The Press. — London, England, 1858-05-22 00:00:00

Let us all avoid such practices, and then proclaim a sacred war. Lastly. The great and small in this campaign► will be equal, for we are waging a religious war. I (the Prince) du now *claim a sacred war, and exhort all, according to the tenets of their religion, to exert themselves. The rest I leave to God. We shall certainly conquer the English, consequently I Invite the pe3ple again to my assistance. Printed at Bareilly, by Shaict Nisar Ally, under the supervision of Moolvie Mahomed Kootoob-Shah. jortign ant dolcutial 3ittetiigeut. FRANCE. A very shocking duel was fought yesterday week, in the Bois de 'Vesinet, near St. Germain. N. Henry de Pene, a well-known literary man, who for some time wrote the feuilleton in the Nord of Brussels which was signed " Nemo," and who has lately written in the Paris Figaro under the same signa ture, made some playful remarks in a recent article about the sub-lieutenants of the army, and said, among other things, that, owing to some new orders concerning their uniform, they would no longer tear ladies' dresses with their spurs. This article gave offence in a messroom at St. Germain, and in his weekly article of last Sunday week " Nemo " ob served that he had received a very coarse letter from a person who signed himself " A Sub-Lieutenant," and who talked a great deal more about fighting than a gentleman who means to fight usually does. This article produced a challenge from the sub lieutenant. The duel was fought with swords. AI de Pene wounded his antagonist in the wrist, and . disabled him. A great number of officers—some say forty—were, however, waiting in a wood close by, and, as soon as the first duel was concluded, an officer of cuirassiers of the guard stepped out from the group and said, " Now, sir, you will have to fight me." M. de Pene declined to do so, when the officer struck him in the face, and rendered a contest ine vitable. In a few seconds M. de Pene was run through the body. Dr. Guerin, who accompanied him from Paris, found it impossible to stanch the blood. The wounded man was removed to a little inn at Pecq, near the railway, and it was thought at first that his wound was mortal ; but, according to the latest intelligence, be is nor without hopes of recovery. It seems that a number of officers met at the Café chi Helder, on the Boulevards des Ita liens, to discuss M. de Pene's articles in the Figaro, and there it was that a list was settled of the officers who were to call him out in succession. It is said that the names were written out on slips of paper, and that a colonel's hat was used to draw lots to see who should fight first. M. de Pene's seconds were the Duke of Rovigo and M. Peira, a Breton gentle• man, who was formerly in the 3rd Guards of Charles X. He was also accompanied to the ground by Dr. Guerin, as already mentioned. The officer with whom be first fought, whose name was Connie', is an officer in the 9th Chasseurs, and a nephew of General Espinasse, the Minister of the Interior and Public Safety. The name of the second officer is Hyene. M. de Penn is a man of noble family and charming manners, who was the idol of the circle in which he moved. He was married only six months ago. The principal editor of the Figaro, named Villemalsam, demanded au audience of the Emperor ; it was declined ; he was referred by the Emperor's private secretary to the Minister of Justice. The officer has been ordered under arrest by the Minister of War, and a report has been presented to this functionary by the Ministerial department. Not withstanding the number of challenges sent to M. de Pepe, which we understand amounted to thirty one, it appears that the immense majority of the officers have shown, by their attitude, that they un derstood the article which has caused such deplo rable consequences in its true light—they see in it a pleasantry, written without any offensive intention. MM. Grangier and 1)e Comminges, officers of the Guides, who were to have had a hostile meeting with M. de Pene on Saturday evening at four o'clock, wrote to the Duke of Rovigo on Friday evening to say that, after the misfortune which had occurred, they withdrew their challenges, and that they trusted M. de Pene might recover from his wounds. Some of them, however, have shown a worse spirit. Not only have they not withdrawn their challenges, but have even been heard to say, after the shocking event of Ve'inet, that they would make M. de Pene fight again ff he got well. A second duel, arising out of the first, was fought on Monday between M. Porn mereux, a member of the Jockey Club, and the Marquis de Galliffet, the officer whose marriage two or three years ago with Mlle. Constance, the actress, will be remembered. It is said that M. Pommereux was killed, but another rumour is that he is only seriously wounded. THE PRESS, MAY 22, 1858. TURKEY AND MONTENEGRO. The following telegram has been received VIENNA, Saturday Evening, May 15. At dawn on the 13th inst. the Montenegrins captured a transport of provisions which was on its way to the Turkish corps before Grahovo. At a later hoar in the day they attacked and completely routed the Turkish forces. The latter are said to hare been almost annihilated. The Moniteur publishes the following : Despite the exertions of the powers at Constantinople to prevent a collision between the Turkish troops and the Montenegrins, the Turks commenced hostilities on the 11th in the valley of Grahovo. Atter a severe engagement, in which the Montenegrins lost fifty killed and 1 . .!0 wounded, the Turks occupied Grahovo, which is reported to have been burnt down The Turks were about 7,000 strong, the Montenegrins 5,000. The Paris papers of Sunday all publish a tele graphic despatch confirmin ,, the despatch of a Vienna correspondent, to the effect that the Turks have been completely routed near Grahovo, their leader, Kadei Pasha, killed, and all their guns cap tured. As regards the Turkish general killed, another despatch says it was Kiamil Pasha. gout an* lasttion. At five o'clock on Thursday evening a special royal train, in charge of Mr. Scott, traffic manager ; Mr. Beattie, superintendent of locomotion ; Mr. God son, chief superintendent ; and Mr. Stropp, engineer of the South-Western Railway Company, arrived in the Royal Clarence-yard, Gosport, with her Majesty and the Court from London en route to Osborne. The Queen was received on alighting from the train by his Royal Highness Prince Alfred, Admiral Sir George Seymour, Major-General Sir J. Yorke Seta lett, Rear-Admiral the Hon. G. Grey, Colonel Foster, R.E., A.D.C. ; Colonel Hurdle, R.M., Aide de-Camp ; Lieutenant-Colonel Wright, Assistant Quartermaster-General; Lieutenant-ColonelCunnolly, Brigade Major; Captain Breton, Commander Bickl ford, R.N., 4kc., and a guard of honour of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, commanded by Colonel Hunt. The usual salutes were fired by the ships and the royal yacht Fairy, Captain the Hon. J. Denman, steamed out of harbour at about a quarter past five for Cowes, where the Royal party disem barked and found carriages in waiting, which con veyed them to Osborne about half•past six. The Earl of Derby had an audience of the Queen on Thursday at Buckingham Palace. DEATH OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS. WE regret to announce the death of her Royal High. ness the Duchess of Orleans, who expired on Tues day morning, shortly after five o'clock, at her residence at Richmond, to the inexpressible grief of her sons, the Count de Paris and the Duke de Chartres, and the other members of the exiled Royal Family of France. The lamentable event was quite unexpected. The Duchess only a fortnight since dined at the Marquis of Lansdowne's, and was ap• parently in excellent health and spirits. The deceased Duchess, Helene Louise Elizabeth d'Orleans, was youngest daughter of Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, by his second marriage with the Princess Caroline, daughter of Charles, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Her Royal Highness was born on the 24th of January, 1814, and consequently was forty-four years of age. The Princess was brought up in the Pro testant faith, and it is said, from the pious and un ostentatious course of her early life, that she re• luctantly embraced the brilliant prospects of her union with the Prince Royal of France, the Duke of Orleans, at the period of the negotiation of the marriage the hope and pride of the French people. On leaving her retired home at Ludwigslust for her adopted country, the Princess was delicately re minded that it would be necessa7 to conceal her regret on leaving the land of her birth. The Princess replied, " I shall endeavour henceforth to love and admire everything in France." The marriage of the Princess and the Duke of Orleans was celebrated on the 13th of July, 1837, at the Palace of Fontaine bleau, in the splendid gallery of Henry 11. After having had two sons, the Count de Paris (born 24th of August, 1838) and the Duke de Chartres (born November oth, 18401, the Duchess met with an over whelming domestic calamity by the sudden death of her husband, who, on the 13th of July, 1842, was killed by a fall from his carriage. Her Royal Highness rarely appeared in the gaieties of the Court of Louis Philippe ; but she and her sons were staying with the King and Queen at Paris when the revolutionary outbreak took place, in February, 1848. After much trouble and anxiety the Duchess and family, attended by the Marquis de Mornay, son-in. law of Marshal Souk., and a faithful adherent of I Louis Philippe, escaped to Belgium. Her Roy a l Highness had been staying since the Bummer of last year at Mr. Paynter's villa at Richmond. The exemplary propriety of her cond uct d ur i ng all the trials her Royal Highness experienced alter her alliance with the house of Orleans gained the ad miration of all observers. " YOUNG ST. GILES'S." To THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—The tone of your article some weeks ago on a method to stay the tide of wh at i s j ustly termed the " Great Social Evil," makes me think th a t you will find space, if possible, for the foll ow i ng extract from a small monthly periodical, bearing indirectly on the same subject. The speaker is a female philanthropist, of un. assuming character but single aim, who is occupying herself from day to day in labouring to ameliorate in every way the condition of the most neglected of the London poor. She is replying to an inquiry, whether any of the people she has visited are buying bed steads? Her reply is as follows "Yes, I have beard of half a dozen; and very many more will do so, as the summer earnings from the flowers and ft uit increase. But oh, dear madam, bow your heart would go out towards the watercress girls, who also sell oranges and onions, and a dozen of whom, with their own earnings, came to me to buy new print frocks for Easter! They are now saying, Oh, dear Mrs. D., do let us buy a bed for our own selves too.' 1 long to lift those young girls, from twelve to eighteen, out of the horrors of those over. crowded rooms ; and how glad I should be to take a house and make a dormitory for them by themselves. I know forty who would come to me at once and pay threepence a night each—they could well afford it; and it would take the money from those dancing-rooms and casinos, to which they Sock to their ruin. What new thoughts I might put into their minds in the evening ! how I might read the Bible with them I and some of them might even help me in my other work. There is no provision of the sort for the class I mean, and they are those who most want it.' " Do you think this could be made nearly self.support ing, like the beds and the clothing club ?" "1 do think it might.. If I could live rent free, I should want no salary. We could cheaply provide beds, and one pound would go a great way in a little necessary crockery to provide for a cup of tea. They would need so little at first, when you think of the class from which they would come out. Such a change would be to them the beginning of a new life, and there are perhaps 5,000 of those girls always growing up in St. (ilea's." Surely, sir, this is beginning at the right end ; and when, as in the case before us, religion, as well as philanthropy, is brought to bear, there is every en ccuragement to expect a lasting and solid success. Every parish in or out of the metropolis might take the hint. Meanwhile, it any of your readers desire to contribute towards this charitable work, or to learn more on the subject, I would refer him to the editor of the " Book and its Misvions " (published by Thomas Hatchard, Piccadilly), from the May number of which the above extract is taken.—l am, sir, yours, dtc., WHAT IS " NEXT TO GODLINESS." THE PEOPLE'S PROVIDENT ASSURANCE SOCIETY. AT the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders and Members of the People's Provident Assurance Society, Waterloo-place, Pall-mall, London, on Monday, the 17th instant of May, 1838, George Alexander Hamilton, EN., M P., in the chair, the notice convening the meeting having been read, the following Report of the Directors was submitted : REPORT. Your Directors have much pleasure in submitting to the pre sent general meeting of the proprietors their Report for the year 1857. During the past year 2,532 new policies were issued by the society, producing au annual revenue of £ 16 , 346 11 11 And during the same penod Al 2 new guarantee policies, producing an annual revenue of -- Melting the new revenue acquired during the year 211,504 12 The premiums payable on policies in force on the 31st De. camber last, as inscribed on the society's register, amounted to 68,687 L 7s. 11d. Thu premiums payable on the new business transacted since the commencement of the present year amounted to 6,1711. ihi. 6d. per annum, and adding to this the revenue ac cruin g from polities of other companies now in course of exchange, the society's present income may be fairly estimated to amount to not less than 70,00u1. The balance to the credit of the society on the year's trans actions iu the guarantee department, afu3r paying claims, amounts to 4,658 L 18s. 3d. Your Directors have to state that after discharging thentrious claims made on the society from death, re assurance, and other causes, and also all expenses of management, with interest the society's paid-up capital, there remains out of the receipts of the business for the past year, a surplus of 13.1924 75.9 d. Your Directors, deeming it • good opportunity to invest a portion of your available funds, subscribed for 200 0 1 of the new Indian Loan, the future calls upon which, as they fall due, will be provided for by the ordinary accruing revenue of the society. They have also to state that they have invested a further portion of their availa.ile funds in the acquisition of the busi ness of three assurance companies, on terms which they con sider beneficial to your interests, and to the consequent extension of the influence of the society. Notwithstanding t mis increase of business, your Directors ar t enabled to report a reduction in the expenses of management exceeding lo per cent. as °ampere(' with 1656. Conformably with the provisions of the deed of settlement , James Davidson, Charles Forster, M.P., Richard Francis George, James Edward hi'Connall, and Charles William ' ite7