The Sun. — London, England, 1869-01-13 00:00:00

IFEBOAT SERVICES.—Dnring the Storms A of the year 1868, the National Lifeboat Institution cou tributed to the saving of 853 lives from various ship w ecks and 25 vessels from destruction. The Institution al so expended £20,433 in the same period on its Lifeboat E stablishments, in addition to granting £2.432 for re wards. The Committee of the 'lnstitution earnestly appeal to the public for assistance to enable them to meet the continued heavy demands on their'l94 Lifeboat Establishments. Contributions will be thankfully received by the London and country bankers, and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Esq., at the Institution, 14, John-street, Adelphi, London. A LBERT LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY, 7, Waterloo-place. Pall-mall. London, S.W. 'Est bashed 183'8, NOTICE IS HEREBY (GIVEN, That the Half-yearly DIVI• DEND to the 31st ult. is in course of PAYMENT to the Share holders. FRANK EASITH, Secretary. January, 180, C 1 EOLOGY.-KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.- PROFESSOR TENN. N T will commence a C'IL - RSE OF LECTURES ON GEOLOGY on FRIDAY, January 22, at 9 a.m. They will ho c -ntinued on etch succeeding Wednesday and Fri day at the same hour. A shorter Course will be given on Thurs day Evenings, from Bto 9. First Lecture Jan. 21. Text Book, Lveli's "Elements of Geolog.y." Professor Tennaut accompanies his Students to the public Museums and to places of Geological interest in the country. Ile gives PRIVATE INSTRUt;TION in Mineralogy and Geology at his residence, 149, Strand, W.C. THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE. Cole Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton. Special Morning Performances of the Grand Pantomime on every NlTednesuay and Saturday during the Christmas Holidays. THIS I,VENING, will be performed MY WIFE'S OUT. To be followed by the Great Christmas Pantomime, entitled GRIMALKIN THE GREAT; OR, HARLEQUIN PUSS IN BOOTS, %ND TAR MILLER'S SONS, with new and magnificent Scenery by Mr. Wm. Beverley. Characters in the Opening by the entire strength of the company. In the Harlequinade a Double Troupe of Pantomimists; and combining the grandest stage effects of any Pantomime ever produced at this theatre. Doors open at half-past 6, commence at 7. Box-office open from 10 till 5 daily. THEATRE ROYAL, H A YMARKET. Sole Lessee, Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, A HERO OF ROMANCE. Messrs. Buckstone, Sothern, Compton, Chippendale, &c.; Mesdames Ada Cavendish, Chippendale, Burke. Fitzwilliam, &c. Concluding with THE FRIGHMIL HAIR. bi essrs. Comp ton, Kendal, Weaihershy, Buckstone, jun., &c. ; Mesdames Wright. Burke, Gwynn, &c. Commence at Seven. THEATRE ROYAL, ADELPHI. Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. WEBSTER. Directress, Mrs. Alfred Mellon. THIS EVENING, DID YOU EVER SEND YOUR WIFE TO CAMBERWELL. Mr. G. delmore, Mrs. L. Murray. At a quarter to 8, MONTE CRISTO. Mr. Fechter, Mr. Benja min Webster, Mr. G. Belmore, Mr. Arthur Stirling, Mr. Ashley, Mr. R. Phillips, Mr. Stuart. Mr. C H. Stephenson, Mr. C. J. smith, Mr. Romer. Mr. W. H. Eburne, Mrs. Alfred Mellon, Visa Carlotta Leclercq,Mrs. Leigh Murray, and Miss Nelly Harris. R OYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining. THIS EVENING, THE SECRET. After which (at 8 o'clock) Dion Boucicault's new drama, in f lur acts, entitled AFTER DARK, a Tale of London Life. Messrs. Vining., Walter Lacy, Dominick Murray. C. Harcourt, J. . Shore; Miss Emma Barnet. and Miss Rose Leclercq. Entirely new Scenery by Mr. F. Lloyds an'l assistants. To conclude with MASTER JONES'S BIRTHDAY. Ooors open at half-past 6, commence at 7. daily from 10 till 5. Box-office open OYAL STRAND THEATRE. 1 - 1 ) Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs Swanborough. THIS EVENING, at 7.30. THE WIDOW HUNT. Messrs. f.:lLrke. Belford, Joyce; Mesdames Bohm and Maitland. After which, THE FIELD ON' ThZ CLOTH OF GOLD. Messrs. Thorne, James, and Robson Mesdames M. Long more, F. Hughes, L. Maitland, &c. To conclude with HUE AND DYE. IT. GEORGE'S THEATRE (ST. GEORGE'S HALL).—Great Success of SARDANAPALUS.—The new Drama, SAVED, and the original Ninevitish Burlesque of SAR- J)ANAPALUS (received with roars of laughter and applause). Every Evening. at half-past 7. The best Shilling Pit in London. r Morning Performances on Saturday, Jan. 16, and Tuesday, Jan 19, at Two n.m. CILOBE THEATRE-ROYAL. -At 7, GOOD VI FOR NOTHING. At a quarter to 8, Mr. J. Byron's original Comedy, in five acts, entitled CYRIL'S SUCCESS: Messrs. Warner, Vernon, David fishe Newbound, Andrews, Tindale, Hurlston, and J. Clarke; Mesdames Henrade, C. Thorne, Breman, Berend, Hughgs, and Stephens. R OYAL AMPHITHEATRE AND CIRCUS, HOLBORN: The most charming entertainment in London. Two Thousand Five Damdred :eats. No crowding. No confusion. The SCENES in the ARENA unparalleled and matchless. The beantiful Horses alone worth seeing. Great success of the Holiday Programme. The Great Carre Troupe every evening, introducing Herr Oscar Carre and his magnificent stud of Fifty Performing Horses. The laughter provoking Clowns, Burgess and Loyal, in a series of whimsicalities, novel and new. In ad dition, a spectacular bit of Pantomimic Extravagance, entitled THE MARVELS OF ELECTRICITY, in which the whole strength of the establishment will take part, besides 250 troops and beautiful ponies. Doors open at Seven, commence at half past. Morning Performances Monday, Wednesday, and Satur day, commencing at Half-past Two. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GUARDIAN PR. GLENIE, of the Sp or ti ng Lib rar y, 01 • 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park, London, W., begs to 'orm hi% customers, and the Licensed Vi c t ua ll ers i n genera l , at ho has been appointed Agent for the above-named paper in ddition to his agency for the Sporting Edition of " THE SUN," nd can supply the same on Friday evening, if required, in town Ir country. G. It. U. begs to inform the Trade that ae is Agent fir the P . .A.TEST EDITION of "THE SUN," and can supply it eariie Y'tn auy other man in London or Country the evenlng cf ration. Nu conneeti,,n with any other persons. 8e11y . 3. and AK:airs Guides. All :he Dati!y Pap:•rs. trey, an, ' for he .1 riodieals as soon as pnblial eel. ..,rnr:any. Orders by poet ar:onde,l THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " to be seen Every Evening by S 10 at Mr. ROBERT MEAcoc:t's, itannia, Kensal New-town. THE THIRD EDITION OF , c THE SUN," giving all the SPORTING NEWS of the day, may be seen at JEM Y M ANTON'S house, "The Swan and Horse Shoe," Little Britain, City, E.C. WH O'S GRAINGER? LICENSED VTCTUALLEB.S' TOBACCONIST, SHEPHERD'S-BUSH. SPORTING EDITION of "TH I , ] SUN" can be seen at tIR ZINGER'S Establishment, as above, every evening by Eight ack. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " supplied, as soon as published, Every Evening, by W. ALEXANDER (late Brooks), Newspaper Agent, ho. 4, Old Cavendish street, Oxford-street. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN" supplied as soon as published, containing all the LATEST NEWS and SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, by H W HARRIS, ewspaper Agent, 4, Blackfriars-road, London, S. THE "SUN" NE WSPAPER.-G. R. GLENIE, Sporting Library, 4. Connaught-terrace, Edgeware-road, delivers the LAT E EDITION of "THE SUN " at the earliest possible moment after leaving the press. He is able to deliver jopies in Town, the Suburbs, and in many parts of the country at a comparatively early hour the same evening, say 40 miles by 9.45 o'clock . Orders by pos punctually attended to rr"E " SUN" NEWSPAPER.-G. R. GLENIE delivers the LA TE EDITION at Chelsea, 7.40; Kilburn, 8 Starch-green, 8; Woolwich, 7.30; Uxbridge, 9.20; Watford, • gPORTING.--JOHN ROBERTS supplies the LATES EDITION of "THE SUN "as soon as pub lished.-4, Bath-street, City-road, E.C. TLIHE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN' at L JAMES SPEEDY'S, "The Wellington," Wellington-etreet, Strand. TEE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN." J. HOLMES begs to inform his friends and the public generally that he supplies the LATEST EDITION of "THE S I7N " as soon as published.—No. 10, Hampstead-road N.W. iIIHE LATE EDITION of "THE SUN " at li J. SMITH'S, 39, Bow-street, Covent-garden. LATE EDITION of " THE SUN" at W. SMITH'S •° Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden town. THEATRE-ROYAL DRURY-LANE. Tole Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton. Tris EVENING, at 7. MY WIFE'S OUT. Followed by the Grand Pantomime, PUSS IN BOOTS. Commence at 7. THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET. THIS EVENING. A HERO OF ROMANCE. Messrs. Buck stone, Sothern, Compton, Chippendale, &c.; Mesdames Ada Cavendish, Chippendale, Burke. Fitzwilliam, &c. Concluding with THE FRIGHTFUL HAIR: Messrs. Compton, Kendal, Buckstone, jun., Weathershy, &c.; Mesdames Wright, Burke, Gwynn, tx. Commence at 7. THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI. TITIs EVFNING, at 7, DID YOU EVER SEND YOUR WIFE TO CAM B F.RW ELL. Mr. G. Belmore, Mrs. L. Murray. At 7.45 MOVIE CRISTO. Messrs. Fechter, B. Webster, G. Belmore, A. Stirling, R. Phillips, Stuart, Ashley, Stephenson. C. J. Smith, IV If. I , burn, R. Romer; Mrs. Alfred Mellon, Miss C. Leclercq, and Mrs. Leigh Murray. PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager. Mr. Vining. THIS EVENING, at 7, to commence with THE SECRET. At 8, AFTER DARK, a Tale of London Life: Mr Vining, Mr. W. Lacy, Mr. Dominick Murmy; Messrs. C. Harcourt, J. a Shore, Maclean, Holston: Miss Emma Barnet and Miss Rose Leclercq C'ncluding with MASTER JONES'S BIRTHDAY. GLOBE THEATRE-ROYAL. Tilts EVENING, at 7. GOAD FOR NOTHING. At a quarter to 8. CYRIL'S SUCCESS: Messrs. Warner, Vernon. David Fisher, Newbounl, Andrews, Tindale. Hurlstone, J. Clarke; 'Mesdames Henrsde, C. Thorne, Bremen, Berend, Hughes, and Stephens. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanhorouch. Turs y IT - ENING, at 7.20, TfIE WIDG W HUNT. Messrs. Bel ford, Clarke: Miss Button. THE FIELD OF THE CI OTH OF GOLD: Messrs. Thorne, James, Fenton; Ni esdames Maria Longmore, B. Goodall. I ydia, Maitland, Claire, and H ug h es. To conclude with HUE AND DYE. QUEEN'S THEATRE, LONG-ACRE. Manager, Mr. W. H. Liston. THIS EVENING. DOT. Messrs. J. L. Toole, &Emery, W. H Slerherm C. Wyndhrm. and L. Erough ; esdames Montsmie, J. Rirnold, Msxe, a n d Everr.rd. And THE GNOME KING Teole. With A RACE FOR A DINNER TIT EATRF.-ROYAL, OLYMPIC. THIS EvENINO, nt 7, SL SHER & CRASHER : Messrs A tkins. Vaughan, G. Vincent, (te. ; Miss Lennox Grey and Mrs Caulfield. After which, at 7.45, THE YELLOW PASSPORT : Messrs. H Ne ille, G. Vincent, E. Atkins, H. Vaughan, H. Cooper, and H. Wigan; Mesdames Furtado, Lennox Grey, and Caulfield ROYALTY THEATRE. L ude the ement of Miss M. liver. THIS EVEN ING, r at 7 Man agO .30, A LOVINO CUP. Mr. Dewar, Miss M. Oliver. To bo followed by THE RISE AND FALL OF \ICHA It D •, or, A New Front to an Old Dicky: Mr. Dewar Mr. Danvers: Niss Collinson. and Miss M. Oliver. To eon elude with EVERYBODY'S HUSBAND. PRINCE OF WALES'S ROYAL THEATRE. Under the Management of Miss Marie Wilton Tars EvaNuca, SOCIETY: Messrs. Hare, H. J. Montague, Blakeley, Montgomery, and Bancroft: Mrs. 13uckinghlm White, Miss C. Addison, and Miss Marie Wilton. Preceded by A WINNING HAZARD. ROYAL ANLPHrrHEATRE AND CIRCUS, HOLBORN. Tars EVENING, The Great Carre Troupe and magnificent Stud of 50 Horses also Alfred Bradbury, M. Clifton, and THE MARVELS OF ELECTRICITY. CHRISTY MINSTRELS, St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8 Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round. ROYAL ALHAMBRA PALACE. THREE BALLET?, Promenade Concert. Band of 60. Begin at 8. ls. Box-office open from 11 to 4. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, RegerVe-park, OPEN daily (ex cept Sundays). Admission, ls.; on Mcndays, &L; Children under twelve, 6d. 1 17 • t:) - ‘2S 11114 LOADOiti, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13, 1869. We are glad to find that the B illot is not to be omitted from the voluminous programme unfolding before the new Parliament. Among the many sill unaccomplished reforms awaiting the labours of the yet untried M.P.'s, we may surely place the Ballot in the very first rank. 'Whether we regard its import ance as a matter of principle in securing the inde pendence of the voter, or its practical utility in solving the problem with which no other method has satisfactorily dealt, we must acknowledge that the Ballot has very pressing claims on the attention of all earnest and single-minded Liberals. We have yet to see the effect produced by the transfer of authority in disputed election cases from the Parlia mentary Committee to a more rigid tribunal, but unfortunately there is not much room to doubt that however the court of appeal may be constituted its members will not be left idle. There is no chance of a maiden session, so far as elections are concerned. and the potent, grave, and reverend seigniors, whose fiat is to open or close the doors of St. Stephen's to adventurous ambition, will have to see many a Par liament begin and end before they are entitled to white gloves. The experience of the last general election has not been encouraging in this respect. Making every allowance for the warmth of party feeling, and for the excitement produced by closely run numbers at the poll, there has been an ample list of disputed elections. The increase in the constituen cies, however useful in other respects, hal not answered the purposes of checking bribery, preventing intimidation, and removing corruption. We cannot dispense with the Ballot. So long as there are ambitious men, with more money than principle, on the one hand, and unscrupulous men, with more greed than integrity, on the other, so long, in short, as we live in a motley community of men and women,and not in a Utopia of political abstractions, we need Dot expect to find all corrupt influences eliminated from Parliamentary elections. We may, indeed, hope to see a great improvement in the moral tone of the people, as we have seen marked progress in other re spects, but the conscientious few can only raise the careless and unreflecting many to their standard by either removing temptation as far as possible from them, or else by enforcing punishment with deter rent severity. The latter alternative in a case like bribery or intimidation would be simply impossible. Legislators who are implicated in the offence con demned would not sentence their fellows and asso ciates to criminal punishment for a fault they regard as venial. Even supposing that they did so, we have in America a notable instance of the futility of such an attempt. There both briber and bribed are re garded as law breakers, not as mere conventional offenders; and the consequence is that neither will give evidence against the other, and as such transac ions seldom admit the presence of a third party. conviction is hopeless The Ballot may not in some respects fulfil all the expectations formed of it ; but it can hardly fail to diminish very considerably the temptation to political dishonesty, while it will inevitably remove much of the disorder consequent on elections, by doing away with the system of treating, the meetings in public houses, &c., which are all fruitful of evil. Its oppo nents are never at a loss for denunciation and ridi cule, but they have nothing to urge against the facts that all their own specifics have failed to remove a great disgrace from our English electoral system, that the Ballot has never been tried in Parliamentary elections, and has therefore been condemned un heard ; and last, but not least, that it is found an efficient protector against embarrassing relations and undue influence in clubs, associations, and societies. It is impossible for a man in our complicated society to be wholly independent of his fellows, and even if he have no personal or cowardly motive he may shrink from causing disappointment or giving pain by his vote. The Ballot covers all secrets, and enables a voter to give his vote as he conscien tiously thinks best, without having to pass through an ordeal which very few men are inclined to undergo. It is therefore highly satisfactory to find that a great Ballot meeting is to be held at the Arundel Hall on Friday evening, when Mr. MILNEP. GIBSON is to preside, and when we hope the plan of operations for the ensuirg campaign will be definitely settled. What are we to do with our criminals? This is the question that is now being eagerly asked in all direc tions, and the more closely we study the details of the subject the more fully must we be impressed with its importance. It is of no use to mince the matter and to put off the evil day of recognition, the crisis is at hand, and we must prepare for it. Those who may not fully appreciate the significance of the affair will do well to peruse the comprehensive state ment recently furnished by Mr. FEN WICK, the Chief Constable of Chester, on the subject of " Crime and Criminals." In this startling revelation they may find much to awaken reflection and give rise to regret. There is certainly no reason to doubt the truth of the first observation that we meet with, " The profession of crime is thoroughly established." Further on we come to the unpleasant fact that there are at present in England and \Vales 22,889 " known thieves," and these, with the receivers of stolen goods, and the large number that comes under the head of " suspected persons," make a total of 112,406 per sons of criminal tendencies at large among us. Well may Mr. FENWICK exclaim, "If this army cannot be cured, are they to be endured as at present ?" The best way to arrive at a correct understanding of this seeming mystery is to consider that very few of those who are once convicted ever return to honest em ployment again, and the number of times that each criminal is re-convicted and sentenced again is amazing to the uninitiated. " Direct aggressive action must be taken," is said in this letter, and the force of the observation must come tome to all. When we realise the truth, that the number of criminals is increasing, it seems time to act in self-defence for the preservation of society, and fur the maintenance of order and peace. Scale punishments seem to present advantages, and at any rate it is worth while to try them. Thieves calculate the chances for or against their con- viction with great nicety, and never " give up" until they are actually sentenced. They know that it is not decisive for them if they are committed for trial, because every fourth prisoner or thereabouts is acquitted when subjected to that ordeal. Even when the worst has happened, the " ticket of leave' may be looked forward to. Mr. FENWICK thinks that it would be advisable to drop the ticket-of-leave sys tem, and remove that temptation to think lightly of penal servitude. Zhe supervision system might be employed with advantage, after the full period of the imprisonment has expired and the ends of justice would be more fully met if a public prosecutor were instituted. The writer of this letter speaks with authority, and believes that many cases are " hushed up" or " squared" from indifference or sentiment on the part of the prosecutor, and the ingenuity of the friends of the guilty party. If these and other suggestions should awaken pub lic attention a great end will have been gained, and it is for the interests of the nation that it should be so. We have happily passed the time when cruelty and oppression stained the records of our prisons, but it is a mistake to go to the other extreme, and virtu ally to hold out a premium to crime through the in sufficiency of our restrictive laws and the inadequate character of our punishments. When we read the details of the proceedings at some of our cri minal courts, we are led to believe that the learned authorities have forgotten that time honoured adage Judex damnatur corn nocens absolritu - •. It has never happened that the public mind has been roused on any subject without some decisive result follow ing from it, and these handed arrays " who like reapers descend to the harvest of crime," may be pre pared for the worst in earnest, for we can no longer tolerate their unchecked ;course, and must set to work with might and main to stem the tide of an evil, which is as the arrow that flieth by day, and the pestilence that walketh in darkness. WE mentioned some days ago that Mr. DUDLEY BAXTER had written a pamphlet in order to shew that the general election proved the wisdom of the Conservative policy in giving household suffrage. Since then Mr. BAXTER has written a letter to the Times, enforcing this conclusion of his. Mr. BAXTER is an able statist. It required a very able one to convince the public that the Con servative party have profited by the Reform Bill. During the late Parliament the organs of that party were never weary of taunting Mr. GLADSTONE, with having converted a majority of 70 into a minority of 40—a difference of 110 ; but now we hear nothing of this feat; it is quietly assumed that this majority was maintained until the end, and that all which Mr. GLADSTONE has done has been to increase it to 111. We might, if we chose, insist upon the first mentioned figures, and declare that the Liberal leader, having lost 110 votes in the old Parliament, has in the new not only regained them, but added another 110 to them. However, we are content to take Mr. BAXTER'S own figures, though they over-estimate the Liberal majority in the late and underrate that in the present Parliament. One hundred and eleven majority is a tolerably substantial fact. There has been nothing like it since the Reform Bill of 1832 was carried ; and if Mr. BAXTER finds comfort and satisfaction in it we can only congratulate him on the perfect way in which he has learnt the first half of HORACE'S lesson— .PEquam memento rebus in arduis, Servare mentem. Perhaps we may some day have to congratulate him on fulfilling the latter half of the injunction. It must be admitted that in this respect he and his friends have had little opportunity of shewing their proficiency. Mr. BAXTER analyses the electors as well as the elected, and here he finds an unfailing source of com fort. True, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have gone against the Conservative party, but then the party has gained in England ; that is to say, more persons have supported Conservative candidates on this occa sion than on former occasions. Mr. BAXTER appears to have arrived at this conclusion by assuming that where a county like Kent or Lancashire has returned a perfect phalanx of Conservative county members, the whole of the electors are to be reckoned as Con servative, even though each seat mayhave been gained by the narrowest majority. How untenable such a supposition is we may easily see by supposing that in each case the Conservative candidate was returned bya majority of one. In such a county the constituency would be divided equally, except for an unappreciable fraction, and yet this fraction would be sufficient t 3 exclude every Liberal candidate. Mr. BAXTER draws two principal lessons from the elections : the first, that the Conservatives were justified by the result in passing a household suffrage bill ; the second, that the Liberal party must be careful how they venture to set the rest of the kingdom against England. As to the first lesson, we can only say that if the Conservatives had foreseen that household suffrage would place them in a minority of 111, they would either have swallowed the " bitter pill " with even more wry faces than they manifested, or not at all. If the retreat of a Conservative Cabinet without waiting to meet the Parliament which it had elected be a proof of the wisdom of household suffrage from the Conservative point of view, we can only wonder what Conservative folly must be. The antagonism between England and the rest of the kingdom, presuming it to be a fact—which, moreover, we do not admit—would only shew that in England the love for ecclesiastical establishments had for a time induced a section of the Liberal party to leave their ranks. They will not be able to prevent the disestablishment of the Irish Church. Mr. BAXTER himself admits that; and when this measure has been accomplished we may expect to see the Liberal party strengthened by the return of those men who are Liberals in all other matters save this. FIRE 11V CHEAPSIDE-THIS DAY. This (Wednesday) morning, at a few minutes before four o'clock, great excitement was caused amongst the warehousemen in Cheapside, owing to the outbreak of a fire in the large premises num bered 135 in that neighbourhood. The buftling was occupied by Mr. T. N. Mapleson, a cotton agent, Mr. Hurwitz, and Mr. D. Reed, a merchant tailor. The discovery was made by the police constable on duty, who, on passing along the back of Cheapside, had his attention directed by a strong smell of wood burning. Feeling convinced that a fire was burning iu one of the buildings, he made a search, and in the course of a few minutes he found flames rolling out of the back warehouse on the first floor, which was tenanted by Mr. Mapleson. The officer at once sounded the alarm, and went off to Wailing-street for the engines. Captain Shaw and numerous officers of the Metro politan Brigade, with a full complement of firemen, engines, and escapes, as well as the London Salvage Corps, with Mr. Superintendent Swanston, arrived at the seat of danger. The flames by that time had reached the yard, although several of the interme diate stores had not been attacked by the fire. The stairs, however, were in a general blaze. The mains of the water company having been drawn a splendid supply of water was obtained, from which a couple of Shand, Mason, and Co.'s land steamers were set to work, and the hose of each machine having been conveyed up the stairs, the firemen were enabled to combat with the flames at each point, and they were soon extinguished. The damage done, however, is consider►ble, and is thus officially reported by Captain Shaw :—" Back rooms on first floor and front rooms on second floor and contents were se verely damaged by fire, the stairs nearly destroyed, the upper part of house and contents by heat and smoke, and part of roof off. The stock in shop slightly damaged by water and fire. Insurances at present unknown." Mr. Whitmore, M.P. for 13ridgnorth, has re signed the office of Conservative " Whip," to which he was appointed by Mr. Disraeli in 1855 as successor to Lord Mandeville, now Duke of Manchester. DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is re commended by the medical profession in preferenbe to French Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exporta Lion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Dunville and Co., Belfast; or 4, Blaufortrbuilrlings, Strand, London W.C—[Ad Yenisei:neut. LATEST INTELL EGENCE. (REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.) TURKEY. CONSTANTINOPLE, Jan. 12. Further particulars have been published of the capture of the Cretan Insurrectionary Government, after a fight resulting in the death of four of their members. Their archives fell into the hands of the military, and are said to contain a highly compro mising correspondence. SPAIN. MADRID, Jan. 12. The Epoca mentions a rumour, according to which General Cialdini will remain at Madrid in the quality of Italian Envoy Extraordinary. The same journal publishes a notification assert ing that the candidature of Prince Amadeus, of Italy, had been agreed upon between one of the members of. the Provisional Government, General Cialdini, and the French Minister; that the scheme had also the support of Senor Olzozaga, at Paris, and was approved by the Emperor Napoleon. The Epoca is of opinion that this candidature will be energetically opposed by the press and by public opinion. In the Basque provinces the example of Cata lonia has been followed in offering large sums of money and numerous volunteers for the pacification of Cuba. 10,000 soldiers have also volunteered to be employed on the same service. BELGIUM. BRUSSELS, Jan. 12, The lndependance Beige of this evening states that M. Delyanni has further instructions stating that Greece could not consent that her representa tive should occupy at the Conference a position so humiliating as that proposed by the Powers. AUSTRIA. VIENNA, Jan. 13. The Presse of to-day asserts that Russia counsels Greece to adopt a policy of moderation. The same paper states that the resistance of the Ministry of M. Boulgaris is threatened, and that M. Rhangave will be entrusted with the formation of a new Cabinet. The official W iener Zeitung of to-day publishes an Imperial Decree raising Count Mensdorff Pouilly to the rank of a Prince of the Empire. DENMARK. COPENHAGEN, Jan. 13. The Prince and Princess of Wales take their de parture on Friday next, and will embark on board the steamer Freya at Horsoer for Lubeck. AMERICA. QUEENSTOWN, Jan. 13. The Guion steamship Manhattan arrived here from Liverpool at 11 a.m. to-day, embarked pas sengers, and proceeded for New York at twelve o'clock. FRANCE. PARIS, Jan. 13. The Constitutionnel of to-day considers it a mat ter of regret that Greece, having known since the 2d instant the position which would be accorded to her at the Conference, and having subsequently agreed to take part, chose nevertheless to raise a formal difficulty at the last moment. The Constitutionnel hopes that notwithstanding this incident the Conference will lead to the results which the Powers have in view. Contrary to the assertions of some journals, Rangabe has not yet received a reply from Athens as to whether he should take part in the Conference with only a consultative voice. Bo URSE, Jan. 12.—Three o'clock.—The marke closed as follows :- 4} per Cent. End of month... Ital'an Loan 3 per Cent End of month 7O 271 Mexican Loan ... 24 25 Crcdit Mobilier '2Bl 25 Do. Bonds End of month... 282 50 Spanish Threes 31f Credit Foncier ...1532 50 Home Debt__ 27 50 End of month... Deferred Cash Orleans 923 Northern .......... .................... RAILIWAYS. Lyons and Mediterranean ............... 971 Southern..... ................................. 5411 Western ....................................... 61.2 i Eastern Sardinian .................................... 49 Austrian ....................................... 6474 Lombard ....................................... 440" North of Spain Saragossa Roman BRITISH SUBJECTS IN PARAGUAY. The Earl of Clarendon has received a despatch from her Majesty's Minister at Buenos Ayres, under date of the 21st of November, reporting that, as 10, it is believed, named Alonso far as can be ascertained, there are t wo B r i t i s h Taylorsubjects and i F n p . r G i s . o n m ina st e riaParaguay,n, w n are suspected of complicity in an extensi ve conspi racy. Mr. Stuart had also been inform e d th a t f our others, named W. Newton, IV. Edon, G. Mil es , and G. Higginbotham, who were in G overnmen t employ, have b een dismissed from it, an d t h at t h e three former of them are now at San Lorenzo and the latter at Paraguari. Mr. Stuart further re ports that the Commander of her Majesty's ship Beacon has received from President Lopez him self a positive assurance that every British sub ject in Paraguay shall receive the best possible treatment. Mr. Disraeli has presented the Rev. Henry Blag den, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge, curate of St. Nicholas, Newbury, to the rectory of Hughonden. The right hon. gentleman offered it to the Rev. R. H. Barnes M.A., vicar of St. Mary's Church, but that rev. gentleman is understood to have accepted the rectory of Heavitree, to which he was nominated by the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. DEPTFORD AND WOOLWICH.—It is understood that Mr. Childers intends to effect the vast economy which will ensue by closing the Royal dockyards of Woolwich and Deptford with as little delay as will bo compatible with the exigencies of the service. Two very important pieces of patronage which have hitherto been vested in the hands of the First Lord of the Ad miralty will thus be abolished—we allude to the post of Captain-Superintendent at each yard.—Army and Navy Gazette. TLIE BASTARDY LAWS.—At the meeting of the Marylebone Vestry yesterday, Mr. Surridge moved : " That the vestries and district boards of the metropolis be invited to join this vestry in petitioning the Govern ment to introduce a bill in the ensuing session of Par liament to amend the bastardy law, with a view of check ing the fearful and growing crime of infanticide." Mr. Israel Abrahams seconded the motion, and after some dis cussion the whole subject was referred to a committee. One of the latest patents taken out is that for an improvement in the mode of fastening shirt studs, buttons, and solitairs. The plan of Mr. Jeffery's of Tottenham court-road, the patentee, is the adoption of a crescent at the back of each stud instead of the circular piece now in use. The effect of such an arrangement is that one point of the crescent is no sooner inserted in the buttonhole than by a single turn the remainder of the back passes through, and the stud or button becames in proper posi tion without the slightest fear of coming out. The re moval of the stud is effected as easily as the insertion. From the facility and security of the fastening its adop tion will no doubt become universal, as it entirely super sedes all the inconveniences attending the plan now in use. LUXURIANT AND BEAUTIFUL HAlR.—Dins. s. A. ALLEN'S WORLD'S HAIR RESTORER OR DRESSING never fails to quickly restore Grey or Faded Hair to its youthful colour and beauty, and with the first application a beautiful gloss and de lightful fragrance is given to the Hair. It stops the Hair from falling off. It prevents baldness. It promotes luxuriant growth; it causes the Hair to grow thick and strong. It removes all dandruff. It contains neither oil nor dye. In large Bottles Price Six Shillings. Sold by MOM ChentSta and Perftgaeu, Depot, 266, High SQlbor4 CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS. !FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT: PARIS, TUESDAY, January 12. It is difficult for Englishmen with their political journals, meetings, addresses by leading men, and other means of political instruction—to form a just idea of the utter lack of knowledge on political matters which pre vails throughout France. The French people, as a body, know nothing of politics, and take a proportionately small interest in such matters, simply because they have no instruction. In Paris there are abundance of newspapers, though of no very excellent descrip tion, and these publish restricted comments on home affairs and the debates in the Corps Ldgislatif, as represented by the compte rendu analytique—the official report which alone can be published. But in the country the means of political instruction are so meagre that the most deplorable ignorance prevails everywhere. The journals are smaller and, in point of quality, below the not very high standard of the Paris papers. Very many of them are so small, and appear at such long intervals, that they are unable to publish the compte3 readies of the parliamentary debates. The law is inflexible; either the the long dreary report which is drawn up by the autho rities must be inserted, or none at all. It cannot be abridged or altered in any way. Hence the inhabitants of country districts remain from week to week and month to month without the slightest conception of what is going on at the Corps L6gislatif and the Senate. The gleams of light which occasionally reach them are few, unconnected, and useless. For all practical purposes they might as well be ignorant of the existence of the Legislative Assemblies. Surely this is not a satisfactory state of things, even in the eyes of those who hold that the multi tude is better off without meddling with politics. Some notion of what is going on in the council of the nation ought to be open to all who choose to seek it. Now that the opening of the session draws near an agitation is being got up on behalf of a second and shorter report of the debate. Those now supplied are much too long, so much so, that if a shorter were fur nished even the Paris journals would publish it in pre ference to the other. But it is demanded, and not unjustly, that the Government would not lose much by furnishing two reports, so as to give the people of the capital a choice, and to afford provincial journals an opportunity of publishing the shorter one. The demand is reasonable, but I have, nevertheless, very little hope that the Government will accord it. I need hardly say that the Budget report has not met with a favourable reception. No Budget under the Emperor ever did ; and it is scarcely too much to affirm that the time when the financial statement may meet with approbation from any but the supporters of the Govern. ment is yet far distant. As I said in my last, the report is favourable in details, but the main principle of all the Imperial statements of finance is left untouched. The surplus is not a real surplus. It is applied to " extraor dinary" purposes, Ivhich arc really very ordinary and common indeed. From the ordinary Budget are left out many items of expenditure which are put in the extraor dinary Budget, but which ought never to have got there. They are regular charges, which should be included in the ordinary Budget. This expedient, of course, greatly lightened the ordinary Budget, so as to leave a surplus. But this is by no means applied to the reduction of taxation. It goes towards the extraordinary Budget, which invariably converts the surplus into a deficit ; instead of having so much to spare, the Government is always obliged to borrow so much. In spite of the unquestionable ability and care with which this report is drawn up, the absence of affectation, and even the candour of AI. Magne's confession that the finances were not as they should be, the reception of the new financial statement was very cold. It is, in fact, simply the old story, and it excites neither admiration nor surprise. It is now feared that the Marquis de Moustier will not quit the Foreign Ministry alive. He is said to have recovered a little, but the rally, I am informed, is both slight and temporary. The medical men have abandoned hope, though, happily, they sometimes do this too soon. Of course there is no thought of removing the invalid. Your readers will remember the case about the Exhi bition chairs. It has again made its appearance in a court of justice. At the former trial the Imperial Com mission which had granted M. Bernard a monopoly of chair-letting at the Exhibition, but which after wards allowed the proprietors of cafes to place seats outside their establishments, was condemned in damages of £9,160 and costs. The Imperial Court reduced this sum to £4,800 and costs. Another suit tried in the Imperial Court also dates back to the time of the Exhi bition. This was brought by Blondin, who was then performing at the Park of AsniZTes, against M. Arnault, director of the Hippodrome, who had brought out a rival tight-rope dancer under the same de nomination. Tn fact, the name does not belong to either of the men, that of the hero of the Niagara Falls being Gravelet, and of the pretender, Corelly. The tribunal first applied to, however, considering that the former had acquired a certain notoriety in different countries under the appellation in question, and that Arnault, in an nouncing the appearance of Corelly as Blondin, was com mitting an act of unfair competition, had condemned him by default to pay Gravelet £4OO as damages. On a fresh trial the sum was reduced to £2O. Arnault again appealed, but the Imperial Court now confirmed that decision, and condemned the director of the Hippodrome in the payment of all costs. The real Blondin has therefore come off vic torious at the third trial. He does not get much in ' damages, but the costs will doubtless give him a poor sort of satisfaction. M. Rouher's daughter is to be married to 31, Edouard Andre, Deputy Von Gard. It will be a pompous affair, I understand, MORE WAR SYMPTOMS. On Monday the French Moniteur de l'Armie declared that France was so well prepared she did not fear war, though she desired peace. The statement in the organ of the French army derives confirmation from the Independant of the strongly fortified town of Metz. It says " Are we at war ? For the lust week the military aspect of our streets has been extraordinary. We see continual movements of troops and long processions of waggons laden with munitions and barrels of powder." We read in the Courrier de Bourges :—" Orders have arrived at the pyrotechnic establishment here to complete with all speed a number of rifles to be sent to Marseilles. Upwards of 4,000,000 cartridges for the new Chassepots are already packed up, and ready to be sent by rail on the first signal, and still the manufacture of cart- ridges goes on with unremitting activity." A letter from Bucharest, in the &bat; says :—" The eagerness of the Ronmain Government to manufacture war material allows the supposition that it is preparing for speedy action. At this moment at least 50,000 cartridges are being made per day. The purchase of arms is also being continued, and on a very large scale. Besides the needle guns from the Prussian factories and the Belgian percussion muskets, a large number of Peabody rifles have be en or d ered in America. Two arri vals of them are expected ; the first of 10,000 and the second of 12,000. Moreover, the old muskets have been transformed into breech -loaders ; the Government, there fore, can dispose of a very considerable number of weapons. If these armaments are continued at the same rate, Roumania will soon become the arsenal for the whole East." A melancholy accident has just occurred at Ade laide Colliery,near Sheldon, by which two brothers were killed Whilst standing side by side, a large stone, some tons weight, fell upon them, killing both on the spot. The eldest, Thos. Pratt, aged about 30, leaves a wife and three children ; the younger, George, has been recently married. It may be mentioncd that the father of tho deceased and a man named White were killed in a similar manner at Eldon Colliery, 28 years ago • Another brother was killed at Inkerman, the whole of the family having thus met their deaths by ac cident. • It is stated by the Western Daily Press that the behaviour of Bisgrove since his respite has tended to justify the discretion exercised by the Home Secretary in intervening between the convict and the hangman. There has been a renewal of the epileptic fits which he has for some time past suffered from. As has been the case in other instances, each attack seems to weaken the control which his not over-strong mental powers have over his passions and impulses. It has oven leaked out that but for the unremitting watchfulness of the gaol authorities he would have himself terminated his own miserable existence. It will probably be some question with the autbqrities whether he can continue to be treated as a sane prisoner. The trials arising out of the Bristol election riots have commenced before the Bristol Recorder. Yesterday William Theodore Pitt Watkinp, a solicitor, and John Cunnin&-ham and George Lawrenco, wore indicted for having been engaged in a riot, and also for damag ing property. The defendants all pleaded not guilty. Mr. Ribton, in stating the case, raid that the 17th Novem ber being the polling day at Bristol there was great anxiety manifested to induce voters to poll early. In the course of the day, at somewhere between eleven and twelve o'clock, a riotous mob collected in the neighbourhood of Col lege-green, and afterwards did considerable damage, attacking among other plaees the Conservative committee room. Mr. Watkins was, it was said, present on horseback, and incited the rioters. Several witnesses were called in support of the prosecution, some of whom spoke to Mr. Watkins' presence at the attack on the committee-room, but some important discrepancies in qt? eildinlgOygitlAicl ,Paro by Mr. fiergfiAiit SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The Times remarks that the inauguration of the new procedure for the trial of election petitions is an epoch in constitutional history ; a change in the place of trial is in itself significant, and will tend to produce a salutary effect. The new court has not, it is true, in the course of a single afternoon thoroughly emancipated inquiries into charges of bribery from their traditional character of something exceedingly humorous and comic in the eyes of bystanders. The removal of the investigation from Westminster to the very scene of the subject of trial has in some measure even aggravated the evils of this tendency by increasing the number of im mediately interested spectators. The laughter which welcomed a telling question or answer, together with the reception accorded by the crowd outside the Town Hall to particular persons, might seriously embarrass the course of justice if repeated on the scale of Bristol or Nottingham. Further on, in alluding to the increased confidence which the country will repose in the exposition of legal principles of the judges, instead of by Parliamentary Committees, the Times declares that the end to be desired in this new pro cedure for the trial of election petitions is that it should be assimilated, so far as is practicable, to ordinary trials conducted by the judges of assize. One great difference there is, and must remain. There is no jury, and there could not well be one, since a jury chosen from the locality would be obviously too partial, and it would be invidious to allow a jury chosen elsewhere to decide on the exercise of the franchise in another community. But the want of a jury will not in all our judgments be a defect in the con stitution of the tribunal. Courts of equity succeeded to their own satisfaction formerly, and still, in the majority of cases, succeed, in arriving at conclusions of fact without such external auxiliaries. The spectacle of common law judges, with the assistance of members of their own common law bar, dispensing with juries in election petitions, and no failure of justice ensuing, may prove a formidable argument in favour of the heresy that juries, even in the common trials of fact at common law, are not indispensable for the extraction of truth. The Post thinks that the change which has now Peen effected will probably conduce as much to secure purity and freedom of election as did the first assumption of juris diction by the House of Commons in similar matters three centuries ago. It is, however, remarkable that the pro posal to transfer this jurisdiction to the common law judges should have been mainly opposed by them and that, notwithstanding a strong protest addressed in their name by the Lord Chief Justice of England to her Majesty's Government, the House should have insisted on their accepting these new functions. It was perhaps reasonable that the judges, jealous of their character and desirous to keep aloof from political strife, should be unwilling to adjudicate in matters in which rival factions muster all their strength against each other; but, on the other hand, every one must feel that the appre hensions expressed by the judges, that their decisions should be questioned on the ground of partiality, were and will be utterly unfounded. A judge, and least of all an English judge, should not fear to act in a matter judicially in which he is personally uninterested ; and we may say with confidence that whatever dissatisfac tion the decisions which within the next few months will be pronounced by the learned judges who have under taken the trial of election petitions during the present year may give to the partisans of disappointed petitioners, or unseated members, it will not be due to any suspicion of those decisions having been prompted by political bias. If dissatisfaction is occasioned, it may be owing to the time that will be exhausted in trying so many petitions, and the consequent delay in pronouncing on the claims of several who have been returned to the House of Commons. It is at present quite uncertain how long an election petition will take to be tried, but it is supposed that the Windsor trial will exhaust a week, if not more, and others will probably occupy the judge two or three weeks. If this should be so, months may elapse before all the present petitions are tried. Power is, however, reserved by the Act enabling the election judges to seek the assistance of their co: leagues in the different courts if necessary. On one point the House of Commons and the public may rest satisfied. With such able and experienced judges as those who have been appointed there will be no lack of efficiency or promptitude. The experiment which is now being made is in every respect novel, but we have every confi dence that the results will be such as to induce a regret that it was not adopted long ago. The Herald, in examining the arguments respecting Mr. Baxter's pamphlet, observes that it is not a question of seats gained or lost. The Radicals have more votes than before, but they represent a smaller number of the popu lation. In the new Parliament the Radicals represent 16,811,000, and the Conservatives 12,106,000. In other words, the reduced Conservative minority represents a population nearly half a million in excess of that which it represented in the old Parliament, and that excess means a loss to the Radicals to that extent. This is a fact which cannot be diluted or obscured, and to honest and thoughtful Radicals it should suggest materials for serious reflection. We are told that the Conservatives are " nowhere," and that they have no policy. The Herald thinks that they will be found in tolerably imposing strength when the House of Commons resumes, and that if their ranks are thinner, their cohesive power will be conspicuous. As to their policy, it is for the Ministry, and not for the Opposition, to supply occasions for declaring it and enforcing it, and when the time comes it will be found that there is no lack of unanimity in asserting it. Let Mr. Gladstone make known his intentions, and the judgment of the Conservative party will be prompt and decisive. If it is his policy to sweep away the Irish Establishment and appropriate its revenues regardless of justice or decency, it will be their policy to offer him that " uncompromising resistance " long since announced by the Conservative Premier. If it is his policy to create a surplus by starving the defensive services, cutting down the strength of the army, and abolishing dockyards and arsenals, it will be their policy to restrain him by every means of opposition within their power. He has but to say what he means to do, and he will find that the Conservative party are strong enough and united enough to make their principles heard and respected. The Daily News remarks upon the meeting of the ritualistic clergy, and says that it contrasted in its calm and orderly tone with the one held a month ago to discuss the Natal grant. Differences of opinion were great, how. ever, for some of the clergy desired to conform to the judgment of the Privy Council, while others were for i gnor i n g its effect. The situation, indeed, was very s i mp l e . Resistance to the law is contumacy, and con tumacy on the part of a clergyman involves a forfeiture of position and privileges. To " await the Providence of G o d" in Mr. Bennett's sense, is to await the arrival of the officer of the law who will inevitably turn you out of your church. Much wiser were the counsels which prevailed, although of course no clergyman is bound by anything that was said or done at the meeting. If the Vicar of Frome is really "unable to reconcile submission" to the decree of the Privy Council with " his paramount and primary duty of obedience to the Church," his fate may be predicted, and we can only feel sorry for him. The whole meeting agreed with Mr. Bennett that the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is wrong, and that the court is incompetent to declare the mind of the Church of England upon any subject whatever. The Telegraph believes, from the meeting at the Free- masons' Tavern, that the " Anglo-Catholic Party " does not mean to leave the Church of England, or to propose an open defiance of the law. In commenting upon the future that lies before this extreme section, the Telegraph observes that the best course for the ritualists to pursue was that suggested by one of their cleverest advocates, the Rev. Mr. Littledale. In effect, he advised them to accept the recent judgment, to accept it readily, and to strive for such an alteration of the Prayer Book as would give the Anglo-Catholic party more room for action. By the help of their position as members of the Esta- blishment, they had, he said, done much to change the features of the Church ; why then, he asked, give up that advantage at the very hour when it tae most needed ? Precisely the same question is asked even by those who stand farthest apart from the ritualists in doctrine. With ritualism the bulk of the English people have but little sympathy—on that point it were fatal to use ambiguous words ; but the English people have no objection to give the most extreme High Church party fair play and plenty of room for honest discussion. Least of all do the Liberals wish to see the Church split up into ;wo parts on account of a difference of opinion respecting ;he value of altar lights and genuflexions. If, indeed, the Anglo• Catholic doctrine should some ds.y be found to conflict with that of the English Establishment on a vital point, such as the Real Presence, and if no common term should be attainable, then, indeed, many might deem themselves bound to leave the Church. But that day has not yet arrived, and the meeting of yesterday wisely rejected the proposal that for the love of altar lights the extreme High Churchmen should resist the law —or, in other words, banish themselves from the Establishment, and forfeit the possession of its magnificent appliances for the spread of Christian truth. Tho installation of the Right Hon. the Earl of Carnarvon as P.G.M. of Somerset, has just taken place at the Masonic Hall, Bath. The ceremony drew together a very large number of the fraternity, not only from the immediate, but from other provinces. The following; gentlemen were ou Monday called within the bar in the Court of Queen's Bench, and took their seats accordingly :—Mr. W. G. Lumley, Mr. Edmund F. Noor,e 9 vi 1. jap ac ioLr jlt GAROTTING. At the High Court of Justiciary, Edinnurgh, a young man named William Fawcett, has been found guilty of an assault with intent to rob in Dundee, in May last, and was sentenced to five years' penal servitude. In the course of the evidence the following letter, written by the prisoner while in Dundee gaol, was read :—"Dundee Prison, July 18, 1868.—Dear Brother, the only thing I am afraid of is that moll: if you can manage to square her I fear nothing ; but if she swears she saw me have him by the throat it will not go well with me, for they are most d— down on garotting. Then, again, if she says she saw him with that amount of money, by heavens they might put me in for the robbery too, and there is 7 years dead certain. You don't know what a b---- like that will say. It can surely to God be squared between so many of you, and only the moll to come against me ; if the block is in town he could be:easily squared, I think, you could get him sweet, put the gloves on him and things like that, and get him to say that he cannot swear to me in court, that would be all that was wanted. Or it is very easy giving that moll a dose. Put Ginger up to it, who the 11— would take notice of a w kicking the bucket? I would do it for you. If any of them is squared tell Ginger to just sign M. 11. at the bottom of her letter, so as I may know. I think it would be a good idea for my mother to get the block privately and make an appeal to him, he would have a little feeling for her, I think ; if you was getting him into the Garrick the wifey could talk to him so fine. If you only had one of them squared that's all that is wanted, for I am certain there is no more against me but them two. Set your brains to work and stick at nothing, tell them not to be afraid of perjury in this case, they can't be brought in for it no how ; swear black is white ; I must get off if they do the right thing ; swear to anything, swear the b— wigs off their heads, there is no danger of being brought in for perjury in this case, not a d— bit.—BILL." At the head of the letter the following was written across the page : " Poison the moll if she will not do what's right ; by C I would think d-- little of doing it to save my brother. Ginger will fix her if you tell her to." The following was written inside the envelope of the letter :—" They must not forget about me having a sore hand—that might help me to, as it would not be very likely I could seize him by the throat and compress the same, as it is stated in my commitment ; that will be a good point, I think, he being a stout man. Tell them to be sure & stick to not seeing the block, and that I slept in the house that night; not likely that I could hold him with one hand ; they can swear that my right hand was very sore, and not fit to be ttsed anyhow, as it was and no mistake." It came out in the course of the evidence that the meaning of the word "block " was " a man whom a woman might pick up in the street," that " moll" was the name for a woman, and that "Ginger" was a nickname for one of the female witnesses. A "CASUAL" PRISONER. A reporter of the Toronto Daily Globe newspaper, in. fluencal, no doubt, by Mr. Greenwood's doings as an " amateur casual," managed to get into Toronto gaol dis. guised as a criminal, and to spend twenty-four hours there in the character, for the purpose of knowing something of gaol life from the prisoner's point of view. How he managed to get in is thus alluded to in an article in a recent number of the Globe, entitled " Twenty-four Hours within the Walls of Toronto Gaol.' " By the aid of a little dust-throwing, and of a warrant of mmitment obtained from an obliging alderman, who was quite innocent of the scheme, I on Saturday afternoon found myself pretty well disguised, and as villanous a looking customer as need be, at the entrance of the gaol, in charge of an official, in the character of a `remand.'" After describing his first sensations on entering, his first rencontre, and the horrible stench in the corridor, he followed the crowd of prisoners to a large bare room, in which there were some forms, with basins and spoons about two feet apart on the forms. " The prisoners lifted the basins and spoons, and sat down to eat supper on oatmeal porridge, ' without milk, sugar, or molasses.' `Can't you eat it? whispered my companion. `No,' said I, whereon he changed basins, and soon emptied the second. ' Supper's over,' shouted a turnkey before many had finished, and instantly all had to leave." The experience of that night explained the stench of the corridor where our casual and two others passed the night in cold and misery. The breakfast was a lump of badly-cooked bread, a little salt, and a pint of water. Sunday school is next described, and the hypocrisy of some of the vilest prisoners in the presence of the teachers, who were of both sexes. The women teachers appeared more anxious to induce the prisoners to promise to plead guilty when tried than for anything else. The dinner of barley soup and bread was unpalatable to the writer, and long before many had finished the order was given, " Down dishes." Most of the prisoners who spoke about themselves blamed drink for their sufferings, and nearly all of them said they could not help it, that they wanted moral power. One said, " Look at me, the husband of a decent wife, the father of seven children, the son of as well-living a man as ever lived, whose heart would break were he to see me here; and yet lam here, and all through drink. My God ! My God ! My wife !" And he went away wringing his hands. Sunday night came without the arrival of the reporter's bail bonds, and he had tried to confess to the governor his real character, so thoroughly tired was he of gaol life. The governor said he would hear what he had to say to-morrow morning, and, writes this amateur prisoner, " I was herded down stairs. I once more got hold of a pail, entered the corridor, and passed into a cell, which was kindly vouch• safed to me without my taking a bath. I asked for a little water, but even this small luxury was refused in a surly manner, and I shook up my straw as best I could in the dark. I lay down with rather a feeling of irritation at the delay of my bail bonds, but in a few minutes I heard my nom de guerre shouted in the corridor ; my cell was unlocked, and in a few minutes more I stood in the pure, fresh air of heaven, a free man. And if ever I enter the precincts of a gaol again, either as a `casual' or in any other capacity, depend upon it it shall be because I can't help it." LAW AND POLICE. - - -~--- A LIBEL CASE.—A trial which excites great interest in commercial and financial circles has been commenced at the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Commissioner Kerr. The accused is Mr. Ellisen, a gentleman of good standing and position, who, as chairman of a committee of shareholders in the Ottoman Railway Companh addressed a letter to Lord Stanley, reflecting upon the directors in respect to their management of the affairs of the company, for which he is now indicted as a false, scandalous, and malicious libel. AN AWKWARD MISTAKE.—At the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday, Morris, who is charged with fraudu• lently attempting to obtain a large sum of money from a gas company upon claims arising out of the fire at Saville House, Leicester-square, surrendered to take his trial. it may be remembered that on the previous day, being out on bail, he did not appear when called on, and his recog• nisances were estreatecl, as well as a warrant issued for hil apprehension. His counsel explained that his non. surrender arose out of a mistake as to the day, but the Recorder said that the warrant must take its course, and he was at once handed over to the gaoler. THE WESTMINSTER ELECTION.—An important decision was that in the Court of Common Pleas, on Tuesday, in respect to the petition against Mr. W. H. Smith, the sitting member for Westminster, who claimed that the petition should be taken off the file because it did not furnish the particulars required by the statute and by the rules framed under it. It was contended that this gave very insufficient time for the defence, but the Lord Chief Justice refused a rule, and the court adhered to the orders laid down. A similar decision was given at Edinburgh in the case of Mr. Grieve, the member for Greenock. A. STRIKING CONTRAST.—It has often been said that the law has more regard for property than for persons, and two recent decisions confirm this assertion. A letter' sorter, charged at the Central Criminal Court with steal' ing a letter and forging an order for £lss., was sentenced to five years' penal servitude. At the Worship-street Police-court, a woman crossing the road at Mile-end W knocked down by a furiously-galloping horseman and much injured. The offender escaped with a penalty of 40s. MR. BEWICKE AGAIN.—Mr. Bewicke, of Threepwooa Hall, Northumberland, who has already made himself conspicuous in the law courts, made two applications of an unusual character on Tuesday in the Court of Queen's Bench. The first was for a rule calling upon Mr. Justice Keating to she w cause why a criminal information should not be filed against him for libel. This application was refused on the ground that such a motion could only be made hi counsel. Mr. Bewicke then moved for a rule to stay pro ceedings in the Divorce Court till an action which he luta brought against Sir James Wilde for malversation of justice had been tried. The judges held that they had 1 1 ° power over the Divorce Court, and this motion also VI I refused. SUICIDE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER.—A fearfu l tragedy has just taken place in the Rue d'Angounme d i ; Temple, Paris. A land measurer appears to have lived on bad terms with his wife. More than once they had parted. Less than a week back the wife returned to het husband after a fresh separation. The peace was of Olaf duration. A few nights since two pistol shots were heard in the apartment, and on an entry being forced the husband was found to have fired a bullet into his wif ell head, and then blown out his own brains. The v 1 , 0 ,104 _ _ T I SUN, LONDON, WFDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 13, 1869