The Sun. — London, England, 1868-12-31 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS, The Times observes that the political tranquillity which notwithstanding the occurrence of the election, has pre vaned throughout the United Kingdom is not to be attr; bided to exceptional prosperity. The comme7clal &Tres sion which has lasted since the spring of 1866 still con• tinnes, and the low rate of interest indicates both the stag• nation of regular trade and the natural indisposition ci capitalists to embark in speculative adventures. In the lasi days of the year the announcement that the Lancashire cotton•mills ar about to work half-time proves that one of the chief branches of English industry is still suffering from want of demand. The traffic returns of railwtye exhibit a similar want of elasticity ; but the gradual ceen.- tion of the controversies on revenue and capital which were eagerly prosecuted in the early part of the yeas represents an improvement in the condition of the com panies, as the financial confusion of their affairs has been gradually disentangled. While an unusually productive harvest has cheapened food and diminished the necessity for purchases of foreign grain, the hot and dry summer which ripened the wheat crop was extremely unfavourable to the production of roots and fodder, though even this shortcoming has been much alleviated by the unusual mildness of the weather up to the new year. The Post, in surveying the results of the yaar just con- I chided, considers that what has been done has been done thoroughly. Looking back over the course which the year just ended has run, we may hope that it has been on the whole a year of progress in the way of improvement for this country. The events which mark the advance, if few in number, are conspicuous, and ha a manner isolated for identification, by the circumstance that they are accomplished. Thus it appears to be matter for congratulation that a national obligation has been fulfilled by the successful conclusion of the Abyssinian war, and that we have at last arrived at a settlement of the Reform question. Also, before the year closes,we have the satisfaction of knowing that a little difficulty with China, arising out of the irrepressible missionary activity which has sown the seeds of trouble there and elsewhere, is abated. And it can hardly be premature to acid that our differences with the United States of America are composed. Trade, too, though it has been dull and depressed, is, we trust, recovering, surely though slowly, from the effects of a panic caused by the abuse of public confidence. The result of the appeal to the enlarged constituencies may be included in this survey, as may the change of Ministry which it has brought about ; but, strictly speaking, these are accomplished facts in the sense that they constitute a certain roint of departure. What they nbw give is a better understanding of things. We have a new Parlia ment and a new Administration, and we are again in the straight constitutional path. The Herald observes that the few hours which remain of a year are always spent in reflection upon the past, and anticipations upon the future. There is no deception about the year 1868. This is positively its last day. It is not like a last appearance, to be repeated ; it is not like the Last Mohican or the Last Man, whom nobody ever saw, or the Last Minstrel, whom nobody, let us hope, has yet heard. It is not like the last opera, the last novel, the last song, the last lion, or the last scandal, because these never are the last, but are continually being overtaken by their posterity. It is really and genuinely the closing of a book. The word " Finis " is written there unalterably and indelibly. It is going and will be gone before the next sunrise, with the whole procession of its triumphs and failures, its trophies and calamities, its signs and wonders. The Telegraph declares that the year that ends to-day is remarkable, politically, for the virtual close of one great controversy—that on Reform ; and for the opening up of another momentous question, the disestablishment of the Irish Church. Many minor improvements may be made in the Reform Acts which were passed by the last House of Commons elected under the Act of 1832 ; but, as regards the kernel of the question—the main qualifica tions for the borough suffrage—a household franchise has been universally accepted as a settlement for the present generatirn. During the year 1863 the two minor Reform Acts—for Scotland and Ireland—have been placed, with slight modifications which were due entirely to local causes, on the same basis. In fact,. this supplcmen' ary task of the Ministry• was so divested of party considerations that it formed no obstacle whatever to the introduction of the great subject of the session, the Irish Church. It was early anticipated that the year would be devoted in the main to the state of Ireland. Looking at the prospects of the ensuing season, it remarks that the new year begins with a new Ministry, with many new men, in office, a new tone and policy for Ireland, and a new policy of economy for the empire. If 1869 does not fulfil the pro mise of its commencement, it may have the consolation that it will not be the first year which has behaved in the same disappointing fashion. The Star, in examining the /) , ,litical changes of. the ~ar, remarks that Mr. Gladstone's Government has been so lately formed that it need not be criticised. Its com position is, at any rate in one particular, certain to prove conspicuous in history ; unless, indeed, the recognition of great popular principles, which has been so handsomely and sympathetically made, should blot from the memories of future annalists the recollection of long years in which the ruling classes remained undisturbed in the conviction that eminence, ability, and trenchancy in a Radical were insuperable disqualifications for responsible participation in the government of the country. The Daily News, in its summary of the events of the past twelvemonths, observes that if the year has been One of small gains, there are few losses to count up. Lord Russell's retirement from active political life, and the death of Lord Brougham, remove two conspicuous figures from the public scene. In France, almost the last conspicuous representative of the cause of Catholic and Legitimist liberalism, as well as a great political and forensic rota• bility, perishes in Berryer. In Rossini and Charles Kean, musical and theatrical art lose earnest and devoted cultivators. The deaths of Dean Milrnan and Archbishop Longley remove the best representatives of the scholarly freedom and the Christian dignity of the Church of England. The appointment of Dr. Tait to the see of Canterbury, and the judgment given against ritualistic practices in the Mackonochie case, foreshadow the uprising of a great Church question, which, however, like the Irish land question and the English pauper question, is less for the coming year than for the coming generation. But it will be wise to take account of these things in time, hnd to begin early what must be a long and difficult work. A 1108P1TAL CHRISTMAS TREE. All through the year the -lady nurses at the University College Hospital who are connected with the religious sisterhood of All Saints, Margaret-street, collect and pur chase for a Christmas tree for the patients. On Wednes day night the tree was exhibited, and the presents dispensed. It was a busy, striking scene. The nun-like robes and spotless white headdresses of the lady-sisters ; the neat cleanliness and briskly cheerful faces "of the young nurses and attendants ; the pleased excitement of the children ; the ready sympathy of the visitors, were all very marked. The room was so full that it is only after some delay that its distant end was reached, and that its beds were seen to be occupied. Fair young girls with a hectic flush, whose hollow cheeks and bright eyes spoke painfully of the ravages of disease, held their Christmas gifts on the bed-clothes, and gave a half-languid but wholly pleased attention to the sight. Old men and women recovering from accidents, and who sat with bandaged arms, or heads carefully propped by pillows ; little children, whose rosy cheeks and bright laughter suggested anything rather than illness, and who were, in fact, rapidly recovering from their attacks ; and women and men gossiping ple'asantly together, were to be seen in the ward. It was like a large family party, in which there was no quarreling, and where all ages are repre sented. There had been an evident discrimination in the selection and bestowal of the gifts. The trees, for there were really two, were covered with bon-bons, and had all the fairy-like profusion and prettiness which are proper to young firs which have been consecrated to Christmas. The gaily-coloured crackers of our evening parties, the small wax candles which give such delight to the juvenile owners or lessees of dolls'- houses, the small fancy articles which were snore decorative than useful, all wave from their branches, and give the proper semi-theatric, semi-bazaar aspect to the room. But running between the two trees was a counter laden with more substantial goods. Beside the veritable baby house lay heaps of warm woollens and stout garments for under and over wear. Appropriate ness seemed to be the first thing thought of in the division of these and the other articles. A comforting flannel waistcoat, a warm shawl, a handsome photograph-book, a box of bon-bons, a handsomely bound volume, a packet of tobacco, a night-gown, a chemise, some stockings, were fair types of the presents duly labelled with their owners' names, and given out or carried away. There was a signal absence of formality in the whole of the proceedings. The visitors of both sexes, and of all ages—for many children were brought to see the great Christmas trees—strolled round the room or edged their way through its crowds, The sisters chatted with all comers Mug hostesses bent on malting the evening go well ; awl locomotion was as dttlleult as at a fashionably attended soli*, 144 .13,341A4 . 9, Araluleason Denison. wnri In wag gala sle an 4 many otliss wolihnown people, *'6M l'alongthe Oft)Wo i Ati JOH tilg inptitchl sesfic, i Tcl gaiie: IW. RhetiMol CON wider lit yO4l MP. HARCOURT, M.COMP., ONMONS TIIE NEW HOUSE OF At the annual dinner of the Loyal VireTlington Lodge of Odd Fellows (Manchester Unity), which took place in the Town Hall, Oxford. Mr. Vernon Harcourt, M.P., in the course of a long speech expressed his view upon the new House of Commons, in the following terms :—" There is nothing which I should view with greater regret than the exclusion from the House of men of ability and integrity of the opposite party. I have seen with regret the gratification expressed at the exclusion of what is termed ' Young Oxford,' with the implied gratification at the success of mediocrity ; I have seen with still more regret satisfaction at the exclu sion of representatives of the working classes, all of which ahem, I think, that the spirit of party has overpowered the sentiment of patriotism, and what is due to the free Parliament of a free people. I think that all opinions should be represented in the House of Commons, and that they should be represented by the best men of each class that you can find. The House, I have noticed, assembles in a building which, with the spirit characterising many parts of o it cherished "Constitution," won't hold above two-thirds of the members who ought to be there. It is not only difficult for outsiders to get what is called a seat in the House,' but when that is done the difficulty is greater to be seated. Like a great many other British institutions, the House requires expan sion, and I am glad to say that before long the building will be enlarged. There was considerable good natured quizzing of myself and such other new members as gave notices of motion, and the Times called us "the early birds.' It is a comfort to know that the early bird is generally supposed to meet with its due reward. The subject to which I ventured to call the attention of the House of Commons is one which I am sure must have presented itself recently to the attention of this con stituency—the question of the registration of voters. I am sure no one can have seen the working of the existing system of the registration of voters without being satisfied that it requires great and searching reform. This is a question in which both parties are equally interested ; for whatever may be. our opinions as to the proper bases of the suffrage, no one will deny that you ought to give every possible facility to persons who are entitled to it obtaining and exercising it in the cheapest, freest, and most valuable manner. That the present system was entirely inadequate to its ends no one could for a moment doubt. A great many are on the register who ought not to be there at all. Then there are a great number kept off the register who ought to be on—kept off in a most vexatious way, and by pro cesses very easy, and it seems to me highly desirable to amend. This seems to me to be ono of the first, simplest, and most obvious of reforms. I have seen in some of the newspapers analyses of the present House of Commons— not altogether flattering to the individuals who compose it. I was reading one to-day, which statedthat the average age of the members was 55. Of course that places those who are not so old in the proud position of being in that small minority which tends somewhat to reduce the average. A great many calculations have been made of ages, professions, and so on. I think you can judge a member of the House of Commons only as you judge of a horse—by his public running.' In spite of all the criticisms on the present House of Commons, I believe there never was one of which the country formed greater and jester expecta tions. It has to conduct it a Minister who I believe is one of the greatest and most honest public men who hat ever conducted the affairs of this empire. Mr. Gladstone has been able to gather round him certainly one of the strongest Governments in point of ability, experience, and integrity, which has ever adminis tered the affairs of England. He has got together a majority unexampled in its strength, and unequalled in fid , ...dity towards its chief. I believe Mr. Gladstone may say of 11;s party as Wellington said of his Peninsular army—that it would go anywhere and do anything. At the back of all that, there is the confidence of the nation, and if the Government, under such circumstances, - with a Parliament so willing to support them, are not able to accomplish for the country reforms and benefits such as no Government has ever yet conferred upon the English nation, then indeed it may be saki that constitu tional government has been upon its trial, and has not yet answered the expectations of the people ; in point of fact, that it has failed. If I thought such a thing possible, I confess I should despair of the destinies of this country. On the contrary, I have such profound faith in the ability and integrity of the Government, and the fidelity and loyalty of the House of Commons, that I believe neither will disappoint the just expectations of the people, who arc looking to them to accomplish that which they have pledged themselves to do." DEATH IN A POLICE CELL. On Wednesday evening Mr. John Humphreys, coroner, held an inquest at !lackney, respecting the death of Mrs. Hannah Saunders, aged 55 years. The deceased was the wife of a cab proprietor, and her family alleged that her death had been caused by treatment which she had received while a prisoner in the Hackney Police station. It appeared from the evidence that the deceased had not been very well for some time, And that she left her house at six o'clock on Saturday evening, after bidding her son, a boy aged 12, " good-by "in a way to excite his suspicion that she meant to commit suicide. Two hours afterwards John Robson, 67 N, heard a splash in the Regent's Canal. He procured drags, and in a short time the deceased was found in the water and taken out alive. She was taken to the Sir Walter Scott Tavern, where she was seen by Dr. Thornton, who said she was fit for removal. All her clothes, with the exception of a wet shift, were taken off, and with no other clothing she was put on a stretcher. Mrs. Jones, a fruiterer, however, covered her with a sack. Clothes were sent for at the station, and, after beingplaced before the fire for some time, she was removed to the cell and placed upon the woolen bench, where she again became dreadfully cold. Mrs. Tuppley, wife of a bootcioser, who was locked up in the same cell, said it was dreadfully cold and damp, and the deceased begged the police to give her an old coat, but they would not do so. During the night she rolled off the bench to the floor, uttering a groan. Mrs. Tuppley called the police, when a con stable came in and turned on his light and found she was dead. The husband of the deceased had gone t 3 the police-station and offered bail, but the inspector refused to take it, on the ground that the deceased had attempted to commit suicide, which was not a bailable offence. Mr. W. H. Wright, police surgeon, said that he saw the deceased after death. A post mortem examination of her body had been made. She had died from the shock caused by the immersion in the water. Great care ought to have been used to prevent fatal results after the immersion. The police cell was not a fit place for her to have been put in. She ought to have been removed to an hospital. The jury, after a long consulta tion, returned a verdict— "That the deceased expired from the effects of a shock caused by immersion in the water while she was of unsound mind, and they censure the police for not calling in the divisional surgeon, and leaving her in a cell the whole of a night, when she might have been taken to the German Hospital or to a workhouse infirmary, and they say that the police should in future call in the divisional surgeon of the force to see persons who have been rescued from drowning." SIR ROBERT CLIFTON AT NOTTINGHAM. —TIIO Nottingham Guardian says :—" There was a monster gathering on Tuesday night, at the Exhibition building, Nottingham, to celebrate the triumphant return of Sir Robert Clifton at the late election. The scene inside the building was of the most animated description. After tea had been partaken of in the galleries a grand ball was held downstairs. The hearty enjoyment with which everyone entered into the evening's amusement was remarkable. Sir Robert and Lady Clifton met with another indication of their astonishing popularity among the working classes." THE LIVERPOOL MAGISTRATES AND THE LICENSING SYSTEM. - At the last quarterly meeting of the Liverpool magistrates, a communication from the Salford bench on the subject of the licensing system was taken into consideration. The Salford bench had prepared a memorial to the Government, praying for an inquiry into the system, and asked the Liverpool bench to support them in the matter. The latter, on Wednesday, adopted a memorial asking the Government for an inquiry into the system, which they unani mously condemned as altogether unsatisfactory. They also desired that the Salford bench might be informed that they (the Liverpool magistrates) would cordially co-operate with them on the subject of the memorials. Attention was directed by the head-constable, Major Grei,g, • C. 8., to the very large number of persons now selling beer and spirits in the town without a license. A LEGAL INCIDENT AT A RELIGIOUS CERE .roN. —On Wednesday, on the conclusion of the ceremony of the confirmation of the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. Mary-le-B:)w Church, a somewhat curious dent occurred. Mr. Francis Hart Dyke, her Majesty's proctor, who had been officially in attendance as prin cipal r egistrar of the province of Canterbury, had , : ome down in his wig and gown, but on leaving at the close of the proceedings, desiring to go somewhere else where his official habiliments would not be required, sent a messenger to a neighbouring shop to purchase a hat for him. A suitable one having been provided, heir Majesty's Proctor started off without taking the precaution to remove the tissue paper in which hatters pin up their wares. This grotesque appearande excited much amusement amongst the vast numbers of people who had assembled to catch a glimpse of the new archbishop, many of whom mistook the Queen's proctor for a gentle. man who had taken a leading part in a bridal ceremony, and expecting the bride to follow. It did not transpire how far the learn .Icl gentleman proceeded in his novel head gear. •-••••• 11. T. SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING,. ,MISCELtANIi , 'OUS NEWS. THE CESSION OF GIBRALTAR. The Gibraltar controversy begins to be exciting. It was first started by an acknowledged organ of the late Ministry, and we pointed out at the time the significant fact that the restoration of this strong hold should be discussed, still more that it should be recommended, by a Conservative journal. When the Conservatives went out of office the discussion was transferred to the Liberal journals, a fact which would seem to imply that the cession is really under deliberation at the Foreign Office, and that Lord Clarendon, no less than Lord Stanley, desires to sound public opinion. Recently, Admiral George Grey has recommended the surrender of Gibraltar on the condition of receiving Ceuta in exchange. But several correspondents have shewn that this would be a most unprofitable bargain. "R . . A.," writing to the Times, points out that every argument which can be adduced for our giving up Gibraltar would exist with a fourfold force for giving up Ceuta. The climate of Ceuta is infinitely worse than that of Gibraltar ; the place would be more difficult to hold ; we should infallibly get into a quarrel with the Moors, perhaps with the French, did we establish ourselves in Africa. The anchorage at Ceuta is thoroughly bad, and could be rendered safe only by a large ependiture of money. Finally, " R. A." is one of those who cannot sacrifice the " inseparable union of this stronghold with the glorious annals of the past." This line of argument would be considered good so far as the question of Ceuta v. Gibraltar was concerned ; but to those who think that a nation's true glory consists not in the victories of brute force, but in the triumph of moral principle—who think that our voluntary evacuation of Abyssinia was more glorious than our brilliant march to Magclala—the consideration last mentioned by " R. A." will be wholly without weight. COMTISM ZIZ DOXES, eonrammg In ail I MOW salmon and Zipoo sea-trout ova, from five rivers ; and England, Scotland, and Ireland have all aided in this work of fish colonisation. The healthy life of the moss in the boxes where the ova are packed is a matter of great importance, and in this instance the supply was most healthy, which promised well for the success of the undertaking. THE RITUAL JUDGMENT. The Rev. Blomfield Jaason, of Stoke Newington, answers Dr. Pusey's letter on the ritual judgment. He thinks that Dr. Pusey is very sanguine in suppos ing that if the English Church were disestablished another could take its place. Mr. Jackson says : " Disestablish everywhere but in England, and the Church of England is still left. Disestablish in England, and the Church of England will be gone. Something else may be. constructed, worse or better, from the sundered fragments ; but though it may be called Church of England,' similarity of name will no more imply continuous identity than an inherited patronymic identifies father with son. Indeed, only the very sanguine can hope that when one phoenix shall have vanished but one will rise. Probability points to the miseries of a disputed succession. Mr. Jackson sees little force in the objection that. the 'Privy Council sanctions " alter nate laxity in matters of doctrine, and , more than rigidity in matters. of ceremony." Rather he considers this no objection at all. .The Church, he holds, has always permitted the widest diversity of opinion on the part of individual members, whether laymen or clergymen. Dean M'Neile, Dr. Rowland Williams, and Dr. Pusey may talk, may write, may even preach, and the State does not fetter them because they compel the assent of no one except by the force of moral persuasion. It is otherwise when the advocate of any one set of extreme opinions begins to express them through modifications of the service intended for the use of all. " The Communion Office, for example, combines what may be called a Ronian and' a Protestant sentiment. It would be quite possible for an ultra-Protestant clergyman, if he allowed himself the lib:'rty claimed by so-called Ritualists, to celebrate the Eucharist in such a manner as to - eliminate from the service all associations but those of a meal partaken of on the knees. Would he be justified in so doing ? Would he have any right to wail over the persecution he suffered if he were forbidden to interlard the service with Zwinglian hymns, and handle the. elements with the familiarity usual in the case of common. viands ? . . The appa rent, liberty of the minister would be the bondage of the people. The inclusion of the greatest possible number of English Christians in the English National Church requires that while in the arrange ment of the accessories of worship the fullest allowance should be made for different tastes and habits, there should be a line distinctly drawn and rigidly enforced, marking the limit beyond which, in the opinion of the mass of English laymen, any variety or eccentricity in the rendering of the Liturgy would so shock and disgust Churchmen as to prevent their being able to join in the service. This laxity in doctrine and fixity in ceremony both mean the same thing—comprehen siveness. Thus interpreted, this judgment, as others, is seen to be conservative of the Catholic character of the English Church. It does not pronounce against even Mr. Mackonochie's continuing to serve his country as an officer of the National Church. It simply on the moot points in the cause forbids Mr. Mackonochie to dwarf to sectarian proportions a service of a larger and better spirit." Ocindlah, one of the most powerful chiefs in India, ana descendant of the famous prince who opposed Wellington at Assaye, has given his testimony to the blessing of Eng lish rule in preserving the peace of the empire. Whilst rapine and murder formerly prevailed everywhere, and men were obliged to travel in large bodies, Scindiah is able to leave his capital without apprehension, and his absence excites no distrust. In the days of native rule he would have needed an escort. Now he seats himself alone in the mail cart. No such result would be attainable under a native Government. Nevertheless, we were not popular in India. The natives are prosperous under British rule, but the Prince, who hears much that never comes to English ears, says that native government would probably be preferred. We have too snuch legislation, it appears, and confuse the Hindoos by the multiplicity of our laws,' some of which are directed against prejudices which had better, perhaps, be left alone. Lastly, we are strangers in the land, and this is the chief source of the difficulty —one, too, which ; there is no means of avoiding except by the process of time. As the Times remarks, if putlic order, social security, popular wealth, and national progress follow on our rule, the people of India must, sooner or later, recog• nise the fact, and do us justice in their ultimate o^n clusi,ons. a M pr t c A , The recent case of lynching in Indiana Las given rise to much excitement in Canada. It will be remembered that a gaol at New Albany was broken into by " vigilance committee," and several men taken from.tlie custody of the sheriff and hanged. Two of these victims had been given up by the Canadian authorities, upon the solemn pledge that they should have a fair trial, and, if found innocent, be returned to Canada. Public opinion in the colony is now loudly demanding that the detention and punish ment of the person concerned in this outrage be claimed from the United States Government. It is feared, says the Times correspondent, that this lynching case will seriously embarrass •the negotiations on the Alabama claims. The house of Representatives has appointed a committee to inquire into the charges of bribery in connection with that admirable bargain, the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Government. The allegations are that a portion of the purchase-money was used to pay certain newspapers to get up a "public sentiment" in favour of the purchase. One case of this k nd has been proved, the Washington Chronicle being the journal implicated ; but it is not thought that much more will be revealed. It is generally believed that Mr. Caleb Cushing has been sent to Europe not to negotiate for the purchase of Cuba, but to " help " Mr. Reverdy Johnson in the matter of the Alabama claims. The American Ambassador has alarmed both the public and the State Department. Mr. Gushing is a Democrat, in favour of slavery, and was a Northern supporter of the South during the civil war.. SPAIN. A. letter in the Debats, commenting on the triumph of the Republicans at the municipal elections, says that General Prim, who formerly doubted the existence of the Republican party, is now beginning to look upon it as a serious reality. His enthusiasm for a monarchy has grown less—it never was very great—and it is not at all impro bable that lie may take a step which would dispose of all the candidates now hungering after the throne. Notwith standing his letters to the Gaulois, it is still on the cards that he may go over to the Republicans. Several cases of arms and munitions of war have been seized by the authorities. They were destined for the Carlists, whose rising en masse has been postponed to the spring. Nobody will be astonished if it be postponed still further. The Bishop of Cadiz has addressed a memorial to the President of the Provisional Government asking for the pardon of those who have been arrested for complicity in the late ,4ahic z , Marshal MacMahon's sudden trip to Vienna was the subject of so much conjecture that the Patric com passionately assured the public of the private object of this exp.dition. The Governor of Algeria had gone to Ger many to see his friends and to take part in some shooting excursions. Unfortunately for the Patric, he has already returned to Paris. It is impossible to believe that shooting was the object of a journey so lengthy and hurried. GERM ANY. The Hanoverian officers who formerly serve. under King George, and who receive a pension from the Prussian Government, have been called upon to sign a declaration that in case of war they would take service only in the Prussian army. In case of refusal their allowance is to be withdrawn. A telegram from Berlin states that the proposition made by France respecting the Conference on the Eastern question arrived in the Prussian capital on Christmas Day. The aspect of Europe is considerably altered since the Powers last met to discuss the condition of the sick man. In 1856 the Prussian representatives were not admitted to the Paris Congress until after the basis of the treaty had been laid down ; in 1868 the assent of Prussia, who has little interest in Turkey. is deem-A Giannnti in imports ance to none. Besides the reduction we have already announced in the postage to the United States from Ist January, 1869, other important changas will take place, an addi tional mail service to China a•id Japan ; an extension of the money-order system to Switzerland, as well as a reduction of postage on letters to that country ; and new regulations' respecting the Egyptian mails. The weekly mail service between Hull and Gothen burg is to be discontinued during the winter mouths. It is stated to have been arninz,ed between the commis sioners of Inland Revenue and Oa° Post-offiee that next year the collection of the dog tax in England and Scot land shall be partly undertaken by the Post-office. Under the new arrangement the tax will be received and licenses issued direct at any money-order office. rADvEltnsENtENT.l—Holloway's Ointment and Pills, — Listlessness, Headache,Flatulency.—Winter brings these symptoms, so frequently the forerunners of serious dis eases, and when neglected too often terminating in palsy and apoplexy. The moment giddines , , dimness of sight, or Inatdache comes on floroway's ointment should be freely tul,bed into the nape and glands of the neck, and his pills should be simultaneously taken to complete the patient's security, which will be thoroughly guaranteed by a strict obedience to the directions for use which envelope every pot and box of these purifying and preservative remedies. The ointment and pills act beneficially by driving the blood from , the head, balancing the circulation, removing all un due pressure from over-gorged veins, and invigorating the nervous system. PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE ROYAL MARINES. A correspondent of the Times cf Wednesday sets forth in emphatic terms the services which the splendid and. efficient body of the marines ..have rendered to the country. The superior discipline of the Royal - Marines saved the navy in one great mutiny, and many naval officers can bear testimony that they have depended upon it when they were in difficulties. It may well be a matter of serious con sideration whether a body of men lik e the R oyal Marines should be altogether dispensed with, for they are good gunners and useful in boat-service. Without the support of the marines, our sailors might not have undertaken some of those operations which have added to the renown of our navy. The country is bound to see that those conditions are carried out on which the rank and file of the marines have enlisted, and the authorities mutt pay strict attention to this matter if they determine upon making the proposed changes. If the reduction of the marines be carried into effect, it will be necessary that each man be dealt with justly, and that an equitable compensation be afforded to him for the right he may have acquired to a pension, however short or long his service may have been. INSOLVENCY IN THE CIVIL SERVICE. The attention of our authorities appears to have been at last called to the unsatisfactory condition of the private affairs of too many of our public ser vants. The last London Gazette contains a Treasury minute, dated the 30th ult., relating to the bank ruptcy or insolvency of members of the civil service. This minute lays down some rules for general observance, premising that it is to be henceforth understood ' that serious pecuniary embarrassment, from whatever cause it arises, impairs the efficiency of a public servant. Such embarrassment, if occa sioned by imprudence or by other reprehensible cause, will b e held tb be an offence a s affecting the respectability of the service and thetrustworthiness of the individual. Any person so offending will forfeit his claim to pro motion or increase of salary from length of service, and he shall not regain it until he shall have relieved himself from the discredit of such a position. Aggra vated cases will be more severely dealt with, and the mere fact of becoming a party to accommodation bills under any plea whatever will subject a civil servant to the disadvantages mentioned above. In the event of any civil servant being arvsted, or being "!i , .ated a bankrupt, or entering into a coo ~.3ition - with his creditors, he will be BUS' led from duty and salary, and not reinstated until a careful examination has taken place of the facts of the case, and it has been shewn that his difficulties have been occasioned by unavoidable mis fortune, and not by extravagance or culpable miscon duct. Any person who does not inform the head of his department immediately he is arrested or finds himself in danger of becoming a bankrupt, will, so soon as the fact becomes known, be removed from the service without prospect of reinstatement EMIGRATION IN THE METROPOLIS The question of emigration has been taken up very strongly in the district of St. Paul's, Clerken well. A sort of reading-room or library has been established there, and a discussion-class formed, con sisting of a dozen working men. They hit upon " Migration " as one of their-topics, and the incum bent, the Rev. A. Herring. was requested to furnish them with full information on the subject. - The result of the inquiries was that a " unanimous vote was passed in favour of emigration to Canada." A man who was engaged in the clock and watch trade made an experimental trip to Canada, and his success was so great that he is now saving money to fetch out his family. An emigration fund has been formed by the people of St. Paul's, and the plan of operation is very simple. A block of land is to be obtained in Canada, and a regular settlement formed, to be called " - New Clerkenwell." This land is to be divided into allotments, and those persons wishing to emigrate are to subscribe to the fund OD a certain scale. On the basis of this scheme 284 persons are now paying in their subscriptions. These repre sent as many as eighty-nine trades, a fact which shews how great the distress has been among the working classes, and how general is • the feeling in favour of emigration. The majority of the sub scribers are heads of families, so that the number of individuals concerned in the movement cannot well be less than a thousand. THE CHANGES OF THE WEATHEIt. It has often been said that Englishmen would be quite at a loss in general conversation were it not for the never-failipg, topic supplied by the vagaries of the weather. According to careful and laborious students of the laws of British climatology, we are shortly to witness a thorough change in the aspects of the present season, and the long-continued mild and rainy weather is to be succeeded by a more than usually persistent term of cold. It has been remarked that mild and rainy winters are almost invariably more stormy than cold ones ; the reason being that, as the Gulf Stream brings genial airs, so also it brings storms. During this month of December we have certainly found a mild season accompanied by tempest, since not merely on land and along our shores, but far across the Atlantic, destructive gales have raged with a persistence and fury rarely known. The month has been the stormiest on record, and it is interesting to note that the prevailing direction of the wind illustrates one of the recognised peculiarities of British weather. Whenever there has been an unusual prevalence of easterly or north-easterly winds, the south-west wind, when it sets in, blows with equal persistence, and as in the autumn there was a long continuance of easterly winds, so we'have lately had a series of south westerly gales. Unfortunately, this theory prepares us for a prolonged infliction of the unpopular north easter, and the weather-wise foretell a rapidly ap proaching change in the character of the weather. The accounts of some of the storms which have visited these islands throw oarmodern disasters, serious as some of them have been, into the shade. In 1058, on the night of Cromwell's death, a great hurricane swept over London. Forster, in his Life of Crom well, makes special mention of it. Such a night,he says, had seldom been passed by the dwellers in crowded streets. In November 1703 one of the most fearful storms on record took place. Eightthousand liveswere destroyed by floods. Twelve men-of-war were lost in sight of land, with 1,800 men. London sustained, it was said, a damage of two illions, while in Kent alone 17,000 trees were uprooted. It was during this storm that the second Eddystone lighthouse was entirely swept away, Winstanley, the builder, who had boasted that it could defy any storm, being inside it at the time. SALMON IN NEW ZEALAND. Mr. Youl has furnished an interesting account of a recent shipment of salmon ova to Otago, New Zealand. Not more than 500 fry were produced from the large number of ova (300,000) conveyed to New Zealand last year. But the Provisional Govern ment of Otago resolved to renew the attempt this year, because the failure which had taken place was attributable to conditions which might not again occur. It was settled that the ova should be sent a month earlier than on the last occasion, for great destruction took place then through the freezing coldness of the water in which they were placed. The Mindora was chosen as the vessel for the transmission, and an icehouse of large dimen sions w;:s built in her hold. Great difficulties were met with in procuring the eggs, although many opportunities 'were given to the collectors The heavy rains which set in gave rise to extensive floods in the Severn, the Tyne, and Tweed fisheries, and it was impossible to procure one salmon fit for the purpose. The owners of the Mindora kindly delayed the sailing of the vessel for a week, and the party of adventurers started to one of the tribu taries of the Usk. Here their efforts were so far crowned with success that in two days 40,000 salmon ova were obtained and at once packed in moss-filled boxes, and stowed away under four feet of ice in the hold of the Mindora. Valuabl e contributions were also made by Major Horsfall, who despatched the ova he had collected for private use, and 38,000, in beautiful order, were sent to the ship.... The shipment DECEMBER 31,, 1868. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. RACING FIXTI JAN JRES FOR 1869. JARY. Manebt.ster FEBR Streatham 11,•12 Lincoln l6, 17 Harrow lB, 19 Mansfield 18 jARY. MA Liverpool Spring 2,8, 4 Shrewsbury Spring 5, 6 Warwick 9, 10, 11 Kingsbury l2, 13 Northampton l6, 17 AP: Bromley 1 . '2 Aldershot l, '2 Catterick Bridge... l, 2 Thirsk 6 7 Streatham 8, 9 Chester 4, 5,6, 7 Winchester ll, 12 York St. Albans Salisbury l3, 14 Doncaster 13, 14 Croydon - 2,3, 4 Newton 2,3, 4 Ascot .... 8,9, 10, 11 Liverpool Summer ...15, 16 Windsor 15, 16 Hampton l7, 18 Worcester l, 2 Newmarket July 6, &c. Kingsbury . 9, 10 Pontefract 12, 13 Nottingham l3 14 I____ AUG Brighton 3, 4 Brighton Club 5 Leine 6, 7 Eguim lO, 11 Wolverhampton lO, 11 Windsor 12,13 St. Albans Stockton • lB, 19, 20 SEPT] Warwick... 7, 8 Abingdon 9, 10 Doncaster 14, 15, 16, 17 Richmond 21, 22 Lichfield OCT( Bedford s' 6 Edinburgh 6, 7, 8 Leicester 7, 8 Newmarket 2d 0ct...11, Ste. Chelmsford l9, 20 N OVE Worcester 2,3, 4 Liverpool 9, 10, 11. 12 IR] MA: Baldnyle First Spring la Baldoyle Second Spring... 1,2 Nottingham Spring 23, 24 Chelmsford.... 25, 26 Derby Spring 25, 26 West Drayton lB, 19 West Somerset 18, 19 Margate 29 Durham 29, 30 Epsom 30, 31 Newmarket Craven ...12, &c. Eastbourne l9 Lewes 20 21 Croydon... 22, 23 Newmarket Ist Spring 26, &e. AY. [ West Drayton l7, 18 Bath 18, 19 Manchester 19, 20, 21 Croydon 20, 21 Harpenden 2l 1 Epsom Summer .....25, &c. NE. 1 Newcastle 22, 23, 24 Oldham 22 Bibury Club 23 1 Stockbridge 24, 25, 26 Chelmsford Sutton Park . ...29, 30 LY. Reading 15, 16 Huntingdon " 20, 21 Southampton 22 23 Stamford ... 22, 23 I Goodwood 27, 28, 29, 30 , UST. 1 Oxford Canterbury ...... .. .. 24, 25 York 24, 25, 26. Plymouth _as Windsor August l2, 13 Derby Summer „,31, Sep. 1 Weymouth 31, Sep..l MBER. Western (Ayr)........22, 23 Kingsbury... 23, 24 Monmouth... - 23, 24 Newmarket st 0ct....28, dm. )BER. Cheltenham l9, 20 West. Drayton 2l, 22 Hereford 2l, 22 Monmouth 23, 24 I Newmarket Eton ...25, &o. IMBER. Shrewsbury 15, tze Leamington Hunt 23, &c :SEI. RCH. 18,19 L.J.• 11,12 STEEPLECHASE FIXTURES. JANUARY. Hopgrove 1 Coverdale 6 Manchester l, 2 St. Albans l9 FEBRUARY. Birmingham 9 Harrow .................. 18, 19 Lincoln l6: I 17 Derby. MARCH. Liverpool 3 Cambridgeshire M 18 Rugby (Grand Mil.) B, 9 West Drayton lB, 19 Kingsbury 12, 13 Crowkerne lB, 19 ____ ._ .. ATM. Aldersho+ l, 2 I Cr0yd0n...... 22, 2 3 Bromley 1, MAY. St. Albans • . l3 I %Vest Dray t0n...-- . ....... 17 JULY. n Kingsbury AUGUST St. Albans OCTOBER West Drayton 21, 22 WATERLOO MEETING-FE8. 17 . '• (Over Altcar.) Patron-Right Hon. the Earl of Sefton. The Waterloo Cup, value £1,600 in specie, by subscription of £25 each ; 64 subs; the winner to receive £5OO, and the second £2OO. 1. Mr C. F. Allison 83. Mr J. Ingleby 2. Mr J: F. Armistead 34. Mr R. Jardine 3. Mr J. Bake 35. Mr F. Johnston 4. Mr W. J. Barden 86. Mr J. Johnston 5. Mr F. Bartholomew 37. Mr H. B. Jones 6. Lord Binning 38. Mr W. J. Legh 7. Mr J. Blackstock 39. Mr S. C. Lister 8. Mr J. S. Bland 40. Mr J. Lonsdale 9. Mr G. Blaushard 41. Lord Lurgan 10. Mr W. G. Borron 42. Mr S. Mallabey 11. Mr T. Broeklebank 43. Mr C. E. Marfieet P. Mr J. Brundrit 44. Mr W. H. Massey 13. Mr R. B. Carruthers 45. Sir C. Molyneux 11. Mr C. J. Cliesshyre 46. tion. C. C. Molyneux 15. Mr W. H. Clark 47. Mr T. Neville 16. Mr E. Croft 48. Mr R. Paterson 17. Mr. J. Cunningham 49. Mr I'. L. Reed IH. Mr W. D. Deigliton SU. Dr Richarav”. 19. Mr James Dunlop 51. Mr J. Savage 20. Mr J. Evans 52. Mr N. Saxton 21. lora Gurlios 53. Lord Sefton 22. Mr J. Gibson 54. Mr T. Smith 23. Mr W. M. Gilmour 55. Mr J. Spinks 24. Col. Gocdlake 56. Lord Stair 25. Mr A. Graham - 57. Mr E. W. Stocker 2ti. Mr T. Green 58. Mr S. Swinburne 27. M:. C. A. Hailey 59. Mr G. A. Thompson 28. Capt. Hathorn 60. Mr R.. Todd 29. Mr J. Haywood 61. Mr B. W. Trinder 30. Mr J. Hodson - 62. Mr R. C. Vyner 31. Mr J. Hole 63. Mr R. H. Williams 32. Mr J. Hyslop €4. Capt. Wyndham The Waterloo Purse, value £260, in specie, taken from the Cup Stake, for the 32 beaten dogs in the first round for the Cup; the winner to receive £lOO. The \Vaterlos Plate, value £lOO in specie, taken from the • Cup Stakes, for the 16 beaten dogs in the first ties for the Waterloo Cup. The Great Waterloo Cup, 64 subscribers, at £25 each - the money £1,600 -to be divided as under:- 1. Winner to receive 1. Second ditto 2. Dogs to receive £5O each... 4. Ditto ditto 30 ditto... 8. Ditto ditto 20 ditto... 16. Ditto ditto 10 ditto... £5OO 200 100 ~. 120 160 160 1,240 The Waterloo Purse and Waterloo Plato 360 £1,600 The Waterloo Purse, for the 32 dogs beaten in the firs course for the Waterloo Cup, amounting to £260, to be divided as under:— 1. Winner to receive ... 1. Second ditto ... 2. Dogs to receive £l5 each... ... 30 4. Ditto ditto 10 ditto... 40 8. Ditto ditto 5 ditto... ... 40 ... £lOO 16 £260 The Waterloo Plate for the 16 dogs beaten in the second ties for the Cup, amounting to £lOO, to bo divided as under: 1. Winner o receive £4O 1 cond ditto ... 25 2. Dogs to receive £7 lOs each ... 15 4. Ditto ditto 5 ditto ~. 20 £lOO COURSING FIXTURES. JANUARY. Border Union (Longtown) 5, &C. Kenilworth (Warwickshire) 5, 6• Neßtunel Open , (Lytham) Lancashire 6, &c. Coola (Cork), lielind 7 , &c. Annan, Dumfriesshire 8 9, Wigtownshire Club 12, etc. Third South Lancashire 13, &c. Altcar Club, Lancashire l3, &c. Mere Down, Wilts .. - .. l4, &c. Baldock Club, Herts 20, 21. Spelthorne Club (Ashdown Park) 21, &c. Barton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire 25. Ridgway Club (Lytham), Lancashire 27, &c. Creagh Open, Ireland 27. FEBRUARY. .. -..... Powderham --- 2. Everleigh Club, Wilts 2, 3. Rufford Open, Lancashire Cardington, Beds . 00000 ... 3, Jrc. Wenvoe Castle ... 3, 4. Ludhain, Norfolk 11, 12. Brampton, Cumberland ll, 12. Waterloo (Altcar), Lancashire l7, Ste. MARCH. Ashdown Park. Herts Fourth S. Lancashire (Champion) County Louth (Champion), Ireland 18, &c• Scottish National Open, Lanark , 30, &c. OCTOBER. Ancaster and Willoughby, Lincolnshire 5, C. Ormesby Huntingdon Club.. 26, 27. NOVEMBER. Sundorne, Salop Cothan and Eaton I)UNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is re commended by the medical profession in preference to French Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exports. tion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Dunville and Co., Belfast; or 4, Beaufort-buildings, Strand, London W.O —[Ad vertisem mat.) THE MANUFACTURE OF WATCHES AND CLOC K S.— A. most interesting and instructive little work, describing briefly but with great clearness, the rise and progress of watch and clock makin , has just been published by Mr J. W. Benson, of 25, Old Bond-street, 99, Westbourne-grove, and the City Steam Factory, 58 and GO, Ludgate-hill. The book, which is profusely illustrated, gives a full description of the various kinds of watches and clocks, with their pri , •es, and no one should make a purchase without visiting the above establishments or consulting this truly valuable work. By its aid persons res idin g in any part of the United Kingdom, India, or the Colonies, are enabled to selectfor themselves the watch best adapted for their use, and have it sent to them with perfect safety. Mr. Benson, who holds the appoint ment to the Prince of Wales, sends this pamphlet to any address on receipt of two postage stamps, and we cannot too stiongly recommend it to the noticq of the illtouding purchaser CFI. THE PURCHASE SYSTEM' OF THE BRITISH ARMY. (From the Anglo American Times.) The purchase system of the British army is inex plicable to Americays, and a mystery to other na tions. The general idea is that her Majesty sells commissions as a broker sells bales of cotton, and that the Prince of Wales spends the proceeds on the turf and other extravagances. What the limi tations are, people do not take the trouble to under► stand, supposing when the purchase and sale of commissions are sanctioned they obey the ordinary laws of commerce, and are knocked down to the highest bidder. As the subject is likely in this ses- sion of Parliament to be fully debated, it will not be out of place here to explain the A B C of this question, as the discussion cannot be understcod without such knowledge. In olden days, when the King required to raise a force, he empowered gentlemen of influence in cer tain localities to organize regiments, aiding them with a grant, and leaving in their hands the gift of officering the corps. Thus armed, they proceeded to their counties and gathered around them young men of lesser influence, to whom they entrusted the raising of the different troops or companies, with the understanding that when completed they should have the command, the expense being thus subdivided, while the King became possessed of a regiment at a trifling outlay to the exchequer, but with some cost to the officers themselves. At that time the highest posts in England were openly bought and sold, and if the Prime Minister paid for his place, we cannot wonder that a colo nel who raised a regiment, perhaps at consider- able expense to himself, required to be reimbursed his outlay before he surrendered the command. If his right was recognized, that of the captain could n)t be denied, nor of the lieutenant- or ensign, each of whom had brought in many men. So . completaly was the regiment considered the colonel's that it bore his name, and it was some time before every corps received its numerical designation. Even to this day the companies of a battalion are known by the name of their captains, and the colonel ap- points the agents for his regiment, w lid' he never sees, indeed may never have seen in his life. This is a remnant of an obsolete system, which), having pievailed for centuries, does not appear so ab3urd to officers as it does to the outside public. The colonel of a battalion is a major-general, and his duty in connection with the regiment is essentially honorary. The fixed number of general officers is 272. of whom 150 are titular colonels of regiments, selected by the Commander-in-Chief as vacancies fall due, when their pay rises from £455 a year to perhaps. more than £l,OOO, an unjusti64ble dispa rity, the appointment being a sinecure. Tile colonel then is not a regimental officer at all, and as regards the regiment is a . mere myth, the chief of each battalion being regimentally a lieutenant- colonel, though by brevet he may hold the rank of colonel ; its establishment consists, besides, of 2 majors, 12 captains, 15 lieutenants, 10 ensigns, to gether with 4 regimental staff officers,• two others of that staff being includll in the subaltern grades. A cavalry regiment, besides its titular colonel, his a lient.-colonel and major, 8 captains, 9 lieutenants, and 8 comets, that is 3 officers to each troop, with a supernumerary lieutenant as adjutant. In the Artillery, the Engineers, and the Marines purchase never prevailed, nor in the regiments lately trans ferred from the Indian service, neither cavalry nor infantry. Our remarks therefore apply simply to the hundred old regular regiments of the line, and the cavalry (excluding those added from India), together with the household troops, and the few colonial- corps. The first commission, - that of_ cornet or ensign, costs . £450, promotion to the next grade £250 more, and to captain an additional £l,lOO, between which and major the difference is £1,400, while the lieutenant-colonel is one hundred less, being only £1,300, making a total of £4,500 up to that rank, beyond which there is no purchase. Before the Crimea, cavalry commissions were much higher, a cornet commencing at £B4O, paying £350 extra for his lieutenancy, and £2,035 more for his troop, the cavalry majority being appraised at a less difference than in the infantry £1,350, while a sum of £1,600 was required for the lieutenant-colonelcy, making a total of £ 6,175. The highest post_ both in the Life Guards ana iaorse Linares, costs although these regiments differ in the subaltern grades. Prior to 1856 a majority in the Foot Guards was reached at £8,300, and a lieutenant colonelcy at £9,000. But the purchase of these steps, we presume, has been abolished. Now a captain in the Guards pays £4,800 for his commission, but that col - emission in the line equals a lieutenant-colonel's, with whom the captain in the Guards can exchange, being paid handsomely to do so by those who pre fer-commanding a company in these favour'd regi ments to commanding an ordinary battalion, while the lieutenant ranks as captain and the ensign as lieutenant. 'The system requires the officers of the junior grades to return their names if they desire to purchase, informing the regimental agents where the money is lodged. If A, the senior of the grade, declines, and B, the next, declines, C, being the third, is taken, his money called for, and he is duly gazetted, when A and B find their former junior C at the foot of the next grade over them. All officers promoted up to captains must be re ported qualified, after examination, and if C, al though for purchase, were not so qualified, D, who was, would pass over his head ; but it is necessary to serve in the subaltern grades two years era elig ible for - promotion to captain, and six years for the rank of major. A and B continue to be purchased over until a death or other vacancy occurs, and the step is given in the regiment without purchase, when I the seniors, being qualified, succeed. One of those extraordinary anomalies of the British army grows directly from the system. The prices are all fixed by regulation, and the Mutiny Act decrees a severe punishment to any officer who shall offer or give more, or any agent who shall negotiate such I trtiffic. The commissions are first put up for sale,. and then the buyers and sellers are pro hibited from buying and selling in their own way. Of course such a law is only made to be broken, for it has never yet been found practicable to tie down by enactment the venders and pur chasers of anything. A senior desires to retire ; if he be a major the regulation price of his commission is £3,200, and he lets it be known that if that sum is made up to, say £5,000 by those who will suc ceed to the vacancies, that he will do what is tech nically,called "send in his papers." The first cap tain, lieutenant, and ensign for purchase get into consultation and apportion among theni this dif ference, but should they be unable to reach the limit an appeal is made to those who stand next. The second captain for purchase may consider it worth .his while to pay for becoming first, and the arrange nient being completed the step is duly gazetted. When wealthy officers are willing to sacrifice money for rank they enter liberally into such arrange ments, carrying them even a step further, for they pay their poorer brethren to withdraw their names for purchase, and thus throwing gold into the oppo site scale rapidly ascend to the head of the regi ment. The outlay in the cavalry was enormous, and in the infantry there were commanding officers who had paid for their commissions a sum which, if put into the Three per Cent. Consols, would have given them an interest much higt.er . than their pay, while they were liable to tropical service ; and if they died, the capi tal thus sunk was wholly lost to their families. This made the profession a " screaming farce," and a screaming farce it proved in the branch wherein the system was carried ou t to the fullest extent on the fiery ordeal of war. When the Crimea became a trying campaign in which these wealthy gentle men were subjected to hardship and inconvenience, the cavalry collapsed. and the G , vernment hawked cornetcies about in vain. But a few years before it was the pride of a rich parvenu to get his son into a cavalry regiment, and the young man's airs when he put on his spurs exceedel ordinary bounds. But paterfamilias, when neweritto the Horse Guards dur ing the Crimean war, had a cornetcy thrustin his face, and was often seen running down the stairs with the Military Secretary after him flourishing a commission of a cornet. Every effort was made on 'his discovery to break up the expensive cavalry system, and the first step was the reduction of the regulation price of commissions to a level with the infantry. It must not be supposed, boweve, that the purchase system was all against the poor officer. While the wealthy man was shovelling out his gold to clear his way to the top, he dragged up his poor juniors and weighted with gold the pockets of im poverished seniors. He was either paying extrava gantly for a toy; or that he might attain to a position which gave him a chance of distinction. It used to be a saying in the army that the best regiment for those who could not purchase was one in which the offi cers wererich, as the changes being more frequent he attained with greater speed to the top of his grade, and although then frequently passed over he was eligible, and secured the first vacancy in the higher rank without purchase. These are the reasons why the system has so long been tolerated, and seldom condemned by &Beers, which the public find it difficult to understand. Nor has it, on the whole, been injurious to the State, as it hastened promotion, often bringing young men into high commands at no expense to the exchequer, indeed a positive saving, as the Government made the officers themselves furnish the retire ment for those entitled to pensions. Thus the pen sions were saved, and officers who had served for very many years in vile climates surrendered all claim on the State without being compensated by the State. The question is, What sort of man does it send to the top ? This is a mere chance, with the odds in favour of the officer being qualified for command. Generally those who urgently desire to attain a post are qualified for that post, though frequently they are not, but experience has proved that so long as they chose to work and did not tire of the pursuit the system pushed forward fairly good officers. When most needed, however, they were liable to throw up the com mand, and it cannot be for the welfare of, any - country that persons. too independent should hold positions under the State, which may require at times very disagreeable service. The abolition of the system involves a very heavy charge, the gross value of the commissions amounting to £7,126,030. But the nation would not be called upon to pay that sum, as an officer could not expect at the same time to retain his commission and receive back the regu lation price he had paid. As officers who had pur chased desire to retire the nation might be the buyer, and the system would thus gradually be abolished. As the tendency is to reduce the army, leaving the colonies to their own military resources, and relying more on the Militia and Volunteers for the d -gene° of the United Kingdom, this refortn may be e lected without throwing a peat burden on the people, as the army could at the same time be reduced. Colonel IL mley criticises in the Times a pamphlet, we have not seen, by General the Hon. Sir Edward Cast, wherein an American general is addressed in our opinion with good feeling, truth, and Sense. The following pAs" sage does not recommend the pamphlet to Colonel Hanalei , nor in his opinion will it do so to the British rt ader :--- " Lot me assure you, my dear General, that htd I em ployed my pen on the great deeds of the warriors of the 19th contury, I should haze shared in all your pride fo r the deeds of Grant, M'Clellan, Stonewall Jackson, Le e, Roseukrantz, and Sherman, with the sole regret that our Royal Military College, with which my youth has been so largely connected, has never produced such fruit as the West Point Academy. I blush to name that neither. Marlow, Wickham, Woolwich, nor Sandhurst, in their most inglorious career of 70 years, has produced out of it s halls of study more than three notable students —L ord Hardinge and the two Napiers. a It is, how.,v,r, unde niably tru , , but a truth not difficult of explanation. A ll the great Ainerilan generals were educated at West Poin t ' with a very few exceptions, for it was there that all Ameri can officers were trained. But the most celebrated sol diers of the British army were nut educat-d at the Bag' lisp military colleges, for but a fraction of the officers w' re educated there and in Saudilurst till of lute ye as tho education was more general than professional, differieg but little from that of any other great school. Mr. T. who is engaged upon a histbry c't the State and city of New York, and whose address i S zit the Westminster Hotel, desires to place himself in cora' munication with persons wlio may have any papers rela tive to his subject not obtainable from public sources, or other information of an exclusive character bearing uPI the same. Mr. Lee. wishes to produce a history w hich shall be, so far as ho can make it such, complete from the earliest times, and which, in its thoroughuess of autho ritative detail, shall thus constitute a standard hook of r °- ference. General Blair and Commissioner Bogg, who ha ° been to Salt Lake, have returned to St. Louis. " i ' • 11 ' -the author of the t 4 Lo st Cause," Las been appoluteu to e . ne 1 . a or;11.0V Custom-h use. The evi fences that Southern New Jersey iS ing into thesea are that the tide mills lose an inch ° head every ten years, in consequence of the rising of lovi water mark, and that the sea is perceptibly advancing wards houses and other fixed objects. The grandfathe, of Aaron Learning was buried in 1691 at Townleank ,i !l graveyard a short distance inside of the town. In li's the graves were about fifty rods from the shore , and alit!, from the houses were apparent: Now the graveyard 11'; been all washed away, and at dead low-water mark t 0 marks of three walls, remnants of the town built betviee, the shore and the graveyard, ,can be seen. Mr. Fri e '' 4 o surveyor in the vicinity, says his lines are shorter 1 :1 g or 50 rods than they were in 1776. San Francisco OP° and Scientific Press. The Printers' ,Circular, Philadelphia, says 61,(3.., daily papers are published at Kansas, Mobile. The C"4 cage Journal pinta 40,000 copies. There are 50 children publications in the United states. There are 500 Lie °. papers in the State of New York. One hundred papers and magazines are published iu Boston. 31.81si'y chusetts. Le Progres is the name of a new semi-w° 0, paper published at San Francisco in the French 15 10 0 guage. The Salem (Massachusetts) Gazette was years old on August 5 last. The Daily Witness, Mot: oe r , - Canada, is the only religious daily iu America. Ther° A t i l more papers published in San Francisco, California, slo'oo its 132,000 inhabitants, than in London with its 3;000' ig souls. The Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia' the oldest paper in the State, having been establish ed 1794 ; it is issued daily and weekly. ill The following are the returns of sales of the ‘-'lO papers in Chicago for six months ending Septem ber 9° ; 1868, as returned to the Assessor of Internal Rev enue : '. Tribune, $161,486 ; Times, $10 1 ,. 551 ; Journal, i03.5°06. Republican. $42,556 ; Post, $ 20 , 230 ; Slant Zeitung, $31'4,40$ [ADVERTISEMENT.) —Du Barry's Delicious Health iles t°. slo Revalenta Arabia', Food, which contains three dines of anurishment of the best meat, saves fifty times its cost in °,491 remedies, restores perfect digestion, strong nerves, sound luere healthy liver, refreshing sleep, functional regularity, ands° 0 1 to the most disordered or enfeebled, removing speedy dol. effectually indigestion (dyspepsia), habitual constips'or diarrhoea, haemorrhoids, liver complaints, flatulency,. lo r ,, f os , ness, biliousness, fevers, sore throats, catarrhs , - cold s, noises in the head and ears, rheumatism, gout, impurities, Lions, hysteria, neuralgia, irritability, sleeplessness, acidity,„o, pitation, heartburn, headache, debility, dropsy, cramps, sPr,:iti3, „" nausea, and sickness, sinking fits, coughs , asthm a, breuO, as i n cipient consumption, scrofula, tightness of the chest, Pt,"te the pit of the stomach, between the shou l der s, &c . We (1,,", P few out of 63,000 cures :—The Pope's health restored " TV' Barry Food.—Cure No. 63,413. "Rome, July 21, 1366. ---- por health of the Holy Father is excellent, especially sinee, too i cloning all other remedies, he has confined himself e ntire J o Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food, of which he cousu u 2 nog,: plateful at every meal. It has produced a surprisingly OE9 cial effect on his health, and his Holiness cannot pre,i,sl ja l l excellent food too highly."—From the "Gazette du fklieh fros' 25. Cure No. 49,832.—" Of fifty years' indescribable agmlicoef, dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, cough, constipation , fiat s- spasms, sickness at the stomach, and vomiting." llifero:.„9 Wortham, Ling, near Diss, Norfolk.—Cure No. 47,1 21 ' .gef;°' Elizabeth Jacobs, of Nazing Vicarage, Waltham Cross, lA' of extreme nervousness, indigestion, gatherings, low' 0 0 00 1 , and nervous fancies Important Caution.—Beware of Ole ;t i l os' unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to which, 17 % ," authority. Baron Liebig - s name is most audaciously a ttse' 1 2 or In tins, at is. nd. • lb. 2s. 9d. ; 2 lbs. 45. 6d.; 5 lbs, ll s. ; (100 1 225. ; 24 lbs., 40s.—Also Du BARRY'S REYALENTAARADICA ''fory4k LATE POWDER is packed in tin canisters: for 12 cups at 2 !:%60.r5 cups at 3s. 63., for 48 cups at ~ s., for 288 cups at 305., for 5i 0 ee e at 55s.—being about one penny per cup. The 30s. and 55 offi c , are sent free of carriage in England on receipt of Pest L°4 Order.—BAßßY Du BARRY and Co., No. 77, Regent-street, don; and all Grocers and Chemists. i lteo l ' 01 Births. BULTEEL- On the 24th inst., at Pamfiete, Mrs. 1: 311 a daughter. rga gt4i BAH-Ou the 29th inst., at St. Anne's Vicarage, LAI rise, the Hou. Mrs. G. Stopford Ra., ,of a Lou. viges l, RoIv,,ELL —un the 9th inst. , at 43, Cathcart - ro ad, Broxnpto n,the w if e o f W . Rowsell, barrister - a t-1$ a daughter. Marriages. TA CI ,' GREEN—HERBER T -On the 29th lust , OarVii' Church, St. John's-woop, John Philip 'Green, of tb: th die Temple, buriAer, and of Bombay, to Thei rt ;:ca' Y second daughter of J. R. Herbert, Esq., RoY 9 ' l mician. 11 1.1 1.CI :i KEMBALL —SHAW —Ou th 29th inst., at St. Mary's Bryans:one-s luare, Colonel Sir Arnold Artillery, CAI, to Anua Fanny, third ter of A. N. Shaw, Deaths. d ALLDAY—On the 28th inst., at Merthyr -rr y-fi l Aliday, Esq., aged 54. CozENs—On the 29th inst., at 10, Hornton-terril..o:4;j4l, singt , m, B. Howard Coz,;us, Esq. ' aged 73. oe c ', o oP the tOth Hus, ars, at Waterloo, where he was ou the eve of the lnth. p4'' DOWNES—On the 27th inst., William DowneS7 Stouylands, Dedham, aged 76. a 0 1 GREY- Ou the 29th iust., Wm. Henry Gray, Lateolu's-iun-fields, aged 70. London : Printed and P fAiened by WILLIA. SI of tio. 112, Strati 1, Printer, at Titt.i, .iuN 11 , u , 4 YI ,trand, in cas Pre:duot of L. 113 voy iu the Iliddlesez.—Thur.3day, December 31, 1868. . Ohr chug D. DI , litre() an:l a James will sl cA . •Ge‘ore • 'Frani Orme, ' nt-Fr( Perfoi every •' se,enei Ene•la THE King Princ( Buttei . Mehl Rosati and Caney Italiat entire new Direct Stagn Stalls Room, and C( nn aft Dance • PNTE' SON, 1 DB And a -;in 1:15, Fl 31. AF V' W T Advance the who full parti at all pri orders f , trade tr. /1011F40-9( Co., Dist QE A' off ions The T £879 le SUBS Willian the Sec street, 1 Quali Govern' IST. The fessiona weekly bined . w establii This Wised b and it Lady I Carolini All i ten or .p Stibri( Treasui NA'l E Under a whereby Girig of the kings The cif lish ethic and laun wisp prc suitable The Ct entirely ()inc©, EfEALTT D"' S;V abut(, fl atulent. 14 . 3 n TICCr 71:." il S:l,l:; :: y°:f. t rred fF c e6 s Y r n;n if t 1;: csthi3l c. 11354 at 6 ire - als o at Ciracecht Zi ev? NoI Tlv , for Trr , Avery ,1 • OAP • t' Ind Co • , t root, • W I with Pr NAT ' .40t- ttrty w 4 ~~ prize Sol( the Af Obs, lan's #~~ ADVE bold I,le worrat M A T adde4 if BIL r,