The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

gtdrojjfllitan Gossip. BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. [The remarks under this head are to be regarded as the expression of independent opinion, from the pen of a gentle- man in whom we have the greatest confidence, but for whicp we nevertheless do not hold ourselves responsible.] The twenty-ninth year of the reign of our most gracious lady and sovereign the Queen came to a close on Thursday. The event of her thirtieth accession was hailed with a joyous clanging of bells and a liberal display of bunting on the public buildings and the shipping on the river. When we look back on the history of the nine and twenty YJars during which she has been Queen, we cannot fai to be moved to grati- tude by the retrospect. In t aem the law has been greatly moderated, human life has been rated at a higher value in our realm, vexatious taxes have been abolished, labour is more amply remunerated, a closer relationship has sprung up between master and servant, between man and man, and the steady course of the whole commonwealth has been towards improvement. It may be said that the growing popular taste and skill and the increased education of the masses have brought this about, and that we are very little indebted to the throne for it. Yet her Majesty has a closer con- nection with our prosperity than at first sight appears. Under her gentle influence the gay and licentious courts of the Georges have been reformed, and being reformed have made their influence felt on the nation. With a pure lady on the throne, rearing a family in the principles of virtue, it was impossible for vice to exist in high places, and vice flourishes best in a com- munity where it has the patronage of the higher classes. But in addition to the private practice of virtue, her Majesty has in her public acts inculcated it and aided it; and in her exertions she has been ably seconded by her late Consort and her family. Prince Albert was the first in movements of charity, scienee, and beneficence. His highest prized honour was his presidency of the British Association, and it is to him that the world owes in- dustrial exhibitions such as that which fills Paris with strangers from all ends of the earth. Their family have grown up around them, and have become endeared to the people because of their free comings and goings, their own probity, and the readiness with which they obey the calls of public duty. Surely something of all this is due to the throne -to good example and careful teaching—and the wish of every Briton ought to be and is "Long may she reign." Her Majesty has returned from the quiet and soli- tude of her highland home to Windsor, and signalized her return and added to the decaying glories of "the season by holding a court. It was a rarity, and as such was unusually well attended. It is understood that great preparations are being made for the recep- tion of the Sultan. It is expected that his (what shall I say ?) Sublimity will arrive in .London about the 13th of July and will remain till the end of the month. He will, therefore, not be present at the military re- view, unless that event be postponed. It appears that he won't lose much, for the promised show has dwindled down to the paltry number of 7,000 men. Hyde Park is a big place, and 7.000 men would appear very small in it indeed, especially after the legions of the French army, which will be reviewed by his Sultanship. He will, however, have plenty to look at, and the naval review will, it is expected, take the first place in the show. After that in importance will come the Wimbledon gathering, which will be in full swing, and there will be the usual stock sights of London. I observe that the Portsmouth folks have voted a handsome sum for an entertainment upon the arrival of the Sultan. It will require some nice con- sideration as to the viands and the mode of serving. Flesh of pig is, of course, prohibited, and so are wine and spirits. Will his Sublimity leave the Koran behind him, or will he, to the relief of the Portsmouth folks, do as he does at home, ar.d look on an unin- terested spectator while others eat ? The arrangements for the Wimbledon gathering, which begins on the 8th of July, are now almost com- plete. The Belgi ans are coming in great force. Foratime the question was "What shall we do with them for lack of funds?" now it is When shall we allow them to go?" Money has come in abundantly, and kind offers have been forced upon the committee. The Mayors of York and Leeds volunteered to pay the expenses of the strangers if they would come and be their guests. The Duke of Devonshire was anxious to carry them off to a grand entertainment at Chatsworth, and --how them that palatial work of "Old Bess of Hardwick." Volunteer regiments innumerable quar- relled for the honour of receiving them, and even the sarans of the Council of Education wished to treat them to a conversazione. Colonel Loyd Lindsay and his colleagues have been compelled to refuse these kind offers, but plenty of entertainment still remains, and it is said that the ball in the Agricultural Hall, to which, by the way, the Sultan is invited, will be one of the finest which London has witnessed for many a day. Doubt- less our Belgian friends will go borne as July draws to a close, convinced that although John Bull in bis national character cannot cast off official dignity so far as to entertain undistinguished strangers, yet John Bull in private life has a deep purse, a kind heart, and a liberal hand, and has done honour both to himself and his visitors by the reception which he has given them. Europe in general believed very little in the great protestations of mutual good will which followed the ratifications of the Treaty of Luxembourg, but was inclined to give them more credence when William of Prussia and Bismarck visited Paris obviously on a friendly political mission. Rumours of impending rupture have, however, again become bruited abroad. It is said that Bismarck, when in Paris, was informed by Prince Gortschak-off that the French Government would be pleased if Prussia would refrain from pushing on the close union-with Southern Germ any just at pre- sent. The Count, it seems, promised to respect this wish, yet no sooner had he returned home than he pushed on the Custom's treaty with Bavaria, which unites it very closely to Prussia, and which is particu- larly distasteful to France. Napoleon is angry at being cajoled, and Prussia is suspicious of Napoleon, and one of their semi-official papers thinks it very queer that he should be purchasing so many horses in Hungary. The explosion has been put off for a time, and the Exhibition will be allowed to close as an Exhibition of Peace, but ere long there will be a grand smash. There can now be no doubt that the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico is in the hands of the Juarists, betrayed by a faithless general of his own. The inten- tion was to try him by court-martial. Those who knew best said that a court-martial would be fatal to the brave emperor, but a telegram assures us that he has only been sentenced to perpetual exile. I hat will scarcely be a heavy punishment. Unfortunately, Mexican intelligence is oftener false than true, and we must wait for proof. A manifesto, purporting to emanate from the unfortunate Emperor, and abusing Napoleon in round terms, has been published, but is either a fabrication or has been written in a desperate passion. That will require authentication also. This week our home news has certainly been of a very lively and exciting type, and moreover of a type almost essentially British. First of all we have had Birmingham in a state of riot and siege through a relitious feud. Soldiers have been called out, sabre cuts have been freely distributed, and sore heads have been uncomfortably common. It is not for us to entm: into the merits of religious controversies, else we should overstep our gossiping province and enter the dry terri- tory of theology but in passing we may say that Irishmen are naturally exciteable, and Irish- men in* defence of their religion are soon roused to enthusiasm. Consequently when Mr. Murphy poured forth his harangue there was a fight, the fig-ht grew Irgger and became a pillage of houses, and after military had been called out and the Riot Act read, the affair was suppressed, but not until a street was laid in ruins. It is very disgusting to read of such an outrage in the nineteenth century, and the thirtieth year of her Majesty's reign—Birmingham has belied the conventional idea. of an Englishman generally supposed to be a creature with an immense respect for law and order, but the conventional Englishman is a person of pluck, who lc,rns tohit a man when he is down, and leavt s stabomgm the dark and assassination to those benighted individuals called "foreigners"- but here, again we have been mistaken. The Com- missioners who were sent to Sheffield to inquire into the working of the trades' unions there, and who had free pardons for even murderers who would tell the truth, have brought to light an amount of devilish- ness which has hitherto been considered impossible in our enlightened land. Men have there been annoyed at their work, have had it destroyed by- gunpowder being mixed with their emery powder, have had their horses hamstrung, have had their houses blown up, and have themselves been maimed and murdered because they would not contribute to the Sawgrinders' Union, or obey its rules. Three as brutal villains as ever graced a gallows have told their story-a story which has been spread over the length and breadth of the land, and has called forth an universal groan of execration. Hallam's tears and frequent faint- ings have brought forth no pity for they arise from his terror lest some of his former comrades should be willing to put him out of the way for the standard sum of 15l Crookes's audacity only makes us despise him the more as a villain who is not ashamed of his villainy when his neck is safe, and Broadhead with his whining hypocrisy makes one almost regret that the Sheffield folks failed in their attempt to lynch him. The artizans of Sheffield, and particularly the sawgrinders, have never held a very high place among their working brethren, but we can scarcely believe that even they would approve of such acts. If they do not, the time has come when they must speak out, to gain the con- fidence and esteem of their fellow workmen, and when working men, as a class, must, and trades union- ists, in particular, express their horror and detesta- tion of such acts to save themselves from being branded as murderers at heart by the whole civilised world. It is a pity that since literature has become the pas- time of sovereigns, none of them have attempted the style of the essayist and given us a few pieces-say, after the manner of Charles Lamb, on certain subjects looked at from a royal point of view. A short paper on "Addresses" would be read very eagerly by those beyond the court. We all have at some time joined in most loyal addresses to the throne, yet what be- comes of these addresses we know not. It would be gratifying if some potentate would take pen in hand, and tell us whether these documents ever reach the royal eye—whether they are read by royalty or by proxy—whether they are answered individually or in a lump-and whether the gratitude which swells the royal bosom on their receipt is real or feigned, and not least interesting would it be to know what becomes of them eventually. Perhaps we shall be enlightened some day; but till then we must guess. The London Court of Common Council last week voted addresses expressing their lively gratitude to Provi- dence, that the lives of the two Emperors had been spared in the late dastardly attempt at assassination, and a deputation presented them at the Russian and French embassies. What does the autocrat of all the Russians care for cockney humbledom, what the Em- peror o the French? And what do the lord mayor and his satellites care for either of them? Yet the addresses were sent, the grateful and flattered answer will be received. But isn't it, after all, a piece of polite humbug ? We are told to look for an unusual spectacle on the 3rd of July. It is intimated that the wife of a duke 'in and the wife of a bishop will appear in Exeter Hall to take part in an oratorio. The ladies are the Duchess of Newcastle and Mrs. Ellicot the oratorio is Schach- ner's Israel's Return from Babylon and the object is to increase the funds of the Home for the Relief of Children with chronic diseases of the joints. Crowds will doubtless go to see and hear the ladies, and it is to be hoped that their benevolent object may be there- by attained. An attempt has been made to revive the evicted old Greenwich fair. Fortunately, it was unsuccessful, and only a few of the lowest class of booths were erected, and did not- receive any great amount of patronage. It appears that the police had no direct power to suppress this revival, but steps have since been taken to give them the requisite authority. Our law is a rather cumbrous machine, but if it is set to work it can do its work fairly although in this case it was rather like employing a steam hammer to break a nutshell. The real offenders escaped, but the stewards of the Manor and the Commissioners of Woods and Forests were summoned for holding a fair on Black- heath. They, of course, pleaded not guilty, and ex- pressed themseles opposed to it. The magistrates, thereupon gave the constabulary orders to clear away any such trespassing booths for the future. So "Bobby" has now full authority, and Greenwich fair has received a last blow.

THE SLADE BARONETCY CASE. Remarking on the late judgment pronounced ill the Slade Baronetcy Case, which, it will be remembered, resulted in the judges being divided in opinion, but for the purposes of a new trial the junior jirge, from courtesy, withdrawing his opinion, the Pall Mall Gazette says :— Apart from its other aspects, the Slade case supplies a curious illustration of the occasional truth of the old saying which asserts that "possession is nine- tenths of the law"—a saying which, at the same time, is by no means universally correct as a matter of fact. The junior judge who tried the case being in favour of the party who is not in possession- the action taking a form of a motion for ejectmerit-willingly withdraws his own opinion, in order that there may be technical ground for a new trial, thereby giving the plaintiff, whose cause he upholds, a fresh chaiiGe. But sup- posing the opinion of the junior judge had gone the other way, the opinions of the whole four being at the same time equally divided, what would have been the issue? Would he have withdrawn his own judg- ment, not being legally obliged to do so, when his declining to withdraw it twould have had the practical effect of leaving the party whom he held to be right in possession of the field, and thus have compelled the compl-ete dropping of the action altogether? The question is by no means unimportant as a matter for practical consideration, and as a fresh proof of the astonishing anomaies of English law. The condition of the Austrian marriage law in Lombardy at the time of Miss Mostyn's first marriage was strange and anom- alous enough. But what was it in comparison with an indefinite system which makes it a mere matter of etiquette whether or no a junior judge shall withdraw his judgment, or refuse to withdraw it, in a case in which the expenses of the suit must be enormous, and in which two courts of appeal may be successively called on to try the matter all over again ?

THE VISIT OF THE BELGIANS TO ENGLAND. The hospitalities of this country towards our Belgian visitors will commence in a way which cannot fail to give them a favourable impression of our intentions; and it will be gratifying to the English nation to find that the Government has taken upon itself the initia- tive of the actual reception, in a manner worthy of a great maritime Power. The first service to be per- formed by one of the finest ships ever built in this or any other country will be to convey the Belgians from the Scheldt to the Thames. The Serapis would have been a marvel 20 years ago but even now she is a troop ship of which any Government might feel proud. She has never been out of the Thames, nor has she as yet been tried on the measured mile and so much remains to be done towards her completion that 500 workmen are employed in giving her those finishing touches which will make her not only one of the largest but one of the most perfect transports afloat. The Serapis, which was built by the Thames Iron Ship- building Company, now lies in the basin dock off Black- wall, where she will remain till the 8th or 0th of July, when she will ] >roeetd to Warden channel, 22 miles below Antwerp, to take the Belgians on board. She is an iron steam screw ship of enormous proportions, her extreme length being 383ft., her extreme breadth 49ft., and her depth to the top of the floor plates 24ft. Between the perpendiculars she is 360ft. long. Her burden is 4,173 tons she has three masts and an oval funnel. She is built'with a double bottom and in water-tight com- partments, each compartment being 21ft. long. She has a cov ered poop and forecastle, and a saloon on the tipper deck, the like of which few ships can boast of. It is about 100ft. long and 24ft. wide, elegantly deco- rated and furnished, and has dining accommodation for 120 persons. The ship has upper, main, and lower decks, and depths lower still for machinery and bag- gage. On the main deck 500 men may sit down to dinner at one time. She will carry 1,000 soldiers with all their arms, accoutrements, and baggage for foreign service, besides women and children. Her full com" plement of human freight, exclusive of the crew, will be 1,250 souls. The quarters on board for the colonel commanding a regiment are more comfortable than many to be found in barracks, and should he have a wife and children there are apartments for them. Both the officers and their wives will have bath rooms there is an infirmary for officers and another for the men. The latter have their bath rooms also, and there are wash- rooms and baths for the soldiers' wives, off the portion of the ship specially fitted up for women. The decks and sleeping places are plentifully supplied with venti- lators. By means of a very simple contrivance, fresh air is constantly admitted, and the vitiated atmosphere as continually carried off. Excellent stalls have been constructed for a number of horses, and there are at least a score of little departmental offices, here and there and everywhere, off the decks. There are racks and stands for arms of all descriptions, stowage places for knapsacks, and telegraphs by which communica- tion can be made from the officers' quarters to the men's, and by which the commanding officer can at once summon an orderly or a sentry, or either of the latter can give an instant intimation to him. Striking features in the Serapis are the height between her decks and the ample space of all her gangways. Her engines are compound surface condensers, of 700 nominal horse power, but they work up to 4,250; and she is furnished with seven steam pumps for. pumping out water. Her commander is Captain Sodey, R.N., and her first lieutenant the Hon. F. M. Murray. Though, as we have stated,, she has not been tried on the measured mile, and cannot be until after the naval review, at which she is to have the House of Commons on board, her engines have been worked, and Captain Sodey has every confidence that she will behave well at sea. Her permanent employ- ment will be to carry troops between Portsmouth and Alexandria. As at present arranged, the Serapis will leave Warden Channel with the Belgians at four p.m., on the 10th of July, steam slowly out of the Scheldt that evening, cross the Channel during the night, and arrive off Gravesend at between 10 o'clock a.m. and noon on the 11th. From Gravesend our foreign visitors will be conveyed in small steamers up the river and conducted to their various quarters. On the 12th they will march to Guildhall to receive the welcome of the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London and with the civic feast the round of entertainments will begin.

MAXIMILIAN'S ADDRESS WHEN SUR- RENDERING HIS SWORD. The news from Mexico informs us that Maximilian surrendered his sword to Escobedo, saying I sur- render to you my sword, owing to an infamous treason, without which to-morrow's sun would have seen yours in my hands." He issued a farewell proclamation, which is too curious a memorial of a short and ill- fated reign to be abridged :— Countrymen,— After the valour and patriotism of the Republican forces have destroyed my sceptre in this place, of which a tenacious defence was indispensable to save the honour of my cause and of my race-after the bloody siege in which the Imperial and Republican soldiers have com- peted in abnegation and boldness, I will explain myself. Countrymen, I came to Mexico not only animated with the best faith of insuring the felicity of all and each of us, but called and protected by the Emperor of France, Napoleon III. He, to the ridicule of France, abandoned me cowardly and infamously by demand of the United States, after having uselessly spent forces and treasure and "shed the blood of her sons and your own. When the news of my fall and death reaches Europe all the monarchs of Charlemagne's country will demand of the Napoleonic dynasty an account of my blood, of the German, Belgian, and French blood shed in Mexico. Then will Napoleon III. be covered with shame from head to foot. To-day he has already seen his Majesty of Austria, my august brother, praying for my life to the United States, and myself a prisoner of war in the hands of the Republican Government, and with my crown and my head torn in pieces. Countrymen, here are my last words:—I desire that my blood may regenerate Mexico and serve as a warning to all ambitious and incautious princes, and that you will act with prudence and truthfulness and ennoble with your virtues the political cause of the flag you sustain. "May Providence sustain you and make you worthy of myself. The latest news of Maximilian, which is extracted from the Constitutionnet of June 24th, says: Ac- cording to information which we have every reason to believe well founded, the Emperor Maximilian will shortly embark for Europe, if he has not already done so."

.,1. ACTION FOR FALSE IMPRISONMENT. In the Court of Queen's Bench, in London, the cause of Tuliy v. Corrie has been tried, and was an action to recover damages for false imprisonment and mali- cious prosecution. From the opening statement of counsel it appeared that the plaintiff is widow of a forage master of the 1st Life Guards, and had been in the employment of the defendant as cook. Mr. Corrie is a colonial broker, carrying on business at Mincing-lane. He resides at Lancaster-gate, Bayswater, and has a cottage in Hampshire, called Hitchin Abbas. De- fendant, his wife, and family, consisting of eleven children, proceeded to Hitchin Abbas in July last, accompanied by thirteen servants, for only three of whom there was accom- modation at the cottage the remaining ten slept in the adjoining village. On the 5th of July some members of the family were taken ill, as were also the governess, the kitchen- maid, and the plaintiff. It was supposed that the illness was an attack of English Cholera. It appeared that a day or two before a leg of veal had been sent in, and the plaintiff pointed out to Mrs. Corrie that the knuckle was discoloured, and expressed her opinion that it bad been tainted owing to the excessive heat of the weather, as some mutton and beef had previously been found to be. Mrs. Corrie thought that the veal was not tainted, and directed plaintiff to cook it partially that day, and to dress it for dinner next day. T'lain tiff partially dressed the leg of veal, and placed it in the larder. On the following day the veal wns cooked by plaintiff, and served. After dinner the family were taken ill. It would appear that the kitchen boiler had been repaired just before the family arrived, and that the tradesman stated that the water ought not to be used for some time. Notwith- standing this caution, however, the vegetables wh'ch were served with the veal were cooked in water taken from the boiler in Question. Next, day the plaintiff was taken ill and was removed to the Plough Inn at the request of Mr. Corrie. She remained there for several days under the surveillance of the police, and was subsequently brought before a magistrate and charged by the defendant with having administered something of a noxious character to his family. Before being charged plaintiff had been arrested, and had remained in custody from Saturday until Monday, on which day, at the request of defendant, she was remanded for a week, and was during that time confined in Winchester Gaol. On the following Monday the plaintiff was again taken before the magistrate, and was again remanded for a week. On two occasions while she was in gaol the police searched her boxes in Albany- street, London. This was the trespass which was com- plainscl of. The defendant's gardener—a man named Simes, who resided in a cottage on the grounds—partook of the veal, and was also taken ill. After suffering for some time he died. A coroner's inquest was held on him, and the jury found that his (Aath-iie was about ninety years of age— had been occasioned by inflammation, but whether the re- sult of natural causes they could not say. The plaintiff waa brought before the magistrate a third time, and was dis- charged after the hearing of the evidence, and she brought the present actio* for the purpose of vindicating her character. In support of the foregoing statement several wit- nesses were examined. The defence was that the defendant had acted perfectly bona fide, having had reasonable and probable cause for charging the plaintiff with administering to his family a noxious and deleterious substance. He had done so without malice, and in the belief, founded upon what he considered to be strong probability, that the cook, annoyed and irritated at having received notice to leave the service, had resolved to administer, not by any means a fatal dose-that had not been suggested—but a very unpleasant dose to the family. It had been relied that the plaintiff was ill herself, but it would be shown that she only complained of a pain in her head until the arrival of the police. It was impossible that the water from the boiler could have caused the mischief, as it had been used on previous days without having produced any ill effects. The symptoms presented by those who had been taken ill were such as pointed to the taking of some poisonous substance, and Dr. Letheby's examination of the vomit confirmed that conclusion, as it showed that antimony had been taken into the system. A further fact which weighed with the defendant i n considering the course he should adopt, and the probabilities of the matter, was that the several persons were ill just in proportion as they had partaken of the veal and the gravy prepared for it. The butler, who seemed to have had a weakness for the gravy, suffered most Under all the circumstances, the defendant had taken a course which he considered at the time he was justified in adopting, and one founded upon reasonable and probable cause. Testimony for the defence was given at great length, after which the counsel on each side addressed the court. The Lord Chief Justice then summed up, informing the jury that if they believed the facts stated in the defendant's case they would amount to reasonable and probable cause for the course which the defendant had adopted. The jury retired at two o'clock, and returned into court, shortly before five o'clock. In reply to the Lord Chief Justice, they found that a deleterious sub- stance had been administered by some person, not, however, with a view to do bodily harm, but for the purpose of giving annoyance. The Lord Chief Justice said that on that finding a verdict should be returned for the defendant on the ground of reasonable and probable cause. He would, however, ask the jury to measure the damage so as to avoid the expense of a second trial, in the event of the court above being of opinion that on the finding of the jury the plaintiff was entitled to a ver- dict. The jury returned the damages at SOl. Verdict for the defendant by direction, with leave to the plaintiff to move to change the verdict into one for her. Damages 801.

"MARRY IN HASTE-REPENT AT LEISURE!" In the Divorce Court, in London, judgment has been delivered in the case of Baylis v. Baylis, Teevan, and Cooper." This petition, by a husband for a dissolution of marriage was heard on the 12th inst., and his Lordship took time to consider his decision, and on Tuesday morning delivered the fol- lowing judgment :— In this case a young man married a woman of loose character, with whom he had lived for nine months pre- viously. After a short time they disagreed about money. He accused her of extravagance, and she accused him of parsimony. At last he broke up the house, sold his furniture, and told his wife she must go and live by herself in the chambers he had occupied when a bachelor in Regent- street. As soon as she went there he set a watch over her, and was successful in a very short time in detecting her in adultery. In truth, she made little concealment of it, saying she must have a protector, and would not live alone. The result is this suit. But the Court cannot grant the petitioner a divorce. It has been sometimes supposed that if a man chooses to marry an immodest woman, he cannot afterwards free himself from her by reason of her unchastity. But there is no such law. Whatever the previous life of a woman may have been, she binds herself by marriage to chastity, and if she break the conditions of marriage her husband is entitled to claim its dissolution. But, on the other hand, a husband is at all times bound to accord to his wife the protection of his name, his home, and his society, aud is certainly not the less so in cases where the previous life of his wife renders her pecu- liarly accessible to temptation. No man is justified in turn- ing his wife from his houte without reasonable cause, and then claiming a divorce on account of the misconduct to which he has by so doing conduced. And this I am of opinion the petitioner did. The reasonable cause he alleges is her violence. But there was at the trial no proof of it. The only witness on that head was a man whom he had hired from a private inquiry office to come and live with him and his wile under the disguise of being his friend. lie was there a week, and spoke to her violence of manner, but proved no personal violence to the peti- tioner. And yet he sent his wife away from him, and much against her will removed her, without friend or society, to a place in which, of all others, she would be accessible to temptation; and, further, though she had given him no reason to suspect her of infidelity, immediately set a watch upon her actions. It is hardly to be doubted that he both expected and hoped that she niight commit herself. What is this but, in the words of the statute, "conrluct conducing to the adultery?" The petition must be dismissed. The costs of the respondent were ordered to be paid by the petitioner, and the Court took time to consider the question of the costs of the co-respondents.

THROWING OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS! The following strange statement is made in the Journal du Lctv),e A merchant captain who has been at sea twenty years, ten of them in command of ships, writes that twice in the course of that time he savell his vessel by oiling the sea. "When the master of a ship," says he, "cannot escape from a tempest—that is, when his vessel is disabled, and he has to support all the force of the wind—let him spread, two or three gallons of oil, if he has them, drop by drop by the side of the vessel. He will then have a calm sea to the windward, for the sea. breaks the moment it comes in contact with the oil, and the vessel will remain in tranquil water so long as the oil may flow. In 1864, in the most violent gale I ever had, I lost my sails and my rudder, and my ship could not have resisted the sea for an hour if I hail not had o.l on board. Five gallons of oil lasted me fifty-six hours, and saved the ship, the cargo, and the lives of my men. Let vessels of large ton- nage have two reservo'rs of forty gallons each, placed one on one side the other on the other, with a cock to let the oil flow the moment it is needed. Let small vessels have reservoirs of ten gallons, the boats of vessels reservoirs of five gil,otis-all well tilled; and, in case of wreck or fire, the boats and vessels can make themselves a calm sea in the event of there being a gale. This very simple system will save numerous vessels, many lives, and thousands in money." It is a pity that the discoverer of this system does not give his name, and that of the ships he has com- manded, also the dates on which, the precise spots where, and the circumstances under which, he used the oil 1

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER on HOME and FOREIGN POLICY. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was amongst the guests at a dinner given by the Corporation of the Trinity House, in London, on Saturday evening last. In replying to the toast of Her Majesty's Ministers," he said:— I need not assure you that her Majesty's Ministers must be much gratified by the manner in which you have received the proposition of their healths this day, and not the less so because, as our deputy-master has very properly observed, on such occasions as the present their health is given, not as an appeal to party feeling, or the peculiar opinions which any class of her Majesty's subjects may hold, but to the respect and good feeling of the great body of the people who appreciate the efforts of the public servants of the crown who endeavour, whatever the principles under which they work, to do their duty to their sovereign and their country. And, indeed, I can assure you that, to us, it must be much more satisfactory that you should receive such a toast in the manner you have done to-day, totally devoid of any party associations than if it were received on some occasion when we had met together to celebrate the triumph of party or the patronage or propagation of any particular set of political (-pinions. After all it is in the respect of our well-considering fellow-subjects that we must receive our best reward for any exertions we can possibly make and it is to the calin verdict of the unimpassioned portion of the nation that we must appeal for our best justi- fication. When her M ajesty's government acceded to power they acceded to an inheritance of great labour and great responsibility, that under all circumstances must be the inheritance of all who undertake those duties. With regard to what we may have done, the policy of this country may, generally speaking, be divided into two heads-the management of our foreign relations and the conduct of our home government. With regard to our manage- ment of our foreign relations, I would not allude to them, unless I thought that I was echoing not only the universal opinion of all Englishmen, but of the subjects of all countries, that my noble friend near me (Lord Stanley), by his prudent and sagacious management of affairs, has secured the peace of Europe. My noble friend is descended from a race who had something to do with the history of this country in the time of that King Henry VII., to whom the deputy-master has referred, and I will be bold to say that not one of his ancestors ever did a braver or purer act than that he achieved when he signed his name to the late treaty made at London, and which secured the peace of Europe. Witfli regard to our domestic politics, I shrink from any allu- sioll. which may for a moment excite anything like contro- versy-I won't say of expression, but even of feeling. I studiously avoid it. Our deputy-master has referred to my humble efforts during the Session. They have beeu mad* where, quoting the words of the song last sung, The stormy winds do blow. (Loud cheers and laughter.) I can say for the policy of her Majesty's government, in one sentence, that if with reference to foreign affairs it is a policy to maintain the peace of Europe, so with regard to our domestic affairs our policy is to secure the peace of England. It is with that view that we have felt it our duty to introduce that great measure to which the deputy-master has referred; and all I will say of it on the present occasion is, that I hope, as I believe, that it will conduce to the advantage of this country—that it will strengthen the state, and add to the spirit of the community. It is to us a matter of great satisfaction that her Majesty's' government should be remembered on an occasion like the present, and especially in this assembly. The relations of the government of this country with the Trinity-house are of long date. For many generations their most eminent members have been numbered among the brethren of' this society; and it is most satisfactory to them that they should be connected with a corporation which is identified with one of the noblest of our public services in all its branches, upon whose efforts the prosperity of our commerce mainly de- pends, and which, by its accuracy of scientific knowledge, has added so much to the security of this country, and has diminished the perils and has mitigated the sufferings of the mariners of England. I hope the connexion between her Majesty's government, from whatever party they may be formed, and this ancient and honourable corporation will be permanent. I am convinced that if that be the case, they will be bound together by associations which are con- nected with the highest interests of the country. For my own part, I remember with pride that I am one, though one of the humblest of your brethren—and that I have succeeded in the office I hold some of the most eminent men who have been responsible for the administration of the country. On the part of her Majesty's government I acknowledge with cordiality the honour you have done them and I can assure you with sincerity that the consciousness that we possess your esteem and good wishes, whatever may be your political opinions, is the best reward we can receive for the performance of our public duties and the highest induce- ment we can have to do our duty to our Sovereign and to our country.

MEANY'S VINDICATION on RECEIVING HIS SENTENCE. At the Dublin special commission, on Friday in last week, Stephen Joseph Meany was sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude. In answer to the question whether he had anything to say why sentence should not be passed upon him, the prisoner asked the Court to remember that four judges, as eminent as any on the Irish or English bench, had pronounced against the legality of the trial he had received. One of the judges had said there was not a particle of evidence making him an accessory be- fore the fact in the famous Dublin transactions of March last. He complained that he had not been brought earlier to judgment, but kept in solitary con- finement in consequence of which no decision could be had in his case in the House of Lords this Session. He complained also that the Chief Secretary, pending the result of the case, had stated that his conviction was the most important obtained at the Commission. He would like to be informed by what right a respon- sible officer of the Crown entered his solitary cell in Kilmainham unlooked for, and unsent for, to insult him in his solitude and silence by asking him signifi- cantly if he knew any of the men recently arrested after landing at Dungarvan ? This detective dexterity had not induced a. forfeiture of honour. Six months of solitary confinement had not broken his spirit. He was net a Massey or a Corydon to betray his prin- ciples for the unhallowed Judas guerdon. He would suggest that when persons prayed for a remission of the death penalty they should change the tone of their prayer and petition first in reference to the living death of solitary confinement. When digressing into references to other cases than his own, Judge O'Hagan interrupted him, and he went on to say that he had himself been offered release after six months' im- prisonment for pleading guilty, but he declined the compromise. He claimed further that sentence should not be passed upon him, because he was a declared citizen of America. It had been said in the journals that he was one of a host of plunderers living on the Fenian Brotherhood. In that court and before a Higher Court, he protested that he was never the recipient of pay, profit, or emolument from any political body, and never was the retained officer of the Brotherhood. He came to England on private busi- ness, to see his daughter who was in a religious insti- tution, and the Crown, if they chose, could prove it. Judge O'Hagan, in passing sentence, regretted that a man of such ability should have placed himself in such a position. None of the topics he'liad discussed in any way affected the painful duty of the Court. Meany bowed to the judge, and asked liberty to communicate with his solicitor, which was granted.

LOST IN THE BUSH. The correspondent of an Australian paper, writing from Meri Meri, on the 7th instant, gives the follow- ing account of a fruitless search for a lost child:- The two blacks, with the half-caste, got on the tracks which they ran four or five miles, and in several directions, sometimes doubling right back and crossing one another. You can scarcely imagine how a small child, three years of age, and barefooted, could be tracked at all over a hard, dry, flat, saltbush country, on which there had been no rain for a considerable time in fact, the white people could scarcely discern the tracks when pointed out. At last they came to a point where there where two tracks, branching one up and the other down the creek. The two blacks were favourable to following down, but the half-caste was positive the other was the track, and it was ultimately decided they should follow it, but after following it for some time, they dis- covered it to be a large emu's track, and when they returned to follow the other, they found to their dismay that a shep- herd had unconsciously let his sheep run over it down the creek from this point. Although the flock was at once turned back, and every other precaution taken, the track could not again be taken up. No trace of the child has since been discovered, although a strict search has been kept up for a considerable time, and it is thought the poor little fellow has died in the bush. A little boy, named Dacey, who was lost near Murrurundi, on Monday, the 25th March, was not discovered until noon of Friday, 29th, when Senior-sergeant de Vernet and his party discovered him in the bush, lying between two rocks, and two eagle-hawks hovering about him. He was much exhausted and emaciated, but a little brandy and water re- covered him. His mind, however, for some time after, con- tinued to be rather unsettled. He evidently imagined he had been lost for several months. On the 20th March the infant child of a man named Charles Towzer Smith, a shepherd residing at Lobb's Hole, near Queanbeyan, strayed into the bush and was lost all night. He was found on the side of a range on the next day, with his eyes closed from the effects of the night's cold. Being unable to call out, he got a stone and kept beating it against another to attract attention. He was at once conveyed home. No sooner did he hear the well-known voice of his mother, than he called for apiece of bread, observing, as he ate it, "Mother, I had nothing to eat last night but stones, and they were too hard."

A GOOD WORD FOR THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. Lord Stanley, in returning thanks for himself and the House of Commons at a banquet given by the Lord Mayor of London, the other night, said that- As his experience of the House of Commons in- creased (and he had now been a member of it nineteen years), the higher his estimation of it became—not merely for its integrity and honesty of purpose, qualities not so rare in this country as to call for special commendation, but for its judgment, sagacity, and common sense. He knew no assembly in the world where a man was more secure of a hearing for his opinions, whether popular or un- popular, provided he had reasons to give for holding them, and there was no body which more quickly or unerringly discerned which of its speakers were worth hearing and which were not. Like every such assembly it contained four classes—members whe had something to say, and who could and would say it well; those, a very numerous class, who had oft in a great deal that they might say, but who could no or did not like to say it publicly, though they rendered valuable service in forming and guiding opinion those who had nothing to say and who said nothing; and those who, having nothing to say, said it on many occa- sions and at considerable length. This fourth class, he was happy to think, was very limited in point of numbers. Adverting to the Reform Bill, Lord Stanley expressed a confident hope that the moral and social characteristics of the House would be little affected by the change, for the traditions of centuries were not swept away in a few months or years. The great majority of its members would still have nothing to hope and nothing to fear either from the Crown or the people, and it was a great satisfaction to think that there had never been so complete a union of feelings and interests as subsisted at the present moment be- tween the landed and the mercantile and manufac- turing classes. A constitutional change was naturally attended with some anxiety, but the House had played a great and useful part in the history, not only of England, but of the world, and he believed that, coma what might, its power and influence were not likely diminished, rn j ',f