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

FAMINE IN INDIA.—The report of the Famine Com- mission of India is severe in its eoiidomnatioii of the Board of Revenue. The commissioners estimate the mortality in Orissa and Midnapore as certainly not less than one-fourth of the whole populatien, but state that they have 110 reliable statistics of the whole population of the province. The statistics vary from three and a- half to five millions, which would make the mortality from three-fourths of a million to a million and a half, in an area ef 28,736 square miles, or half that of England and W: les. The deaths from starvation and its result, disease, in the Cole and Sonthal districts of Chota Nagpore have just been officia ly reported by the commissioner, Colonel Dalton, as 33,296 among a popu- lation of half a million. It is not known what sentence the commissioners have passed on Sir Cecil Beadon. ROYAL PALACES.—The charges for the maintenance and repair of these buildings amount, for the financial year 1867-8, to 41,4951. Of this sum 17,6511. is re- quired for Palaces in the personal occupation of her Majesty—viz., Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, with Adelaide-lodge in Windsor Home Park, Frog- more-house, and the White-lodge in Richmond Park. A sum of 19,3531. is required for the Palaces of St. James, Kensington, and Hampton Court, and the estab- lishments at Kew, Richmond, and -Bushy, which are held under grace and favour and the remaider of the rote is expended in repairs and fittings in apartments at St. James's Palace, which are partly occupied by the Queen and the Royal household. NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND,-The sum re- quired by the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland for the year ending the 31st of March, 1868, amounts to £ 344,699. By epitomizing this sum, it is found that, among the chief items, the inspection de- partment costs £ 26.440, the official establishment £ 15,132, the salaries of teachers E245,610, the district model schools £ 19,355, and the book and school ap- paratus department £ 11,853. Among minor charges are E400 for the navigation schools, S,2,437 for the I agricultural department, and L2,480 for agricultural schools and farms. MARINE POLICIES.—It is stated that the Government has consented to amend the provisions of the fourth clause of the Customs and Inland Revenue Bill to the extent of exempting policies for extra risks from stamp duty. HARD LINES FOR THE POSTMAN.-Travellers by steamer up the river Ottawa will have observed on the north shore of the Lake of Two Mountains a small village sitnate on a cliff, showing a face to the lake of bright yellow sand, and they have been told that they see an Indian village. The community here resident have just petitioned for the establishment among them of a post-office. The memorial has the signatures of Irro- quois and Algonquin, chiefs—Saoatis-kurai-iarakoen- kanegatake. Jakomisakie, L. Satex-asenoten, Sosekat- sien Haienton, B. Kekatewaje, and others. It is pro- posed to give the village the name of Oka.—Quebec Chronicle. THE CHINA TEA RACE.—The latest advices from China are to the effect that six ships have entered for the race to England, viz., the Ariel, Serica, Taitsing, Taeping, Sir Launeelot. and Black Prince. Although the Ariel won the run home last year by a neck, the shippers of the new season's teas this year have to a certain extent transferred their favours to the Black Prince as the winner, but still retain the fast ship of last year's race as a favourite for a place. SCOTCH AND IRISH SEA Fi-,IIERIES.-By a return lately issued it appears that in the year ending March 31st, 1866. the amount granted by Parliament in aid of the sea fisheries of Scotland was £ 15,396 10s., and the fees levied on branded barrels of lieri-iiigs, Y-4,163 8s. lOd. The amount of the grants for similar purposes in Ireland in the same period was zC950, and the fees levied nil. Garibaldi has taken a villa in Florence near the Porta Romana. IRISH SALMON.—The railways of Ireland conveyed more than 1,092 tons of salmon in the year 1866, an increase of 301 tons, or about 37 per cent, over the quantity carried in 186.), The rates, of course, varied, as the charges are not per mile, but per journey; the Limerick and Fovnes Railway brought 184 tons to I Limerick at X6 10s. por ton, the line being set down in Bradshaw as 26 n:l!es in length.

EXTRAORDINARY ROMANCE. The London correspondent of the Belfast News Lette-i- vouches for the truth of the following somewhat remarkable narrative :—" A short time since an old lady, living in one of the small streets leading out of Albany-street, Regent's-park, close to what was once the Colosseum, entered the shop of Mr. a poulterer in the neighbourhood, and purchased a chicken. The tradesman was iittentive to her, as such people ought to be. and the lady became a customer, always coming to the shop and giving her own orders. She appeared to be very old, but to have all her faculties about her. On Saturday evening she came when the poulterer happened to be very busy. She said she wished to speak to him, and he asked her to walk into the little parlour behind the shop, and he would come to her the moment he was disengaged. In the parlour she met the daughter of the poulterer, and, after some con- versation, in the course of which she remarked that the young girl looked ill, and required change of air, she produced a parcel, tied up in paper, and said, Give this to your father, as he is busy and cannot come, and I cannot wait. I wish him to take you away for a little change, and here is something that will enable him to do so.' She placed the parcel in the girl's hand, and told her to lock it up in a cup- board to which she pointed. The girl did so, and thought no more of the matter but when, some hours subsequently, the shop was closed, and her father came into the parlour to get his supper, she produced the parcel, and gave the message by which it was accompanied. The poulterer laughed as he untied it; but. to his amazement, the parcel was found to consist of banknotes and gold of the value of 1,000. There was also in it an antique gold watch and chain. The next day Mr. hurried round to his customer to thank her. when she desired him to take his daughter out of town for a few days, and on their re- turn to inform her of their arrival. This, of course, was done. A day or two after their return she called at the shop of Mr. and said she wished him to come to her house to tea, accompanied by his daughter. As they were about to leave, after partaking of her hospitality, she said to Mr. I wish you particularly to call upon me to-morrow morning, and bring with you two L .1 respectable persons upon whom you can rely.' The next morning Mr. attended, accompanied by the curate of the parish and a neighbour. The old lady then said that she was upwards of 90 years of age, and had no relative living but a cousin-pn attorney, who, she alleged, had not treated her well, and by whom, she said, she had lost £ 20,000. She added that she had X25,000 in Consols still left, and that, as she felt she would not live long, and was resolved that the attorney should not get anything belonging to her, she asked Mr. to attend, with two witnesses, in order that she might transfer to him, for his own absolute use. the Y,25,000 to which she had referred. She added that she knew very well what she was about, and that by giving him the money while she was alive, instead of bequeathing it to him at her death, he would be saved the payment of legacy duty to the extent of £ 2,000. This announce- ment appeared to be of so singular a nature that the clergyman very properly suggested that a solicitor should be sent for. The man of law came accordingly, and the transfer was duly effected. The old lady's presentiment of approaching dissolution proved to be correct, as she died a few weeks after making this sin- gular disposition of her property. It seems that before her death she had intended to give the money to a chemist with whom she used to deal, but that he had offended her by some inattention to her wishes. The moral of this story (of the substantial accuracy of which there can be no doubt whatever) is that civilitv costs nothing, and may sometimes yield a rich reward."

FATAL ACCIDENT TO A MUSKETRY INSTRUCTOR. Monday a dreadful accident occurred at the Ash Rifle Ranges, Aldershot. A squad of the 70th Regi- ment, under the command of Captain Wright, were at ball practice. Serjeant Instructor Lilley went round the squad, instructing the men how to use the rifle at inde- pendent firing without raising the back sight. He com- menced at the right band men of the squad, telling every one as he passed them successively to aim at his eye. This was obeyed in every instance, and the last man of the squad, named Warburton, on obeying the order, pulled his trigger, and the piece being loaded, the charge entered his eye, blowing his brains out, and of course killing him instantly. Warburton was immediately taken into custody, and on his pouch being examined nino rounds of ammunition only remained. He was asked where the tenth was, and he replied, That was Hl..n. .L. "4- 'j 'J'\J ntV njllA WQQ tlo""1.,l¡; affected and shed tears, was then marched off to the. i camp. awaiting the inquest. He is described as a steady man, but very awkward both in shooting and drill. He has been in the regiment ten years, and has two good- conduct badges. Lilley, the-deceased, had been twelve years 111 the service, was married, and leaves two children.

A VOLUNTEER DRUMMED OUT.An unusual occurrence took place at Bristol on Saturday afternoon —the drumming of a rifleman out of the regiment for insubordination whilst under arms. The volunteer rifles marched to the Down for parade under the com- mand of Colonel Taylor, and whilst the men were per- forming batallion drill Private Steffanoff (a Russian by birth), of No. 2 Company, used insolent language to- wards his superior officer. The offence was duly re- ported to the commanding officer, and Sieffanoff' was taken prisoner on a charge of insubordination, and escorted back to tuc head-quarters ot tt:c JJnu iiatl. On the return of the regiment, a drum-head court- martial was held in the Drill Hall, under the presidency of Colonel Taylor. The officer to whom lie insolence was used having given evidence against the prisoner, he admitted having used several objectionable expres- sions, and was then willing to make a public apology, but it would not be accepted. The decision of the court was that they were under the painful necessity of dis- missing him from the regiment. He was then stripped of his accoutrements and turned outside the gates by Sergeant-Major Campion. As be was being led out by the sergeant-major the whole of the corps hissed him, and he himself seemed to feel the disgrace that had come upon him.-Western Daily Press. Loss OF A STEAMSHIP.—The fine steamship Prince Consort, trading between Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and the north of Scotland, struck on the rocks two miles south of Aberdeen during the thick fog of Saturday morning. The sea was running high at the time, and all efforts to get the vessel off proved fruitless. Fortu- natcly, the disaster was seen by the fishermen of a coast village half a mile distant, and without loss of time boats were mnnued and despatched to the wreck. About 100 passengers were on board, many of them in bed, but, warned by the crash of some danger, they hastened on deck unclothed, and through the energy of Capt. Parrott and his crew, thirty-six in number, and the providential arrival cf the fishermen, every soul was got safely to land. Not a particle of anything in the shape of luggage was brought on shore, and in the course of an hour or so little remained together of the steamer but the portion amidships with the machinery. The scene of the wreck was visited by large numbers of spectators during the whole of Saturday and Sunday. A good deal of luggage and cargo has been washed ashore and otherwise recovered. The Prince Consort belonged to the Edinburgh, Leith, and Clyde Shipping Company. Captain Parrott, her commander, is an experienced seaman, and was the last to leave his ship. THE IRISH LAND BILLS.—We have reason to believe that the Government, in view of the opposition with which the Irish Land Bills are threatened, have resolved to withdraw them, and that the order for the Committee in each case will be discharged.- I'he Owl. MOVEMENT OF GOLD.—The value of the gold im- ported into the United Kingdom in the first quarter of this year was 2,153,1821., as compared with 2,425,9891. in the corresponding quarter of 1866, and 2,651,2371. in the corresponding quarter of 1865.. The largest im- ports were from Australia, which sent us gold to the value of 1,168.5101. in the first quarter of this year, as compared with 1,309,1781. in the corresponding three months of 1866, and 533,0321. in the corresponding three months of 1865. The receipts of gold from the United States were 210.5241. to March 31 this year, as compared with 353,5221. to the corresponding date of 1866, and 987,8291. to the corresponding date of 1865. The exports of gold from the United Kingdom amounted to 1.471.7941. to March 31 this year, as compared with 1,396,3641. in 1866. and 1,470,5141. in 1865 (correspond- ing periods). In these totals the exports of gold to France figured for 1,078,84$1. to March 31 this year, as compared with 943,7591. to ths corresponding date of 1866, and 881,3611. to the corresponding date of 1865. ACTION AGAINST MR. BAKER, THE LESSEE OF THE REFRESHMENT DEPARTMENT AT THE WESTMINSTER PALACE HOTEL.—Last week Messrs. Shoolbred and Co., the well-known drapers of Tottenham-court-road, brought an action against Mr. Baker, the lessee of the refreshment department at the Westminster Palace Hotel, to recover X28 19s. 6d., for some fine clothes they had supplied to his wife. Mr. Baker pleaded that the articles in question, being unsuited to Mrs. Baker's position in life. were not, in the eye of the law, neces- saries, and that having Rimsclf an income of but dE200 a year, he allotted £100 a year to his wife for her dress. Mr. Justice Willes directed the jury that when a hus- band aHows his wife a sufficient income to provide her with necessaries, she has no right to pledge his credit; nevertheless, in spite of the judge's instruction, the jury found a verdict for Messrs Shoolbred and Co. for the whole amount claimed. What is an unfortunate hus- band to do who is afflicted with a foolish wife having a morbid taste for cosmetics, red hair-dye, chignons, and fiss raiment?

FOREIGN NOTES. A number of persons in the United States are emi- grating to Brazil. The remains of Poerio are to be taken to Naples at the request of the municipality of that town. The piercing of the Mont Cenis tunnel is now pro- ceeding at the rate of 5.54. metres a day. It is said that the King of Prussia will pay a visit to the King of Belgium at Brussels before going to the Paris Exhibition. The French trade in eggs is becoming enormous. From one merchant alone, M. Moronaux, at Redon, 7,000 dozen were sent to England within eight davs. The Prince of Waldeck has arrived in Berlin for the purpose, it is said, of negotiating for the cession of his liule principality to the Prussian Govei nment. The Iron. Mr. Kasson is about to come to Europe as a special commissioner from the United States to nego- tiate for a lower and more uniform rate of international postage. The Vienna correspondent of the Herald says that Russia has proposed to the Swedish, Danish, and Eng- lish Governments, that the Baltic shall be declared neutral in time of war. At Milan, on the 3rd inst., the wind blew with such violence that it unrooted 40 trees which had been grow- ing many years on the Piazza del Castello. A thief in Memphis, Tennessee, has sued the police of that city for 10,000 dols. damages, from having been forced by them to march through the streets with a placard on his back announcing his crime. The workmen in the Russian gun factories are em- ployed day and night in converting muzzle-loaders into breech-loaders. The whole of the Russian army will, it is said, be provided with the latter weapon by the end of June at the latest. Captain John Powell, of Brooklyn, New York, pro- poses to cross the Atlantic in June in a boat twenty-six feet by seven, without sails or steam, The motive power is to be a windmill attached to and turning a pair of side-wheels. The cities of Ohio arc having a new sensation on account of the threatened closing of all public billiard rooms, under a decision of the Supreme Court that the keeper of a billiard table who receives money for its use, to be paid by the loser, although no money is bet on the game, is the keeper of a gaming table within the meaning of the statutes against gambling in that State. Old Governor Smith, as he was called, the first Governor of Texas, had at one time to send an official despatch to New Orleans, and having nothing in the shape of an official seal, he improvised one by cutting from his old overcoat a five-pointed brass button. The impression of the button was considered at New Orleans to represent a star, and the State of Texas has always been called the Lone Star in consequence. The New York Supreme Court having decreed that the capture -of the British merchant steamer Peterhoff off Rio Grande in 18G3 by the United States cruisers was an illegal act, and ordered the steamer to be delivered up, she will come into the possession of the underwriters, who have long since settled with the owners as a "total loss." The many lawsuits that have been tried on the subject of this capture, and the lia- bilities of the underwriters, have involved those who stood out that the capture was illegal to the extent of about 30 per cent. in addition to the amount paid as a total loss. A curious calculation has been made of the number of speeches made by each member of the North German Diet during its first session. It appears that the most frequent speaker was Freiherr von Vincke, who spoke sixty times. After him comes Count Bismarck, who spoke forty-eight times, then Herr Lasker, forty times, and Count Schwerin, thirty-one times. Among the other distinguished speakers, Herr Twesten spoke eighteen times, Herr Miguel seventeen times, and Herr Michaelis nineteen times. The official journal of Naples publishes a long list of brigands who were shot or captured by the Italian troops in the middle of April. Three of these were shot by the carabineers at Salerno, and their leader, a woman, was taken prisoner. At Potenza a famous brigand chief named II Predicatore" was Killed and his whole band captured and at Zermini two more brigands were shot by a detachment of cavalry. Notwithstanding this, brigandage is still on the increase in Southern Italy, and the achievements of the brigands are daily growing bolder and more frequent. There is considerable excitement in Boston, Massa- chusetts, on account of the determination of the authorities to put the Maine Law into actual operation. The State constabulary lately visited one of the largest wholesale and retail wine establishments in the city, and Jseizcd stores to the amount' of from 10,000 to 15.000 dollars.. The officers were hooted by the largo crowd which had assembled, and at one nme it uui seemed inevitable. The I- Sons of Temperance have resolved to make a strong effort to induce Congress to pass a Maine Law for the city of Washington. Count Szecsenyi, who is on his way to the Paris Exhibition from Pestli in a little steamer built expressly for the purpose, arrived at Frankfort last Friday, by way of the Danube, the canal between the Danube and the Main. The steamer is fifty-two feet long, and eight feet wide. draws only eighteen inches of water, and is painted in white and gold. The saloon is very elegantly furnished, has a piano and a select library. The Count intends to go to Paris by the Rhine, then by the Doubs cana'. io the Saone, and thence by the Dijon canal to the Seine. The deficit of the kingdom of Italy in 1860 was £ 14,320,000; in 1861, £ 20,400.000; in 1862, £ 16,960,000 in 1863, £17,800,000; in 1864, £ 16,920,000; in 1865, £ 11,920,000; and in 1866, £ 30.600 000; showing the enormous aggregate deficit of £ 128.920.000 in seven years. By loans, sales of railways and State lands, and other extraordinary re- sources, this deficit has been made good to the extent of £ 123,850,000, leaving a void of zC5,070,000, to say nothing of the deficit of the current year. Victor Emmanuel wants at least zC20,000,000 to carry him comfortably through 1867. A census has been taken of the number of graves in the national cemeteries where those who perished in the war with the Southern Confederacy are buried. At Nashville there are 18,000 graves a: Vicksburg, 15,000; at Andersonvillc, 15,000; at Mnnphij, 12,000; at Chattanooga, 12,000 at Marietta, 10.000 at Corinth, 6,000; at Stone River, 5,000; at Pittsburg, 4,000 at Savannah, 3,000; at Knoxville, 3,000; at Natchez, 2,500; at Camp Nelson, 1.500; at Pcrryvellc, 1,200; at Columbia, 1,200 at Millen, 1,000; at Lexington, 1,000; at Mobile. 1,000 at Lebanon, 750 at Covington, 600 at Mill Springs, 500 at Richmond, 500 at Montgomery, 500; at Danville, 400; at Cumberland Gap, 350 and at London, 300. Advices received from Rome give some details as to the ceremonial observed in the celebration of the anni- versary of the Pope's return to the capital and his preservation from the accident at the convent of tit. Agnes. In the morning high mass was celebrated in the church of San-Andrea delle Fratte, as has been stated. In the afternoon the Pope received a number of persons in the same hall of the convent in which the flooring had given way under him. Amongst the young pupils educated by the canons of the Lateron is Edgar Mortara, whose name is well known throughout Europe. Distinguished by considerable eloquence, good appearance, and much tab.nt, he had been charged by his comrades to offer an address to the Pope in their name. The Pope listened to him, and then made the following reply:—" You are very dear to me, my son, because I acquired you for Christ at a very great price. You cost me a heavy ransom. On your account a universal railing burst out against me and tbe Apostolic See. Governments and peoples, the powerful of this world, and the journalists, who are also the strong of our days, declared war against me. Some Kings even placed themselves at the head of this campaign and caused then* ministers to write diplomatic notes. All that was oil your account. I pass the Kings by in silence. I do not wish to remember the outrages, the calumnies, and the maledictions pronounced by an in- numerable crowd of simple private persons who ap- peared indignant that God had conferred the gift of his true faith on you in drawing you from the shadows of death in which your family is still plunged. They com- plained especially of the fate which had befallen your parents, because you had been regenerated by holy bap- tism, and that you had received an instruction such as it has pleased God to accord to you. And nobody, how- ever, pities me-me, the father of all the faithful, from whom'schism snatches thousands of children in Poland, or seeks to corrupt them by its pernicious teaching. The peoples as well as the governments are quiet when I geoaii over the fate of that part of the flock of Jesus Christ, ravaged by robbers in broad day; nobody moves to run to the help of the Holy Father and his children." DECLINING INFLUENCE OF CASTE IN INDIA.—That the advantages of caste privileges and the hardships of expulsion are beginning to lose their influence over the more enlightened natives of India, when they stand di- rectly in the way of moral and intellectual advancement, is abundantly manifested by the numbers proceeding to Europe this summer, to visit the Paris Exhibition. By the mail leaving for Suez on April 3rd, and by the present mail, there will proceed to Europe two Banias, two Bhattais; two Bhonsallees, one Punjaubee. one Brahmin from Guzei at, three Purl oos, and four Parsees. The terrors af excommunication from caste privileges—far more infant in their action and dread in their effects than the thunders of Rome—have already been held over the head of the majority of tuese but they per- severe in their intention notwithstanding.—Times of India, April 13. AN AVALANCHE.—A vast avalanche has entirely de- stroyed the Royal sporting pavilion of the King of Italy, called Orvielle, in the valley of Aosta. The damage is great, and many objects are destroyed. Fortunately the house was not inhabited at the time, so that there was no loss of life.

ACCIDENTS. j CAPTURE OF SWEIX-MOBSMEN.—On Friday, fifteen BWell-mobsmen, newly arrived in Manchester, were captured by the detectives in Market-street. They were extravagantly dressed, and, on being searched, their pocl ets were found to be furnished with forty dummy sovereigns ("jacks"), and about 100 mock guineas and half guineas, besides some flash notes. They will be dealt with under the Vagrancy Act. Two tailors, named William Telly and John ITan, were charged at the Marl borough-street Police Court, on Friday, with conspiring with other persons to in- timidate a tailoress, Margaret Rotterbury, with the object of forcing her to leave her employment. The accused formed a portion of a "picket" party. Their business seems to have been to keep a watch on Mr. Bywater's tailoring establishment in Hanover-street, Hanover Square.. The prosecutrix is in Mr. Bywater s employment. She appears to have been watched, fol- lowed,and threatened.—The prisoners were committed for trial. Lor I J. Manners is acting upon the advice which was so freely offered after the accident in Regent's Park last winter. The ornamental water is now hav- ing cartloads of clay tinned into it from the works of the St. John's-wood Railway, in which progress has been resumed. The water has not yet been drawn off, but when a sufficient quantity of material has been deposited in large heaps, the water will be lowered, and the clay wiil be distributed by wheelbarrows, so as to fill up all the low places and make a uniform and moderate depth. This will render the reoccur- rence of such an accident impossible. RAILWAY EMBANKMENT ON FIRE.—The embankment; situated on the north side of the Portobello Station of the North British Railway has been on fire for upwards of six months, and has defied all Ihe efforts used for its extinction. The nauseous smell arising from the smouldering mass creates, especially when the wind is from the north, great annoyance to the residents in the neighbourhood. In order to get rid of the annoy- ance, freouent representations have been made to the directors of the railway; but the means hitherto adop- ted have not been sufficient to remove the cause of the nuisance. The origin of the fire, we understand, was the emptying of a quantity of red-hot cinders from the furnace of a locomotive in the month of October last.-Scotsnion. RAILWAY COLLISION AT MALTON. —A destructive collision occurred on the Scarbro' line of the North Eastern, close by the Malton Station, about noon on Saturday. A goods train was standing on the down line, and was protected by a back signal, but the far signal was not on. A coal train coming up from York ran into the goods train at a considerable speed, the driver appearing to have not seen the signal or train till too late to pull up. The shock was very severe, but fortunately the guard of the goods train was not in his van at the time. The driver and stoker escaped unhurt, but the driver and another man got hurt after the accident in assisting to remove the broken vans and trucks. The shock was so severe that the engine of the coal train was lifted off the line. The van of the goods train was forced upwards, and the next truck laden with baskets, was turned upside down on the up line, the van settling across it. BARNED'S BANKING COMPANY.—On Saturday, the Master of the Rolls gave judgment in a representative case (Westland's) in which the question of fraud was raised from chambers in this matter, and which would decide some hundreds of cases. The point was that shareholders had embarked in the concern from mis- representations as to the affairs, and als;o as to state- ments in the prospectus. Mr. Joel Emmanuel, on the part of a large body of contributories, raise the ques- tion of non-liability on the ground of fraud. His Lord ship was of opinion that the decision of Vice Chan- cellor Malins in the matter of Overend and Gurney, and his own decision in the Madrid Bank, would govern the present case, and, therefore, he directed Westland's name to be put on the list of contributor- ies, and other cases would follow.—Mr. Jessel asked for costs. He had raised the question which would decide some hundreds of cases.—The Master of the Rolls said he had ordered an inspection of the books. He allowed costs. Judgment accordingly. THE STRIKE OF ENGINE-DRIVERS.—FRIGHTFUL EXPLO- SION.-On Saturday, an inquest was held at Shildon, near Darlington, on the body of Thomas Parker, an engine-driver, who was killed by the explosion of a lo- comotive on the previous day. The evidence showed that the deceased was the driver of an engine which had brought to the Simpasture Junction a mineral i, kju.. ariie Ltxcl been stripped about a minute when the engine suddenly exploded, killing Parker, who was underneath oiling the works, the upper half of his body being blown into fragments and thrown over the line into a field about twenty or thirty yards off. The fireman, Thomas Bendelow, who was on the engine at the time, was blown into a field about twenty yards distant. He was very badly scalded about the head, and lies in a dangerous state. George Daggs, a pilot, who was on the engine instruct- ing the other two men in their duties, they being new hands who had taken the places of the men on strike had a most miraculous escape, being blown to the end of the tender and escaping almost unhurt. A man who was ploughing in the field close by narrowly escaped being killed by the lumps of iron from the boiler, which flew in a shower all around him. One piece of the engine measuring 12 feet by 5 feet, was blown to a distance of 150 yards and the dome, Weighing several huudred weight, was found em- bedded in the ground, at least a hundred feet distant. A wall was blown down for above a dozen yards on each side of the line. The cause of the accident is unknown, but Mr. Chisholm, consulting engineer, thought there might have been too much pressure ou at the time, through a temporary defect of the indi- cator or some portion of the engine. The jury, after hearing evidence, returned a verdict of Accidental death and the following was appended to the ver- dict—"We beg to state to the railway company that We think the deceased was inexperienced in the use of a locomotive engine, and we recommend both f)r the safety of the persons employed on the line and the public in generalv that more experienced servants should be engaged." This intimation tho Coroner was requested to forward to the Company. UNEXPECTED RETURN OF A HUSBAND AFTER ELEVEN YEARS' ABSENCE.—Mr. A. Tennyson has portrayed, in language graphic and beautiful, the vicissitudes and noble struggles of Enoch Arden on behalf of his wife, and the deep sorrow felt by that hero on his return home after an absence of years, on discovering that she had taken to herself another husband. A some- what similar circumstance has transpired in this neighbourhood, but the subjects of our story are not of the same high and lofty character as those (I epicted by the poet. It appears that about eleven years ago, the husband of a Mrs. Watts, living at Dragon Villa, Gilesgate Moor, near this city, sailed for America, in search of that wealth which he had failed to meet with in this country; and, after gaining it, he prom- ised to return, so that they might live upon the fruits of his labours. However, from some unexplained cause or other, he forgot on his arrival among our go-ahead cousins across the Atlantic to communi- cate with his wife whom he had left behind, and the coffers of wealth she had expected to hear of, it was feared, had sunk with her husband in the ocean. Year after year passed away, and no tidings of Watts could be heard, and his wife and her two children had to struggle on as best they could in the world. At the end of seven or eight years, all hopes of his being in the flesh were given up, and a person of the name of Wallace turned up and wooed and won the neglected dame. They lived happily together for four years, and the partner of her first love was entirely forgotten. One day last week, however, Watts returned to his native place, but unlike Enoch Arden, after ascer- taining the change that had befallen his wife, did not cry for help to prevent him" breaking in upon her peace." He went boldly to her house and made him- self known, but his appearance, it would seem, did not impress her very favourably, and the reception he met with was not of the kind which might have been expected. His wife, now Mrs. Wallace, as was natu- ral, felt greatly startled at his appearance, but the in- terview which took place between them did not awaken any of the old feelings which first caused them to be made one, and she preferred keeping on with the new love and discarding the old. She had some slight com- passion for her delinquent lord, and told him that she would give him a meal of meat, a mght s lodging, and set him off with a shilling in his pocket, which, said she, "is more than thou hast done for me for the last eleven years?" Not having gained too much of this world's goods in his wandering, he accepted her gene- rous offer, and took shelter under her roof for the night. Cogitating upon his present position, as he doubtless would when laid to sleep-but whether he got any or not we have not heard-he appears to have resolved not to part with his wife without an effort, for, on rising next morning, he strongly asserted his claim, which terminated by his summary ejection from the domicile, en ding with a polite kick behind, from which, like the Irishman, ho gathered the hint that his com- pany was not wanted. We are informed, however, that Watts is unwilling to accept the unceremonious proceeding as a settlement of his claim, and as both husbands are said to have consulted the lawyers unon the matter, we may yet hear of the adjustment of the dispute in a more legal furm.-Durltant Advertiser.

Miss Bateman, the celebrated actress (who recently married Dr. Crow), is about to return to Europe, with married Dr. Crow), is about to return to. Europe, with the view of settling in England. 1

V A K lUJKU M. Mr. H. Chaplin has purchased Rama for 3,0007. It is proposed to establish a chamber of Agriculture for the county of Wilts. The British Government has undertaken the con- struction of lighthouses on the Japan coast. The personalty of the late Lord Feversham has been sworn under 140.0001. The personalty of the late Mr. R. C. Hanbury, M.P., has been sworn under 100-0001. The personalty in this country of the late Artemus Ward" has been sworn under sool. The personalty of the late Mr. Benjamin Cohen has been sworn under 140.0001. The personalty of the late Mr. Henry William Mar- shall has been sworn under 16.0001. The personalty of the late Mr. James Day Cochrane has been sworn under 18,0001. The personalty of ths late Sir John Warrender has been sworn under 24,000/. The personalty of the late Admiral George Scott has been sworn under 31,0,101. The personalty of the late Lieut.-General John H. Richardson has been sworn under 20,0001. The Grocers' Company have presented a donation of 100l. to the Curates, Augmentation Fund. The population of the Sandwich Islands is 9,000 less tb,qii it was six years ,o. It has been resolved to form a Chamber of Agricul- ture in the North Riding of Yorkshire, for the protec- tion of the interests of the farmers of that district. Mr. Bruce M. Seton. of the War-office, has been appointed private secretary to the Duke of Marlborough, President of the Council. Rook Ashton Park, near Trowbridge, in Wiltshire, has been tlii-ovii open for the use of the public of the neighbourhood by Mr. R. P. Long, M.P. The Lord Chancellor has made an order in Chancery that Saturday, the 25th inst., be observed as a holiday for the celebration of her Majesty's birthday. The Marquess of Exeter has (for the second time) sent a quantity of rabbits and hares for distribution among the destitute poor of East London. According to the Morning Post there is reason to believe that her Majesty's Government have arrived at the determination not to carry out the sentence of the law on the Feniau convicts Burke and Doran. It it stated that there is a prospect of better fishing in the Wye and its tributaries this season than for many years past. There are, however, still many traps yet in existence which destroy thousands of young lamprey. The Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Com- pany have commenced the construction of 321 knots of cable to connect Placemia, Newfoundland, with Cape Breton. The cable is expected to be in working in August. Next month three new steamers are advertised to take out tle India mail, viz., the Bangalore, Mooltan, and Columbian. The Court of Examiners for Scotland of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, express their opinion that the performance of operations on living animals is altogether unnecessary and useless. As a proof of the improved condition of the Thames, Mr. Grove, fishmonger, Charing-eross, has a fine sturgeon, weighing upwards of GOlb., alive in a tank, which was caught on Saturday morning at Westminster Bridge. A correspondent of the Church News says that the pastoral staff is used by at least sixteen Bishops of the Anglican Church, and suggests that the gcod people of Kidderminster should present one to Mr. Claughton. Of 113,639 children born in Scotland in 1866, no lees than 11,560, or over ten per cent., were illegitimate. Banff and Aberdeen shires had over sixteen per cent. of illegitimate children. It appears by a return compiled lately, that the fall in the value of the shares of 18 leading railways of this country since the 1st January, 1866, has, in the aggre- gate, been about £ 60,000,000 on original capital alone. The Spectator, treating of the case of the poet Young, expresses a hope that Lord Derby will make his peace with literary men by giving a pension to Mrs. C. Ben- nett. At a special meeting of the Committee of the Royal Free Hospital, held on the 9th inst., Mr. John Daniel Hill, for many years senior resident surgeon, was unani- mously appointed one of the surgeons to the hospital. Mr. Arnold, the magistrate at the Westminster Police Court, has decided that loan societies are not entitled to exact or take fines from a borrower or his sureties on the non -payment of an instalment of the debt. A Liverpool correspondent says children are now in such great demand in the manufacturing districts, that a larv.e number of pauper children," who would other- wise be chargeable to the parish of Liverpool, are earn- ing good incomes, larger, in many cases, than are re" quired for their support. The Prince of Wales honoured the Lord Chief Justice of England (Sir Alexander Cockburn) with his pre- sence at dinner on Wednesday evening, at his residence in Hertford-street, Mayfair. A select party were pre- sent to meet the illustrious Prince. A Conservative Working Man's Association for Lon- don, as well as a central organization designed to secure unity of action among the numerous similar bodies already existing in the country, is at present in course of formation. When our Princess Helena was married to the Prince Christian some of the wedding-cake was sent to the colonies. We hear, from South Australia, that, upon its reception there festive entertainments were given by the mayors of Adelaide and Gawler Town. On Wednesday week in the Town Hall, Manchester, a testimonial, consisting a silver inkstand and a sum of X3,600, was presented to Dr. John Watts by a number of subscribers, in consideration of his public services in that city. The Agricultural Society has decided to hold its show in 1868 at Leicester. Derby and Nottingham were also candidates for the honour. The show this year is to be at Bury St. Edmund's, but the Privy Council having re- fused its permission for an exhibition of cattle, the prizes offered for horses will be increased to X350. It appears that the secret of the bird-slaying on our sea-coasts lies chicfly in the fashion, now so prevalent among young ladies, of wearing the plumage of sea- birds in their hats. If this practice is persisted in, the result will be the almost total disappearance of one of the most interesting classes of objects which our shorel present. On the 10th inst. the Dean and Chapter of Rochester elected the R.cv. T. L. Claughton to the Bishopric of Rochester, vacant by the death of bishop Wigram. He will be consecrated, we understand, in Rochester Cathedral on Whitsun Tuesday. Inconsequence of the ceremony of laying the founda- tion stone of the Hall of Arts and Sciences by her Majesty, having been fixed to take place on Monday, May 20, at South Kensington, immediately adjoining the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens, the society has determined, upon the suggestion of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to hold a special floral fete. The Very Rev. Frederick Anson, D.D., Dean of Chester, and Rector of Doddleston, Cheshire, expired at the deanery, Chester, on Wednesday, the 8th inst. He was in his 89th year. He graduated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1796, and was ordained priest in 1803. He was a descendant of Anson, the famous traveller. The veteran surgeon, Sir William Lawrence only a few weeks since created a baronet, at the age of eighty- four-was seized with paralysis while ascending the the stairs in the College of Surgeons to enter the council room and take bis seat as examiner. He has since been speechless, but not altogether unconscious. A gigantic case of alleged forgery has transpired before the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House. The persons implicated are a London merchant named Edgeley, and a Frenchman named Devilliers. The bills of exchange said to be forged and issued represent no less a sum than £ 108,000, of which sum it is alleged the Leeds Bankmg Company (which lately suspended payment) has been defrauded. For the future the weekly clearances through the London Bankers' Clearing House are to be issued con- jointly with the Bank of England returns. The total for the week ended the 8th inst. is now returned at £ 57 024,000 against aR average total in 1839 of X18 400.200. This information has been obtained mainly through the exertions of Sir John Lubbock. The infant daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales was christened on Friday, the 10th inst., at Marl- borough House. The Archbishop of Canterbury per- formed the ceremony, and the princess received the names of Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar. The sponsors were the Queen of Denmark, the Grand Duchess Coesarema (Princess Dagmar), the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess Christian of Sleswick-Holstein-Augustenburg, Princess Louise, Princess Louis of Hesse, the King of the Greeks, the Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince Frederick of Hesse, Prince (Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and the Duke of Sleswick-Holstein-Glucksburg. The eight golden medailles d'honneur allowed for the best pictures in the International Exhibition at Paris have been awarded to MM. Meissonnier, Cabanel, Gerome. Rousseau, Leys, Knauss, Kaulbach, and Ussi. France has thus carried away four prizes BelgIUm, one Germany, two and Italy, one. As might be ex- pected, the award does not give satisfaction, even to French critics, especially as the four French medallists are ali jurors. The Esprit Nouveau has the following pointed remarks on the subject It has been said that the circumstance of certain artists being b"th can- didates and judges must cm: so them great embarrass- ment. The result of the competition, however, no trace of any such feeling ill the case of MM. MClS- souiiier, Cabanel, Gerome, and Rousseau."