The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford

'I MEXICAN COTTON. I From the report of Mr. Middleton, her Majesty's Sec- I retary of Legation at Mexico, it appears that the land i sown with cotton in the year 1863, in the Acapulco districts, amounted to 30,000,000 square yards, upon which 6,100 fanegas (the measure called a "fanega" being equivalent to about an English bushel) of seed were expended; whilst in the year 1864 41,000,000 square yards of land were devoted to the same purpose, i he seed expended amounting to 8,100 fanegas; the i crop of cotton in 1863 amounting to 75,000 quintals; whilst that of 1864, notwithstanding the larger extent of land sown and seed expended, did not attain more than about 30,000 quintals, owing to the wetness of the season, which generated the great scourge of the cotton districts in question-the worm-in multitudes much rain having fallen also, just as the pods were bursting, when dry weather is especially neces- saiy. In the Acupulco district the sowing of the cotton seed takes place in the month of Sep- tember or October, and annually, the plant be- coming too much deteriorated the second year to be worth retaining; and the crop is gathered in January or February. Frequent shocks of earthquakes, which often cause the pods to fall Off the stems, contribute to render the cultivation of the cotton plant in the Aca pulco district a most precarious branch of agriculture. In very bad years the yield of cotton in the pod is about 3 quintals 70 cents for every fanega of seed sown; in tolerably favourable years, about 12 quintals 30 cents for each fanega; whilst in really abundant years, each fanega of seed sown yields about 36 quintals of cotton ill the pod. The crop lastyear in the Acapulco districts did not exceed 10,000 quintals of clean cotton, and may be considered as a failure, considering that 8,100 fanegas of seed were sown upon lands measuring, in the aggre- gate, 41,000,000 square yards. The land sown with cotton in the year 1863 in the district of Santiago, in the State of Nayarit, amounted to 30 fanegas (the fanega, in the measurement of land, con- sisting of 1,360 square yards), upon which 45 fanegas of seed were expended; whilst, in the year 1864, 280 fanegas of land were sown, the seed expended amounting to 420 fanegas, the crop of cotton in 1863 amounting to 58,000 lbs., whilst that of 1864 amounted to 538,400 lb. In the Santiago district the sowing of the cotton seed takes place from the middle of August to the end of September; and the crop is gathered in from the middle of March to the middle of June. The chief im- pediment to the development of the branch of agricultural mdustiy referred to in the district of Santiago, in common with most of the other cotton districts of the empire, is the scarcity of labourers, which is most parti- cularly felt in the former district, since the existence of the present state of civil warfare, to the ravages-of which it has been constantly exposed, and which have resulted, not only in the ruin of most of the poorer class of agriculturists, but in a very consider- able diminution of the population. in general. Never- theless, it was calculated, from the quantity of see^d sown, that the cotton crop this year would pi' nearly three times more considerable than last year in the Santiago district, should greater tranquillity prevail, and no atmospherical changes of a bnrtful character in- tervene; how far such expectations have been realised is not at present known. Mr. Middleton refers to other districts of Mexico in which cotton is cultivated, and thus concludes :—" From the -foregoing information Con- cerning the cultivation upon the lowlands bordering the Pacififc" Coast of the Mexican Empire, it will be seen that the results obtained are of no very encouraging descrip- tion. Besides the great evil of the insalubrity of several, of the districts referred to, there is another even more generally felt, and that is the. scarcity of labour, which naturally adds greatly to the cost of production, and hence the difficulty of extending the growth of so valuable a production, unless encouragement be afforded by highly remunerative prices abroad. It has been lately a matter of serious discussion among such persons as have embarked their capital' in the branch of agri- culture referred to, as well in the'cotton districts of the eastern as of the western coast of Mexico, whether the evils in question might not be obviated to, some extent by the introduction of Chinese labour, but the conclu- sion usually arrived at is that, in the still unsettled state of the country, any undertaking of this description would be attended with but doubtful results, owing to the absence of any guarantee for the protection of life or property."

PRINCE COUZA. An occasional correspondent of the Times, writing from Bucharest, declares that Prince Couza some time before his forced abdication, had expressed to the Em- peror of the French his willingness to, resign the throne if some foreign prince could be found to replace him. The Moscow Gazejtte goes; further than' this, and accuses the Prince of having- habitually played into Napoleon's hands, and of having arranged his own deposi- tion at the recommendation of the latter. One thing is quite certain, that a paper published in the French capital, under the title of the Paris Times, and which is often favoured with scraps of private-Governmentintelligence, announced some time beforehand that Prhice Couza had serious thoughts of abdicating; This is what the Moscow Gazette says on the subject in an article, which that paper, so valuable to students, of Russian affairs, L'Echo de la Presse Russe, gives at full. length in a French translation Prince Couza changed the entire organization of the country in order to be able to recon- stitute everything on the French model. At the opening of the Chambers he himself announced that he was ready to yield his place to a foreign prince and on falling he called upon the Roumans, in the name of their native land, to submit to the will of those who had overturned him. It: is a strange fall which we cannot help regarding as suspi- cious, above all when we remember the aature of Prince- Couza's relations with France and the report that he bad bound himself to leave thecountry as soon as this Power thought it necessary:-when, moreover; we observe that the Government is now ia the hands of-General Golesce, who does not appear less devoted to" France than the former Hospodar Prince Couza. There is scarcely a doubt but that France desired the fell of Couza more than any other Power, and that she desired it with no favourable views to the interests defended by Russia." The Moscow Gazette is particularly-solicitous about the fate of the Bulgarians inhabiting the territory de- tached from Russian Bulgaria and; annexed to Moldavia by the Treaty of Paris and in another article it ex- presses its bitter regret that the affairs of tha-Danu- bian Principalities, which owe their existence to Catherine and their autonomy te- Nicholas," should be discussed at Paris. But what above all the Russians cannot bear to reflect upon is; evidently the fact that Mollavia now includes a district which before the Cri- mean war belonged to Russia;. For 400 years Russia had constantly grown, and for 200 years had never come out of any war with the logs, even temporarily, of an inch of territory, until in 1856 the cession of a strip of land in Bulgaria" was forced upon her.

THE RAISING OF THE LONDON.—Mr. Page now LA- tends to adopt a new method for the raising of this vessel. Previously, it was his intentien first to stop every leak in the vessel, and then pump the water out of her, and thus accomplish the task of lifting her. This scheme was attended with so much difficulty that he has now abandoned it. He contemplates that by making fast a vessel on each side of the steamer at low water he will b& able to take the London from her bed as the tide rises. The same plan was adopted by Captain Hicks with the Dalhousie, but in consequence of the chains continually snapping it proved abortive. WHO INVENTED THE STEAM HAMMER?—Although Patricrofi was undoubtedly the birthplace of the steam hammer in its present compact and manageable form, it is now conclusively proved, by the testimony of Mr. Gaskell and Dr. W. Fairbairn, that Mr. Smiles was not justified in giving, as he has done in his "Industrial Biograhpy," the credit of its invention to Mr. N asmyth. The first practically useful hammer made in England was produced at the works of Messrs. Nasmyth, Gaskell and Co., at Patricroft; but Mr. Nasmyth's hammerwas similar to and no advance upon the hammers of James Watt and Deverell, patented nearly half a century pre- viously, until the self-acting motion was designed and applied by Mr. Robert Wilson, then manager to the firm, and now managing partner in the works at Patri- croft. From the time of Mr. Wilson's invention being applied the steam hammer has become a necessity in every engineering workshop, its introduction marking a new era in the history of mechanical progress.—Mining Journal. FIRST ALL-ENGLAND PLOUGHING MATCH.—The first match this autumn took place on Thursday, at King- cote, Gloucestershire, on a piece of grass land in first- rate order for showing the ploughing. The first and second prizes in the champion class, and three other prizes in the field, were awarded to ploughmen using Messrs. Ransome's plough. Mr. John Walter, of Bearwood, Wokinham, late r M.P. for Berkshire, left England on Saturday last, on a tour through the United States of America. Mr. Walter is accompanied by his eldest son. PUBLIC SCHOOLS.—The price given by the Merchant Taylors for Charterhouse School is variously stated, but it is believed that the sum to be paid is between X80,000 and £ 100,000. This includes all the Upper and Under Green, and the quarters now occupied by the foundation —or gown-boys, as they are called—and also the houses of the Head Master and Usher; but the chapel, hall, and quarters of the old pensioners will remain untouched. | Meantime, it is said that the Merchant Taylors' Com- pany have sold the site of their own school premises, between Cannon-street and Thames-street, to be turned 1 into warehouses for nearly double the above sum; so that they will be gainers in two ways—viz., in money, and in the possession of a playground for the boys.

THE RAG TRADE. Under instructions from the medical officer of the Privy Conncil, Dr. J. S. Bristowe made inquiry last year into the influence of the rag trade, in spreading in- fectious disease. The investigation was instituted in consequence of a representation that an epidemic of smallpox at Thetford in the previous year was occa- sioned by some women being employed in cutting up foreign rags in a paper mill. Foreign rags, as Dr. Bristowe learnt, are now imported into Great Britain from almost every country; they come hither even from Japan and the most remote States of South America, but the continent of Europe is the chief source of supply. The bags containing them are not opened in the docks, and very rarely in the rag merchants' ware- houses, but transmitted in the condition in which they have been imported to those who purchase them for the purpose of their manufactures. Home rags also for the most part pass through the hands of the wholesale rag merchants, who are chiefly congregated in London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Bristol; but before reaching them they pass through various other hands, the marine store dealers and the collectors of household rags sort- ing them more or less before selling them. The rag merchants, however, have to re-sort some. Generally there is no process adopted by the trade for cleansing or disinfecting, rags up.to. the moment at which they leave the rag merchant's, beyond such as may be involved in the sorting they undergo. Rags collected in country districts are, as a rule, cleaner than those collected in towns; Irish rags are generally very filthy, and many foreign rags (such as Italian, Spanish, Russian, and especially Egyptian) are often not only dirty, but most offensive in smell. Such rags as are-useless for any other purpose are employed as manure in hop grounds. With this exception all woollen rags are converted into shoddy, and articles consisting of a mixture of cotton and wool (called "challies ") are now made available by re- moving the cotton by means of sulphuric acid. The cotton and linen rags go to the paper mills, which alsp turn to account many other materials, such as old paper, pawnbrokers' tickets, and the minute discs which are punohed from postage-stamp sheets, not to speak of straw and esparto grass. There are supposed to be in the United Kingdom 370 or 380 paper mills; the quantity of paper made weekly at each varies from one to 70 or 80 tons, the amount of rags used being about 5 per cent, in excess of the paper manufactured. The number of hands employed at a mill ranges from fdur or five to 700. One of the first processes to which the rags are subjected at the mill is that of dusting, by I which is removed! not only the extraneou& dirt, but: much of the animal filth which has become in- corporated with them' while in use. In some of the targer mills this is- the first process, and is done by beating by machinery. The rags are thus, before being placed in the hands of the rag-cutters, deprived, of much of that which i.& likely to, be offensive in them; and the mg-cutting room;, which is always a dusty and not agreeable place, is rendered much,, more cleanly and sweet thas it would otherwise be. Bm, in many mills- the dusting: is not effected until after the Tags have been cut and sorted. There is a single mill, Mr. Joynson's, in which from 250 to 350 rag-cutters are employed. On inquiry among the workpeople in Loncfcn, at the rag merchants' warehouses and the marine store dealers, Dr. Bristowe failed to obtain any evidence- thut, infection&: diseases have-been brought to-them through the agency of rags, or that any, feaF prevails among them. on the-. subject. In various paper miU8 however (a minority of the whole number), he found the workpeople dis- posed to, attribute infectious diseases to the rags and the evidence he collected! seems to show that smallpox and other infections diseases are very rarely introduced! into- paper mill's "by rags, but that their introduction is possible, and occasionally does take place. Iii the Thetford case it was clearly shown that small-pox was: introduced into* the town in 1864- by foreign rags cut up by women aira-paper mill there. The epidemic lasted six or seven months, and caused 16 or 17 deaths. Dr. Bristowe got whatever of the conveyance By rags of ahy efher disease than small- pox; He doubts-if our hospitals ever sell their infected ra,o-s, -ilnd he doubts whether it is-not exceptional to sell distinctly infected, articles even in the case of private households. *'ThiD chief danger- would seem to lie in- cttixed by the rag. collectors andiretail rag dealersv who- ever live among^the rags while they are yet fresh-; but it rests with them! to buy or decline to buy rags which are-foul, and it iii believed that they do sometimes exer- cise such a discretion. Before rags reach paper milfethey have been for, the most part exposed in various ways to) the- atmosphere; and the, preliminary. dusting in; the large mills must! tend to deprive them of 'any infection. After they have been cut they-aie boiled and subjected toehemical agencies, and necessarily rendered altogether innocuous. With the exception of a suggestions that care be taken that the workpeople engaged among; rags; have been vaccinated, Dr. Bristowe could only recom- mend that it might be madteamisdemeanour know- ingly to set or buy rags which have- been used about persons suffering from infectious disease without, pre- vious washing oar otherwise disinfecting; but it would! be a difficult matter to convict any one of the ofisnce. The compulsory use of disinfectants would be attended! with an amount: of inconvenience and expense which the trade is not at the present time m a condition to, bear. Mr. Simon, reviewing the report, considers that the rag trade does not play any considerable part in the distribution of contagious disease, tut, more thaa:thjs cannot be maintained.

BEER AND HOPS EXHIBITION. Bfeard of Trade* Whitehall", Aug. 30, 11866, The Right Hon. the Lords of theCommittee of Privy Council for-Trade have received A-om the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a copy of" a dispatch from her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris, enclosing a copy of an announcement with reference to a contemplated exhibi- tion of hops and beer to bar held att Dijon in the month of October next, and ofwhich the., following isantransla- tion :—. IN TERNATIONAL AND- BFEiti The, Central Agricultural Committee of the Cote d'Or has decided upon organizing an International Ex- hibition of Hops andi Beer in the year 1866. This Exhibition; will'take place at Dijon towards the; middle of the month of October next. All producers hops and manufacturers of beer- in France and in foreign countries will be permitted to take-part in it. Several gold medals, of at least 300f;. in value, medals of silver, and other rewards will be dis- tributed to the exhibitors of the best productions. Besides the samples of" hops and beer, ali kinds: of' instruments and: apparatus- employed is the cultivation of hops and in the manufacture of beerwillbe received, as well as papers, treating of matters, Conn-ecteci with either subject.. Applications, from persons desirou&of becomisg ex- hibitors can at once be addressed to M. Ladirey, Secre- tary to the Committee. Dijon. The 15th of September is fixed as the latest date for the sending in of such applications. A detailed programme will very shortly be pnblishec;4 which will make known the different ar- rangements for the exhibition, as well as the precise date at which the packages should be forwarded."

PROGSSESS, 11T NEW ZEALAXD.-SMCely seventeen years Stave- elapsed since Otago was an unpeopled waste," and where now the. great city of Dune din stands a fevrindifferently-built one-storied cottages were the only signs of civilisation;. indeed, a somewhat sar- castic visitor to the place remarked that any one wishing to describe Otago could easily do so. by using the poet's lines on the Falkland Islands, viz. A governor's mansion in full expansion, With a door and two windows all in front, And a treasurer willing to, give change for a shilling, And a harbour master in charge of a punt. Had either the poet or the visitor experienced on the hills that surround Dunedin a sleep not quite so long as Rip Van Winkle's, his bewilderment would have been far greater than that mythical personage, when he once more opened his eyea and looked for the cottages he had seen before he took his long nap. Indeed, the mar- vellous progress of Dunedin adds one more flattering tribute to the perseverance and energy of that great Saxon race which has subdued so large a portion of the world, and has by the magic powers of ingenuity and labour raised up in lieu of a wilderness, flourishing cities, fruitful fields, and verdant pasturages. Blessed with perhaps the best climate in the world, those long neglected islands of the Pacific are revealing to us stores of marvellous wealth.-New Zealand Examiner. tr-' GIFT OF ZCIOO TO A WIDOW BY THE PRINCE OF W ALES.As the train conveying the Prince and Princess of Wales to the north, about a fortnight ago, was passing Usworth, near Newcastle, a pitman in crossing the line was killed. His widow, who lives at Usworth, has just received from his Royal Highness a gift of icloo, as some consolation for her bereavement.— Newcastle Daily Journal. THAMES EMBANKMENT.—It is not improbable that M-. Thomas Brassey will take up Mr. Furness's con- tract for the north side' of the Thames Embankment, guaranteeing to the creditors a liberal percentage on their proved debts. Mr. Furness has executed a deed of arrangement, and Mr. Shearer, who supplied the granite for the works, has been gazetted a bankrupt. THE DUKE OF HAMILTON IN THE "BLACK LIST. In a weekly publication, which is known in commercial circles as the Black List, the name of his Grace the Duke of Hamilton appeared in the number issued on Friday, the 24th August last, among the list of protested bills as the drawer of two dishonoured bills for zC5,000 each, and one for 12,000, held by one Julias Calisher, London. In last week's Black List, his Grace also figures as the drawer of another dishonoured bill held by the same Mr. Julius Calisher for £ 2,500—making ia all f.14,500.-Glasgow Herald.

THE QUEEN AND THE BRAEMAR GATHERING. The annual gathering of the Braemar Royal High- land Society was held on Thursday at Mar Castle; From the fact that the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and a large party of royalty and nobility were expected to grace the proceedings with their pre- sence-the number of spectators comprising parties from a distance and visitors to the districts of Braemar and Crathie, of which there has been a greater influx thaii on any previous year, lodgings being unobtainable by many-the gathering was unusually large and fashion- 11 y able. The games were held on the fine lawn in front of Mar Castle, the beautiful enclosed slope, above which the castle occupies its noble site, being reserved for the guests of Colonel Farquharson, the lord of the manor, and furnished with handsome couolies, covered with Farquharson tartan, for the accommoda- tion of the Queen and the Royal Family. Amongst those present were—her Majesty the Queen, their RoyaJ Highness the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Christian and Princess Helena; Prince Leopold, Princesses Louise and Beatrice, the Earl and Countess of Fife, the Hon. Mrs. Harding, Lieut.-Colonel Keppel, the Marquis and Marchioness of Townshend, the Duchess of St. Albans, Lady Diana Beauclerk, Colonel Murray and Lady Agnes Murray; Lieut.-Colonel Farquharson and Mrs. Farquharson, of Invercauld; Lord Bective, Lady M. Taylor, Lord and Lady Noiris, Viscount and Viscountess Holmsdale, Lord Sandys, Lieut.-Colonel Knox, Lieut.-Colonel Marshall and Mrs. Marshall, Miss Ricardo, Captain Ewart, Lord Blandford, Sir Samuel Hayes, Captain Henry Farquhar- son and Miss Farquharson, Invercauld-house; Sir Daniel and Lady Cooper, Mr. H. Monck, Lady Radstock and Miss Waldegrave, Hon. Charles Carrington, Ilonl Emily Cathcart, Lady Susan Melville, Colonel Gordon, Captain Baird, 42nd Highlanders. The spectators numbered upwards of 2,000. The Prince and Princess of Wales and suite arrived from Abergeldie Castle at twenty minutes before two o'clock, and were received with great cheering. His Royal Highness was dressed in full Highland costume, and wore the Order of the Thistle, as also did the Duke of Edinburgh, who was similarly attired. The Princess wore a mauve silk dress and Royal tartan plaid. Her Majesty the Queen arrived shortly afterwards, accompanied by Prince Christian, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, and, in a separate carriage, Lady Churchill, the Princess Beatrice, General Hood, and the Hon. Miss Cathcart. His Royal Highness Prince Leopold, General Peel, Secretary of State in attendance ori her Majesty, and Sir- T. M. Biddulph had arrived some time previous.. Her Majesty appeared to be in excellent health amd spirits. Colonel and Mrs. Far- quharson welcomed the Royal guests. During the pro- gress; of the gdineg the guests partook of luncheon and tea inr the, ball-room of the old castle; and ait a few minutes past five o'clock her Majesty and suite left for Balmoral, the Farquharson and Duff Highlanders, who, were ranged in line with! broadswords drawn and pikes presented, giving three hearty cheers, which were joined in by the- spectators as tlae- Royal carriages moved off. The Prince and Princess of Wales, and other- distin- guished persons, left at six o'clock, and shortly after- wards the ganies were brought to a termination. The gathering of this season may fairly be accounted the most successful that has been held few years.—Glasgow Herald.

SISTERHOODS OF' THE ENGLISH CHURCH. As far as the metropolis is concerned, the institution of Sisterhoods in the Established Church appears, ac- cording to the Kalendar," to be @f comparatively resent date. In 1848 a sisterhood; was founded in Norfolk- street, Strand-, whose objects were to, attend the sick i hospitals among the poor and! in private families* to alleviate the distress and misery attendant on sicknscss ancE suffering among the destitute poor, and to train midiwife nurses to work solely among: the poor ia couatry villages. Probationers between the ages of 25> and 40 could be received, to, be, trained as nurses, and! paid: wages, increasing every year, until the fifth year was seached, when their wages would be L27 annually. Clothing, to the value of £ 4, would be given yearly to. each, nurse, and board, washing; and medical attends ance- In addition to probationers, there could be associate, sisters, consisting of, ladies whose home duties or other circumstances did net admit them wholly to join the Sisterhood these would reside with, the Sisters at stated intervals, and take part: inhospital or other work- In 185.1 the Sisterhood of All! Saints', Margaret- street,. took a wider range, and tomprehendedi among their objects not only the visiting the sick and poor of the district* but a pharmacy where- medicines were dis- pense, ai mortuary chapel where the bodies of persons were received free of charge until the funeral, the taking in of plain needlework, fancy andi ecclesiastical work, and the illumination: of texts, markers, &c. They had also "outer sisters" amongst the ladies unable to leave their own homes, and;thedutie&of thege were to, offer up daily certain prayers on, behalf of the. home, and to do some definite work for its support. The entire nursing of the University College Hospital came eventually into the charge of the sisters, in, addition to other works connected with the Margaret- street and the convalescent homes- in, Harlow and East- bourne; In 1855 approved: sisters and probationary-sisters took charge of the penitentiary at Highgate, opened for the reception and reformation or fallen women, and in 1856, appeared the mission of St. George's-in-the- East. In connection with this mission is the Sister- hood: of the Holy Cross, consisting of the warden, the mother-superior, the confirmed, probationers, and, lay sisters. The probationary sisters are those who, after a visit of some months'duration in the sister- hood, during which time they live and work with the sisters, and under the same-rules of discipline, ddlire to be admitted on: probation. After two years' probation and a desire tQi devote themselves altogether to a sister's life, they are confirmed. Lay sisters are those of a lower rank of life, who fulfil household duties or attend to penitents or children of the industrial schools. -There are, also, assbciate-sisters; ladies living in the- world with domestic and other ties, and yet are able to spend some time every year ia the sisterhood. The Bromcton Sisterhood, founded in 1861s, had for its object the training- of ladies and others as nurses,of the sick, whether rich or poor andi the sisters have been regularly trained to minister to the patients of St. George's Hospital. There are, also, external associates, who aid the work in various, ways. In thf" House of Compassion was established in Oakley-crescent, City-road, its object being the pre- vention of infanticide, by admitting women as a rule about a month er six weeks previous to confinement. The sisters retain those admitted from four to six months afterwards, so, that they may nurse their own offspring and receive a certain amount of religions training before being again sent out.. In addition to these sisterhoods of the Established Church in London, all of which are under the presi- dency of clergymen, and to most of which the Bishop of London is visitor, there are many more of a &imilar character established in different parts of the country, one of the oldest and most elaborate in its operation being St. John's House of Mercy at Clewer. The sisters are ladies of the Church of England, serving as sceurs de la charite abroad. Similar societies of women may be found at Brighton, Bedminster.Bassage, Coatham, Ditchingham, Frome, Selwood, Gloucester, Wakefield, Liverpool, Llandaff, Oxford, Wantage, Lostwithiel, and Wymering. The peculiarity of the Sisterhood of St. Mary the Virgin at Wymering, is that they have for their general object the promotion of true Catholic piety amongst the upper classes in regard to works of charity and devotion. The special objects are stated to be, to prove a band of sympathy and sisterly love, as well as to offer to ladies an opportunity for occasional retirement from the world for special meditation, exami- nation of conscience, frequent prayer, and partaking of the sacrament.

NEWSPAPER FLTRNKENSM.—In describing an accident which happened some years ago, when eight or ten persons were killed and as many more injured, a Scot- tish newspaer said fortunately the only persons in the train were drovers and labourers; had it happened a quarter of an hour earlier the Duchess of-we forget where—might have lost her life. This fortunately was the subject of comment at the time, and the flunkeyism of the paper was well laughed at. But in the Times, of August 27, we notice two obituary para- graphs, one merely stating that Mr. Alcock, late member, for Surrey, died on such a day, the next regrets the death of Earl Craven; had it been a marquis no doubt the regret would have been extreme, and had it been a duke the regret would probably hava been profound.- The Bookseller. THE LATE ABRAHAM LINCOLN.-The late American Congress passed an Act granting 10,000 dollars to Miss Vinne Ream for a statue for Mr. Lincoln, which will be placed in the Capitol. DR. LIVINGSTONE.-A letter dated Zanzibar, July 11, says :—"My friend the Doctor is well. He has fairly past the troublesome coast people, and is living with a good chief, who seems to have taken his fancy. He is with the head man of Elgouano, a;place 30 miles above the point where he turned on our boat voyage up the Rosuma, at the confluence of the Liendi and Rosuma. He now proposes leaving his baggage with this man, and exploring the north end of Nyassa. Afterwards he will return to Elgouano, and refit for a longer trip to Lake Pangauita. We sent up his letters and a supply of quinine, and were to await his return. Our next chance will probably be to send supplies to meet him at Elgigi, I cannot say they will ever reach him, bat they may,"

THE EISTEDDFOD. The national Eisteddfod has this year crossed the bounds of the Principality, and is being celebrated on English land, that is to say on the racecourse of Chester, under the presidency of Sir W. W. Wynn, M.P. A procession was made to the Gorsedd, a monument sup- posed to, be of great antiquity, consisting of 12 stones in a circle, with a large one in the middle for an altar, when the Eisteddfod was declared open. The meeting was then held in a pavilion on the racecourse. Here competitions took place for prizes awarded to the best performances 'on the harp, pianoforte, and other instru- ments, and for songs and essays on various subjects. There is also a social section of the Eisteddfod, of which Mr. Hugh Owen is chairman. Mr. Matthew Arnold. in a letter to Mr. Owen, apologizing for his inability to attend the gathering, says :—" A representation to the University of Oxford from the Eisteddfod, urging the importance of establishing a chair of Celtic at Oxford, could not, I think, but have weight with the Univer- sity. Your gathering acquires more interest every year. Let me venture to-say that you have to avoid two dangers in order to work all the good which your friends could desire. You have to avoid the danger of giving offence to practical men by retarding the spread of the English language in the Principality. I believe that to preserve and honour the Welsh language and literature is quite compatible with not thwarting or delaying for a single hour the introduction, so undeniably useful, of a knowledge of English throughout all classes in Wales. You have to avoid, again, the danger of alienating men of science by a blind, partial, and uncritical treatment of your national antiquities. Mr. Stephenson's excellent book, "The Literature of the Cymry," shows how perfectly Welshmen can avoid this danger if they will. When I see the enthusiasm the Eistedfodds can awaken in your whole people, and then think of the tastes, the literature, the amusements of your own lower and middle class, I am filled with admiration for you. It is a consoling thought, and one which history allows us to entertain, that races disinherited of political success may yet leave their work on the world's progress and contribute powerfully to the civilization of mankind. We in England have come to that point when the con- tinued advance and greatness of our nation is threatened by one cause, and one cause above all far more than by the helplessness of an aristocracy whose day is fast coming to an end, far more than by the rawness of a lower class whose day is only just beginning, we are imperilled by what I calljthe Philistinism' of our middle class. On the side of beauty "and taste, vulgarity on the side of morals and feelings, coarseness on the side of mind and spirit, unintelligence—this is Philis- tinism. Now, then, is the moment for the greater deli- cacy and spirituality of the Celtic peoples who are blended with us, if it be but wisely directed, to make itself felt, prized, and honoured. In a certain measure the children of Taliesin and Ossian have now an oppor- tunity for renewing the famous feat of the Greeks, and conquering their conquerors. No service England can render- the Celts by giving you a share in her many good qualities can -surpass what the Celts can at this moment do for England by communicating to ras some of tbeirs-.

THE STATE PAPERS. The second volume of the Calendar of the Spanish State Papers, on which Mr. Bergenrotlr has been so long engaged, is now in the press. It will be remem- bered that these papers, of which Mr. Froude and Mr. Motley have already largely availed themselves, throw a curious light upon the affairs of Englild during the period of the Reformation, when the ambassadors of the Spanish monarch were diligent in senciiii- home all the news, scandalous or otherwise, of the English Court. The papers catalogued and described in Mr. Bergeiiroth's second volume, however, are said to relate more to diplomatic than domestic history. Mr. Rawdoin Brown, who is in; like manner calendering the Venetian) State Papers relating to England, is said to have nearly completed a new volume, which, we learn/rom the Pall Mall Gazette, "will contain much important information, relative to the accession of Henry VIII., and his marriage with Katharine of Arragon, and many graphic descrip- tions of the monarch's personal appearance, and of the- chief personages of his Court. Among the miscella- neous matter," says the same authority, will be found papers relating to the proposed interview between the Kings of France and England; to the battle of Flodderi to the war with France in 1513, and the capture of Tournay; to the peace with France, and the marriage Princess [Mary, sister of Henry VIH., with King Louis XII., and long descriptions.of the ceremonies in honour of that event; to her marriage with Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, after the death of King Louis; to the. betrothal of Princess Mary, daughter of Henry YIII., to, the Dauphin; to the accession of Francis I. in 1515 to the war in Italy, be- tween the Emperor Maximilian and Ferdinand the Catfiolic on the-one hand, and the French and Venetians 't. on the other;. to the subsidies given by Henry Vin. to the Emperor and the Swiss for the recovery of the Duchy of Milan, and the defence of Brescia and Verona;, to the treaty of Noyon to the disputes between Eng- land and Scotland; to the flight of Margaret, Queen of Scots, to England, for refuge from the Duke of Albany; p to the Reformation; to Richard de In Pole, pretender to the English- throne to the aggrandisement and in- creasing authority of Cardinal Wolsey to the contest for the Imperial Crown; to the proposed crusade against the Turks;, and to the peace with France in 1518.

LONDON UNIVERSITY. We are able to state that the Chief Commissioner of Works has decided upon the plans for the new buildings of the London University at the back of Burlington House. Mr. Pennethome, architect to the Board of Works, having furnished two designs, one in a classic style, the other in what is called Italian Gothic, Lord John Manners has chosen the latter. The design chosen, although somewhat highly decorated, has substantial features, and is on the whole creditable to. Mr. Penne- thome, while Lord John Manners has shown his usual good taste in rejecting the rather squat design which l'epresented, the classic side of the attempt. There is no- doubt that the new building will be, when completed, a very decided ornament to the Bond-street section of London, andwillincrease, beyond measure, the appearance of Burlington-gardens, now defaced by a smoke- blacked brick wall. The-promptitude which has marked: the-commencement of the work will, under the present Board of Works, characterise the whole of the under- taking, and bring it to a speedy conclusion. Mean- while the Royal Academicians have not been idle. It has not, indeed, been decided whether the Colonnade, which is at present a noble. feature of the court-yard of Burlington House, is to be removed, but the brick screen will come down, and the front will be re- modelled, although the central portion of Burlington 11 p house will not be reconstructed. The building on the left, now occupied, by sundry scientific societies; and that on the right, used as officer for the London University, will be pulled down and re-built from designs by Messrs. Banks and Barry, who will, no doubt, make their- work harmonise with the central building. With the construction of the rooms in the new Royal Academy, Mr. Sydney Smirke, RA., is charged, and it is believed, that he will give to the dis- tinguished body of which he is a member a suite of apartments at which art critics will not cavil, and which will be worthy at once of the Academy and of the pictures of the future. With the outline of the arrange- ments for the remodelling of the National Gallery, now, happily, the, property of the nation, without any quasi proprietary rights vested in any private body, our readers are already acquainted, but we believe it has been ar- ranged that each of the selected competitors shall send in two distinct designs, one for altering the present build- ings, and the other for a reconstruction de novo. For this latter scheme we must express our decided pre- ference, even though it should cost rather more money.

THE CANADIAN GUNBOATS.—We are informed that tws gunboats have been lately added to the list of the Royal Navy on the Canadian lakes. These vessels have been purchased on the spot by the Government, and are manned by officers and men belonging to her Majesty's ship Aurora. They are named the Prince Alfred, of two guns, and the Rescue, of two guns; the former is commanded by Lieutenant F. W. B. H. M. Heron, second of the Aurora, and the latter, which has twin screws, is 248 tons burden, and has engines of 100- horse power, by Lieutanant Henry J. Fairlie, fourth of the Aurora. The Prince Alfred is stationed at Wind- sor, and the Rescue at Port Colborne and Fort Erie, where they are keeping a vigilant look-out on the doings of the Fenians. The Bntomart and Heron, the gun- boats which were sent out from England, were by the last accounts on the St. Lawrence, and the Cherub was on her way to the Upper Lakes.-Army and Navy Gazette. The Prince of Wales, as lord of the manor of Ken- nington, has given £ 500 to the Bishop of Winchester's South London Church Extension Fund. A WAir.-On the 20th of May the ship Clarendon picked up in the of Bay of Bengal a man floating on a small piece of wreck, who told the following stoly:-I, John Elliot, am a native of Sweden. I was an A.B. on board the ship Scotia, of Liverpool, Captain Dyer, from Moulmein, with a cargo of rice. We left Amherst on the 14th of May, and had to cut away our masts the next day in a heavy gale. While I was engaged in clearing the wreck I was knocked down, and remained senseless I know not how long. On coming to myself I found that the captain and crew had abandoned the vessel, and that she was on the point of sinking. As she went down I managed to lay hold of and secure myself in the cabin skylights, on which I remained until picked up—five days—wit-out either food or water,"

MINOR OCCURRENCES. It is proposed to establish a Militia and Yeomanry Club in London. It is not improbable the 4th Hussars may follow the 13th Hussars to Canada. A German weekly newspaper has been established at Birmingham. Mr. Alderman Robert Neill will be the next Mayor of Manchester. The bosses in the roof of the nave of Westminster Abbey are being cleaned and re-gilt. St. John's Gate, London, around which so many historical associations cluster, is being restored. The Prince of Wales has honoured the new Royal West of England Golf Club by graciously consenting to become its patron. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge has left Gloucester House, Piccadilly, on a tour of visits in Scot- land. It is currently reported in military circles that one of the most important military commands in India will soon be vacant. The persecution of the foreign navvies by the English workmen on the East Grinstead and Groombridge line still continues. If any credit is to be attached to certain club rumours now. in circulation we shall soon hear of Prince Christian under an English title. Mr. Foley's fine statue of Lord Herbert of Lea, which is soon to be placed in front of the War-office, Pall- mall, has been successfully cast in bronze. Dr. Henry Norton Shaw, late Secretary to the Geo- graphical Society, and member of several other learned bodies, has been appointed Consul at Islay, in Peru. A large section, under the direction of Professor John Cutter, barrister-at-law, is to be opened in connection with King's College, in October. A few days ago 200 Italian organ-men and Italian itinerants in the musical line of varied character left England for America to ply their art. In consequence of the high prices paid in London, there is a positive milk and butter famine in the western grazing districts within fifty or sixty miles from the metropolis. An eminent Glasgow sugar-merchant, well-known for his extensive operations in Mincing-lane, has pur- chased for X170,000 the Roseneath estates of the Duke of Argyll. Sir Charles Darling, late governor of Victoria, has returned to England. His residence is Bella Vista, Hampton Court, and his town address the Civil Service Club, St. James's-street. Mr. Charles Wescomb, the proprietor of the Exeter Gazette, has written to the papers to say that he has purchased the Globe newspaper entirely on his own ac- count, and not for the Carlton Club. A photograph of the famous Zula who converted Dr. Colenso was exhibited at the meeting of the British Association at Nottingham last week. The new salmon law seems to have been a great boon to the River Tay. In 1828: the rental of the Tay was Y,14,000, in 1862 it was only zC7,973, and in the last and present years it is 117,619. Major James Augustus Grant, of the Bengal army, has been appointed an ordinary member of the Civil Division of the Third Class or Companions of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury have been pleased to appoint Alexander James Beres- ford Beresford Hope, Esq., M.P., and Sir Coutts Lindsay,. Bait., to be trustees of the National Portrait Gallery. Mr. Corbett, of Castleconnell, continues his desires for the amcient sport of hawking, and is now one of the first authorities of the art, having some of the rarest breeds of falcons in Ireland. The Unitarian Herald publisher statistics of the Sunday-sehools of that denomination, from which it appears that the Unitarians have 171 such schools in England and Wales, and 21,030 scholars on the books. Lord Carnarvon is now in communication with the Archbishop of Canterbury in reference to a clergyman qualified- and ready to undertake the office of Bishop of Victoria, and he does not anticipate any difficulty in supplying fit authority for the consecration. The secretaryship of the Newspaper Press Fund, one- of the progressing benevolent institutions of the time, is announced to be vacant, in consequence of the retirement of the gentleman who recently held the post. The Lords of the Admiralty have caused to be issued a new form of seaman's parchment certificate, which is to be adopted in the navy in lieu of the form now in existence, and it i& to be brought intense on the 1st of October next. The Board of Tirade returns for the month of July show an increase in the value of exports of S,844,000 over the corresponding week in last year, and for the- seven months an increase of £ 19,572.000, as compared with the- same period in 1865. Thomas Baines, the alleged head centre, who stands: charged with seducing soldiers from their allegiance, has. been further remanded till Monday week, on the appli- cation of the Crown, to enable the detective officers to, prosecute their enquiries in the case. The Law Life Assurance Society cannot be said to neglect altogether the improvement of their property in Connemara. A church, for which they granted a site and subscribed' the greater part of the building fund, was opened near Ballinahinch Castle on Tuesday, the 28th ult. The curious magnetic polarization of H.M.S. North- umberland, arising from her having been built north and south, has been destroyed by reversing that position and then de-magnetizing her by means of two of Grove's, batteries. The Paston Letters have- been purchased for- the British Museum. If the nation had not come forward as a purchaser, it was the intention of the Society of Antiquaries to have secured them in their entirety, so- as not to allow of their being dispersed by sale at auction. Excursionists from Glasgow to Burns's Monument at Ayr, have carried away the back of one of the monument chairs, on which are a series of paintings illustrative of the poet's works, by Stevens. Very recently, after a large party had left the grounds, it was found that an attempt had been made to enter the glass case containing the few relics of Burns that are in the monument. It is stated, but we should imagine that it must be an exaggeration, that the election at Great Grimsby in 1790 lasted nine months—with public-houses open the whole time; that the expenditure on both sides was X 80, 000, and that it killed off one-fourth of the electors. This beats Yarmouth, Reigate, Totnes, and Lancaster, i all in one.—Guardian. j According to the Alliance Weekly News, the state of J Missouri is about to follow the example of the state of | Maine. By the new law laid down, no spirit licence | will be granted unless the application is endorsed by a majority of the tax-payers of the district. <3 A very extensive lodge is soon to be erected at the 1 west end of Loch Muick for the use of Her Majesty. The building will be of ashlar work, granite being the stone employed. An excellent site has been chosen foi the lodge, from which a magnificent view of the surround- ing picturesque scenery will be obtained. — Dundee j Advertiseri A lady, whose name has not transpired, has presented the Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountains Associa- tion with Xi,ooo. An Indian Prince, the Maharajah of Vizianagram, has also promised a donation of zCI,000, provided a decent fountain with a decent supply of water can be put up in one of the metro- politan parks. The Board of Trade have received from the Secretary for Foreign Affairs a copy of a despatch from- her Ma- jesty's Minister in Japan, forwarding a copy of a com- mercial convention and a revised tariff, signed at Jeddo on the 25th of June last, between the Government of Japan and the representatives of the Governments of Great Britain, France, Holland, and the United States of America. A cheese has been made at Toronto which measures 6 feet 8 inches in breadth and 3 feet in thickness the milk used in its manufacture weighed 35 tons, and was furnished by 800 cows; the weight of the cheese itself is 3! tons. Important antiquarian discoveries have been made on the site of the Roman Silchester, near Basingstoke. The main street and a street running from it have been laid open, and two large Roman houses, with tesselated pavements, have been discovered. It has also been ascertained that the walls round Silchester were three miles in circumference. Works are now in progress at New Palace-yard for the purpose of making a private approach for members of Parliament from the Metropolitan Extension line of railway to the House. When completed, noble lords and hon. gentlemen will be able to proceed by train either to or from the City and the West-end. "In- dependent members, whose votes may not bfLI" pleased that particular part of the community which 1S accustomed to assemble in Westminster Hall on great nights and hoot them, will be able to escape the annoy- ance by this means. A correspondent, commenting on the non-repetition of the Lord's Prayer by the people at the beginning the Communion Service, quotes the following from Rev. J. Shepherd's Elucidation"" It has by soin been thought that the people are not to repeat Lord's Prayer with the minister in the Common1 Office; but the words, both here and wheresoever e it is used in Divine service, added to the rubric at a last review, contain a plain general direction, w thousand repetitions would not have made mo1'6 press." i. ..10