The Sun. — London, England, 1870-05-25 00:00:00

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION. Yesterday the inquiry into this matter was resumed before the Select Committee of the House of Commons, Mr. Candlish presiding. The examination of Colonel Marriot, secretary to the Bombay Government in connection with the Abyssinian expedition, was continued. He said that before Lord Napier left Bombay the discussion of the organisation of the land transport corps was fully gone into between the Governor of Bombay, the Emissary- General, and Lord Napier ; and minutes were drawn up for Lord Napier's guidance. When Lord Napier got away every demand, deliberately and formally, made by him was met by compliance, but sometimes an ex planation was required. This inquiry must have been a restraint upon Lord Napier, who had to explain every demand. In illustration of his meaning, witness said that when Lord Napier wished to have the means of making a railway the whole way in Abyssinia, the Governor intimated that a similar railway of eight miles took eight years in carrying it out. On that intimation being given, Lord Napier thought that a sufficient objec tion, and abandoned the idea at once. PUBLIC RECEPTION OF A POSTULANT. A ceremony of a highly interesting character took place yesterday afternoon in the Church of St. John of Jerusalem (this being the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians), viz., the public reception of a Postulant into the order of Our Lady of Mercy. The name of the young lady thus admitted is Miss Gallagher of Derry. She is about twenty-two years of age. The beautiful interior of the Roman Catholic Church in Great OrmDnd-street, where the ceremony took place, was crowded with a distinguished and fashionable assemblage, which was composed chiefly of ladies. The altar was exquisitely decorated for the occasion with choice exotics and flowering plants, ar ranged in tasteful harmony of colours. The officiating minister was the Right Rev. Bishop Morris; and the preacher, the Very Rev. Monsignore Capel. The usual formula was gone through with much impressiveness. The candles were lit and held by those present in the right hand on the one side, and in the left on the other. The postulant, attired in a secular dress, having received the blessing of the Superioress upon her knees, afterward advanced with the sisters, two and two in procession, the choir singing the solemn and beautiful hymn " 0 Gloriosa Virginum." The Blessed Sacrament was reverenced ; and the celebrant, after the invocation " Ora pro ea, Sancta Dei genetrix," proceeded to bless one of the wax candles, which was first laid on the altar, then sprinkled with holy water, and ceased from the thurible, and then presented lighted to the pos tulant. The sermon was then commenced by Monsignore Capel, who, in his address stated that the postulant would undergo a probation of two years, during which at any time she would be at liberty to re turn to the world ; but he earnestly exhorted her to per severe in the holy cause she had undertaken. The bishop, who oppeared to be very infirm, put the usual questions. The postulant, who is a prepossessing young lady, and was arrayed in a sort of bridal costume, then retired and donned the sable habiliments as a novice of the order ; and the psalms having been sung, she was reconducted to the altar, where the religious habit and veil were sprinkled with holy water and blessed by the bishop ; and the service concluded with the " Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucundum, habit a're fratres in unum." THE CONVENTS AND MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS The select committee of the House of Commons ap pointed to inquire into the state of the law respecting the property of conventual and monastic institutions met yes terday for the first time to take evidence—the Right Hon. E. P. Villiers in the chair. The first witness who was examined by the chairman was Mr. Eyer, chief commissioner of the Charity Commis sioners, who stated that he had been sworn on the establish ment of the commission. The duties of the Commis sion with respect to the charities was to collect in formation respecting them and their ways and the man ner in which they control the administration of their estate, and to exercise a general superintendence. "We derive our power from several acts of Parliament, the first being in 1853. Our jurisdiction was considerably enlarged by the Act of 1860. By the Act of of 1883 we had power to in quire into charities with respect to their endowments, but the institutions of Roman Catholics were exempted till 1860. There was a succession of Acts continuing the examinations till 1860. We had power to initiate inquiries if we obtained accidental information, Putting aside exceptional cases, our staff was too small to institute any universal inquiry. It is not neces sary that we should procure our information from the charities themselves, but there was an obligation on the part of the charities to inform us of the nature and amount of their income. There is a certain amount of reluctance to submit those accounts, and it is very diffi cult to enforce it. We pass an order on to the board, and if they will not obey that order we apply to the Court of Chancery and make it a contempt of court not to make the returns. The obligation practically is im perfectly performed. A charity or endowment for a religious purpose would. come wsthin our supervision I have no doubt that in cases in which an institution wsa endowed for religious purposes it is considered a charity, and would be uuder our powers of supervision. After the passing of the Act of 1860 the Roman Catholics enrolled about 400 of these institutions. There were grants of land and no trusts at all ; but they were simply made for charitable purposes, which were not declared so that it was no use inquiring for the trustees. The Act of 1860 gave the power of enrolling deeds which were invalid before, but became valid after such enrolment. At first it applied to the year only, but at that time was in the case of Roman Catholics, extended from time to time, until at present they seem to have the power of en rolment at any time. We have no means of knowing what number ef endowments there are for Roman Catholic chari ties since 1863 ; we are under nn obligation to seek them out we have very much confined ourselves to the duties of our office, and have inquired only in cases where representations have been made. There have been very few cases in which Roman Catholics have complained but there have been one or two, one in Northumberland, I know. We are not aware that there is any maladministration of their funds; we know nothing about them in point of fact. I know of no reason now why the Roman Catholics do not declare those trusts, but prior to 1860 there was every reason, but in fact before then there really was no declaration of trust, notwithstand ing the charities of Catholics and Protestants were placed on the same footing, and it was still held in the courts of law that some of their trusts were for superstitious uses, and in 1860 there wag an attempt made to separate that part of the charity which was to be devoted to superstitious uses, and the intentions of the founder in other respects made lawful; but it had the effect of rendering the Catholics reluctant to disclose the charities. With respect to the Masses and prayers for the dead, Sir H. 'Termer Fust had on one occasion ruled that money left for that purpose was not necessarily left for a superstitious observance, but that decision was afterwards set aside, and we should have no control over money left for such a purpose, but we should notice it being illegal, and would not act with respect to it. We have numerous cases of gifts with respect to graves and tomb stones, which are also held to be illegal. They are not within our scope and object. I really know nothing about monastic and conventual insti tutions, and cannot make any suggestion for the improve ment of the law with respect to them. I cannot say whether they are harmless or not. Mr, Jessel ; If they are not illegal on what ground do you consider they are charities ? They are charities in so far as they may be endowed for charitable purposes. Tpe is this distinction between a convent and a club. 14 P 4:) far as they each provide their own means of subsistence, there is no par ticular difference ; but the difference arises as soon as You go farther, and some one gives money to them fora NM: mg or for the purpose of protecting those who may make them a charity, By Mr. Newdqlatke ; We are only public trustees to the extent that any charity may apply to us in any matter which ariser out of a public charity, but we are not trustees for religious endowments as such. We have a power of examining the trust deeds of a charity, and if it is not being devoted to its purpose under the trust deed we can apply to the Attorney- General and the Court of Chancery, but we have no power to direct any alteration ourselves. We nave no direct power at all. Under the At of 1860 the n umber of enrolments is not large as compared with the Roman Catholic charities. In " the report of 1862 there are some cases in which we return to the operation of the Act of 1860, If there was a desire to do so there were means whereby the trustees of any Charity could purge their Charity of any misappropria. tion of the funds of the Charity and restore them to the uses for which they were intended. I know of no case in which any such application has been made by any one connected with Roman Catholic Charities. We have no =eons of knowing on what conditions conventual property is held. A convent is a community of persons living together, and property given to them would be charity if they were associated with charitable purposes- If the property were given to trustees it does not necessarily follow that they would be charities. It is within the scope of our powers to frame schemes as to appropria tion of the funds in charitable institutions, and if it were necessary to have power to inspect. For instance, we should have power to inquire into Christ's Hospital, its objects, how they were provided for. It would depend very much upon the nature of the application made to US What the nature of our inquiry would be. If any one were to inform us that the objects of a charity were not _p_roperly carried out we could inquire. We should , . also have power to inquire into any i n w hich money was left for the support of the poor and sick. We might inquire into benefit seeieties, if endow ments were made to them, but only pro tardo. After some further evidence the court adjourned. The Cape merchants in London are making great efforts to obtain a reduction of the duties on Cape wines. A contemporary states that Mr. Lowe is apparently favourable to their a ppeal, althOugh he hesitates about equalising the duties, and is more disp,osed to take a middle course. THE DARIEN CANAL.---The New York .herald of May 11, just arrived, publishes correspondence from the Darien Exploring Expedition, down to the date of May 2nd. Careful surveys having shewu thQ routes of Sassardi and Caledonia Bay to be impracticable for a canal, the expedition had gone to San Bias. This route from San Bias on the Carribean sea to the river Bayamo on the Gulf of Panama, Pacific side, has never been thoroughly explored, partly from fear of the Indians. As the present expedition is well supplied with all neces saries, its members are less apprehensive They have already surveyed the Cordilleras from Caledonia Bay to Sassardi, and on their return the first accurate map of the Isthmus will be issued. ' - RATING OF CHARITIES AND SCHOOLS. A very important meeting was held on Monday at the Westminster Palace Hotel, under the presidency of Sir T. Tilson, to confer respecting the rating of charities and schools, as now carried out under the direction of the Government. The gathering was one of imposing influence. Representatives were present from town and county charities and schools of all denominations—namely, from Church of England schools, Jewish charities and schools, and Roman Catholic institutions, as well as from the great metropolitan and county hospitals. In all some eighty institutions were represented, including Guy's Hos pital, the London Hospital, the Royal Free hospital, the Holborn National Schools, the Merchant Seamen's Institu tion, the British and Foreign School Society the Reforma tory'and Refuge Union, b es id es many other London institu tions ; and every other class of charity was represented from Bath, Leicestershire Warwickshire, &c. The Chair man opened the pro c eedings with some remarks on the present position of the question, observing that it was long held doubsful whether institutions which tended to decrease pauperism could be rated to the relief of the poor, but the decisiou of the Court of Queen's Bench in the matter of the British Orphan Asylum laid it down that the " beneficial occupation" term comprehended both schools and hospi tals, as well as other places. Mr. Wheelhouse and Mr. Charles Reed had introduced bills into the House of Com mons to remedy this very serious evil—serious alike to the poor and to the parishes, and now Mr. P. H. Muntz had introduced a measure which proposed that the parish authorities and local governors might have provisional powers not to rate, instead of being, as now, forced to rate. Sir William Tite, M.P. then moved a resolution condemning the injustice of rating charities. Mr. P. H. Muntz, M.P., in seconding the resolution, referred to the case of a hospital he knew which had been summoned for a rating of £4OO, and that money could only be obtained by selling the beds on which patients were lying. Since he had moved in this question he had received many particulars in support of the course he had adopted, and he was satisfied that it was the intention of the old law, and to the manifest advantage of the country, to exempt the charities. The matter had slumbered for cen turies since the Act was passed, and only an accidental circumstance had opened the question. It was said on the other side that only the " religious" houses were exempt ; but he held that all charity was religion, and that all attempts to educate the young so as to keep them from wrong-doing, and to help them in winning their own way, were strictly religious purposes. He stated that in one particular town with which he was acquainted, where the rating of charities would lessen the rating of the town but a mere fraction, even if the charities kept up, the work those charities were doing could not be covered by a fourpenny rate. He then explained the terms of his Bill, and said the permissive form would be the most acceptable, and no parish would voluntarily rate charities. In reply to Mr. Chandler, who asked respecting the rate in the pound at which charities had been assessed, the chair man said that many of the parishes had refrained from assessing at all until the Poor Law auditors surcharged the overseers for not assessing, and then only nominal as sessments were made. Reference was made to the depu tations which waited upon Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli before the present Administration came into power, and which had received favourable replies ; but it was said Mr. Gladstone's views were too well known, and no at tempt had been made to seek his support. The Hon. and Rev. Grantham Yorke supported the motion, and in doing so said an enactment which was now enforced for the first time, having slumbered for 300 years, was new alto gether. Dr. Lush, M.P., also spoke in support of the purpose of the meeting, and Mr. Keeling, of the Jewish Executive Board, said that body was most desirous of of working with the gentlemen connected with the Chris tian charities in obtaining freedom from the short-sighted policy of taxing voluntary effort in dealing with poverty and ignorance. - Mr. Wright, of Birmingham, the Rev. W. Harvey Brooks, Lord Jocelyn Percy, and other gen tlemen spoke, and the only objection made to the bill was made by Mr:Chandler, of St. George's, Bloomsbury ' and St. Pancras, who said that his experience of "local governors" was that they were full of the Shylock spirit. He therefore urged that the clause should be compulsory, and not permissive. The chairman said he thought such parishes would be exceptions, and he was willing to try the working of Mr. Muntz's Bill. The motion was carried as was the following ?—" That the recent decision of Courts of Law on the Act of 43rd Elizabeth, cap. 2, render ing schools and charitable institutions generally liable to the payment of rates is contrary to the spirit of the Act itself, and of recent legislation, and tends greatly to dis courage educational efforts and to the consequent increase of improvidence and pauperism." Another resolution pledged the meeting to support the bill of Mr. Muntz, the second reading of which is fixed for the 25th: THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVEMNG, MA Y 25, 1870. THE ROYAL PATRIOTIC FUND. A paper has been issued from the War Office in the form of a return to the House of Commons, giving particulars of the formation and distribution of the Royal Patriotic Fund. At the conclusion of the Russian War it was resolved that the widows and orphans of soldiers, seamen, and marines, who lost their lives in the war, should be provided for to a certain degree by the State. The Fund was accordingly established, and allowances for the education of the children of deceased officers and men, and annuities to their widow have been annually granted ever since. The orphans entitled to the ordinary relief from the fund were those born after marriages contracted prior to the Ist of January,lBsB. It was decided, however, that other orphans who fathers had served in the Russian war, who were not eligible for the ordinary relief from certain circumstances connected with the death of the father, or the date of marriage, should, nevertheless, be assisted in their education by the Executive Committee. At a meeting of the Fund Commissioners, in March last, it was decided that a portion of the surplus, which was expected to have arisen from the moneys invested on behalf of the Fund, should be applied in the relief of the orphans of other wars than the Russian. It had been found, however, that the matter must be considered somewhat further before positive help from the fund can be given to such orphans. Meantime it has beenthought necessary . to issue a statement explanatory of the original agreements under which and to meet which the money was raised, as well as of the manner in which it has been and will be applied. The following is the chief paragraph of the statement which the Commissioners have addressed to the Queen : There appears to be a widely prevalent opinion that all widows and orphans of men who served in the Russian War are entitled to allowances from the Patriotic Fund, irrespective of other conditions, such as the date of marriage ; service subsequent to the war ; whether or not the husband was wounded, or suffered serious injury whilst engaged on active service, or the date and cause of his death. Not only is the foregoing opinion held as respects those whose husbands or fathers served in the Russian War, but, though to a less extent, a belief prevails that the widows of any other war, or even that the widows of any men who may have died in the service of the Crown, have a claim on the fund. In the hope of removing these erroneous impressions, we request your Majesty's attention to the following extracts from the original commission, deffning the persons for whom the fund was intended :—" Whereas amidst the glorious suc cesses which, through the power of Almighty God, have attended our arms during the present war, many soldiers, sailors, and marines serving in our armies and fleets, have gallantly fallen in battle, or by other casualties." " And whereas it bath been repre sented to us, that many of our loving subjects throughout our kingdom and dominions, are anxiously desirous of testifying their loyalty and love to us and to our Throne, by a just and generous benevolence towards the widows and orphans of those of our soldiers, sailors, and marines who have been killed, or may hereafter die amidst the ravages or casualties of war. and also by their gifts and subscriptions to contribute a por tion of those means with which our na. tion has been blessed, towards the succouring, educating, and relieving those who, by the loss of their husbands and parents in battle, or by death on active service in the present war, are unable to maintain or sup port themselves." There can be no doubt that these pas sages apply only to those who became widows or orphans by the loss of their husbands or fathers in service during the rpresgpt' Russian War, and did not contemplate those women who might after the termination of that war marry soldiers or sailors who - had been engaged therein. In order, however, that the benefits of the fund might be ex tended as widely as possible, the powers entrusted to the commissioners have been interpreted liberally. Relief has been granted to widows and orphans not only of men who were married et the time of the war, and whose deaths did not occur until loig after it had ceased, bu also in some cases to the widows and orphans of men who did not marry until after the war had ended . ; and, for several years, the only condition requi site to establish a claim for an allowance was that the death of the husband or father was connected with his previous service in the war, On the 18th of March, 1865, however, after the lapse of nine years, and after much consideration, the committee deemed it necessary to establish a regulation as to the date of mar riage ; and a rule was made that no widow could be re cognis@d as a widow of the war unless married prior. to of the IstJanuary 1-858, The regulation was approved of by the former Commisgicueps ? as reported in their Sixth Report to your Majesty. But oven now, though 13 years have elapsed since the termination of tli4 Russian war, allowances are given to the widows and orphans of men whose deaths can be traced to their service in that war, if not sxclaided by the rule as to the date of marriage. And further, assistance is given in the education of, and in providing outfits for, orphans of men who have served in that war, but who are, by the existing rules, excluded from the ordinary allowances. Having received the present_ condition, habilities, and prospects of the fund, the commissioners add :—The present expenditure for allowances to widows and for the maintenance and education of orphans, is in excess of the income, and will be so for two or three years. Sup posing no further liabilities than those already known are in curred, there would ultimately remain a surplus of probably , not less than £llO,OOO, nor more than £170,000. The ap plication of this surplus towards the relief of orphans of other wars mast be reserved for consideration when the necessary data shall have been received. Meanwhile the present financial condition of the fund renders it im possible to extend relief to the orphans whose fathers have lost their lives in the ordinary service of the Crown. The clothes of a female, saturated with blood, have been found by a passer-by in a wood near Sheffield. It is feared that a miirAer has been committed. The police are investigating the matter. ' ' . - M. Paul du Chaillu, the African explorer of gorilla celebrity, is now in New York, and has been presented with a silver medal at a meeting of the American Geo graphical Society. The medal was awarded b y the I m perial Geographical Society of Paris. NATIONAL TEMPERANCE LEAGUE, Yesterday, what was designated a Missionary Con ference was hela at the City Terminus Hotel, in connec tion with the above League, papers having been promised by a number of returned missionaries, on the obstacles presented by intemperance to the progress of Christian missions. The Rev. Lord Wrottesley Russell presided, but the attendance was not very large. The chairman in opening the meeting, said they were engaged in a most important work, and they had a large field before them. They knew the great evil drink was at home, but how much more mischief did it produce in heathen countries, and how fearfully did it stand in the way of the spread of Christian truth among the heathen. It was their duty, first, to hold out their hand and rescue these poor creatures from the effects of drink, and then place within their reach the glad tidings contained in the Bible. So far as he was concerned he became a teetotaller for the sake of others, believing if lie did so he could extend his own usefulness as a servant of God. He had not been disappointed in this respect, and now he adhered to the principle for his own sake. He had carried it out consistently for seven years, and had found himself a better man. He could do as much work as he could before, and he brought a more unclouded mind to bear in considering the various subjects which came before him. He therefore hoped to see the useless ness of the society appreciated, and its good work suc cessful and greatly extended. Several interesting papers were then read upon the subject. The paper of the Rev. John Gritton, M.A., secretary to the Lord's Day Obser vance Society, and formerly missionary in India, was listened to with much interest. It dealt chiefly with the evil effects of the opium traffic in that country. Papers were also read by the Rev. T. W. Blanchard (Wesleyan), formerly a missionary in Africa, and others. Finally, it was agreed that a committee, consisting of the Rev. John Gritton, M.A., and the. Rev. Andrew Kesser, LL.D., be appointed to draw up a set of pointed queries in reference to intemperance and Christian missions, to be forwarded to all British missionasies abroad, and that the information so obtained be classified under the direction of the committee of the National Temperance League. After the meeting tea and coffee were served in the refresnment rooms, and in the evening a conversazione took place. BLOWING UP OF A SHIP. The Western Morning News has the following particu lars of the calamity which occurred in the Bristol Channel : —On Thursday morning the barque Asturias, owned by Mr. Ramlett, of Boston, U.S., 800 tons register, sailed from Cardiff for Hong Kong. The crew, which numbered 14 hands, all told, consisted of Captain S. W. Sloane, the first officer the second officer, and 11 coloured sea; men. Everything proceeded well until a quarter to ten on Saturday morning, when, the vessel being at this time about twenty miles west of Lundy Island, a fearful ex plosion took place. Commencing forward, the shock travelled aft, laying open the cargo and stores, the deck parting in the middle, dislodging the bulwarks and stanchions, and throwing ,the crew about in all directions. A coloured man named John Johnson, who was at the wheel was flung in the air, and never seen again. Another man was thrown into the sea, but he caught a rope, and was hauled on board by means of it ; and the men in the forecastle were tumbled over each other, the forecastle rising and falling at the time, and were buried in d4bris. The captain was found between the main and mizen masts, bleeding . from the ears and mouth and he flied twenty minutes afterwards. Two men below were badly burnt, another had one of his thighs broken, and a fourth was severely scorcheil. The ship took fire and the men tnrew bodily into the water a fine long boat, slightly injured, and a lifeboat, and scrambled into them the best way they could, taking with them Captain Sloane. They had hardly got into the boats before the masts, which had so far stood firmly, together with the remaining portion of the rigging and sails, came crashing about them again threatening them with instantaneous death. From this danger, however, they also escaped, and pulling away from the Asturias, which was left burning, they were picked up two hours afterwards by the bri gantine Success, of Dublin, bound to Caen, and arrived about half-past nine on Monday morn ing at Mount's Bay. The crew stated that the second mate and a seaman went below with a light, in order to find something, and this ca us ed the explosion. It is also said that two ventilating hatches had been kept open up to the time of the explosion. The men who were on deck at the time of the catastrophe fared much worse than those below, and the escape of any of the crew alive is marvellous. WELSH ELQPEMENTS. The principality of late seems to have been labouring under an epidemic of an amorous nature. Two magisterial investigations were held, one at Liverpool, the other at Neath, into circumstances arising out of two elopements, which are detailed at considerable length in the local papers. At Liverpool, William Jones was charged with committing perjury under the following circumstances. The prisoner who is described as a young man of respectable and en gaging appearance, is the son of a Welsh farmer, and followed the calling of a currier. He appears to have made the acquaintance .of Miss Annie Jane Williams, a young lady of his own age, and daughter of the Rev. Robert Williams, rector of the parish of Llanvaelog, Anglesea. The young lady is said to be highly accomplished, and a general favourite in the parish in which she resided. There being little hope of obtaining Mr. Williams' consent to his daughter's mar riage with one so much beneath her, the couple eloped and went to Liverpool with the intention of getting the knot tied. Jones went to the office of the registrar and made a declaration that he had resided five months in Union-street, Liverpool, and that Miss Williams had been there for ten weeks. The declaration was conse quently granted. Unfortunately for the progress of the match, a telegram was sent off by the lady's friends to stay the marriage, and the result was the apprehension of the young man on a charge of having committed perjury by making a false declaration. On this charge he was remanded, bail being tendered and accepted for his appearance. The young lady was stated to be not far away and the £lB found on Jones when apprehended was ordered to be given up to him. The second elopement is possessed of features of a repulsive character. Mr. Poole, a draper, of Neath, had two daughters, Julia, aged 17, and Emily, 12 months younger. They were married to former assist ants in the father's shop, Julia being Mrs. Bennett, and Emily Mrs. Davis. On Saturday it was found that Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Davis had left home together, and inquiries being set on foot, they were traced to Liver pool. As the absconding_ parties had taken with the m things belonging to Mr. Poole, Davis was apprehended, their intention to have proceeded to America being , frus trated. They were taken to Neath, charged before the magistrates with the larceny, and remanded. Prince Charles of Roumania, on the occasion of the anniversary of his succession to the throne, has issued a proclamation to the people, in which he announces that there is a chance of an heir being shortly born. The news has been received with great enthusiasm. Mr. M‘Cullagh Torrens has given notice of his in tention to move a resolution with reference to the dis tressed condition of the artisan population in the great towns. This will raise in a new form the question which was not allowed to be debated last Tuesday night. A. Liberal paper says it has reason to know that the Govern ment disclaims all responsibility in connection with the Speaker's ruling on that occasion, _ The French Emperor's speech on the Plebiscite, delivered on Saturday at the Louvre, at twenty minutes past one, was in London and in Brussels at two o'clock. At four it was at Vienna and Berlin, and during the night it reached St. Petersburg. The Central Telegraph Office at St. Germain was at work all night, forwarding to foreign powers the words of the Em peror and the diplomatic comments on them. The Minister of the Interior dispatched the speech to all the prefects throughout France in less than an hour and a quarter. Two children were suffocated on Monday in a fire at the wool works of Messrs. T. and J. Shaw, of Aston, in Birmingham. They were sleeping with two others in the attic of a house adjoining the works, and as soon as their danger became apparent every effort was made to rescue them. Two of the four children were brought out alive, but a subsequent attempt by a policeman to extri cate the remaining children was less fortunate, and when access was at length obtained to this room they were found quite dead, evidently of suffocation. They are both girls, aged five and seven years re spectively. THE VOLUNTEERS,—The Secretary of State for War has intimated to thQ Council of the National Artil lery Association that he has decided to grant assistance in aid of the expenses incurred by artillery volunteer corps in attending the annual prize-meeting at Shoeburyness. The grant will be at the rate of 10s. per man up to 1,000, and a like sum per officer up to 100, provided that every such officer and man for whom the grant is claimed shallbefore joining the Shoeburyness camp have been instructed in the duties of sentries, guards, a-ld pickets. This is just the kind of help which will be appreciated by the volun teers, and the addition of £650 per annum to the avail able funds of the association will enable the Council to make Shoeburyness Camp much more attractive and much more useful than it has hitherto been. The compe tition for adinission into the "English eight " is fixed to take place at York on the 23rd and 24th of June, during the prize meeting of the Yorkshire Rifle Association. FAILURES IN PEACH CULTURE.—A frequent cause of failure in the culture of peaches is the practice of starting the new growth with a too high temperature, and maintaining it at too rapid a pace when the trees are in flower, and, further on, when the fruit is undergoing the stoning process. The fact that the fruit does set freely on the open wallwith a temperature a few degrees above tbe freezing-point is utterly ignored, and the indoor trees are subjected to a temperature which with the greatest degree of certainty results in the loss of the crop. Provided the flowers are not frozen, no injury will result from a low temperature, but much loss may be appre hended from ahigh one. All good cultivators are agreed that 40 deg. Fah. is a safe medium for commencing with by the aid of fire-heat alone, and also that in comparatively mild weather no harm will result if the thermometer is allowed to rise to 45 deg. Higher than this it should not be allowed to go, unless the sun happens to shine brightly, and then 55 deg, or even 60 deg. will do no harm—indeed, be beneftial, provided a free circula tion of air is allowed. This temperatnre will be ample until the fruit attains the size of a marrow-fat pea, and then it should'rise to 50 deg. by night and from 60 deg. to 70 deg. during the day. At this same range it should continue until after tiTe stoning is completed, after which the cultivator may push them on as fast as the girt m sta::cce of the case may require, provided flavour i 4 of secondary importance.—The Gardener's Magazine. LAW AND ,POLICE, A JUDGE AND A SOLICITOR.—The House of Lords has heard an appeal from a decision of the Court of Session in Scotland, the Judge of the Sheriff's Court of Aberdeen shire being the respondent, and the appellant an attorney named Watt, practising in that court. He had taken away a certain document in an action before the Court, in defiance of the order of the judge, who, therefore, ordered the arrest of the solicitor. Watt subsequently brought an action to set aside the imprisonment, and asked for £5,000 damages. The defence was that the respondent had acted in his judicial capacity, and was not liable to the action. The Court of Session held this de fence to be sound, and against their decision the solicitor appealed. The House of Lords deferred judgment. RACEHORSES.—In Judges' Chambers a case referring to the disposal of racehorses, one of which is to run in the Derby, has been heard. The plaintiff, Reeves, a trainer at Brighton, claimed a debt from the defendant, Captain Richardson, for taking charge of the animals. Three executions had been levied on these racers : Captain De Yere Hunt claimed a part ownership, and the sheriff of Middlesex applied to interplead as the horses were eating their heads off. The first question was whether Mr. Reeves had a right to levy the execu tion after an agreement which it appeared he had made Master Unthank held that the execution must be set aside. As to a lien on the horses by the trainer there was a case decided in which a trainer lost his lien when he issued an execution. After some further discussion an order was made that the horses should be sold by the sheriff; unless the two executions were immediately satis fied, the money being brought into court. A HEARTLESS CASE.—At the Middlesex Sessions, Livian Benson Pearse, described as a builder, was sen tenced to five years' penal servitude, having been pre viously convicted of obtaining several sums from dif ferent tradesmen by false pretences. The prisoner was the son of an elderly gentleman of large means, who had been nearly ruined by his extravagance. He had deserted his wife and children, but had succeeded in obtaining possession of goods directed to her, which lie then sold or pledged. Sir W. Bodkin, in passing sentence, observed that he never heard a worse case of the kind. A HOPELESS CHARACTER.—A woman named Sarah Hart, has been charged at the Guildhall with being drunk and disorderly. An Inspector said she had been in the custody of the police ninety eight times, had been sent before a magistrate thirty-nine times, and the other fifty-nine times had been released on promises of good behaviour. She was sentenced to twenty-one days' imprisonment. FINING A BICYCLE RIDER.—Mr. Sparrow, of Piccadilly, has been fined, at Hammersmith, 2s. 6d. and costs for driving a bicycle on the footway at Kensington. The defendant said that perambulators were allowed to go on footpaths, and they took up four times the space of a bicycle. THE CHARGE OF SWINDLING AGAINST A LADY.—Mrs. M`Gregor, who is said to be the wife of a retired Major in the Indian army, has been examined at the Marlborough street Police-court on a charge of defrauding Messrs. Lewis and Allenby, silk merchants, of Regent-street, with obtaining £2O on false pretences from Miss O'Neill, one of their assistants. It will be remembered that Mrs. Macgregor has been apprehended on a similar charge at Cheltenham, where it is alleged she presented a cheque for £3O on the Agra Ba n k * , but was detected by one of the clerks who had seen the handbill of Lewis and Allenby, with the fac simile of .the cheque presented to them. Having been examined at Cheltenham, and identified, she was brought in custody to London. She bought a silk dress dress at Lewis and Allenby's, and changed a cheque for £2O. Similar evidence was given from Howell and James's, where she gave a cheque for £25, giving the names of Porter, Grey, and others. •It was said that she had obtained sixty pounds from an hotel keeper at Brighton. She was remanded, bail being refused. Her counsel said that her husband and another responsible surety were quite ready. THE MILITIA AND THE POLICE.—TWO militiamen have been charged at Uxbridge with disorderly conduct, and a civilian was charged with rescuing one of them from the hands of the police. A con stable, named Horlock, found the prisoners preparing to fight in Windsor-street, Uxbridge, surrounded by a mob. He endeavoured, with the aid of two other men, to take them into custody, and a general affray ensued, in which the constable was very seriously injured. The prisoners were captured with difficulty. They were fined £5, £2105., and £2 respectively. CHARGE OF CRIIRLTY.---Alrs. Bodd, the wife of a farmer at Norringham , was charged at Melton with having ill-used a girl, 12 years of age, who was in her employ. The girl was in the workhouse, and had been co ill that her deposition was taken. The evidence of cruelty on the part of her mistress was supported by lads on the farm. The doctors, who were examined, said the girl was not fit for service. The prisoner was committed for trial. LADY MORDAUNT.—LadyMordatint, it is stated, is rapidly recovering both mental and bodily health. The facts of her ailments at the time of her trial are said to have been widely exaggerated. THE WORK OF CLERGYMEN.—The Bishop of Manchester, in consecrating Emanuel Church, at Preston, made some observations on the work of the clergyman. Uniformity, he said, was a good thing when it could be had, but unity was a thousand times more precious. He urged them to try to bridge over the chasm of religious difference by the offices of charity, and by the best construction they could put upon the motives and conduct of those who differed from them. The mere controversialist or political parson, a busy man in secular matters, an active magi strate, a busy guarcWin of the poor, his lord ship observed, was out of place as a clergy man cf the Church, of England now. They wanted men—faithful and wise men—with large hearts and broad sympathies, who, with a clear, kindly eye distinguish be tween the essential and the accidental—between what we might even gain by losing and what we must struggle to the very death to retain. A WONDERFUL PARROT.—The French papers announce the death of Jacko, the famous parrot of the War Office in Paris. Jacko was first brought into the office in 1830 by Marshal Soult, and he remained for forty years at his post unaffected by revolutions or party conflicts. After a time he came to be looked upon as an indispensable appanage of the War Department, and when there was a Cabinet crisis, people used to ask who was to get, not the War-office portfolio, but the War-cffice parrot. Though he served under eighteen different Ministers, he always remained consistent to the principles which were instilled into him when he first entered office. Both under the Republic and the Second Empire he remained a staunch Royalist, and there were few members of his party who, spoke their minds with so much frank ness. One day his repeated cries of `• Vive le !" so annoyed Marshal St. Arnaud when he was War Minister that he ordered the indiscreet bird to bd turned out. Jacko had a friend, however, in the porter, who took him into his lodge and taught him to add "de St. Arnaud" to his usual cry. The bird was then put back into his room, and, as the Marshal was passing screamed out, " Vive le roi de St. Arnaud !" "A la bonne heure," said the Minister, and Jacko was at once retaken into favour. Of late years the clerks tried to teach him " Vive l'Empe reur !" but he never could bring out the attire sentence without tremendous efforts. He got on very well as far as " Vive l'Empe---," but at this point he seemed to choke, his feathers stood on end, and his eyes rolled with an anxious expression, as if he felt his conscience reproaching him. At last, after several minutes' intense struggling, he would jerk out the last syllable—" reur " in a hoarse sepulchral tone. He died immediately after the Duchess of Berry, and on the anniversary of the death of Napoleon 1., three days before the plebiscitum.—Pall Mall Gazette. SAN 'RANCISCO HARBOUR.—BIosom Rock, a sunken rock of soft sandstone 180 feet long by 90 feet wide, has been known and dreaded as the most dangerous obstruction in the line of entrance to the harbour of San Francisco. The water at the rock at low tide was about 5 feet, and the current was generally very strong. Th e buoys marking the position have several times been swept o b e y eurr e e le d ctri in c away. The rock itself was removed o n the 23rd of A p r il. less Shafts than hhavingbeen tons su nkof anda gunpowder great w excavationereintroduced m ade, n o li i v n re l s a , rg a e nd tan a k t s 2 or p. c m y . lind th er e s e c x o p nn los e i c o t n ed the presence of a multitude of people, all keep at a respectful distance. A monstor cone of water shot into the air to the height of above 200 feet, in the shape of a round or obtuse-pointed, truncated cone, somewhat resembling an inverted thimble. This column was nearly 300 feet in diameter at a point some 80 feet above the surface of the bay. Its base was shrouded by another outburst of water, which rose to the height of fully 80 feet all around the central shaft, and rolled its flood outward. The base was over 500 feet in diameter at the surface of the bay. High above the upheaved mass rocks of large size, ruins of the interior works, and a great quantity of earthy matter were thrown and scattered far and wide. The rock was utterly demolished, and thrown in all directions, and the soundings gave thirty-eight feet of water over its site at low tide. In excavating -the rock 2,500 cubic yards of r ock Were hosited through the shaft and dumped into the bay and the pile of loose rock thus created reached nearly to the surface of the water. Over this the soundings two days after gave eighteen feet of water, shewing that the tide made great havoc with this rubbish in two days. In a week, it was expected, the depth of water called for by the contract would be found all about the site of the rock. DEATH OF A RECLUSE.—For some years past there has been living at Uxbridge, in comparative seclu sion, an old lady of peculiarly eccentric habits, always quaint in her dress, and impregnable to the curiosity of the town folk. Her residence was at No. 2, Foundry-ter race. A melancholy incident has, however, revealed the identity of the occupant of 2, Foundry -terrace. In the early part of last week the neighbours lost sight of the old lady altogether, and more than the usual solitude seemed to veil her abode. Information of this having reached Mr. Batt, a local solicitor, he proceeded to the house on Thurs day last, and as he received no response to his knock he effected a forcible entrance. On his going upstairs he found the old lady lying dead in her bed. An inquest on the body was held by Dr. Diplock West Middlesex coro ner, on Saturday last, at which it transpired that deceased was the daughter of a Spanish nobleman of high distinction. In early life she contracted a clandestine marriage with the Count de Chantal, of France, who was a general in the French Army, under the first Napoleon, and who fell at Waterloo. Exiled from her native country, as well as from France, she took refuge in England soon after the restoration of peace, and was living on her scanty income at Uxbridge in the manner described. She had reached her 93d year. Th e ' medidal eviddnop having proved that death was aqributabbil solely to natural causes, the jury returned their Verdict accordingly. It is presumed the deceased had lain dead several days before discovery. CAPTAIN DE GROOT'S STATUE OF FRANKLIN. Captain Albert de Groot, designer of the Vanderbilt bronze, has conceived the idea of erecting a - statue of Benjamin Franklin in Printing House-square. He pro poses to construct the statue at his own cost, and present it to the Press and printers of New York, who will then, it is to be hoped, procure a suitable pedesdal and railing for it and place it in the square. A model of the proposed statue, which is to be of bronze, eleven feet in height, has ; been on exhibition at the counting-rooms of Baker and Godwin. So far as can be judged from the model, the attitude and expression of the figure are natural and good. Franklin is represented as wearing a plain citizen's dress. With left foot advanced, head raised, and holding a roll of papers in his left hand, he appears to be about to address some public assemblage. The model is rather too small to enable one to form a fair idea of anything more than the attitude and expressi on . How the details may be carried out will be matter for after consideration. The pose of the right hand, it strikes us, is nct very graceful. It is too claw-like. MURDER IN MID-OCEAN. Mr. Charles S. Spencer, counsel for Thomas H. John son, who is charged with the murder of Edward Barrus on board of the ship Morning Light, when at sea, has made an argument, in the extradition proceedings before Commissioner Osborn, in which he claimed that the evidence had merely shown the accused to be guilty of manslaughter, and that therefore he could not be extra dited under the Ashburton treaty, which only recognises murder and attempts at murder as extra ditable offences. Mr. Spencer also held that the Morning Light was not a British vessel, asserting that the testimony shewed that she belonged to New York, and that her registry as a British ship ship was only made to save her from capture by the Confederate navy during the late war. Mr. Francis F. Wurbury, counsel for Mr. Archibald, the British Consul, replied that the language of the treaty was that all persons should be extradited who should be charged with the crimes enumerated, provided the evidence was sufficient to hold them for trial in the place or country where found. He said it was for the jury to decide the degree of the defence. The decision in the case was re served. DELAY IN MAKING WILLS. A Boston paper says that a very singular resolve is now before the Massachusetts Legislature, which illusttates the danger of procrastination in making wills. One Caroline Plummer, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, died on the 12th of November last. On the day of her death her physician took by her dictation a memorandum of her wishes with regard to the disposal of her estate, and also, at her request, carried it to an attor ney to be put in proper testamentary form. This will was drawn accordingly by the attor ney, and the physician, accompanied by witnesses, returned to her residence to have it signed and executed with legal formalities ; but this was rendered impossible by her death in the meanwhile. Her so sudden decease was anticipated neither by herself nor attendants, nor the physician. The paper intended as her last will is annexed to the petition, and is accurately drawn from the memo randum taken by the physician and produced before the committtee, who are in favour of giving legality to this instrument. Another case, illustrating the. danger 'of leaving this act till the last moment, occurred in Boston only a few days since. Three gentlemen were requested by a well-known citizen who had been ill several months to call upon him. At first it was thought that prior engagements would prevent the visit, but upon the solicitation of one of them they resolved to postpone their own business and visit his residence. They found their friend in bed, and he was able to write his name to the will, and they affixed their signatures as witnesses. There was no excitement, and a pleasant con versation took place. They left to walk in the garden before returning to their homes, when the invalid was attacked by paralysis, and remained unconscious till the moment of his death. Ten minutes after the will was executed he was incapable of performing such an act. FIRES IN THE SHAWANGUNK MOUNTAINS. During nearly all the first week in May exceedingly destructive fires raged in the forests of the Shawangunk range, in Ulster and Orange counties. Near Ellenville, Ulster county, the damage was very extensive. Thousands of acres have been burned over, and young timber, cordwood fences, railroad, ties, houses, barns, &c., to a Large extent destroyed. At one time, from the village named, were seen fires raging at twenty seven different points in the mountains. One of these fires was persistently fought by a company of men who turned out for the purpose ; but it swept over the timber lands of some of the property owners, completely destroy ing the trees, woodpiles, fences, &c., which it met in its devouring path, The loss of a single one of the owners is estimated at $l,BOO. Another owner lost 160 cords of cut wood, besides all his growing timber. At one time it was feared that the village itself would be destroyed, so near to it did the raging element approach. But by the efforts of the population the progress of the fire in the direction of their village was arrested. At Drowned Lands, Greenfield, Diigsville, and Oak Ridge, localities situated a few miles froin Ellenville, much property was destroyed. Large numbers of men were employed in the woods watching and fighting the fires day and night. In short, the Shawangunk region has been devastated by these fires to a greater extent that in many years previous, and the loss will amount to many thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of dollars. For many days thick clouds of smoke hovered over the valley and clung along the mountain side, while by night the long lines of flame stretching away for miles presented a most sublime spec tacle. It is said that these fires are kindled every spring by parties interested in the huckleberry crop, who take this means of promoting the growth of the berry that furnishes them a profitable livelihood. ANSON BURLINGAME'S SKILL WITH THE PISTOL. Speaking of the Burlingame-Brooks affair, a correspon dent of the Chicago Evening Journal relates the following : —After the challenge had been given by Brooks and accepted by Burlingame, and the point of meeting been fixed in Canada, both parties claimed a little time to arrange some matters before leaving Washington. Bur lingame completed his preliminaries in a few hours and left with his friends for New York, where he arrived about eleven o'clock in the morning ; and not having practised with the rifle for some time, it was suggested that he had better repair to some gallery and try a few shots. The party entered a gallery on Broadway, near Canal-street, and Burlingame used the rifle ten times, nine out of which he hit the exact centre of the target and the tenth within one-half an inch. It was not known by any one present what the object of the visit was, or who the parties were. As they left the gallery the proprietor re marked that he had witnessed, in his time, some accurate shooting, but nothing that equalled this. Burlingame and his friends pursued their journey toward Canada. Brooks and his friends left Washington some twelve hours after; and on arriving in Philadelphia, were tele graphed by a gentleman, who, as it was subsequently as certained, left Washington with the Burlingame party, and who was carefully watching all their movements of the result of the shooting in the Broadway Gallery. At this point arose the question with Brooks, of his possible arrest on his journey through New York ; and to avoid this contingency he thought it best to return to return to Washington. On inquiring into the antecedents of Mr. Burlingame, it was ascertained that his early years had been spent in the west, where he gained the reputation of being an expert marksman with the rifle. How much the gallery shooting on Broadway had to do with the return of Brooks and his party to Washington, is a matter of little moment now ; but, happily for Massachusetts, the result of this affair secured her from any further an noyances from such men as Preston Brooks. HAILSTORMS, The recent great hailstorm in Philadelphia was in some respects remarkable, and did much damage, but it has often been far exceeded in violence and destructiveness. In Jackson, Louisiana, in 1834, a fall of hail not only beat down houses and trees, but killed numbers of cattle, although it lasted for only nine minutes. During a storm in Germany, described by the Abbe Maury in a paper read before the Royal Society in 1798, hailstones fell that weighed eight pounds ; and there seems good evidence that in the storm of July 24, 1832, at Tussi, a single hail stone was found that weighed fourteen pounds, and that one at least passed through the roof of a house. Heyne's grave statement that a hailstone fell in India during the reign of Tippoo that was of the size of an elephant, is incredible ; but that there have been many hail stones large enough to destroy the life of eithe'r men or animals, is certain. During the early days of California there was a story of a hail storm having killed every person in a little mining camp in the mountains save one poor fellow, who escaped, much bruised and hurt, to tell the tale. Some meteorologists have supposed that ships have been sunk by the sudden weight of these frozen missiles, and that catastrophes attributed to con tact with mountains of ice have indeed been caused by that substance, but coming from a vertical rather than a lateral direction, _ _ Fortunately for mankind, hail -storms are commonly not only limited in duration, but 'confined to very mode rate areas. That which visited Philadelphia does not seem to have been heardof elsewhere. The great French storm of 1788, considered, we believe, the most severe on record, extended in two parallel lines—one of five hundred, the other of six hundred miles in length ; but the mean breadth of each was only nine miles, and this instance is accounted altogether unusual and phenomenal. Sudden changes of weather, it would appear, ought, philosophically speaking, to produce these storms, since they are occasioned by the rapid freezing of the water held in suspension in a warm currrent of air on contact with a cold current in a higher region. Still, although our climate is so changeable, and the thermo meter so swiftly capricious, especially in the Spring—and although hail-storms are in general more, frequent in temperate than in tropical regions —we seem to escape with a very small proportion" of them. Other regions where the temperature is much more equable, the south of France for instance, are on the other hand much oftener exposed to these visitations. Our comparative immunity on the Atlantic coast is perhapsdue to the ab sence of lofty mountains, whieh arc, found to be strongly conducive to the formatio n of h a il . — New York Times. A fire occurred 911 the premises of M essrs . Fi r th, Riley, and Co., cotton spinners, Brighouse, on Monday morning. Great damage was done to the stock and, machinery, and a large number of hands will be thrown ' out of employment. A CONSTITUTION FOll ILLINOIS. Illinois is repeating the often tried and seldom Pcf t e o ; ful experiment of formi ng an en ti r ely new constitut the After unusually careful provisions for securing t0,, 0 f0 convention a non-partisan character, with a satisfa?b,l, result in that respect so far as the balance of p arties concerned, we find the members in a constant stat, division and with views so diverse that it is alreadY • still' covered to be practically' impossible to draw up a n i n I , o le ment that can commend it se lf t o th e convention as a whole or to the people of the State. In a Comin cnwe altkvit to one party is very strong, and can control the electlou,',o„ nstitini the convention and be responsible for the co q u o, that is framed by it, there might be some expectation t the results of its labours would be accepted by thepl to But in closely divided States where there is no 1 01 :Y1 0 ,5 become sponsor for the new form of government I" t he been again and again proved that the people pref` '',.r the old constitution, bad as it may be, to the new mritalic inevitable defects that the examination' by Pi r er• speakers and the public press reveals,—Bosto n t ser. A CRUEL PREJUDICE. thei r The medical gentlemen in Washington made„ 11 1 ) e minds lately that a physician who attends a u le c i e red to whidh coloured people are admitted is thereby reo.ieso unfit to attend any other sort of meeting. We be f, t ,n• erlt to lay before the Committee on Ethics a few P e '", " t hese points. A negro physician in the estimation of t h a t gentlemen is such a horribly objectionable person fhw he contaminates any associati on t o w hi c h he or anY:cilo associates may be admitted. Not because he is a 1 ) ,,h. 1 1 . 1 1 0, we suppese, but because he is a negro. We'' egro why not, rule out any physician who accepts be patients ? If a sound darky is so bad, a sick one 1111z : re st a great deal worse. If white doctors must only of of white patients, the coloured people willwant dec" "t -their own race. But those doctors, being refused `T o se, tance to the American Medical Association, will, of CO s o have to throw up their diplomas and commit suicide• at the coloured people will not have medical d e r all, and whenever they fell seriously ill it would be lief ciful and politic to poison them out of hand for the rfitb, of their misery and the preservation of the public 1 1 70 That would settle everything comfortably.—. N ew Tribune. THE OPPORTUNITY OF VIRGINIA' er o A great effort is being made at this time by a P ° ., sc i i s ts, railroad and land company, backed by English cap ita of to settle the cheap and partly-unoccupied lanclsee„ b Virginia. Hundreds of thousands of acres hav e o 0 bought up, on a line of road from Norfolk right se. • • up° the State, and the plan is formed of turning in rs er them, on a grand scale, a number of English farm er' German peasants, who have saved some caPi t3Lt ' be es corresponding British Emigration Company ha s ~„0 0 formed in London, and there seems really at length bvd to chance that a tide of wealth is about to be direl i e the Virginia,. in comparison with the value of whi ch discovery of a gold-mine would be insignificant o . lo d, Virginia is a State remarkably well known in .bil ia ted her natural advantages being perhaps better aPPr ec i .,de there than here. Novels have pictured it, travelle „0,0 scribed it, and possibly the traditions of its attraebbo. have come down from ante-revolutionary times.. 'on' main associations in the North with the " ()Id Dollvie. are with tobacco, Chickahominy fever, and Genera l lan d Few of our farmers are drawn toward it. But in B a le 4 it is known as possessing in all its uplands the asot climate east of the Rocky Mountains, with large openings, and almost the only region in America iv b rs , hunting men can " ride to hounds," and for fold, proximity to market, and cheapness of cultivated almost unknown in combination elsewhere in the Tlnl Se e The most ignorant have only to look at the maP how close it is both to a large river, a good harbonr , oe ss our greatest Northern cities. It is well known to Inves much mineral wealth, and good judges believe that - t ot its exhausted lands can be renewed by fertilising, s° theft if the greater proximity to market b e estimated , to t may produce as abundantly as most of the Oe n West. bab l i Cotton, the great desolator of its soil, w ill now pro t oe be mainly given up, and the present most PP" The growth of the Union, tobacco, will take its plaee•mtion English fully understand that its former evil rePot as a " breeder of slaves "is entirely departed, an d the even the negroes are leaving it, not for more North, as used to be dreaded, but for - a rac e tropical climate,. and for districts where thei r , t o is more concentrated. The great charm, however , region to English settlers, over the West is its vie on' to large cities and the ocean, and its be genial climate. A British farmer likes W h o , where he can occasionally " un up" to Wa s ill ton or Baltimore, or some m i n i a t ure London Of America. He wants now and then to see the sights„ $ large town, and he does not lik e t o li ve w h er e it tail-etot journey of two or three hund re d m il es t o com e in c l3l , be with civilisation. He cannot bear "to pioneer ; wo e wants his stumps cleared, and fences built, and 3 10 0 shingled and clap-b oar d e d , an d fi e ld s t h at a t leas,l' a iyes been broken by the pl oug h an d th e h arrow. He u"—Jon the intense cold and the intense heat of the West, 3 ;ber. the breezy uplands of Virginia he hopes to feel lel less He fancies, too, that in an old country he will ", e .;ca' liable to the attacks of his dreaded enemy in 2A-L" A e•• fever and ague. • tbi s The Swiss and Germans who are expe c ted soon 111 ,0 State undoubtedly count with reason on planting PTfley able vineyards on the slopes of the Blue Ridge• h icbb know from good authorities that the only grape `: , tb , makes a good light-red wine of the Burgundy staroP - Z, 0 ,1 Norton's Seedling "—is almost a native variety in t"i Ol e , Dominion ; and they can judge from the cheapness t ber soil, and the accessibility of markets, how profitable !I w o grapes or wine must be in the hill country of Virginia. lit er If these English and Swiss settlers do in trut e ieso and buy up farms, it will begin a new era for then: 4 dr old State which once led the U n ion. All the fo'; D r dreams of the Virginia rebel leaders of binding the, to merce of the Potomac and the Thames, and makinc it hisr folk a second New York, will be realised, but in a he 3 N j form. The first State on the Atlantic will then le 1 01 agriculture, vine -culture, and mining, as she used r a of in politics and slave-breeding. The healthy p/IY. slq- sa 0 the population will give them the sway in productian,o Virginia will become a thousand times wealthier thaa be ever was under the curse of slavery. Wealth t oe distributed much more evenly than it is here, for thee 0,41 basis of general prosperity is the division a theO into moderate farms which must follow such an gration. The great obstacle, however, to the attainmen t golden future is in the Virginians themselves. The t iro, ing curse of a slave community, even after emanc i llare is the tradition that labour is degrading. If these sor foreigners, on settling on their new farms, discover, re tll a time, that they are looked down upon and s,efroie.): despised by the natives, and classed with the i v oil slaves, because they work with their hands, thedijot.o become discontented, and either never be absorbtui the population, or emigrate to regions where " s°l, tha t open to them, and all are on an equality. It niaY •e' a Virginian cannot change his nature, and alwal, oft despise a man who does his own work. If so—if t"",ltb e democracy has not yet persuaded the landholders lige' old State, even after their terrible experience—th en " well to immigration, development, wealth, and all l' r° in that region. elsed The tide of European labour and wealth will f 111,404 where. The emigrant will go where he is respeet e t pr. the world is all open to him. Modern progress w i re ar? by the State. She will remain with an effete sl as i t sO tocracy, an ignorant and lazy democracy, a woraiol undeveloped mines, unfilled fields, and exhauste d , o u tb t Her position and wealth in the future depen d tb s manner in which she receives the first detachments, t 0 of labour which is marching with eager footster wards her borders.—New York Times. ADVERTISEMENT. Avoid Medicines—they always aggn'rid chronic complaints; but Du Barry's delicious health-r00..0 Revalenta Arabica. Food, which yields three times tho „ f ae , ,„,l • ,her mentor the best meat, saves 50 times its cost In ps, 05re and invariably restores perfect digestion, strong ner l ii c es l ' lungs, healthy liver, pure blood, refreshing sleep, tune, Nye re 4 gularity, anc l energy to the most disordered or enfeeble . ' 0 0 4 tract a few out of the 68,000 cures :—" The Pope's h e alth: l, IP ce , by Du Barry's Food. Cure No. 68,413. "Rome, Jul,Y„thr 0 , 3 11' 11 —The health of the Holy Father is excellent, espePn - sal"„ j ef abandoning all other remedies, he has confined hillase . „ o oo,,epr to Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food, of which he,„' - oi a plateful at every meal. It has produced a surprisP;isete tidal effect on his health, and his Holiness cannot prais e ,, 25. `'.„0 ,4 lent food too highly.—From the "Gazette du Midi,' ra' 0 0 0 No. 58,216, of the Marchioness de Brehan, of seven Y e 0 143 complaint, wasting away, debility, nervousness, with , e ss,,„rJ, ralpita,tion all over, bad digestion, constant sleePless; ll; tr A .s the most intolerable nervous agitation.." Cure No. 1, 0 ,„r,O Stuart de Decies, Lord-Lieutenant of Waterford, of t o 'pr dyspepsia.. No 19,832: " Fifty years' indescribable el s olee r io ; dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, cough, c:onstipati?n , 0 00 .4 5 spasms, sickness, and vomiting.—Maria Jolly. s o IV 46,270: Mr. James Roterts, of Frimley, Surrey, e . e n diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derange be I'loo partial deafness. Important Caution.--B ewar e of ll ', e j, unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to Wh ic oacD2o, authority, Baron Liebig's name is most audaciouslY vlb In tins, at is lid; Ilb 2s 9d; 2 lb 4s 6d; 51b 115.3, 0 0 0 0 11$ 24 lbs 4 leo Du BARRY's REVALEN TA RADIO , PoWDER is packed in tin canisters: for 1.; cups at 2 e• I ro r o ot at 3s 6d, for 48 cups at6s, for 2:41 cups at 30s, for 576 ,5, ercy, —being about one penny per cup. The 30s and bsa Or', free of carriage in England on receipt of Post 0 i';;;00 BARRY DU BARRY and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, ~, all Grocers and Chemists. —fled BIRTHS. Of Al'S3 ocler On the 22d inst., at 8, Taviton-strect, the Wife Morley, Esq., of a son. f O d. On the 23d inst., at 30, Westbourne-park, the Wif e ° Evers, Esq., of a son. MARRIAGES. 1 ,11 ;,te 4, 1 On the 23d inst., at St. G eorge ' s, H an over-F(1 10.e- c ' 0 ;0 " Atkinson, of Penrith, t o Eli sa b e th, daughter Mr. Jones, of Pentrearon, Shropshire. On the 21st inst., at Llandiugad Church Llandovello01), tain Cony Snaith, R Royal Marino Artillery, toof;rottv Angharad Rees, daughter of William Bees, • near Llandovery. DEATHS. On the 21st inst., at 13 , Albany. street, Beg ` v r , Captain John Cook, aged 73. On the 22d iest., at Stapleford, Cambridge, H e "- Esq., aged 77. 1 1 191 ' London: Printed and Published by WIL LIAM A.N 140 . of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office , oo ,o l l Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Middlosex..—Weanesday, May 25, 1874. No, 1Q hll LL. Th, s Priz ce 6 eqt Pu] the j Ag,nnt ~~ 1, " 4 , It 1 id 0 ;1: able wee , fred MR WIT t Otl E( epa tz day) furni . 4 ° e a e liiiip at Mitetel itouzs:coneell ItoY Itetu TA M -411 E Ilushies's Great Litt g,! 4 g less tilaPpef Gt VI) s i ORG E CL ARx eh aUn t' t eig lqiun aunts eolo4. l '€ tu res b ed o, t lo s 6 re C ha u ir SPEC nru ron% 1 ,4 Al) . lt t d o i 4(4 a, e pei rttet '°°r4B, ARG , eat th e m ee lect. Pat e ve Set h a meet egd ,!lebratet( ler, si f:itkinger Vir ßi gn r , ed I ,Norlzvl I) I N t -1 • 8 Ti the 40 1 g a th e "aAted PIO In I Of , CLEI ANN ASS( Th e hi, — 3 W 8 - Prc u r.a lac aco erpuirn vo uts 0) ob tain iia 3, St. j 192, FL ,e fused ,. S ifsi,:s. l a i,zt,l, AV ~11 - 4ee l . N 4 , 0, 11 , 4 211 141 Th e taw, °met Pr e ,. foliThoi c 141,1,4 S 4 b e ", tr o T l o 4.10vZ NA Z a k ''' I letteerr,