The Welshman

COMMON INTERESTS OF CLASSED. All men are united in one bond of interests, and rights, and duties; and although each of us have particu- lar interests, the parts which we play in society are so frequently changing, that under one aspect we have each an interest contrary to that which we have under another aspect. It is in this way that we find ourselves suddenly bound closely with those against whom we thought our- selves opposed a moment before and thus no class can ever be said to be inimical to another class, In the midst, too, of all these instantaneous conflicts and unions, we are all interchangeably related in the double interests of capitalists and consumers,—that is, we have each and all an interest that property shall be respected, and that the production shall be carried forward to its utmost point of perfection, so as to make its products accessible to all. The power of production, in its greatest developments of industry, is really addressed to the satisfaction of the commonest wanls. If production, as in despotic coun- tries, were principally labouring that some men might wear cloth of gold whilst others went naked, then we should say that production was exclusively for the rich oppressor. But, thank God, the man who exclusively wears "purple and fine linen every day" has ceased to exist. The looms do not work for him alone, but for the great mass of the people. It is to the staple articles of consumption that the capitals of manufactures and com- merce address their employment. Their employment depends upon the ability of the great body of the people to purchase what they produce. The courtiers of the fifteenth century in France carried boxes of sugar-plums in their pockets, which they offered to each other as a constant compliment; the courtiers of the next age car- ried gingerbread in the same way and lastly, the luxury of snuff drove out the sugar-plums and the gingerbread. But the consumption of tobacco would never have fur- nished employment to thousands, and a large revenue to the state, if the use of snuff had rested with the courtiers. The producers, consequently, having found the largest, and therefore the most wealthy class of consumers amongst the working men, care little whether the peer wears a silk or a velvet coat, so that the peasant has a clean shirt. When capital and labour work with freedom and security, the wants of all are supplied, because there is a cheap production. It is a bad state of society where One flaunts in rags, one flutters in brocade." They who like the brocade may still wear it in a state of things where the rights of industry are understood but the rags, taking the average condition of the memhers of society, are banished to the lands from which the capital is driven,—while those who labour with skill, and there- fore with capital, have decent clothes, comfortable dwel- lings, wholesome food, abundant medical aid in sickness, the comfort and amusement of books in health. These goods, we have no hesitation in saying, all depend upon the security of property; and he that would destroy that security by force, or fraud is the real destroyer of the com- forts of those humbler classes whose rights he pretends to advocate.—Knight's Knowledge is Power. u IIONEUR AUX DAMES" DONE INTO RUSSIAN. Among the places worth visiting in the capital, is the '^nobility's assemblee," .at the corner of St. Michael- street and square. When I first went to reside in St. Petersburg, these rooms were considered quite the mode, but now they are no longer so, for public places soon degenerate in Russia from the comme il faut to the mauvais genre there were given balls and masquerades, at which the imperial family were frequently present the ladies wore dominoes after midnight, but the gentlemen went unmasked. Any lady could intrigue the Emperor (no gentlemen was allowed to do so), who frequently was surrounded by a little gay crowd of beatix masques, enter- taining him with all the chit-chat and conversations legeres peculiar to the style of such amusements. I was informed that a great many French women, even milliners were furnished with tickets gratis, their gay badinage and cheerful manners serving so much to enliven the company. Among the tales of scandal which, in the absence of politics, shares with actors and actreeses the honour of being made the subject of conversation in Russian society, was one which I make no doubt whatever was a positive fact, as it is a propos to these bals masques, I will relate it. A lady, the daughter of an old general named B-. was one evening at the masquerade; she intrigued a personage of very high rank, and while so doing was impru- dent enough to touch upon some forbidden subject; shortly after she left the assemblee and returned home, perfectly unconscious that orders had been given not to let her out of sight until her name and placc of residence had been ascertained. The next morning she was disagreeably surprised by a visit from an officer of the secret police, who politely requested her to accompany him to Count Orloff's office. Such an invitation was, of course, not to be refused—she went immediately. The gentlemen who received her was aimabilite itself; he kindly pointed to a seat that stood near, and blandly proceeded to ask her a few questions concerning the previous evening's amuse- ment, to all of which the terrified lady tremblingly replied the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," for no equivocation would have availed her in that place. When the interrogation was finished, the chair suddenly sank through the floor, and I am ashamed to say that from the hand of some unseen person below she received a correction such as little boys used formerly to be sub- jected to from the birch of old-fashioned schoolmasters. I met this lady frequently in company, and knew her sisters well. I had the anecdote from an intimate friend of the family, and have not the slightest doubt of its being true. The same misfortune is said to have occurred about four months ago to a certain noble princess from the south, who expressed some sympathy with the cause of the Western Powers. I have often asked Russians, when they were boasting of their great civilization, if this were a proof of it. Once the reply was that a great many of the Russian ladies deserved to be beaten, and that it would do them a great deal of good." At another time, in speaking of the peasant-women being so treated, a certain Prince A- replied that they were not worthy of the title of women, they were no better than cattle Once, on complaining of the impertinence of a servant, I was recommended to "box her ears well;" on my re- marking that such an action would be a greater disgrace to me than to the girl herself, the lady, whose maid she was, answered, If you do not do it, I will;" she rang the bell, the footman was told to send Marousha, and the instant she came, notwithstanding my entreaties, the lady administered with her own hand a sound blow on each side of \he poor girl's head !—The Englishwoman in Russia, L ARCADI PAVLYTCH AND HIS STEWARD. -L I .11 I Ah! you, our fathers, our oeneiaciors sam me cunning sneak in an odd sort of sing-song, and with such an air of tender devotion, that I expected every moment ta buvat into tears 11 you have at last condescended to *orae Your hand, father, your hand," added he, sticking out his great eoarse lips. Arcadi Pavlytch gave him his hand to kiss, and said a ca"essing voice « h?? Sophron.howdo things go with you here ?" ??t '??. ??h?'"?'?red Sophron, and how could .t?he.y by any po.??hLty ?_"? t? How coMM they ? They « well P°89lb benefactors, our fathers, deign to «-TSU*5" your illustrious W-JM.,«■ poor little village Oh! I shall feel happy till the day of my death thanks be to God, Arcadi Pavlytch thanks bej to God, everything is going "eU, well, very well all goes well to Your grace," "X a  silence consecrated to mute  (ion, the .(.teaman overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of his lentfam.fmb.i. deep sigh, and.a.??f ??"°??", Mirre?.tib!e impulse (in which a rather strong TJe? brandy formed no inappreciable element), he X??M?d *g"a Ptrmi,on to kiM the baronial hand, and .ang out with even more animation than before Ab our fathers and benefactors '—and—I—oh— what God of heaven! joy takes away my senses-I see- I O'ee-I Ofunot believe my .yes-it is you, our fathers, our-" The farce was well played. Arcadi Pavlytch turned to me, smiled one of his neat smiles, and said in French- N'est-ce pas que c'est touchane ?"-f?uisian Lifs in tA, Interior. Human teaching in religion (says Archbishop Whtaely) is highly useful, 10 long as Scripture proof is readily pro- duced. It bears the same relation to Scripture, that what is called paper currency does to gold and silver. Its sole value lies in the knowledge that it is convertible* OIL do M" tato Of rmfew otitl it wrotftt* I COUNTRYMEN OF RUSSIA. I As far as it has been possible for a lady to remark, I have every reason to feel respect for the country ladies and gentlemen of the interior of Russia. Their hos- pitality is unbounded they are, for the most part, humane to the serfs, are kind-hearted in the true sense of the word, and exceedingly amiable and polite to foreigners. There is very little ceremony, but much more heartiness in their welcome, and, rather than allow their guests to return home at night, they will put themselves to any inconvenience and turn every apartment in the house into a sleeping-room, cause beds to be made up on sofas and chairs, and find accommodation for a couple of dozen acquaintances with as little care about the trouble it gives them as if it were merely a shake-down of straw in the stable; their principal concern is that everybody should be as comfortable as possible and sans gene in their house; and what is more, the guests are welcome to stop as long as they please one night or six.— The Englishwonian in Russia. I VILLAGE DANCES. Some of their dances are extremely pretty, and others are monotonous. I remember at one of the village fetes a handsome young girl and a fine-looking man of about twenty-two stepped out from a group of their com- panions and performed a pas-de-deux, the national dance par excellence. The girl had on the peculiar head-dress, her long hair hanging in a thick plait down the middle of her back a crimson silk sarafane trimmed with gold lace and gilt buttons up the front; her white chemise gathered into a band round her shoulders and fastened before, the full sleeves tied up with sky-blue ribbon: gold embroidered shoes from Tajock completed her costume. Her partner wore a crimson shirt confined with a narrow silver band round the waist (the peasants wear the shirt outside) over very full black velvet inexpressibles, the lower ends thrust into black leather boots. The dance was descriptive of courtship. At first the advances were treated with disdain; the suitor was not discouraged, he still hoped: he again made advances; she began to relent, then seemed pleased he inspired her with love, but resolved to punish her former contempt with coldness. They at last become reconciled, and, after demonstrating their mutual happiness, the peiformance finished. Another dance, of which the villagers seemed very fond, was one in which a young man was enclosed in a circle of girls, who all joined hands and prevented him from breaking through the ring.-Ibid. I CORRUPTION AND SERVILITY. I am certain that the dishonourable actions to which many of these employes are addicted, and which I myself have witnessed, would scarcely be credited in England, where officers and gentlemen are synonymous terms. One day we saw an ofifcer boldly pocket some money belonging to his neighbour, at cards. Another slipped some concert tickets up his sleeve, that were the pro- perty of my friend. We both saw him do it, but neither of us could accuse him to his face. Many times things were missing that could have been missing in no other way. One day a young officer called while the family were at dinner. The footman very carelessly had re- quested him to enter one of the drawing-rooms whilst he went and informed his master. He came back again in a minute or two, and begged him to wait a little, but the officer politely said that he did not wish to derange the dinner party, and, as he had to call elsewhere, he would shortly return. He then went away. No sooner had he done so than the servant discovered that his lady's watch had disappeared. The police were not informed of it, out of respect to his uncle, who was of rank. A lady in St. Petersburg, whose husband was indebted to the crown in the sum of about ten thousand silver roubles, and had not the means, or perhaps the will, to pay it, hit upon the following expedient:- It was the anniversary of the marriage of a personage of the most exalted rank, so she thought fit to address a letter of humble congratulations on the occasion. Humble enough! for it began thus If a worm crawling upon the earth dare to offer, &c. &c., through a. couple of pages all in the same style. The letter deserved to be kept, were it only as a curiosity of literature, and to preserve it as an existing proof to what grovelling meanness a human being can descend. It was not in this light, however, that it was regarded by the personage to whom it was sent, or by those who had the pleasure of perusing it. The entire household was in an extasy of admiration for three whole days concerning Madame K-ska's beautiful address to the E-, The writer obtained what she so ardently desired; the debt was remitted. When I state that this was the person mentioned in a former chapter as having caused her poor servants' hair to be cut off, her character can be justly appreciated.-Ibid. PRACTICAL USE OF SCIENCE. In every branch of natural history the study of the science, in its manifold forms of classification, is con- stantly leading to the most valuable discoveries connected with our means of existence. Some twenty years ago all the timber of the Hartz Forest was destroyed by a species of beetle, which, gnawing completely round the bark, prevented the sap from rising. This: destructive animal made its appearance in England; and science very soon discovered the cause of the evil, and provided for its removal. If there had been no knowledge of natural history here, not a tree would have been left in our woods; and what then would have been the cost of timber. The naturalist is now carrying his investiga- tions, with the aid of the microscope, into the lowest departments of animal life. He finds the causes of blight and mildew, and knows the species of the minutest insect that mars the hopes of the farmer and the gardener. The chemist steps in; and the ravager is destroyed or rendered less noxious. Knight's Knowledge is Power. CHIVALRY IN HUMBLE LIFE. And here it is impossible to refrain from recording a pleasing trait of generous feeling displayed by David Marshal, tacksman of the Lochleven Fishery, cooper, and proprietor of the boats employed in the transporting visitors to and from Lochleven Castle; for after he and his two men had rowed me and my party to the island, battled with a rough ground-swell which made our passage very laborious, tarried my leisure while making local investigations and notes for this painful chapter of Mary Stuart's biography, and had safely landed me on the shores of Kinross, he stoutly refused to accept his five- shilling fee, or any reward whatsover, because he had gathered from the conversation that I was writing Queen Mary's Life. It was in vain that my friend's coachman took him aside, and, producing a one-pound note Scotch, told him that his lady, Mrs. Skene, of Pitlour, with whom I was on a visit, had given private orders to him to pay all expenses." David Marshal put the proffered guerdon aside with a determined air, saying, No, I will not take money for this job from any one; I must be permitted to have the pleasure of rendering this little service to that lady for Queen Mary's sake." Then," said I, you would have lent a band to deliver Queen Mary from her prison, if you had lived in her day ?"— Ay, and I would have died for her he replied, grasping his oar with expressive energy as he spoke.-Miss Strick- land's Lives of the Queens. THE POET. The ancients were quite right in proclaiming that a poet must be born, not made. To be sure, fitting culture and art education will make the best born poet better, since they supply the fine-tempered implements of work- manship to the hands of genius. Yet, without a certain given material, all the education in the world will never produce a poet. A due consideration of what is essential to constitute the poet is suited to deter many versifiers from wasting precious time in an unprofitable pursuit. Let us for a moment glance at some of the requisite qualities. The poet must have large perceptive powers, for they are the windows, as it were, through which he looks, and in a great measure determine his range of vision. He must possess the faculty which we call imagination, and which is very compound in its constitu- tion, and a very Proteus in its manifestations. At one time it is a worship of beauty, at another it is a suffering or rejoicing sympathy. Now it will see a deeper meaning in the heart of common things, and again it will light up the dull face of things with magical beauty. He must possess logical and analytical power, for the poet is the greatest logician, and leaps to his results by no mere guess. He must be the greatest master of common sense, for a poet was never yet an inspired fool. He must possess intense passions, for these, properly reined and guided, draw the car of genius up the immortal mount. His eye must be tremblingly alive to beauty, his ear hungering for the melody; indeed, he must have that vehement passion for melody that buoys his speech into song, his footsteps into tune, and makes his life move in a melodious rhythm. But, above all, he must possess a warm, kindling, electrical temperament. This attribute of the poet we should set above all others. Large heart and brain, clear sight, and general breadth of nature, are indispensable. There never has been a poet but in the proportion that he has possessed these charac- teristics. Such have been the world's great singers. They were all thus gloriously endowed, who have had the magic to unlock the sources of human smiles and tears, and send the thrill of sympathy through the heart of universal humanity. In this sense Homer, Miiton, Shakspeare, Dante, and Burns are poets. They are crea- tors, seers, prophets, and singers.- Electric Review. Constantinople is a place of a very singular nature (says Viscount Ponsonby in a recent memorandum) nearly all military men agree in saying that by very little exertion it might be made almost impregnable. Military men also say that it is a place from whence attacks upon the nation not too far distant from it could be made with the greatest advantage to the assailants; whilst, from its situation, it could only be with great disadvantages to the enemy. Constantinople, in fact, is the natural capital of an im- mense district, within the limits of which exist all that is necessary for the material formation of a naval force of any conceivable magnitude. Primeval forests furnish timber; mines furnish minerals, including copper, to any extent. There is on the very margin of the sea-iome. thing under a hundred miles from the city-a coal mine known to be many miles in extent, and of which the qua- lity of the coal equals that of Wallsend in Durham. The soil is generally so good that agricultural produce is in the highest degree easy to be obtained and at a low cost, and it is with other numerous valuable at tides spread CHINESE MARRIAGE. I The part which is played in all these ceremonies by the family of the bride must always wear a certain stamp of deference and modesty. Thus, when the name of his daughter is asked, the father is required to answer in the following manner I have received with respect the marks of your gooduess. The choice that you deign to make of my daughter to become the wife of your son, shows me that you esteem my poor and cold, family more than it deserves. My daughter is coarse and stupid, and I have not had the talent to bring her up well; yet I shall, nevertheless, glory in obeying you on this occasion. You will find written on another page the name of my daughter, and that of her mother, with the day of her birth." When he receives the presents, and the infor- mation that a day is fixed for the wedding, the father re- plies in these terms:—" I have received your last reso- lution. You wish this marriage to take place, and I am only sorry that my daughter has so little merit, and that she has not had all the education desirable. I fear she is good for nothing, yet, nevertheless, since the augury is fa- vourable, I dare not disobey you. I accept your present, I salute you, and I consent to the day appointed for the wedding. I will take care to make due. preparation. I Hue's Chinese Empire. I CURRAN'S INGENUITY. A farmer attending fair, with a hundred pounds in his pocket, took the precaution of depositing it in the hands of the landlord at the public-house at which he stopped. Having occasion for it shortly afterwards, he resorted to "mine host', for payment; but the landlord, too deep for the countryman, wondered what hundred he meant, and was quite sure no such sum had ever been lodged with him by the astonished rustic. After ineffectual appeals to the recollection, and finally to the honour lpf Bardolph, the farmer applied to Curran for advice. Have patience, my friend," said the counsel, speak to the landlord ci- villy tell him you might have left your money with some other person. Take a friend with you, and lodge with him another hundred, in the presence of your friend, and come to me." He did so. and returned to his legal friend. And now, I don-t see how I am going to be better off for this, if I get my second hundred again but how is that to be done ?" Go and ask him for it -when he is alone," said the counsel. Aye, sir, but asking won't do, I'm afraid, without my witness at any rate." "Never mind, take my advice," said the counsel, do as I bid you, and return to me." The farmer returned with his hundred, glad to find that in his possession. Now, sir, I must be content, but I don't see I'm much better off." 11 Well, then," said the counsel, "now take your friend with you and ask the landlord for the hundred pounds your friend saw you leave with him." We need not add, that the wily landlord had been taken off his guard, while our honest friend returned to thank his counsel exult- ingly, with both hundreds in his pocket. MR. MACAULAY AND THE BALLAD BOY 1 I The anecdote of Mr. Macaulay ana me singing boy is of old date. We heard it related some years since, more poetically (we hope more truly) at one of Mr. Rogers's breakfast parties in London. Mr. Macaulay had set of on a long solitary walk from the Albany, and about Islington fell in with a singing boy, and purchased for Is or Is 6d his stock of ballads. Dipping into the collection, and reading aloud to himself with energy, as is his wont, the warlike aud military strains of the street minstrels, Mr. Macaulay observed that the boy still accompanied him. He stopped, and asked why he followed him ? I do like, Sir," replied the urchin, "to hear you read the ballads—you read them so grand and fine." The historian pursued his journey, and the thought occurred-" What if we had ballads of this kind respecting the old heroic deeds of Greece and Rome ?" The idea gathered force, and ultimately a resolution was formed to attempt embodying in ballad poetry some of the legends related by Cicero and others. The result was The Lays of Ancient Rome and as Gibbon has recorded I h e Lays of Ancient Rome that the idea of writing his" Decline and 1* all of Rome" was suggested to his mind as he sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while the barefooted friars were sing- ing vespers in the temple of Jupiter, this account of the origin of Mr. Macaulay's classic Lays" if correct, as we heard it related-may not be without interest to the lovers of literary history.—Iverncss Courier.

A noble trait of the Druses of the Lebanon is shown in the maintenance of their country as an asylum and a land of refuge It is well known (says M. Chasseaud) even at the present day, that should the prince ever be tempted by bribery or any other cause to deliver up any man who had sought and found protection among the Druses, the whole country would rise to frustrate such a breach of hopitality, and prevent such a stain upon their national reputation. Even that dreadful miscreant Djezzar Pasha, whose name spread terror all over the East, and whose deeds of infamy have been unrivalled in the calends of cruelty, even this man, who had invested the government of the mountains in the hands of his own creatures, never could force them to give up a single re- fugee they protected him as long as they were able, and when threatened with imminent danger assisted him in effecting his escape to the remotest parts of the em. pire." The Drnses of the Lebanon retain in the old age of their race some beautiful customs of the primitive time. It is a remarkable fact [says M. Chasseaud], and one which proves the very ancient standing of the habits and cus- toms of these people, that when a man has once descended from a tree, having shaken off as much fruit as his strength permitted, he will upon no consideration shake that tree again, however much fruit may have tenaciously adhered to the boughs. What is left is considered as the portion of the poor and the gleaner in this instance, the Druses, in common with all classes inhabiting Syria, act in strict accordance with the law contained in Deutero- nomy, 24th chapter and 24th verse-' When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.' Prince Woronzoff, says a memoir writer in the Post," is a man of ordinary personal appearance his forehead is low, and the form of his face thoroughly Russian. His simple habits are those of a soldier an old cloak, com- panion of many a battle, and a police cap, constitute the most striking part of his dress. If at Tiflis, his resi- dence, he surrounded himself with almost Eastern luxury, it was simply an act of policy, for at Odessa his home was precisely the reverse. He has wisely remembered that, in the East, a man is measured very much by the splen- dour he is able to exhibit: still, he is the same high- minded man as in days gone by he has the same li- beral instincts-the same hatred of Court life and its intrigues and this the Czar knows well, in spite of all his dignity and independence, and I believe rejoices in the fact that he has one free man in his dominions. Up to the present moment the advanced age of the Prince has in no way injured his intelligence ior his physical energy. True, he has applied for leave of absence, and is now at the Hague, the beloved of all who know him; but, con- sidering his years and the severe mental and bodily la- i hours he has undergone, no one can fairly call him I He was born at St. Petersburg, on the 17th May, 1782. A recent American writer in a book called My Con- sulship," tells us what he did not see in Italy First, I never saw in Italy a drunken man who was not a fo- reigner. Second, I never saw brazen-faced vice, flaunting in ribbons and velvets, on fashionable promenades, in an Italian city by day or night and everybody knows what we Americans, and I might add, what we Englishmen, and we Frenchmen know on the subject (and yet we are the people, and wisdom of necessity must die with us.) Third, there are no gambling hells in Italy, of which New York and London are full. When men or women play in Italy, it is a mere matter of form to loose or win a few francs among their friends and acquaintances; but an Italian gentleman would consider himself insulted if you should propose to bet with him. Fourth, there is no American spreeing in Italy-no getting under the table— no breaking of decanters, crockery, windows, mirrors, and furniture-there are no swelled heads in that country- the Italians meet courteously, pass their time joyously converse genially, and amuse themselves with moderation but good taste is always the presiding divinity, and when next they meet, there are no headaches, nor is there any- thing to be ashamed of. Fifth, it has been the fashion for, a century or two, and perhaps more, to talk about the immoralities and even the licentiousness of the Italians. But nine-tenths of this, or more, has come from un- principled or flippant travellers and writers. I have been in upwards of 50 Italian cities, and I can say of every one of them, what no Englishman, and no American, can say of any one city in their countries: I never saw, nor do I believe that any man of this generation has seen, in an Italian city, what can be seen in Regent-street or Broad- way every morning, and every afternoon, and every even- ing, and every night—painted women, walking the streets, dressed in the height of fashion, alone, brazen-faced, im- pudent." In the Island Empire," a book devoted to Napoleon at Elba, we have some facts as to the lady and child who visited the Emperor :—" As the child was playing about under the cliesnut-trees, the Emperor came up to Doctor Fourreau, who was in conversation with the captain, and asked him what he thought of the child. The doctor answered, He appears to be much grown since I had the honour of seeing him at Fontainebleau.' The captain is not sure whether he heard the words Sa Majeste' applied to the child, which would have placed the matter beyond a doubt; but his answer was evidently displeasing to the Emperor, who answered abruptly, I Qti'est que vous chantez done ?' and turned away, leaving the poor doctor almost in tears, and in a state, only to be understood by those attendants who unfortunately fell under their mas- ter's displeasure. Turning round to the captain, he said I How could I be expected to know that I was to be secret ? A man has not the power of divination of a God. These circumstances naturally provoked speculations, and in ad- dition to the facts, as the captain asserts, that the pictures he had seen of the Empress and the King of Rome re- sembled the lady and her son, and that the age of the latter tallied with that of the King, have induced him to form the conclusion, which nothing can now alter. The Emperor, however, on seeing that the captain had observed that the child had called him papa, asked him what the Elbans thought of his visitors. The captain answered- They think that Elba is honoured with the presence of the Empress and of your Majesty's son,' On which the Emperor rejoined, I He may well be my son, and yet not tile of Rone-

THE ARISTOCRACY EFFETE. I BY A DISTINGUISHED POLITICAL REFORMER. I Aristocracy is effete. Little wisdom is required to arrive at such a conclusion. The education, habits, and pursuits of the aristocracy are all averse to their acquisition of that practical business knowledge which is essential to the carrying out, with success, of extensive cr com- plicated combinations. As well might men expect to gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles. Hunting, shooting, horse-racing, and gambling are pursuits much more congenial to our lordly and hereditary legislators than the practical business of life, or the government of the country. What man of business in the middle ranks would entrust one of these men with his affairs ? Who would leave one of them his executor or trustee. Yet such is the credulity of the nation, such the lord-loving propensi- ties of the people, that they entrust such men with the management of the affairs of a great nation, suffer them year after year so to misgovern the affairs of an otherwise practical people as to reduce them to the most inextrica- ble confusion, and humiliate the country in the eyes of all Europe. Did high-sounding titles or hereditary distinctions ne- cessarily imply ability, or were it desirable to make the worse appear the better reason, then might some of these men be useful in the administration of public affairs but, as men of business knowledge, as men calculated to meet an emergency, they are not only totally incapable, but have long been an incubus on the social advancement of the people and a check on the productive industry of the country. It is to the assumption of aristocratic power, courtly intrigue, and the apathy and credulity of the people, that we are indebted for our present disasters. These things have at least greatly contributed to that class legislation and incompetency which rule in every depaitment of the State. By the multiplication of offices, the division of departments, and the total want of training of those who are appointed to conduct the public business, all is in utter confusion and embarrassment. Every warning has been disregarded, the reports of committees and com- missions set at nought, and ignorance, self-suiffciency, and obsolete views have been sustained to the ruin of our naval and military establishments. Again and again has it been argued by men of practical experience, that the present organization of the army was fatal to its efficiency that merit rather than money or Court influence was the surest test of fitness that the training of our soldiers was as necessary as the drill; but they would have none of these things. The consolidation of the War Departments so as to render them controlable by one head, seems so reasonable and necessary that it could scarcely be denied but it has been so managed as only to render confusion still more confused. Nor will the sneer avail, that radical economy has been the means of injuring efficiency. It is not by extrava- gance, but by forethought and judicious employment of the means at our disposal, that efficiency is to be obtained. We have allowed these men to squander upwards of fifteen millions per annum on our army, navy, and ordnance-a sum equal to that expended by the greatest military and naval power in the world, and when re- quired for actual service they are utterly incompetent for the purpose. The necessary funds for the conduct of the present war have been freely voted, and the people have evinced no lack of support to carry on the war with vigour and efficiency but doubt, vacillation, incapacity, and want of forethought, have destroyed their fondest hopes. The failure has been complete. The worn-out aristocratic element has exhibited the most disgraceful incompetence recorded in the annals of any country. If we trace the management of the war from the landing of the army at Varna until the present moment, we see only one series of blunders- Our troops were allowed to remain inactive in an un- healthy position until they were decimated by sickness. They were sent to the Crimea by impulse rather than by reason. Something was to be done. Hurried to a country and a climate of which our sage rulers seemed to know nothing, and, as it now appears, without even infor- mation as to the numbers of their enemies-their capa- bility of obtaining reinforcements—or the strength of the fortresses they desired to reduce. The bravery of our troops saved us at the Alma, but only to sink under a more terrible and insidious foe. The most disgraceful want of forethought again left our army without tents, without a change of clothing, exposed to the inclemency of the season with the damp ground for their bed, and the canopy of heaven for their covering. Within 36 hours' sail of their baggage, and the means of transport at command, these brave men were left for weeks and months; hard-worked in the trenches, with no change of clothes, frequently short of food; drenched to the skin by heavy rains; little fuel to cook their scanty meals is it surprising that they succumbed to disease and death in tens of thousands ? The comparative comfort of the French troops is a proof these things might have been avoided. With the most ample supplies of every necessary within six miles of the camp, the roads were suffered to become impassable, and the stores left exposed to the rains, to rot, heaped in piles in one heterogeneous mass. Clothes and provisions, cannon balls and medicines; blankets snd stoves without order, without assortment. Surely, the men who had the control of these things are totally incapable, and should never be trusted again. Well might Lord John Russell say it was heartrending. Well might another Government official exclaim —the whole system is rotten to the core. Truly, it is rotten- rotten to the core. We do not take upon ourselves to say on whom the blame rests, or who are the chief culprits. Some say it is in the system but by whom has the system been introduced and sustained ? But we do say with perfect sincerity that the men who have consented to work such a syste,n have incurred a fearful responsibility, and should never be again intrusted wib power. One question remains. Will the country again suffer another political shuffling of Whigs or Tories-of dukes and earls, of honourable and right-honourable incapables ? Or will it insist that the business of the country shall be conducted by men of business ? There are abundance of such men in the House of Commons—men who have proved by the successful administration of their own affairs their capacity for governing-men who have long i been the pioneers of progress and reform—men whose lives give ample security for their future conduct and ability.-Atlas.

LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH,-Sir B. Hall, M.P. for Marylebone, moved for a return, shortly before Christmas, from all local boards of health of sums of money expended in and about, and preliminary and incidental to, the ap- plication of the Public Health Act, or charged or owing in respect thereof, &c. This return has been made, and was on Saturday published by order of the House of Commons. Taking a few places by way of specimen, it will be found that the preliminary expenses of applying the said act in certain localities was as follows—viz.:—in Durham, E81 Leicester, £ 155; Bristol, £ 2C>9 Cardiff, £ 154; Glocester, £ 188; Chatham, £ 97 Tynemouth, £ 54; Wolverhampton, £ 232; Croydon, £ 119; Ely, £ 99; Carlisle, E208 Chelms- ford, £ 104; Rugby, L105 Mertliyr-Tydvil, £ 230; Sandgate, £ 135; Fareham, £ 107: Southampton, £ 160; Tottenham, £ 66; Worcester, zCI51 Bridgnorth, E25,t Aylesbury, £ 124; York, £ 136; Epsom, £132; Dover, £104; Bangor, £ 1,181. These sums it should be understood, only include the preliminary expenses. In many places the consent of the "General Board of Health has been obtained for the raising of large sums of money on mortgage of the rates, or otherwise, for the purpose of thoroughly carrying out the sanitary improvements considered necessary. These sums vary from Xi,ooo to £ 55,000. The convict question has not yet died out in Australia, and it threatens new irritations. There are about 13,000 convicts in Van Diemen's Land, which it will be recollected, continued to be the depository of convicts from the country after transportation to the other Australian Colonies, except in the North-west, was discontinued. This convict class forms a nuisance and a disgrace to Van Diemen's Land, and a source of alarm to Victoria for the escaped convicts have been the great originators of crime-of the robberies, the burglaries, and murders-in the three chief Australian Colonies. The Van Diemen's Land Legislature has proposed to extinguish the convict class, by merging it in the general body of the community giving absolute pardon in lieu of conditional pardon, setting free those whom the local Go- vernment can recommend, and leaving a small remainder for stricter confinement and surveillance. It is a bold and perhaps not an unwise measure. It creates alarm, however, in V ictoria, whither most of the released convicts would be attracted, and where they would fall into new temptations in the Diggings, in the gambling purlieus of Melbourne, or in the desperado class of "unemployed." Hence a great excitement in the capital of Victoria where the spirit of Judge Lynch is displaying itself. The Government has a gentle plan to keep released convicts under licence and watch but what certificate or police could restrain ten thousand men of the roughest make from the worst school of sturdy malefactors ? The Melbourne men clamour for the disallowance of this mild measure, and the absolute exclusion of the released. Swan River probably offers the only available asylum to such a dose of convictism which ought at least to be a final bonne bouehe for that backward colony. Coining seems now an unpunishable offence. An illustration of the inadequacy of the law is afforded by a case now before the Lambeth Magistrate. Sergeant Quin- near arrested Edward Littleton, at his lodgings, with, pieces of bell-metal, block-tin, twenty-three files of various sizes, shears, scissors, an electrotype machine, and other things used by coiners, in his possession. When arrested, Little- ton openly expressed his wonder that such a smart fellow as Quinnear should take so much trouble for nothing. Quin- near carries him before the Magistrate, and prefers a charge of having coining implements" in his possession expres- sing at the same time a fear that Littleton's sneer was only too well-founded, as none of the above-named articles are mentioned in the act of Pariiament relating to smashers. Mr. Norton-" What not twenty-three files, and some of them with the coining-metal actually on them ? and all the boll and other metal, the electrotyping machine, and other things that can leave no doubt on the mind of any one that the man is a coiner ? Littleton said it was absurd to suppose the articles were intended for coining—no doubt, Mr. Norton himself could find similar things in his own house. Mr. Norton said the act mentioned edging tools" he should take the files to constitute them, and remand the prisoner On a subsequent day, a Mint clerk called and stated that the Solicitor of the Mint did not think there was sufficient evi- dence to warrant a prosecution. Mr. Norton, emphatically condemning the law, again remanded Littleton that the Kttt&eUtitw fiught ftalw further j,¡lc¡ e8.

QUARTERLY RETURN OF MARRIAGES, BIRTHS, AND DEATHS. The general aspect of the returns is unfavourable. The marriages, though above the average, were propor- tionally fewer than the numbers in the corresponding sea- sons of the four previous years. The births are below, the deaths above the average. Cholera, which prevailed epidemically in the summer, when it subsided left the po- pulation unhealthy; and while the country suffered, the towns have experienced an unusually high rate of mor- tality. 38150 marriages were celebrated in the three months that ended on September 30th, 1854; or 76300 persons were married which is at the annual rate of 812 mar- riages to every 100,000 persons in the population. The average of the quarter for the preceding ten years was 802. The marriages delined in every division except the Northern, and in Wales and Monmouthshire in Lan- cashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire the decrease was considerable. 146,459 births were registered in the quarter that ended on December 31st; and the number slightly exceeds the numbers in the corresponding quarter of 1853 but the rate is less than the average in the proportion of 3.111 to 3143 births per cent. per annum on the population. The births that were registered during the year 1854 amount to 634,506, anl exceed by 22,165 the births during the year 1853. The rate of births was 3 408 per cent. which exceeds the aveeage by 0.095, but is less than the rate of 1851 and 1852. The births in the quarter exceed the deaths, and leave a balance of 36,795 in the population but, after substract- ing 20,762 English emigrants, 15,988 remain in excess, to which, however, a certain proportion of Irish and Scot- tish immigrants into England must be added. 52,576 emigrants left the ports of the United Kingdom at which there are Government Emigration officers; including 17,309 English, 3502 Scotch, 21,090 Irish, 1,920 foreign- ers, 8,745 not distinguished. Of the number returned as English, 13,568 were bound for Australia, 67 for the North American Colonies, 3,674 for the United States. The cost of living affects the births, deaths, and mar- riages and how this has varied in the two last years is indicated in the annexed Table. The average price of wheat during the quarter that ended on December 31st, 1854, has been 68s., while in the corresponding quarters it was 40s. 5d. in 1852 and 69s. lOd. in 1853. The price of wheat in two years rose 68 per cent., beef 44 per cent., mutton 14 per cent. Potatoes are fortunately cheaper than they were in 1852, and only two thirds of the price that ruled at the end of 1853. The deaths in the three months October, November, and December amounted to 109,664; and the annual rate of mortality in the quarter was 2 330 per cent., which is -137 above the average, The deaths in the year were 438,239; and the annual rate of mortality was 2 254 per cent., or 0 88 above the average. The mortality in the country districts during the year was l-888 per cent. in 1850, and 2-036 in 1854. The mortality of the town districts, which was 2 288 in 1850, regularly increased, and was 2.816 in 1854. The epi- demic cholera was much more fatal in July, August, and September, 1849, than in the same months of 1854; but, upon the other hand, the towns, in October, November, and December, 1854, experienced a higher rate of mortal. ity than that of the corresponding months in 1849. Never, therefore, was the demand for real sanatory mea- sures more urgent, as eight millions of the population of the country live in towns, and the health and vigour of the children and parents must undergo constant deterioration, from the want of pure water, drainage, cleanliness, house accommodation, and a well-considered medical and sana- tory organisation. Under the Registration Act the deaths of all classes of the population in England are registered, and the deaths that escape are quite insignificant in number, so that vir- tually the families of all the peeple at home have the ad- vantages of registration. A provision also is made for the registration of all deaths at sea, of which information can be formally supplied by the captains and conmanders; but the sea returns have not hitherto come in with any degree of regularity. For the year 1854 the returns of the deaths of only 193 persons have been received, in- cluding 123 seamen in the Royal Navy, belonging chiefly to the Baltic Fleet. No returns of the deaths of seamen in the Black Sea have vet arrived. The Act has made no provision for the registrction of the ofifcers and soldiers of the army who die out of Eng- land so that while the name, rank or profession, place, time, and cause of death of every man, woman, or child that dies at home are preserved in the registers, the names of the men who uphold in arms the cause and the fame of their country abroad find no place in these records. Other- wise every family that has sent forth its sons, and has lust them in the war, would have the satisfaction of know- ing that their names were inscribed in a perpetuai record, whether they died at Varna, perished in Scutari, sank under the waves of the inhospitable sea, or slumber at Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermann, under the earth of the Crimea, consecrated only by their bravery. It would be useful in other respects to have authentic official returns of the deaths and the causes of death in the army as well as in the civil population for it would at the same tltuc Oissipatc the onaggoratlon thAt A 1 wapo attends great losses, and enable the public to see precisely by the diseases and the mortality, the sanatory condition of the army under different circumstances. The army at the census of 1851 consisted of 142,870 officers and men, of whom 66,424 were stationed in the United Kingdom, 2,948 on passage out or home, and 73,498 abroad in the colonies and in the East Indies. The annual mortality of men in civil life at home of the corresponding ages is at the rate of nine in 1,000, but the mortality of the troops at home probably exceeds 15 per 1,000 and the mortality of the troops abroad, and chiefly in the tropical climates, is such that the mortality of the whole army is said to be at the rate of 30 in 1,000 in time of peace. At these rates, 3,290 officers and soldiers die abroad annually, of whom about 2,193 belong to England, whose names, whatever their connexion with property may be, never appear on the English registers. In the time of war the deaths in the army abroad are raised in two ways by the augmentation of the forces, and the increased rate of mortality from wounds and from the diseases that have hitherto been incidental to warfare in the field. Thus the mean strength of the BI itish force, officers and men, in the Peninsula, was 66,372; the deaths during the 41 months that ended May 25th, 1814, were 35,525, of which only 9,948 happened in battle or as the consequences of wounds. 225 per 1,000 of the 61,511 men were, on an average, upon the sick list, and their annual mortality was at the of 161 per 1,000. To the ordinary deaths of officers and soldiers abroad in 1854 must be added the excess of deaths in the war, which have been caused partly by the extension of the same epidemic of cholera that has prevailed in England, and partly by diarrhoea, dysentery, and other diseases that, like cholera, are made fatal by lying on the ground, by the use of impure water, by dirt and damp, by privation, and by substitution of salt pork, rum, and biscuits, for the fresh meat, vegetables, bread, fruit, ale, stout, or wine that officers and men, like the rest of the people, live on at home. 61,000 of the deaths in England during the year 1854 are referable to the imperfect operation of the sanatory organization of our towns. And the same cause, exagger- ated certainly, with the absence of the comforts and necessaries that are supplied at home, has led to the de- plorable destruction of life in the Crimea. The deaths in an average year among 54,000 men in the town and country population of England at the same ages as the men in the army is 486, or nearly 41 monthly and about 972 are constantly sick, All the deaths and sickness in excess of these numbers, except the deaths and wounds from battle, are, like the excess of deaths and sickness in our towns, referable to conditions that, in the present state of engineering, chemical, and medical science, may be removed to a considerable extent in ordinary climates, even in the field and in the presence of the enerty; for the heart of preserving life has, since the Peninsular campaigns, made as much progress as the manufacture of arms, and if skilfully applied, our army will never again endure the mortality from disease that so much impaired its efficiency once in the Peninsula, and again, after the lapse of more than forty years, in the Crimea. The following extracts refer to South Wales:— CARDIFF —Births zoi Deaths JUL. The deaths are much above the average. There were 102 fatal cases of cholera and diarrhcea. Measles and scarlatina have also been prevalent. Of the deaths from cholera 97 occurred from the 30th September to the 14th November, after which the disease suddenly disappeared. MEELTiiyEt TYDFIL Loivei-Births 237 Deaths 286. There were 100 fatal cases of cholera, 11 of diarrhoea, and 32 of scarlatina. Hence the increase in the quarter's mortality. I-IAVERFORDWEs-r.-Births 81 Deaths 82. The deaths have been above the average, in consequence of the pre- valence of cholera. ST. Dt%'ID'S. Birth,; 49; Deaths 67. The deaths above the average, owing to the prevalence of scarlatina. FISHGUARD.—Births 48 Deaths 48. The increase of deaths is due to cholera, 8 from it having occurred in this town, being the only parish in this district where it proved fatal. BRECKNOCK.—Births 57 Deaths 105. The mortality is nearly double the average. This has arisen from a severe visitation of cholera, which raged for some weeks, almost exclusively in a filthy ill-drained locality called Baileyglaes, situated in the parish of St. John. LLANELLY Breconshire.—Births 93 Deaths 89. The deaths are above the average, 38 being cases of scarlatina. That once celebrated hostelry, the Green Man at Barnet, has just been closed. Some idea of the business formerly done at the above posting-house will be conceived when we state that on three successive days in 180S nearly Cl60 was taken for posting and baits in the yard, and on a given day in 1828 fifty-six pairs of horses left the stables. Upwards of 100 stage coaches at that time ran through Barnet, ilnd it is computed that quite a third of them changed horses at the Green Man. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION WITH ROME.—On the 1st Feb. Rome was, for the first time, to enjoy the ad van- tage of direct telegraphic communication with the rest of Europe. On that day the electric telegraph was to be opened with Bologna, and from Bologna to all the great oapitalll.

LIFE ASSURANCE. Life assurance is the only certain means by which per- sons not possessed of accumulated capital can secure their families against future want. Every married man (not possessed of realized property), who does not assure, neglects a domestic duty. It is a political duty, since its general adoption in prac- tice would be good for the commonweal by the destruction of that great political evil, pauperism. To prove this, we need only to refer to poor-law statistics, which show that the grear mass of persons relieved from the rates are, 1st, Widows and young children and 2nd aged persons. If the husbands and fathers of the former had insured their lives, no such utter destitution and degradation could have befallen their offspring and a small periodical contribu- tion from the latter during their jyouth, while the evil days came not," would have provided comfort for their:age in the shape of a deferred annuity. It is a moral duty, because it is an obligation on every person to expose to as few risks as possible the future in- terests of those with whom he has linked himself. The highest morale is that which regards.,in, the highest de- gree the future happiness of others. It is a religious duty, because we are taught; that "He that provideth not for his own, and especially for those of his own household, hath denied thelfaitb, andlia worse than an infidel." To neglect the welfare of those depen- dent upon us is a breach of the commandment, "Tholl shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." and As ye would men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." Life assurance is true charity and St. Paul teaches that this is the foundation of religion, 1 Cor. xiii. St. James also argues that pure religion is this to visit (or assist) the fatherless and widows in their affliction." James i. 67. Pre-eminenily does Life Assurance effectthi", It is a social duty, because uo person has a right to ex- pect society to support or to provide for those for whom he himself could, by a little self-denial, have made a certain provision. Society is justified in casting a re- proach upon the memory of those whose selfishness leaves their widows or children a tax upon charity or legal support. Life Assurance would protect trades- people from bad debts, caused by the death of custo- mers. It is a duty universally practicable, inasmuch as the periodical payments are exceedingly small, compared with the amount insured. There is no one who does not spend something on bad habits or useless luxuries, and who could not spare some trifling contribution to provide against the calamitous effects of his death upon his dependants, or of the infirmities of old age upon him- self. Life assurance, in some form or other is universally ap- plicable it is almost impossible to suppose a case to which some of its adaptations do not apply. The man of moderate income finds in it the only cer- tain means'by which he can insure to his representatives the results of his habitual economy. The rich rnan can find no bettter investment for his capital. The man who wishes to make an appearance" can live up to his in- come without a reproachful conscience after he has paid his premium for a suitable life assurance. The ambitious man can give his heart to his plans, and spend his means upon it, providing a sum at his death for the completion of his wot k, and perhaps the erection of a monument. The proud man can release his mind from the idea of his family being under an obligation to any person hereafter. The splendthrift will find in the habit which life assurance inculates an invaluable check upon his vice, and at the same time a remedy against its effects. The miser may securely hoard for his old age by the purchase of a de- ferred assurance or annuity, and the selfish man will find he can more certainly provide for himself by endowment assurance than by any other plan. The bachelor and the spinster, having no children whose maturity will secure a home for their old age, ought to in- sure a sum payable at a certain age, or an annuity for the latter years of life. Those who have adopted children ought to purchase en- dowments, and parents generally may, by assurance pro- vide for the education, marriage portions, apprentice fees, &c., of their children when they grow up. The possessors of entailed estates can provide, by assurance, for the younger members of their families. The honourable hus- band can, by life assurance, secure the terms of a mar- riage settlement. Creditors can protect themselves against loss by the death of the debtor. The honest borrower can, by life assurance, secure the repayment of a loan in case his trade enterprise should be terminated by death. The holder of a lease dependent upon a life or lives can, by life assurance, provide a fund to meet the fines of re- newal the purchasers of annuities can secure the capi- tal laid out, and all who have pecuniary interest in the continuance of a life may guard their interests against the loss arising from the death of the party. Those who are in health ought to assure, because they know not what a day may bring forth, and their lives may be rendered uninsurable to-morrow by an attack of giddeness, paralysis, fever, &c. Those who are in delicate health ought to assure (even though they pay an extra premium) because (supposing they have dependents) lllCift will 1.. -0" «l< WUCVj vU • J- -;11 fKwO oecure a better prospect of recovery. The minister of religion ought to assure, because his example, as well as his precepts, ought to point to the practice of our duties to each other. As it was within the province of the minister, not many years ago, to preach annual sermons for a sick and burial club, why not in favour of life assurance ? The medical man ought to insure, because he is ex- posed to influences and accidents calculated to endanger his life. Life assurance promotes habits of economy, and it is a good plan for parents to commence insurances for their sons and daughters, expecting them to continue their pre- miums after %vards. -Life Agent's Vade Mecum.

Dancing is very nearly as old as the world, says a French History of Dancing." The Hebrews danced when they emerged from the Red Sea, and about the Golden Calf, which was not their maiden effort. The young maidens of Silo were enjoying the dance in the fields when they were surprised by the youths of the tribe of Benjamin snd carried off by force, according to the counsel of the ancients of Israel-David danced before the Ark-So- crates learned dancing from Aspasia-the soldiers of Crete and of Sparte went dancing to an assault, &c. RAILWAY LAW EXPENSES.—Having glanced at the enormous amount of law expenses" charged to the Lon- don and North Western Company, exceeding one million of money in a few years, we turn to the Great Western Company's accounts, and find (according to the valuable Brougham returns") that that company had charged to their accounts the following sums, up to 1849, in respect of the Great Western proper, the Cheltenham Union, the Berks and Hants, and the Oxford lines, the total sum of E 105,268 for 11 law expenses," and E945,137 under the head of parliamentary expenses." These are indepen- dent of the sums charged on nine other companies' accounts, in alliance with the Great Western Railway. From 1849 to 1853 (four years) the Great Western Rail- way accounts show further payments" amounting to E29,563 for law," and E233,219 for "parliamentary" expenses (which include E156,121 for expenses on the projects of 1845-7, and expenses as to the Rugby, the Windsor, and the Wilts and Weymouth lines united to the Great Western Railway.) These sums make a grand total of payments for law" out of the corporate funds of the Great Western Railway proper of nearly three- quarters of a million, independent also of the costs charged to the other corporate bodies now united to the Great Western Railway, and independent of sums for law charges under the head of management," incorporation, capital, land, &c., not appearing in the printed accounts under the head of law.Nash on Railway Manage- ment. COURTESIES OF WAR IN THE OLDEN Ti)fE.-The officers of the English Guards, when in presence of the enemy, saluted the French by taking off their hats. The Count de Chambaune and Duke de Biron, who were in advance, returned the salute, as did all the officers of the French Guards. Lord Charles Hay, captain of the English Guards, cried, Gentlemen of the French Guards, fire." The Count d'Anteroche, Lieutenant of Grena- diers, replied, in a loud voice, Gentlemen, we never fire first; fire yourselves." The English then commenced a running fire in divisions, so that one battalion made a discharge, afterwards another, during which the first reloaded. Nineteen officers of the Guards fell by the first discharge. Messieurs de Clisson, de Ligney, de la Peyre, and ninety-five soldiers were killed, and two hundred and eighty-five wounded also eleven Swiss officers, and two hundred and nine cf their soldiers, out of which sixty-four died on the spot. Colonel Courteny, his Lieutenant-Colonel, four officer3, and seventy-five sol- diers were killed and fourteen officers and two hundred soldiers dangerously wounded. The first rank being swept away, the three others, finding themselves unsup- ported, ex ept by a regiment of cavalry at a distance, dispersed. The Duke de Grammont, their Colonel and First Lieutenant-General, who might have rallied them, was killed. Monsieur Lattaux, next in rank to the Duke de Grammont, did not reach the spot till they had aban- doned the ground. The English advanced as if performing part of their exercise, the majors levelling the soldiers' muskets with their canes, to make their discharge more sure.- Voltaire's Battle of Fontenoy.

ADVERTISEMENTS AND' ORDERS RECEIVED BY THE FOLLOWING AGENTS :— LONDON: Mr. White, 33 Fleet-Street; Messrs. Newton and Co., Warwick-square; Mr. Deacon, 3, Walbrook, near the Mansion House; W. Dawson and Son, 74, Cannon-Street Mr. C. Mitchell, Red Lion Court, Fleet-street Mr. M. Hammond, 27 Lombard-street, London. THIS PAPElt IS REGULARLY FILED by all the above agents, and also at Peel's-Coffee- House, No. 177, 178, Fleet-Street and Deacon's Cotfee-House, Walbrook. Printed and Published in Red Lion Yard, in the Parish of St. Peter, in the County of the Borough of Carmarthen by the Proprietor, JOSEPH HEGINBOTTOM, of Picton Terrace, in Carmarthen aforesaid. FRIDAY, FSBBVABT 9, 1855.