Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register

COLLIERY EXPLOSION AND LOSS OF NINETEEN LIVES NEAR SWANSEA. t 1 « • n n 1 « 1 A disastrous explosion 0: nredamp occurred at Llansamlet, near Swansea, on Saturday last, by •vhich nineteen men and boys were killed, and five others injured. The explosion t ,o.c place about five o'c.ock, just before the day hanis were leaving the pit. As soon as the sad intelligence wa3 spread, large crowds of persons thronged on the pit ba.nk, an I a most heartrending seme was to be witnessed. No time was lost in orgaiii-ing an exploring band, and up to au early hour on Sunday morning they were engaged in bringing th^ bo li is to the surface. Two medical gentlemen—Drs D ivies and Cook- were in attmdance, and were most prompt in rendering professional aid. The following is a list of the killed :— David B'.iddicombe, aged 27 (married); William F liouiits, 0 Thomas, 2d (married); William Leyshon, 44 (married) Thomas Williams, 27 (married) Tho". J. Williams, 48 (married); Evan R 'es. 23 (inarried) Daniel Evaus, 30 (married) Th nnaa Williams, 18 (single); John Wildams, 22 (single); D. Evans, 17; Edward Rees, 16; William Rfe-3, 14; William Walkins, 1-1; John Leyshon, 14; John Llewellyn. 14; Thomas Phillips, 21: John Fowley, 14; David Thomas, 16; and William Williams, 2ü. A mourn- fnl incident in re-erenee to the last-named man, WiH'am-, is, that ou Sunday he W,LS tj have been married. i iic colliery is the property of Mr C. H. Smith, aud is called the Charles's P,t. The neighbourhood is the more distressed at the catastrophe as such occurrences were before unknown in it; and in this pit, so exempt from gas accumulations was it believed t > be, that the men had always worked by nakel lights. It is thought, therefore, that the explosion cccllrrc I from a large fall," which occa- sioned the escipe of a quantity of gas, and which, being carried on to the naked lights by the current air, ignited. The men had just descended for changing the shift; both sets were, therefore, in the pit at the time of the accident. Tue noise of the explosion was heard for more than a mile. Many of the bo iies were smashed nearly to pieces, while all were fearfully burnt. Mr Mills, the manager, and William Evans, of the Prince of Wales, Morriston, were the iir-t to volunteer to descend th 3 pit. The appearance of the place lighted with torches as the search progessed, and as llie b di,s were carried away, was of a most painful description, torches being carried over the roads and count '.Y towards the homes of the dead and the riving, ulr Wales, the Government inspector, was blcrapheJ for, and arrived on the ground on Sunday. The Western Mail ,ays The scene around the pit ns the remains of the deceased were brought to the sur ace w,ts liearcrendin; Two married sisters were watching the result of the painful proceedings Wita intense anxiety, aad found eventually that each of them had a husband an 1 a son amongst the slain. Mr Smith, the owr.er of the colliery, it is stat d, wa-i at his marine residence, at Tenby, at the time or the accident, and was telegraphed for immediately. Every a-isistanco was rendered by the medical gentlemen of the neighbourhood to the in- jured,"

COUtU NEWS. The Prince of Wale-i has become president of the National Committee for Distributing Aid to the Wounded of ooth France and Prussia. It is pro- posed to send out surgeons and nurses. The Prince of Wales embarked at Grimsby, on Saturday, for Denmark. He will return with the Princess, whose visit to her royal parents has been cut -hort owing to the outbreak of war. The Prince aud Princess of Wales will, according to the Dundee Aduerti.iearrive at Afcergeldie Ua-tle about, the 12th August, and her Majesty about be 17ch or 20oh of the month.

I TRAFFIC ECEIPTS. IS70. (;re?t Western ) ?,528 W?-st MttH?nd. ]??? ?outh W?lea. ) XS4,449 IS70. London and North Western ) illdhd'W Shrewsbury and Hereford i i? iShMpsIUMUMiou .< ^a 395 OAMBIU.VN RAILWAYS. —(17<i miles open)—Traffic for the week ending July 21, 1S70. Passengers, parcels, horses, carriages, dogs, and mails, 1:)153 Os Od mer- chandise, minerals, and cattle, 0s Oil total for the week, ill! 117 Os tkl; aggregate from the 1st inst., 1,1—>. Corresponding week last year (liti miles open) —Passengers, parcels, horses, carriages, (logs, and mails, £ 2008 Us UIl; merchandise, minerals, and cattle t:1151 Os thl total for the week, ,CHI; Os Oil aggregate IUtto,lU,:m!.

BATS B.rs!! BATS at FUA.SKR'S, 42, High-street. u. o:r Wrexham. "1 l..t J' J 903j At the Derby assizes 011 Saturday last, John .Johnson a county police constable, was sentenced to tive years- a COtlll po ce "I t' bt. penal servitude for perjury. With the view of Obtain- ing the conviction of a man charged with fowl .stealing tne constable had falsely sworn before the mag'istrates lie co J f 1. J' that on searching In-. prisoner he found in lis pockets certain articles, the possession of which woll1 have furnished an important link 111 the evidence agamst the alleged thief. ?u..AST. -Ei-s-s Coro.?-GR.?KFL-L ?n COTM*" poKTiMs.-Ihe very agreeable character of this pre^ turn rcu?-rjd it a ??1 ?vouritc. Tle S* ?c<-r<.h? ? (rt?*.? remarks" Bv a thnmitoi. knowledo'e of the natural laws which ?;vv?? m th or.?,<.h '???? t? ? '?1????'M <' f digestion an.I nutrition, and by a c-irefnl °f the iiuc pro?.-ties of weU e ?d ?co ?!?", ?'? provided our hre?f?t tables wit! h i a dCleeUl*ickf+ieli > ?,:??'??" ? beverage which nuv iosiaivie us 111',Xllv lleztvy Male simply with 01' milk. Snld only In  p.ckets, lalH;lle l ~'I ^> l-S El-PS ??' ?" HoinJeoo-pv.iitthln^c Uh?i.ts. London. J. K :md V, other 1 {, lcparations :?e sold ht Wrexham by W. tto?-I?ud, H???tf-CCt. -?(?? H?t C?ch ho.t? is secured by a hand OVei Lha?ork, hp?riu? thf Ki?ti?turc, Jamea Lpp-s and Co., v,iliout Uvite arc ?cuuine. 15?

A FORTNIGHT IN NORTH WALES I>- THE MONTH OF AUGUST, 18G9. rORTilADOC, THE FESTINIOG RAILWAY, PALMER- STON QUARlnES. On Wednesday morning, after a hasty breakfast. I hurrie i oil to the Pant station, where I booked for Portmadoc, en route for Festiniog. It was rather a dull morning, and there fell several showers of rain. The Carnarvonshire Railway joins the Welsh Coast line at Avon Wen, midway between Portmad,)c and Pwllheli. For some distance it runs along the coast, the surrounding scenery being most lovely. The scene is steeped in beauty, and my soul, No longer ling'ring in the shrouds of care, Doth jjreet creation's smile, the trrey clouds roll E'en from the mountain tops, and melt in air. Yr Eifl. or the Sifl Mountains, generally however called The Rival-, are seen here to great advantage, aud are to;) pecuiiar to escape observation. The range includes three conical heights, not differing greatly in their altitude, the middle one being tin- highest, IbSo leet above the level of the ae?. The one on the noith'we&t terminates in an abrupt de,cent into the sea. Leaving the sea (',)a, t in- line runs through a pleasant c .uutry, parsing several populous villages, all of whic.i contained one or more large and handsome chapels. In the earring With myself was an elderly gentleman, to all app"ar- auce a dissenting minister, ami he informed me ili:it these magnificent edifices are to be seen in great numbers in all parts of Carnarvonshire, and that they chielly belong to the C;Llv,ni. c. Methodi-sts. who are very numerous here. At Chiwlog station we showed our tickets, aud in a few tainut. a rived i at Avon Wen Junction-a most desolate plite the-c being hut one or two houses near, RIIL close to the sea side—the shore of the grand Cardigan Bay. The train from Pwllheli was in waiting, and we were so .n off again. We ha i a tine view of The mighty sea, voluminous and vast. The ocean Hewing t'wards the pebbly beach, while on tt,e other side was a pretty country. backed up by ti e "everlasting hills." The first stopping place was Criccieth, a small scattered town, the oniy attraction being the rUill of the castle, which, thuugh small, appears rather formidable from its well-chose-u position on a promontory running out into the ?ea. It is a pron, incut feat iro in tje caust scenery for ninny miles. We pass Pea Morfa and Treaiadoc ou the left at some distance off, and the a reach Portmadoc. Alight ng here, I found that the railway to Festiniog had its terminus at the other side of the town. Tirnlu,- ilito the Sportsman Hotel I enjoyed a second breakrast, the keen sea air having increased i my appetite. According to iny railway guide, which, by the way, was a local one, the train was announced to start for Festiniog at 9.15; so I did n;,t hurry, and sat in conversation at the breakfast table. I tken sauntered slowly through Jhe wide streets of this increasing port. anil reached the station a few minutes past nine o'clock. I waited about until the trau wts due, but there was no sign of it, and I apptar-d to be the only passenger. I suspected there must be something wrong, and on enquiry found that there was, in t that the train started at 8.15, not 9.15 This rather disconcerted my plans; but there was no alternative exc,pt to maxe the I best of ii, and wait for the next train, which left at 10.50. In order to wile away the time, I took a walk along the quay. It is a port of considerable importance, accessible to vessels of :100 tons burthen. Great quantities of slate from the Festiniog quarries, and copper ore from neighbour- ing mines, are exported here. I ascended to the summit of the cliffs, and marvellously beautiful was the se-ue that presented itself. Before me lay the noble expanse of waters, glistening in the sun when that bright orb showed itself from behind the thick dark clouds which hid it from -iht at other time-. On the water were innumerable era-It of every description. Beyon 1, in noble grandeur, stood Harlech Castle, calmly looking over all. Turning round, the scene was equally magnificent and extensive. The Welsh hiils were a noble bak. ground to the scene, towering above all being the great monarch itself—Snowdou—still, however, enveloped in (I was going to say everlasting) Between lay A wild tranquil vale, fringed with forests of green, Where nature had fashioned a soft Sylvan scene. Returning to the station, I found the train ready to start. The reader will doubtless think it an ordinary engine and carriages, and perhaps will be surprised to hear that, this little railway is but two fert wide, and the miniature carriag-e. will hold but three persons on each side, bing drawn by a proportion- ately small engine. The main purpose of the line is to convey slates from the quarries to Portmadoc, but pas.-enger trains now also run up and down. The line is one of the most enterprising conception* of the day, being cut through rocks, and win ling up the side of a steep valley nearly the whole distance—about fourteen mi.es—forming an inclined plane of about one inch in 120. There are two termini—one at Dina^, and the other at Duffws— the ti ains running to each alternately. I he 0112 by which 1 went ran to Dinas, near to the late Lor I P?mer?ton's quarries. Some thue a?o the ?n?t?e'r contained an article, calling attentIOn to thi5 I:ttl" railway, s howing that although it-; construct on was attended with much uifficulcy it had not been a costly one, and further that at the present time it was paying the enormous dividend of 30 per c-,iit.- a sum far in excess of any pad by our great nil- way companies. This the writer attributes to the two- fa. t uage, so thnt we may by and bye see more of these Lilliputian railways constructed in d tferent Darts, Since the above article appeared the railway has been inspected by several eminent per-ons, among the more notable being the tlu-siau Com- mission. who visited this country to report up in the railway system, and it was understood that they were hkhiy pleased with the Festiniog Railway. It was my good fortune to meet with a gentleman in the tra 11 who knew the country wh, *-ii we were about tu inverse, and I was indebted to him for much information. Quitting Portmadoc, we pro- ceeded over the embankment constructed across the mouth (,f the Traeth Mawr, about one mile in length, on which also is an excellent road, forming a communication between th counties of Carnarvon and Merioneth. The view up the Traeth is a one, the rock s and mountains being ot considerable altitude, and grouped together in masses of great Bublimity. Proceeding on through a picturesque and thickly- wooded country we reach Penrhyndeudraeth, and at the end of seven miles arrive at Tauybwlch. Here and for several miles 'urther the scenery is of ttIe mot ez;chitnting, antalmost beyond description. The line, which is a most winding one and has most extraordinary curves, runs at a cm.idr;tb'e elevation above the vale, and commau Is a splendid and romantic view, embracing the panorama of the entire Vale of festiniog, from Blaenyddol (the head of the vale) to the ocean in Cardigan Bay. Tne River D.vyrwd, with its serpentine windings, has a bea-ati ul effect, while the lofty rantre of the Merionethshire mountains forms an admirable background to the ma;nificcnt landscape. Below us, nearly underneath the railway, is Pin Tany- bwlcb, the residence of M;s Oakley, delightfully situated in an extensive plantation. Further on, far beneath, is the village of M•leniwrou. Oa the oppoi-it side of the valley, at a great hei_ ght, we had -,t of the village of Trawsfynydd. Just over Maentwrog the railway takes a tre- mendous sharp turn along the end of the valley, and we can see nearly the whole way we have come. Here the view is equally grand. Looking down towards Portmadoc it is mo.-t exquisite, the woods OIl eitlur siile hanging over the vale, through wl1:ch the Dwyryd winds like a silver thread while opposite are the jagged otiti;ties ot Moeiwyn, and its subordinate heights lighted U,) with every suade of co'our. As the train r,ishe(i alon, t this mnrvell-ais beauty would soon pas- awav from my vision, and I wished for mv m -morv stW>-ov<ic powers ar.ti 'here ca ne to ni, the line or geoJ Bishop Heber, wldeh wiU be tr quoting again and again, until time shad be no longer Oh find, oh good beyond compare. If thus thy meaner works are fair, If thus tliv bounties gild the span Of ruined earth and sinful man How ?.Innous must those m:u> Where thy Kedeemed sh:tU dwell w::h 'f'?? I sho?d bave mention:d that the :TU L?d entirely disappeared, giving way to a brig >t. un- clouded sunshine. We could now see the village of Festiuiog, with its hanrime church, in the distance; and passing through two tunu-ls. one of which was three-quarters of a mile h, soon J v u. ¡J arrive d at the destination—DlHS.^—'Utilir Which i- t! .11 ,.1 the village of Elaenau Fe-t-nio r. As I intended g'dng on to Bettwsyc >e i, I bt. t"Kot ??e to ?o to t"- 'I thavi:!?'. o, Festmio?, but :1 s" ""t the c"ebr;¡t(>\ P.} '1" "l.t c't 'Ie PzLI merston slate oua-ri: s". From l). "t. ho I 1 It.it?on I weut to the C.>ir.morc:al H^j' i fr>.m wil,'ncl'11 h -t t 1 l' whence the co..c h s t a- t d for H..ttw.vco<"? .'? ?u?' ocoel,. It ,.t,.1," 1 < oeloc.c It W!ts no;v twelv. und I ?t o?.? n?k. tTthe ri le6 't, t th a. be,], l'-r'el' o e route. "C' After ascending an eminence comnov- c £ the slate rnbh¡sM, I ei-o-?d an e'??i v,? .?., then scaled the h.J ? a ?,i,? wbiiug- ? .?' ?:re in gooJ order. I ,?i ?,,?.,? at the ?,o' the stem- is converted u.eilble 4(.1 I u.a' U'se tLe word) material. Wh.t '?;? itself her. The shite cuHi^^ h'" means ot machinery moved ?. '??,?? wL:? ?.nt.. .mootb, ..d even theed,s 0fWe blocks   then men split them into fine !I:.oc:: g?t,.? ?-i.:? off the r?uap. Tne ap?Uiinc? at thi= 'ar- ?.??r?4 appearea to be gra:, and 'lot wanting Vf any particular. But th,, ?a. not the ?n? ?'? I had sun to mount hi?h<-r to whe"e ? ?:.?. 5- procured 1 om ¡s mouut?i k.Jm- T?h? ?u"t??--i? .re hewn out of the fac, of the hili, ea^V^e of t:ie i.,ili, P:I, *Ll bc=n=r?i?d ?uc:c-?Iy by m.iu? pliu- Tee scene :n the u??r.uo't i?'.? v.-us ? a T-r ? ?.?,?,. character—aa enormous amphithtatre^ "geaj in every direction by dark-looking holes, into which the tramroad s are carried along ledges. Tho. noise when the blasting is made is something terrific. Descending from this interesting place, it was ) rather peculiar b notice how universal were the 11-e- to which s!a'e was put. It is used for walls and roofs of houses, for noors, for fe7icin r, and num. r us other things. This singularity may be observed in all places in the vicinity of slate i auarri's. Returning to the hefcel I wrote one or two letters, intending to despatch them that day. Oil iuquiriug at the post-office, the maid said, 111 post them for y-.u, sir, to morrow morning if you like." Oh," but," replied I, I want them to reach th,ir-de.tin t- I t t. ""y .J t tion bv that time." au cannot do that, she replied, "as the mail has gone out about two hours (V_ro I" It was then but three O'clock There being still an hour before the eoach started, I took a walk on th other side of the hotel, and suddenly callIe upon a lovely little waterfall lormed hy the Kiver Dwywrd, which is here but an incon- siderable stream. Here I sat down for some time, and I felt so contented that I shouid have been well please i to have remained fOl. llay". There was a fasci- nation about the place almost irresistable. The roar of writer da-hiug from rock to rjck, the occasional iiotter and c y of a passing bird, the bright burn- ing siiii above, find the cool shade of the trees, mxuriaut in foliage, whose pendant bran :hes over- hung th-3 stream gazing at the reflection of their own boauty—-all combined to produce an elasticity of mind and body which they oniy CM-I know who leave the world and its cares behind, and go out to -e-k health and strength ia the grandeur and gioolU the mountain and glen, where Naturitrevealetli the countless glories of her untold wealth to those vho would worship at her shrine. Tune, however, stole on, and I had to retrace my steps to the hotel, where I found the coach, which, however, was an open conveyance, rfiady to start. (To be coniinitv'l

I POLLUTION OF THE PUBLIC MEh/riXGr AT CHESTES. I A public meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration the best method of putting a stop to the pollution of the river Dee and its tributaries was heid in the council chamber of the Town Hall, Chester, on Monday. On the motion of Mr A. Mostyn Owen, hon. see to the R,ver Dee Conservators, the Lord Bishop of Chester was called to the eliair. There were also resent the RJv. Canons Kingsley, Grindrod, Mars- den, Harrison, &e. the Mayor of Chester Messrs Frank Buckland (inspector of fi-heries, aud editor of Lxnd and Water"); E. Peel Bryn-y-pys M rippinsre, Llwynonn Rev. F. G. Brooke CuuiitL, Diubren; Fitz H igh, P a power; Ayrtoll,J. H. Lee le Townsmen 1, Mainwaving, \V. Johnson, \V. Farish, J. Bri icr,iiaii, T. Hughes. J. Ro;ers, &e. Mr %lost% n 0 veii st tted the object o: the meeting, anl saitl that for the past three years a great polla- tion of the Den allci its tributaries ha 1 taken place. It was not likely that any singJe inlividual c mid afford even the trouble or expense to go to I iw w;th the polluters, but combined in an association they could do so. In so:ne of the tributary streams every fish had been destroyed. Mr Ayrton moved "That the pollution of rivers and streams in this kingdom, and particularly that of the Dee and its tributaries, has increased so much of late as seriously to -,tff.-et health a< well as pro- perty." The question was not one of fisheries, nor of sewage, and their business was to ascertain hy what means they could stop the pollution caused by tae refuse from oil manufa .dories, gasworks, mines, and mills. He spoke 0" the wholesale destruction of ii-h ia the Alyn, and the indistinctness of the Salmon Acts in relation to the question. The Rev. Canon Kingslay seconded the motion. The subject was one he had h id to deal with for 20 years past, an 1 therefore, if he expressed himself a li-tle severely and not sanguinely, it was from his long experience of the strength of the empire of the great goddess—Dirt. He saw one elemeut of strength against. dirt at last in that meeting, and that was in there being so many country gentlemen present. It was not a question only for country gentlemen-he was glad to see so many citizms there too- It was a question 'or all, and more for tiie poor than the rich; for the rich cmid escape from it, but the poor must stand by it. The destruction of salmon was one great loss to the country, for whereas the country only received lOd. or lid. for fleshmeat which cost 9d. or 101, the salmon cost nothing to produce. It went to the sea five inches long and came back 9 lbs. weight. It was a question for the p,)or man and his child. He would not there, he ho:¡e i, be called a sentimentalist if he said that someth ng ought to be allowed for the moral influence of pure water besides its mere washing and cleansing propsrcie-. Were there no moral consequeuce-i involved in tnequestioa whether the brook which flowed through the village, or by which the poor mm and his child took their Sunday evening wall;, be, as God made it, a pure running stream, or a fliod of sewage ? It was a poor man's question, and th ,refore he. as a clergyman, supported it. And it was a townsmen's question too. They had proof given of it by tne state of that very water at Chester. Did they suppose that nature when its laws were violated wouli not revenge it-;elf.P To the state of the water must be attributed the cou- tiuuad complaint of what was called the relaxing air of Chester," an 1 the depressing eifeCts of the c inmte of Chester," and so on, which so puzzled him when lie came there, as the city rose above a flat, and 1111.1 a stream of wh >lesoine air brought in, aud another of unwholesome air tik.m ou% Oy the tide. The speaker referred to a blue scum (arising from lead), aud a hasty pudding of ochre which he had seen on the river Alyn. He also spoke t ) the general benelics of pare water to the poor man. The subject was also to be looked at from a fanner's point of v¡e..v. In couclusiun, he hoped th it that meeting would be the means of the subject being taken up in a 11 itionai manner. The moti >n was carried COIL. Mr Frank Buckland said that Canon Kingsley had put a match to the tra n ot puoiio opinion which would not stop in England, but no on to Scotland, Ireland, and the whole of her Majesty's domi"i Ins. tie ha I :atdy return d fro n Scotland, where he had been inspecting those noble sal non rivers, and m instance he had seen a river literally white with salmon smelts wiuch had been destroyed by the refuse of large paper and other manufactories. Up to that time he had never met such an assembly 01 ..eutiein in wishing to take up the subject of stopping t ie pollution of avers as a national matter. A. com- init t-e of the Rausa of Comllnn on the subject; of the fisheries of fchiglan aud VVales thought fit not to take evidence uoon the question of poLutuns, their reilsons being that the Commissioners of Pollutions were about to bring out their report. That report was now printed, an i he would advise them all to read it. The report stated that the commissioners had come to the conclusion that it was impossible to keep rivers clear from the pollu- tions of manufacturers. If they organised th It; movement, he ventured to prophesy that the whole of the 31 sllinou ditricts of England would follow their example, as would alo Scotland, and that cry would get so large that something must be d me for purity of water. In reference to the remarks of Canon K 11,ley as to heahh in connection with pure water, the speaker said tnat when lie was appointed surgeon in the 2nd regiment of Life Guards there was no point to which his attention was so much directed as to the supoly of pure wilter to soldiers, and he was of opinion that to the quality of water at Al lershot and other places many so- called military diseases might ba trace 1. lie also related an aneBdote of the poisoning of a valuable racehorse by water from a metal trough, aft -r which the jorkeys were Jlut all HveJ to let their horses drink from any trough where fish c mid not iive in the water; the life of the fish thus s rving ns a test. Their river Dee was one of the -in-it- J.1, i_4- .1. ie mig" ht almost say i" LILU rivers. What the qu intity of salmon it produced yearly was he could not say, but the Toy, in Se-n- and produced 17,1-100; anl the Sp»y, in Sothmd, ,r,-)(luce i lo,000 he shou.d siy tli-j Dee would pro- duce about halt the average of tho.e two riv-rs. If tile" r.; was no poliution th Dec should equal the The speaker explaiue 1 the organisation of the salmon, and the poisoning of the lisli by means of a deposit from tar and mineral oil, which appa- rently did not mix with the water. He al-o gave in-tances of manufacturers and mine proprietors on both Scotch and English rivers who not only did .,rl i sti %vi-,o o oiily (lid not pour their re!'u>e into the water, but converted it into manures and other uses. In Cdnclllsion he moved the tollowing resolution Ihat .1, SOCICJ be formed to prevent the pollution of the Dee and its tributaries by enforcing the S ilmon 1 isheries Ve- of ISLij and 18(53, and other acts which are or may li-reafter be passed for preserving the purity of the w-iters, and by pressing for more stringent on the subject. Mr Townshend Mamwanng, in seconding the notion, said that their thanks were warmly due to Mr Mo.-tyn Owen for his ettorts in uai- matter. The motion w;? carried unanimous J- T!n- A. Mostyn Owen moved that .ubscr.ption. be 'livit, (I for the purpose of the association, an 1 tlitt a guarantee fund shou d he also formed. In UlOVin th: resolution, he stated that the Marquees of Westminster, S.r Natkin W. Wyini, and L u-d i 'oxuber uere had promised to support the U »sOC. tion by every means in their power. The Mayor of Cnestur seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. Names were taken for the formation of a com- mittee, and the proceedings closed with a vote (jf thanks to the Lord Bishop of Chester, for his c nduet in the chair.

The -vide reputation, and increasing demand for nor- nim:m'? rare Tea (which for the past thirty years has been supplied direct to the consumer, through apilpointpll Audits), has induced some to tit is therefore necessiiry for the pnblie to ol>st*rv* that !1eltJ(;u" packets :ire signed (co Ilorlltlllan Orij'iuol I a'i>:ir(r.r.s of the f'ttrt' J5eing supplied only in packets, uniform xt.r.iljth, delicious flavor, with real cheapness are guarantied. A list of the Local Ani'iitu will be found in our advertising columns.

1- THE WEEK'S HISTORY. JRKSLIMIXAIIY SKIRMISHES.—DESTRUCTION OF KEHL BUIDGE.—ADVANCE OF THE PRUSSIAN TROOPS.—DESTRUCTOIM OF FRENCH RAIL- WAYS,—CAPTURE OF FRENCH CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICERS AND DEFEAT OF THE FRENCH CHAS- BEUHS.—FRENCH VICTORY OVER T112 BAVAR. IANS.—CAPTURE OF A BRITISH OFFCIER.— SAILING OF THE FRENCH ^LEET.—FORTHYING PARIS.—WITHDRAWAL OF FRENCH TROOPS FROM ROUE—DEPARTURE OF THE EMPEROR FOE THE FRONT. On Thursday, the 21st mst. the Prussians seem to have assumed the aggressive. Intelligence from Merzig, a small town on the Prussian side of the Saar, mal.vay between Saarburg aud daare-iouis, states that a recounaisauee in force 011 French ter- ritory was made on that day by several squadrons of Prussian cavalry. A counter reconnaissance ma ie by the French on the previous day is the subject of aoinesvluit contradictary despatches. According to a Cologne telegram, tile ree.)iiuoiti-in., bo,iy-a de- tachment 01 French Chasseurs—was encountered by a troop of Prussian infantry and Ulans of the gar- rison of Saarbruck, wi;h whom ihey exchanged shoos, ultimately reiiriug, witiiout casualty, into French territory. Another telegram, however, d Jed from MerZig, puts a more serious complexion 011 tne case, and asserts that an engagement cook plac.), ill which the French Chasseurs were only repulsed after sus- taining a loss of seven men kiiied and tweuty-tnree wounded. As both accounts come from (ierman sources, it is not easy to explain the discrepancy, but tile fact that Merzig is much nearer to tlu scene of action tiun C l )gue, r.itaer favours the graver version ot the ericuu uter, whieh ia tht: correct account tag not yet been cleared up. The destruction of the abutment on the Baden shore of the noble rtiLvay bridge formerly connect- ing Strasburg au-.i Ke Ii, however m ikes ,t tolerably evident that the Prussians do not contemplate tak- ing the initiative ou toat side o: the theatre of war. Tue bridge, h-<.viug been mined some few days pre- viously, was b owu up in the small hours of Fr:doy morning. The explosion, we are told was terrific, destroying the bridge turrets, and hurling tue debris to the opposite side of the rivei-, which is here of considerable widoh. Ou a former occasion, when this precautionary step was in contemplation by the Prussian authorities, the fate of the bridge was averted for a time by the vigour of the Command- ant of Strasburg, who ueclare I that while lie would uot interfere with the swinging back of tne move- able piJrtiolJ of the bridge, tie w rnld reduce Kehl to ashes, by opening fire iruin the Strasburg citadel widl his rifle gan-i, should the Germans presume to destroy an international work. If the t ireat has not yet been carried out, we are not to suppose that the intention is abandoned. Whilss ttius pursuing tne defensive oil the Ba 1,"11 frontier, Prussia shows a disposition to force tne fighting on the side of her own territory. According to a telegram from For- bach, dated Sunday, the Prussian troops had ad- vanced on the previous day as f.tr as Carhcg, but were attacked and repulsed by t ie French foot chas- seurs. Then, oy way of returning the compliment, the Jb reneli mounted chasseurs made a reconnais- sance on the Prussian territory. As a result, pro- bably, of that expedition, we are informed that the Prussians appear to be assuming the offensive. On Sunday,always a favourite day for hostile engage- ments—tue Prussians achieved two or three slight successes on their accustomed hunting ground—the line of country facing the Siiar-whicli may be fairly balanced against the French victory on the previous day. Ou the one side, they sent a detachment of Lancers to interrupt the Freuch railway communi- cation on the side of Sarreguemines, a ulazitt- facturing town facing the Bavarian frontier. On tue otuer, they made an attack upon the French division quartered as Forbach, the French frontier towu, waich h ta already been the scene of several skirmish ;s. In both operations they claim to have been successful. Tne kliCers, thirty in number, crossed the frontier, and blew up the sole viaduct between Sarregueinine and Hagenau, the junction station on the Franco-Davarian line, thus cutting off direct railway communication between Strasburg ;tnd the Sa;ir iroutier. l'he other operation, though equally successful, was not so easy of execution, or so bloodless. Tue Prussians came into collision with the enemy a; a place described in the telegram as Gristveilier-Esellweiler is probably intended—and a skirmish took place, which ended in the repulse of tae French troops with a loss of ten men. Tuere Wis no loss, we are told, on the Prussian side, a cir- cumstance waicii would seem to in licate that the French were taken by surprise. The Prussian soldiers assert that the needle-guu p-oved fully e,jua, to the Chassepot in '-his affair, but it will need inorl, th In one trial to establish that iaet to the satisfaction of the military world. On the same day as that signalised by the foregoing exploits the French Custom-house officers, stationed opposite tiaarlouis, tired upon a Prussian cavalry patrol, and wounded two horses but h -avy vengeauci for this slight injury appears to h lve been exacted by th Prussian lirantry, who captured the Custom house dot ^chreckiingeu, together with tiie treasury, killing or takiug prisoners the Customs' officers. On the Prussian side the only loss sustained in this exploit, was one ulii -or wounded. As Sunday's engagements rested with the Prus- sians, the pendulum of success swung back to the side of the French en Monday, who claim the supe- riori y 111 a skirmish with a reconnoitring par-y 0" tiavariaus. The scene of th > euejamsr was the country before Xiederbroan, a little French frontier town noted for it j mineral springs and ironworks, wh.ch ties midway between B:LC ie and Hageuau j aud Dhe result was the repuise of th Bavarians, with a loss of three officers—v,z., one killed and two caotured. Among the Bavarian prisoners, we are told, was an English oilicur, but it i, believed he vvas not there iu a military capacity. Against the ab ¡ve misadventure, the Prussians set off a success which they achieved on the same nay in a slight encounter at another part of the frontier. Some French infantry, who hal made an iucurai 111 into (ierman territory, were encountered at IL..eiiih-,ita Bridge by a bony of Prussian Uhains, pioneers, aud ibvariaa ch isseurs. The result was that the French were repulsed, leaving one man dead upon the field. Oil the (ierman side the only loss sustained was two pioneers grounded. From Prussian sources, also, we h ive intelligence of a French movement, which amounts to au iiivasiou- peaceful it is trlle-Jt neutral territory. Ou vV ednesday afternoon, we are told, a body of more than 100 soldiers from the Freacu camp at Sierck, a fortified town at the western extremity of tile troll tier, cros-ed into Luxembourg to the village of Scheugen, where they remained singiug the Mar- seillaise." in the absence of furcliet-deails it is. of course, impossible to de ermine the nature or object of tais musical movement, but it will probably turn out to be nithing more than a clandestine visit of soldiersoff duty to a village ale- h .ue. The horses and camp equipage of the E aperor of the French, we are informed, were despatched on Monday evening to Metz, from which it would seem that a c :ang • has been made in the Imperial h jadquarters, which were previously fixe,l a.t Nancy. From Paris we learn that the Govern- ment have decided to raise an American corps of 500 meu under French command—a step wh eh would seem to indicate, at ail events, that the subjects of the United S?ates re?td 'ne m Fcauce do not snare the alleged Prussian sympathies of their Governments. The French Government have resolved on the withdrawal of their troops from Home, 0.1 the plea thai all their forces will be needed for the war. Túe Italian ioverument, it is represented, have undertaken to insure the respect of the Pontifical frontier. Intelligence from Paris on Sunday says the Ein- peror's departure for tile seat of war is again post- poned. S vera! journals state that his iM i jesty will not leave Paris until rhe middle of this week. S -ven generals commanding in various arms of the service have been appointed as the Emperor's aides-de- camp. The Prince Imperial will have two aide-de- camps. Marshal MacMahon arrived at Strasburg nn Saturday evening. The correspondent s of the French pres-I generally concur in rt-pres,ntiii,, th- Prussiai s as making a retrograde movement, and manifest ng an intention to await the French at- tack. L ite.t a tvices state that the French base of operations extends from Strasburg to Thoin- ville, th" centre being established at Birtscho and St. AvoId, with a second line at Metz, capable of ex tension to the ceutre aud to Thoiuviile. All the headquarters of the various army corps are estab- lished in fortified plaies. Admiral Bouet VVillaumpz assumed command of the Northern squadron at Cherbourg, and hoisted his flag on boa d the Surveillaute. oisuellavery brief but stirring addrc ses to the sailors of the fl L, t. The Empress inspected the fleet Saturday uiid was enthusiastically received. On Tuesday the fleet set sail for the Baltic "nd we may shortly have terrib->le tidings o: its whereabouts from the north cr nst 0< Germany. Marshal Bar-iguay d' Hilicrs has assumed the command of tee army of Paris. Preparations will be commenced vry snortly for placing the fortifica- tions of Pitris in a priper state of defence. The agriculturists of the district-; of the Upper Rhine htWCil B lfort, St. Louis, and St. LDUIS and St. Stullingur: have becu requested to get in their crops as 3peodilf as po.-sihle. E;ch French regiment is now provided u itli 330,00>J cartridges. The Steele demands the immediate re organisation of the Na- tional Guard throughout France as a wise and ne. ce-spry incisure. The .jottrjzat Official publishes the decree enjoin in- commander/ to scrupulously observe towards neutral pow the rules ?? tuternahou?l la? laid down in 1856. i???ror left St Cloud on Thursday moniu- to t?e comm:.nl of the army of the Rhine, ?nd it '? is said th?t he w1l! at once open the campa-n. On the other h?nd. it, is a?t?d that the PrJ?ns ?e concentrating their forces under i Prince Frederick Charles oil the Frech frontier between Treves and Monz Dgcii, and that they con. template a sudden advance into French territory. According to the Paris correspondent of the Times the campaign will begin almost immediately after the Emperor's arrival at Metz. The writer puts down the strength of the two armies on the frontier at 350,OGO French, and 400,000 Germans. ————— —————

THE POLITICAL WAR. Though news of actual hostilities has been very scarce, there has becu no lack of war incidents and intelligence, both military and political. Under the latter head must be classed the newly published circular addressed by the French Government to its representatives abroad, explanatory and justificatory of its conduct over the Hohensollern difficulty. One of the gravest charges made against France in this unhappy business has been that in calling upon Prussia for assurance that the candidature of the Prince of Hohenz diorn for the throne of Spain would not at any future time be renewed, she passed the limits of international courtesy, an i wantonly insulted I he dignity of Prussia. If we may credit the manifesto, issued by Franca 011 Friday, that seemingly wanton demlnll was not altogether superfluous. In view of this very difficulty, the French Government, it seems, lial informed the Prussian cabinet as lately as la-t year taao it Cjuld uot tolerate a Prussian Prince oi the throne of Spain. Count Bismarck, we are told, assured M. Beaedetti that France hid no reason for such an apprehension, and the Prussian Under- secretary of Foreign Affairs, Her von f hile, gave his word of honour that the Princa of Kohenz tliet-M was not, and eou',ln,)t become, a serious candidate for the throne of Spain. Seeing that in spite of such official pledges, the candidature of the. Prince was afterwards sanctioned by tae King of Prussia, Franco certainly had some grounds, on the with- drawal of those pretensions on her remonstrance, Jor ifisistilig that the renunciation should be final and serioas. This circular has elicited a prompt, if Hot very candid or conclusive, rt-joinder from the Prussian Ministry. In reply to the charges of breaeh of faioh mate a-Iai(ist tile Prussian Government, Count Bismarck and Her vor-i Thfe limit themselves to declaring that no word on the subject had passed between them and M. Benedetti, since they wcr j first aware of the fact that me offer of the Spanish crown had been made to Prince Hohenzollern" a declaration w,.iici simply evades the real point at issue. The French circular manifestly refers to a period anterior to the Prince's candidature, which was then discussed by ill. Benedetti ouly as a possible eventuality, and it would have been more creditable to the ministers concerned frankly to admit the Freneh complaint, if true, for Willtt it is worth, rather than attempt in this manner to throw du-t in the eyes of on- lookers by the solemn denial of a charge wLich has not been made. Eveu as it stands, this quasi-denial is already challenged. La Presse of Mouday flatly contra licts it, and. states that when provisionally Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. RouRcr sent a despatch to Berlin declaring that France would never couseut to the accession of a Prince of Hohen- zollern to the Spanish throae.- The text of the French declaration of war throws no new light on the quarrel. As a Prussian Roland probably for the trench Oliver, represented by the Due de Gramoiit's re- markable circular, the Times of Monday was per- mitted to publish the text of an equally sensational document, in the shape of a pvojet de traite, or scaeme of allialice for mutual aggrandisement, said to have been secretly proposed by France to Prussia, at some date subsequent to the memorable Prusso-Austrian campaign. A translation of this startling project" will be found in another column, from which it will be seen that in effect France proposed to guarantee to Prussia the posses- sion of the conquests made by her in the Bohemian campaign, and to make no opposition to a federal union between the North German Confederation and the South German States, if, on the othe.' hand, Prussia would negotiate for the sale of Luxembourg to France, an l help her, should the occasion arise, to annex Belgium. It is, in fact, a proposal for an alliance, offensive and defensive, between ttie two strongest powers in Europe, for tile prosecution of their own selfish ends, in defiance of the rights and wishes of the world. At first -i-lit, and in spite of the asseverations of its journalistic sponsors, many persons were disposed to set down toe document thus mysteriously given to the world as a hoax. We must accept its genuine- ness not merely Oil the assurance of the Times, or on the faith of internal evidence, but because of the perfect accordance of the deed with the acknowledged designs of France at Lhe time of the Luxembourg difficulty, and with the personal senti- ments avowed wituin the la^t few days by the Mmperor himself. In fact, the proposed cession to France by Holland of the duchy in question, and the objection of Prussia to that project, constituted the entire "ddBclllty" which the great power:; were called upon to solv-e, by the formal neutralisation of the disputes territory, in 1867. If a matter so notorious could be so soon forgotten, the Emperor himself would not leave it in oblivion. Only as lately as Thursday la-t, in tlw course of a conversa- tion with a correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, and which was avowedly intended to reach the English public, the Emperor thus described his negotiations with M. de Bismarck I told him that, as some slight return for my friendly in. activity, I thought that he might surrender Luxem- bourg, and one or two other litde towns which gravely menace our frontier, to France. I added that in this w:Ly he would, by a trifLag sacrifice, easily forgotten by Prussia in view of her enormous successes and acq lisitious, pacify the French nation, whose jealousies it was so easy to arouse, so difficult to disarm." Thus, the only new feature oi tne business brought to light by the publication of the treaty, is the designs of France upon Belgium, which, though freely attributed to the Emperor, at the time ot the negotiations has never before been established on documentary evidence. The Times which tells us so little else in connection with this mysterious document, tells us emphatically enougt1 that it was rejected by Prussia. De Bismarck's reply inde;d has become historical-" Not. one foot of territory, whether Prussian or neutral, can I resign." But the Times due, not tell us whit the French Emperor adds as to the final cause of that rejection. It was not, assuredly, tnat Prussia, the annexer of Schleswig-Holstei^, of Hanover, of Saxony, and o so many other previously independent St ites, had any insurmountable conscientious scruples agiinst annexation; but she was not disposed to see France enriched without some substantial equivalent to herself. If France would only allow Prussia to absorb Holland, then Bismarck wo ill have no objection t) the cessation of Luxem- bourg to Franc. I replied," said the Emperor, that if he attempted to take Holland, it meant war with France," and there the conversation ended. The foregoing view of its substantial genuineness is abundantly confirmed by ttie evidence of both tke governments implicated. Iu the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Gladstone stated that according to a telegram from Lord Loftus, the British ambassador at Berlin, the Prussian Govern- ment acknowledged tha.t they held the minute of the proposed treaty, and that it was iu the hand- writing of the French ambassador, M. Benedetti. A somewhat different complexion, however, was subsequently put upon the case by Lord Granville, wno stated in tne Upper House that the French ambassador, M. de Lavalette, had that afternoon informed him that although it was true the draft treaty had been the subject of some conversation between Count Bismarck a.ud M. Benedetti, it was originated not by the latter, but by the former. M. de Lavalette added that the scheme never had any serious basis, aud had been rejected by both parties, concluding with some a.s.surance.s of the Emperor's unfaltering respect tor the independence of Belgium. At first sight these two very positive and seemingly contradictory statements must appear irreconcilable, tile balance of evidence bemg against France. If iiism .relt originated the proposal, how comes the draught to be in the handwriting of Benedetti? We cannot, of course, pretpnd to determine the truth of tne matter with jut further light, but we can quite conceive the literal accuracy or both state. ments. Bismarck may h ive originated the proposal, as stated by M. de Lavalette, and Benedetti may have formulated it, or even cophd the minute of the Prussian minister at the req iest of the latter for submission to the King. That would quite explain the apparently contradictory statements of the two Governments, without wholly exonerating either. In any ease it is inconceivable that an educated Frenchman like M. Benedetti should have druug it d so faulty and clumsy a document, though in execut iug a politeness might prevent his correcting the grammatical errors of another. In respect to a previous controversy that, as to the alleged violation of assurances given by MM. de Bismarck an von Thile to M. Benodatti, that the candid iture of the Hohenzollern Prince f"r the throne of Spain was impossible, and would not be sanctioned by Prussia, the drift ef the evidence is going strongly against that Government. Accord ing to a fresh despatch by t,ic Due de Grauiout, oubli-hed in the Official Journal of Tuesday, the declaration of the Prussian cabinet that the Hohen- zoilern candidature was never treated on with M. Benedetti since they became aware of the candida- ture, is declared ambiguous. li It, is true as regards t'le period state,1, but false as regards anterior uf-g ,tiotions," and therefore misleading. In proof of this the D"c de Gr.uuont cites a despatch, dated 31st March, 1S69, ad-iresie I by M. BeBedetti to M. do Lavalette, giving an account of an interview he had with Herr von Tuile, in which, in reply to the entreaties of the former, Herr von Thile declared there was not, and could not b^, any question of the candidature of the Priuce of Hohenzollern for tb, crown of Spain. Against this documentary proof, the equivocal denial of MM. de Bismarck and Von lhile is not likely to have much weight with tin- prej ndiced observers, an I the general verdict will be that the urgency of Fi ance for assurances that the Prince's candidature should not at any future time be renewed, was quite justified by previous ex- perience of Prussian promises iu the same unhappy business.

THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH ON THE WAR. In reply to an address from the Legislatif body on Friday afternoon, the Emperor said I experience the most lively satisfaction 011 the eve of my depar- ture for the army at being able to thank you for the p itriotic support which you have given my Govern- ment. A war is right wheu it is waged with the assent of the country and the approval of the country a rep veqentativeq. You are right to remem- ber the words of Montesquieu, that the real author of war is not he by whom it is declared, but he who renders it necessary. We have done all in our power to avert the war, and I may say that is the whole nation that has by its irresistable impulse dictated our decisions. I confide to you the Empress, who will clil you round her if circum- stances should require it. She will know how to fuilil courageously the duty which her position im. poses ou her. I take my sou With me in tha midst of the army, he will learn to terve his country. llesolved energetically to pursue the great mission which has b-en entrusted to I", I have faith in the success of our urtns, 101. I know that behind tilC Fiance has risen to her feet and that God protects her. The Emperor has also a Idresse l a proclamation to tue French people, iu which ne says that since 1800 France has been very cOlleiliaor,) towartJS Prussia, bitu that Power has taken lit) heed of this moderation. Prussia has, mo-ever, aroused mistrust everywhere, and c.inverted Europe into a camp. In the last incid uit which hus arisen France was treated coutcmptoudy oy her, atid iiaiaediaioly re- sented this, and ra sad a cry lor war. The E.uperor says that he does not make war 0" Germany, for he respects its independence, alld wishes its people to dispose freely of their de-tinies but he requires the establishment of a. state of ztfftlrs which tililtli guarantee the present un future security 01 France, file flag Lie unfurls represents the civilising ideas auti principles of the great Revolution. In conclu- sion, he announces that he takes with him his son, although young, and that the Priueo knows the duties his u iiuj imposes upon him, ati 1 is proud to share the dangers of those who fight for the country.

THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND I NEUTRALS. The French Ambassador in London has sent a communication to Lord Granville, stating that the fjuiperor Napoleon h;t3 given orders to his Com- manders by land and sea to observe towards neutrals Poweis the principles laid down in tbe Declaration of the Congress of Paris of 185t), which are as ioilows:—1st. Privateering b abolished. 2nd. A neutral flag covers enemy's merchandise, except contraband of war. 3rd. Merchandise of neutrals, except contraband of war, sailing under an enemy' a fkg, is not seizable. 4 Blockades to be biudiug must be iff JCn il L'he significance of the assurance, however, is a good deal qualifie-i by a telegram from the British Ambassador at Paris, to Lhe effect that the French Government cannot ex- teud to enemy's vessels with neutral cargoes the privilege grauted to enemy's vessels with French cargoes. It is officially announced that the French Govern- ment being desirious of lessening, as far as possible, the disturbance of busiuess aud private correspon- dence, has resolved to allow the unrestricted trans- mission of international telegraphic advices pro- vided only that they shall not be expressed in a secret language. The announcement says :—" The Prussian Government has nut shown tne same re- gard for private interests as has been done by this Government, since after cutting the diiect lines of communication between FrAnee and Prussia it now absolutely interdicts all telegraphic communication between the Empire and North Germany. The French Government have notified that they will not regard coal as contraband of war. Tais announcement will be received with great satisfac- tion by the coal owners of North Suields and South Wales.

THE Ki-,ic. OF Btinixiaji ANO MIS PLATE.— Providing against any contingency, the King of the Belgians has forwarded all the more valuable of his plate to England. It was brought over to Dover in the Belgian mail packet, aud was at once forwarded to Loudon, wnere it will be deposited in a place of safety.—Dover Chronicle. METZ.—Metz is a sort of French Woolwich; it has a school of practical artillery, aud a large powder factory, and, though not to be classified as a fottress of the first rank, derives importance in a defensive point of view, from the fact that t ie fos,e surrounding its ramparts can be artificially laid under w.tter.-Stanclai-d Correspondent. WHO GAVE THE SIGNAL FOR WAS.—In the King of Prussia's reply to the Hamburg address, as reportell by a Belgian paper, be following words occir:—"No one better than myse.f, who had to pronounee the decisive words, knows what sacrifices the whole German country must expect." This is a pretty plain admission tliat it is he who gave the sigual for war, and the French press -may be expec- ted to make much of it.—Times Paris Correspon- /7 "11 f A CORRESPONDENT'S EXPERIENCE.—One of the correspondents of the Rappni relates his mis- fortunes, and his ctse may be taken as a sample. He arrived at a small village, near Thion- ville, and entered a modest little inu, whose land- lord see me I the very embodiment of good nature and houesty. Having ordered his dinner, he sat down to study his map, and arrange future plans. The omelette was brought in and disposed of, an 1 a beefsteak followed; but our correspondent had barely eaten half of it, when he was aroused from his repast by a confused noise of voices outside. On going to the window, he was greeted with shouts ofSpy Traitor Down with the Prussian and at the same moment the Mayor, or some other functionary, attended by two gendarmes, entered the room and made him prisoner. He was marched off to the lock-up, where he was accused by the landlord of the inn of being a suspected spy. It was in vain th it he produced papers proving his identity —nobody would believe hiui, and there is no telling how long he would have remained in the hands of local bumbledom had not a well-know.1 person, accidentally on the spot, come forward aud recog- nised him. If such a thing takes plice with a Frenchman, I leave you to judge what treatment foreigners are likely to meet w.tii. I saw a letter from Metz t j-day, in wh c i the writer describes the arrest of two English officers, wila obtained their release only after great difficulty, aud a promise to return to Paris iinme-iiately. ARREST OF ENGLISHMEN-CAPTAIN DASH- WOOD'S STORY (From the Globe) :—Foe the last week I have been travelling on the frontier, be- ween strasDourg arid Aletz, 111 company with a gentleman holding a commission in the militia, and late of the 11th Hussars. We were both furnished with passports, our commissions, and other papers, to prove our identity. Until we arrived at Mtz all went pretty smoothly but there our troubles com- menced. On Wednesday evening, my companion and myself were sitting in a cafe, innocently enjoy- ing a petit verre aud cafe noir, when, as ill-luck would have it, we had the temerity to address a lew words to a Frencu soldier, who was sitting at the next table to us. I believe we asked him when he expected to go to the front, and one or two similar questions, which he answered very civilly. Soon afterwards we left the cafe, and were about half-way on the road to our hotel, when we were su Id mly seized by two monchards and three men in plain clothes, whom I observed iii the cafe. They accused us of being Prussian spies, and marched us off to the Town Guard. We at first rather enjoyed the novelty of the thing, thinking, of course, that as we had our papers ou us, we should be at once set free 011 inquiries being m.-A,de. On arrivitt at thi guard- house we were marched before the officers of the KU a* i, our persons were searched, and all papers taken from us. The evidence of the witnesses (six) was then taken, and together with our passports and papers was sent to the con tnandant of the town. a delay of twenty minutes, an answer came that we were to be locked up in the guard house cells until the morning, wiien the command- ant would see us. The young ollicer of the guard, who hell Lved most politely throughout, seeing who we were, at once declared thut he would not allow the indignity of our being confined all night in a room filled with drunken oldlPrs nnrl deserters, and told the police in whose custody we were that he would be answerable for us, and that we could stay iu his room until the morning, U on this the poiice left us and went to the hotel to search our luggage. When they arrived there they inquired of the latid. lord whether he had any friend s there. Unluckily tor the Times' correspondent, the landlord recollec- ted that he had been seen wiih us in the afternoon, 80 he was immediately arrested, and, to his intense astonishment, marched off a prisoner to t'le gliard- h >uss. His face 0: utter bewilderment when he saw US also prisoner1! I shall never forget. However, thauks to our kind gaoler, we managed to get through the night pretty well. At seven o'clock we ivtre roused by the police, a:.t- ttu.eu before the :onmandaut of the town aud two ot!ier officers. Although I am certain that they knew perfectly well that there was no foundation for the accusation against us, they behaved 1ll the most discourteous way, compelling us to translate into French all the private letters that they found on us, and behaving throughout in a way that no English oXicer would behave to a desurter that he was trying by Court- martial. At last, our papers were re uctantty re- turned to us, as nothing coul i be found that was not perfectly en regie. No apoh gy was made for our treatment, and my companion and I were toid that we should be conducted to the frontier by the first train, which order we succeeded in modltyintr by promising to go to Paris at once. The 1 imeb correspondent, who was treated equ illy as rudely as we were, was a llowed to remain in Metz, as least he was not ordered away at once, as we were. In con- clusion, I wish to say that I do not complain of being arre-ted by mistake, as in time of war one must take one's chance of such contretemps but I do com- plain of the outrage to which we were subjected by the military authorities of Metz. I remain, your 1 obedient servant, C. F. DASHWOOD, late Captain Dlit Hig landers, Pans, July 22.

THE BELLIGERENTS AND OTHER POWEKS. The belligerents have officially notified to the Swiss Federal Council their resolution to recognise the engagements undertaken by the Gei.eva Con- venfion of 18G4, as to the neutralisation of am- bulances. Austria is evidently bent for the present, at least, on preserving a strict neutrality, if we may judge by her proclamation prohibiting tLe export or transit of arms and aminuniuou across the frontiers of the Austro-Hunirarian monarchy. As the probabilit es of the withdrawal of the French troops from Rom-3, as the price of the alliance or hieudlyneutrai'ty of Italy hive been discussed in various quarters,it may be instructive to quote various qu:t.rt<r?,it m:).y be instructive to quote here, for what it is worth, a r.?her ?t?rt!mg state- ment contained this week in the Rmnnn cmTPS. poxiil, neo of the Tablet. It is to the effect that the Roman Government has received intelligence from the Cabinet of Berlin that, in the event of the with. drawal of the Ficnch troops from Rome, Prussia would be willing to send a corps crpetl,iHonn<ire of German Cttholcs to occupy the points now (11, fended by the Fi.,mch. Whilst Italy declares her resolution to preserve a friendly i»<-utra!it-; to- wards France during the war. and to l«t the Roman question for tne present remain in abeyance, J Garibaldi is said to have thrown his weight into: h'1 oppo.-ite scale, and to have offered Prussia a volunteer leg-on, llJlILr his c eu'i-a d. Even the United States appears to be deeply st.rred by the war. The President avails himself or the news to urge upon Congress, in his message, the importance Of immediately extext,iiii- th,ir corunii rem! miniue by the purchase of vessels of t'oieign construction, in order to avoid the injury and which may result from the employment of belli- gerent ships. Considerable disappointment seem to have beeii can-e-l to the Geranui residents in the S ates by the public at 0:1 of a misleading telegram which announced, contrary to fact, that th" Prussian Government w. re prepared to pay the expenses of German volunteers desirous ot letum- ing home to serve in the war. Another political manifesto calling for notice is the Russian declaration of neutia'ity, which is by 110 means so posiiive as could be d-'sired hy the lovirs of peace The Czar :s resolved ti-, observe neutrality only "so long as Russian iiiterests are not affect-d by the eventualities 0; the campaign"—a parage susceptible of very wide interpretation.

THE PROJECTED TREATY. The M!owi-ig is a copy of the "project a e traite." which appeared in the Timc.i in the oric:illal I 'Icnch, and which has created so much excitement. That jourii. states that it \?a< !?om,? tune since offereu to Prussia by France, and was agiin sub- mitted during the late negotiations — His M ije.-ty the King of Prus-ia and his 1\Ja.- jesty the Emperor of the French, deeming it useful to draw closer the bonds of friendship which unite them, and to consolidate the relations of good lel- lows jio (bon voisinogej happily existing between the tuo countries, and being convince I on the other hand that to attain th-s result, which is cal- culated besides to assure the maintenance of the general neaco, it behoves them TO c )tiie to an un- derstanding on questions which concern their future relations, have resolved to concl-ide a treaty to this etfect, and named in consequence as their plenipotentiaries the following:- I. These having exchanged their full powers, found to be in good and proper form, are agreed on the following articles I. Art. 1. His Majesty the Emperor of the French admits and recognises theacqu sitions which Prussia has mad e as the result of the last war which she sustained against Austria and her allies. Art. 2. His Majesty the King of Prussia promises to facilrt Lte the acquisition of Luxem- bourg by France to that effect his aforesaid Majesty will enter into negotiations with his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, to induce him to cede to the Emperor of the French his sovereign rights over this duchy, in return for such compen- sation as shall be deemed sufficient or otherwise. On his part the Emperor of the Ft each engages to bear the pecuniary charges which this transaction may occasion. 11 I T ..1 «r-i n • ■» Arto. His 21aj 'sty tae Eiiiperor ot tne r-rencii will net oppose a ft-deril union of the Confederation of the Nurth with the S mthern Stat-s of Germany, with the excaption of Austria, which union may be based 011 a cornmCIIl Parliament, provided the sovereignty of the said States is duly respected. Art 4. Oa his part his Maje-ty the King of Prussia, in c,-t.;e his Majesty the E rip'-ror of the French should be obliged by circumstances to cause his troops to enter Belgium or to conquer her, will accord the su ;eour of his arms to France, and will sustain her with all his forces of land and sea nga'nst every Power which, in that eventuality, shall declare war u )on her. Art. 5. To ensure the complete execution of the above arrangements, his Majesty the King of Prussia and his Maje-tv the E uperor of the French contract, by the pie-ent treaty, an alliance offensive and defensive, whic i they solemnly engage to maintain. Their Maje-tie-. undertake be3rond i his, aud specially, to observe it in every case wh -re their respective States, of which they mutually guarantee the integrity, shall be menaced by aggression, holding thems-lvis bound in such a c mjuncture, to make without delay and not to decil1e 0:1 any pretext, the military arrangements which may be demanded by their c umnoa interest con'oriuably to the clau-ej and nr -vi-ioua above set forth."

A CXUEL Ext'isiiiiiii.'II'.—nspatch frcm C.irlsrulie says a. war eugi ie, said to be much more ■ .estructive tiian the mitr^itllev.*e, has been tried just now in the Biack Forest, in a large space Iiied with Prussian soldiers. A RELIGIOUS VIEW OF THE WAr.I-lr R. N. Fowler, M.P., was iu the chiir at a meeting held ou rue-day night iu the Hanover-square Rooms, London, the object of which was to rai-e XTOOO to prosecute peoole who break the Sundiy Trading Act of Charles II. Remarking that in Roman Catholic countries the Sabbath is not kept, Mr Fowler went on to say that Pru-sia. though Pro- testant, is even worse than Roman Cithdie countries and he had no doubt that the cal unity of war had come upon her as a punishment. Admiral Fishbourne concurred ill the viewi of tae chairman, that the two continental nations now at war were being punished for their sins, of which Sabbath desecration was a prominent one, aud toat our turn would come next if we did not take warning by their example. Mr Baxter, the solicitor, seconded th; mottou, aud he maintained that the magistrates ought to carry out the Jaw to its end-that; is, the Act of Charles II., which he declared was in full force. EXPERIENCE OF FRENCH SUBJECTS IN PRUSSIA. —There se -ins very little doubt that the French now in Prussia, and some w 10 have already left it, have been exposed to -reitt rudeness and even to violence on the part of the Prussians. That country boasts much ot its civilisation it is highly intellec- tual, more of its people read an I write tuan in any other European State (except perhaps Sax my, which now may be considered part of Prussia), bat it is by no means the ch )-en home of court -sy and (reiltletie-;s. TlIcrc is a very g • at deal of what the Germ.in themr-elves cal' grobheit to be fou id W1 hiu the dominions of King William, and very littie, it seems, of that chivalrous aad gentlemanly feeling which would impose special forbearance toward.- members of a hostile nation, compelled, by im- perious circumstances, to the painful position of dwellers among th dr couiitij's foes. It is impossi- ble to set down 'o invention or exaggeration all the accounts that reach us of ill-usage and abuse from which Frenchmen in Prus-ia have had to suffer since war became a, moral certainty. Even diplo- matic rank seems to have been no protection. The telegraph informs us that Colonel StuiM. the French military attache, barely escaped dl-truutment at the hands of the brutal populace of Berlin (certainly as rude and rough a mob as Europe affords), and adds that Bismarck threatened to st nd him to Spandau if he was still in Berli 011 the 20th instant, There are a vast number of Prussians in Paris, who re- main here sti!l, and frequent cafoa, and other public place, and talk loudly among themselves, rather in the tone of men wno think they will very soon be masters of the city, but not a case has come to my knowledge of the slightest offence being shown to any of them, or of a disagreeable word or gesture being directed at them on account of their nation- ality.—Times Paris Correspondent. A SAD INCIDENT. A Paris correspondent, writing on the 2 nd instant says t he war fever continues at its height, and the trophical heat which reigns at Paris is little calculated to caliii it. Tue Chasseurs de la Garde took th day at ten o'clock a.m. from the liarde uu Nor. The same wild seme of enthusiasm as beore was reiterated, the same laurel wreaths weie hoisted oil poles by the good b-jurgeois betore the good- humoured soUVcry, the same amount of wine, and • "L\Ct1 1 Tin.*in nf>r>«»i*iniT cakes, and cigars warriors. The departure was saddened by an \.l I t unlmpoy event, which created a g-eat sensation. The Chasseurs came from Rueil, a long day's inarch, in a swdt ring" sun. The Frenchmen may sing and ait as much as he pleases in the laniia, so th it he does not much heed the length of a journey. But the sun with its pitiless heat had I-t sirule to one of the Chasseurs, who was :ill i,len1y seen to totter and fail. A crowd of his comrades gathered round him and transported him into a neighbouring sipotlveaary's shop. A voice was hear i out of the crow I hinting that he was a coward. The poor soldier heard the words, and ill his death agony half opened his eyes as if to transfix t !e coward w.10 had pronouiiCJtl sueh a villainous judgment. He then fainted again, but reeoveied his senses ag iin just enough to mutter a few scntenc s, which went to prove what was the piv.va'ling sentiment of h s mind—" My colonel he muttered de erter A I tdyliappezie(I t) be at his side, who told him that she was the wife of his colonel, and promised to see that the real cause of his illness should come to hor husband's ears. He smi ed, and with the worda My mother 1" on his iips, expired.

I ENGLISH COAL FOR THE FRENCH FLEET. The New Prussian (Cross) Gazette of Wednes- day refers to the disclosures recently made with regard to the Fi encli offer of alliance to Prussia, aud asks whether neutral England will still COR- tinue t) allow her manufacturers to provide weapons for the French, and her shipowners to let their vessels he charteied :or transporting the re- quirements of the French navy. The Cross Gazette addsil We hope that Eng'and will now open her eyes ar.d cast aside the Fr, nch spectacles which make coal appear to her not to be contra- band of war. G -rmany expect* Eogland to do her dutv-withont coals from Newca-tle the French fleet cannot remain in the Baltic."

MR SPURGEOX ON THE WAR. I The ATorniflj 'Advertiser priuts part of a speech on the war delivered by Mr Spu'^eell after laying the )iie of a new Baptist chapel at Ped: h, III It makes me sick at hear; to find out the gr-at seers have been tci'ln;? us we are q tttilig i near the mil-mr-iinm. It s< ems to me they ar" j something li^o the Irishman who c?'uM fo e-fR backwards. I vvi-h thse king? o? tn- ?n". h would j somet'mes do their funting, instead of getting their soldiers to light for them. It would not be a bad idea. if Napoleon and the King of Prussia would come over to Eiigiciid and xlgiit it out. I am quite sure the police would wink at the matter, and for my own part I would be quite willing to hold their coats, and I would ciotcr each out, on, aud say, lilt him ha-d I think he deserves

DEATH-HATES IN- DATTi.E. h is qniti true that «very bu; et h is its biilet, but that billet is, generally fpeaking, the ground in oth-T words.. there "are hiindre is of hot, tired for 011 • man killed, We e instantly hear luiw-u-Jaya t'n -f- w;i.r will be fle,tillg-unn great battle and all will he over. Some people appear b jitmi) ti) tiilt,, that the cllgi nes of destruction—the ch--isse.'Ot<, needles, and mitrailleuses—are so deadly that the loss of | life will be so fearful that a fi-w battles would suffice to depopulate a country. This certainly does not follow when one side is better arim-d than the other, as was the ca-e during the war of lydo. Tie iieenle gun told fearfully for the short time it was brought b bear; yet the losses of the campaign throughout were small as c: mpared with that of 1S.")D. or the bloody battles between the Federals and Confederates. The loss of Borodino amounted ? o)i?-t!n; d o! the men engaged; at ?la.ren?, to I o!,p-f'>1l: tb; \ratrl,)U, one f urth Talnvera, one- eighth Ma;geiita and S ef- rino, Oi-e-elcventli; aud Xonicgratz, "nc twenty-third. The Eigli?h lost one-third at lill?( -i. vi?t there was not a rifled cannon or a breech-loader on the tie d. Losses in battle have rarely influenced contending nations.— Echo.