The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

THE NEWS BUDGET. Arrest of the Hon. Richard Bethell.-The Richard Bethell, the eldest son of the Lord Chancellor, who was recently proclaimed an outlaw, and whose pecuniary difficulties are well known, was arrested by one of the sheriff's officers for Berks while enjoying the sport on the Ascot racecourse last Friday. The lion, gentleman was taken on a writ issued at the suit of a London creditor, and was soon afterwards conveyed to Reading and lodged in the county House of Correction. Apothecaries' Hall.-At a Court of Examiners recently held, tho following gentlemen, having passed the necessary examinations, were admitted licentiates of tha Society of Apothecaries—viz., Messrs. John William Armistead, of Leeds; Frederick Robertson Haward, of HaIesworth, Suffolk; Alfred Jones, of Cardigan; and Henry W. Alexander Mackinnon, of Por- tugal-street, Linooln's-inn. At the same courb Messrs. Benjamin Neale Dalton and Arthur Bowes Elliot, of Guy's Hospital, and Barnabas Walter Lamb and William Square, of St. Bartholomew Hospital, passed the first examination. Supplementary 23~avy Estimates.—It appears from a return just issued, that the sum of £ 63,9i5_ is required, as a supplementary estimate, for Greenwich required, as a supplementary estimate, for Greenwich Hospital in the year ending March 31 next. The items which make up this amount are as follow :—For I the establishment of the hospital and infirmary, frot4 I the 1st October, 1655, £ -34000; for the establishment of the school from the same date, £ 11,500; for pen- sions to flag officers e id other officers, from the same date, £ 915; for pensions and allowances to 3,000 sea- .men, from the same date, S,17,000, for gratuities to I u widows of seameB, from the same date, X500. The New Infernal Machine.—The new sub- marine torpedo, or explosive machine (says the Paris Presse) invented by Vice-Admiral de Chabannes, Maritime Prefect of Touloa, consists in a receiver con- taining from 16 to 20 pounds of powder, and so arranged as to easily attach itself to the keels or vessels in their submerged part. This machine is then fired by an electrical apparatus, and the destructive effects are tremendous. Sudden Death of Mr. G. Wingrove Cooke. —The friends of the above gentleman will be startled to hear of his death, which occurred suddenly about eleven o'clock on Sunday forenoon. Mr. Cooke was attending to his duties as one of the copyhold and inclosure commissioners, in St. JaMOSIS.squni-e, on Friday last, but complaining of illness on Saturday, absented himself. On Saturday night there was no material chang3 for the worse, and he arose at his customary hour next morning, and. ordered a cup of ohoeolate. While it was being prepared his bell was Tung violently, and lie was found vomiting blood, and he expired immediately afterwards. It is believed that his death resulted from the rupture of one of the large vessels of. the lungs or heart. The Relief"IPltad.—The surplus moneys of the Bradford Lancashire Ralief Fund have now all been distributed. In every case the money returned to individual subscribers was handed over to local charities, and the sums contributed by congregations have been distributed in a similar manner, at the instance of the committee. The Preston Relief Com- mittee have recently ceased to operate, and it appears from their report that they have expended £ 131,000 among the Preeton operatives since the 27th January, 1862. Above £ &>,000 of this money was raised in Preston and neighbourhood. The Manchester Central Committee contribated more than double that amount, and the Mansion-house Committee a little more than £ 80,000. Adventures oi a Fiv-s Found Note. —On Saturday a man named Newman was charged before the Liverpool magistrates with having stolen half of a £ -5 note. It appeared tint he had produced the half- note to a publican named Robinson, and induced him to advance £ 2 4s. upon it, telling him that he should have the other half from Jersey in a week. It was shown, however, that the half note had in February last bean sent in a letter through the post, but had not arrived at its destination. Prisoner said he got it from a man named Griffith, who told him he had it from a man named Johnson, his stepfather, who had j found it in the Barest. The prisoner was remanded j for a week Law Costs.—Litigation, when taken as a luxury, ¡ is costly. A London firm, for instance, supplied goodj to a Liverpool firm to the amount of £ 4 6s, 6d., and -ceived a order for the amount, minus oa. said to be overcharged. At first the London firm disputed the 6d and being beaten on that point, raised tne objection that fe post-office order was not a legal tender. On this point the Sheriff of Preston nas decided against tham, and now they promise to take the ca.3e to a higher court. The costs, it is said, already amount to £ 40. Stopping Railway Trains.-If a train moving at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour were stopped instantaneously the passengers would experience a j concussion equal to that of a body falling from a height of nineteen feet; they would be hurled against I the sides of the carriage with a force equal to that they would be exposed to in falling from a window on the i second floor of a house. If the train were moving at the r&te of thirty miles per hour, they might as well fall from a height of three pair of staira, and an ex- press train would, in point of fact, make them fall fronl a fourth storey. Instantaneous breaks are, fronl a fourth storey. Instantaneous breaks are, therefore, not to be thought of. The Newspaper Press Fund.-A meeting of bii8 coramittee of tho.3 fund was keld on Saturday. TheDnke of St Alban's, Earl Cardigan, Lord .Taunton, the Right Hon, Spencer Walpole, M.P.; Sir ..ohn Hay, M.P.; Professor Owen, Mr. Scholefieid, M.P. i -<4 £ David Keane, Q.C.; M. Octave Dalapierra, Mr. T. H. Allen Poynder, 'Mr. J. Laird, M,P.; Rev. Charles Merivale, Mr. Baillie Cochrane, M.P.; Mr. S. Butler, M.P.; and the Rev. Herbert Randolph, were elecuea vise-presidents of the fund. Several members were admitted, and additional honorary agents appointed, throughout the country. The French Law of Paternity. —The Civil The French Law of Paternity. —The Civil Tribunal of the Seine, on Saturday, gave judgment I on the demand of 35,000fr. a year as alimentary pen- sion brought by the Countess de Civry against the Duke of Brunswick, her reputed father. The Court decided that by her marriage the plaintiff had became a Frenchwoman, But the law of France interdicts all fllairr s of paternity, except where, with respect to the mother, there had been forced abduction—a plea quite ) inadmissible in the present case. Nor could the German law be invoked, as it authorised the support of a natural child only to the age of fourteen. In con- sequence, the court decided against the application of the countess. Alleged -Bourbon Conspiracy. A Naples letter of the 12th June states:- Forty.five persons have been arrested at Salerno, on a charge of com- plicify in a Bourbon conspiracy, the central committee of whiS sat in that town. The first information ka-Sg to the discovery of this Naples, and, but for an unfortunate undent many brigands would have fallen into the ban T)J0V'^ soldierv. The brothers of San Giovannidi D,o V among the principal and most active of the con. tors, their convent being found stored wita arms «n munitions. To them is to be attributed the revival of brigandage ill the province of Salerno, since they have bean its principal supporters. It is believed tna-j tne arrests will not1 be limited to the number mentioned above." The Cab Strike in Paris.—The cab strike still continues in'Paris. The Siecle of Monday says:- A, Paris spends its Sundays without cabs. The strike of the drivers continues, to the great annoyance of the \1u"Jic, deprived of the most usual means of loeomo- tKn, Ask any Parisian which are in the wrong, the di'Hsjrs or the administration, and he will reply, the jnoi->soly. It is that in fact, it seems to us, which must succumb in the struggle; we fancy no one will regret it," Spoaki g of the means adopted for remedy- ing t'he inconvenience occasioned by the strike, the Presse gays r—•Among the expedients which have been had recourse to we may mention this fact, that cabs are to la seen with drivers who are evidently or Endkh nationality, and commissionnaires by their side Yrho are 10 doubt intended to point out the way." A Brave LaÓ-Tw oYs) about twelve years of age, got by some tlhanS inko a clay hole full of water near Glasgow, and v?>re in imminent danger of being drowned, when tboir cries brought some persons to their a,islcance, One,,f them "a.3 discovered cling- irx to a plank, and was &oon got out, but the other hai inst sunk beneath the surface, and it was fought fchaf all was oror A. lad, nataed Henderson, ao^nteen. years of age, h<-Wever, came up, and with- ,zut siting to divest himself of his clothing, plunged into the hole, dived to the bottom, and brought the almost lifeless body to tha surface, ,AYI1^53,1^^as. s:)0^ restored to consciousness. It is said scat this is not the first time Henderson has saved life by similar gallant conduct. The Late Sir Joseph Paxton.—On Thursday Sir Joseph Paxton was buried at Edensor, near Chats- worth close to the scene of his earliest achievements. Among the friends who attended the funeral were the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Richard, Lord George, and Lord Frederick Cavendish, Mr. Jackson, M.P., Mr. Brassey, Mr. Wythes, Mr. Owen Jones, Mr. Mark Lemon, Mr. Evans, Mr. Scott Russell, Mr. Grove, and Mr. Bowley. A long cortege of carriages followed to the churchyard, and the whole neighbourhood had assembled to pay the last tribute of respect and affec- tionate regret to the memory of the grand old Gar- dener. Drunkenness and Death.—An inquest has been held in Broad-street, St. Giles's, relative to the death of Mary Ann Lee, thirty-eight years of age, who fell down stairs in a fit of apoplexy, brought on by drink. A verdict to that effect was returned. Another in- quest was held in Limehousa on the body of James Wright, aged forty-one years, whose body was found shockingly burnt on the top of a brick-kiln in Thomas- street, Limehouse. It was believed that deceased had gone to sleep on the lime-kiln in a state of intoxica- tion. The jury returned a verdict of Accidentally burnt to death, Dreadful Fires in Rusaia— Not lass than 300 houses have been burnt down in Vitebsk, says a Rus- sian correspondent of a London paper. No sooner had the fire been extinguished at Minsk than 400 houses were burnt down at Borisoff. At Tamboff three fires have occurred, which were soon extinguished, but in the government of that name the town of Koslow has been nearly entirely destroyed. The town was founded in the beginning of the 17th century to prevent the in- cursions of the Tartars, and had become, thanks to its position on the Astrakan tract, a rich trading and in- dustrious place. Alterations of the Liturgy,—While some dis- cussion is taking place in relation to the question whether occasional changes can be made in our form of Common Prayer by any and what authority, it may be of interest to notice that the 1st of this month, being appointed as a fast day in the United States, Bishop Potter, of New York, issued an order of ser- vice to be used throughout his diocese on that day. The chief changes were the substitution of the De Profundis for the Vsnite, the appointment of special Psalms (xc. and xci.), and proper lessons (Isaiah i., and the first part of Hebrews xii.), the reading in the Litany of the prayer "for a person under affliction," with a requisite verbal alteration, and before the benediction one or both of the final prayers- in the American order for the burial of the dead. Non-Armour Plated Vessels.—In consequence of a- motion in the House of Commons moved by Mr. Laird, a report has just been issued, showing that there are twelve non-armour plated vessels of war building or ordered tobe built in the year 1865. Five of these have already been launched, two are to be launched in September next, one in December, one in March of next year, and the date of tha launch of three cannot be with certainty. The cost of the hulls up to March last was jeiS9;370, and the estimated expenditure on hulls up to next Mareh is < £ 154,080. Escape of a Boa.—A curious incident occurred at a performance at the Paris Hippodrome. The boa constrictor was being exhibited in his C-age in the arena when the reptile, becoming impatient for the rabbit which was about to be served to him, rose np. on its tail and dashed with force against the wire, trellice- work by which it was confined. Part of it gave way, and the boa passed through the opening and fell to the ground. A panic among the spectators followed, and every one attempted to escape but the serpent tamer quickly seized the reptile, and having secured it in a cage of thick glass, order was restored, and the performance continued. The Duty on Wines and Tea..—A return has just been issued showing that in the year 1869 there were imported for home consumption into the United Kingdom 7,358,189 gallons of wine, which paid a, duty of £ 1,174,105 in the year 1861, tbare ware 10,787,091 ¡ gallons, paying a duty of .£1,219,533; in 1862, 9,8.03,028 gallons, paying a duty of YI, 123,603; in 1863,10,478,057 gallons, paying a duty of £ 1,214,713 and in 1864, 11,456,531 gallons, paying a duty of £ 1,819,261. The quantities of tea, and the duty paid thereupon in the same five years, were respectively as follows:- 1860, 76,859,4231b. ^5,4.44,157; 1861. 77,949,4351b., I £ 5,521,322: 1862, 78,817,0591b., < £ 6,582,792; 1863, 85,206,7761b,, £ 4,652,822; and 1364, 88,637,0381b., < £ 4,431,86<. The Metropolitan Railway.—"Fhs number of I passengers conveyed on the Metropolitan Railway in Whitsun week this year was 370,343, and the total receipts, .23,414, equal to .£910 per mile. The in- creased receipt over the Whitsun week of last yew was £ 1,200, or 54 per cant. The Metropolitan Company also carried during the same week about 85,000 persons in their trains over the Sammeramithand City line. These j figures give an idea of what the traffic must be when the extensions of tha Metropolitan- and Thames- Em- j bankment line are completed. The works of ths- City extension of the line to Finsbury are being vigorously proceeded with, and the junction with toe London, Chatham, and Dover line is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Tbe works also ci the Metropolitan and St. John's-wood line have also been commenced. Late Hepentance and True Confession.— In the State of Ohio, says the New York Times, the last ditch has been found by no less aa ardent sympathiser with trea.son than Clement L. VaJlaudigham. He has written a letter owning that he was wrong about the war for the Union. He rejoices that slavery is de- stroyed and the Union saved;. sees at present no reason why the democracy should not give a cordial support to President: Johnson in his efforts to reeorathe I prosperity of tne countryunder the constitution; and declares that without slavery the Southern States, with ¡ perhaps two or three exceptions, "will become more pooulous, prosperous, and powerful than any other p op Lil section." John Mitchel Again.- We read in the Kevi York -The democratic press of our city has recently been strengthened by the accession, to its editorial ranks of Mr. John Mitchel, whose pub- lished aspirations for an Alabama plantation, well stocked with fat negroes, have been bligilted by the sudden and utter collapse of the Jeff. Davis Confede- racy, whereof he w&sone ot the foun&^xs S/nd-renxadiied a pillar until its precipitous downfall. Mr.. Mitchel, having probably done more than any other live man to imbue the Southern whites with his own vitriolic hate of the North and the Union, and thas to incite the wholesale murders of our soldiers by exposure, cold, starvation, &c,, which have filled 20,000 Northern homes with mourning, has come North to counsel and instruct us in the great and difficult task of conciliation and reconstruction, and is now doing that work through. editorial columns of the New York Daily Nevis." Miraculou3 Escape. — The following extraor- dinary railway accident is mentioned, in the Echo clu Luxembourg. The engineer of a goods train passing at three o'clock on Saturday morning between Fouches and the station of Habay, perceived a black mass on the rails about twenty yards in advance of the engine. He reversed the engine, but he could not stop the train in time, and the engine drove the black mass into the air with a great noise. Fearing some great calamity, the engineer walked back on the line, and found a largo covered coal wagon drawn by four horses on the line. The two front horses had broken their traces" and were not dead. The engineer, seeing no trace of the driver, searched the inside of the wagon, and found him fast asleep, but dead drunk.- A Child tnoKea by a Piece of Glass — An inquest was recently held at Liverpool on the body of Robert Henry Connor, a child four months old, the son of James Connor, an engine-fitter, residing at No. 7 Belle-street. Tne mother found the child in its cradle choking. The infant waa carried to the sur- geon, who discovered that there was some foreign substance in the larynx which, as he could not remove it without endangering the child s life, he left to take a natural course. The infant remained in great agony until Thursday afternoon, when it died. On Saturday morning the surgeon extracted from the child's throat a small piece of glass which, he said at the inquest, had caused suffocation, and produced the child's death. The iurv returned a verdict to that effect. A Man Killed by a Scythe.-An inquest was recently held at Preston on the body of a man named Richard Dean, twenty years of age, who had been living with his widowed mother at Samlesbury. Latterly he had been employed, along with two others, at the Preston Cemetery, a short distance from the town, and on Thursday they were engaged in mowing. After dinner, one of the men, named William Thomp- son, returned to his work earlier than usual, and the deoeased and the other man went towards him with some degree of surprise. They went behind him, and one said, "So thou hast got back already, hast thou?" Thompson turned sharply to see who was speaking to him, and brought round with him the scythe, which came in contact with Dean's left thigh, cutting him fearfully. The main artery was severed, the blood gushed forth, and the man died a few minutes after- wards,—Manchester Courier. Leaping from a Window through r,.right.- A servant girl, named Gray, in the employment of Mr. Winn, plumber, St. James's-street, Leeds, shut herself up in her bedroom, and placed the bedstead against the door to prevent her master entering, as he wished to do, to seek for his wife. He was not satisfied with her assurance that Mrs. Winn was not there, but smashed in one of the panels. The girl, thinking that she was no longer safe, opened the window and jumped out into the street, and in her fall broke her leg above the knee, and received other injuries. A Boy Poisoned by the Water of the Irwell.—Mr. Rutter, one of the Lancashire coroners recently held an inquest on the body of a boy named John Johnson, son of a forgeman of the same name, living in Fleet-street, Manchester, who had died in consequence of having fallen into the river Irwell, near Regent-road-bridge, on the previous night. No medical evidence was called at the inquest, but two medical men who attended the boy on his being rescued from the river in which he had been immersed only for a few minutes, had stated their opinion to be that death was more attributable to poison from the noxious quality of the water than to any other cause. The jury returned the following verdict:—" That the deceased fell into the river Irwell, which was then in i a very impure and poisonous state, and in that river was suffocated and drowned, and thus came by his death." The Cambridge Cap.-This important small- bore prize which is presented and shot for every year, has been won by Lieutenant-Colonel Halford, of Lei- cester, who so closely ran Mr. Wyatt last year for the Qaeen'a prize. The score made was nearly an average of centres in two days' shooting at 1,000 and 1,100 yards, 15 shots each day at each range. The weapon with which the prize was won, will, it is said, create some stir among those interested in small-bore and long-range shooting, being on entirely new principles. It is the invention of Mr. Metford, the inventor of the "Metford ballet for the Enfield, and which is said to i»ake the shooting of the Government weapon equal to the small-bore, and of the Metford shell." The same gentleman, who is not a gunmaker, brought for- ward a 151b rifle, with telescope sights, to shoot for the prize given by the National Rifle Association for shooting at 2,000 yards, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hal- ford, who shot with this weapon as well as Mr. Mot- ford for the prize, tied with, and finally beat, the in- ventor. Will of Admiral IPitzroy.—•'The will of Vice., Admiral Robert Fitzroy, of 38, Onglow-square, chief of the Meteorological Department of tha Board of Trade, and whose death occurred on the 396h April last at Lyndhurst, Westow-hiii, Norwood, was proved in the London Court on the 9th instant by his widow, Maria Isabella Fitzroy, the sole executrix. The personally was sworn andes < £ 3,000; The will, which is very short, { bears date May 15, 1854, and the testator has be- jj queathed tha whole of his propertytobis wife for her absolute us Si He has also appointed his wife, together with his brother, Mr. George Fitzroy, of Grafton, Northamptonshire, Mr. John George Smyth, of Heath, Yorkshire, and Sir Walter Charles James, Bart., of Whitehall-plooe, guardians of any of his children who may be in their minority. Terrible Colliery Accident.—A shocking ac- cident has just occurred at Ash worth Colliery, which sssulfced in the loss of two men, and injury, which it is feared is fatal, to a third man. Ashworth Colliery is the property of Messrs. R. Stott and Son. It ap- pears that, about ten o'clock in the morning, John Lord, aged twenty-two, and Richard Howarth, aged twenty, were gstting coal in the mine, while Thomas Howarth, aged sixteen, and Edmund Lord, were actinias drawers." The roof fell in without giving any warning, and buried John Lord, Thomas Howa-rth, and Biebard Howarth. Edmund Lord had only a few minutes before gone to the mouth of the pit, but on returning he saw what had happened, and at ones gave an alarm. All the men in the colliery were soon got t'9 work in removing tho fallen earth; and after trro hours' labour the unfortunate mea were fosad with a, large stone, four feet thick, upon them. Thomas Howarth and John Lord were quite dead: Richard; Howarth- was alive, but he is- so s&ribusly injured that then is no hope of his recovery. Long.worth v. Yelverton,In the action, of damages at the instance of Theresa Longworth, or Yeiverton, against theiyEIon, Mrs. Yelverton (late Forbes), founded on a letter written by the defender, alleged to contain defamatory expressions, the pursuer attempted to found jurisdiction in the Scotch courts by arrestment of books and papers in the hands of Messrs. M'Lachlan and Stewart, booksellers, Edin- burgh, understood to be the property of the latp Pro- fessor Forbas, and alleged to belong to the defender as residuary legatee. 'The Lord Ordinary has issued an interlocutor in whish he states that he has come to the conclusion that the pursuer has failed to prove her allegations as to the property of the articles ar- rested. The onus lay on the pursuez to prove that they belonged to the defender and although in order to found jurisdiction in Scotland the value of the pro- perty arrested aoed mot be great, tho fact that it is truly the defender's property must bo placed- beyond reasonable doubt. | Singular Death of a Woman.On Saturday I an inquest was held at StmniaghiE, Berks, on the body of Mrs. Sarah Sharp, 36 years of age. It ap- peared from the evidence that the deceased, who lived in a cottage near the Norfolk Farm, Windsor Great-park, was to have met her husband at Smming- ham on Thursday evening. She failed to do so, and' the husband being unable to find her either at home or elsewhere, commenced to search,for her in Windsor Greats-park, in company with one of the keepers. They were unsuccessful, but on continuing the search next morning discovered her lifeless body on the grass, her infant of twelve months old lying on the body and crying dolefully. It was the opinion of the medical man who was called in, that death had re- sulted from disease of the heart, the fatal excitement being probably produced by deceased running away from soma dranken man. returning from the races at Ascot. Smoking on Board her Majesty's SMps. —The smoking of tobacco (says the Army and Navy Gazette), notwithstanding the many treatises which have been written on the use and abuse of the 0 "weed," is now so prevalent on board her Majesty's ships that the Lords of the Admiralty have thought proper to issue the following :—" My Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty are pleased to make the fol- lowing alterations in the regulations (Art. 82, page 343) respecting smoking on board ship Smoking wiil henceforth be allowed on Sunday and Thursday after- noons, until the Pipe to clear up decks,' provided it does not interfere with the duties of the ship, or with the necessary drills in newly commissioned ships. And when ships are in harbour the_ ordinary evening tirae for smoking (which now begins at six p.m., after 'quarters' will be extended till nine p.m. No smoking is ever to be allowed during Divine ser- vice, or while any duty is going on." We should scarcely have thought that there existed any necessity for the insertion of the last paragraph in the circular. Surely the seamen of her Majesty's ships have net hitherto been in the habit of blowing a cloud while listening to the exhortations of their chaplain, or indulging in a draw while heaving round at the capstan. The Bancroft Divorce Case.—At the Man- chester Police-court, the case of Mr. S. Hamer, charged with causing a false registration of birth to be made in December, 1850, has been disposed of. In this painful case, it may be remembered, Hamer was alleged to have made a false registration of the birth of a child he had by his niece, in order to avoid the disgrace which the publicity of such an incestuous intercourse would be attended with. The niece subse- quently became the wife of Mr. Bancroft, and it was not until some years after her marriage that her hus- band discovered the relationship which had existed, and which he suspected continued to exist, between his wife and her uncle. His conduct towards her thereupon became so furious that she sued for and ob- tained a divorce, and since then he has on many occa- sions exhibited the greatest violence towards Hamer and others whom he believed to be parties in the deception which had been practised upon him. Having discovered that the ante-nuptial child of his wife had been registered as if it waa the offspring of Hamer and his wife, he instituted the present proceed- f ings. After a discussion upon the legal points involved in the question, it was decided that the charge must be dismissed, as the law seemed to limit conviction for such an offence to three years after its commission. A case was offered for a higher court. The Cotton Trade of Preston.-The 27,000 operatives of Preston are now, with few exceptions, in full employ. The cotton trade is brisk, and mill workers, instead of being a sort of incubus upon the town, are a scarcity. In some factories sufficient hands cannot be obtained. At first sight this may appear strange, but when it is recollected that many opera- tives have emigrated during the past few years, and that others have gone to other trades, the reason of it will be at once obvious. Nearly every day operatives are summoned before the magistrates for leaving their work without notice, the cause of this being that hands who are employed at one mill see better chances at another, and being unable to resist the temptation to strike whilst the iron is hot," they go off at once, and seize whatever increased remuneration may be in their way. On Saturday, the operative spinners- and minders sent a memorial to their employers for an advance of wages. They allege that their wages are lower than those paid in neighbouring towns, that their wages were reduced at the commencement of the Cotton famine, and that they ought now to be in- creased. The H State Prisoner" in Newgate.—George Morris Mitchell, "author and compiler of Parliamentary indexes, a state prisoner in her Majesty's gaol of New- gate," represents in a petition to the House of Com- mons that he has not only suffered very much from loss of liberty, but has suffered severely in a pecuniary sense in consequence of the decision of your honour- able House. That your petitioner begs to express his deep contrition and regret if he has offended against the dignity of your honourable House; and for the punishment he has already suffered, begs to ask for his release from custody. Ycur petitioner, therefore, prays your honourable House to take the premises contained in this petition into your consideration, and to grant that relief to yonr petitioner which he seeks." Polish Refugees.—In reply to a letter from the secretary of the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland, relative to the distressed condition of the Polish refugees who have come to this country in con- sequence of the recent insurrection in Poland, a com- munication has been received from the Treasury, dated the 16th instant, stating that the Lords Commissioners, in consideration of the state of destitution in which it has been represented that many of these refugees have recently arrived in this country, and the great priva- tions under which it is stated that they are actually suffering, will not be indisposed to afford some relief, to be confined, however, to the refugees who have come to this country in consequence of the recent in- surrection in Poland; and means have been taken to make such preliminary inquiries as appear necessary, by the appointment by this board of a committee, with Major Charles Szulozewaki as their secretary.. Mr. G. A. Hamilton, who, makes the communication under the direction of the Treasury, adds that, when the Lords Commissioners have before them the report of the committee they will be able to take further measures in the matter, and, in the meantime, they desire the association to take steps to inform the Polish emigrants of the nature of those cases which alone will form the subject of inquiry. Difficulties the Great Eastern has to Con- tend Wilh.—This huge vessel will soon-start on her all-important mission, and, as the old-fashioned bills sf ladingused to say, May God send the good ship to her distant port in safety!" If she be favoured with fine weather all will go well, but if she encounter such storms as nearly sunk the Agamemnon, the nautical people shake their heads about her. The cable is laid in three great coila on the main deck, and it was dis- covered only last week that the enormous weight had caused a deflestion of several inches in the great iron beams. Had this not been discovered the soil would have gone through right into the water, and'then adieu to ship, and crew, and cargo. The under part, from the keel up to the main deck, was in hasto- filled with wooden supports and the bent beams straitened; but it is now said that she will be as crank as a ship laden with pig-iron, with this difference—-that the pigs-cannot be thrown^ overboard. Should a gale of wind arise, with one half of the cable a dead weight in the hold and the other half a trail hangingoverherstern, the situation will be anything but agreeable. The little vessel can. roll a few, as her gambadoes in that line in fine weather off Hastings were terrific when her tiller ropes broke, and it is easy to fancy them in an, Atlantic gale, However, if she have fine weather, all will go well. The cable will be laid, and we shall have our American aewa daily. Let us pray for fine weather.

THE MALT-TAX QUEBTIONo The anti-malt-tax-advocates continue their-efforts- with increased ability. The following pertinent re- marks are from a prise essay by Mr. S. A. May, a teraant farmer near Tamworth Mr. Cobdea says, as regard-A the labourer," Inde- pendently of regarding the question merely as. a con- sumer's question, it would, I maintain, be a great relief to the poorest class of the community if the malt-taa were abolished. I say the poorest, because I think the consumption of beer belongs to the very poorest of oar labourers. I am of this oninion, be- cause all who are acquainted with rural life must know that the agricultural labourers of this country would, if they could, all esjoy the beverage of beer; while, with their limited wages and general habits, most of thflm being- married men, a very small pro- portion of them would, I think, carry the indulgence too far." '•But independently of all this, it would-tend very much to produce contentment among them as a class, and to make them less dissatisfied when comparing their lot with othars, as well as to solace them if, in- stead of being compelled to resort to the brook or spring, they could every day enjoy some part of the produce of the lamd- on which they toil in the shape of a pot of beer." I should like to lay this down as a rule in dealing with this question and all others, that we do not sit here to legislate with a view to the passing of sump- tuary laws, whather with respect to meat, drink, or clothing." We do not pretend by our fiscal regulations to make men moral. Adam Smith, in adverting to- a repeal of the mal-t duty, says,.in a sentence worthy of considera- tion, That it does not follow that because intoxicat- ing liquors are cheap tha people in the country in which they are cheap should therefore be intemperatea.n°- he mentior.s the fact, that in thos&countries where wine ( is cheap the population is generally the most sober. Who are the sober people among ourselves ? Are they not those who possess in abun&anoetfce means of in- toxication ? It has been truly said, that it is not the quantity so much as the quality that inebriates. The report of Mr. Philips, principal of the Inland Revenue Dextarfcment, shows how fearfully ale is adulterated in the Midland Counties. During the last financial year, 26 samples of beer and of material found in the possession of licensed brewers, were analysed, and of these twenty were found to be illicit, the prohibited ingredients being in fourteen cases grains of paradise, one of these samples containing in addition tobacco, and in two others coceulus-indicus was present, in large and dangerous quantities; two samples contained capsicum, and the remaining two proto-sulphate of iron- Barley Bree," writing to the Times from Queen's- square, Bloomsbury, says, That he is not at all sur- prised at Mr. Philips airclogilres, and he invites that gentleman to pay a visit to the publics in his neigh- bourhood. What with doctoring, adulterating with drugs, and with liquoring, reducing by water, the beer sent out for home consumption in his quarter, is the most abominable wash that ever went down thirsty gullets; and yet the publican receives a profit of 33 per cent. more than the family brewers. "Notwithstanding this, he had sent everywhere round his house, to the utmost limits of convenience, but always with the same result, bad, nauseous, un- dnnkable liquor." Bad beer and adulterated beer are the natural con- sequences of high duty and class monopoly. I do not wish it to be inferred that the brewers as a class are dishonest, far from it. I have no doubt that pure wholesome liquor may be bought from all respect- able houses, but their retail houses are often let to a low class of people, who, to keep a roof over head, and to be able to pay for one lot of beer when the next comes in, do not scruple to poison their thirsty customers. As the Chanoellor said of the wine trade, it would bo a great shook, by repealing the tax, to open up the monopoly, but it would be of great advantage to the public. I sum up the advantages at malt-tax repeal as follows:- More land would (as it ought) be sown with barley. and less with wheat, and thus a fairer chance be given to the farmer to compete with the foreigner. More meat would be made, and the price would probably be lower. Ale and beer would be cheaper and better. Trade would be benefited by the working man having more money to spend in the other necessaries of life. That not only in an agricultural but in a social and sanitary point of view great good would result.

THE SUEZ CANAL. The only portion of the maritime canal which is as yet even commenced is a "rigole" fifty-six miles long, from Port Said, on the Mediterranean to Ismailia, on Lake Timsah, the navigation of which would be impossible in a commercial sense, even if goods be carried in small and fiat-bottomed boats, owing to the insignificant depth of water, which in many parts only amounts to eighteen inches, while nowhere is it deeper than five feet. At Ismailia, the maritime rigole ceases, and the sweet-water canal which brings the Nile waters to the centre of the desert branches off towards Suez. The distance from Ismailia to Sues by this canal is some- what under sixty-eight miles. In many places the depth of water does not exceed 15 inches; the Nile, however, being very low, this is to be expected. In some spots the desert sand-seems- to have choked up the canal. At present there are no dredges on the sweet-water canal. In order to allow boats to have sufficient water to float them the canal has to be dammed in two or three places. One fact is, certain, that until this canal is deepened it cannot be made usa of for commercial purposes. M. de Lesseps asserts that "nna communication est ouverte ent-re les deux mera," and that en 24 heures nous avons navigue, remorques pal" un bateau a vapeur d one mer a i autre." The bateau d vcfpeur in question is a small steam launch belonging to Prince Napoleon, which is 15ft. long by Eft. broad. The construction of cities and ports has, however, I commenced. The Nile water hai, becu carried com- pletely through the desert, and at a time not far distant from this a considerable belt of country on each side of the sweet-water canal will be under cul- tivation. An immense "materiel" has been col- lected, and the jetties at Port Said have been com- menced, and will, no doubt, be finished in a few years. The abolition of forced labour is a fatal blow to the enterprise, and the sum of 84,000;000f., which the Viceroy haft been condemned to pay to the company is an compensation for the immense loss which they have to bear in consequence of this deprivation of upwards-oi 35,000 labourers. Every I public work which has been carried out in Egypt, from the building of the pyramids to the construction of the modern canals, may be said to be due entirely to ¡'. forced labour, and without forced labour the company will never be able to get Arabs to work on their lands. Being deprived of forced labour, and being unable to find Europeans to perform the work of fellahs, the company are seeking to do as much as possible with the help of zzoohinery, and some very ingenious dredges for dry sand are being used. M. de Lesseps assures his friends, with the means which he has at his disposal, he will be able to finish the canal in three years and a. half from this time; but, from the present state of the works, and the progress which is being made, if the canal is finished in twenty years he will be very fortunate. By increasing to an enor- mous extend the number of his dredges he may be able to shorten this period. There are no engineering difficulties to contend,with, which in the present state of science can be called in- surmountable. The whole question is one of time or money, and whether it will ever be a paying specula- tion is qaite another matter, and one which concerns the sharoholders alalia; the expenses of keeping the canal open and of paying the immense staff of em- ployes which will absolntely be required will only leave a, shadew of percentage to be divided among the share- holders. <- The benefits to the public will be very great, and the f:rst people to profit by the enterprise will be our Own, countrymen, who are never long in finding out where their interests lie.-Pail/wa?/ News.

THE SOLDIERS' DAUGHTERS1 HOME. The ninth annual meeting of the directors of this asylum was held on Saturday in the theatre of the United Service Institution, Whitehall-yard: Major- General the Hon. Yorke Scarlett, K.C.B., in the chair; supported by Major-General Boileau, General Ashbur- ton, Colonel Sandwith, Dr. Dickson, Rev. Mr. Kirk- man, iJoyos, &c, The report states that the past year had been one of progress and prosperity. During ten years nineteen girls had been placed in service, making'fK total of seventy-one so placed up to thA present time. Nine girls had been withdrawn, three had been admitted by payment, and ten by election, making the present number or children in the home 161. The exoense of maintenance during the year for each girl had been 10d. The health of the children was good, and satisfactory progress had been made both in the edu- cational and industrial departments. Duringtheyear legacies had been received from the late Major Powys- Kirk, Xi,ooo, Mr. JoshuaField,. £ 1,800; and Trumpeter Paul, R.A, X20. There had been a slight increase in the annual subscriptions, and, with the donations and legacies, the committee had been able to transfer X2,847 to the deposit account, which now amounts to £ 4,851, and to invest £ 1,000 in the Three per Cent,. » Consols. There is the large number of 108 applicants now on the list waiting for admission to the home. The total income for the year had been £ 7,48213s. Id., and after investing the aums above named there was a balance ia hand of £ 53Z. General Ashburton moved the adoption of the re- port, congratulating the subscribers upon its satis- factory character. Mr. Dickson seconded the resolution. Alluding to the 108 applicants waiting for admission, he said for every £ 18 subscribed the committee would be able to admit one child. Major-General Boileau, as chairman of the com- mittee, was most anxious to increase the number of children in the home. There were only 141 now in it, and there was ample accommodation for 200. How soon they could obtain that number must depend on the liberality of the profession and the public. Colonel Sandwith, Captain Burgess, the Rev. M. Kirkman, and others having addressed the meeting, the report was adopted. Rewards of X2 each were then distributed to several former pupila of the school who had retained the situtions in which they had been placed with satis- ivr employers for ten years, Major-General Boileau was re-elected aa chairma- of the institution, and the committee of mana.- for the year having been appointed, a vote c to the chairman, suitably acknowledged, < the proceedings. Prior to the commencement of the children, who were in attendance, ar remarkably olean, happy, and her' sang several pieces of music in r oreditablo manner.