The Sun. — London, England, 1865-09-23 00:00:00

ALPINE TOURISTS. (From the Times' Correspondent.) INTERLAKEN, Sept. 19. I drove out to-day to Lauterbrunnen. My pur pose was not to cross overtheWengern Alp to Grin-1 delwald, a route now familiar to nine out of ten English readers that a description of it would be about as welcome as that of a walkthrough lianway street, from Oxford-street. into Tottenham-court road. Neither did I care to see the Staubbach, for that " Dust Cataract," as its name implies, never remarkable for any great wealth of waters, must in this extraordinarily dry season be reduced to a mere gossamer thread. No ; I had a far more sentimental object in view—l wished to make a pilgrimage on the footsteps of that lovely, ill-faced young bride who was killed by lightning on the 21st of June of this year. Few incidents with whic h the public at large Were less directly concerned made a more deep, general, and lasting impression than the sudden tragic death of the Hon. Alice Arbuthnot. Strongly affected by that simple, yet cruel story, 1 eagerly read every particular with which the papers at the time were teeming, and with such knowledge of the localities as my previous Alpine tours gave me I tried to single out on the map the spot which had been the scene of that melancholy catastrophe. I confess I was utterly baffled, and that, up to a few days since, the only vague idea that dwelt on my mind— and that was an erroneous one—was that Mrs. Arbuthnot had perished somewhere in the imme diate neighbourhood of Interlaken. I have now gained by personal inquiry a distinct and thorough knowledge of all the reader may wish to know on the sorrowful subject, and I hope a statement of the means by which I came to such a knowledge may not prove altogether void of interest. I drove out to Lauterbrunnen this morning at 8 o'clock. The air was still fresh and almost cool ; we went along with as perfect a reliance on the en durance of our splendid weather as if we had char tered it for all the rest of our lifetime ; the merry rattle of our ricketty einspanner, the smart trot and jingling bells of our grey pony, the joyous counte nance of our young driver, the rushing water of the Laatschine, the vivid breeze from the great snow mountains closing the valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, as we looked up at both of them from their confluence at Zweilutschinen, left little room for sad meditation, and the gloomiest thoughts that now and then crossed my mind turned upon the hard lot of you who are left in London at the pre sent season, hard at work all night, losing the cream of the autumn morning, and choking with the dust and mist of a Fleet-street atmosphere. It is barely an hour and a half's drive from Inter laken up to Lauterbrunnen, so it was not long before we came in sight of the two or three hotels of the village, the wall-like mountain cliff that overhangs it, the silver dust-like fall which gives it celebrity, and on the left of the high road the luxuriant pas ture, through which winds the bridle-path up to the Wengern Alp. Right before us the several snowy peaks of the Jungfrau, the Monch, and the Eiger had longbeen looming portentous in the landscape. I made arrangements with the guide the moment I alighted at the Hotel Steinbock, not because I wanted one, but purely on the live-and-let-live prin ciple, and, as a lesser evil, that the choice of one should rid me of the importunity of the others. We took our way to the Alpine village of Murren, situated at the distance of about two hours from Lauterbrunnen, high up on the mountain, on the right hand of the road, and opposite to the Wengern Alp. The way to Murren leads straight up to the precipice from which the Staubbach takes its 925 ft. leap. Up it winds, steep and stony, but accessible to horses, till it crosses the fall itself at the top. It then wanders on across woods and over pastures till it reaches the Hotel Silberhorn, the post-house and only inn of the village. Mr. and Mrs. Arbuth not had come up to Murren riding, but upon alight ing at the hotel door they dismissed their horses, and, attended by their guide, Ulrich von Allmen, they immediately proceeded to their destination, which was the summit of the Schildhorn, or, accord ing to the common parlance here, Schilthorn. The object of the expedition of this newly-married pair—they were on their seventh honey week—was to gain a near insight into that long and vast chain of snowy mountains of which the Jungfrau is the queen. There is something irresistibly attractive in the very name, in the shape, in the outlines of that virgin mountain, in the close approach one is allowed of it from the Wengern Alp, no less than from Murren and other points—a closer approach, a more immediate plunge as it were into its bosom, than can with equal facility be attained with any of its lfPrne sisters ; though - , army mind, the Jungfrau nowhere shows to greater advantage than from the gap through which we look at it from under the huge walnut trees at Interlaken. Well, the view from Murren extends over the Jungfrau right opposite—the Monch, the Eiger, and the more distant Wetterhorn on the left ; and the Mittagshorn, Breithorn, Grosshorn, Tschingel horn, &c., on the right. The wilderness of great rocky cliffs falling down perpendicularly upon the narrow upper valley of Lauterbrunnen, on every side (the Schwartze Monch alone which is but an outwork of the Jungfrau, must have a fall of at least 9,000 feet), is but the foreground to that inter minable sea of ice and snow, the glance of which in such a sun as we had this morning is one of the most glorious sights the eye could rest upon. Although Murren is only 5,018 feet above the sea level, and not more than 2,484 feet above Lauterbrunnen, it would seem as if it were almost folly to go any higher up with a hope of gaining a better view. Mr. and Mrs. Arbuthnot, however, were bound to the Schil thorn, a hill to the west of Murren, one of those outer watch-towers from which not only, as from the Faulhorn, one looks almost into all that moun tain world of the Bernese Oberland, but one can see many of the Alps of the Valais. and all the north of Switzerland besides, stretched at one's feet. The Schilthorn is 9,127 feet high, and its top can only be reached by four and a half hours' march. For about two and a half hours the ascent is practicable for horses, but the Arbuthnots had, as I stated before, sent theirs back, and they took their way on foot. It had been asserted that the landlord of the Silber horn, Herr Sterchi, had endeavoured to dissuade the young couple from their enterprise by pointing to the signs of threatening weather, but Herr Sterchi assured me not only that he gave no such warning, but that there was nothing in the look of the sky to deter any person from an ascent which, although long and somewhat fatiguing, is perfectly free from danger. They set out on foot, and walked up to the distance of about three hours from Murren, when Ulrich, the guide, fancied be " smelt electric fluid in the air," and, as a storm was visibly gathering, advised a re treat. Mr. Arbuthnot., probably considering l that the storm was as likely to overtake them in their three hours' way back as in their forward march, Eknnogwiilsehdg character, ha himself raeter , and feeling that re l uctance to ac beaten that is so peculiar to th e wished to push on. The lady, howev er , pleaded exhaustion, and wa s left seated on the ground waiting for their return. The mountain climbers had not gone ten minutes from the spot when they saw the lightning and heard the crash of the thunder, and, unwilling to leave the lady to her too natural alarm, they retraced their steps instantly. What they found on the spot where ten minutes before they had left a human being full of life and happiness has been described to me by the medical man who was summoned from Interlaken to inspect the body of the deceased at some ceremony, I pre sume, corresponding to the coroner's inquest in England. Ile said : "Mrs. Arbuthnot's head and face were perfectly un touched ; the hair stood slightly on end, as if with sudden horror, and the left temple was slightly singed ; down on the neck, where a brooch rested, the fluid, attracted by the metal, had burnt a deeper mark, but it was only in the lower part of the body, as the lady sat on the ground, that the weight of the bolt had. fallen, consuming at once nearly all the vital parts, and burying itself in the ground, where it dug a deep hole about 18 inches in diameter. No death could be more instantaneous or attended with less conscious suffering." The rest of the tale is soon told. The body of the unfortunate bride was removed first to Murren, then to Interlaken, finally to Berne, where it now lies interred. Only six days ago, on the 13th of this month, the Rev. W. Dillon came up from Berne with 15 men, bearers of a marble cross, which was to supersede the rude cross of white fir wood with which the pious mountaineers of Miirren had marked the scene of the sad tragedy. he new marble cross, intended as a lasting monument, was erected at the distance of about eight feet from the spot on which Mrs. Arbuthnot was found dead; on The spot itself a large stone is laid with a heap of smaller ones upon it, somewhat after the fashion of a cairn. The cross itself is about three hours' walk from Miirren, but it is to be seen, as you ascend, about half an hour before you come up with it. The record of the funeral transaction performed on the 13th was put down by Mr. Dillon on the travellers' book at the Silberhorn ; under his state ment are the signatures of the two chief workmen employed on the occasion—" C.Wiegram deßerne" and " Henry Hirschgartner, maitre marbrier et sculpt. de Berne, his placet th monument" (sic). Mrs. Arbuthnot died, then, not at, or even near, Interlaken, but on the Schilthorn, above Miirten, at about seven hours' distance from tidis place. It is well that the ill omen of this partic'slar misfortune should be made to pass away from, the horizon of Interlaken, as the spot has been too truly marked by cruel mishaps in former times, such as the drown ing of the poor lad of 18, Mr. Charles Stuart, son of Major-General Stuart, in 1835, and the fall of two young ladies, Miss Bowley, in 1840, and Miss Corry, in 1850, both from the same dreadful cliffs of the Harder, a steep mountain immediately at the back of Interlaken, across the Aar, a mountain beautifully covered with dense wood and rich mea dows at the top, but all scarred and seamed by the beds of rills, down which an incautious rambler will slide till he comes to the top of the precipice, and struggle in vain with nails and teeth to cling to the treacherous ground which he feels inexorably sink ing, sinking under him. Another fatal accident happened in the same year, 1850, of which record is kept in the English church book at Interlaken. Mr. Dutton (Lord Dutton the people here dub him, usurping a privi lege belonging to her Majesty as the fountain of honour and grace) was hunting the chamois on the Tschingel glacier. His guide carried a gun behind him, slung by the straps on his shoulder. The straps snapped, the gun fell and went off, wounding Mr. Dutton, who was conveyed to Frutigen, and there died within the day. training ship St. Vincent, Commander S. J. Greville, I in Portsmouth harbour, IP.slded from this ship yes terday morning, and, I).eaded by their band, each lad carrying his holdiclay bundle, marched to the railway station at LaTadport, whence they were sent by the outgoing trains in various directions to their homes forthe Michwelmas holidays. Cleaner,healthier, or happier-looking boys it would be impossible to imagine. • The Terrible,' 21, paddle frigate, Capt. G. J. Napier, now lying at Spithead a is under orders to proceed to the MediterranepA. The invalid vessel Florence Nightingale, described in the Naval and Miitary Intelligence which ap peared in The Sur? . of Thursday, was built by the and Iron Shipbuilding Com- L pa o n n y do ( n Li E T:i ngi ted l2 7 .i 6o7 Fenchurch-street, and not by the F,ngineering and Shipbuilding Company, Mill :fall, as stated. The following appointments have been made at the Admiralty :—Commander H. A. Tpollope to the Snipe, vice Battiscombe, invalided ; Lieut. W. E. S. Brome to the Greyhound ; Sub-Lieut. H. J. Phillimore to the Basilisk ; F. Chaloner, midship man, to the Black Prince ; the Rev. G. W. Clemen ger, chaplain, of the St. George, to the Frederick William, vice Middleton ; the Rev. H. Glasson, chaplain, to the Sty George, vice Olemenger ; D. P. Sambell, assist.-paymaster, to the Frederick Wil liam ; 0. A. Davies and W. H. Croxall, engineers, additional, to the Hastings ; W. M'Dowall, engi neer, to the Asia, for the Whiting ; J. M'Master, first-class assist.-engineer, to the Asia, for the Warrior ; Thomas Coombes, second-class assist.- engineer, to the Medusa ; W. Nichtory, for the Fire Queen ; R. J. Butler, acting sccond-class assist.-engineer to the Cumberland, for the Wild fire ; J. Monk, acting second-class assist.-engineer, to the Dee ; William H. Gulliver, acting second class assist.-engineer, to the Indus, for the Ocean ; J. J. Ellis, acting second-class assist.-engineer, to the Hastings, for the Advice ; H. E. Weaver, master's assistant, to the Basilisk ; and W. J. W. Barnard, master's assistant, to the Greyhound. Naval and Military Intelligence. The ironclad frigate Bellerophon, 16, 1,000 -horse power (nominal), resumed, and brought to a con clusion, her official full-boiler trials of speed at the measured mile, Maplin Sands, yesterday, the condi tions under which the trials were made on this occa- sion being far more favourable than on the previous day. Owing to various circumstances, the causes of which became apparent yesterday, the engines, although satisfactorily performing their work, could not drive the frigate through the water during the preliminary trials on Thursday at a greater speed than a little over 13 knots per hour. During the trials yesterday, although this speed was exceeded, it was nevertheless not what had been anticipated by her designer and builders. The officials who con ducted the trials left Chatham Dockyard at nine o'clock yesterday morning in the paddlewheel steamer Adder, Mr. W. Blakey, Master-Commander. These included Mr. Reed, Chief Constructor of the Navy ; Mr. Dinnen, Inspecting Officer of the Steam Branch ; Capt. Tatham, of the Bellerophon ; Capt. Stokes, Queen's Harbour-master ; Mr. Baker, Chief Engi- neer and Inspector of Machinery ; Mr. Tucker, Inspector of Machinery Afloat ; Mr. Thornton, Master Shipbuilder, and the officials connected with his staff ; Mr. Barnaby, Assistant Constructor of the Navy, and others. During the night the Belle- rophon had received about 100 tons of the best Welsh coal in her bunkers, one cause of the unsatisfactory nature of the results, as regards her speed, on the occasion of her trial or. Thursday being the inferior quality of the coal supplied to her. On the Bellerophon being reached at her moorings near Saltpan Reach, at the entrance to Chatham harbour, she was ready with her steam up, and after receiving Capt. Ran dolph, commanding the Steam Reserve, and the other officials on board, she at once steamed towards the Nore with her head laid for the Mouse light. The firm of Messrs. Penn and Son, the makers of the engines, was again represented by Mr. Matthews, and the machinery during the day's trial was under the management of Mr. Wigzel. The weather yesterday was all that could be desired for the trial, the wind, which on Thursday was blowing half a gale from the north-westward, having mode rated to a force of between 2 and 3. At this time the frigate's draught of water was slightly in excess of that on the previous day, her forward draught being 16ft. 6in., and that aft 23ft. 6in. ; pitch of screw, 21ft. Bkin. ; diameter, 23ft., with the upper edge out of the water lft. lliin. On running down past the Nore the engines were found to be doing their work most satisfactorily, there being abundance of steam, although, from causes which soon became evident, the screw could not be made to revolve more than 58 times perminute, which appeared to be the maximum The vessel's displacement was 5,630 tons, or less than 1,000 tons of her true displacement when at her deep draught. With all the attendant favourable cir cumstances stated, the Bellerophon was placed on the measured mile for her full speed trials, and seven runs were taken, with the following results :—First mile—time, 5 minutes ; speed in knots, 12.000 ; steam, 221 b. ; vacuum, 26iin. ; revolutions of screw, 57. Second mile—time, 3 min. 57 sec; speed, 15190 knots ; steam, 221 b. ; vacuum, 26in.; revolutions of screw, 58. Third mile—time, 4 min. 59 sec. ; speed, 12.040 knots ; steam, 231 b ; vacuum, 26in.; revolu tions of screw, 56. Fourth mile— time, 3 min. 56 sec; speed, 12.254 knots; steam, 241 b. ; vacuum, 25in. ; ' e volutions, 58. Fifth mile—time, 4 min. 56sec. ; speed, 12162 knots ; steam, 2411 b. ; vacuum, 26in. ; number of revolutions, 57. Sixth mile—time, 4 min. 1 sec. ; speed, 14.938 knots ; steam, 241 b. ; vacuum, 26in. ; revolutions of screw, 58. Seventh mile—time, 4m. 47 sec. ;' speed, 12.543 knots ; steam, 241 b ; vacuum, 26in. ; revolutions, 57k. Rejecting the first runs, so as not to interfere with the calculations, the first means of the above figures will be 13.615, 13.647, 13.708, 13.550, and 13.741 knots ; and the second means 13.631, 13.677, 13.629, and 13.645 knots per hour. With regard to the fact of the Bellero phon not having made a minimum speed of 14 knots per hour on her trial, as was intended by her de signer, the causes must be sought for in various causes. Chief of them is undoubtedly the character of the screw. When the Bellerophon was designed it was never intended to fit her with a four-bladed screw only a little smaller than that supplied to the Minotaur, which is 100 ft. longer, and driven by engines of one-third greater horse-power. The mistake made in this respect was painfully apparent during the trials yesterday, the engines, although working to their utmost, being only capt.ble of driv ing the monster screw at a maximum rate of 58 per minute, although it was always intended that the Bellerophon should be furnished with a screw pro pelled at the rate of 70 revolutions per minute. The pitch, too, was found after the first few minutes' steaming to be bad. Under all the com paratively unfavourable circumstances, therefore, the trials yesterday will allow a fair estimate to be also be necessary vtiilethmaa screw chiner machinery adapted d in n o thheer vessel formed of what th e B e ll ero ph on w ill do when fitted will antod drive it. character of n to set the new screw at a pitch of about 20ft. to arrive at anything like satis factory results. There is no doubt whatever that when the alteration s now pointed out are effected the Bellerophon can approach to, if o, not exceed, 15 knots per hour, her engines being all that can be desired. At the close of the trials yesterday the Bellerophon steamed up into Chatham harbour at a rate of 10 knots an hour, a vessel of her size never having entered the dockyard at such a rate before. Cavaliere Givo Ant. Grassi, Luogotenente-Colo nello di Artiglieria ; M. Prato Cesare, Maggiore del Genie Militaire ; Cavaliere Avv. Pietro Fenolio, and other officers of the Royal Italian Army, arrived at Portsmouth on Thursday from London, and, accom panied by Mr. H. Garratt, Italian Vice-Consul at Portsmouth, visited part of the fortifications at Portsdown-hill—forts Widley and Southwick, re cently inspected by Gen. Bixio. Every attention was shown to the visitors. They went over part of each of the works, attended by Lieut. Castle, R.E., who explained their plan and details of construction. The boys under training on board her Majesty's THE VICTORIA CROSS. On the 21st of April last the following notice appeared in the Gazette "The Queen has been graciously pleased to signify her intention to confer the decoration of the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned midshipman and seamen of the Royal Navy, whose claims to the same have been submitted for her Majesty's approval, on account of the gallantry dis played by them during the operations in the Straits of Simone Seki, Japan, as recorded against their names, viz. : " Mr. Duncan Gordon Boyes, midshipman, of her Ma jesty's ship Euryalus, for the conspicuous gallantry which, according to the testimony of Captain Alexander, C. 8., at that time flag-captain to Vice-Admiral ' Sir A. Kuper, K.C.8., Mr. Boyes displayed on the occasion of the capture of the enemy's stockade. He carried a colour with the lead ing company, kept it in advance of all, in the face of the thickest fire, hiscolour-sergeants having fallen, one mor• tally, the other dangerously, wounded ;and he was only detained from proceeding yet further by the orders of his superior officer. The colour he carried was six times pierced by musket balls. Thomas Pride, captain of the after-guard of her Majesty's ship Euryalus, the survivor of the two colour-sergeants who supported Mr. Boyes in the gallant rush which he made in advance of the attack, is also recom mended for the Victoria Cross for his conduct on this oc casion.—Date of acts of bravery, Sept. 6, 1864. " William Seeley, ordinary seaman of her Majesty's ship Euryalus, for the intelligence and daring which, according to the testimony of Lieut. Edwards, commanding the 3d company, ho exhibited in ascertaining the enemy's position and for continuing to retain his position in front during the advance, after he had been wounded in the arm.—Date of act of bravery, Sept. 6, 1864." At that date her Majesty's ship Euryalus was carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Kuper in Japanese waters, and the ceremony of presentation of the crosses was therefore deferred until their arrival in England. The Euryalus arrived home during the present month, has since been undergoing the pro cess of dismantling alongside Portsmouthdockyard, this morning will be paid out of commission, and the presentation of the crosses took place on Southsea common, Portsmouth, yesterday, by Admiral Sir K Seymour, G.C.8., Naval Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, as the representative of her Majesty oti the occasion. A general order, dated her Majesty's ship Victory, Sept. 19, stated that— " The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having transmitted to Admiral Sir Michael Seymour decorations of the Victoria Cross, which the Oueen has been pleased to confer upon Mr. Duncan Gordon Boyce, midshipman, Thos. Pride, Captain of the Afterguard, and Wm. Seeley, ordi nary seamen of her Majesty's ship Euryalus, to commemo rate acts of bravery performed by them during operations in the Straits of Simono Seki, Japan, and her Majesty hav ing signified her commands that these decorations should be presented in such a public and formal manner as may be considered best adapted to evince her Majesty's sense of the noble daring displayed by them before the enemy, and to testify hes wish that a decoration which officers and men equally share may be highly prized and eagerly sought after by all, of whatever rank or degree, in her Majesty's naval and military services, their lordships specially command that in the discharge of this duty nothing should bo omitted that might tend to redound to the honour of the officer and men and enhance the value of the decoration." The order further contained instructions for the assembly of the seamen and marines of her Majesty's ships in port and at Spithead on Southsea-common, and also of the Royal Marine Artillery and Light Infantry from their respective head-quarters at -Fort Cumberland and Forton. All officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines who had already received the decoration of the Victoria Cross were directed to assemble right and left of the Comman der-in-Chief, Sir M. Seymour, to assist at the pre sentation. The captains, commanders, and officers of the fleet were invited to attend, captains and commanders to be considered as part of the Admi- ral's staff. All officers taking part in the ceremony to wear full dress uniform with white trousers, petty officers and seamen in blue jackets, white frocks and trousers, and black hats, and the Royal Marine Artillery and Light Infantry in full parade dress uniform. Every means were thus taken by the authorities, in accordance with the Queen's wishes and the Ad miralty instructions, to render the ceremony of the investiture of the order as impressive as possible. The general public evinced equal interest to be present on so exceptional and gratifying an oc casion, and by the time the leading divisions of seamen and marines debouched upon Southsea common many thousands of people had congregated. The Naval Brigade was under the command of Captain Astley Cooper Key, C. 8., commanding her Majesty's ship Excellent, and consisted of two battalions—the right battalion being under the command of Captain Herbert, of the Royal Sove reign, and composed of six companies of seamen from her Majesty's ship Excellent. The left bat talion being composed of six companies from her Majesty's ships Excellent, Terrible, Research, Scor pion, and Royal Sovereign, under the command of Captain Wilmshurst, of her Majesty's ship Research. To the brigade was attached a battery of field pieces from the Excellent manned by fine hardy-looking seamen, under the command of Lieutenant Pouldan of the Excellent. To this brigade was also attached the officers and crew of the Euryalus, under the command of Captain Dowell, C.B. The Royal Marine Artillery and Light Infantry were formed into one brigade under the command of Colonel Tate, Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marine Artillery ; Lieutenant and Adjutant Colomb, of the Royal Marine Artillery, performed the duties of Brigade-Major to the naval as well as the marine brigade. On the whole force reaching the Com mon it was formed in line of brigades, facing the sea, the field-battery being on the right of the line ; the brigade of seamen next, succeeded by the Royal Marine Light Infantry, and the Marine Artillery holding the left of the line. The officers and crew of the Euryalus at the same time fell 'in right and left of and facing the saluting point, past which the force was to march past on the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief. In a central and prominent position s t oo d th e young o ffi cer an d th e two seamen who were to receive the decoration, supported by Captain Highßrournzgeoyncreo,ssof V.C., and several men wearing the b the order. Captain Geerling, with the lieutenants, four petty officers, and thirty seamen from his Dutch Majesty's screw corvette Water now number now lying in Portsmou th, oc cupied a position near the grouped o l l f. b S ur o e t y h m s o ervices n oftf e a a gis r adit t a h ffe e s, fl aa a nn g s dd L no l effi ff a , rc e w Sr si Sir r h an immense number of people on the esplanade ,between the saluting flag and the sea beach, and, indeed, on all sides of the square piece of ground selected for the march past, and the subsequent investiture of the crosses. The ground was kept by men of the Royal Marine Artillery, or rather, was attempted to be kept, for the crowd of people on the Common was become so dense by the time the carriage containing the Com mander-in-Chief arrived on the ground that it was evident the civil element held possession at pleasure, and that the line of soldiers would be quite insuffi cient to keep the crowd back at any critical moment of excitement. Admiral Sir M. Seymour alighted from his car riage in front of the line soon after 2 p.m., and was received with a general salute. So soon as Sir Michael had taken his stand, surrounded by his staff, at the saluting point, the line of seamen and marines, artillery, and light infantry broke into open column, right in front, and marched past in quick time in open columns of companies, the field battery of six 12-pounder Armstrong guns, each with a dozen stout seamen in the drag ropes, doing their work with a joyous energy that conjured up visions of the famous naval brigades of the Crimea and India, and of the gallant Sir Wm. Peel. The small-arm men of the Naval Brigade next followed, looking as formidable with cutlass and rifle as their shipmates ahead of them with heavier weapons. To the Naval Brigade succeeded the corps which so worthily bear the motto, " Per mare, per terram,"—the Royal Marine Artil lery and Light Infantry. Immediately the marching past was concluded the men were formed in a hollow square, the Naval Brigade being in the centre, with the artillery and infantry of the Marines on either flank, and the offi cers andcrew of the Euryalus in advance. Midshipman Duncan Gordon Boyes, captain of the after-guard Thomas Pride, and ordinary seaman William Seeley, were then called to the front to receive the decoration from the hand of Sir Michael Seymour. _ _ Sir Michael, addressing each of them by name, said,—l will commence my duty by reading an ex tract from the London Gazette of April 21, 1865, hav ing done which the gallant admiral continued—The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have com municated to me the Queen's commands to take the earliest fitting opportunity to present to you the decoration of the Victoria Cross in such a public and formal manner as I might consider best adapted to evince her Majesty's sense of the noble daring displayed by you before the enemy, and to testify her will that a decoration, which officers and men equally share, may be highly prized and eagerly sought after by all, of whatever rank or degree, in her Majesty's naval and military ser vices. Their lordships have also specially directed that in the discharge of this duty I should omit nothing which might tend to redound to your hon our or enhance the value of the decoration. I hare, therefore, assembled here this day the large body of officers, and seamen, and the Royal Marine Artil lery, and Light Infantry, by whom we are now surrounded, to witness . your reception of this dis tinguished decoration. You will also see by my side those here who have already reccived the Vic toria Cross, and their presence here and co-opera tion in this gratifying act of duty is the highest honour I could pay you. I now invest you with the Victoria Cross for valour, in the presence of your gallant brothers in arms of both services, and that of the numerous inhabitants of the town and its neighbourhood, who evince by their presence here in such large numbers their interest in this ceremony ; and I earnestly hope that in your future careers you will pursue the same course of duty which has gained for you this signal mark of her MajesV's approbation. Sir Michael having fastened the crosses on .the breasts of the recipients her Majesty's ship Victory fired a Royal salute of 21 guns, the bands of the Royal Marine Artillery and Infantry struck up " God save the Queen," seamen and marines pre sented arms, and the ceremony was over--over so far as the military part of the programme was con cerned, for it was now the turn of the crowd, which, breaking through the lines of sentries in undulating masses, surged round Sir Michael Seymour and his three heroes, and raised cheer upon cheer until the Common rang again. In the evening the officers of her Majesty's ship Victory gave a dinner on board their ship in honour of the occasion. Sheffield Woe - shops. The Children's Employment Commission deal, in the report which they have just issued, with the metal trades of the Sheffield district; and, as in the instance of Birmingham and Wolverhampton, so in the instance of Sheffield, they strongly recom mend the application of the Factory Acts, securing the abolition of night work for the young, and the observance of the half-time system of work and education. A few extracts from the report and evidence presented by Mr. J. E. White, the Assist ant-Commissioner, will show the need of legislative interference to prevent the abuse of the power of parents and employers. The Commissioners con sider the statements calculated to excite pain and surprise of no ordinary kind " Children begin to work in those employments at about 9 or 10 years of age, and from this age upwards they are employed Whenever light work, and in some cases work which is not light, can be found for them. It is common for children to enter upon one of the deadliest occupations known, viz., fork grinding, as young as 9 ; most begin at or before the aga of:10, some as young as 8 or 7. Mr. White adds, that 'he found a child of 6 years old at a wheel where he had worked for some months at other dry grinding for his father. The employment in which most of the young children are found is cutlery. Girls as well as boys some times begin this at 7 and oven 6 years old,' and one boy whom Mr. White found at work had begun at 5. A woman who began cutlery herself at 6 years old, put her own lass, now dead, on at three weeks turned 6.' In most cases,' says Mr. White, 'the youngest children are employed by their own parents or relations,' often in con sequence of the intemperate or improvident habits of their parents." The work described in the following passages is performed by boys of from 9 to 12 years of age in, generally speaking, a very high temperature, often in very close and ill-ventilated rooms, while inhaling in a large proportion of instances the deadly dust thrown off by the processes of grinding, and in operations connected with it. Mr. White says : " The practice of boys working at all by day and night turns, either in the usual course of things or at pressing times, seems inevitably to open the door to their not unfre quently working unduly long hours. T hese hours are indeed, in some cases, not only cruelly but even incredibly long for children. Among a number of boys it will of course not nnfrequently happen that one or more are from some cause absent. When this happens their place is made up by one or more boys, who work in the other turn. That this is a well understood system is plain, not only from the state ments of boys themselves, nearly all of whom, if ques tioned on the point, state that they have done so, but per haps still more clearly from the answer of the manager of some large rolling mills, who, when I asked him how the place of boys absent from their turn was made up, answered 'I dare say, sir, you know that as well as I do,' and admitted the fact. But not only in this way, but also in places in which nightwork is not part of the system, an excessive amount of overtime isnot unfrequently thrown upon young boys, e.g., quarter of a day, a half, or even a whole period of 12 hours in the 24. This is especially the case in steel and iron rolling of the lighter kinds, e.g., for crinoline and wire. A boy 9 years old, or at most 10, worked at crinoline steel rolling three nights running as well as on the days, and this under his own father. 'We should have gone so (i.e., nights as well days) to the end of the week, only the engine broke down.' His case, and the appeals which he repeatedly made to me, whether he might not 'go to school a bit longer instead of working, struck me as peculiarly painful. Another, now 11, who went at 9 years old to hardening and tempering crinoline steel, worked there from 7 a.m. till half-past 9 p.m. four nights a week for many and many a month,' many a time till 12 at night,' and either once or twice worked from 7 in the morning all through the next night and day, and on till 12 the following night. I had to live very badly, and if I had no dinner he (the man) always give me a bit. Another boy at a rolling mill, where his proper hours were from 6 a.m. to half-past 5 p.m., worked about four nights every week till half-past 8 p.m. at least, and this ,for six months out of the nine that he was there, there being day and night relays in the remaining three months, and for about four months he worked one day and night together every week, and sometimes two days and two nights running. Another, at nine years old, sometimes made three 12-hour shifts running, and when ton has made two days and two nights running. Another, now 13, at a former place worked all night some Fridays, and other nights, except Mondays, always till Bor 9 p.m. Another, now ten, at a former place worked from 6 a.m. till 12 p m. three nights, and till 9 p.m. the other nights,in his only week there. Another, now 14, has worked sometimes from 6 a.m. on Friday till 2 p.m. on Saturday. Another, now 13, at a for mer place worked from 6 p.n till 12 noon next day for a week together, and sometimes for three shifts together, e.g., from Monday morning till Tuesday night. Another, :now 12, has worked in an ironfoundry at Stavely from 6 a.m. till 12 p.m. for a fortnight on end ; could not do it any more. Another, aged 9—' Before I came here I was nearly ayearat the same work at some works in the country. Came here as cellar-boy last Friday. Next morning we had to begin at 3, so I stopped here all night. Live five miles off. Slept on the floor of the furnace overhead, with an apron under me and a bit of jacket over me. The two other days I have been here at 6 a.m. Ay ! it is hot in here.' Father of the last boy.—' Work in the furnace. Last Saturday morning we began work at 2. We had slept in the fur nace, being strangers in the town. We live at Wadsley, four or five miles off. We have to be here at 6 a.m. It is a long way for the boy to come and go back each day, though I can manage it. I should like to get some place in the town for him to stay in. Saturday afternoon he gives over at 2 or 3. "An under-manager There is a good deal of heavy work. I have seen a boy of 14 years old using a 221 b. hammer in file-forging, and some who have grown com pletely out of form from the work."' . . The following are some of the many instances given in the evidence which betray the same lament able amount of ignorance which Mr. White brought to notice as existing at Birmingham among chil dren of the same age engaged in similar branches of manufacture : "Henry Stow, aged 14 Went to work at shears at a cutlery manufactory when going 7 years old. Can read a bit, but not write at all. Don't know of London, or Queen Victoria, or if she is a woman, or takes care of the country.' John Holmes, aged 13 Know most of my letters. Had to go to day-school till father began to' be bad, and go always on Sunday and to church. There is no night school about our house now, but there is at winter when its frosty, and there's snow on the ground, and I go then and pay 6d. a week. (Is asked of Queen Victoria.) Have heard the name on it ; can't tell what it means. She finds 'em money. The Bible is the Holy Bible. Have not heard of the Tes tament, Gospel, Adam, or Jesus Christ. An angel is an image.' John Morris, aged 14 :---‘ Get Bs. 6d. a week, and have 6d. of it for myself. For nearly a year have put 4d. out of this into the bank. Do not go to school on Sun day or at night ; have no good clothes to go in. Father makes 18s. a week, one of my brothers 10s., and I have three sisters at work. Three of us are at home too little to work. Go to a church, but I can't get nigh enough to understand the words. Have heard say that God made the world, and that all the people were drowned but one; heard say that one was a little bird. Suppose that Christ was a man. He was a father and teached 'em to read out of a Bible. Think he was put to a cross.' William Smith, age 15, moulder :—' Never was at day school in my life, except for a week or two, and do not ever go at night, but do on Sunday, and to chapel. My cousin .teaches me reading a little. Heard at chapel of Samuel fighting with a lot of soldiers. Have not heard of ParadiSe. The garden of Eden is where men goes and eats off a tree. It was not any par ticular man. Do not know if Adam and Eve were the first people in the world. God made man; man made woman.' " The Commissioners state that : "A very serious consequence of the defective state of education in Sheffield is showing itself in the contracted views of large numbers of the workpeople in regard to the introduction of machinery. Files in the Sheffield district are still made by hard labour only. Machinery has lately been adopted for that purpose near Manchester. In France excellent looking files are produced in that way,' and the French are selling large quantities of files to Sheffield cus tomers on the Continent, almost equal in appearance' to those of Sheffield, and at little more half the price. It is anticipated that the gradual improvement in skill and know ledge in the French workmen will enable them to bring their work up to an equality with that of Sheffield; and it is obvious that the interests of the English trade must in the end suffer if the work can be done, as it can, at a much lower cost in other countries by the use of machinery. The same difficulty prevents the introduction of machinery in other branches of our trade.' " After having the evidence of employers on the consequences of a prohibition of night work by boys, the Commissioners came to the following conclu- Sion : " Considering that the percentage of boys under 18 em ployed in night-ships is not great ; that being eo employed at all exposes them to the liability to work double shifts, or in the words of Mr. White, in some cases cruelly, if not incredibly late hours,' and considering that in a manufacture requiring the utmost physical strength it is of public im portance that the physical powers of the operatives should not be prematurely undermined, we are of opinion that the evidence, on the whole, justifies the adoption of factory hours ; and we think that if the age of 18, as the one below which no young person should be employed otherwise than according to the regulations of the Factory Act, were arrived at by progressive stages of a year each from the time of the passing of the act, a great proportion of the presumed difficulty would be obviated. It might be enacted that for the first year boys of 14 might be employed as at present; this would exclude from night work very few of those who are now employed regularly in night relays. The boys therefore of 14 being thus available at once, the ex clusion of all under 18 would be very gradual, and it might reasonably be anticipated that by the end of the four years asufficient numberof youths of 18 would have b3en brought up in each work to enable the night relays to be carried on without difficulty or material increase of expense. And when the provisions of the Factory Acts have fairly taken effect at Sheffield, it may 133 fully anticipated that the same judgment of their utility and benefit both to employers and workpeople will be formed, as is expressed in the fol lowing paragraph by the medical officer of Barnsley : " am very glad that Government is taking up this in quiry. The factory legislation has contributed wonderfully to the good feeling and contentment of the working classes ; all like it now. Even masters and others who oppose it ap prove of it, and the working classes !Teak of it as " our grand charter." In this neighbourhood we have the means of judging. The change of feeling in this town since it was introduced, from one of political and social disquietude to one of order and contentment, is wonderful ; no one not acquainted with the facts could conceive it.' " In relation to the _injurious consequences of night work upon the young, the Commssioners cite the testimony of a professional man, who writes : " Light acts upon the tissues of the body directly in hardening them and supporting their elasticity. The muscles of animals, when they are deprived of a proper amount of light, come soft and inelastic, the nervous power loses its tone from defective stimulation, and the elabora tion of growth seems to be perverted. . . . In the case of children, constant access to plenty of light through the day, and to the direct rays of the sun for a part of it, is most essential to health. Light assists in the elaboration of good plastic blood out of the food, and hardens the fibre after it has been laid down lt also acts as a stimulant upon the organs of sight, and by this means brings about more activity in the various cerebral functions than would otherwise be the case I have had opportunity for merly, when in Lancashire f of observing the effects of night work upon factory children, and I have no hesita tion in saying that, contrary to what some employers were fond of asserting, those children who were subjected to it soon suffered in their health, as I, then attached to a dis pensary, had abundant evidence of it." We may add testimony from another source upon the subject of overwork in these trades. In the last report on railways in India there is a letter from Dr. Brinton, in which he states that he had last year to reject as many as one in five of the candi dates for appointments on the railways. He says "In the majority of cases rejection has been necessary from organic lesions, or obvious tendencies to disease, such as would disqualify the subjects of them for acceptance as ' first-class lives' by any London office adopting the usual method of inquiry through a qualified physician. In many instances such lesions or tendencies have been associated with a certain degree of what may be termed premature decay, the constitution and organs resembling those of a person older than the age already attained. This condition, which is of course a disqualification for many arduous me chanical callings in India, and which especially lowers the resisting force required successfully to oppose the influence of change of climate, is not uncommon among those whose labour through life has hitherto been unusually fatiguing —for example, among workers in metal, and especially among those habitually engaged in piecework. It is, per haps, an illustration of this statement to notice that while the average age of the persons examined is 30, the average age of those.rejected is from 33 to 35 years." THE COAL AND IRON TRADES OF NORTH STAF FORDSHIRE.—A special meeting of the coal and iron stone masters of this district was held at Stoke-upon Trent on Wednesday last, and was very influentially and nume rously attended. The object of the meeting was to receive and consider the report of a committee, appointed on the 18th of August last, upon the subject of establishing a fund for supporting members o 1 the association in resisting unjust demands on the part of their men. The committee reported that it was desirable to establish such a fund, to be formed by a contribution from the members, per ton of coal and ironstone raised, which should be available for an allowance to those masters who, with the sanction of the association, resist a strike of their men ; and that the committee of management should have power to make calls in advance, so as to render the fund immediately available. The report of the committee was unanimously adopted, and every firm represented at the meeting enrolled as sub scribers, in addition to those who had signified their ap proval of the plan by letter to the secretary. LADVERTISEMENT.I-11olloway's Pills and Ointment. — Be not Deceived.—There is a giant marching onwards from the East, who threatens to invade our prosperous country. His name is Cholera, and his cohorts consist of Impurity, Irregularity, 'Debility, and Despondency. Each of these provocatives of this dire disease may be overcome by Holloway's remedies provided thby be resorted to with out delay the moment listlessness, looseness, feverishness, or pain betrays disordered action. The " Directions" will enable the least cultivated to treat successfully and subdue completely these warning symptoms of cholera. When confidence in Holloway's preparations has been once esta blished, each believer in their virtues will humanely recom mend them to his acquaintances. that none may foolishly harbour the foe's friends within . his own fortress. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS' TIMES.—How fortunate we are in speaking b." language which has been framed for the use of a nation the main occupation of which is law and politics ! If we want to explain any change int the government of our innumerable dependencies, any diplomatic complication, or any historic discovery, —nay, if we want to throw fresh light on the his tories of Greece or Rome, we possess a set of terms and phrases having a thoroughly definite signifi cance, and if neither very eloquent, very imagina tive, nor very expressive, perfectly well calculated to convey our meaning, and leaving little room for doubt or ambiguity. This possession of a language eminently adapted for the wants of political life, of government, and of finance, if one of the least ob- served, is certainly not the least valuable legacy bequeathed to us by centuries of liberty and self government. To be aware of the value of such a dialect, when we have to address our ourselves to common people on the common affairs of life, we ought to read the State papers which are from time to time put forth by the German Governments. Nothing is more ridiculous than their attempts to popularize a subject •, their idea of making a thing easy consists in clothing it in the choicest terms of the philosophy of Kant and Hegel, the ground work of the whole thing is metaphysical, and the declaration of the will of the Sovereign Prince is invested with the forms of , the development out of the inner consciousness of the abstractlnto the con- crete. A German Doctor cannot write an essay on the cattle disease without an astounding exhibition of this species of shallow profundity ; an Austrian Minister cannot issue an order to his clerks without involving us in the profoundest mazes of metaphy sical mysticism ; and the Emperor of Austria issues a manifesto to his people, which reads more like a plan br reorganizing the solar system than fo r combining the forces of a discordant empire.. We have no time to go through a course of German metaphysics, and we must therefore renounce the hope of thoroughly explaining what we do not pro fess entirely to comprehend ; but we may, perhaps, succeed by a liberal translation, and the substitu tion of words which, however vulgar, really have a meaning, for the high-flown generalities of_Austrian statesmanship, in Conveying to the minds_ of our readers some 'slight idea of - what after all is the essential point to arrive at—what the Emperor of Austria really means to do with Austria. He . _ holds the fundamental idea of the diploma of 1860 as the leading principle of the Imperial Goverment. The people are guaranteed the right of participating through their representatives in their own govern ment, and are thanked for the readiness with which they sent representatives to the capital for the pur pose of solving some highly important questions. " The formation of a durable and constitutional charter of rights for the empire, which is the con stant wish of the Emperor, cannot be realised so long as the first condition of bringing all its component parts into clear and unmistakable harmony remains unfulfilled." We do not pretend thoroughly to un derstand this oracular passage.. To us it would seem to assert exactly what is not the case—that it is im possible for the Emperor to give constitutional rights to his subjects until he can prevail upon them to agree among themselves. The constitution is a question, as we apprehend it, between the Emperor and his people, not between one section of his people ' and another, and we do not at all see why the fact that his people do not agree among themselves should prevent them from receiving a boon which requires no mutual concession for its acceptance. " As it is legally impossible to treat the same con stitution as a fundamental law in one part of the empire and as a matter of negotiation in another, the Emperor is compelled to suspend the validity of the constitution and the actual representation, with the reserve that if the Diet in the eastern kingdoms shall suggest changes in the existing laws compa tible with the unity of the, empire and its position as a great Power, the Emperor will lay these changes before the legal representatives of the other pro vinces to receive and worthily estimate their ex pression of opinion." This seems to mean what is indeed said in the next sentence, that the Reichsrath is suspended, that the Emperor takes upon himself provisionally the powers vested in the Reichsrath in order to arrange with the different provinces of the empire such modifications as may allay the discontent existing in Hungary. The whole matter, then, seems to amount to this : —The Emperor of Austria, by a coup d'e'tat, has suspended the present representative system in Austria. He does this, not however with a view to abridge the liberties of his subjects, but with a view of opening negotiations with Hungary and the other Eastern provinces for such a modification of the existing, or we ought perhaps, to say the late constitution, as will put it in their power to give a support to his Government without destroying their local consti tutions. We gather further that the reasons im pelling the Emperor to this step are the wish to establish harmony between the different parts of his empire, and the absolute obstacle that the present centralised constitution opposes to such harmony. In other words, it would seem that the Emperor has abrogated the existir g constitution of Austria with a view of substituting a Federal for a centralised system, reserving to himself the absolute power to refuse or assent to, as he thinks proper, the terms which may be suggested by the different Diets with which he is in negotiation. If this be the meaning of the document, it is the beginning of a change long foreseen, absolutely necessary, and far too long delayed. We observe in the first instance the very frail tenure on which Austrian liberties are held, when it is in the Power of the Emperor by a stroke of the pen, without consulting anybody - , to demolish the existing constitution and assume all the power it contains into his own hands. This affords a striking illustration of the little progress which the mere establishment of a Representative Assembly in a great military monarchy implies. The liberties of Austria exist but in the breath of her Sovereign, and for the moment at least a single word has vested in himself a provisional dictatorship of the most abso lute nature. Passing over this objection, which to German minds will probably appear hyper critical, we remark that the end in view is eminently salutary, and that the absolute power vested in the Emperor gives him the greatest facility for working it out. But though this is cer tainly so, we cannot help trembling for the stability of a fabric based on the ruin of a former edifice, which one effort of a will raised, and one effort of the same will summarily destroy. Confidence must indeed be a plant of slow growth under an imperial regime. The erection of a constitution under the direction of an absolute prince is like building a tower on a ground subject to earthquake, or laying out a vineyard on the edge of a volcano. Waiving, however, this objection, and reserving our protest against the studied ambiguity of the document, we cannot sufficiently applaud the course on which the Emperor of Austria is entering. The truth is Aus tria has too long been sacrificed to an idea, and it is quite time some notice should be taken of that light which is finding its way through the crevices of the edifice. Abstractedly no one can doubt that a coun try like France, which the intense fire of revolution has fused into one compact and homogeneous mass, possesses a strength and a power of organisation which' makes Government as formidable to neigh bouring countries aslto its own liberties. Philoso phers may doubt whether France does not buy these liberties too dear by the sacrifice of individual ini tiative, by the reducing all thought and action to a common rule and standard, and the obliteration of provincial peculiarities and traditions. Any one who observes with what fondness French literature clings to these relics of the past will naturally be led to entertain doubts on this subject ; but, be the benefits of this iron centralisation what they may, they are clearly unattainable by Austria. The oppressions of 400 years have failed to break and subdue the spirit of Hungary and Bohemia, the spirit of local independence so rudely trampled down by Russia in 1859 is for ever raising its head anew. In order that she may be a single and united monarchy, Austria has incurred the gravest risks of ceasing to be a Monarchy at all. Rather than be Federal, she has been content to be weak and disunited, and drifts nearer and nearer to a na tional bankruptcy. Perhaps the recent instance of North America has convinced her that a federa tion is not so weak and inefficient a Government as her statesmen were inclined to suppose. Perhaps the Emperor sees that though it is in his power to ruin Austria it is not in his power to make her one or uniform. Austria has indeed a manifest destiny if she did but know it ; her policy has been hitherto to concentrate her power in order to contend with Prussia for the leadership of Germany. What pro gress she has made in this effort we all know ; from a rival she has sunk into a tool, and has shed her blood in order to obtain the privilege of participat ing in the disgrace of a crime of which Prussia has monopolised all the profit. She can do little in the West ; but the East, if she pleases, is all her own. With a Federal form of Government like that of America, capable of admitting new States on easy terms, and with a liberal commercial policy to re invigorate her finances, Austria might absorb one by one the States on the banks of the Danube, and assimilate to herself the provinces of Turkey as they drop off in shreds from the enfeebled body which lacks vitality to retain them. A Federal form of Government is the first condition for such a policy as this, and the second is a regenerated finance, for it is equally absurd to suppose that Austria can unite new States to herself by offering them as the first result of union the destruction of their lan guage, their customs , an d t heir nationality, as by inviting their p a rticipation in financi a l ru i n. HERALD.—The Irish Registrar General has pub lished his annual statistics of Irish agriculture, and may fairly assert that a more unsatisfactory docu- ent nev , ir before i ssu ed f rom hi s d e p ar tment. --- m has 1 still further and It is unsaisfac tory not only b ecause it ex hibits a most serious decrease in the land t hi s ;ear nude? cereal cultivation in Ireland, as com )-eh'r ; but also because an attempt is pared witii last made seal the real dimi n utio n in the at ea .occupied, by statements which of the it soil to c o so .nt are easy confuted, a cd which cannot possibly be evidt nee of their truth within consta C. sulary, to whom the col supported by any reach of the Irist'. lection of those s t a tLtics -vas entrusted—an at tempt which 'mist deprivesXr. Donellore y's future D re k - 4 , enerally returns of the confidence e reposed in their veradty: 66 Although g ," says the report, " there is slillocvn a; decrease of 28,218 acres in the total area und , lr crops in 1865, there was an increase in the extent ,'lnder grass to the amount of 127,470 acres, the area un:ler' bog andwaste unoccupied' having diminished by 12 1 -7 543 acres." We should be glad tolearn by what pro.less the amount of augmentation in the land under grao this year has been so accurately ascertained. The constabularly are certainly not all surveyors—we doubt much if there be any amongst them ; but even admitting them to be capable of professionally esta blishing the truth of their report under this head, it is evident that the time occupied in the performance of their allotted task, even if entirely devoted to this one object, would not have been sufficient to enable them to do so. It is, however, easy for us to prove to demonstration, either that this asserted increase is fictitious, or that the Registrar-GenerAl's returns for last year must have been inaccurate. Waste, and more particularly bog, cannot possibly be ;reclaimed and converted into pasture without having und,:none the process of tillage in their transformation. And to accomplish a real conversion, they must have been under cropping for at least three years previous to to being " laid down," as must be well known to every person having any practical knowledge on the subject ; so that in point of fact, the only addition which can possibly have been made to the Irish pas ture or meadows between last year and this must consist solely in the balance between the quantity then and now under cereal or green cropping, and this, according to the official return, amounts to but 28,218 acres; and it follows, as a logical consequence, that the police must have greatly understated the extent of soil under cultivation during the last two or three years in Ireland—which is not at all likely —or that Mr. Donelly must have accepted from them as true this year the particular return we allude to, although the slightest consideration might have enabled him to discover its palpable inaccuracy. Passing over this abortive and unjustifiable at tempt to prove an increase in grass as a counter poise to the diminution of cereal production by a subterfuge so easy of detection, we cannot, like the correspondent of a contemporary, discover that the present Irish statistics " are on the whole most encouraging." The cultivation of wheat has diminished to the extent of 8,410 acres since last year, and that of oath by 70,625 ; and when we remember that the soil under this crop, which, with the potato, forms the food of the Irish labourer and small farmer, had diminished by 128,000 acres in 1864, as compared with 1863, being a gross reduction of (in round numbers) 200,000 acres in two years, the fact argues but little for the increasing prosperity of the country ; at least so far as concerns the condition of the classes alluded to, more particularly when we find that the land. under potatoes has increased since last year by 26,170 acres, proof positive that the lower classes of the Irish people are compelled by necessity to fall back again on a supply of an inferior and uncertain. description of food. The diminution in the extent of the cereal crops applicable to human food from last year is 79,035 acres, while an increase of 6,585 in barley, bere, and rye—none of which are used for the sustenance of man—reduces the total diminu tion of cereal crops to 72,450 acres. " The returns of live stock for 1865," says the report, " as com pared with 1864, show an increase in the number of cattle of 231,120, of sheep 321,801, and. of' pigs 246,413, and a decrease in horseS of 14,391." And immediately afterwards we are told " that the re turns exhibit an increase in the number of cattle, sheep, and pigs under one year old in each of the provinces and almost in every county, the total in crease of cattle under that age being 56,147, of sheep 175,441, and of pigs 220,285." Now, Ave should be glad to know, taking these latter figures as correct, from whence came the balance of in crease reported to have taken place since last year, in the two former descriptions of stock. If only 56,147 black cattle have been bred in Ireland during the last year, and that their increase within the same period amounts to 231,120 as - re turned in these statistics, it is evident that 174,973 store cattle must have been imported. The fatted beasts cannot be included in the number, for, being sent to market and i ns t an tly s l aug hterea or exported, they may •be said to cease to exist almost immediately after they are landed. We have not the returns of the black cattle imported into Ireland during the time specified in Mr. Donelly's statistics by us. As well as we remember, however, the number has been exceedingly small. The same remarks will apply to the asserted increase of sheep; and if the Irish Register-General expects that anY attention can be paid to his future returns he must offer some explanation on the points to which we have alluded. If so large a quantity of live stock as is necessary to make up the balance between the asserted increase in their number within the year and the number stated to have been bred in the country has been imported, they must have been paid for, and their price must necessarily be de , ducted from the boasted augmentation in the agri cultural wealth of Ireland. Strange enough, too, while black cattle and sheep are reported to have so largely increased in numbers, the area under turnips and mangold wurtzel, so necessary for their support, has decreased over 3,000 acres ; the increase in green cropping being exclusively due to the greater extent of land this year under potatoes. COUNTRY MARKETS LIVERPOOL.—FRIDAY. At our market to-day we had a very largQ attendanc e with a good business in wheat at ld per cental hig he l • Flour at previous rates. Indian corn firm and unchanged' Oatmeal 6d per load cheaper. Other articles unchanged. DERBY—FRIDAY. Our market to-day was tolerably supplied with wheat; Best sorts sold for rather more money. Barley moved ca' steadily at late rates. Oats a moderate supply, and th e trade steady at former quotations. Few beans on offer, and the trade firm at top prices. New white wheat, 42s to 46s Od ; red, 38s to 43s per 36 stone. Barley for malting, 33s to 38s per qr. ; grinding, 27s to 286 per 30 stone. Oats, new-, 21s to 25s ; old, 27s to 31s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 48s to 50s; new, 436 to 463 per 38 stone. STAMFORD.-FRIDAY. Only a meagre show of wheat to-day. The inquiry wa! slow at the extreme last week's prices. Barley came free' , to hand, and made former currencies. Oats at late rate 44 Beans in request at scarcely so much money. 6 Old white wheat, 46s to 50s ,• new do., 42s to 4 7 s per 36 stone. Barley, malting, 33s to 36s • grinding, 2 6 s to 28s per qr. Oats, new, 225 to 26s ; old, '24s to 28s per 24 stone Beans, 43s to 48s per 38 stone. Peas as of late. WAKEFIELD.—FRIDAY Wheat trade firm. Fresh old 1s dearer. New in 1 ,1 supply, and best dry parcels command full prices. par''' slow of sale. Beans rather lower. Averages, Sept. 18—Wheat, 3,074 qrs, at 480 2 c l barley, 547, at 34s bd ; oats, 115, at 23s 7td. LINCOLN.—FRIDAY. There was a fair inquiry for good sorts of wheat at A da vancing rates. Barley was irregular in quality, and pe n s were unchanged. Oats sold at former currencies. 13 4 were rather easier. Peas unaltered. New white wheat, 42s to 47s ; new red, 38s to 42s per g+ stone. Barley for malting, 32s to 40s per qr ; gri 28s to 31s per 30 stone. Oats, 20s to 295. Beane, 3 52s per qr. BRISTOL SUGAR—FRIDAY. There is a good demand for all kinds of sugar, and pri ce° are fully Gd higher. Rum—no sales to report_L__ B rchs. a BRooKE. 1 On the 20th inst., at Sydenham, the wife o f W. Brooke, Esq., of a daughter. COLE.—On the 20th inst., the wife of J. J. Cole, E Hornsey-rise, of a son. tbe LEES.—On the 20th inst., at Hele Hill, near Taunt on, wife of David Lees, Esq., of a son. Powys.—On the 20th inst., at 33, Great Cumberland -o°i Hyde-park, the Lady Mary Powys, of a daughter. Marriages g o bug. BENNETT—WETHERMAN.- 011 the 21st inst., a. e mn e. Church, Edward Holland Bennett, Esq., of the, Iftll Temple, and Vernon-terrace, Brighton, to Isabe l, buff daughter of John Wetherman, jun • Esq., of Jae n Court, Gloucestershire. 9 DOLBY— Moss.—On the 21st inst , at the parish o'Foor Ross, Herefordshire, George Dolby, Esq., of 5 ' elde st of Wm. Moss , Wimpole-street, London, sg Eg sto., ofßos s.Ursula 31 arian, th e daughter e EVERARD.—On the 20th • t Thomas H. E Newhaven, Sussex, agDedelli6aB9t..hf:. ver arc") E 6cl. , .13.1 FISHER.—On the 21st inst., at Hillhead, Dunl&ll.k 1.1 i,13 " . 9 1- Henry Fisher, Esq M.llO , _late of the 7th (RoY al i - liars and 63d Regt., aged 75. Drogg e, HoGGE.—On the 19th inst., at Erith, Colonel Chas..- - C. 8., Royal (late Bengal) Artillery, age d 52. g,.., 6 , HOGG.—On the 18th inst., at Bideford, 1:10 Mr. Jo A.• aged 83. viederiej PANsox.—On the 21st inst., at Bromley, sent, .. George, younges son ofl'Anson, a ged 1 8 . te t„ JENKINS.—On the 19th inst., at 52, Liverpool-sti Bishopsgate, Mr. John Jenkins, aged 66.' of -L- , litt° v PAWLEY.—On the 22d inst., William Fawley, ...AK', the Bank of England, aged 81. ---......"!---..°". London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDA , i ig, of No. 112, Strand, plinter, at Tif;-; Surf 0111 c. 1 0 ' 4 .; of Strand, in the Precinct of the Nr.voy. in the COO" Middlesex. --Saturday, September 23, 1665. i_ j 0 760 r 111 T hie FRRn It is Sold the A• Obs "Kin, nz LEI ot £2O one, t , Von ei Bro ini DiBeoi direct, The house tenas it liliZe Place, the c 'BOIS lishm easily and a "um a sail prosp group propr hold 6d. si street and E caret! With genui T' drrec Assaf lb. u houst of ihi and E It is solelj And 041111 P r I - 11R aale whicl Whet a atgtenat tug a - k.;: V.C. tent ST 1 , 1 -: od, Iti g t 'I A_ refnc 'with he c k day th; 4i ,1 1 AL] es the Cori Of THE SON, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 28, 1865.