The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

EPITOME OF NEWS. Three or four English judges are reported as about to retire-two of them to receive peerages. Mr. Fowler, the great railway engineer, has given £ 75,000 for two farms of 40,000 acres in Ross-shire. The French squadron is expected at Plymouth on the 17th inst. It is said that a horse in Birmingham has died from fright at seeing a camel. The liabilities of the Hon. Richard Bethell are said to be as much as £25,000. Leamington proposes to do what at least every county town ought to do-establish a public museum. The "Italia" of Naples of the 26i;h ult. states that Vesuvius again menaces an eruption. Flames are seen to issue from the principal summit every night. Brazil wantEl a new loan from England, and therefore now encourages a friendship with this country, that she may obtain our money. The estate of Lord Henry Gordon, described as a tobacco merchant when he became a bankrupt, will pay very soon a first dividend of 12s. 6d. The negroes of Fortress Monroe and Norfolk Va., have sent a magnificent sword, valued at 750 dollars, to General Butler, formerly of the United States Army. A man who was hart by stopping the runaway horses in the carriage of Baron'Nathaniel de Rothschild, in Paris, claimed 10,000 francs damages; the tribunal has just awarded him 5,000 francs. The Paris Charivari believes that Mr. Tennyson is about to celebrate by an ode the long life of the English Premier, and his great love_ his love of office. Not a bad French hit at an English subject." Though the rumour that Sir Charles Wood is to have a Peerage has been denied, it is thought that the honour is designed for him in company with Lord Lyveden, Lord Taunton, Lord Monteagle, and other Whig Peers. There is a rumour, whether true or not we can- not say, that her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Austria, will spend a portion of the next winter in Torquay, for the benefit of her health. Lord Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor, G.M., of Antrim, has published a circular, reminding the Orangemen of that county of the advice of the Grand Lodge of Ireland to abstain from publicly celebrating the July anniversaries. Mrs. Siddon, the wife of an undertaker, while sitting on the grass at a pic-nic in Epping Forest, was bitten on the lower part of her person and died the following morning. The Right Rev. Dr. Manning, the now Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, has arrived with his suite at the Hotel des Bergues, Geneva, on his way to Rome. Invitations will be shortly issued through the French and English newspapers to the English to go to Paris on the 15th of August, for the grandfgtes-at their own expense, of course. A man has recently been sent to prison at Leeds for attempting to brush his chimney by pushing a dog and cat down it from the top. The dog remained in the chimney for four hours. The Australian mail, which has just reached London, via Marseilles, left Sydney, New South Wales, on April 22, and Melbourne on the 26th of the same month. The mail which left Australia in May will be due in London on the 13th inst. A little girl named Brailand, eight years of age, has just died from hydrophobia in the London Hospital, after much suffering. She had been bitten in the leg a month ago by a strange dog, and had since then been under the most watchful medical attendance. Last week the House of Commons voted an in- crease of salary of P,300 a year to each of the English eounty judges. Their salaries now range from 41,500 to £1,800 a year, and afford a marked contrast to those of our hard-worked and poorly remunerated resident sheriffs. A subscription, limited to twenty centimes for each subscriber, has been opened in Italy to present Gari- baldi a gold medal, bearing this inscription :—" To Joseph Garibaldi, from the people who do not forget." At Turin there are already 20,000 subscribers. A French physician named Boisson has dis- covered that a vapour bath at 93 degrees P., and gradually reductd, is a certain cure for hydrophebia. The bath is to be taken d la Busse for seven da; s. He affirms he has thus treated eighty patients, some of the cases very bad, and never lost one. At a wedding of a burgomaster in a village of Upper Austria last week, all the relations of the bride and bridegroom were entertained for three days of uninter- rupted festivity. The bill of fare includes forty-eight oxen, forty-six pigs and sheep, sixty-seven calves, and several hundred gallons of wine. The paper-makers of Russia seem to be in a happier frame of mind than their brethren in England. They have just had a grand dinner to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the founding of the paper mills at St. Peters- burg. The dinner table was covered with a huge sheet of paper instead of a table-cloth. Small change is so scarce in Georgia, says a cor- respondent of a London paper, that eggs are being used as currency. Fancy travelling a long distance by rail with this small change in one's pocket, and the issue of a doze with a restless dream. It is to be hoped no bad money of this kind will be passed during the elections here, as it might be construed as corruption. It is stated that the building for the Paris Exhibi. tion of 1867, which is to be erected in the Champs de Mars, is to stand for three years there, and is then to be demolished. Those who condemn this proposal urge that to spend a million sterling on a building- that is not meant to be per- manent is a waste of money. There is now (at Henllys, Anglesey, the beautiful seat of Mr. Hampton Lewis) a red aloe coming into blossom nine feet high, and growing from two and a-half to three inches per night. The plant is known to be from seventy- five to eighty years of age. The gardens and grounds are open to the public. A beautiful variety of the common starling was shot the other day, near Birmingham, out of a large flock of these birds. The individual in question seems to have been the only one in a milk-whil e plumage. The bird was killed on land belonging to Mr. Simons, at Saltley, and has been preserved. By the system of compound interest for twenty-one years which the late Marchioness of London- derry has planned for the investment of the heavy sums left to her family, it is computed that the next Earl Vane will find himself one of the richest men in England, let the second be sought for at that time where he may. We regret to state, says a Maltese paper, that Captain Gardner, 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment, while rid- ing from St. Georse's Bay, Malta, towards Misida, at half- past one in the morning of Wednesday, June 21, fell from his horse, causing concussion of the brain and other severe injuries. He was conveyed to the Civil Hospital, where he i lies in a very precarious state, but was doing well on the 24th June. A few days aso, says the Canada Farmer, a cow belonging to Mr. Walmsley, residing on Yonge St., near Toronto, died from having attempted to swallow a piece of steel hoop, about ten inches long, which had formed part of a lady's crinoline. The curved form of the steel prevented it from descending the gullet, where it lodged, and inflam- mation having ensued, death was the result. The Khan of Bhawulpore is so much afraid of being poisoned by some of his loyal subjects that he causes the water which he drmks to be brought from the confluence of the Indus and tue bntlej rivers in small chatties with the orifice hermetically closed and sealed with his seal. He takes no food without first compelling his attendants to partake of it in his presence. The polling for Sheriffs of London, which had lasted seven days, terminated on Saturday at Guildhall in the return of Mr. Alderman Gibbons and Mr. James Figgins, a member of the Common Council, hy a considerable majority. At the final close of Ae poll the numbers were— for Mr. Alderman Gibbons, 886; Mr. Flggms, 777. Mr. Bennett, 581; Mr. Alderman Stone, 8i; Mr. Alderman Waterlow, 54. The ''Army and Navy Gazette" says that the magistrates of the county pf Gloucester have elected Captain Henry Christian (1863), of the Royal Navy, to be their Chief Constable, at a salary of £ 580 per annum, over seventy-one applicants, consisting' of officers of the army and many practical civilians. Captain Christian was formerly attached to the feoyal yacht, but as he saw no chance of employment for the next four years, he has accepted the very handsome offer now made to him. About L170 worth of property in ginghams and indigo was recently stolen from the mill of Messrs. Mitchell, of Stockport. Part of the property has been re- covered by the Manchester detectives in Newtown, and Thomas Batty, marine store dealer, has been apprehended on the charge of dealing with it. Another man, suspected of being implicated in the robbery, is also in custody in Stockport. The annual contest on the church-rate question has now become an institution at Burythorpe, on the York- shire Wolds. At a reeent vestry meeting, the Rev. Mr. Walker, the vicar, proposed, and Mr. Jennings, a church. warden, seconded the levying of a rate of ltd. in the pound. This was opposed, and W. Preston, Esq., of Burythorpe- house (lord of tue manor), demanded a poll, when a majority of twenty-three appeared against the rate. Only a moderate supply of trawl-fish have been brought to market during the last few days at Lowe. stoft. The mackerel nshery has improved, and some of the boats engaged in the Midsummer herring voyage have also been tolerably fortunate. The deliveries of mackerel at Great Yarmouth have been somewhat smaller of late. Prices for fresh tish have ranged from 26s. to 32s. per 100. Sir John Walaham, Bart., has consented to become a patron of the National Society for the Protection of Young Girls. He has also given a life subscription of five guineas to the general purposes of the society, and ;£10 towards the payment of the remainder of the purchase money of the society's freehold estate at Woodhou se, Wanstead. An inquest has been held in Hoxton Old Town, re- specting the suicide of John Webster, aged thirty-nine years, who had recently exhibited mental derangement owing to the loss of his wife, drinking to excess, &c. On Saturday he got head foremost into a water butt, and was quite dead when taken out. The jury returned a verdict of Suicide while of unsound mind." The "patrons" of an establishment at Camden- town have been informed by placards that it will be closed every Thursday at two o'clock during the months of July and August, for the recreation of the employed." Thomas Jones, a labourer, who is charged with having poisoned his wife and thrown his child into the river at Woolwich, has been brought before Mr. Traill, the police magistrate. The evidence given before the coroner was re- peated; bat, as the chemists have not yet made their re- port as to the presence or absence of poison in the body of the wife, the prisoner was remanded. During the past week the visitors to the South Kensington Museum have been as follows:-On Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, free days, open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 12,670. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, students' days (admission to the public, 6d.) open from 10 a m. to 6 p.m., 3,286. Total, 15,956. From the opening of the museum, 5,388,349. The foundation stone of the new English Pro- testant Church of St. Peter's, at Chantilly, was laid a few days ago. The Scotch Court of Sessions have refused leave to the proprietors of the Saturday Revietv to appeal to the House of Lords against the recent judgment sustain- ing the jurisdiction of the Court in the action of damages for slander brought against them at the instance of Mrs. Yelverton. Throughout the Ciiy of London the policemen on duty have recently appeared in their new head gear. It is similar in shape and appearance to that recently intro- duced into the metropolitan force. It is helmet shaped, has in front a small circular plate, with the number of the sergeant or constable enclosed in a garter, upon which ap- pears in brass metal the words, "City of London Police."

THE CHILDREN OF THE AGRICUL- TURAL LABOURER. The Rev. W. B. Hopkins, Vicar of Wisbech, in reference to a letter that appeared in the Times, stating that the children of the agricultural labourer were well cared for, says in reply Most persons who have read Mr. Bowker's letter of the 17th inst. will come to the conclusion that Whittlesea is a highly favoured parish. The parents of the children must, indeed, feel happy when they reflect that on leaving the National School their boys and girls are merely draughted into gangs, where their morals are better cared for than before. And, theugh Mr. Bowker seems to have some misgivings when he admits that there are evils attending this system," yet it is re- assuring to learn that they "may be easily corrected." I confess that it would have been more satisfactory to me, and possibly to others, if he had gone on to say that he, for his part, would never in future employ a gang which contained a child under nine years," or a girl above the age of fourteen; that when the corn is high and wet" he will only employ boys to weed it, and that he intends to separate the boys from the girls," and to engage a woman to superintend the girls." In the meantime, however, I crave your permission to state some faots, obtained from a parish which does not appear to be so well ordered as Whittlesea. I have ascertained, and am ready to produce evidence (if re- quired) to prove:— 1. That in the parish to which I refer boys and girls work promiscuously in the gangs. 2. That young persons of both sexes are employed up to the age of 18, and sometimes older persons of feeble intellect. The following are Ahe ages taken at random of some of the children employed in a gang this present sammer :-9, 9, 6, 16, 12, 14, 12, 10. 3. That sewing work or knitting are scarcely ever seen in the hands of a girl accustomed to gang work. 4. That no girl who has been regularly with a gang ever likes to go to domestic service. 5. That the gang when assembled has to walk many miles to work-on an average six miles out, and six miles home again. 6. That profane swearing is habitual, more common with girls than boys, and not rebuked by the ganger, who himself, does not scruple to swear at the gang. 7. That a child lagging behind when at work is liable to be beaten, to make it keep up with the rest of the gang. 8. That young children often dread going out with the gang, and entreat with tears not to be sent. 9. That every Friday evening-the gang does not work on Saturday-the boys and girls stay behind when the ganger is gone, and engage in rough and sometimes immodest play together. 10. That children employed in the gang become rude and disorderly in the streets and in the schools, and learn to think lightly of every place of worship. When such facts as these are patent, it is no wonder that the local press should speak strongly when it dares; and even that the cry of such wrongs should at length find utterance in Parliament. The marvel is that a louder remonstrance has not been oalled forth. The secret seems to be that the oppressed will endure much in silence when they fear to lose their bread if they venture to speak out. Mr. Bowker asks, Why are not the farmers to have the benefit of children's labour as well as the manufacturer ?" It is surely fair to ask in reply, Why are not farmers to bo made subject to the same humane regulations as the manufacturers, if they too are to reap the benefit of children's labour ? Manu- facturers who employ children of tender years are bound to send them to school at their own expense for half the day. If, then, farmers employ children for half the year in labour, which is sometimes wet and unhealthy, let them be bound to keep the children at school and at their own expense for the other half of the year. Let the farmers also be obliged to provide proper gangers—men for the boys and women for the girls, and pay them for superintending, instead of allow- ing them (as it seems they do from Mr. Bowker's letter) to put into their pockets a percentage of the earnings of all the children in the gang. Without presuming to say anything in defence of the Whittlesea National Schools, which are, I believe, largely supported by Mr. Childers, and under excel- lent local management, I would add that most persons who wish well to the agricultural labourer desire to see his children employed in the fields; but they be- lieve that this point may be secured, and yet some portion of time reserved during which the children may sit in school, "with clean faces and smooth hair," learning to read the Bible, to write to a brother in the army, or to a sister in America, and to do an easy sum.

Irish Emigration.—By the returns issaed for June, it appears that 10,332 persons left the Mersey during that month for the United States; 1,181 left for Canada, and 508 for Australia. The proportion of Irish emigrating to the United States is not relatively so large as formerly, whilst they outnumber the English and Scotch-on the Australian passage. To Canada the proportion of English and foreigners to Irish was nearly five to one. The decrease of emigrants on the quarter, -as compared with the corresponding period of last-year, was above 12,000.

TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY. As appalling occurrence took place at Bruton, on Wednesday night which has spread consternation throughout the district. Bruton stands on the Wilts, Somerset, ana Weymouth branch of the Great Western system of railways, and its station is a few hundred yards out of the town, on the Wincanton-road This road is crossed by the railway by a bridge, distant about two hundred yards from the station and about one hundred yards from the goods shed. The embank- ments are steep, and the road has the appearance of a deep ravine. It was at this point that the terrible accident which we now report took place. The last train due at Bruton is the 8.42 down train to Weymouth, and on this occasion the train had to convey a track of goods. For this purpose the switches opening to the goods shed and the goods siding were opened, but they were not closed, and hence the catastrophe which followed. The points- man was one James Andrews, and after opening the switches for the goods truck he engaged in conversation with his wife, who had just come up, and he negleoted to re-close the switches for the main line. About ten o'clock a ballast train ran into the Bruton-station at high speed —it is said forty miles an hoar. Andrews, unmindful that he had left open the switches, signalled all right." The train, a heavy one of thirteen trucks, all loaded, dashed on, but the driver, finding that he was in the goods shed, and not on the main line, sounded the break whistle, and in such a way as to send a thrill of alarm throughout the town. Following close upon the whistle came an appalling ciash, and almost the whole of the train was precipitatel into the road or abyss we have named, carrying with it tbe abutment of the siding, half of the embankment, and literally propelling a trucls loaded with flour clean across the road to the bottom of the steep embankment on the opposite side of the road, a distance from point to point of thirty-eight yards. The shrieking of the break whistle and the awful crash which followed had prepared the townspeople for some great disaster, and they were soon making towards the station. The scene they saw there will never be forgotten. The engine lay against the wall hissing, the tender lay on the top of it, and trucks broken and crushed were heaped literally to the top of the bridge parapet, so that the road was actually filled with the wreck of the ballast train. Very soon the timber work became ignited, and this only added to the terrible character of the scene. What to attempt to do the horror-stricken crewd did not know, but in a short time a messenger was dispatched on horseback to Frome; the town fire-engine was brought out to extinguish the flames, and the telegraph was set to work up and down the line. The spectators were at a loss as to the real extent of the calamity, in the matter of loss of life, but they found that in the break-van were seven persons, some of whom had been asleep, and had not the road been so blocked up by the preceding trucks, they would inevitably have been precipitated down the embank- ment. After some time it was discovered that some poor fellow was endeavouring to extricate himself from the débris, and with assistance he speedily got out. He proved to be one of the two guards of the train, and, remarkable to say, had a wooden leg. Although in the next truck to the engine he escaped with only a few slight bruises. On searching among the ruins the other guard was found, and he, too, had providentially escaped with slight bruises and several severe scalds. From the guards it was learnt that the only missing persons were the engine-driver and stoker, but the spec- tators were powerless to attempt to discover these poor fellows. It was not till three o'clock next morn- ing that assistance arrived, when an engine conveyed Mr. Mitchein, the station-master at Frome, and several of the railway officials there. As speedily as possible the engine was got to work. It was, however, a long time before either of the poor fellows was discovered; but at ten o'clock the body of the stoker was found, still grasping the whistle which he had sounded in vain, and he was much mangled and scalded. There was as yet no sign of the engine-driver, who it was known would be somewhere beneath the engine. The men recommenced work with great earnestness, and at three o'clock the tender was removed from its posi- tion on the top of the engine-it had been previously discovered that the poor fellow lay beneath the cone, as his feet were protruding. There was still, however, hard work to be done; but in about half an hour the body was extricated, and the result sent a painful thrill through every one of the large concourse assembled. As his unfortunate fellow was, so was he conveyed subsequently into the town, to the Blue Boar Hotel, a large and sympathising crowd following. His body was found to be not much mangled, and it had all the appearance of his having been crushed to death. The pointsman was taken into custody early in the morning by Inspector Morrison, of the Great Western Railway police. Both the deceased men were young, and both are married. The guards are progressing favourably.

GREAT FIRE IN SOUTHW ARK. On Tuesday night about ten o'clock a most exten- sive fire took place in the new street leading from the site of the old Town-hall, Southwark, and terminating opposite Stamford-street, Blackfriars-road. The premises in which the disaster commenced were those of Mr. Myers, cane and walking-stick manu- facturer, and adjoining, but separated by a party wall from the extensive premises of Messrs. H. andE. Moses, the wholesale clothiers. The fire first entered tho upper windows of the last-named premises, and in the course of a few minutes the flames had taken pos. session of nearly a dozonlhousea in Castle-street. The scene there became one which can hardly be described with anything like accuracy, for the inmates of various houses, including men, women, and children, were to be seen rushing out of their habitations with any por- table article of furniture they could lay their hands upon. Such was the great light thrown up that it could be seen distinctly in the town of Croydon, and many persons there imagined that the conflagration was in some part of the district, and forthwith the Volunteer Brigade of that town turned out, and under the able guidance of their superintendent the engine and fire- men followed the great light, and reached the scene of conflagration in a remarkably short space of time. The volunteers [and engines from Hatcham and Peck- ham were also soon in attendance, as well as the manual-power engines of the London Brigade, the Princess of Wales land steamer, and the whole of Shand, Mason, and Co.'s land steamers. Under the direction of Mr. Hays, foreman of the Southwark and Vauxhall Company's Works, the plugs were drawn, the engines were brought into operation, and an immense quantity of water thrown over the blazing buildings, but it seemed to have little or no effect in extinguishing the fire. On the contrary, the flames for'some hours seemed to rise higher than ever, and the reflection upon the dome of St. Paul's, St. George s Church, and even the clock tower at the House of Commons, brought them out in such brilliant relief as to resemble a grand moving panorama, owing to the wind blowing the flames to and fro. The river at the same time looked like a stream of burnished gold, and the temporary bridge of Blaokfriars was so crowded with spectators that it was feared the bridge would give way beneath the weight of such an immense multitude, and a strong body of the City Police were placed on duty to keep the populace moving, for fear of the structure falling and precipitating the people into the river. Forta- nately, although the bridge vibrated considerably, the arrangements of the police kept the immense mass moving, and no accident took place there. About twelve o'clock the walls on the south of the warehouse of Messrs. Myers fell outwards into Castle- street with a terrific crash, knocking in the front por- tions of several of the houses opposite, and compelling the inmates to make a precipitate retreat. The road- way was completely blocked up by the falling masses of brickwork and timber, and the work of the firemen was for a time suspended. At one o'clock the fire was got well under, and all fear of further damage was at an end. Several persons wore severely injured by the falling of detached portions of the walls and burning timbers, and it is stated that some of the inmates of the houses in Castle-street were so much bruised by the falling of the back wall of Messrs. Myers' warehouse, as to ne- cessitate their removal to the hospital. ♦ —

Miserable People. Young ladies with new bonnets on rainy Sundays, and dresses playing dip, dip, at every step. A witness in a bribery case. A smoking nephew on a visit to an anti-smoking aunt. A young doctor who has just cured his first patient, and has no prospect-of another.

The Bridge. I stood on the bridge at midnight, J As Big Ben was striking the hour, And the moon rose o'er the Abbey, Behind the Victoria Tower; And like the waters rushing Before the House of Peers, A flood of thoughts came o'er me, That filled my soul with fears. How often, oh, how often, In the sessions now gone by, I had shirked the debates at midnight, And shunned Mr. Hugessen's. eye! How often, oh, how often, I had wished that the House would divide, And let me escape from the lobby To the Row for my usual ride For committees made me restless, And constituents brought me care; And the speech expected from me Was more than I could prepare. But now it must shortly be spoken, When the county town I see, When the county hustings' awning Throws its shadow over me. And whenever I think of the mob On the next nomination day, Like the dream that succeedeth to pork, Comes the thought of what they will say. For for hours and for hours, As long as the hustings stand, A as ^h0re's chaff in the people, As long as there's breath in the band; The pledges I gave last'election, j And broke-ray opponents say- Will rise like political spectres,, And trouble the polling day. Westminster, July 1865.

Mrs. Brown visits the West-end. I says to Mrs. Probit, I says, If she was a 00. of mine I'd have it looked to; for," I says, "tw twelve, and no taller than that, don't prove strengV' So says she to me, "I don't never expect to if her, for she says the 'art is on the wrong side. I I says, "Oh, indeed!" tho' for my part I d1 believe she's got no 'art at all, as is a limb, an ¡ knowed very well as it was pigeon-breasted as the was, and as crooked as a ram's horn, likewisel temper, tho' parents don't see that clear as lookÐJ. on. ¡ "Well," says she, "wherever had I better her ? I says, There is one party where I've been witb i a doctor as did wonders with the throat, and why11 j the chest, as is only a little lower down, and all a I the same regents, as I heerd the doctor say myse' Then she says, We'll go to morrow." No," I says, "never! Why not ? says she. Go of a Friday ? I won't." ■! "Well," says she, "right you are, for I've troubles thro' a-doing things of Fridays, for if$ very gal warn't born on a Friday, now you JJIe tion it." I says, That's where it is, you see." J Well," says she, Saturday is a ill-convenient for being out, and Monday ain't no better." for being out, and Monday ain't no better." I says, Well, say Tuesday, as don't seem no &11 leastways it's a day as I don't look to." II "Then," says she, "Tuesday we'll go." I says, "I'm agreeable." It If ever there was a toaster of a day it was tb I Tuesday-sweltering if I may say.

Denmark Avenged. 'Tis likely theft and murder will draw down For Denmark's wrongs some partial retribution The Prussians, if their King lose not his Crown, Can hardly fail to lose their Constitution.

A Fat-al Objection. They say Banting's been asked for some borough stand, But I fancy he'll find this objection a stamDfl1' A With what conscience or face, I would Could he ask a lean voter for him to turn

Sound Reasoning. Quoth Rubric, If the faith be sound, Its fruits in Finbsta,nee will abound." Quoth Black and White, "The world has fonndi Substance the less, the more the sound." No RIDDLE.-Why was there no MinisterialWb; bait dinner this year ?—Because circumstances,' we hope will be satisfactorily explained, would h9! forbidden the Lord Chancellor and his colleag116.! unite in abandoning themselves to unmingled SCHOOLBOY PHILOSOPHY.—Why are tutors watch? — Answer. They are always at work, regular hours, and have mortal small screws.' WESTBURY WHITEWASHED.—Why is Lord bury's character as clear as daylight?—Bec& neither is affected by the spots on the sun." & A SWEEP BOY humming "Hot Codlins" "tJ chimney, might be alluded to as singing above register. QUERY.—Is there any such book as "Half-k°,;J with the worst Authors?" I should think work would be a fortune to any enterprising lisher. JI1'\ A RIDDlE BY A BRUTE. -Why is a beard like CO mon sense ?—Because no woman possesses it. ipgi. NATURAL-HISTORICAL.—What is the plelLS and jolliest animal going ?-The Brick-Bat.

THE FRIEND OF THE CLERGY C0:8PO-1 RATION. 01 The annual general meeting of this institution St.1 just been held, at the offices of the corporation, f ill I. Martin's-place; the Rev. M. W. Lusignan, the chair. The committee and other officers elected. The 15th annual report, which was and adopted, stated that 101 ladies were pension0^ 0{ the funds of the corporation at the present tio&s > whom receive < £ 40 per annum, 44 receive M annum, and 10 receive £ 30 per annum. Tblls ibe society haa to provide at this time for pensions r0t; ■ • £ 3=720 per annum. The 51o\ that during the past year they have been ena"3: ma, special grants to clergymen and their ^rrhefi and families to the extent of .= £ 128 10s. only, express their warm acknowledgments.to te clergý f!1t.- who have preached on behalf of the institution* great object of the corporation is to P*°v -ggtaoi widows and daughters of clergymen of tb0 l0v. !■ blished Church such pensions as may really P 55, an income—namely, from the age of 50 ^clll £ 30 per annum; from 55 to 65, £ 35 per annup1; o1- above that age i*40 per annum for the their life. The receipt of a small pension llBtl j societies does not debar the candidate from the v^i| of this corporation. Under this head 135 ladies^c-V since the foundation' of this society, been eleo^ sioners, who have received upwards of £ 29,8^ in such pensions. In the month of May l»st were no less than 65 candidates for pensions, average income did not exceed £ 7 10s. per ^ds of whom only three could be placed on the ^oB- Of the 65 alluded t,o 40 were widows, upof- aejit^ no less than thirty-five children were still depe»°t The second object of the corporation was to aff0^ theil) porary assistance to necessitous clergymen a11 Tbiii families in time of pressure and special difficulty* accounts from June 1,1864, to May 31, 1865, (including balance from last year, f \AA 19s. 9d.), = £ 5,966 9s. 4d. Total payments, £ 4,610 balance m hand,. £ 1,355 13s.—together, « £ 5,966 9s. 4ct- ♦

The Late Sir William Lawson.—We kave record the death of Sir William Lawson, Brough Hall, near Catterick, Yorkshire, on i last. The deceased gentleman was created a bar in August, 1841. He was nephew of Sir Henry v son, who died in 1834, when he inherited the es» 1 of his uncle, and assumed, by royal licence, jjt ro YW name of Lawson only in lieu of his patronyW10, w was born on the 8th of May, 1796, and married, on 1, 20th of October, 1825, Clarinda daughter and heir of Dr. John Lawson, ef ior £ L' which lady, who died in 1861, he leaves issue.. J succeeded in the baronetcy and estates in ig2y| by his eldest son John, born 17th or December* Jf and married, 15th of October, 1857, Mary ^oXigeI daughter of Mr. Frederick Gerard, of Asp^ jir The late baronet received, in 1844* the 0?c' Christ from Pope Gregory XVI. He was a v f lieutenant of Yorkshire and a F.S.A.

THE ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. Tuesday being the 89th anniversary of the Declara. tion of Independence of the United States, the event T*rr>. by the Americans in London, at I j? s'ro°nis. Upwards of 200 ladies and gentlemen sab down to dinner in the large room, which was decorated by a profuse display of American flags, with which were intermingled the British ensigns. A portrait or Washington hung above the chairman's head, and a bust of the same illustrious man was exhibited in the centre of the room. The chair was filled by the Hon. F. H. Morse, United States Consul at London, and among the distinguished Americans present were Mr. Moran, United States Secretary of Legation; Professor Day, of Cincinnati: Mr. C. Field, And others. The English visitors included Professors Goldwin Smith and Cairnes, Mr. T. B. Potter, M.P.; Sir J. Murray, &c. The Chairman, after a brief introductory address, proposed the toast of" The day we celebrate," and ac- companied it with the following sentiment:—"The Declaration of Independence, proclaimed by our pa- triotic fathers on the 4th of July, 1776. Its principles of self-government have been tested fey the trials of both peace and war, and have made America great, prosperous, and free. May her sons aver maintain them unimpaired!" The Chairman then gave "The President of the United States," with the sentiment-" Calleli unex- pectedly to great and arduous duties, we have full faith in his patriotism and confidence that he will prove equal to every emergency." Mr. T. B. Potter, M.P.. responded, and said that from the moment when he learnt the sad calamity which had deprived the United States of their Chief Governor, he had felt convinced that the man who had been elected by his fellow-citizens to fill the second post in the Government would be found worthy of the position, as the people of America never selected un- tried men. He rejoiced at being present on that occa- sion to congratulate the American people as being able at last to celebrate the complete Declaration of Inde- pendence which would make their country what it ought to be—the home of the free, and of the free only (cheers). The strongest feelings of friendship towards America were entertained in this country, and he believed those sentiments were reciprocated. He had no apprehension of any disturbance of the present amicable relations, nor ought there ever to be any, for the two countries were not foreign countries to each other, but were branches of the same great family, speaking the same language, having the same institutions as the basis of their Govern- ments, and having the same destiny to fulfil- the spread of civil and religious liberty wherever the English language is spoken (cheers). As an Englishman he would say now that the horrid war was over, he hoped soon that the wounds caused by that war might be healed, that the United States would be one people again, and that the victorious people of the North, forgiving their erring brethren, might lead them to renew their affection for a Govern- ment which had never been cruel to any (cheers). The Chairman next gave "the Queen," with the sentiment, First in the affections of her people, and equally respected by all true Americans." The toast was enthusiastically received by the company standing, w_ith prolonged cheering and hearty accompaniment of the National Anthem. The toast of Washing- ton was then given by the Chairman and in accord- ance with the usual custom it was drunk by the com- ton was then given by the Chairman and in accord- ance with the usual custom it was drunk by the com- pany standing in solemn silence. Another memorial toast, that of Abraham Lincoln, Patriot, Statesman, Martyr," followed, and was received in the same im- pressive manner. The Chairman then gave Our fallen heroes em- balmed in the memory of the country they died to preserve." The world, he said, had learnt and no American would ever forget the great and glorious deeds of their Volunteer army. It was painful to remember how thousands of gallant men who had patriotically offered themselves for the defence of the Union had perished in the awful contest, and it was still more painful to remember how many had died not from wounds or. ia battle, but from cruelties hardly ever before perpetrated by civilised men. It was sufficient to mention Libby, Belleisle, and Ander- son to know that thousands of noble-hearted soldiers were penned up together, confined in narrow spaces within a stockade, where they were left to burrow Jike rats to shelter themselves from the cold, and at last to die from frost or starvation. Several other toasts were proposed, and the pro- ceedings, which did not commence until late, were protracted beyond midnight. The musical entertainment devolved upon Mrs. Howard Paul, who volunteered the Star Spangled Banner;" Miss Ransford, Miss E. Hughes, Mr. Whiffen, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Hansford. The toast- master was Mr. Toole.