The Sun. — London, England, 1869-01-05 00:00:00

API IT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The Times sums up at length the case against the directors of the great firm to whose sudden collapse we owe the disasters of Black Friday, and observes that the mode in which a body of shareholders was induced to accept and even pay a heavy price for liabilities like those of this firer was most discreditable to the character of those of the directors in the company who had been partners in the firm, and to the judgment and discretion, at any rate, o: the rest. It is possible they believed the assets, including the private fortunes of the members of the firm, would balance the liabilities ; but they must have known that they were not giving the shareholders as large a benefit aa had been bargained for. Their failure to make a full die closure of their balance-sheet proves that they mistrusted their power to induce the public to share their confidence. But even had their hopes of a restoration of the origins' prosperity been justified, the public was not the less de frauded by a concealment which prevented it from parti cipating in this future prosperity on as easy terms as else it might. The shareholders fancied they were conceding certain advantages to a partnership which in dissolving itself gave up much greater pecuniary advantages. But the fact was that, as now appears, in consequence of losses then known to the partners and the directors, but not disclosed by them to the public. the firm without the company must then, as it ultimately did, have simply collapsed and carriei down with it the entire fortunes of its members. Tc attempt to win such advantages at the cost of a pecuniary risk to strangers without first obtaining their consent to the hazard is what in equity is called a fraud. But the criminal charge will hardly succeed unless it can be esta Wished that the directors themselves knew they were inveigling the shareholders into an undertaking whict was then insolvent. The absence of adequate motive ii those of the directors who were not members of the ok firm, but between whom and the latter no distinction h made, for imperilling their credit in an enterprise so despe rate on the face of it as the prosecutor represents it; is I grave objection to this point of view. Whether and hou it can be got over remains to be seen. The Post directs its attention to tb e pernicious systerr of the money-lenders, whereby they seduce young ats inexperienced persons into the meshes of usury and debt The notice from the Treasury serves as an opportune warning to one class of persons of the sad consequence' of such practices. The employs of the civil service are told to take heed to their ways under the contingent penalties of losing promotion, rise of salary, and even their situations. The clerics whom it is most worth the while of the usurers to attack are those who are well connected, and wile do in effect live with and upon their relations, the salary of a hundred and odd pounds or so, more or less, being regarded as mere pocket-money, and this the usurer soot takes care to absorb in the shape of interest on his "accommodation." Still, on the other band, there are poor clerks whose necessities —among which that of keeping up appearances is not the least—cause them to fall victims to the meek, smooth-tongued, plausible money-lender—not from mere extravagance in the sense of betting and dis sipation generally, but because circumstances compel. or at least are conventionally supposed to compel, them to live in a style which is really beyond their means. The grand principle to be observed in all cases is that whict holds good equally of nations and of individuals—namely, to make one's expenses conform to one's income, and upon this excellent text the new minute, as we have remarked, preaches a most edifying sermon, the minator, clauses of which are by no means the least importan part of it. The Herald, in referring to the threatened attack of the new Administration upon the members of the Civil Service, observes that it will not do much towards reducing the total expenditure of the country, and a single blunder in building a new frigate on a wrong plan, or iu the dis tribution of colonial garrisons, may cost more at one blow than can be saved by all the pruning possible in the salaries of Admiralty clerks or the civil staff of the War Office At the same time there is no doubt some money may be saved without in any way detract. ing from the efficiency of the Civil Service A great deal of the circumlocution complained of is due no doubt, to the fact that public departments may be called upon at any time to give a more minute account 6 their transactions than private firms. There may be needless complications in the systems of some departments No one has a direct pecuniary interest in their simplifica tion, and their natural tendency is to grow more and more complex. But if the departments were more independent they might also be more extravagant in matters of greater importance than the salaries of their clerks. The Heralc suggests that the inferior departments of the service should be reserved for the employment of very young men on the understanding that they should only hold them foi three or four years. Such employ-Lis would only require small salaries, while the three or four years' maintenance would give them a start it life. In the higher departments probably some conspi. cuous salaries could be saved altogether, here and there The abolition of boards, indeed, and the substitution o single chiefs of departments, would be a method of saving salaries not by any means unattended with danger. The members of a board are mutually a check upon one another, and a single chief might often be under a strong personal temptation to make the expenditure of public money subservient to his own interest or that of his friends. Where an appointment is abolished, and the Government magnanimously foregoes a bit of patronage, the sacrifice is of course lightened by the thought that it is very con spicuously made, but such sacrifices may be made too often for the good of the country. It is a curious fact, but one which can hardly escape the attention of any one win devotes a little study to the subject, that the loves' salaries in the service, and not the highest, are too high. The Daily News considers the question of the army, and remarks that as yet nothing is settled. What changes are to take place next spring are not determined upon but a good deal of doubt is felt in many quarters as to the intentions of the new Minister of War. There are excellent reasons for believing that Mr. Cardwejl will not introduce changes which will seriously affect the prospects of the officers, or materially impair the efficiency of the army It is very desirable that the enormous half-pay establish. menj should be put down, and the most simple and effico cious way to accomplish this would be by letting half-pay officers be appointed alone to the militia arr reserve; but this cannot be done until the militia patronage is taken out of the hands of lord lieutenants, and the appointment of its officers' given tc the charge of the regular military authorities. This change appears to be the key to an organic improvement in our military system. Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Cardwell : supported by the intelligence and opinion of the country, are strong enough to disregard the opposition of some influential landowners, if political and salutary reason: alone influence their courses. The lord-lieutenants will, doubtless, resist to the utmost of their power, and will bring all their social influence to bear upon the point. Here is the danger. The issue must prove whether the present Government consists of real reformers, or only carpel knights, easily amenable to the intrigues and impressions of the drawing-room. The Star believes that the Poor-law Board has resolves upon a great measure of reform, in order to make uniforrx the whole treatment of casuals in England. The object will be to found a system which will supply all the casual's wants, without ministering to his fancies, and the life o 1 the inmate in the wards is to be made as unpleasant as is consistent with a due regard to his health. At the same time we must not conceal from ourselves that but half the work of the Poor-law Board will have been done wher . workhouses and casual wards have been made a terror, or rather an aversion, to the idle. There will still be, or the other hand, the man in distress, who may fairly claim that they shall Ve made as comfortable for him as circumstances will allow, or, at all events, that they shall not be made so unpleasant as to render the shelter they afford a penal infliction. Such harshness would defeat its own purpose, for, besides the unmerited suffering it would inflict on the unavoidably destitute, it would once more encourage in the vagrant mind the play of hope and fear, as it would be impossible to maintain. a uniformity of surliness throughout all the workhouse lodges. of the kingdom, and the happy valley would again be dreamed of as a place when' nature sometimes made the official smile in spite of the "rules of the 'service." What we so much want in this matter of pauperism and vagrancy is, to get rid of that sad alternation of fits hot and fits cold, from which our emotions have hitherto suffered—to-day a charity sermo n and half-a-crown in the plate; to-morrow a prose. cation under the Begging Act—and we Welcome the new proposal of the board as a sign that we are getting into a state favourabl e to a healthier activity. The Telegraph considers that, on the whole, the retro spect of the last twenty years is cheering. In the country great efforts have been made to improve the dwellings of the poor. In towns, the progress of sanitary science, and the censtruotion of • sanitary works, have certainb dim inielred .disease and dirt, and counteractee , to some extent, the evils of overcrowding. We kna , that ethfcation, h oo k s, and newspapers are' wid ely spread; G% v spread; and that gnbd fruit must come oret of teachh,e the poor.to read an.l-think. W e know that clmrches <et d clergymen have multiplied ; and, ignoring. for the mo neat a.l lugher thoughts, we are aware that a Christian vat :e• twin, resident in any parish or district, must do saine:m4 Oar prisons, if not p er f ec t as p l aces of punishment, in at all events, no longer, as once they were, nnwhole me Glens in which penalties never adjudged-- namely, -- a* :ti• hence and death —awaited the. hapless prisonere, our trade and finance, as they were carried on three orlour years ago, we will Pay nothing good ; but there are sig-nz that a new 51,irit has arisen to rebuke rag uery . pnnish is - 4 , n], a n d pl ace enterpr i se on a solid basis. Our, colonies are no longer overLfrown boys fighting with the mother country they are a " Greater Bri " self -prot zef free al a i all but independent States, r yearly ected, and univereally loyal to the It i.e Omen. that 'eeerfainty no mere estimate of an enthusiast to say t; in the twenty years from 1848 to- 18q8 the world has witnessed the achievement of good deeds greater in character, number, and apparently in lastier, result, than were accomplished in any other twenty of the past Ivan. dreg years. EXCITING SCENE ON THE ICE. 4CTIOIV FOR FALSE IMPRISONMENT. EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF ROBBERY. ---- A singular charge of robbery from the person Is unaer investigation by the magistrate at Worship-street Felice court. Henry Thomas Holloway, 25, estate agent, Rectory-road, Stoke Newington, stands charged with stealing a gold watch and chain and other articles, the property of Joseph Lillie, of Malvern Villas, Cassland road, South Hackney; and Martin Durnsford, 20, clerk, of Gloucester-road, Regent's Park, is charged with being concerned in the same robbery.— Mr. Wontner, jun., appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Peckham for Holloway ; and Mr. Serjeant Robinson for Durnsford. The prosecutor was one evening drinking heavily, and treating the prisoner and others in a public house. He left in a cab, accompanied by his three or four friends, and on his way home missed his watch and other articles. Some days afterwards he accused Holloway of the crime. Durnsford was apprehended outside the court on a charge of stealing a bank-note for £lOO from a Mrs. Howard, and he was further charged on his own con fession with having stolen Lillie's watch and chain. Evi dence was given by Mary Ann Cott, who cohabited with the prosecutor, relative to the events which took place on the night of the robbery, when Lillie and the young men reached her residence. From her statement it was shewn that Holloway, whatever share he may have taken in the proceedings of the evening, did not avoid the prosecutor's house or company for several days after wards ; in fact, not till after he was accused of being the thief. Mrs. Annie Howard, of Caroline-street, Bed ford-square, deposed that she knew the prisoner Durnsford, and had known him about three months. On Friday last he went to her house. She remarked that he looked very ' ill, and he said that he was very ill and bothered, and Asked her if she had seen a case of larceny in the papers. Witness replied that she had not, and he said it was in regard to a watch being lost. He told her that he had been at a tavern, and there he had met schoolfellows, and the gen tleman who lost the watch was the father of one of the party- He also told witness that they all had a great deal of champagn e , and the man who lost his watch asked them to go to a house with him in Hackney. On the way in the cab or in the tavern, witness could not say which, he said he took the gentleman's watch. Holloway, who was the expected party and under remand, was innocent, he said. Before that witness asked him if he knew who was the guilty party, and he said yes, he was. Witness promised to keep his secret, and tried to hide him in her house for two days. Durnsford told her he had pawned the watch opposite the railway station in Shoreditch for £6. The chain he detached and took to anos her pawnbroker, where he found that it was aluminium, while he thought it was gold. On finding out that it was not gold, he took it to a railway station and hid it in a water-closet.—Cross-examined by Serjeant Robinson : Witness said she was a widow. Her husband was a Mr. Howard, who died about a year ago. ISerieant Robinson was proceeding, when witness said she thought it was very irrelevant to the question, and Mr. Newton said something to the learned counsel, who thereupon aban doned the course be was entering upon.] Under further cross-examination, she replied that she knew the prisoner Durnsford very well, and bad introduced him to her family—in fact, she looked upon him in the light of her awn son, but she declared that there had never been any improper connection between them. She did try to hide him, and never gave any information about his confession until discovering her loss of a £lOO note, four of which, together with a £2O note, she had in a bag in her house while prisoner was there. When she missed the note she went to Scotland-yard to give informa ' Zan of her loss, and was then, obliged to say who had been in her house. The prisoner slept at her house on the Saturday night, and left about 8.30 the next morning. Witness begged to say that she did not charge Durnsford with stealing the £lOO note, and also that since she had been in the court she had received information that two ;entlernen had called at her lodging and returned the £lOO 3ote to her servant.—Police-sergeant Thomas Manisty, 12 N, deposed to taking Durnsford into custody outside ;he court, telling him that he should charge him with dealing a £lOO note from the house of Mrs. Howard, Ind also on the charge of being concerned in stealing -a watch and chain from the .person of Mr. Joseph Lillie. Witness read the information laid at Sctland rard respecting the £lOO note to prisoner, who said the irst portion, about his being there, was correct, but he did lot take the note.— At this stage of the proceedings the 3risoners were remanded on bail.—After the case had con :luded, Police-sergeant Parker discovered the missing match at a pawnbroker's in the Kingsland-road. FINE WRITING. —A Rochester paper, describing recent fire in that city, employs this fine figure of •hetoric :—" About this time the rear wall of the back I • • nuldnig fell with a crash, and the Fire-fiend danced vith malignant joy in and about the roar portions of the tores and offices nearest the burning building." —New York Sun, Dcc. 23. Alexander Robbie and an assistant gardener in the ser vice of Sir George Ramsay, of Banff, were sent on Friday to the loch on the top of the bill of Alyth to sweep the ice, preparatory to a skating match. While the men were 4t work on the ice it gave way, and both went down in Jeep water. In a moment they arose to the surface, and clung to the surrounding ice, which gave way at every part. A oy who saw the accident ran to the volunteer rifle range, where the riflemen were engaged in their annual prize competition, and gave the alarm. The whole of the volun teers ran to the loch, where the men were still holding on oy pieces of ice, and keeping afloat. It was impossible to enter the water with any hope of rendering service without t rope, but no such thing was to be had. At once it was suggested to bind all the cravats of the company together, which was clone. The line thus extemporised was fastened round the body of George Lindsay, Sir George's gamekeeper, who went forward with the volun teer flagstaff, which he held out to the gardener, he being nearest. The gardener got hold, and the men on shore pulled both to the beach. Lindsay immediately went in to rescue the other man, but it was then discovered that the line was too short to allow him to get near enough to Robbie. By that time Robbie was rapidly riving way, when one of the riflemen took the leather sling from his gun, bound it to the rope, and so lengthened it sufficiently to admit of Lindsay going near enough to the drowning man with the flagstaff. Robbie, with a last effort (he had been twenty minutes in water then), seized hold of the pole, and was got out, apparently in a dying state. He was taken to a farmhouse, medical aid was trocured, and we learn that he is likely to reeover. A. very singular case has come before Mr. Justice Lush, at the Liverpool Assizes. The plaintiff was Mr. William Young Torckler, and the defendant the Rev. Mr. Tattersall, of Claughton, near Birkenhead. The action was brought for an alleged false imprisonment. The plaintiff was formerly in the service of the East India Company, and in 1829 held a commission as lieutenant in the Bengal N.I. Mr. I. Temple and Mr. M`Connell appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. C. Russell and Mr. Herschell for the defendant. According to the opening statement of counsel, the plaintiff had seen a great deal of service, had been engaged in the action at Bhurtpore, and had obtained several medals. In 1829 he had a quarrel with one of his brother officers, during which pistols were drawn, and the plaintiff fired, though without doing any injury to his antagonist. For this offence he was tried by a court-m %dial, and was sentenced to death. It transpired, however, that the proceedings of the court were irregular, and the then Commander-in Chief (Lord Dalhousie) refused to carry out the sentence, though plaintiff was dismissed the service. From that time to 1864 this eentence of death was hanging over the plaintiff's head, and it was only on the movement of Sir Fitzroy Kelly (the present Chief Baron) that this sentence was rescinded. Notwithstanding the sentence and the subsequent dismissal, a pension of £7O was granted to the plaintiff, which he had enjoyed to the present day. Of late years he had supplemented his means of livelihood as well as he was able, and, amongst other pursuits, adopted that of teaching gentlemen's sons at Bristol and other places. He recently came to Birkenhead, and being a Freemason, was befriended by several members of the craft residing in that town ; and having received a list of the other members of the order residing in that district, he called upon them to solicit pecuniary aid, with the object of founding a school for military exercises. Amongst others he called upon Mr. Tattersall, the defendant, who promised to give him a sovereign, as the other brethren had done, and who subsequently sent to plaintiff's house the sum of half a sovereign. This the plaintiff received, but sent back a note to the effect that he was obliged to the reverend gentleman "for the instal ment," but that as a sovereign had been faithfully promised he should expect the balance. On the 9th October last the defendant met the plaintiff and began to abuse him, calling him a "rogue and a vagabond," and accusing him of having received 10s. under false• pretences. He followed plaintiff into a public-honse, sent for a policeman, and gave him into custody upon the charge of misdemeanour. The plaintiff was taken before the county magistrates and remanded, but was ultimately discharged, and he now brought this action to compensate him for the injuries which he had received, and for what he deemed a malicious prosecution. The damages were laid at 25,000. After the case for the plaintiff had been opened, he consented to refer the matter to the stipendiary magistrate at Birkenhead; but a verdict was entered for the plaintiff for the amount claimed in the declaration, subject to the decision of the referee 'THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY MISCELLANEOUS NETVS. tile -act of endeavouring to ettext an entrance Into Ms house through the kitchen window, he duly attended at the police-court, with his mother, who was the principal witness to prefer the charge, and the prisoner was remanded, being liberated on bail. The next day the writer and his mother were again at the police-court but after waiting in a side room until five o'clock, they were informed that the man had brought satisfactory evidence of his character and had been discharged. If this instance fairly indicates the practice at police-courts, no wonder thieves are many and prosecutors few. DEATH IN A POLICE. CELL. The death of a woman who was carried on a stretcher to the police-station, all but naked, and was locked up, cold, wet, exhausted, and imperfectly clad, a few days since, has called forth a communication from Dr. Painter, for seven years surgeon to the Bow-street police, in which he points out that the great fault of the present system is, that for the sake of economy the surgeon is not sent for nearly so often to the police-station as he ought to be; and that the inspector or sergeant on duty is the sole judge as to whether a given case requires a doctor, and is one of intoxication, illness, bodily injury, or what not; and this, although the discrimination between intoxica tion, apoplexy, starvation, fracture of the skull, or some kinds of poisoning, is frequently so difficult as to tax the skill of the most careful surgeon. When ever there is the very slightest suspicion of illness or accident the surgeon should be sent for. Though this is admitted to be the rule, as a matter of fact it is not acted on to the extent it ought to be. The writer remarks that the sad story upon which he comments is not an isolated case. A few years since a similar one came under his own notice, and from that time, on his recommendation a general order was given that every stretcher should be provided with a woollen rug. It was further advised that at every station a thick woollen coat and trousers, and a similar kind of gown and petticoat, should be kept for the use of such cases as the above ; also that every station should have one cell with a wooden floor, and no bench, where persons should be placed who were likely to fall or roll off the bench. Also, that all cells should be provided with „pillows made of some strong material, as it is most injurious to many persons to lie or sleep on a level surface. THE VACANCY IN RENFAEIVSIIIRE. The Daily Telegraph recommends the electors of Renfrewshire to elect the Marquis of Ifartington in the place of the late Captain Speirs. We doubt if this advice will be followed. Ilenfrewshire is rather a Conservative constituency, and it was chiefly by his large territorial possessions and personal popu larity that Captain Speirs succeeded in defeating the old Conservative member in 1865. ANOTHER MARRIAGE AMONG TEE CAMPBELLS. The Duke of Argyll, having just married his daughter to the heir of the Percys, is about to marry one of his sons to his ward. The North British Daily Mail announces that " the marriage of Lord Archibald Campbell, the son, and Miss Callander, the ward of the Duke of Argyll, will take place early in January, at Argyll Lodge." It seems almost a pity that there was not a "double wedding." FOREIGN NOTES INDIA. Tud appotntment to the India Office seems to have given general satisfaction in India. The new Ministry is strong In statesmen who might be advantageously appointed to rule our Eastern empire, and, as the Times of India re marks of the t wo most pro b a bl e candidates, Mr. Bright and the Duke of Argyll, India felt she would be well off with either. Mr. Bright has long been looked upon as a future Secretary of State for the great British possession, but his strong denunciation of the East India Company at Edin burgh diminished the hope of his appointment. The great preparations which were made in Bombay for the reception of Lord Mayo induced some of the Bengal journals to regret that none of this excitement was caused by the expected arrival of Lord Napier. The Abyssinian expedition never gave rise to much enthusiasm in Bombay. The return of the victorious army was scarcely noticed. Certainly, if Lord Mayo deserved a demonstrative wel come, it ought not to have been wanting to the conqueror of Theodore. Sir John Lawrence having resolved to retain his position until the last day of his term, Lord Mayo cannot take the oaths of office until January 12. The Indian papers regarded his recall as not improbable. "It cannot be denied," says the Bombay Gazette, " that a strong feeling prevails—arising, of course, from no personal dislike to Lord Mayo, but from a conviction that he does not possess the special qualifications which would fit him for the high office to which he has been appointed—that the new Ministry would be performing its duty if even at this late moment it determined to send out a more suitable man than the Conservative nominee." The Pioneer observes that as the office is not vacant, and its the nomination will rest with the Liberals, the recall of Lord Mayo would be perfectly justifiable. But it recom mends that Mr. Disraeli's selection be confirmed, and believes that such will be the course adopted. The news fromthe famine-stricken districts is no hotter. Troops are being withdrawn from all the provinces where the food is required for the inhabitants; but in some cases this is attended with danger, for the starving natives are already resorting to violent measures for procuring sub sistence. An American, named Walker, who was required to take the oath of allegiance to the King of Burmah, was beaten and nearly murdered by the Burmese officials on his refusal to do so. This outrage will give rise to some little difficulty between Burmah and the United States. The statement that the Russian authorities had imposed a duty of 50 per cent. on all British goods imported into Central Asia is confirmed. This extraordinary regu- lation has had a very unfavourable effect upon the trade of Northern India, large orders have already been cancelled. Throughout the empire it is looked upon almost as an act of hostility, and the Indian journals express the hope that the Foreign Office will at once make representations on the subject at St. Petersburg. It cer tainly is a barbarous and retrograde measure, such as she civilised world has already refused to tolerate in the case of. China and Japan. The news from Afighanistan is much like that from Paraguay. It is now ascertained that the " great battle" between Shere Ali and. Abdul Rahman was a concoction. Shere Ali has the best of the situation, but no battle has taken place. Sea ; but AS UP:" dal with these great discoverers he is short of the "ready," was unable to provide for his former wife and daughter, and was committed to prison in default of $lO,OOO bail. Cunningham, another man, accomplished in four weeks what had taken Jannett years to do. Representing him self as a wealthy Californian, he went about the coun try, putting up at likely farm houses; where the daughters were well off he would make up a match, take his wife to one of the great cities, and after a few days run away with hervaluables. He was arrested in Westchester county when about to lead a widow to the altar, and I only hope that, if proved, it may be the last opportunity he will ever have of practising that little game, the most vile and cowardly of which a man can be guilty. The " Bourbon" case has been again before the court ; District Attorney Courtney is working to try all the accused together on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the Government, but I suppose it will end in Mr. Courtney being himself gobbled up, the almost invariable fate of those who attempt to break into the " ring." The case was postponed, as usual, in the absence of some of the defendants. The Erie Railway war has taken a new phase, and as if the present tangle is not enough to unravel they have dragged up the Drew- Vanderbilt fight of last spring. 'The company desire to enforce on the Commodore a vast number of shares which he sold to the directors last summer, but as his price was 70, and the present market rate little over half that, he stoutly resists the pressure. One of the suits is for tha recovery from him of four and a half millions of dollars, paid it,is said by Drew, out of Erie funds to compromise the old quarrel, yet it is but one of several cases, and the public are growing weary of these Erie affairs. The police are instructed to arrest street beggars and juvenile pedlars. We make less bother about invading the right of such citizens than in London, where the lives of weak-knee'd brethren, as far as I recollect, are often endangered by little wretches with brooms dancing straight in their front, while a Hansom shoots down one way and a lumbering " bus" comes up the other, the difficulty of keeping one's feet on the greasy mud of the pavement being enough without any other obstruction. Friends of mine recently returned from London tell me that street begging is worse than ever, and has really become a nuisance, particularly to my kind-hearted countrymen who cannot look calmly upon such dis tress, and I fear I may add, without being often im posed on. Superintendent Kennedy has ordered our young beggars to be given over to the Corn missioners of Charity and Correction, who will look after them during the winter. The case ol Commodore Meade, who, by the way, is brother ol General George Meade, has excited a good deal of interest. Mr. C. K. Landis of Vineland gives his version of the affair. It was he through whom, it was said, the Commodore had been arrested on a certifi cate of insanity granted by two Tombs physicians, when a suitor for the hand of the Commodore's daughter. He says that in January he first met the young lady at the Commodore's house in Wash ington, and then learnt that it required a doughty knight to carry her off, as the father kept watch and ward over her, and had driven at the point of the sword every suitor out of the house. The difficulty and danger may have been an addi tional attraction to Mr. Landis, for he quickly demanded from the Commodore the surrender of the prize. The short, sharp, and decisive answer conveyed a peremptory order to desist, followed by another, threatening serious consequence if the first was not obeyed. He deigned, however, then to enu merate his objections, which Mr. Landis thus gives :—" First, my age ; second, my religion ; third, being an entire stranger. Being at the time 31 years old, I was at a loss to know whether he meant that I was too young or too old. I did not care about adopting any new religion, and being fully his equal in birth and education, and having lived for 11 years upon my own estate in New Jersey, with my banner on the outer wall,' I could not possibly sympathize with the last objec tion." He consulted the Commodore's son, Capt. Meade, and other members of the family, who ad vised him to pay no attention to the Commodore, who, for some time, had suffered from aberration of mind, caused or aggravated by unjust treatment from the Government in respect to a claim of mil lions of dollars, and in the loss of the San Jacinto. The attentions were continued, the more so as the wooer would have blushed at anything like per sonal danger influencing his conduct, and he was aware that the Commodore was watching for au opportunity to shoot him. The marriage was ap pointed to take place on the 14th October, at the residence of the young lady's uncle, Mr. C. A. Meigs, of Staten Island. Although warned that he would be shot if the Commodore got a sight of him, he crossed the ferry on the 14th in an open carriage in broad daylight, feeling he was risking his life in a good cause, and with his father, sister, and chief secretary arrived at the house. It was, perhaps, well for Mr. Landis that the Commodore's son, Captain Meade, had on the previous day shut up his father in Bloomingdale Asylum. On his person were several revolvers, and in his valise four more, while a gang of roughs had been engaged to stop Mr. Landis's progress to his marriage. The family expected that the match would be broken off, but Mr. Landis insisted on the ceremony being performed, and it is evident that he had nothing to do with the Commodores incarceration, and that he acted throughout not only as a brave but as an honourable man, and in accord with all the other members of the Meade family. 'The Commodore has published a letter thanking the press, the judiciary, and the public, and threa tening fuller particulars. On the subject of insanity, we may mention that Ebenezer Haskell, a well known Philadelphian, has, after three years' impri sonment in a private mad house, been pronounced by a jury to be sane. He made prodigious efforts to escape from a dark cell in which he was long con fined. He sawed through iron bars, and fractured his leg by a fall in scaling the wall. It must not be supposed, however, that all the lunatics in Ame• rica are thus treated. On Thanksgiving-day, at the asylum on Blackwell's Island, there was a grand dance, followed by a magic -lantern exhibition. Capt. Weise, who served in the 7th New York Regt. during the war, was one of the rational insane dancers, with a nice, quiet-looking woman, who only went mad on meeting her husband, on whom she would rush with a carving knife, if she could get one, to kill him. The party was conducted with great pro priety, and the inmates appeared contented and in health. Since I last wrote the Alaska purchase money has caused much commotion. The warrant for $7,200,000 in gold was drawn in favour of Baron Stoekl, and given by him to the Washington banker, J. W. Riggs, the money being payable in Washing ton. Riggs asked for a loan in currency of $200,000, which he had at once to disburse out of it, which Mr. M'Culloch refused, but Gen. Spinner, on being urged, consented. The first Treasury cheque, dated Aug. 1, was for $7,000,000 in coin to the order of J. W. Riggs. It was made payablebyMr. Riggs to S. S. and C. Ward of New York, and by them indorsed and the money paid to H. F. Valle, of the Bank of Commerce of New York, by the Sub-Treasury, on August 4th, three days after it was given. The next cheque was given for $lOO,OOO in coin, and made payable to Riggs and Co., and was paid to W. A. Jenkins, in New York, on August 4th. The next was upon August 3, for $25,000 in coin, and was paid into 41- the same source. Upon that date also another was given ) but late in the afternoon, for $25,000 in coin, and passed to Van Dyck's Sub-Treasury through the same channels as the two previous ones. No call was then made upon Gen. Spinner for any fur ther sum until September 9, when a coin cheque for $20,000 was issued, indorsed to Riggs and Co., and receipted for by '' J. Purnett ;" the last being for the balance of $20,000 in coin, upon September 16, which also passed through the same source as the previous one. None were indorsed, and all can now be seen in the Treasury. A young man from Georgia has stated to some members of Con gress that among the papers of Robert J. Walker he saw a list of those to whom this money was paid. As I before informed you, Mr. Walker admits hav ing received a large professional fee. An investi gation bee❑ ordered by Congress, and it is not improbable that a system of gross and shameful plunder will be discovered, by which lobbyists obtain money under the pretence of buying over newspapers, members of Congress, and others sup posed to have influence, to secure the passage of a measure, while they simply put the money thus ob tained into their pockets, caring little how they injure the reputation of those whose names they use in corn • pleting their robbery. The terrible disaster which followed the steamboat collision has led to the re peal of all laws authorizing the carriage of petro leum as freight on passenger steamers. An awful description is given of the scene when the petroleum in the United States caught fire. The oil ran into the river, and the burning vessel was surrounded by a lake of flame. The passengers wet e not even offered the alternative of fire or water, for the water became a sea of fire ; many of the bodies recovered being much burnt, of which over eighty-six have now been fished from the river. An effort is being made to introduce the half price system into the New York theatres, and the managers are urged to adopt it in their own inte rest. The lynching at New Albany is much dis cussed, and strongly condemned throughout the North. The scene, as described by the sheriff, was very dreadful. The four men were executed, and the lynchers dispersed in from three to five minutes. Some of the murdered men fought desperately, as was evident from the bruises they had received, and Anderson, who is an Englishman, it is asserted was declared to be innocent by Frank Reno of any part in the Express robbery, and the Canadian authori ties received a solemn promise that both would be fairly tried. The Canadian papers are not unjustly indignant, as the danger had been pointed out be fore the prisoners were surrendered, and this is strongly dwelt on in the Toronto Leader. The Montreal Herald also joins the Leader in stating "that if such things are to be done, extradition must cease. We cannot send men over the border to be torn to pieces by an unauthorized rabble, no matter what their crimes may be." WASHINGTON, Dec. 18. Although not so brisk as speculation will be on General Grant's Cabinet when Congress gets back to Washington after the holidays, yet the Cabinet occupies more of men's thoughts than anything else in the political capital of the Union. Two men are considered certain of place--the one is his friend and neighbour, Mr. Elihu B. Washburne, of Illi nois, who, it is thought, will fill the post of Secre tary of the Interior; the other is Mr. Horace Greeley, editor of the Tribune, who was also spoken of in connection with the same appointment, but will take nothing less, it is alleged, than the Em bassy to London. So determined does Mr. Greeley appear to attain this object that he will most likely succeed. Whether Senator Sumner will succeed Mr. Seward as Secretary of State is a point much discussed. Mr. Adams was sent for from Quincy to meet General Grant when he visited Boston. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Mr. Seward himself might be dispatched to London, and if he talks in the same overwhelming style as he writes he will smother the whole English Cabinet, unless they wisely give way. The General is doing all he can to judge personally the qualifications of the most prominent politicians. Very properly I see you give Commissioner Wells a high place for the Secretaryship of the Treasury, he is a very able and, what is more, a highly trained public servant ; and, after the example given by no less a person than the President of the United States of wh Lt financial heresies an American in high place can be guilty, we most want a sound man, educated to deal with this difficult subject. The President's repudi ation proposal has been ingeniously defended by Senator Dixon, who, while condemning and oppos ing it, stated that it was a mere offer to the bondholders to accept or reject as it pleased them. It certainly pleased the Senate, who shouted with laughter at the absurdity. With this exception, I have seen no attempt at justi fication, the nation with one voice condemning the proposition. In the House last Wednesday a new drawing for seats was made to give the new Southern members a fair chande. This scene always affords amusement, as it separates cronies and throws the most prominent into the shadiest place. General Butler was not fortunate in his lot, and seated himself among the Democrats, when some one cried from the gallery, " Right, that's where you came from, and that's your proper place." Mr. Menard presented his credentials as Congressman from Louisiana. He received the congratulations of the friends of coloured men ; but, on the whole, he has reason, if I am rightly informed, generally to object to his treatment. He was born in Ran dolph county, Illinois, and after spending much of his life on the farm in that State, he entered Iberis College, Ohio, where he was educated. He fur nished President Lincoln with an able report of British Honduras. It was not till 18G5 that he settled in Louisiana, where he acted with the Re publican party with much ability and courage, and in return they elected him to fill the unexpired term of the deceased member, Mr. Mann. The Re presenatives spent yesterday in eulogizing the late Thaddeus Stevens. The galleries were well filled, and among the distinguished persons was Mr. Thornton, the British Minister. Seventeen Repre sentatives spoke in honour of the deceased, and with unusual ability, as the old commoner, whatever his faults, was a fine subject. Among the best of these addresses was that by Mr. John M. Broomall, of Pennsylvania. The House is similarly occupied to-day, and will be to-morrow on other deceased members, as is the Senate on the late Mr. Stevens. There are some alarming reports of ruffians who have pledged themselves to assassinate Gen. Grant. Almost universally they are regarded as merely " sensational," though it is alleged that over a hundred have sworn that the President Elect shall not be inaugurated. The Senate have not considered the nomination of Alex ander Cummings for Revenue Commissioner, in succession to Mr. Rollins ; hence, it must lie over till January, when Congress reassembles. O❑ Mon. day the President sent to the Chamber the name of Henry A. Smythe, Collector of Customs in New York., for Minister to Russia, but the Foreign Re lations' Committee promptly reported against the nomination. Among the other nominations were William J. Culler to be Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Idaho and Montana ; Benjamin F. James to be Chief Examiner for the Patent-office; and Alfred Marcy to be Collector of Customs at Nantucket, Massachusetts; J. N. Marks to relieve General Cake as Collector of Customs at Philadel phia. Senator Henderson, who has returned to this city, intends, if successful in reelection to the Senate, to announce himself a candidate for the Governorship of Missouri. Green Clay Smith has resigned the Governorship of Montana Territory. Mr. Fred. E, Woodbridge, of Vermont, will, it is said, be named by the President, if Cummings fails, for Mr. Rollins' place, on whom strong pressure is brought to bear to hold on till Grant comes in. General Schofield only, was absent from the Cabinet to-day. Fessenden and Bayard alone con firmed the appointment of Collector Smythe for the Russian Mission, the vote being five against their two. Mr. Creecy appears to think that a clue has been obtained which will break up the "ring " in New Orleans against the revenue, great tobacco frauds being discovered. Our authority for the following is the Spring field Republican, though we doubt that a "British Colonel" would get such a job, and if he did at such a salary it would be rated higher than any General's command in Great Britain :—" The suit of the British Government against the Sharp's Rifle Company, of Hartford, for the foreclosure of a mortgage on account of non-fulfilment of contract by the latter, has at length bee❑ decided by the Supreme Court of the State in favour of England. It has been on trial for 12 years, and involved about $lOO,OOO. During all this time a British colonel has been stationed at New York to manage the case on a salary of $lO,OOO per year in gold, and the Crown lawyers while in attend ance have had $5O per day in gold." Apropos of British colonels an American paper, by way of showing up the abuses of the Purchase System, quotes a recent instance of an ensign having purchased a colonel's commission. As our article last week showed ho could not have done so by any expenditure, as the rules that limit purchase are inexorable, and cannot even be infringed by the Queen. DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is ro commended by the medical profession i❑ preference to French Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exporta tion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Dunvillo and Co. Belfast; or 4, 139o.ufort-buildings, Strand,,London W.C—[Ad vortiseraent.] Art emus Ward's mother, at Portland, has received from the English executors of his estate about 6700 j e greenbacks, the amount of property which came into thei r , possession. He had an es t a t e on the Hudson worth obo e' $5,000, making about SG,OOO in all. No wonder he's trr ing to figure out in the spirit world how he could g ive away $25,000 so generously.—Springfield Republican. The President has made the following appoint' ments S. J. Hooker, to be United States Marshal fo r Wisconsin ; Walter R. Irwin, Commissioner to negociat e treaties with the Senecas and other Indians in the Weste r° part of New York ; an d F . A. Dockray, United State , District Attorney for th e S out h ern District of Florida. S°ll' N. Cramer has been confirmed as Postmaster at Rbiee; beck, New Y or k. Ch arles 11. Poor has been promote' Rear-Admiral in the Navy. Secretary M'Culloch has appointed Gen. Young to be Supervisor of Internal Revenue for the Souther' District of Obio.—George Baxter, jun., has been er pointed gauger for the Third Massachusetts Internal Ile' venue District. A circular from the office of the Factory In' Spector calls attention to the fact that, commencing witti I the New Year, the Saturde.y half-holiday will be col lr pulsory as regards children, young persons, and woineof in all factories and workshops, with a few exceptiolo* The hour for the cessation of labour is two o'clock. On his way to Cambridge, Massachusetts, GCI Grant paid a visit to the library of the Massachusetts Ills torical Society. H e was accompanied by Gov. Clifford and Judge Bigelow, and was received at the library by Robe rt C. Winthrop, the president of the society. While putting his name on the register he observed that almost fa schoolboy could write it better; at which Mr. Winthrop remarked that at any rate there was not one of them that was likely to make his mark so well. (ADVERTISEMENT I— Consumption, and al , nervous, bllietAA atomach,and liver complaints in every stage are only aggravrat and accelerated by drugs of every description, but perfecty , Curable by Du Barry's health-restoring Revalenta Arabica, Foo“,i as proved by thousands of cases which had been considers `" hopeless; such as indigestion (dyspepsia), cough, asthma, N I ! sumption, habitual constip a ti on, d i arrhoea, all gastric derang e, rvonsnes; , rnents, haemorrhoid s , li ver complaints, flatulency, ne biliousness, fevers, sore throats, diphtheria, catarrhs, colds, ' fluenza, noises in the he a d an d ears, rheumatism, g out, WWl', sties, eruptions, hysteria, neuralgia, irritability, sleeplessnes s ' acidity, palpitation, heartburn, headache, debility, droPl cramps, spasms, nause a an d sickness, even in pregnancy or sea, sinking fits, bronchitis, scrofula, tightness of the chest , pains at the pit of th e s t omach, and between the shoulders, o' We quote a few.—Th e P ope ' s health restored by Du BarrY „ Food. Cure No 68,413—"R0me, July 21, 1866.—The health of the Holy Father is excellent, especially since, abandoning 9 ',„ other remedies, he has confined himself entir e ly t o D u B a rrY , ; Revalenta Arabica Fo o d , of which he consumes a platefl at every meal. It has pro laced a surprisingly benekiso effect on his health, and his Holine ss cannot pra i se tD! excellent food too highly." From the "Gazette du blials mgr, chant, 25. C ure N o. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, timber 'r. chant, of Fri m l ey, S urrey, of thirty years' diseased lung'', spitting of blood, li ver derangement, and partial deafness! Cure No. 1,771. L ord Stuart de Decies, Lord Lie u t en ant, Waterford, of ma n y years ' dyspepsia.—No. 49,832. " years' indescribable agony fro m d yspep sia„ nervousness asthma, cough, constipation, flatulency, spasms, sickness an i vorniting.—MariaJoly." Important Caution.—B e ware of the raar l i unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to which, witholi authority, Baron Liebig's name is most audaciously attached. In tins, at Is. 13(l.; 1 lb. 2s. 9d. ; 2 lbs. 4s. 6d.; 5 lbs, lls.; 12 lbaa 225. ;24 lbs., 4 08.—Also Du BARRY'S REYALENTA ARABICA. CEOCCI LATE POWDER is packed in tin canisters; for 12 cups at 25., for cups at 3s. 6 ( 1., f or 48 cups at Cs., for 288 cups at 308., for 576 cull at 555.—bei ng a b out one penny per cup. The 30s. and 555 tins are sent free of carriage in England on receipt of Post °file: Orden—BAßßY DU BARRY an d Co., No. 77, Regent-street, I,°';* don; and all Grocers and Chemists. Births. BulcroN— On the 2d inst., at 9, Seamore place, Mayfai r Lady Burton, of a daughter. DuxLo— On the 29th ult., at Fort Eyre, Galway, the Lag Dunlo, of a son. PoLwAnTH—On the 31st ult., at Mertoun House, Berwicl shire, the Lady Polwarth, of a daughter. Marriages. ELLIOT—BROMLEY—On the 4th inst., atSt. George's, T 11 1:i over-square, T. F. Elliot, E sq ., son o f t h e late R i g Hon. Hugh Elliot, to Elizabeth, daughter of the aut o Admiral Sir Robert Howe Bromley, Bart. SELLS —PE GRAVE—On the 2d inst., at Highbury, theE° l9 : Alfred Sells, 31. A., of Polygon House, Southampto l ; to Ann. / . Maria, second d aug ht er of the late E. A. Grave, Esq., of Feteham, Surrey. COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS. RITUALIST SERVICES. THE LAW OF PRIMOGENITURE. " L.'s letter on this subject, which appeared in the Times last week, seems likely to excite a good deal of controversy. "In Aqualitate Aquitas" writes that a large professional experience convinces him that " L." is wrong in saying that directly a man purchases an estate he desires to " make an elder son." On the contrary, among the middle classes it is almost invariably the rule to treat the children equally. Consequently, although of course such persons should be permitted to make a will by which they may if they please leave all their landed property to the eldest son, it is not fair that the law should make a will for them which the great majority of them would not make for themselves. Consequently, in the case of a landowner dying intestate, his property should be sold, and the pro ceeds divided equally, any member of the family being at liberty to buy. Sir George Bowyer writes on the same subject that for many centuries there existed in Kent a law of " gavelkind, by which all land was divided equally among the children of a landowner, and the division could not even be set aside by will. (Sir George appears to be una ware o f th e fact that this law existed by virtue of the compact mad e w ith William the Conqueror by the men of Kent, who, having proved themselves nearly invin cible, agreed to submit themselves to hini on condition that they were allowed to retain their old privileges and customs, among which was the one in question.) Sir George declares that gavelkind was found to be so inconvenient, that land in Kent has been disgavelled until very little gavelkind re mains; and the Real Property Commissioners, in their third report, recommended the total abolition of the custom, on the ground of the difficulty in dealing with property of thi s tenure arising from the minute shares into which it often becomes divisible. If equal distribution were merely voluntary, Sir George Bowyer considers that very little effect would be produced. If it were made compulsory the change would render the inves tigations of title more difficult even than they are at present; in other words, the cost of conveyance, i. e., the cost of land, would be increased, and it would be almost impossible to effect mortgages. Sir George has clearly never heard of the Act for reeistermg titles. ItETIRE3IENT FROM THE TURF. If a rumour in sporting circles is to km believed, the Duke of Hamilton has decided upon breaking up his training establishment at Winchester, which was managed by T. Brown. Some of the horses go to Page, at Chantilly, and othersto:Matt Daw son ' s , at Newmarket. THE ASSASSINATION OF MR. DARER The Irish papers supply the details of the Tippe rary murder. The evidence at present accumulated proves that there must have been a thorough acquaintance with the somewhat peculiar habits of the deceased on the part of the person or persons who perpetrated the crime. Mr. Baker had served an ejectment on Thomas Dwyer, a yearly tenant, who had frequently given considerable annoyance by quarrelling with his brother, another tenant on the property. The morning before the assassination Dwyer had urged Mr. Baker to withdraw the ejectment, but his request was refused. Mr. Baker had left his own house to visit his father, the Rev. Mr. Baker, and soon after wards a woman heard shots, and discovered the body lying on the avenue. Mr. Baker had been shot in the head, and his body bore marks of blows. The police at once arrested Dwyer's son, and the father, who had not been at home all night, was taken subsequently. The coroner's jury contented themselves with return ing a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown. Mr. Baker was 40 years of age, and has left a wife and three children. PROFESSOR FORBES. Tidings of tho death of Professor James David Forbes, D.C.L., LL.D, have been received from Scotland. The deceased was Principal of the United Colleges of St. Salvador and St. Leon:,rd's, St. Andrews. The deceased, who was a son of the late Sir William Forbes, 13art., of Pitsligo, was born in Edinburgh i n 1809 , and was educated' at the University of Edinburgh, where he obtained several prizes, and where he held the Professorship of Natural Philosophy from 1833 till 1800. Ire was the author of a large number of works on physical science, as well as of works in various departments of general literature, amongst which may be mentioned " Travels in the Alps of Savoy," " - Norway and its Glaciers," " Papers on the Theory of Glaciers," &c. Some years ago he received the Perth Medal of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Rumford and Royal . Medals of the Royal Society of Lon:l.on, for various papers on the transactions of those bodies. AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO PROSECUTE. To illustrate the difficulties thrown in the way of prosecuting thieves, a Mr. Charl es W a lk er wr i tes to the Times to sav that a man havine been taken in There is likely to be no lack of measures for deal ing with the important subject of local taxation. 33eside the notices of motion given by Mr. Acland, Sir M. Lopes, and Sir W. P. (fallwey, we learn that Mr. Read, the tenant - farmers' member, and his col league, Mr. Howes, are preparing a measure for the establishment of county financial boards. ASSESSMENT OF CLERICAL INCOMES. Under the heading of " A Fat Living," the Rev. J. F. Hodgson, vicar of Horsham, writes to expose a very serious injustice to which he and his brother clergy are exposed. His nominal income is £BOO ; but, when the absolutely necessary outgoings and those morally necessary are deducted, £2OO is all that remains for bread and cheese. He is assisted by four curates, the salaries—£l7o—of two of whom are paid by him. Formerly the magis trates used to exempt him from the payment of rates upon this sum, and he was thereby saved £4O a year.; but, by a recent decision in the courts of law, they are unable to do so any longer, and he now has another £5O per annum clapped upon his shoulders. The result is that he is unable to increase the stipends of his hardworking curates, as he had intended to do. The amount of the clerical tithes being known exactly, the clergy are rated to the utmost, and every burden now—police, lunatic asylums, county rates is heaped on these local rates. Of course, though. Mr. Hodgson does not say so, the squires and the farmers take very good care to exempt themselves from assessment on their necessary outgoings. The case is really very hard, and some county M.P. ought to introduce a bill for exempting curates' stipends from the assessment on the incumbents' incomes. The Ritual judgment being, as Mr. Mackonochie mentions in his letter to the Archbishop of Can terbury, under the deliberation of the High Church clergy, the practices condemned by that judgment are still adhered to in the churches where they have hitherto prevailed; i.e., the altar lights are still lighted, the officiating clergy still prostrate them selves after consecration of the elements, and in some places incense is used. The morning papers con tain long accounts of services at two London churches, All Saints, Margaret-street, and St. Paul's, Lorrimore square. At the first church the services have not, hitherto, been so " advanced " as at St. Alban's and St. Michael's, Shoreditch. But Mr. Upton Richards, incumbent, now intends to make them more ritualist; and in order to compensate for the prohibi tions decreed by the judgment, he asked the congre gation to shew their reverence for the sacrament by kneeling at the wordsin the Nicene Creed, "And he was made man," and also by prostrating themselves after consecration. He especially exhorted them never to sit down, but to kneel or stand " while Our Blessed Lord lies on the altar." No one, he said, would think of sitting in the presence of the Queen ; how much more should one be reverent in the presence of the King of Kings P At St. Paul's, Lorrimore-square, of which the Rev. John Going is the incumbent, the sermon was preached by the Rev. G.- Abbott, travel ling secretary of the Curates' Aid Society, who, before commencing his sermon made the sign of the cross, and in his discourse spoke of the large increase in the number of churches where such services as his congregation were then witnessing were carried out. He said, if they would have their worship acceptable to God, and carry out what they had in view, they must suffer, and by the measure of their sufferingthey might count the measure of their success. Let them adopt the principle of non-resistance,which had been the weapon of the saints. Let them give a passive resistance, for true it was, and true it always would be, that they who took up the sword perished by the sword. They might come to church to cross themselves, to kneel and talk about religion, and all that might give them a name ; but the true circumcision was the circumcision of the heart. He attributed the shocking scenes witnessed in Lambeth and other parts of London to the want of money for the sup port of God's priests. At St. Peter's, Vauxhall, the incumbent, Mr. Herbert, a moderate High Churchman, said that he felt bound to comply with the recent judgment, and he should therefore adopt the Eucharistic vestments. As the Daily News remarks, the net result of the judgment so far is to convert moderate into advanced ritual. TILE LITERATURE OF A YEAR. Four thousand five hundred and eighty-one new books and new editions were published during last year, and of these one fourth were issued during the last two months of the year. To the total above mentioned must be added 408 importations of original American books, and 103 registrations of alterations in price on re-issue, making a gross total of 5,09:1 works. It shows the great interest which is still, pace the Positivists, taken in theology, that one fourth of the whole—viz., 984—were devoted to theology; whereas novels, which we had supposed to be the largest chss, contained only 208; even the arts and the sciences had more (429) than fiction, and so too had education the classics, and philology (446). Deaths. --- BRASSEY—On the Ist inst., at Newhold Comyn, Leanrivr ton, Arthur Albert, the infant son of Henry A. BrasseP Esq., M.P. FULLER -On the 3d inst., at Stratford-place, Camde n ' town, W. C. Fuller, aged 68. GREENSHIELDS -On the 3d inst., at Kerso, Lestnahago vi / John Greenshields, Esq., of Kerse. PARRY._ On the Ist inst., at Clearwell Vicarage, G:otlei tershire, Capt a i n H oward Lewis Parry, Royal Na v)i aged 77. - - Lott' )n : Printed and P:blished by WILLIA.II ANDREW S ' of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tai' SUN Whe, No I'l. Strand, in th e P recinct of the Savoy, in the CiouitY °f IliddlesoX.—Tuesday, Janunly 5, 1869. BELGIUM'. A commission of the Royal Academy of Medicine has for some time past devoted its attention to the employment o f women an d girls in subterranean mines in Belgium. The result has been an order to the effect that after 1871 this species of emplpyment shall cease. It appears that an agricultural gang was a model of purity compared with the communities who labour in the Belgian mines. It is difficult to conceive a worse state of things. But the absolute prohibition of labour, which appears to be the direct cause of such terrible results, gives rise to that difficult question—what is to become of the women who find this the only means of obtaining a livelihood? Legislative interference with the right of labour to the extent of absolute prohibition is hazardous, and many authorities in Belgium are doubtful of the effects of this new regulation. SPAIN. The situation in Spain, which wore rather a favourable aspect after the repression of the rising at Cadiz, has again been troubled by a diturbance at Malaga. The reorgani sation of the militia was the cause of this outbreak also. Though the rising has been serious, it would be premature to attribute it to the influence of any particular party. The Republicans, in fact, exhibit a disposition in favour of an amicable settlement. A large meeting has recently been held, at which it was resolved to accept the candidate of the Progressists, provided that the election be only for life. This would really be a sort of republican monarchy ; but the monarchists may find it preferable to a deadly struggle ending in military government or the success of the reactionists. PARAGUAY. The news from the La Plata is a little less doublefaced than usual. The defeat of the Allies and the injury of the three ironclaas is admitted. The Brazilian accounts, how. ever, speak of a new enterprise by which the position of Lopez has been turned ; whilst the Paraguayans say that the Allies have remained satisfied with their defeat. It IS clear that the relative position of the two parties remains unchanged. The Argentine Republic has fallen a prey to the chronic malady of the South A mArican States—inter. nal aeitation. (From the Anglo-American Times.) NEW YORK, Dec. 19. iVe are lik e l y to have plenty of law business dur ing this winter—criminal cases, and cases in equity, whisky frauds, naturalization frauds, stock-jobbing frauds, murder, arson, and bigamy. Touching the latter, James W. Jannett has lately been com mitted, charged with having married three women, all now living. The first and third appeared in court, together with a young lady, his daughter by the first, tie eldest, it is said, of five children, all bent on the suppression of tl is Mormon monster. No. 2, however, could not be found. These are the known cases, how many more wives may turn up when the subject gains publicity remains to be seen. Jannett asserts that he was the owner of two vessels employed as blockade runners during the war—of these one was lost at sea, the other seized—when he found himself a prisoner for two years. The death of his wife was communicated to him after release, whereon he decided on marrying, and only became convinced that his former wife was alive on seeing her. He has grand prospects, and his life is valuable, as be is the discoverer of guano islands in the Carribean RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. THE ATLANTIC AND GREAT WESTERN ita ROAD. —lt is stated that $2,000,000 have been sPi by Robert B. Potter, receiver of this railroad, dur the past 16 months in placing its track, road bi and rolling stock in the most perfect conditii Important improvements and renewals have be during the period named, continually in proge Two hundred miles of new rails, weighing 65Ihs , the yard, of the best quality and most improf pattern, laid with the celebrated fish-plate jot have taken the place of old ones, rendering track like one continuous rail, and preventing jarring and noise so exhausting and disagre:abLe, passengers. Five hundred thousand new oak ee l ties have been l a id ; new b r i dges, durable and su p stantial, have been built ; trestle works have be l replaced by solid earth and stone embankments, ao new day cars and sleeping coaches have been plod upon the line. The formal transfer of this railsfl to the control of the Erie Railway Company le! male on December 12th, at Meadville, Penuol vania, The road is to be known as the Atlaol and Great Western Division of the Erie Railse : Messrs. Gould and Riddle represented the Erie I taking possession. Messrs. L. D. Rucker is retaioe as superintendent of this division. No other of, pointments or changes h ave yet b een annonneel The Erie officials started for Cincinnati to-day. SOUTHERN RAILWAY STOCK. —Chief Justice Chas! at the present term of the United States Cireol Court, sitting at Richmond, it is reported, has d e livered an import an t d ec i s i on, esta b l i shing the r i g bl of stockholders in the loyal States to dividends de . dared during the war upon stock held by them If Southern railways, notwithstanding the confise's tion of such stock and its dividends by the Cod e , derate Government. Th e op i n i on enters at log° into the question what is meant by the term de la / government, and lays down the rule that Confede rate notes received in the rebel States by the rept e ' sentatives of persons in the loyal States must accounted for in lawful money, equal in value ti the Confederate notes at the time of their receipt'. The Illinois Central Railroad Company 0 pay a net dividend of 5 per cent. to those entitle thereto on the Ist of February. The " Selma, Rome, and Dawton Railroad," e $ tending nearly 200 miles from Selma, Alabaule to Rome, Georgia, was opened on the 31st e October. It is a combination of several unfinishe: roads projected an d b egun b e f ore t h e late war, which were nearly destroyed during that period t It forms the s h or t est li ne of road connecting larger citi es o f th e A t l ant i c with those of the Gel of Mexico. The old portions have been thorougb ll rebuilt, and the new line has been constructed 11 the most substantial manner. The Great Indian Peninsular Railway Compini paid £1,070,136 into the Bank, to the credit of tba Secretary of State for India on account o f th £ 2 ,000,000 stock just issuel upon tender. The joint traffic return of the Cale lonian all j North British Railway Companies shows an if r crease of £2,354. JOURNALISM. --The New Jersey Enterprise i. 3 now four-page weekly paper, published at Burlingto n! N.J. It contains 32 columns of reading matter and adfa r : tisements, and presents a very attractive appearance. paper called the Daily World has bean established in rro: route, Canada, devoted to the interests of the workin? men. There is a newspaper in Maine which bears the f lr niarkable title of the Presque Isle Loyal Sunrise. The N (li York. Herald call s Th eo d ore Tilton the molasses of jou r nalism, and Wendell Phillips the vinegar. There is are' ligious newspaper at Shanghae, China, called Kian Kid Sing Ban, which is edited by the Rev. Young J. Allen. n 1 American mis s i onary. T he preface and dedication °I General the Hon. Sir Edward Cost's forthcoming ivoro 4 , Lives of the Wonders of the 17th Century," to which l! alluded in our last issue, is, we now see, printed for Pc t . ,' veto circulation o n l y, an d a d dressed to Brigadier- Genet ' Watts de Peyster Tivoli, New York. JAPANESE NEW TESTAMENT.—The Philadelp 9 Puldie Ledger says a Japanese. New Testament, translate d and edited by the American missionaries, is now in coal . ° of publication in Japan. The English and Japanese ar e printed in parallel columns and in Roman type, an arrane ment which will facilitate the mastery of both languae' enabling the natives to learn English and foreigners Jar nese. There i s no soun d i n the Japanese tongue whie ll corresponds to either the letter lor th. The former is c% pressed by substituting r, and the latter by s. A colossal bronze statue of Bishop Brownel l !, designed by R an d o l p h Rogers, and intended for Trinit/ College, has just arrived at llarCord, Connecticut, fro° Munich. ■ 0' ban' AL Ge Fr: tar fesE We( bin estl nisi anc La( Cal Stu, ford fooi. iron all of T ❑ors ♦JJI pens c~ni