The Aberystwyth Times Cardiganshire Chronicle and Merionethshire News

(ScfUsiitstiaL The Rev. Sir Frederick Ouseley, president, together with one- fourth of the members of the Herefordshire branch of the English Church Union, have retired from any connection with thac society, owing to the council not having taken what they consider proper action in the Temple case. A statue of the eminent Nonconformist Robert Hall is about to be erected at Leicester, at a cost of £ 1,000. Subscriptions have been received recently from the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Bishop of St. David's, the Lord Mayor of London, Mr Justice Mellor, Mr Justice Lush, &c. Bishop Temple has been elected one of the vice-presidents of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. Though Arch- deacoa Denison had withdrawn his amendment against the appointment, Mr Trevor, a son of Canon Trevor, made a last attempt at opposition. Eventually, after some observations from the Archbishop of York, he was induced to withdraw the amendment. The Greek Archbishop found special favour in the eyes of the Cambridge undergraduates last week. On issuing from the, Vice-Chancellor's robing room, arrayed in all his archiepiscopal splendour, the cheering which greeted him was tremendous— albeit one irreverent wag in the galleries suggested that his Graceshould favour the ion with the Grecian bend." We are inf ormed that the Archbishop, vsbd ts atuan of singularly noble -presence and stature, was splerididly robed in purple and amber satin, richly embroidered in gold thread. A Greek cross (apparently of brilliants) was suspended from his neck, resting upon his breast, and the front of his outer robe was secured at the bottom by a diamond button. His crozier was borne before him by one of the archimandrites, while another supported his train. On Saturday the degree of D. was conferred upon the archbishop at Oxford. The Chancellor of the Austrian Empire has forwarded to the Papal Government the protest against the syllabus submitted to the Ecumenical Council which rumour announced some days ago he was preparing. Count Beust points out to the Papal See the very serious consequences that must result with respect to the relations between the Church and the Catholic States should the syllabus be adopted.

A woman thi ew herself from Waterloo Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, and striking against one of the buttresses, was instantly killed. The case of the Rev. G. Gilfillan has been heard before a crowded meeting of the U.P. Presbyterian Church, Dundee. The case referred to strictures made by Mr Gilfillan on some standards of the church. The explanations being considered satisfactory, it was agreed to take no further proceedings. Aboat six o'clock on Tuesday morning Mr Naylor, aged 48, bobbin cutter, cut the throat of his infant grandson, and afterwards gave himself up to the police. Naylor has been out of work for three weeks, and had got into a low state of mind. He told the police that he was afraid of being .sent to the workhouse, and wished to do something that would keep him out. He was committed to the assizes on the charge of wilful murder. A robbery of watches and jewellery took place at Elgin on Tuesday morning. The shop of Mr Alexandra, watch- maker and jeweler, High-street, was found to have been broken open, and one of the windows almost completely rifiecL Three gold watches, about half-a-score of silver watches, and a lot of chains, rings, and scarf pins were carried away, valued at 2150. The shutter of a back win- dow was torn off, and a pane broken., through which the robbers entered. They left nothing in the shop. FRBJiI TRADE AND PROTECTION.—A few facts about the effect8 of free trade and protection may be acceptable at the present time, even although the reciprocity movement has failed so conspicuously. How could it but fail in the face of facts like these ?—The value of the exports of British produce and manufactures varied, under protec- tion, from £51,60:J,028 in 1815 to PA7,284,988 in 1842; under free trade they increased from £ 57,786,876 in 1846 to 2179,677,812 in 1868. The total value of the exports in 1868 was LW7,778,454 and of the imports, 22%, 93,608. Excluding silk goods (which amounted to £ 11,832,306) the total import of manufactured articles amounted to about one-eleventh of the value of the exports of British produce and manufactures. The consumption of food per head of the estimated population in 1849 was, lib. 13oz. of tea and 241bs. of sugar; in 1868 it was 31bs. 8oz. of the former and 391b8. 8ozr. of the latter, while the quantity of spirits had declined, and the quantity of malt had increased from 1 4-10tbe bushel to 1 7-10ths. The price of tea in 1844 was 5s. per lb.; in 1869, 2s. 6d.; coffee, Is. 8d. in the former year and Is. in the latter; sugar in 1842 was 9d., in 1869 d. Then as to bread, the price of a quartern loaf, which was frequently Is. under protection, is now not much more than half that price; and while the imports of corn in 1845, the year of the Irish famine, amounted only to 4,681,764 cwts. of wheat and of wheat flour; in 1867 that quantity had increased to more than 39,000,000 In con- clusion it may be well to repeat once more that the income tax paid in January was in respect of the year ending April, 1870, and the taxpayer was on January 1st in pos- session of one-half of the tax, which under the old arrange- ment would have been paid last October. A penny less in the pound has been paid, and besides that, the tax on fire insurance, the duties on corn, and other articles, the tea n<wnci> tt-Tul fV»0 fovag nn l"o.nft "ft_ 1- ;¡n-l!A

fittttra1. Mr Disraeli is recovering from his indisposition. The Queen has returned to Windsor. On one day last week five inquests were held in London on cases of starvation during the severe weather. Mr Ward Hunt has declined to pledge himself to vote for the repeal of the malt tax. Some Armstrong guns have just been shipped from Liverpool to be used in the war which is going on at Bonny between Ja Ja and Oko Jumbo. Meetings of merchants at Liverpool and Glasgow have adopted memorials to the Postmaster-General, referring to de- lays in the telegraphic communication, and praying inquiry. In the case of Barrett, who has been on trial fonr days, on charge of shooting Captain Lambert, in Galway, the jury were discharged late on Saturday night without having been able to agree upon a verdict. A cricket match between the All England Eleven and Sixteen of the County and University of Cambridge was played on the ice near Swavesey last week. All the players wore skating pattens. The local players made 125, but the All England scored 280 in about an hour for the loss of eight wickets. The amount which the Prince of Wales derived last year from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall was not less than £ 63,587, and the Prince and Princess draw £ 50,000 a year from the national exchequer. A letter has been received from Sir S. Baker, dated Khar- toum, January 12. He reports all wel4 and was about to start up the White Nile with 1,000 men in three steamers and fifty vessels. At one of the London police courts a student was fined £ 3 for assaulting a lady. He met her in the street, pushed her down, and, stepping over her, coolly walked on. In defence, he de- clared that he did not hold himself bound to step out of the way for every person he met. Nor did the lady, it appears. Very severe weather prevailed on the continent at the begin- ning of last week. At Rome and Florence there was the un- wonted appearance of streets and roofs covered with snow; and in Russia the cold was more intense than has been known within living memory. Mr W. H. Smith, M.P., is about to offer to the guardians of the several unions in Westminster, to bear one-third of the ex- pense of sending put 100 poor families. The emigrants must be inhabitants of Westminster, willing to work, and bearing good characters. It is stated in the Canadian papers that more than one-half of the orphans taken out to Canada by Miss Rye have already been provided for. There were seventy-three in all. Only thirty-two are now left at the Home, and of these eighteen have been ap- plied for. The police matfe a seizure of a large quantity of arms at Cork, on Tuesday week. In the premises of a smith, named Mahony, were found several breech-loading rifles, twenty-six pike-heads, and a quantity of ammunition. Mahony and his son—who made a desperate attempt at resistance—were arrested and lodged in gaol. The Medical Society of London have been discussing the properties of chloroform, the danger of using which it is said is now reduced to a minimum by the unexpected efficiency of electricity, recently discovered, in restoring patients to life where death from chloroform is impending. A Liverpool gentleman who holds land in the county of Roscommon, has received a letter threatening that unless he restores an evicted tenant before the 1st of March he will be assassinated, certain men being sworn to pay him a visit at Liverpool, and watch an opportunity to settle him. The letter is signed F. O. M. Lodge, 1 no 2. The United States House of Representatives have adopted a resolution calling on the President for the information in his possession relative to American citizens confined in British prisons as alleged Fenians, and their treatment. A drunken fellow committed suicide at Liverpool the other night. Another man, sleeping in the same room, saw him with a piece of curtain round his throat, cut it, and coolly went to bed again. In the morning he found the dead body, told the land- lady, and went to work. An Athens telegram states that a contract has been entered into for cutting the Isthmus of Corinth, the work to be com- pleted within eighteen months. The effect of the work will be to place the Athenian port on the direct passage from Trieste and Brindisi to Constantinople and the Bosphorus. On W edday week a fire nearly destroyed the district Church of St. John's, Bethnal Green, London. It is supposed that the fire originated through the carelessness of workmen who had been employed in enlarging the illuminated clock in the steeply Liberalism is evidently in the ascendant in the Swedish Parlia- ment. On Thursday both houses adopted, by large majorities, a proposal to give Dissenters and Jews the right to seats in that assembly, and to hold any civil or political offices other than those of Ministers of State. Prince Pierre Bonaparte is to be tried on the 21st of March, by the High Court of Justice of Tours, for the murder of M. Victor Noir. The Gazette des Tribunaux states that in the preliminary inquiry it was clearly shown that before the prince used his pistol he was struck by M. Noir. The great convent case, it appears, has ended in a drawn battle. Miss Saurin is to get back the £ 300 paid as her dowry to the sisterhood of which she became a member, and each side will bear its own costs in the long and expensive litigation. All imputations on both sides are to be withdrawn. It is announced that Mr Augustus Keppel Stephenson, Assis- tant-Solicitor to the Treasury, has been appointed temporarily to perform the duties of Registrar of Friendly Societies, pending the decision of Parliament upon the measure affecting that office which has been introduced by the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer. The Manchester Guardian hears that an effort is likely to be made at once in the House of Commons to obtain an abrogation of the Government monopoly of telegraphs in the United King- dom. Several influential members of the House are said to be ready to support the movement. A fearful accident occurred on Saturday afternoon at Down- ham, Norfolk. A young lady was standing at the side of a thrashing machine. A sheaf struck her, and she was forced into the beaters of the machine. Her legs were torn off, and one of her arms was smashed. She presented an awful sight when extricated, and was quite dead. In the French Chamber, a Bill, framed apparently to meet the case of M. Rochefort, has been introduced, which provides that any member of the House condemned to imprisonment, but not thereby deprived of his civil rights, shall serve out his sentence within the precincts of the House itself, and be allowed to take part in the debates. Sir Henry Edwardes, Bart., is, it is understood, to be prose- cuted by the Government for bribeir, at the approaching assizes at York. The information charges him with illegally disbursing, through his agent, funds amounting to £7 5s. among seven or eight voters at the municipal election at Beverley, in 1868, to influence the Parliamentary election there. By the mutual con- sent of Sir Henry and the Attorney-General, the case will be tried before a special jury. The Archbishop of York last week presided over a meeting held at Willis's RoomSj London, by the Society for the Regula- tion of the Liquor Tramc. Among the speakers were the Bishop of Exeter, Sir Robert Anstruther, Bart., M. P., Major-General Eardley Wilmot, Sir H. Johnstone, M.P., Mr Heywood, and the Rev. Thomas Binney. Resolutions recommending a further reduction in the number of beerhouses and the holding of spirit licences under parochial control were passed. The British Medical Journal states that the number of towns giving their support to the proposed investigation of the treat- ment and utilization of sewage by the British Association Committee is rapidly increasing, and already numbers upwards of seventy-five, Manchester heading the list with a contribution of one hundred pounds- Halifax, Plymouth, Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, Greenock, Ipswich, and Hanley, also contributing liberally. Oxford and Cambridge, with some twenty other towns, contribute smaller sums. At a numerons meeting of peers held in the library of the Carlton Club on Saturday, Lord Cairns in the chair, a resolution was moved by the Duke of Richmond, seconded by the Marquis of Salisbury, and carried unanimously, that the Earl of Derby be invited, upon Lord Cairns's resignation, to assume the post of leader of the conservative party in the House of Lords. This resolution was conveyed to Lord Derby by the Duke of Rich- mond, Lord Chelmsford, and Lord Colville. Lord Derby has re- fused the office. He does not think he is by habit, or tempera- ment well-qualified to act. The Parliament of the Dominion was opened last week at Ottawa by the Governor General, Sir John Young. Prince Arthur was present at the ceremony, and occupied a chair on the right of the Governor-General. His Excellency expressed regret at the grave complications in the North-West Territory, but held out hopes of an early settlement of the difficulties, arid of the confederation of the territory with Canada. Subsequent difp-vtclies seem to show that the Red River insurrection is at an end. The reports of the Bridgewater and Beverley election com- missions have been issued. The Bridgewater commissioners report that they find that corrupt practices have extensively prevailed at every election into which they inquired, viz., as far back as the general election of 1831. The Beverley commission- c ers state that upon a review of the whole evidence they have arrived at the conclusion that the last election for the borough of Beverley was, like so many that precededit (since 1857), marked by extensive corrupt practices. Prince Arthur, who, as already announced, left New York on the 5th instant, appears to have strengthened the favourable impression he left behind him after his first brief visit. The New York Times says that he enjoyed himself very much, escaped all official demonstrations, and was in the hands of private persons who treated him with the hospitality for which the city is famous. "His conversation," it adds, "is said to be vivacious and intelligent, he has an aplomb far beyond his years, and he is as modest as a lad during his first term at school. Such is the general testimony, and the Prince has fairly won it. Modest and intelligent princes are not so common as to fail to be appreciated when they do make their appear- ance. A shocking fatality has occurred near Ormskirk, in Lanca- shire, by the incautious handling of fire-arms. A farmer named Prescott, with his wife, went on Saturday to Liverpool market, leaving his family in charge of the eldest son, aged fourteen. In the afternoon the youth took down a double-barreled gun, in order, as he said, to shoot small birds. He had scarcely taken the weapon into his hands when it exploded, and the shot entering the body of his sister below the left shoulder-blade, passed through her left lung and heart, killing her instantly. The girl was nine years of age, and was at the moment, at his request, opening the door for her brother. Young Prescott is in custody on the charge of culpable homicide. Alfred Barker, who was lately in the service of the London and North-Western Railway Company as station-master at Mil- verton, Leamington, was arrested in that town on Tuesday- week. Barker, it will be remembered, got himself into diffi- culties through becoming united to two wives, and it is said he is a defaulter in his accounts. He has been taken before the magistrates to answer a charge of embezzlement preferred by the railway company. The prosecutors did not lay thsir whole case before the Bench. They only produced proof that the defendant had embezzled some small amounts, and then asked for a remand. At the same time they charged him with not account- ing for 00. The request was granted, and the magistrates remanded the prisoner. They fixed bail, but the prisoner not being able to obtain sureties, was remanded in custody. At Woodland a small village near Barnard Castle, a domestic Suarrel took place about midnight on the 12th, between John 'ellett and his son-in-law, named Bainbridge, during which Kellett deliberately took down [a loaded double-barreled gun, and shot his son-in-law dead. Kellett was apprehended on Sunday morning, and on being charged with shooting at Bain- bridge, said, "It was not my blame, Bainbridge broke into my house and was dragging me to the door, and I was obliged to defend myself. I do not rue for what I have done. I would do the same thing again under similar circumstances. If it had been any other man he would have got the same thing." He also said, It was a wonder there was no more shot." An in- quest was held, and the jury, after deliberating for three-quar- ters of an hour, returned a verdict of Wilful murder against John Kellett."

A meeting presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese was held in Hereford on Monday evening to consider the subject of national education and Mr Forster's Bill. The Rex. W. R- Morrison attended as a deputation from the Manchester Educational Union. A resolution ap- proving of the general principle of the Bill, though not pledging itself to the details, was unanimously passed. A -pe- tition to the House of Commons in accordance with the resolutions was adopted. Early yesterday morning an accident happened to the down mail train on the London and North-Western Railway, at Marsden, near Huddersfield. In consequence of an error in the instructions given to a signalman, he turned the mail train on to the up line, where it ran into a luggage train. The stoker was seriously injured, «ight passengers were cut and bruised, but not seriously injured. The passengers were taken out of the train at Huddersfield, and the mail delayed an hour. An inquest on the murdered man, Mulling, was held in Dublin yesterday. There was no direct evidence impli- cating any one of the arrested persons. An open verdict was returned, "Four persons were detained on a charge of TV».n. /IaaJ ir» rt^iAaf/V. rrA r» S-*

THE WATERLOO COURSING MKETIPT&. The Waterloo Cup of 1870 is now to be recorded the events .of the past, and will be regarded in coarsiltfe afmals. ivs one of the most memorable on record, owing to thfe short, 'price of 3' to 1 being taken about the double victor, Ma&sfr M'Grath, who was signally beaten in the first course by Lady Lyon. Sea Cove, the winner divided the Hordley Cup with Druidess, and is the property of Mr Spinks, of Liverpool. he attendance on Thursday and Friday was very large, while on Saturday it was calculated that no fewer than 14,000 persons were spectators of the deciding course for the Cup. Mr Warwick's decisions and Raper's slipping were first class. Appended is a return. THE WATERLOO CUP, value ;CI,OM in specie, by subscription of £25 each 64 subs. Winner to receive £ 500 second £ 200; two dogs jMO each; four £3G each; eight A20 each; sixteen P-10 each— £ 1240. The Waterloo Purse and Plate Z360. J. Mr Lonsdale ns Mr Langley's Master Frederick bt Mr Boote's Hypericum Mr Allison ns Mr Clemitson's Albatross bt Mr Bland ns Mr Power's Black Huntsman Mr Ingleby's Inkstand bt Mr Forrester's Financier Mr Blanshard's Bab at the Bowster bt Mr Jones's Jaunty Jane Mr Haywood's Refraction bt Lord Howard de Walden's El Shikari Mr Blackstock ns Mr Storey's Baffler bt Mr Trinder's School- master. Mr Carruthers's Cataclysm bt Lord Stair's Swivel Dr Richardson's Requiem bt Mr Swinburne's S.S. Mr Copeland ns Mr Saunders's Eurus bt Mr Bake ns Mr Bissell's Blunder (1) Mr Bartholomew's Cavalier bt Mr Stocker ns Mr Lister's Claude Mr Graham's Pedestrian bt Mr Hodson ns Mr Power's Pauline Mr Watson's Waywarden (late Leet Kail) bt Sir John Metcalfe's Malt Liquor Colonel Goodlake ns Mr Trevor's Lady Lyons bt Lord Lurgan's Master M'Grath Mr Mould's My Goodness bt Mr Todd ns Mr Power's Pagan Mr Brundrit's Blackstone bt Mr Gilmour's Gulf Stream (late Falling Spray) Lord Binning's Bendimere bt Mr MasSy ns Lord Lurgan's Mas- ter Livox Mr Brocklebank's Brigade bt Mr Evans's Enchanter Mr Chesshyre's Conceit bt Mr Legh's Larceny (2) Mr Borron's Black Knight bt Mr Hyslop's Hiawatha Mr Clark's Chivalry bt Hon. C. Molyneux ns Lord Sefton's Sonata (1) Mr Randell's Royal Bride bt Mr Foulkes's Hearty Lass Lord Sefton's String of Pearls bt Mr Deighton's Diana (late Jealousy) Mr Punchard's Protector bt Sir Capel Molyneux's Meerschaum Mr Van Agnew ns Mr Anderson's Variety (late Apropos) bt Mr Jardine ns Mr Irving's Iron Crown (1) Mr Spinks's Sea Cove (late Covet) bt Mr Neville ns Abercorn (late Boy in Office) Captain Hawthorn's Wave bt Mr Smith's Cydippe Mr Barden ns Mr Brocklebank's Bacchante bt Mr Green ns Mr Hicks's Harvest Queen Mr Gibson ns Mr Carruther's Cyclone bt Dr Horsford ns Mr El- phick's Pat of Mullingar Mr Lister's Cock Robin bt Mr Vyner ns Mr Booth's Rob Roy Mr Cunningham's Commodore bt Mr F. Johnston ns Mr Brigg's Bed of Stone Mr Dunlop's Pretender bt Mr J. Johnston's-Cottage Girl (1) Mr Marfleet's Margrave bt Mr Reed's Regal State II. Albatross bt Master Frederick Conceit bt Brigade Bab at the Bowster bt Inkstnd Chivalry bt Black Knight Refraction bt Baffler RI. Bride bt String of Pearls(2) Cataclysm bt Requiem Variety bt Protector Cavalier bt Eums Sea Cove bt Wave Pedestrian bt Waywarden Bacchante bt Cyclone Lady Lyons bt My Goodness (1) Commodore bt Cock Robin (1) Bendimere bt Blackstone Margrave bt Pretender III. Bab at Bowster bt Albatross (1) Chivalry bt Conceit # Cataclysm bt Refraction Variety bt Royal Bride Cavalier bt Pedestrian Sea Cove bt Bacchante Bendimere bt Lady Lyons (2) Commodore bt Margrave IV. Cataclysm bt Bab at the Bendimere bt Cavalier Bowster (1) Chivalry bt Variety Sea Cove bt Commodore (1) V. Bendimere bt Cataclysm Sea Cove bt Chivalry DECIDING COURSE. Mr Spinks's Sea Cove (late Covet), by Strange Idea—Curiosity, beat Lord Binning's r w d Bendimere, by Cauld Kail—Berga- mot, and won. THE PURSE. Black Huntsman bt Hypericum Enchanter bt Larceny Financier bt Jaunty Jane Sonata bt Hiawatha Schoolmaster bt El Shikari Hearty Lass bt Diana (1 dr.) S.S. bt Swivel (2 dr) Iron Crown bt Meerschaum Claude bt Blunder Abercorn bt Cydippe Malt Liquor bt Pauline Pat of Mullingar bt Harvest Q. Pagan (a bye) M. M'Grath (dr) Bed of Stone bt Rob Roy Master Livox bt Gulf Stream Regal State bt Cottage Girl (1) II. Black Huntsman bt Financier Enchanter bt Sonata (1, dr) (1, dr) Hearty Lass bt Iron Crown S. S. bt Schoolmaster Pat of Mullingar bt Abercom Claude bt Malt Liquor Bed of Stone bt Regal State. Master Livox bt Pagan III. S. S. bt Black Huntsman Enchanter bt Hearty Lass Claude bt Master Livox Bed of Stone bt Pat of Mullin- gar IV. S. S. bt Claude Bed of Stone b Enchanter (1, dr) DECIDING COURSE. Mr F. Johnstone's Bed of Stone, by Portland—Imperatrice, beat Mr Swinburne's S. S., by Ridley—Susan Blue Hat, and won. THE PLATE. Inkstand (a bye), Master Fre- Black Knight (a bye), Brigade derick dr) (dr) Requiem bt Baffler String of Pearls bt Protector Waywarden (a bye), Eurus (dr) Cyclone beat Wave My Goodness bt Blackstone Pretender bt Cock Robin (1) II. Inskstand bt Requiem (1) String of Pearls bt Black Knight Waywarden bt My Goodness Pretender bt Cyclone III. Waywarden bt Inkstand Pretender bt String of Pearls DECIDING COURSE. Mr Watson's Waywarden (late Leet Kail), by Cauld Kail- Charmer, beat Mr Dunlop's Pretender, by Cardinal York- Little Rebel, and won.

I RACING FIXTURES. Carmarthenshire Hunt Feb. 22 and 24 Baschurch Feb. 25 Liverpool Spring March 8, 9, and 10 Bangor APri.\1 Bridgnorth April 5 Tenbury April 7 Liverpool Hunt Apnl 9 Tivyside I April 20

glgrirottel. The Central Chamber of Agriculture have resolved to organise, at their March meeting, a deputation from the Chambers of Agriculture to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the malt tax. The Chamber of Agriculture Journal urges thie strong claims of the national beverage to a lightening of taxation, and that the duty, if tuy, should be levied In the least objectionable manner upon beer. OUR SUMHEå BIRDS.—Mr Edward Newipan writes to the Field as followsOur summer birds are now arriving; they scatter themselves over our gardens and our orchards, and, hungry with the sea breezes through which they have just passed, fall to the work of destruction without a moment's delay; they are indefatigable in their labours, and feed on noxious insects ex- clusively, having received thecommaud to do man this important service. The sparrows, too, at this season are invaluable—they live entirely on insect food; and although the whitethroats, later on in the season, will take an occasional raspberry or cur- rant, and the sparrow steal the ripening grains of wheat when- ever he can. we should recollect that it is but a short time that they have the chance, and that at other seasons they are inces- santly labouring for our good. I have always contended, and always will contend, that we should spare the bird for our own sakes for without his assistance we are helpless against the depredations of insects. A NEW METHOD OF TRAPPING RATs.-The following plan is recommended by a correspondent of the American Agricul- turist Get a common round wire trap. Bait it with the most inviting food, and wait patiently until a rat is caught. Instead of killing this rat, and waiting perhaps for weeks before you are fortunate enough to trap another, keep him alive, and feed him as much as you would a pet squirreL In a few days he will be- come quite reconciled to his cage, and you are now ready for business. At night bait the trap well, and set it where the rats resort most. Some one or more of them, seeing a rat quite at home in the midst of plenty, will enter the trap without any sus- picion of harm. Next morning pump or pour water thoroughly over the trap to clean it, and to make the killing of your prey more easy. Have an empty barrel, into which drop the contents of your cage; the prisoners, being well soaked, will be so heavy and slow that you can easily knock them on the head. Treat your partially-tamed rat, however, as if you loved him,' and return him to his cage this is easily done by lowering the cage into the barrel. Repeat the operation from night to night, and you will be surprised to see how easy a matter it is to outwit so cunning an animal as an I old rat.' Be careful not to keep a large one for your tame rat. He will frighten off all the younger fry, as none of them will dare to enter. The only difficult thing in the matter is to get your first rat. I have had a wire trap well baited for weeks Defore I could entice one to enter it. To get the first is something like Astor's recipe for getting rich—' Get a thousand dollars clear of the world, and it is all very easy.' Since I caught my first rat, I have failed but once for many nights in getting from one to four to keep him company."

A deputation went on Tuesday to the Home Secretary to urge the importance of establishing greater restrictions on the sale of liquors. Among the speakers were—Mr J ackson, M. P., Mr Rylands, M. P., Mr Jacob Bright, M. P., and Mr Gr. Cruickshank.— Mr Bruce said in the course of a week, a measure would be before Parliament, which measure ed would go as far as Parliament would be willing to proceed in the matter. It would not go as far as some in the room would wish; but Government must not interfere arbitrarily or tyrannically with the interests of the general public. REGULATION OF MINIFS.-The Mines Regulation and Inspection BUI, a Government measure under the charge of the Home Secretary, has been issued. It prohibits the employment in mines of children under twelve years old, and of women. Boys from twelve to sixteen years of age are not to be employed for more than twelve consecutive hours, with intervals for meals. No person under eighteen years of age is to be allowed to have charge of the winding machinery, if worked by steam or mechanical power; and, if worked by animal or manual labour, the person in charge must be at least fifteen years of age. In coal and ironstone mines single shafts are prohibited, and agree- ments in contravention of the Act are declared to be illegal. The Bill also contains regulations as to ventila- tion and the mode of working, and the special rules in force in mines. NEWSPAPER STATISTICS.- From the Newspaper Press Directory for 1870 we extract the following on the present position of the newspaper press:—"There are now pub- lished in the United Kingdom 1,390 newspapers, distri- buted as follows England London, 266; Provinces, 793-1,059; Wales, 55; Scotland, 131; Ireland, 129; British Isles, 16. Of these there are 71 daily papers pub- lished in England, 2 in Wales, 11 in Scotland, 14 in Ire- land, and 1 in the British Isles. On reference to the edition of this useful directory for 1846, we find the fol- lowing interesting facts—viz., that in that year there were published in the United Kingdom 551 journals; of these 14 papers were issued daily—vie., 12 in England, and 2 in Ireland; but in 1870 there are now established and -circulated 1,390 papers, of which no less than 99 are liesued daily, showing that the press of the country has very greatly extended during the last twenty-five years, and more especially so in daily papers; the daily issues standing 99 against 14 in 1846. The magazines new in course of publication, including the quarterly reviews, number 626, of which 251 are of a decidedly religious character, representing the Church of England, tt es- levans. Met.hndiBt.s- Baptists. Independents, and other

THE IRISH LAND BILL. At a meeting Of tht Irish liberal members, held in the tea-room on Thursday week, about twenty representatives were present. Numerous letters of adhesion to the prin- ciple of the Government scheme were received from mem- bers who, from various causes, were unable to attend the meeting. The chair was taken by Colonel French, and Mr Murphy acted as secretary. Among those present were Mr W. H. Gregory, Mr Maguire, Mr G. H. Moore, Sir John Gray, Sir George Colthurst, Major Gavan, and Mr O'Reilly. The meeting passed a resolution to support the Government scheme. The vote was all but unanimous, only one member declining to pledge himself positively until he had consulted the wishes of his constituents. According to the Morning Post, which is usually well informed on such matters, the principal Irish landowners connected with the Conservative party have intimated to the Duke of Abercorn their willingness to accept the general principle of the Land Bill of the Government. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. The Daily News says-" Though in accordance with the sensible advice of Mr Gathorne Hardy, the leading mem- bers on either side of the House deferred discussion or criticism of Mr Gladstone's proposals, the symptoms of general approval were unmistakable. Intelligent con- servatives recognise in it, we have reason to believe, the conditions of a satisfactory settlement. The tenant farmers of Ireland will find it, if not all for which they have lately asked, as much as they have expected or feel entitled to. The Bill, in its practical operation, will make the voluntary rule of conduct hitherto adopted by good landlords, a law of compulsion for bad ones. In so doing, the Bill pro- motes the interest of landlords as well as of tenants, and of bad landlords as well as of good." The Standard is agreeably disappointed with the moder- ation )f the Bill, and conceives that it tends, on the whole, so much in the right direction, as to impose on the con- servative party no obligation to resist its being read a second time. The Times says the Bill is simple, but sufficient. It will give the tenant no perpetuity of tenure, but it will confer upon him the security of holding he really desires, and it will do so without confiscating a single valuable right of any Irish landowner. The Pall Mall Gazette regards the measure as an honest and conscientious effort to solve one of the greatest of legislative problems. Tuesday night, the Telegraph thinks, will mark a new era in the history of our country, for from it our children will date the real union between England and Ireland. The Bill, our contemporary thinks, altogether forms such a perfect whole that there is scarcely any weak point for attack in detail, even if it were likely to provoke hostility. The Spectator and Saturday Review both express ap- proval of the measure. The Spectator considers it one of the finest measures ever introduced into Parliament. The extreme national papers in Ireland are violent in their outcries against the Bill; but Saunders's News Letter, after referring to the recent in- stances of agrarian crime in Ireland, goes on to say:- If legislation does not lull the inflamed passions of an excitable and excited peasantry, the very wisest legisla- tion could work no practical improvement in the relations between landlord and tenant, or in any great degree affect the permanent happiness of the people. However, by all means give the Government fair play, and raise up no barriers towards a free experiment of their plan, which in some respects is equitable and statesmanlike. Events will soon show what way the balance of opinion lies, both in the House of Commons and in the country. But what no one could possibly as yet foretell is, whether parlia- mentary opinion will, in this matter, coincide with that of the tenants and landlords of Ireland." The Dublin Evening Post says-" It would be premature to enter upon any detailed appreciation of the measure. It is, however (the Post adds), a very carefully framed and maturely considered scheme, not complicated, indeed, but certainly manifold. Without touching on the question whether the measure will satisfy Ireland, it claims for it the relative merit of being vastly in advance of the most liberal measure yet propounded for the advantage of the Irish tenant farmer." The Daily Express says the Bill will disappoint the hopes of the agitators and malcontents, and that it involves a sweeping yet insidious invasion of the rights of property. The Evening Mail finds fault with Mr Gladstone's inti- mation that, "for the present at least," he did not propose to interfere in Ireland with those rights of property'' which he admits to be a United Kingdom question. The Northern Whig says we must of course expect that those who put forth unreasonable demands with the ex- pectation that they never would be conceded, will now profess a disappointment for which they were fully pre- pared. It adds:—"We cannot as yet judge of the measure as a whole; but it is certainly moderate, impartial, and comprehensive. The Irishman says the Land Bill is worse than useless. The Nation has two articles on it, headed Tinkering" and "Cheated." The News says it is a failure. The Flag says it proves the utter incompetency of England to govern Ireland.

THE EDUCATION BILL. The Birmingham League have issued a circular in which they say-" The Government Education Bill having been explained to the House of Commons by the vice-president of the Committee of Council, we take an immediate oppor- tunity of communicating with you, as an officer of one of the branches of the League, for the purpose of calling your attention to the degree in which the measure of the Government agrees with the scheme of the League, and of asking for an expression of opinion upon certain points in which it appears to us that the Government proposals are objectionable. We venture to take this step because it is of urgent importance that we should be in a position to lay the opinion of the branches, as far as possible, be- fore the Executive Committee, which meets on Thursday next, February 24, to consider the Government Bill. We cannot refrain from expressing at the outset our gratifica- tion that the Government has brought in a measure greatly in advance of all former Ministerial proposals, and one which, even if it fails in all respects to meet the j desires of educational reformers, is capable of being amended in such a manner as to substantially provide for the necessities of the country. The Government plan, we have the satisfaction of observing, practically recognises and embodies the leading principles of the League. We regret, however, that the necessity of unsectarian teaching js recognised in a degree altogether inadequate."

OPINIONS OF TEE PRESS. The Daily News says The Bill contains the material of a settlement. Its leading merits are the narrow limits within which it confines interference with existing agencies, and the scope which it allows to volun- tary effort in the new element which it introduces. Yet while apparently doing little, it brings education home to every child in the kingdom. By the slightest means it does the largest work. The two most serious objections to which it lies open are the scope which it gives to local bodies, and the manner in which it deals with the religious difficulty. The power of direct interference which the Government reserves for itself should the school boards prove inefficient or obstructive may meet the for- mer danger. The concession which Mr Forster makes to the denominational principle in new public schools is likely, we fear, to make every borough and parish the scene of sectarian squabbles, Churchman striving against Nonconformist, and Baptist against Methodist, for ascendancy, and for the privilege of exercising a tolerant patronage through the medium of a con- science clause. This mistake, however, if it should prove one, admits of, correction. Mr Forster is to be congratulated on a measure which, in combined moderation and boldness, and in constructive skill, may compare with the best projects of modern legislation. The Standard- The Bill, as a whole, is an eminently moderate, but by no means a hesitating or timid measure; and it is not surprising that it met with the approval of most of the best friends of education on both sides of the house. It provides a system of national education which absorbs and preserves thb present volunteer schools; it establishes school boards, which, being limited in number, and selected by elective bodies, will consist generally of the best men in the district; it gives us rate schools without damaging the present schools, without relieving the parents of their duties, above all, without heathenisms our pri- mary education. It does all that we expected; it avoids nearly all the evils we most dreaded, and which, we feared, were in- separable from its main proposals. It is wise, brave, and just; and its courage and justice are not the less remarkable because they are chiefly shown at the expense of the favourite theories and most passionately cherished dogmas of the extreme Radical school. It is, as we believe, and as Mr Dixon evidently per- ceived, in its present shape, a heavy, if not fatal, blow to the objects of the Secular or Heathen party and as such we could forgive and even welcome it, if its defects were more serious and its provisions less urgently needed than we believe them to be. Government, says the Times, have capped their first success by a second. The Bill, it considers, has been framed in a spirit at once comprehensive and conservative, and confidence is expressed that it will secure the approba- tion of Parliament. The Pall Mall Gazette discerns in the Bill a fitting set- tlement of one of the most important of contemporary questions though it considers that it has one unfortunate blot in that the direct compulsion of the parent is left to the voluntary action of the school boards. The Spectator thinks that a more statesmanlike measure than the Government Education Bill was never laid before the country. It is stringent in principle, and elastic in the application of principle; it wastes no resources; it supplies vast wants; it solves the religious difficulty and yet does not ignore religion; it respects all consciences and yet enforces neglected obligations; it will cover the coun- try with efficient schools without striking down one effi- cient school that now exists; it sets up a high ideal, and it does all that statesmanship can do to hasten the time when the whole country will accept that ideal with absolute unanimity." The Saturday Review confines itself to an enumera- tion of the provisions of the measure, admitting, how- ever, that the spirit in which it is conceived does credit to the Government, while the manner in which it was brought forward on Thursday will confer just distinction on Mr Forster. The Bill is the subject of very favourable comment in several of the French papers. In this country," says the D6bats, "the question of gratuitous and, if need be, compulsory instruction has been long under discussion without making any progress. In England, where they know how to decide and determine, there is much less talking and much more action; more work and less noise. Thus the question of gratuitous and compulsory education will be settled in England before it is even officially recog- nised in France." The Temps writes in exactly the same sense. England, the country par excellence of personal right (it says) does not fear to make that right gi\ e way in presence of the superior right of children to the acquisition of the elementary knowledge indispensable to the development of the human faculties; and she will have the honour of preceding us in this fertile path."

The estimates just issued show a decrease of £ 740,111 on the navy from the sum voted last year, and of LI,136,000 on the army. The Court of Queen's Bench have decided that the Bishop of Hereford was right in claiming the presentation to the canonry • The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol writes thart>the "so-called pvill:iri:vt.uni of Dr Tpnmle was rm'.fxvff) with a sorrowful and

THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. The forty-eighth half-yearly meeting of the directors and shareholders of the London and North-Western Railway Company took place on Saturday, in the Board Room of the London terminus, at Euston Grove, and there was a very full attendance of proprietors. Mr Richard Moon, the chairman of the company, presided, and nearly the entire Board of Directors were also present. The I report was taken as read.—The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, said that the dividend, which was at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum for the half-year, was, con- sidering the state of trade, very satisfactory. The coal traffic, which it was feared the Midland Company would greatly injure, had much increased. (Cheers.) The position of the company was good, and all debts had been paid up to the end of January, thus doing away with all suspense accounts. A considerable sum had been spent in putting and maintaining the whole line and stations in a first-rate state of efficiency. A prosperous future was before the company, and as the commerce of the country revived, their condition would be greatly improved. With regard to the debentures, their credit was so good that the greater proportion of them had been re-issued as debenture stock at a satisfactory rate of interest, and there was every probability of the remainder being speedily changed into stock. The income of the company was sufficient to payoff the existing debenture debt as it fell due. (Cheers.) It had been determined by the railway com- panies to bring a Bill before Parliament, limiting the rate of compensation for accidents. The present system was anything but fair—(hear)—and it was time that some arrangement was come to on the subject.—Sir HARDMAN EARLE seconded the adoption of the report.—Mr MITCHELL and some other shareholders complained of the delay in payment of dividends; and after some discussion, the CHAIRMAN begged to assure the proprietors that the divi- dends were paid as early as possible after the accounts were declared. The object had been to make the property of the company secure rather than of a fluctuating character. — The report was unani- mously adopted amidst applause. — It was further proposed, and unanimously resolved :—" That the pro- posal to provide additional steamboats, and to execute the works stated in the report of the directors, be approved, and that the meeting sanction the addition to the capital of the company of the sum of R314,795 for such purposes and that the meeting authorizes the directors to exercise the borrowing powers of the company to the extent authorized by the company's Acts of Parliament." The following gentlemen were then re-elected directors, namely:—Mr Richard Birley, of Sudeley, Pendleton, Manchester; Mr W. Nicholson Hodgson, M.P., Newby Grange, Carlisle Lord Alfred Paget, Cavendish-square and- Mr W. Tipping, of Brasted Park, Seven Oaics. The Earl of Caithness, Berkeley-square, and Mr Lowther, M.P., of Grosvenor-square, were added to the directors; and Mr Hand, of Sheffield, was elected auditor. The meeting was then made special for the purpose of considering various Bills to be promoted by the company in the ensuing session of Parliament. All the proposals were approved of, and at the con- clusion of the meeting a vote of thanks was passed to the Chairman and Board of Directors amidst loud accla- mations of approval.

GREAT SHEEP AND CATTLE SALE AT SHRAWARDINE CASTLE, SALOP. On Tuesday a gathering of bidders, in point of numbers far exceeding that of ordinary auctions, met at Shrawardine Castle to compete in the disposal of the highly valuable and far-famed sheep nocks, herds of cattle, and other farm produce and effects, the property of the executrix of the late Pryce Bo wen, Esq., who was so well and popularly known as one of the most liberal- spirited breeders of Shropshire sheep and Hereford cattle in the county of Salop. Special trains on the Potteries line conveyed somewhere about 509 dealers, farmers, and breeders to Shra- wardine, independently of a large number conveyed by other means. At eleven o'clock the vast company were entertained with luncheon in a marquee specially erected for the occasion- Messrs Evan Bowen and Boweu Jones acting as hosts. The day, though fine, was bitterly co!d, and very acceptable was the brandy punch supplied ad libitum to the company by an attentive staff of waiters. The sale commenced with the valuable stock of sheep, after Mr Preece had passed a high eulogium upon the deceased gentleman (Mr Pryce Bowen), whose name would always be re- membered as the pioneer of Shropshire sheep breeding. Mr Preece had no doubt that the following extract from the records of the deceased gentleman would prove that the stock of sheep he was about to offer for sale was of the purest and best quality:—" I have draftedthose animals in which a stain of bio d may havo existed, and replaced them with the best I could ob- tain, believing that if breeding will pay the be-t breed must pay the best." The first lot put up were five splendid stock ewes in lamb, which after some spirited bidding were knocked down to Hr Ricbards, of Llynclys, for £35. There were altogether thirty- four lots of five each In the stock ewe class-the highe-t bid being that of Mr Wynn, who obtained lot twentv-six for £ 65; this lot consisted of five magnificent ewes by "LordClifden," the cele- brated prize ram. Besides Mr Wynn, Messrs Hawkins, Burton, Pooley, Mort. T. Morris (Welshpool), and D. Williams fLeighton) were extensive purchasers of the 170 comprised in this class. The whole of the ewes are in lamb by The Duke" (a prize winner at the Manchester show), "Lord Warden," and "Fosse Duke." The stock rams sold were "The Duke," an I "Lord Hereford" (winner of a prize at the Canterbury show). Capt. Lovett, at the exceedingly cheap price of five guineas, became the proprietor of The Duke," while Lord Hereford," for X4, became the property of Mr Parry. The most spirited competi- tion was observable when the shearling rams came to the ham- mer-the most valuable pair being knocked down to Mr D. Williams, of Leighton, for X30, who also purchased the next highest priced pair for £ 28. The lowest price given for any pair in this class Was £ 9.. The 170 stock ewes realised £ 868—rwhich gives an average, of £5 2s. each; the seventy shearling ewes fetched 4172, giving an average of S2 10s.; the forty shearling rams realised f264, giving an average of £6 10s.; the forty shearling wethers brought X88 15s., or an average of 92 5s. Taking the whole stock of sheep the average price per head was something over R4 10s. Just before the conclusion of the sale of sheep an appeal was made to the company on behalf of Jones, the shepherd, who, now that his flock is dispersed, will be no longer required to act as shepherd at Shrawardine. A shilling whip" was started by Mr Preece and Mr Mansell, and we have no doubt a handsome sum was subscribed. The next live stock disposed of were the pigs" which all realised good prices. The herd of Hereford cattle .comprised sixty-two, cows, heifer;), and ✓ calves, the highest priced lot being "Peeress," which was knocked down to. Mr Hill for twenty-six guineas. In point of quality the cattle did not come up to the expectation of buyers- their general appearance, notwithstanding their purity of breed, being poor. Mr Preece eloquently urged his audience to remem- ber the drought of the summers of 1868 and 1869, which took place at a time that would materially affect the progress of young and high-bred stock. Bidding was but slow, and the prices realised could only be called f^jrish. The. principal purchasers were/ Messrs A. Mansell, Burton, and Barrow. The sixty-two \o\S brought about 700 guineas. The grand looking v white-faced bull "Milton" (a winner of the gold chal- lenge medal at Battersea, the 1st prize at Bo 'tersea, Leeds, Bridgnorth, and Hereford, was knocked dowd to Mr Andrew Mansell for twenty-seven guineas. The ball faster Salston," bred by Bdmnnii Wright., Esq., Halston, was sold" to Mr Wilde for twenty-three guineas. Mercury," a beautifully symmetrical well-fleshed bull, became the property of Mr Lloyd, Carreghofa, for twenty-five guineas. "Milford," a very useful bull, was purchased by Ur Broughall for twenty-one guineas. There were six other bulls sold, and their prices ranged from ten and a half to nineteen guineas. The day's sale concluded with the sale of twenty-four steers calved in the years 1868 and 1869—the total amount obtained for them being JE228. The prices throughout were satisfactory; and the commodious arrange- ments for the display and sale of the-stock reflected the highest credit on Mr Preece and Mr Bowen Jones, under whose supervi- sion they were carried out. There must have been at least a thousand persons in attendance during the day.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. AMERICA. NEW YORK, Monday. The steamships City of Brooklyn, Idado, and Aleppo arrived out yesterday. PORTLAND, Monday. The steamship Peruvian arrived out yesterday. WASHINGTON, Monday. The House of Representatives, by 108 votes to 73, has passed a resolution declaring that the business interests of the country require an increase of the volume of circula- ting currency, and instructing the Committee of Banking Currency to report a Bill providing for an increase of the same to the extent of at least 50,000,000 dollars. The Texas Legislature has ratified the Negro Suffrage Amendment. NEW YORK, Feb. 22. A ball was given last night at Annapolis, by the Royal Academy, in honour of the officers of H.M.S, Monarch. These officers will visit Washington to-day. The Republican Journals claim that the Suffrage Amendment has now been ratified by requisite States, and they add that the proclamation on the subject from President Grant is daily expected. HALIFAX, Feb. 22. The steamship City of New York arrived here at 4 a.m. QUEENSTOWN, Feb. 22. The Cunard royal mail steamer Tripoli arrived here at L10 p.m. to-day, from New York, with sixty-nine pas- sengers, nine of whom she landed, with her despatches, and proceeded for Liverpool at 1.20. All well.

FRANCE. PARIS, Feb. 22. The Imperial decree of 1869, referring to the rotation of of courts of justice has been abolished. Nothing is officially known in confirmation of the ru- moured loss of the Frigate Sybille. It was stated that the Prefect of the Seine, yesterday, made a report to the Council, wherein he proposes to raise a loan of 250,000,000 fis.

THE CAPE. PLYMOUTH, Feb. 22. The Union Company's steamer Cambria arrived here this morning. A terrific cyclone occurred in the Southern Ocean on the 17th December la3t. The Diocesan Synod had been held, but no appoint- ment was yet made to the bishopric of Free State. The steamship Saxon arrived at the Cape on the 12th of January. Hopes were entertained that the Home Government would reconsider the withdrawal of troops. The Basutos had all left the conquered territory. News from Natal of January 6th states that the steam- ship Bismarck has arrived out. War between the frontier and the natives was immi- nent.

AUSTRALIA. n MELBOURNE, Feb. 1. The mail-steamer takes to Galle 95,625 ozs. of gold and 29,000 in sovereigns. The steamship City of Vienna sailed, with 4,625 ozs. of gold. T SYDNEY, Jan. 31. Robertson has resigned the Premiership and is suc- ceeded by Corrar. Advices from New Zealand announce that Ti Kooti is surrounded by the Maori King and some of the principal chiefs, and, escape being almost impossible, he is suing for peace.

The Associated Chamber of Commerce commenced their annual meeting onTuesday, in London, at the Westminster Palace Hotel. Mr S. S. Lloyd occupied the chair. There was a large assemblage of delegates. The formation of tribunals of commerce was approved of, and amotion for the appointment of a Minister of Commerce, or the enlargement of the powers of the Board of Trade, was adopted, as was also a motion in'favour of the recommen- dations of the Royal Commissioners, who werer.gainst the adoption of the '25-franc piece .as .an international coin.

gipp a gaft ftth. The Rev. Father Ignatius has been staying at Hendrecoed, near Barmouth. Mr John Preece, late of the National Provincial Bank, Denbigh, has been presented, on his removal to Lichfield, with a richly-chased salver and dinner service, by his brother Freemasons, and with an elegant tea service, by the public. The Local Board of Wellington has declared itself in favour of closing public-houses on Sundays. At the last meeting of the Board, held on Wednesday, a resolution to that effect was passed, and the recommendation was or" dered to be forwarded to the Secretary of State at once. The body of Mr Thomas Cheetham, of Billingsley. farmer, who has been missing since the night of the 25th ult., from Hampton's Loade, was discovered about mid.- day, on Tuesday, by two boys, in the river Severn, near Potter's Loade, about two miles from Hampton's Loade, A defendant, charged at Caergwrle petty sessions with being in a public house at illegal hours, was ordered to pay 15s., including costs. He said he could command nothing but love all the money he had got was about 7d. in copper. When he went to gaol he should be like Joseph in Egypt* for he had done nothing amiss. It was better, however, to go there for doing what was not amiss, than for doing what was. His wife eventually paid the money. Some time ago all the men at the Vron Coiliery were served with notices of discharge, but the notice intimated that the proprietors intended to limit their operations to a smaller extent of the colliery and to employ fewer hands in the hope of fully employing those that were re-engaged! The masters state that they have arrived at this decision because they are resolved not to be dictated to by strangers. The men allege that an agreement entered into with re- spect to the quantity of coal stacked on the pit bank has not been kept. A statement of the progress made with the restoration of Chester Cathedral was given by Dean Howson at a semi-private meeting held in the council chamber of Liver- pool Town Hall on the 18th. Mr G. Scott's estimate of the cost of a complete restoration of the building is 255,500, and towards this sum 239,000 had been subscribed up to the end of last year. The necessity of completing the work was strongly urged, and in order to further that object it was arranged to hold a public meeting in Liver- pool in June next. The captain of the Kenilworth, who was lost on the Welsh coast a few days ago, is dead. It will be remem- bered that, although his conduct could hardly be found fault with, his certificate was suspended, and the excite- ment of the inquiry seems to have brought on an attack of fever, which was fatal. He bore a high reputation for attention and kindness to those placed under his charge and on many occasions when steerage passengers were smitten with sickness he gave them the use of his cabin until they were convalescent. Rather more than a fortnight ago Mr William Hughes assistant to Mr Peele, of Shrewsbury, as secretary to the Hereford Railway Company, disappeared from home, and nothing more was heard of him till Tuesday week, when his dead body was found in the Severn. The last that was seen of him alive was by a Mr Marriott, who had been dining with him and when Marriott left the deceased, the latter said he should go and walk by the river side. It is supposed that Hughes accidentally fell in the river, and the coroner's jury called attention to the dangerous state of the banks. The other day, at a village church near Denbigh, two couples made their appearance to be married. They had. to wait, however, for the minister, and- they waited till twelve was struck, when an adjournment to the village inn took place, and the evening was passed in "making as jolly" as possible under the circumstances. The reason of the minister's absence was subsequently discovered. The rector left the matter in the hands of the curate, and the curate either forgot it, or left it to the rector. The latter gave each of the couples a sovereign, and married them next morning without charging fees. According to a contemporary, there was an exciting deer hunt near Mostyn Park the other day. Several deer had escaped from the park, and the Hons. S. and I. Mostyn proceeded to pursue them, with the view erf bring- ing them back within bounds. A deer was soon discovered, and a pursuit of several hours' duration followed. At length the animal leapt over the sea. wall to the sands below, a depth of many feet, and then made straight for the sea, which was a mile and a half away. At the water's edge she stood till her pursuers were near, and then jumped into the water, followed by one of the hounds. The tide was carrying the deer and the dog out to sea, but the dog was rescued with some difficulty. The deer was carried away. There was an exciting scene at an Education meeting at Menai Bridge on Thursday week. The meeting was called by members of the Church of England, for the pur- pose of discussing the subject, and the chairman stated that if any gentleman wished to make any remarks he might do so after the rev. speakers had addressed the meeting. The Rev. D. Evans, of Corris, first spoke, and in the course of his remarks said the reason why dissenters were joining infidels and ungodly persons on this question was, that they envied the prosperity of the Church in educational matters. The Rev. H. T. Edwards, of Car- narvon, remarked that in granting money out of the rates for secular education they would be endowing an atheist- ical sect-a remark which was received with cries of "Nonsense." The rev. gentleman spoke for an hour and a half, and was interrupted by calls of time," the Rev. Joseph Jones declaring that the object of the speakers was to tire the meeting out. Eventually, after a good deal of confusion and interruption, a resolution was carried by acclamation in favour of secular education. A meeting of an equally remarkable character was also held at Car- narvon last week, and broke up in confusion, another meeting being announced for this week.

AN INTERESTING CASE.-GAME AND < CARRIERS. /.The case of Jones v. Dicker has come on1 in the Queen's Bench, before Justices Lush and Hannen. It was an appeal to! the above court from a decision of Jas. Maurice R. G. Johnson, and Gabriel Roberts, -Esqrs., justices of the peace, at Ruthin, whereby they had convicted the appellant in a penalty of £ 5 under the Game Poaching Prevention Act. The appellant, Jones, is-a carrier at t c Bettws Gwerfil Goch, in the county of Merioneth, and on the 19th of November, 1867, was proceeding as usual on market days to Ruthin, and when near Ruthin was stopped and his cart searched by Sergt. Dicker and another police- man. In reply to their enquiry he said he had no game. The police, however, searched the cart and found some pheasants, partridges, and hares under some rabbits in a basket covered over with a cloth. Mr Marcus Louis was for the prosecution, and Mr O. Davies Hughes for the defence. The only evidence for the prosecution was the possession of the game, and that the defendant's boots were dirty whilst the road was dry. For the defence a witness was called, who proved that the defendant, as common carrier, had to take baskets of merchandise to and from Ruthin for his customers, and was expected not to pry into their contents and that the basket in question was in the cart when defendant started in the morning, in the county of Merioneth. It was contended by the defendant's advocate that a carrier was not bound to state from whom he had obtained the game that possession alone was not sufficient under the Act and that the offence, if any, was complete in the county of Merioneth, and without the jurisdiction of the justices for Denbighshire. The defendant was convicted in the penalty of 25, whereupon a case was granted him for the opinion of this Court. On the 14th instant the case was argued. Mr Morgan Lloyd, instructed by Mr O. Davies Hughes, appeared for the appellant (Jones), and argued—1st. That the information did not charge any offence punish- able by fine under the 2nd section of the 25 and 26 Vic., c. 114. The statute gave power to the constables to search: persons on suspicion and take them before justices, but the only offence over which the justices had jurisdiction was that of being on land in pursuit of game, or using in- struments found upon the person charged for such a purpose, or being accessary to either. 2nd. There was no evidence upon which the magistrates were justified in finding that the appellant had been on land for the purpose of taking game, or that he had any instruments in his pos- session. He was a common carrier, and the natural inference was that he was carrying the game for somebody else. It was immaterial whether the game had been poached or not, so long as it was not proved that the ap- pellant had poached it. Even if he knowingly carried the game to market for a poacher, that would not render him liable to conviction under that statute. 3rd. There was. no evidence of an offence committed in Denbighshire, Mr Horatio Lloyd, instructed by Mr Marcus Louis, for the respondent, said the first point was not open to the appellant, as it did not come within any of the questions asked in the case and if the information was wrong, the appellant might apply to quash it. As to the second point, there was evidence that the game had been recently killed, and the appellant's boots were wet and dirty-the road being dry. Mr Justice Lush—I am of opinion that this conviction is wrong. It is not necessary for us to consider the first. point, as we are satisfied that there was no evidence that the appellant was coming from any land on which he had been for the purpose of killing game. All the facts stated are consistent with the supposition that he was carrying the game for some poacher. Mr Justice Hannen—The strongest piece of evidence against him is the dirty boots, but that is not enough. Judgment for the appellant, with costs.

It is supposed that the Countess of Derwentwater" is either hiding or has absconded. On Tuesday afternoon, a very large deputation waited upon the President of the Poor Law Board in reference to the administration of charitable relief in the Metropolis., In connection with the administration of the Poor Law, Mr Goschen thought it important to adopt some great. scheme of organization before any good results could be gained. There might also be more concert amongst the religious denominations. BREAKPAST. -EPPS"3 COCOA. -GRATEFUL AND COMFORT- ING.—The very agreeable character of this preparation has rendered it a general favourite. The Civil Service Gazette remarks:—"The singular success which Mr Epps attained by his homoeopathic preparation of cocoa has never been surpassed by any experimentalist. By a thorough know- ledge of the natural laws which govern the operations, of digestion and nutrition, and by a careful application of the fine properties of well-selected cocoa, Mr Epps has. provided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors' bills. Made simply with boiling water or milk. Sold by the Trade only in i lb., J lb,, and lib, tin-lined packets, labelled—JAMES Eprs & Co., Jiomoeopatbip Chemists, T A'nrlAT1