided to him for the benefit of the nation at large. The f |ffect of the ballot would be to screen the trustee I an consequences for the manner in which he ^ight discharge his trust, and that would be con- .f^y to the principles of the constitution and of °Siraon sense, as well as inconsistent with the piuciples upon which human society itself is °^Uded. The ballot would, moreover, be demo- J^ising, and instead of raising would lower the j ^acter of constituencies." 1 +v, e motion was rejected by 118 against 74). All m ^i^ters voted against Mr. Berkeley except | f Milner Gibson, who separated from his col- I an<^ recor<^e<3- bis vote in favour £ the The readers of Parliamentary debates must iceforth remember that Lord Robert Cecil will be d Viscount Cranbourne. At the time he was in the House on Thursday his eldest 4ied, and the Times, the next morning, j newtitle. Lord Robert Cecil ia now to his, father, the Marquia o £ Salisbury, who is in his seventy-seventh year; therefore, in all human probability, the new Vis- count by courtesy will, before many years are over his head, have a seat in the House of Lords. Speaking of the late Viscount Cranbourne, let me say something to his credit. He was called the blind philanthropist, and was ever ready, both in heart and pocket, to assist the poor. The de- ceased young nobleman was blind from infancy, and was always subject to epileptic fits. Not- withstanding these afflictions his accomplishments were of a high order. His indomitable spirit mastered many subjects of abstruse science, and he knew much of what many in his position, and without his disadvantages, were ignorant. He was the author of a History of England," printed in raised characters, for the use of persons de- privedj like himself, of the power of vision. In addition to this he was an excellent musician and an amusing companion, always cheerful, and much loved and respected.

1. A CURIOUS LIBEL CASE. In the Exchequer Court last week, the case of Webber v. Colbran was brought forward. Mr. Addison stated the case. The plaintiff was a consulting physician at Tunbridge Wells, and the defendant was a printer at the same place. The plaintiff had ^0en Pr^*C9 fo* fifty years, the last five at Tunbridge Wells, where he had many patients. In June, 1864, he found that one of the sewers in that town was in such a state as was likely to produce fever, and he thereupon pressed the matter on the attention of the local commiasioaers, one of whom was a builder, who had caused the sewer to be opened. His remonstrance not having any effect he then wrote to the Home Secretary, and his letter was handed over to the Board of Health. That letter he con- sidered a confidential communication, and not in- tended for publication, but it was delivered to Dr* Hunter, who was sent down to Tunbridge Wells to in- quire into the sanitary condition of the place, and who, instead of going to the plaintiff, went to the local authorities, who had neglected to pay any atten- tion to the plaintiff's representations, and the plain- tiff's letter was shortly afterwards published in the local newspapers, and the plaintiff was held up as a person who had libelled the town as being infested with fever. The pluintiff soon found that he was an object of general comment amongst the inhabitants, and also that it was their intention to drive him from Ttinbridge The first libel was entitled" A New Song," by the Old Cobbler, tuna "Down Derry Down," and it comprised, amongst others, the follow- ing lines:- Let us hunt the wild boar (meaning the plaintiff), and give him a pill; He lives in the Wells at the foot of the hill. We must duck him and dive him in a pond'here below, Then start him full chase, Tally ho! Tally ho! We will drive him and hunt him from every place, For such an old boar (meaning the plaintiff) is quite a disgrace: This biped old beast let him go where he may, He is sure to disturb every town on his way. Unite one and all to drive him away, To Van Dieman's Land or Botany Bay." The next libel complained of was entitled "A Cor- rect Account of Dr. Weelbar's Confession," by the Old Cobbler, and it ran thus First I confess upon my knees I tried the poor to win and please; And next I tried to get a name, I must confess this was a shame. 'Tws that hotel (alluding to a scheme for a new hotel at Tunbridge Wells, of which the plaintiff was local director) that brought me out; I sent designs all round about; This proved all bosh and full of sin, And so I could not get the tin. Go where I will they point and stare, There goes old Web I do declare." The third document complained of was the fol- lowing :— Whatever can that old man mean, To say our streets they are not clean; And burning fevers all around, To frighten ladies from oar town ? Why not go away and leave us, ■» And not stop here to grieve us ? Leave Mount Sion's situation, Go to Etna's burning station. To cause such mobs and warlike strife, And then to threaten taking life; If this is Dr. Weebbar's plan Then he must be a dangerous man." These documents were printed by thousands, and sold at a penny each, and posted up and down the town, and placed in all the windows. The next decu- ment was of a more serious character. It was a pla- card put forth in the name of the magistrates, and was as follows:—"To the working classes of Tun- bridge Wells and neighbourhood: Important Notice -As the magistrates, town commissioners, and trades- men have agreed not to notice the abortive and vindictive drivellings of one Wm. Webber, and have determined for the future to treat him and his acts with contempt, it is earnestly requested that the workpeople of the town and neighbourhood will join in this determination, and especially show on the approaching 5th November that Webber is altogether beneath their notice." The defendant pleaded Not Guilty. There was no name attached to any of the printed doc- uments. There was a breach of the law, as every printer was bound to print his name to placards. In consequence of what took place the magistrates had to issue notices against a breach of the peace, and the effect of the defendant's conduct was alleged to be most prejudicial to the plaintiff, and his windows were broken. The great object the plaintiff had was to stop these proceedings, and he had no desire to put money into his pocket beyond what would be sufficient to check them. Beaben Cibbs deposed that he wrote fche verses com- plained of, but he gave his evidence so hesitatingly that tke learned judge asked him if he wished to return to Tunbridge Wells that night, for if he did not answer the questions properly he might be detained in London. He paid the defendant for printing the verses, and he had about 1,200 copies. He was in the habitof writing temperance hymns, songs, and melodies. The verses were intended to apply to the plaintiff. Never said anything to tha defendant about driving the plaintiff out of the place. Cross-examined by Mr. Hawkins: Had been in the habit of writing little scraps of poetry all his days. Simply employed the defendant to print these verses. Took the manuscript to him, and paid him for printing the paper. There was another poetical cordwainer in the town. Had forgotten his name. He was known as the Old Cobbler. Webber was the common talk of Tunbridge Wells. After further evidence on the part of the plaintiff, he himself was examined by Mr. Addison Was a Fellow of the College of Surgeons. Had practised in London; afterwards at Norwich, and subsequently at Yarmouth, and then he went to Tllnbridge Wells in 1860. Resided at Sion-terrace, at the foot of the hill of that name. In June last year he complained to the Home Secretary of the sewer being open, as he feared fever might be propagated, as it once was in West- minster from that cause. He had no doubt that he was the person referred to in these publications. He had not been able to attend to his patients without being hooted by the people. Mr. Coleridge then summed tip the evidence, and said the question was whether a man ought to be driven away from a town in which he resided. No witnesses were called for the defendant. Mr. Hawkins said the defendant had done nothing more than print these documents for old Gibbs, and that the plaintiff had long before their publication brought the opprobrium of which he complained upon himself by his extraordinary conduct. He submitted that the plaintiff was not entitled to more than a farthing damages. The learned judge summed up the evidence, com- menting severely upon the fact of the defendant having printed these documents without his name. That was a breach of the law, and it did not palliate the wrong committed against the plaintiff, but aggra- vated it. The jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, with .£50 damages.

FRIGHTFUL COLLIERY ACCIDENT IN M0NM0UTH8BIRE. Loss of Twenty-six Lives. One of the most lamentable and frightful colliery explosions that has ever happened in South Wales took place &t the New Bedwelty pit, the property of the Tredegar Company, on Friday morning. The men went down as usual that morning, and everything ap- peared to go on right until about half-past ten o'clock, when the gas fired. Fortunately the explosion did not reach the bottom of the shaft, and in consequence no time was lost in examining the colliery in order to ascertain the results of the explosion. Mr. Bevan, the manager, and the other officials were immediately on the spot, and gangs or relays were formed for the pur- pose of exploring the workings. It was pretty clearly ascertained that the gas had fired in what was termed the back workings, where 46 men and boys were at work. Some 10 or 12 were got out in an almost dying state from the effects of choke damp, but through the exertions of the medical men on the surface they all recovered. The first body was brought up in about three- quarters of an hour, and as corpse after corpse was landed on the bank, the scenes were of the most heart- rending description. In one case a father and two sons were killed, in another two brothers, and in a third a father and son. Out of 26 killed, 11 were married, several leaving large families. The company, it is believed, will provide for the sufferers, so that there will be no necessity for a public subscription. Mr. Lionel Brough, the Government inspector for the district, arrived on Saturday morning, and, in company with M. Bevan, immediately descended to the colliery, and they were down for a considerable time. The government inspector made as minute an examination as was possible under the circumstances, and the result of his inspection will be made known at the inquest. From authentic information received from the officials and workmen, it appears that there were over 200 hands employed in the colliery. On Friday morn- ing the fireman discovered gas in a cross heading in the back workings, where a man named David Jones and his son worked. The danger signal was put up, but it was feared that this was disregarded, for there Is every appearance that the explosion took plaeo in Jones's working place. The colliery is worked entirely by naked lights,, but Jozies had been provided with a safety-lamp, as "an ext-m precaution, as a little gaa had been observed before^ in his stall. 46 were employed in that sectssn colliery, and out of that number 20 escaped.. the system of splitting the air was adopted, by which every section of the colliery had a free course of air. Had it been otherwise it is very probable that the explosion would have extended throughout the whole of the workings, where some 200 more hands were employed. The separate current oo Am to the back workings was computed to be ^0,000 cubic feet per minute, the ventilation being by furnace. inquest was opened on Saturday afternoon, before Dr. W. H. Brewer, coroner, at the Greyhound Inn, Tredegar. After the bodies had been viewed the inquiry was adjourned.

THE ROYAL MOTTOES OF ENGLAND. The following are the Royal mottoes of England. (1) Die-u et inoit, Droit (God and my Right). These words were the parole of the day in the armv of Richard I., at the battle of Gisors, in France (1198) As the French were signally defeated, the Lion Kin adopted the parole as the Royal motto of England (2) Ieh Dien (I serve) was the motto under the plume of ostrich feathers found in the helmet of the Bohemian king, slain by the Blank Prince at the famous battle of Creasy (1346). Edward the Black Prince adopted the plume and motto. His father Edward III., commanded, and although the victory was due to the son, he modestly chose to say, I serve" under the king, my father. (3) Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil be to him, who thinks evil of this). It is said that while Edward III. was contemplating the formation of an order of knights, somewhat similar to that of the Round Table, he happened to give a court ball (1348). Amongst the ladies present was the beautiful Countess of Salisbury, whose garter of blue ribbon accidentally fell off. The king saw a significant smile among the bystanders, and gallantly came to the rescue. "Honi soi qui mal y pense" (Shame to him who thinks shame of this occurrence), eried the king. Then, binding the ribbon round his own knee, he added, "I will bring It to pass that the proudest noble in the land shall think it an honour to wear this band." The incident determined the king to abandon his previous plan of the Round Table, and to form, instead, the Order of the Garter. This tale is given by Tighe and Davis, in their Annals of Windsor," and was taken from Polydore Virgil, who lived in the reign of Henry VII. Much has been written to pooh-pooh it, and amongst others, Dr. Doran has attempted to give another version by tracing the Order to that of the Blue Thong," which he says was instituted by the Lion King, when he started for Acre; but the doctor has not given us his authority for this assertion, and for our own part we think the old tradition quite in character with the chivalric spirit of the Middle w £ en ey0ry knight thought it his bounden duty and highest honour to wear, as his badge, the favour of some lady. (4) Je maintiendrai (I will maintain) was the motto of the House of Nassau. When William III. came to England he continued to use the same motto, but added to it these words, the liberties of England and the Protestant Religion." This motto was only personal, for the king, very wisely, commanded that the old motto of Dieu et ncit Droit, should still be retained on the Great Seal (1688). Thp, SchooL of Self Culture," in Cassell's Illustrated Family Paper.

THE WRECK OF THE LEADER. Sad Sufferings of the Crew. The steamer Moravian, just arrived at Liverpool from Quebec, brings full details of the loss of the schooner Leader and the fearful sufferings of the crew. The Leader left Montreal on the 22nd November, 1864, under command of Captain Vigeau, and manned by a crew of seven men, with a cargo of flour and pork, for St. John's. On the 27th, when off Quebec, a river steamer ran into the Leader, carrying away her bowsprit and cutwater. After repairing at Quebec they sailed on the following Saturday, and had got as far as Quarantine Island, thirty miles below Quebec. The Leader experienced unsettled weather until Friday, December 9, when the weather became very thick and boisterous, and gradually and steadily increased to a gale. That night," says Mr. Marcier, the second officer and only survivor, it was my watch on deck, all the crew and the captain being asleep at the time. I saw a ground sea rising close to the vessel, and before I had time to sing out it came aboard. I was knocked senseless under the wheel, and it was full twenty minutes before I could recover myself. When I came to I looked round and saw that the cabin was gone, the maintopsa-il carried away, and not a sail to be seen. Presently, however, I saw the steward and one of the sailors in the water to leeward, but before I could render any assistance they were down. I next saw another of the crew, Mercer, crawling out from under the wreck of the cabin with his hand smashed; then a man, named Millett, called out. I went to him, pulled away, and found that his back and thighs were broken. I next found the cap- tain, with his head on the deck and his feet on the rails. He was much hurt inside. I lifted him up, and carried him into the storeroom. I never saw the mate or a sailor named Pike afterwards. They must have gone overboard with the cabin. There were now four of us —the captain, Mercer, Willett, and myself. Every- thing had been washed away but what we had on. About two o'clock the next morning (December 10) I saw we were going ashore against a very high cliff. I Bang out it was time for every man to save himself. The night was very dark, and the sea was running fearfully high. Mercer ran up the fore rigging. A sea then struck us, and went two fathoms over the vessel, knocking away ten feet of the stern, nearly to the mainmast. The captain was washed to the lee side, and I took a rope, crept to him, and lashed him fast. He could not walk. His head had swollen tremendously, and he was sick and weak from swal- lowing salt water. For half-an-hour the sea broke over us, and then the vessel worked over the reef and into water where it was a little quiet, where she even- tually grounded. We remained on board the vessel until daylight next morning (Sunday), December 14. The mainmast was then cut away, thinking it would form a bridge to the shore, but it fell fore and aft and alongside. Mercer then fastened a rope round his waist, and, after several attempts, reached the beach, but unfortunately let go the rope. I then got a rope, and after hard work, worked my way through the surf and landed. The place where we landed was Wall Cove, between Coal River and the Bay of Islands. This was about nine o'clock in the morning." The narrative then proceeds to tell how, after walking about in search of a human habitation, they were obliged to take shelter in a tilt." They had no boots, and Mercer's feet were fearfully lacerated and frost- bitten. They were on shore two days when Mr. Marcier managed to get on board the wreck. He found theicap- tain frozen to death, and Thomas Willett, who was alive, but unable to move. The latter had had nothing to eat for two days, and after giving him some raw pork and flour, Mr. Marcier got ashore with some pork and flour. They remained there four weeks, Mr. Marcier going on board every two days to feed Willett. They tried every means to get a lire, but could not succeed. The weather was fearfully y cold, and Mercer's legs were frozen from the knee downwards, and they had scarcely any covering Another four weeks of hope and despair, and then "a tremendous fall of rain came down, which drenched them thoroughly, after which the wind came on from the N.W., with severe frost, so that they were lite- rally frozen to the ground. They then agreed to return to the wreck, but Mercer eould not walk, and as he crawled along the flesh dropped in pieces from his legs. However, tney got on board, where there was no sheltered place to lie in. There was no fire, no clothes, nothing to eat but raw pork and flour, and only. now and then a little water. On the 28th of January, Willett, after living eight weeks with his back and thighs broken, and being badly frost-bitten, TTa w4eaAh on the d9ck- Marcier then told Mercer that Willett was dead, and received the reply, Ah, well; it's my turn next." About three o clock the same afternoon, Mercer asked for a drink. 1 mixed, says_Mr. Marcier, "a little flour with some water, and he tried to drink it; but he was too weak to swallow it. So I got him on my lap, with his poor head resting on my arm, and tried to feed him with a spoon. While the spoon was in his mouth I heard the rattle in his throat, and he died almost imme- diately. I laid him down beside me;" and there they remained, the dead and the living, from the 28th of January to the 21at of March, when Marcier was rescued by the whaler Lilly Dale, and taken to Channell, where he arrived on May 5. Mr. Marcier lost the toes of hjs right foot by frost, and when the crew of the Lilly Dale came across the ice to, the wreck they were fearfully alarmed on finding a live man on board.. They lashed him to a plank, and carried him five miles across the ice to the vessel, where he was heritably received.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY BY A WOMAN. Charlotte Wilson, a repulsive-looking old woman, well know as a street thief, was brought before Mr. Burcham, at the Southwark Police-court, charged with stealing a purse containing 17s. 9d. from the person of °rp^ -Neal, under the following circumstances:— he prosecutor, a tailor, residing in Granby-street, Waterloo-road, said that about a quarter to eleven °,c 0<~ at ^ght he was proceeding along Stamford- street towards home when the prisoner accosted him by asking him to give her a penny. He put his hand S i,1? P°?ket, pulled out his purse, and gave her one. He had not proceeded many yards before the prisoner rushed upon him and snatched the purse from him, and ran away. He, however, pursued and seized hold of her, and while they were struggling together a female rushed between them. He retained hold of her until a constable came up, when he took the empty purse from her and gave her into custody. In answer to Mr. Burcham, Witness said he was perfectly sober, having only partaken of a glass of ale at the Clerkenwell Police- station, where he had left some clothing. He changed a sovereign there, paid 3d. for a pint of ale, and gave a constable 2s. The remaining 17s. 9d. he put in his purse, and proceeded homewards, when the prisoner accosted him. Police-constable 125 L said that a little after eleven o clock he was on duty in Stamford-street, when he heard cries of "Police" near the Stamford Arms Tavern. He proceeded there, and saw the prosecutor struggling with the prisoner, whom he gave into cus- tody for robbing him of his purse, containing 17s. 9d., the prosecutor at the same time handing witness the empty purse produced, saying that he took it from ?■ 0 Prisoner denied the charge, and declared that she never had the parse in her possession. Wit- ness took her into custody, and she was searched at the station-house, when 71d. was found on her. Mr. Burcham asked if she was known ? Witness replied in the affirmative. She was a notorious thief, and if a remand was granted he be- lieved he should ba able to apprehend her companion in the robbery. Mr. Burcham accordingly remanded her until Thursday next.

WANDSWORTH INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION. The working people of Wandsworth, emulating the example set them by North, South, East, and West London, have succeeded in establishing an Industrial Exhibition of their own of a highly creditable cha- racter. The history of the local effort which produced the gratifying spectacle which we witnessedlast Fri- day at the Assembly-rooms, Spread Eagle, Wands- worth, where the exhibition is being held, is interest- ing and somewhat instructive. To the efforts of the Wandsworth Working Men's Institute are due the credit of the exhibition which on that day was opened to the public. Its conception and carrying out have, we understand, been entirely due to the working men of the district, twenty-one of whom, in the first instance, paid down 21 each as aguarantee that no loss should ensue, which sum was afterwards enlarged by contributions from the neighbouring gentry. The exhibitors number 150, and the space occupied is 1,100 feet of wall and 500 feet of table and Soor, exclusive of objects of art lent for ex- hibition. The districts of ifalham, Chelsea, Wimble- don, Boehampton, Clapham, Tooting, Battereea, Put- ney, and Merton are represented, and the articles sent from these various districts are so numerous that the spacious apartment in which they are arranged is al- most incapable to display them to advantage. Articles of the highest merit as regards industry and ingenuity, but few of a utilitarian character, have been con- tributed. In the artistic department are to be found the schoolmaster, school-boys, book- binders, porters, warehousemen, letter-sorters, wood carvers, coachmakers, clerks, carpenters, engi- neers, plasterers, metal-planers, house painters, masons, pattern-makers, table-cover painters, deco- rators, photographers, labourers, bricklayers, wood- engravers, hatters, and others. Bricklayers, ushers, stonemasons, grooms, gardeners, coachmakers, dyers, labourers, boot salesmen, millwrights, an officer of the Clapham Branch for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, shoemakers, coachmen, carpenters, clerks, boat- builders, weavers, engineers, watchmakers, schoolboys, scalemakers, booksellers, greasepressers, coach-body- | makers, metalplaners, and sawyers figure in the mechanical department. In the general and fabrics and fancy departments almost all sorts of trades are represented, and some of the contributions of the exhibitors are most amusingly foreign to the particular callings of the respec- tive inventors and manufacturers: for instance, a bricklayer's labourer exhibits two violins, his own workmanship. Amongst objects of interest sent for exhibition is the magnificent piece of carving belonging to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, consisting of 4,000 figures, representing the human race, which attracted so much attention in the South London Exhibition in 1864; also a model of a ship made by the French prisoners at Portsmouth during the last war, from the bones remaining from their food. The opening ceremony on Friday was witnessed by a large number of persons. The Earl of Shaftesbury presided, and amongst those present were the Rev. Messrs. D'Arcy, Irvine, Gendus, Gore, and Hales; Messrs. Barton, Wilson, Martin, King, Greensheet, Walters, Makrell, Logstaff, M.D., Few, Ganard, S. H. Goss, G. F. White (president), and W. B. Lrafield, jun. (secretary to the club). Mr. G. F. White and Mr. Linfield, jun., having given a brief sketch of the efforts which had edl-i- nated in the gratifying spectacle that day presented, and testified to the benefit to be derived from working men's elates, The Earl of Shaftesbury addressed the audience at some length, and concluded by formally declaring the exhibition open. On the motion of Dr. Longataff, a vote of thanks was cordially passed to the Earl of Shaftesbury for presiding. An inspection of the contents of the exhibition then took place, and the good taste, originality of genius and untiring industry evidenced by many of the con- tributor.3 received due praise. It should be mentioned that the hall was' tastefully decorated for the occasion and that the band of the Wandsworth Police lri-ndlv lent by the superintendent, Mr. Butt, rendered good assistance in the way of some very agreeable selections of music. The exhibition, it is expected, will remain open for a fortnight or three weeks. It is certainly deservmg of every succe.s, and such, it is hoped, will be the result.

EXHIBITION OF VERMIN TRAPS. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recently oirered a prize of £40 for a more humane vermm trap, to which invitation no less than 126 competitors have responded by sending in for exhibi- tion and judgment to the Royal Hortioultural Gardens, South Kensington, every possible variety of ingenious devices for 0utwitting mice, rats, stoats, weasels, polecats, grimalkins of the domestic species having their predatory instinct unduly developed, foxes, owls, hawks, and aN other creeping and flying things which dare to gratify tastes, that they have in common with that stupendous monopolist man. Some of the traps are most elaborate pieces of workmanship; others are altogether as primitive in their construc- tion, descending in simplicity to one consisting of a few pieces of cardboard stitched together with a needle and thread. It would be tedious to attempt to recapitulate the variety of gin-traps, dead-fail traps, pit-fall traps, live-bait traps, through-run traps, and self-setting trans, included in the number exhibited. It may be not -at of place to notice a few of the most striking inventions. No. 4., the invention of Mr. Smith, is a most ingenious modification of the pit-fall trap, applicable to animals of all sizes from a mouse to a lion It consists of a balance-weighted Uv? Th^h tke aEiD^l jumps to reach the bait from a solid platform. His weight causes the cage to descend, and on his passing out by a hole in the side into a pen from which he oannot return, the cage rises for the next comer,. A variety of most in- gemous self-setting nionge and rat traps are shown, the best being No. 54, by Mr. Wood; No. 58, Mr. Braddock; and No. 97, Mr. Richardson. The simplest, the cheapest, the most generally applicable, and the most readily made, is an improvement on theoldfigUTeof tour trap, invented by J. Miles, gardenertoC. Woodd, Esq., of Rosslyn-houee, Hampatead. It consists of a box or hurdle, supported by two sticks, which are held together by a slit cut in the side of a twig carrying the bait. Any one could prepare such a trap with a pocket knife in a few minutes. It can be made to catch a 1 mouse or a mastiff dog, to act as a live trap or as a dead fall; it might remain set for months in a "corner without its efficacy becoming impaired from exposure, and is as efficient as it is simple.