The Sun. — London, England, 1863-12-30 00:00:00

TIM SUN. LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 30, 1863 AGENTS REQUIRED. SH E ROYAL INSURANCE COMPANY is prepared to ent ertain a p plications tor Agency AppoLifeint ments from gentleman having command ot F and Business. The Royal has alwaNs been conspicuous for its liberality and promptitude in the settlement of c1aim5........ 500,(101 Its annual Income is now over ............. f. Andits funds in hand exceed ..................... ..£1,00u,000 Transfers of Policies from other Companies received with- Out charge for Policy, whatever the amount. Address. JOlll4 B. JOHNSTON, Secretary. R o y a l InsuranceComPauY'2o,ll-street. O 1/Ali ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT -GARDEN. • Under the nanalir \ ement at Miss Louisa Pyne and V Harrison. Trris EvE stis•G, to commence with the Second Act of I3alle's popular oper-3, THE BOHEMIAN GIRL. After w hich, a Grand Christmas Vantomime, on a scale of uikurecedented ma.2ntficence, entitled vA.R.LEQUIN ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON. Doors open at half-past Six— _ommence at Seven. T a iAMR ROYAL 1) U R Y-L AN E. Managers, Messrs. Edmond Falconer and I'. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, the Farce of A ROLAND Fort AN OLIVER. 3les , rs. Walter Lacy, Addison, G. Belmore, the Misses Heath, R. Leclercq, Murray. To conclude with the new Grand Christmas Comic Panto mime of SINBAD THE SAILOR ; or, The Seven Wonders of the World. Clo wns, Messrs. H. Boleno and C. Lauri ; harlequins, Messrs. J. Cormack and S. Saville ; Pantaloons, Messrs. W. A. Barn e.s and J. aiorris ; Columbines, Madame Boleno and Misses Gunniss. Prices as usual. Box Office open from 10 till 5 daily. ROYAL LY CEUM THEATRE.I Under the Sole Management of Mr. Fechter. BEL DE3IONIO (a Triumphant Success) will be repeated Every Evening. during the Week. THIS EVENING, the performance will commence with a New and Original Farce, entitled THE LOST CHILD : Messrs. If. Widdicombe, Shore, Garden, F. Charles Collett, Moreland; Misses Percy, Pauline Le,derca, Wood, Mrs. Lee, and Miss E. Lavenu. After which, at Eight o ' clock, BEL DEI4IONIO, a Love Story, in Twe.lve Tableaux, taken from Stendhal's " Italian Chronicle ~" b.y Mr. John Brougaam. Principal charac ter by Mr. Fechter, supported by Messrs. Jordan, Charles, Brougham, Em ery, Raymond, Moreland, Smith, Clifford, Collett, Sims ; Miss Kate Terry, E. Lavenu, yrs. Lee, and Miss Elsworthy.. The Public ar.3 entreated to take notice that No Charg-e is made to the occit minis of Boxes, Box laces, or Stalls, either for play bills or .for the safe keepint , of hat= and cloaks, and teat the attendants in all parts of the house are forbidden to receive any graft iities whatever. Box-office °I ten daily from 11 to 5. Commen ce at 7. THEATRE ROYAL HAYNIARIiET. Sole Les see and Manager, Mr, Buckstone. THIS EVENING, OUR AMERICAN COUSIN : Messrs. Sothern, Buckstoi le, Chippendale, Braid, Gordon, Rogers_ Clark. Cullentord, ac. ; Mesdames angel, Snowden, T erry : Lindley, Ilia, &c R ; or The Days and Knights After which, KU CG A RTHU of the Round rabl ?.. Messrs. Chippendale, Compton, Braid, Clark, Rogers, Tilbairy, Sze. ; Mesdames L. Keeley, B rou ,h W r ight, Terry, Lin dley, Rogers, &e. , Commence at 7. ROYAL pRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Sole Lesce and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining. open for the Season. THIS EVENING-, THE HONEYMOON. after which, ii_ARL:QU.D. LITTLE TOM TUCKER; or The Fine Lady of Banbury Cross, and the Old Woman ice din a shoe and Had so Many Children she didn't who - know w hat to do. ROYAL ST, JAMES'S THEATRE, under the Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER. " THIS EVENING, the new Comic Drama of the HEN Aril) CHICKENS: Mrs. Stirling in her original character. Atter which, a Comical Conglome7ative Christmas Absur dity, by Henry J Byron, Esq., and entitled 1863 ; or, THE SENSATIONS OF THE PAST SEASON, with a Shameful Revele.tion of Lad, Somebody's Secret. New Scenery by Danson and Sons. Appointments by Mr. Ireland. Music by M. Wallerstein. Principal characters by 311. J. L. Toole, Mr. Paul Bedford, Miss Cottrell, Miss Fanny .Tosephs, And the BIRTHPLACE OF DODGERS : Mr. J. L. Toole n his original character. YEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHL -4,..1 ^ Sole Proprietor and Manager, M. B. Webster. THIS EVENING, THE SPITALFIELDS WEAVER : air. J. L. Toole. to Eight, the New Drama of LEAH : Miss Bate man, supported by Messrs. Arthur Stirling, R. Phillips, Bil ington, Stuart, Stephenson, Eburne ; Miss H. Simms, and Mrs. Eillington. To conclude with LADY BELLE BELLE; or, Fortunio and his Seven Maio Men. Messrs. J. Clarke, it. Phillips, Stephenson ; Miss Woolgar, Miss K. Kelly, Miss _Patti Josephs, Miss L. Laidlaw, Miss Seaman. • - Commence at 7, LEAH. -EVERY NIGHT, l ikr SS BATEMAN.—LEAH.—Tnis EVENING, the 77th appearance of the great Tragic Actress, Miss BATEMAN, in the character of LEAH. In consequence of the unbounded success with which Miss Bateman's imperso nation of the principal character in the new Five Act Drama of LEAH has been attended. Mr Pirebstei• begs to announce that it will be performed EVERY EVENING until further notice. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. INI anag•er, Mr. W. H. Swanborough. THIS EVENING, OBSERVATION AND FLIRTA TION. After which, the Grand Christmas Burlesque, ORPHEUS AND FURY L) fCE : Messrs. Honey, Wood, James Fenton, 3fesdames Swanborough, Marie Wilton, Hughes, &c. To conclude with TURN 11131 OUr. Commence at 7. 711 HE THIRD EDITION OF " THE SUN," Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, zari be had Every Evening, of G. It. GLENIE, NEWS AGENT, No. 4, Connaught-terrace, llyde-park. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS' DA IN—Morning, sh. lOrn.—Afternoon, sh. 26m, To-tioxito--w.-Monaing, oh. 46;1:I.—Afternoon. sh. 59 n, The Weather—Sun Office, Dec. 30, 1863. THERMOMETER. This day at Two o'clock 5O Barometer-30.15. Wind—N.-Westerly ; moderate, and fine. Y',4l tel.• 44 , 4 Zf ir 1). i 4 ,0414 7% t 14;fonNZ. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30, 1863 The a „._. . Home sett i :t ion arrived at by the right hon. the in regard to the wretched criminal TOWNLEI,„ I 7' a ppears to us to be one likely to prove in the highest alarming in its conseauences. As constituting of announet :tselt, now that it has been defi nitively precedent,it holds out a frightful Prosp ect 13f immunity to any future criminals (like TowNt.. 'f) of the blackest dye well i mag inable. Amore . 11 uta r l, a more dastardly murder --a murder more deliberately done in cold blood— t h an that perpetr ated lal of. this misera ble man l, by the hands found mentioned among all nowhere to be Newgate the cruel deeds recorded in the murderer, GEORGE VICTOR Towm:ldar• The mangy of ,„.t, the h date education, a man even of ability, and, a; to w of his crime, enjoying among those wh o reputation for refinement, though the deed,,, i b i l m a blood itself proved the refinement to be 011 1 Y a merit of cruelty—has, by what appears to us h „, 4% ; weak concession on the part of the authorities, ;4 answer to a maudlin local clamour for a respite,' been allowed to escape from the penalties of the law, to the weight of which he had been most justly declared to have rendered himself amenable. It is not that we would be understood to be here arguing in any way out of a sanguinar; yearning to see vengeance done upon this wretched man, according to the old pitiless dispensation of the Mosaic code—wherein an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life, each in its turn, was, as a rule, regarded as indispensable. All we are here desirous of insisting upon, in th e instance of this educated assassin, this gentle 'orderer, is that while other condemned con victs are brought to the gallows and inexorably hun g o u t y , t s h oo e neck . there until they are dead, for w, _ ean :l vl d ti, iu no way worse of their kind, in no should aa. outraged atrocious deliberation, jubtice of alicwi t ag b tliitraged by the flagrant inconsistency perpetrator of a crime of double blackness and t "'P i e infamy to esc3pe from a punish. mint to which leaser criminals are, as already in sisted u pon, pitilessly d„ Th e particular..q TowNtuatela, to the death. s crime need here no sort of recapitulation. It was a murder as eool4' th ou g ht out and , planned as any mur der that wag ever perpetrated. Previously perpetration, not a to the date of its sanit y had been entertained in regard to the of the man now declared to be 72 Of compos mentia, auac criminal l u natic, a homicidal Inonon. 'l' conduct upon the occasion of the murder never gob any one who saw him, or spok e with ilia], an imp ression that he was deranged. Throughout his lone and patient trial by a jury of his fellow -countrymen— 3 honest, intelligent, and impartial Englishmen (we at least may be allowed to speak of them thu 5, seeing that the trial is long since over, and f nat we never had any brief i n this case con fided to us)—honest, intelligent, impartial EngliF , hmen, who were sworn to do this miserable man j' astice— throughout the whole of the long a nd pat lent trial of TowNLEY for the murder of Miss GoC ,DWIN, we say, the jury were in no way brought to believe, nor yet was the judge upon the beF3 ch who di rectAl the verdict, and who pronou ,t iced the sera :enee, led to believe, that the pris iner at the bar was an irresponsible agent—that h a was mad, or at any rate so far touched with madr ,esa as to be irre sponsible. Atter the trial has 'lnen complete , l, after the verdict has been delive red in by the jury, after the sentence of death ha a been pronounced upon the condemned criminal by the lips of the Judge, then, but not until al , J,, a morbid agitation is set on foot in the coun' ,-:,T tainted by his pre sence, an agitation most morbid of its kind, as it ap, pears to us, the p romoters of which agitation are i bent upon persuading the. authorities to do for this m an of education, this revited gentleman of refine ment, what it would be utterly pre_ osterous to have attempted doing for an illiterate mechanic or a horny handed agricultural labourer. The endeavour has been just now successfu.ly carried out. Miss GOOD WIN' s murderer has received a respite. Commissioners of lunacy have examined into the state of the mind 'of GEORGE TOWNLEY. They have presented their report to the Home Secretary. It is subsequent to the receipt of that report, and, of course, quite ob viously consequent upon it, that the criminal has been reprievei. All the regular forms have been com plied with—we don't doubt that in the least. Neither do We for one moment doubt that any single 0 00 among those who have in any way whatever, directly or indirectly, had a hand in bringing about this result, namely, the reprieve of TOWNLEY, upon the eve of his execution, has acted otherwise than from motives the most unimpeachably conscientious. Yet, while saying this quite frankly and un reservedly, we say, also, none the less frankly, none the less unreservedly, that we look upon the whole transaction, we look upon the whole of this morbid interference with the course of justice, as not only most feeble in itself, but as cal culated to prove also, in its consequences, and in its character as a precedent, nothing less than most calamitous. Great strides have been made in shipbuilding of late years for augmenting the size of our ships of war, which has led to the construction of some splendid specimens of naval architecture. Despite the in cumbrance of their ponderous armour-plating, the Warrior, Black Prince, and their fellow leviathans, are handsome vessels, but they are all wanting in a most important requisite, namely, free ventilation. All steamers are more or less likely to be hot below from the presence of the furnaces and the boilers, and in iron-plated ships the impossibility of ventila tion,through the sides below the batteries is a great drawback. Many attempts have been made, with more cr less success, to neutralise this, by creating draughts by means of fans and hollow masts; but for all this the unfortunate stokers and firemen on board of many of our ships pass a portion of their existence in a semi roasted state. In the late trial of the Hector, at Portsmouth, notwithstanding that it is almost the last of our iron frigates launched, was specially designed by the Comptroller of the Navy, and is, we believe, to be one of the ships which he promised should ecliim) all ships afloat, the temperature during the runs over the measured mile in the engineers' and stokers,' quarters was ex cessive, notwithstanding that the day was cold. The following are the temperatures taken during he first run :—On. deck, 46 deg. ; engine-room, fore part, 75 deg. ; middle part, 72 deg. ; aft, 76 deg. Stokehole, Ist run—Forepart, 70 deg. ; middle, 117 deg. ; aft, 100 deg. 6th run—Fore part, 76 deg.; middle, 130 deg.; aft, 107 deg. If this is the atmosphere that our engineeers are to be subs jetted to merely during a trial trip in cold weather, what are they to expect when the ship is in action ? and, instead of pure air being forced down between decks, smoke and sulphur will be added to their already close atmosphere. It is high time that the Admiralty bestirred themselves in this matter. We do not wish to detract from the merits of Mr. REED, He has undertaken to remodel our navy, and to turn out ships which shall in fact combine economy in construction, great speed, and immense strength. We cannot compliment 'aim on the performances of the Hector at her rece trial, seeing that the Royal Oak and Warrior both excel her in speed— the former by more than a knot an hour, while the ventilation is most faulty. Great allowance must be made for the archi tect when he is trying experiments to find out the most advantageous mode of constructing a ship to carry heavy guns and impenetrable armour plating; but as the ventilation throughout our steam navy is very defective, why should not the Government offer a priza worth contending for, for a pan which should render the ventilation of steam ships a reality and not an idea? We believe that much of the excessive heat experienced on board our ships is occasioned by the fact of having the fires facing each other, so that the stokers work in a narrow passage with some dozen or more fires on each side of them. Now, were the boilers so arranged that the mouths of the furnaces faced the coal bunkers ou either side of the ship, time and labour would ba saved, and the health of the fire men not endangered. This may be one step in the right direction, but we doubt not that many other improvements may be made if proper encouragement be given to engineering talent and enterprise by the ?overgiment. We read with horror of the suffer '°%d of the unfortunate victims who perished in the Ilk w4 ~ hole of Calcutta, without thinking what is tho e late of the stokeholes of our own men-of-war, espeeim v ., i nteresting just at the present time. There is ,j ------- --- a ‘ coounting for prejudice. When once it takes root Ixt men's minds no argument seems capabie of uPl Zatu l ug , it, and no efforts can induce convincedletvaui ed n regard to the , t r hhee pnotion e rthat has I,t' Australia has been so deeply rooted send ing of convicts t h a te t W at etst l4 , :u tit has been allowed to gain the day, and to prevail a gainst the dictates of ...ni na of a timely f a o w re i s s i e gh P t r . 'led that such a udletnicse,graesadtlythteo B:::e_t__,.:, project should have b e en abandoned, sincethe it pro mised so well for the furtherance of best in terests of those concerned , and it also t'''Al se d to confer essential service on those a thome , b ~y r e0 ,,,,,_ ing to another sphere the unf ortunate being"loo, left on our shores, would infallib l y have returned to their old courses, and exemplified the state of that man whose latter end was worse than his begin ning. A letter to the 7imes of yesterday ver y pro perly takes up the question, and points out some of the fallacies of those who so vehemently support the opposition to the project of Western Australia being selected as the receptacle of onr convicts. The writer very truly declares that one authenticated instance of an escaped convict committing serious crimes at Adelaide or Melbourne would go further to support the case than ail the high sounding declamations that have been uttered against the idea, There save been innumerable proofs afforded during the discussion of this vexed question that incalculable advantages would accrue to all parties immediately connected with the affair, and that no detriment could occur to the colonies that are ir. so much tri bulation at the notion, owing to the immense dis tance that lies between, and the other impediments that bar the passage of the unwelcome visitors from one place to the other. A passage is quoted from a letter of the Crown Solicitor to the Colony, who once resided in Adelaide, and he states that he gives it as his decided opinion, after mature reflection and ample opportunity of forming a judgment, that the transportation system to Western Australia is a great advantage to both the convicts and the population, and that he also believes the plan to be innocuous so far as regards the remaining Australian Colonies. Nothing that can be adduced in the way of testi money, however, seems to have been of any avail, and the consequence is that, as usual, the cause of improvement has been checked, and the services that might have been rendered to a class which pre-eminently require all the adventitious aids that can be given them, are lost for the present at all events, and the kindly wishes and energetic schemes thrust churlishly back on their propounders. It seems a cruel wrong to inflict upon the convicts themselves thus to debar them from a great privi lege, and to shut the door upon all efforts to amelio rate their position and deprive them of the benefit of entering into a new sphere of action, and seeking a new world, as it were, where they might more easily put off the sins that so readily beset them in the old one. This is a sad reflection to dwell upon, and it seems desirable to consider whether it cannot be contrived that something should be done to mitigate the evil, and thus lessen the extent of the disappointment which such a decision as that referred to must inevitably occasion. If the spot that was selected is not to be permitted to remain the trial-ground of the system to the degree proposed, why not seek a fresh sphere, and discover new opportunities for carrying on the good work that has been checked and stopped in the desired localities. There are vast tracts of fertile country in the north-west and ncrth of Australia, as yet but partially explored, but enough of these parts is already known to inform us of their value. Why should not convict labour open up the resources of these districts the same way that it developed those of New South Wales, Tasmania, and Queens land ? Why should the colonists of New South Wales and other districts remote from Swan River act the part of the dog in the manger ? Govern ment have restricted the number of convicts to the old quota. Let them be satisfied with this, and remain quiescent for the future, and let the Govern ment turn to account the district above referred to. The life may be hard perhaps, and the results may not be appreciated for years to come, but one great object will have been effected, England will be freed to some extent from long-service criminals, and the foundation of new empires will have been laid. The statistics of the Registrar-General are no less interesting than important. The thousands who die annually from preventible causes are con tinual reproaches to our social reformers, and afford but too conclusive evidence that much remains to be done in spreading education among the masses, and also in enforcing the observance of sanitary laws. The rapid increase of the population renders tue observance of such precautions especially neces sary among us, seeing that the increase in London alone is reckoned at 121 daily, or, taking merely the excess of births over deaths, at 72 daily. The English registration shows an addition to its numbers of a population equal to the present inhabitants of London and York shire, and this within the comparatively short space of time that elapsed since the establish ment of the registratio❑ ay stem of 1837. It is cal culated that in every five years there is an increase of a million, and in the middle of 1861 the popula tion of England was reckoned at 20,110,496. There is, therefore, little reason to fear any diminution of oar numerical strength, but the wise man will look not only to the actual number of the population but to its vigour and endurance. Health and power are not less important considerations than the number of individuals that form the State. The quality of the water consumed is known to have a powerful effect on the general health, and Dr. FARR, in the report we have been speaking of, attributes disastrous consequences to the habitual consumption of impure water. He says, " The ova of worms and the seeds of various diseases are thus diffused among children ; while great numbers of men and women in the prime of life also suffer, and often die of the maladies which are the inevitable consequences of violations of natural laws." Dr. ACLAND, the Regius Professor of Medicine in the University of Oxford, in writing on the subject, also speaks strongly as to the evils attending im pure water and its effect in encouraging fever of a typhoid kind. The Registrar wisely and kindly adds a warning to his list of the deaths from this source, in which he insists upon the necessity of c:eanliness and ventilation in the dwellings of the poor, if the ravages of typhus under its many various forms are to be kept within moderate limits. Such advice is specially needed by the poor, pent up in close workshops or small and un healthy homes; but, in truth, the dwellings of the rich are not altogether free from blame in such re spects, and people seem to be almost as much afraid of a breath of fresh evening air as of typhus itself. In many other cases much lies within the power of the public, such as in the instance of smallpox, which is now said to exist only by sufferance, though unfortunately the ignorant pre• judice of many of the lower classes hinders much of the good that might be done in this respect. There are several other points of interest in this report as affecting the condition of the national education, the peculiarities of the marriages, &c., but these points which affect the public health concerns us all more nearly. CHAMPAGNE should be not only cool but cold, and, if it be not kept in a temperature sufficiently low, it must be iced. In a hot room, even in winter, the coolness is pleasant ; but when the bottle is allowed to re main in the ice-pail until the wine becomes nearly as cold as the ice itself, it is wasting fine champagne to give it in that state,; for flavour ar d taste become what wine-mer chants call " locked up," Ten minutes' iceing, or, as the French call it, frappe, does not deteriorate the wine; but even then it is not equal to that which is fresh brought out of a cold cellar, where it has lain long undisturbed. The practice of putting pieces of ice into the wine itself shows that a cool refreshing drink is wanted, but it is destructive to the quality.—Shaw's Wine, Vine, and Cellar. THE OLD MAN'S ARCH, Arcus Sinihs —A white ring on the outside of the pupil of the eye so known to physicians and anatomists. The nature and im port of this sign of senility has only been lately understood. This ring, on being submitted to tho analysing powers of the microscope, shows itself tol be composed of fatty matter in the substance of the cornea. The ring itself seems to be of no consequence ; but it is found to be an indication of what "I,l3enerally going on in the body Modern research has B in 4 ° ol l9 n . t th o a d t one of the ways in which . old age reveals itself This e ,,,, xv : r is by the fatty degeneration of the tissues. of the ortaussioin into fat gradually diminishes the integrity their it occurs—and at last leads to the cessation of Are:sanctions, Where this process of fatty i d n e d g j e c u a e te ra t t h i° a n t th, sata in _ one organ, it is found generally to Hence the arcu s s ame c hange is going on in other organs. bu4 ; . lara lt e i k s ind may be going on in cation that change.„ t tto e _ e "Gois to the physician an indi of the neglected. This conditio n ~ of the a secret sign not to be system is not without remedy—and by juoicious treatment the disastrou s effects of a fatty degeueration of the ties 'ma may be averte d , ed. other organs LATEST INTELLIGENCE. I Proclamation of the Hungarian National Committee, [RETJTER'S TELEGRAM.] AMERICA. NEW YORK, DEC. 19, Morning. (Per the Etna via Crookhaven). The Federals are falling back in East Tennessee before Longstreet, who has turned against his pursuers. The New Orleans papers repeat an improbable report that the Mexicans had recaptured Puebla. The Heels, Hibernia, Australasie.n, and City of Washington have arrived out. Advices received from Charleston announce that the Federals threw a large number of shells into Charleston on the 10th, provoking a heavy fire from the Confederate batteries. A severe gale had seriously injured the Confederate obstructions in Charleston harbour, it was believed sufficiently to render them ineffective against the Federal fleet, Hardee's army is estimated at 35,000 strong, and is at Dalton, with pickets extending to the tunnel. - Wheeler is reorganising cavalry at Dalton for an active winter campaign. Grantiand Sherman have left Chattanooga for Bridgenorth. The guerilla General Morgan has escaped south wards across the Tennessee river, sixty miles above Chattanooga. Sixteen of his escort were captured. The official reports of the commanders of the monitors during Dupont's attack upon Charleston, now published for the first time, show that all the monitors received severe damage, and if the attack had been continued they would have been disabled. One commander says he was disap pointed beyond measure at the experiment of Moni tors overcoming strong forts, and considers it was a fair trial. The New York Tribune asserts that as the Chesapeake was captured in British waters she will be delivered to the British authorities, but it was not believed that pirates would be allowed to put to sea again. Mr. Seward has had a friendly interview with Lord Lyons on the subject. THE WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC MAILS SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. 30. The Royal Mail Steam•packet Company's ship Shannon, with the above mails, has arrived here. She brings 142 passengers, 3,319,261 dollars in specie, of which 88,133 are on account of the Mexi can dividends, and 1,500 packages of cargo. She left St. Thomas on the 16th inst. Her Majesty's ship Nile, Admiral Milne, arrived at St. Thomas on the 14th inst. It was reported at Havana on the 7th that news had been received favourable to the Spaniards. The revolution was expected to be soon over. The news from the West India Islands is unimportant. THE POLISH INSURRECTION. BRESLAU, DEc. 30. Arrests continue to be made in Warsaw, particu larly at the hotels. The National Government has made a fresh appeal to the insurgents in arms. Intelligence received from Radom states that Chisuielinbki has been shot at that place. JAPAN. PARIS, DEC. 30. According to news received here from Alexan dria the parties cf the Tycoon and Prince Satsuma had agreed upon the expulsion of foreigners from Japan. The yielding of the Tycoon was attributed to the pressure exercised by Prince Satsuma. THE SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN QUESTION. FRAiNKFOR F-ON-MAINE, DEC. 29 (Evening). The following is the text of the Austro•Prussian motion introduced in yesterday's sitting of the Federal Diet : "That the Confederation should require Denmark definitively to suspend the November Constitution with regard to Schleswig, and should at the same time notify that, in case of refusal, the Confedera tion will be compelled to obtain a pledge for the fulfilment of its just demands by the military occu pation of Schleswig. "That the Federal Diet shall also request the military committee to submit propositions for rais ing the forces possibly required for the occupation of Schleswig to the necessary strength." THE BRAZILS AND RIVER PLATE, (By Telegraph from Lisbon.) BUENOS AYRES, Nov. 28. Wet salted hides, 35 to 88 ; dry American, 33 to 37 ; wool, 85 to 102 ; tallow, 141 ; lumber, 34. Flour native advancing. Imports paralysed owing to the depreciation of the currency and the unsettled state of affttirs. INIoNTE VIDEO, Nov. 30. Exchange, 521. Wet salted hides, 5.30; dry American, 4.721 to 5 ; dry German, 5.20 to 5.60, scarce, small transactions. Wool, 3,80. Tallow, 1.65. Imports unaltered, very dull. (neuter's Express,) MILAN, Sunday. The Alleanza publishes the following proclama•• tion, issued by order of Louis Kossuth, by the Hungarian National Committee, and distributed and placarded in all the cities and towns of the kingdom : " BY ORDER OF LOUIS KOSSUTH. THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE NATION. " Faithful attachment to the flag of 1849 is un alterable in the heart of our nation. The great majority of the nation, rejecting every kind of com promise, is firmly resolved to shake off the detested yoke of the Austrian domination. " But, as the outward signs of our national life have not latterly been in harmony with this reso lution, doubts have arisen among our natural allies abroad with regard to the firmness of those inten tions. These doubts have been the greatest obstacle to the efforts of our government, tending to effect the freedom of our country. To remove this obstacle becomes an imperious necessity in view of the new direction of European events, which offer a tempting perspective to all the peoples groaning under a foreign yoke. " We must give some sign of life in order that our natural allies may be convinced that they can count with certainty upon the Magyar arm against the common enemy. We must be on our guard in order that the stratagems of alarmed Austria do not draw our nation into a snare. "We must prepare ourselves so that we may be 5.11 a condition to energetically take advantage of the favourable opportunity. To obtain all this the Go vernor, Louis Kossuth, terminating all previous arrangements, has deemed it necessary to order the formation of a new general committee. " By the present act it is therefore made known to the nation that in consequence of this order the General Committee of Independence has been con stituted, and that, having as object the realisation of the declaration of independence of 1849, being ready besides to make every sacrifice, it has reso lutely undertaken the direction of affairs, in con• formity with the instructions received and to be hereafter received from the elected governor of our country. " The committee counts on the patriotic senti ments of the nation that the orders it may give will be promptly executed, its instructions followed and its arrangements spontaneously carried out, "At the same time it seriously warns the open and secret enemies of the flag of 1849 to abstain from any plot or intrigue if they do not wish to incur the penalties inflicted upon traitors to the country. " In any case, the General Committee of Indepen dence declares that it has determined to secure obedience to its orders and the execution of its eventual arrangements. Let the nation live in good hope, and let every honest patriot prepare for action " Our device is 1849 and Victory.' " Given at Buda•Pesth, Nov. 26, 1863." (Here follows the seal of the committee, bearing the national arms, around which are inscribed the words, " General Committee of Independence." This proclamation has been printed in all the dialects of the kingdom. ELECTORAL CHANG: S, 1863, "G. C. P.," in a letter to the Morning Herald, says : [l2 accordance with my annual custom I beg to submit the 'ollowing electioneering statistics for 1863 : Constituency. Late Member. Successor FRANCE. BOURSE, Dec. 29.—The market continues in the same state, with prices unvaried, Threes, for the Account, being now at 66fr. 45c. Mobilier is slightly lower, the present price is 1,031 f. 250. Railway Market heavy, The market closed ae follows : 41 perrents 9l 25 Do. mid month 3 per Cents Do. end month 66 40 Credit Mobilier 1C33 75 Do. end mont h 1033 75 Bank Shares 3270 Credit Fancier 1235 Roman Italian Loan 7l 80 Do. end month 7l 50 Sew ditto Do. end month - -- Russian Austrian Spanish Threes 52 Home Debt Deferred RAIL' - AYES. Cash. Account. 975 .. 975 971 25 .. 971 25 Orleans Northern .. New ditto — Lyons and Mediterranean 935 933 75 New ditto BOO Sputhern Western gastern Sardinian. Austrian Lou.bard North of Spain - .. 515 Saragossa .... 613 75 .. 613 75 Ditto to Barcelona .... 300 .. The directors of the East London Bank have determined upon increasing their capital from £600,000 to £1,000,000, by the issue of 8,000 addi tional shares of £5O each, at a premium of £1 10s, per share, to existing proprietors in the proportion of two for every three shares now held. The calls already arranged are two in number, one of £2 on the Ist February, and the other of £2 10s. is April next, together with a deposit of £2 on the 4th proximo. The amount that will be obtained by the premium will be appropriated to the formation of a reserve fund. The directors of the Oil Wells Company of Canada, satiefied by the personal visit of ono of their board, and by the reports of their special commis sioners sent out from England to Canada, that it would not be for the interest of the shareholders to acquire possession of the oil wells and lands (2,948 acres) in Western Canada, for the purchase of which at £25,000 they had previsionally contracted, and subsequently learning from their local ag en t s that many of the most productive wells in oil springs' districts had ceased yielding any supp l y except by the expensive process of p u mping, have recommended, in a circular recently issued, the re turn to the shareholders the amount of subscribed capital without any deduction whatever, and the dissolution of the company. The deposits are now in course of repayment. Kent, E....... Reigate Totness Cambridgeshire Lisburn Somerset, \V Cambridge nevonport Devizes Chichester Bandon Antrim .. Thetford 1 Dublin, Co. Radnor Ti alee London Deedes, W (d) Monson, Hon. W. (p) Giff,rd, Earl (d) Ball, E. (r) Richardson, J. J. (r) Moody, C. A. (r) Steuart, A. (r) ••• • •• Seymour, Sir H. (r) • . Gladstone, d . N. (d) Freeland, H. W. (r) Bernard, Colonel (d) Upton, General (p) Euston, Earl (p) aamilton, J. li. (r) Lewis, Sir G. C. (d) O'Connell (o%) wood, \V (d) .. Dering, Sir E. Gower, G. L. Seymour, A. Mannere, G. Barbour, J. D. Langton, W.H. G, Powell, F. S. Ferrand, W. B. Addington,Hn.W, Smith, J. A. Bernard, H. B. O'Neill, E. Fitzroy, Lord F. Hamilton, J. T. Price, P. G. O'Hagan, T. Goschen G. T. New Ross I Tottenham, C. (r) Tottenham, Col. Kit sale lArnot, Sir J. (r) Colthurst, Sir G. Lisburn Berwick , Gordon, Capt. (d) Cargill, W. W. Clare 'Calcutt, F. M. (d) O'Loghlen, Sir M. Pontefract Milnes, R. M. (p) Waterhouse, Major Montgomery Johnston, Capt. (d)... —Tracey, Hn. C. H. Ludlow Worcester W. Elmley, Viscount (p) Lygcn, Hon. F. Tewkesbury .. Lygon, Hon. F. (r) (Seat: vacant) Tamworth Raynham, Viact. (p) Peal J. Coventry Ellice, Rt. Hon. E. (d) Treherne, M. Barnstaple Potts, G. (d) Reading Pigott, G. (off) Windsor.. Hope, G. W. (d) Vyse, Col. H. Oxford Andover Cubbitt, W. (d) .. Humphrey, W. G, Buckinghamsh, Cavendish, Hn. W. (p) (seat vacant) In the foregoing table d. stands for death vacancy; acceptance of office ; p., accession to the peerage ; r., re signation; e. v. , election void. The number of changes has been unusually great; the results slightly less favourable to the Conservative cause than those of 1862 ; but then it must be remarked that 1862 was an exceptionable year, the Conservatives gaining six seats and losing none. Not counting Lisburn we have lost three seats and gained five. Two of the former, there is little reason to doubt, will be repaired when opportunity offers—l allude to East Kent and Barnstaple. Of our gains probably all are permanent ones. Since the last general election our gains have been 26 ; our losses, 11. Thus Dartmouth Taunton Aylesbury Beverley Ayrshire Londonderry Harwich Boston Leicester Wilts, S. Cork Tynemouth Lancashire, S. Birkenhead Oxtordshire Lincoln Grimsby Wakefield Yorkshire, N. Southampton Devonport Lisburn Pontefract Coventry Tamworth Buckinghamshire Total gains .... 26 Bodmin Whitby Berwick Pontefract Roscommon Plymouth Lincoln Kent, E. Lisburn Montgomery Barnstaple Total loam ll Let us now consider these Changes as affecting the state of parties, and Lord Derby's chances of coming into power : NUMBERS IN DIVISION, JUNE 13, 1859. For Lord Derby.... 310 I Against Then for 1864 Subtract Add Showing a majority in favour of Lord Derby of fifteen votes. In point of fact, there is strong reason to believe that when the day of account arrives, as soon it will be, the Whigs will be driven out by a majority even larger than this. The following table has been drawn up from year to year, and may, I think, be relied upon : JANVARY 1. 1864, 1863. 1862. 1861. Conservatives.. 314 Peelites Whigs 233 Radicals It is not a little noticeable that the pure Whigs (save the word I) are invariably the chief sufferers by electoral changes. Fewer Whig vacancies are filled by Whigs than occurs in the case of any other parties. TAE CONDEMNED MURDERER IN KIRKDALE GAOL.—Few criminals who have been inmates of the condemned cell at Tilirkdale gaol have exhibited such cheerfulness and firmness as the man Charles. He eats and sleeps well, and converses freely with all who approach him. It is very clear, from observations that have fallen from him since his trial, that he never expected the jury would convict him of the murder. On Friday he intimated his desire to communicate with Mr. Pope, the learned coun sel who defended him, upon the subject of a memorial being got up and sent to the Queen, asking that his life may be spared. He was informed, either by the learned counsel or another gentleman connected with the legal profession, that it would be of no use to send a memorial to her Majesty ; that the only thing which would be likely to affect the sen tence was for him to prove that he was not with the w.f . ": tunate woman on the night of the alleged murder. On th . ts information being conveyed to Charles, he s aid he rou!.t. in duce some of his friends outside" to get a petition, expressing at the same rime his belief that it the circum stances under which he had been con victed were fully set forth and explained in the petition, the sentence of the kw would not be carried out.--Manchester atmithan, The Funeral of Mr. W. M. Thackeray. (THIS DAY.) To-day the mortal remains of the late William Makepeace Thackeray were consigned to their last earthly resting-place, in All Souls Cemetery, in the presence of a large number of literary and other friends, who attended to pay respect to his memory. The funeral procession, which was one of extreme simplicity, left the residence of the deceased in the Kensington-palace-gardens, at eleven o'clock. It consisted of a chief mourning coach, in which were the Rev. John Thackeray, Captain Shaw, the brother-in-law of the deceased, Mr. James Rood, his cousin, and the Hon. E. Curzon. There were ten private carriages, in the following order—those of Mr. Martin Thackeray, Mr. Lowe, Lord Gardner, Sir W. Frazer, Earl Granville, Mr. Macaulay, Q.C. o sir James Colville, Mr. Bradbury, of the firm of Bradbury and Evans. The funeral procession arrived at the cemetery at a few minutes past 12 o'clock at which time there were between 1500 and 1600 present, most of them congregated in front of tha chapel doors. Amongst them we noticed Mr. Robert Bell, Mr. Charles Dickens, Mr. Mark Lemon, the Rev. Dr. Rudge, Mr. Robert Bel), Mr. Leech, Mr Isaac Butt, M.P., Mr. Charles Matthews, Mr. Howel Morgan, the High Sheriff of Merionethshire, Mr. W. H. Russell, the historian of the Crimea, Mr- Lawrence, Mr. O'Dowd, the Aldermen of London (Masters of the Charterhouse in which Mr. Thackeray was educated), Mr. H. Cole, Mr. Rich mond, Mr. O'Neill, Mr. Theodore Martin, Mr. Cresswell, Mr. C. L. Gruneisen, Mr. R. Browning, Sir J. Carmichael, &c. The solemn service of the church was said in the small mortuary chapel at the western end of the cemetery, by the Rev. Charles Stuart, of King's College, London. The pressure of persons anxious to obtain admission into the chapel was intense, but there was no confusion, and every word which was spoken was distinctly audible. At the close of the chapel service, the precessio❑ was reformed, and, preceded by the minister,moved to the grave, which is situated on the south side of the cemetery, and near to the dead wall, which abuts upon the canal. There a dense crowd collected, and the chaplain at once continued the service. The body was lowered into the grave in solemn silence, amidstthe consolations which the burial service of the Church of England so patheti cally provides. Having taken a last glance at the grave which contained the remains of their departed friend, the vast assemblage dispersed. The coffin was an extremely plain one, covered with black cloth, and bearing a simple inscription setting forth the day of the birth and that of the death of the deceased. The Misses . Thackeray were present in the ceme tery during the service, and were naturally much affected. On the Day of the Great Satirist-Humourist's Funeral, one of the periodicals his genius, in its time, the most signally adorned—Punch,—appro priately comes forth with that genial, kindly, charming tribute to his memory : While generous tributes are everywhere paid to the Genius of him who has been suddenly called away in the fulness of his power and the maturity of his fame, some who have for many years enjoyed the advantage of his assistance and the delight of his society would simply record that they have lost a dear Friend. At an early period in the history of this periodical he became a contributor to its pages, and he long continued to enrich them, and though of late he had ceased to give other aid than suggestion and advice, he was a constant member of our council, and sat with us on the eighth day from that which has saddened England's Christmas. Let the brilliancy of his trained intellect, the terrible strength of his satire, the subtlety of his wit, the richness of his humour, and the catholic range of his calm wisdom, be themes for others : the mourning friends who inscribe these lines to his memory think of the affectionate nature, the cheerful companionship, the large heart and open hand, the simple courteousness, and the endearing frankness of a brave, true, honest Gentleman, whom no pen but his own could depict as those who knew him would desire Consoling Thoughts in Praise of Old Age. It seems to us, therefore, that, a great deal of un necessary pity has been thrown away upon old age. We begin at school reading Cicero's treatise, hear ing him talk with Scipio and Loalins ; we hear much about poor old men ; we are taught to admire the vigour, quickness, and capacity of youth and manhood. We lose sight of the wisdom which age brings even to the most foolish. We think that a circumscribed sphere must necessarily be an un happy one. It is not always so. What one aban dons in growing old is, perhaps, after all not worth having. The chief part of youth is but excitement; often both unwise and unhealthy. The same pen which has written, with a morbid feeling, that " there is a class of beings who do grow old in their youth and die ere middle age," tells us also that " the best of life is but intoxication." That passes away. The man who has grown old does not care about it. The author at that period has no feverish excitement about seeing himself in print ; he does not hunt newspapers for reviews and notices, He is content to wait ; he knows what fame is worth. The obscure man of science, who has been wishing to make the world better and wiser; the struggling curate, the poor and hard-tried man of Ged ; the enthusiastic re'ormer, who has watched the sadly slow dawning of progress and liberty; the artist, whose dream of beauty slowly fades before his dim eyes—all lay down their feverish wishes as they advance in life, forget the bright ideal which they cannot reach, and embrace the more imperfect real. We speak not here of the assured Christian. He, from the noblest pinnacle of faith, beholds a promied land, and is eager to reach it ; he prays " to be delivered from the body of this death ;" but we write of those humbler, perhaps more human souls, with whom increasing age each day treads down an illusion. All feverish wishes, raw and inconclusive desires, have died down, and a calm beauty and peace sur vive; passions are dead, temptations weakened. or conquered, experience has been won ; selfish inte rests are widened into universal ones; vain, idle hopes have merged into a former faith or a complete knowledge; and more light has broken in upon the soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed " through I chinks which Time has made." . . . We are no longer the fools of time and error. We are leaving by slow degrees the old world ; we stand upon the threshold of the new ; not without hope, but without fear, in an exceedingly natural position, with nothing strange or doubtful about it; with our domain drawn within a narrow circle, but equal to our power. Muscular strength, organic instincts are all gone; but what then ? We do not want them; we are getting ready for the great change, one which is just as necessary as it was to be born ; and to a little child, perhaps one is not a whit more painful than the other—perhaps not so painful. The wheels of Time have brought us to the goal ; we are about to rest while others labour k! to t stay at home while others wander . tough to to last the mysterious door — are we t o be pale - be envied ?-7 he Gentle Life. BEST Es T N o f NEW cost, four A COMPETITION FOR TSB QUARTETT has been opened by the Musical Institute of Florence, offering a first prize of 400, a second of 200 francs. Manuscripts are to be forwarded, free o'clock in the afternoon o f ab th le e l l iv 6 i t n h g o o f f August ton n r e e x r t cy ye t a o r t . he The Guarchan announces that the Archbishop of he Sacred Harmonic Society ' LthLe......vaTlu E Y iosrEhko:h:os: Tasmania.oTeiir e offered next performance will take place, under the directiono b t is h i a r v . have Costa, arriv arrived Friday,a Grosvenor-gate, r s j v a s n n o r : : a b t e e i , n g fr a o s ra ub sc I Hatfieldpti o n concert. iiou s e The Right Hon. B. Disraeli and Mrs. Disraeli IT M e a r r t e s h , i o w n h e e s r s e o t t he s y alis a i v m e ry b . een on a visit to the Marquis and Mr. H. A. Bruce, M P , Under Secretary of St ate for the Home Department,. left town on Monday, to the Earl and Countessdo Grey, at Stu leyY n a a o rk, near visit Ripen, Vir-tPd:qt": 6!;: . a •P A At _ (JOllll , HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, Dec. 29. The Queen walked and drove in the grounds to-day. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge is expected to leave Gloucester House early in the ensuing week, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Derby, a t Knowsley, near Prescott, when a distinguished circle will meet the royal duke. His Serene Highness the Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein has left the St. George's Hotel. His Excellency the Turkish Ambassador arrived at the embassy, in Bryanston-squarer on Sunday eveni n g from visiting Madame Musurus and family at St. Leonards. The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury's party during the last few days at Hatfield House, Her s, has included the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Clan' william, Lord John Hay, Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir Hugh and Lady Cairns, the Right Hon. Benjamin end Mrs. Disraeli, Maj ir Teesdale, Baron Marcchetti, Scc. The Earl of Lonedale left Carlton House-terr ace last week for Ventnor, Isle of Wight, where the noble earl will stay about a month. The Earl and Countess of Yarborough are re ceiving a sucuession of visitors at Brocklesby, their seat in Lincolnshire, during the Christmas season. The Earl of Shannon has arrived in town from Castle Marty, the family seat in Ireland. Count \\Toronzow Daschkaw, Col. Makaroif, arid M. Feder have left the Clarendon Hotel for Paris. Lord and Laciy Egerton of 'rattan have been en' tertaining company at Tatton Park, Cheshire. Mr. Francis and Lady Eleanor Cavendish arrived at the Hon. General Cavendish's residence, in Burlington gardens, yesterday, from Kimberley Park, Norfol k, the sea' of Lord Wodehouse, Mr. and Lady Evelyn Brudenel Bruce have left Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley-square, for Woolston,Lambeurn, Berks. Mr. and Lady Fanny Howard have arrived a t Compton Hall, near Eastbourne, from Chatsworth, Derbr shire. We hear that Miss Gordon, only daughter of Lady Francis Gordon, lies most dangerously ill at Frampt on Court, Dorsetehire, the seat of Mr. Brinsley S heridan. The Right Hon. Thomas M. Gibson, M.P., is staying with the Rev. J. G. Cullam, at his seat, Tiardwielc House, near Bury St. Edmunds. Mrs. Gibson is Paos il3s the winter at Nice. VICTORIA COLLEGE FOR LADIES, BAYSWATER."' The Christmas term at this college was brought to a close on Tuesday evening, in a manner which Was ell' dently as satisfactory to the fashionable and crowded assea,..- blage of parents and friends as it must have been gratitYll'b to the director of the institution, to see gathere d around hi° so many friends, willing to testify their app roval of 1)15 assiduous efforts during the last four years to establish til college where the really useful and practical is blended wi the ornamental part of a lady s education. Th e p rograro al ol ° of the eonversazione closing the term consisted o f sever well selected morceaux for the pianoforte , which were Plal with both taste and brilliancy by several of the pupils. a% which evidenced even in the case of three very juvela-- pianistes, that they had progressed most satisfact orily under their professor, Mr. George Kiallmark, and the lady super: intendent, Miss Snell. A scene from a Germa n play 13,1' enacted with great ability by the pupils of Dr. Fisclael, in the case of a Miss Mossman especially, a remarkable knowledge of the language was shown. A French Pie'' also, performed by the pupils of M. Be Bouge, a A li° Craufurd, in particularly evincing extraordinary facility hail er use of the language, proved beyond doubt that skilful teaching had been appreciated by willing and hard-working students. Several readings from Willis, Montgomery, and LongfelloW were then given by both senior and' very j unior pupils, andd the unanimous applause that followed them was at once testimony to the great attention the director, Mr. 1 10111 Lesingham, professor of elocution, gives to this highly portant but frequently much neglected branoh of education and this was the more obvious when the c om p an y bad "a opportunity of hearing, and we might add o f seeing, in the Lesingham's own reading from the " Samson Agonistes an exponent of what elocution should be. His r eading Wes ever ything those having an appreciat ive taste could hail) wished it to be, and it was received in an enthusiastic manner by all present. Mr. George Kiallmark played two pieces in a most brilliant style, and one worthy of any of our great players, and very reuch to the delight of all pre' sent ; whilst Mrs. Helen Percy, a lady well-known in Bayswater as a vocalist and teacher of singing, sang two songs in a manner which elicited marked and prolonged applause. The evening's entertainment soon after this ended by Mr. Sergeant Miller, the Recorder of Warwick, distributing co several merit orious pupils certificates of merit, which were executed in a very artistic manner. In per forming this pleasing task, the sergeant expressed, himself as highly satisfied with the progress of the pupils and the manner in which the college was progressing. The com pany then separated. • EXETER-HALL. —MADAME LIND-GOLDSMIDTP' This gifted lady and her accomplished husband/ Otto Goldsmidt, Esq., having placed their services at the disposal of the committee of the Friends of the Clergy Cor• poradon, it has been arranged to give a grand performe nca of Handel's mag nificent oratorio of "The Messiah," at Exeter-ball, on Tuesday, January 5, 1864, on which ace" sion Madame Goldsmidt will be supported by the leading ill vo cal talent of the day. Apart from the obj ect for whe ' t h e performance has been arranged, the great and ever existing wish to hear again the enchanting tones of " The Lind" will ensure an audience of no ordinary character' The ticket arrangements have, we believe, been confided t° Mr. Mitchell, of Old Bond •street, so that the public a'''t rest perfectly certain that, notwithstanding the nary nature of the performance, no more tickets than,,,tl2: hall will comfortably accommodate will be issited• oratorio commences at eight o'clock. , be A LARGE LONDON GRAVEYARD is likel f made something pleasant to the sight by the P 1 °.,.. t , 15 ,;'d 0 31 trees and shrubs in it. Hardly any churchyard io ° ea offers greater facilities in this respect than the 011° e er y alluded to, namely, that of St. Luke's, Chelsea; it i$ ides, large, not closed in by houses, has streets on thr ee t heir and is broad and wide enough to show large trees in a ' - dial extraor%" bulk. A subscription has been opened to pay the ace We expenses, and in a short time the thing will be done. _ oa r commend this example to parishes with churchyards in anything but a pleasant and venerable condition. In pendently of the sanitary advantages to accrue from lasted planting of trees, it is worth considering that a tree, Pi a by the grave of some lost friend, may remain of affection long after the most costly stone has Inen la away. 100 5 CHARING-CROSS RAILWAY.—It almost oP. doubtful whether the long-expected opening °fdtio,), important line will take place by Friday (New Yea r r n of as was generally anticipated, the Government inspoe'°,,oat having yet made his report to the Board of Trade, wilmbi.e. whose formal certificate it cannot be opened to the 1 3 ",.; g . In the meanwhile there is only some exterior fini s ' os t work to be done, and the interval will be employed u r ging properly, in drilling the company's staff into the w r _ rla of the lino and signals. The Customs department Plat.w,.oo a testinieoruc4 at th station, to which the Customs bu.s.lll: now c aredci on at Folkestone will be transferred, is finish ed and ready for opening. .c WO."' TROTTING MATCH AT DONCASTER FOR if 00 On Monday afternoon a trotting match came 0 tise the Doncaster Racecourse, in the presence of an me number of persons, between Rat Tail, the bay horsebyf,Alt; Clayton, of Kirk Burton, near Wakefield, an d ra l) .o i a g iborpe. roan horse belonging to Mr. Field, of race R a t Betting opened even, but towards the finishviLaL: the starter Tail had the call. Mr. Aice, of Doncasxterje taking place in. and judge. Rat Tail took the lead, the: d it throughout , the two-mile course, and ina i :Z i n n gths. Digby broke winning, after a good race, by o t : e , and did not go past the ciown_about fifty yards frota:oo m bat at that point by 9 . °t the trot. The match was fa r post, virtually giving up . t. thie in the Atheneum, in noticing' -- A REVIEWEIt xtusroniangsirdoeu.nd and resurning volume of Poetry," cruelly remarks los the looks very much like a novelty in t l3°tit the following cleaning week a small lasestv,ean Tightened in restless 'workings on the war/. ,„ Mut© the smooth, pure lips A N oTialt COLLIERY EXPLOSION. — Betw een ta' and eight o'clock on the morning a fearful explosiontookplace at the Gi li Coalpit, at Maesteg, the property of the Liynvi Vale Irea Company, , -- when 13 or 14 persons lost their lives by fir': s ho t u u r r s da o y f " am p. The following is a list of the bodies already brougb' up when our report left, name l y : William Isaac, "rpeuter, left a wife and seven chil dren ; William Elias, lately ari; ried; John Bevan, left a wife and t hree children; D'cvl Williams (and son) a married man; David Rees , mar r ied; , Morgan Thomas, s in g le ; William Davis, single ; BOP ' min Rees, single ; William Jones, single ; and David J 0066 single.—Cambria Daily Leader. o nce IRISH CALCULATION. —An Irish lady vas , declaring that she could not understand how gentle r h o could smoke. "It certainly shortens their lives," sai d 5 `.,. " I didn't know that," said a gentleman. " Theres ; father, who smokes every blessed day, and he is now , r years old." " Well," was the reply, "if he had ide`' e smoked ho might have been 80 by this time." OOP A WOMAN'S RANSOM ,—B y F. W. Rcbia- 10. au thor of `j Grandmother's Alon e y ," &'c.3 C°,l 1 Mr. Robinson has alread y published several Flic,c,ce:llo,l novels, among which are " Grandmother's Money . r "Under the Spell." "A Woman's Ransom" is l' u t e „ l rif to any of its predecessors. It is a good novel, rem clever, and thoroughly readable. The story is origii2Bl, there is plenty of incident in it. disc peri tot is 6 Ban then the Ban tion poit sett Con and Bra tel He mei