The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-25 00:00:00

lECEMBER 25, 1855.1 TER " White Star" mail ship Earl of Sefton, Captain Noble, s alted on Saturday from this port for Melbourne, with the mails for Australia, 200 passengers, and a valuable cargo. JANE DAVIES, residing in Rose-place, was admitted into the Royal Infirmary on Friday, suffering from the effects of cold, and died shortly after admission. THE CANADA, Captain Lang, sailed hence for Boston, on Saturday, with the mails and 86 passengers, among whom Was Sir Ge orge Si m p so n, Governor of the Hudson Bay Company. The Canada had also a valuable cargo. LrvsuPool. CIISTOM-HOUSE.—Mr. Joseph Breckles has been promoted from the office of weigher at Port Glasgow, to that of weigher of the third class in Liverpool. THE LANCASHIRE MAGISTRACY.—P. R. Arrowsmith, Esq., (ex-Mayor of Bolton), Captain Gray, and Mr. Abraham Brier ley, of West hill, cotton-manufacturer, have been added to the commission of the peace for Lancashire. PATRICK IRVINE and George M`Donnell, who had been several times remanded, on a charge of robbing Thomas Alder son, a lamplighter, in St. Andrew-street, on Friday week, With violence, were on Saturday committed for trial. ON Saturday, Ann Campbell, a servant who resides in Woolf -street, fell down stairs and fractured her right arm, She was removed to the Southern Hospital. GOVIRNMERT has renewed the contract with Messrs. Baines and Co., and also with Messrs. Pilkington and Wilson, for the conveyance of the Post-office mails from this port to Melbourne. ,'ruE EXCISE.—Mr. Hickey, of Liverpool ; Mr. Derham, of wigan ; Mr. Flatteley, of Rochdale ; Mr. Rickwood, of Lan caster ; Mr. Williams, of Ormskirk ; and Mr. Webb, of Chester, B uPervisors, are now under examination at Warrington for Promotion. LORD'S DAT INlsEonarton..--0n Sunday morning, Wm. Byron, a bill poster, while engaged in posting bills in Dale street, fell from his ladder, and received several severe contu - - sions on various parts of his body. He was conveyed to the Northern HogPital. THE transport steamer Niagara arrived in the Mersey, on Sunday, from Kingstown, with the Clare militia, which will be forwarded immediately to the camp at Aldershot. The X,,jagara return in a day or two to Kingstown, with the ziottinglacm militia. t MISS Frederick Wyer Parker, , of the 79th regiment„"erns 0 11 'Saturday, at Preston, fined - .and costs, and ordered to Pay Ake damage, amounting to St 3s. 6d., for breaking the Alio lamps by pitching empty soda water bottles at?them. defendant admitted the , cures. A'br the Police-court, on Sittmlay, Mary and AnrAorman, 'Maher and daughter, were 'Committed for trial changed with _,,,lnanufacturing base coin at ' th eir lodgings in Beat-street, - Btotland-road, where motilds'and other implements, as well as le quantity of spurious ceins, bad been found. RELIEF or THE WIItDROUND FLEET.—Degpitches were `forwarded on Friday Ilight, by direction of th'e lords of the admiralty, to the captain superintendent of Plymouth dock- Yard, to send a 4beamer Out immediately, with 'fprovisions and Water for the relief of windbound fleet in the chops of the Channel, the crews 'of Which are reported to be - suffering great Privations. Her Mkesty's steamer Heela left. Plymouth on Saturday morning with that object. On Saturday, at "the Police-court, Jolm' Collins, and four Other carters, engaged by Messrs. Brassey and M'Cormick, Were charged With'ill-using the horses at work on the incline near Prince's nook. They pleaded they'll:ad been obliged to be unusally severeta the animals owing'to the slippery state of the ground, itrunsequence of the hadVeather. - Mr. Mans-; field dismissed 'tire case in this instanCe, observing, however, that, if broughtnup again, he should becompelled to inflict as Penalty. LIVESTOOL - RLEXRUPTCY COVRII%-'—BefOre Mr. COMTHISs ajoller Stevenstz. — ln re John Bronden.—Friday wastheday fixed for the'examination of the bankrupt, who was a , draper carrying on'husiness in the Old Haymarket, and whosedeets Were npwards(of £2,000. The banktapt has withdrawn !from the iniiidiotion, and it is supposed het is now in America. At tbret...OleloOk in the afternoon, he was called on by Mr. A:lmes, and not appearing, he was outlawed. COSTOIt6,IIVERPOOL.—The Lords Commissioners 4'ef Her Illiijest?s , Treasury have been pleased to approve the following wised - clasiification of the clerlislor general business , at the Port erLiverpool, to take effect . from the 6th inst.:: ci Con *eller Of 'Accounts, salary £4OO 'eta £5OO ; 1 Assistant Con troller orAccounts, salary £520 to £400; 3 principal clerks, 0270 to "£300; 3 first-class Aeik-: salary £230 'to t£26o ; 6 'second-class clerks, salary £ T9O Ite'£22o ; 9 thir&dlacs clerks, salary £l6O to £180; 11 fourth4class . clerks, salary £l3O to £150; 13 fifth-class clerks, salary £lO5 to £10c ; 115 sixth (dassideAs, salary £75 to MOW—Civil Service kgigmette. ATTEMPTED SIIICIDE.—At the Bury pettz , sessions, on Friday, William Kershaw, acedllier, was chargednikit attempt inF toctomtnit suicide tpy hanging himself with a handker e - Inef. 4On Wednesday night,: about eleven eldi&k, a police 'beard a strange moieevp the entry near the Boar's heet-;.and, on going up, h e (f ot v a a the prisoner suspended from Tome Iron bars, and on The ipiaat of death. tile was itnme dildblrout down, and life area restored. It was stated that 'the prisoner was sober st - thetime ; that he bad been in the 'employ of Messrs. Roscoe and Lord ; and was known to the I)elieepi child or two bariinebeen affiliated espcn him in that 'court. When asked wily he hs.d attempted at destroy him telf,the said he had been 'hailing a little drink. He had done 'What 'he had under the z.infleence of jealons7,. Mr. Crook, chairman of the beno'h, (commented on the 'awful position in 'Whibh the prisoner bad ;Placed himself, self: dismissed him, 'ordering him to pay (expenses. "IVlre MEDICAL Passasecon.—On Thurs4l.-y a deputation from the Provincial Medical :and Surgical Association, con 'slating of Sir Charles Ilatiangi, Drs. 1p aster, Wynter, O'Connor, and Henry, Messrs. Brady, M.P. ; Headlam, M.P. ; Uottomley, Lord Nutnulley,'&e. waited on Sir George Grey, at ' therilome-office, for the ;purpose of ascertainfag the intentions '2f , Jgovernment on the 4:11mb:on of medial reform. Mr. eadlam introduced the.deputation ; aftevitich Sir Charles ' B rlastings, M.D., laid beforeiger George Grey their views and '*ishes on the subject of medical reform *kith the Provincial 'Association are well lenown`lo entertain. 'ire Home Seere ' tory, in the course of the linorview, repeatedly gave the de- Potation to understandthat the government had no intention arid would not easily be induced to bring in a bill on the sub lect;but recommended Ir.ißeadlam to reintroduce his bill, With such improvements .as might be respired, promising it la that case his indiVidusl-support, bnt nte, - , pledging that of the government. Mr. Heildlam said he-saw no chance of 'Carrying it, as he should 'be4certainly met with the objection ',that the subject was •one 'to be dealt with by government The-,members of the deputation were comptiled to retire from 'the interview without the eneOuragementnhey sought. NIIISANCES.—Meesrs. Musprattand Co. were sum ' fiend before the magistrates, on' Wednesday, for causing a 'nuisance, by allowing -dense ,- vidumes of , stneke to issue from •the.aimneys of their chemical works ;inWauxhall-road, on the :Bth instant. Mr. Macdonald stated that he had examined 'th e ,premises of Messrs. Maapratt. Them were altogether ,Il,benttwenty furnaces, the sm oke•from Which was carried off I '3'.two chimneys, which 'were only exactly sufficient. The !lablie might be greatly alienated by careful stoking. For lee - defence the foreman •forlltessrs. Maspratt stated that he oaddane all he could to consume the smioke as it passed through 'the..dinineys, and if any ;offensive smoke did escape, it was owing to the negligence of the stokers, and firemen. Fined '6.—"Mr. Abraham Manx 4,was , suinmoned for causing a 'nuisance, on the 4th instant,lsy-smoke • issuing from his oil tultin(Pemberton-gardests. lane& 405." . ...Mr. Joseph Martin, 'Who keeps a rice-mill in Boundary-stree4Vauxhall-road, was uanamoned for refusing admittance Ichinspector Wignall and Mr:Mactlonald, to look over :his premisesoand for causing a -enicke, nuisance on the 43th ;instant. it %was proved that 'erolarmis of dense black seao'keissued from the chimney for a tensideruille time. Fined for the nuisance. The magis ' trate' - informed Mr. Martin thct he was, treading on very .dangerous , ground, in refusing ,adtnittance- to the officers of the healthcommittee, but the suuuneus ,for this offence was dismissed with a warning. 4.:1444V0 NARGED WITIISETIrIiia,IIXR RQses orr FIRE.— Poliee-court, on th e M Helen Horswell, about , Years er., age, stated to be widow of ;ire merchant, was nnarged with setting fire to her house (which was insured), 42, 'outh-street, Toxteth-park. A policeman statedthat he went into -the parlour of Mrs. Horswell's louse, amtfound the door Of the room nearly burnt out, the carpet in flames, and some Darts of the efloor nearly consumed. Mrs.'llorsivell told the officer -that she had gone out and left,achainwith some articles of wearing append upon it, and she seeounted for the disaster by i the falling out of the grate of a "'Awe , of woodtwhich she ,oad put on thelive before she went out. The efficer. sa id th a t he did ifind a their near the fire, but it was not even scorched by the flames. Tlielandlord of the houseaestimated the damage at £4 or £5. The agent of the County Eire CMee.stated that t he furniture belonging to Mrs. Horsweilharl an insurance po 4icY upon It for 41,50, in that o ffi ce, but Mee. Horswelltbad not made any claim as yet for the damage her 'furniture had sus 4ned by the late ,fire, which was estimated ,a 41 les. The d efence was, that lire. Horswell could not have had annitten lon to defraud 'the 'insurance company, as she had made no \-, claim upo n eb o ,eompany, and it was a question , whether .she I ' l ad really set &eta herthouse at all. - The presi , %oginagistrste ,said be had se alternative but to remand the prisoner for a "Week, though he would'take bail, if she eOuld find two sureties lir £lO each, and herself , in £2O. The prisoner, hesvever,,conld 4 0t find t wo sureties of 4310,each, but one surety of £2o3, wa s found, which was accepted. GREAT Fins ea BI4oARrEN.—On Friday morning, ' be f - . "ween two and three o'clock, a fire was discovered in the: otle warehouse of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway , '' C ompany, a situate near Darweu-street, Nova Scotia. The .7gnies were quickly on thespote and commenced playing on 'he burning cotton, &e.l but .the names were so rapidly ear ;ed along the building by a ,sharp wind, that they rendered Z . a time almost nugatory the•many jets of water that were "unstantly thrown upon them. - There was a considerable rarttity of cotton in the warebouse,,and that burned fiercely t rllite the efforts to prevent it. Every means at hand were 44 .„_oPted to get away the moveable goods, &c. ; a considerable _,antity we were told were saved. ;Messrs. Harrison sue-' eed"hs rescuing some of their machinery, and several wag sa,l.ll; of goods were run out of the warehouse beyond the % 4-11 „.. of the flames. In about two hours the whole building bZ.ls l ne mass of fire, and it only began to ,reduce its vast pro iv"Fgolas as the roof by piecemeal fell in. Before the flames °t e te extinguished, the whole warehouse, with the exception levviatlifew yards at one end, was rootless. There is nothing the exception before stated) but bare stone walls now to 4p a eell. The portion of the roof that remains standing k j ) ,ea t rs to be so much burned as to render it useless. It is in hat several tradesmen in the town (speculators in cot -17:314) will be heavy losers, as their cotton was left in the ware loire merely for their convenience, and was uninsured. The ti le Zill no doubt be several thousand pounds, in addition to ~.amage done to the building. e k i t ' e l _ l 3c,iATioN.—ln the Court of Chancery, on Thursday, the lor .."' t -Horsfield v. Ashton" came before the Lord Chancel lilld the lords justices. The question is the true con ' ti r m e e tion of the will of Joseph Horsfield,. a cotton manufac r of ttop e ' Hyde, near Stockport, who died in thepossession of Iva, the worth more than £ 200,000. The will, it is said, a Iv wae composition of the village schoolmaster, who received foli' o ° B 7,e . ig n for his work, and extending, as it doe s, . to many Wil l 5. ,! has puzzled many counsel and several judges, and to ti ,`tunately be sent for elucidation, or rather settlement, th e ' lO House of Lords. The point at issue now is, whether le sta ti, , ers° nality, of the esti ma t e d va l ue o f £ 70 , 000, goes to the lor por 8 daughter or to the heir-at-law. The Vice-Chancel- At the Wood was of opinion that it goes to the daughter. Vice-Chancel ht conclusion of the argument on Thursday, their lord- Iter said the will was one of very difficult construction, and tilat a lg h t t_age in some parts so irreconcilable with other parts r 4. t o rd ji 7 t Y stie must take time to examine its provisions. The On for th e Knight Bruce felt at a loss to understand the rertained parties not going to the House of Lords, till he the amount of the property. That amount suffi nitutertolY edaccounted for the lawyers availing themselves of the late stage of Proceeding. Judgment reserved. '---..... GENERAL INEeLLIGENCE. THERE are 10,000 English militia in Ireland, and before the Ist January 5,000 Irish militia will be in England. CANADA produces such a supply of isinglass as may com pensate for the loss of the Russian imports. SEVERITY or THE WEATHER.—So intense was the weather on Tuesday night, that the works of the great clock at St. Paul's were frozen. The clock is consequently stopped. THE Duke of Argyll has decided to send out immediate in structions to the officers of the army post-office in the East, to open money-order offices for the transmission of money to the UnitedKingdom,at Constantinople, Scutari, the head-quarters of the army, and at Balaklava. A WOMAN has been fined ss. at Leeds, for a novel descrip tion of theft. She was in the habit of going from cart to cart in the market, " sampling" potatoe and apples, and contrived to make away with an apple and a potato from each lot she visited, so that on completing her morning's round she had a very heavy basketful of fruit and vegetables. A HORRIBLE MURDER has been committed at Dresden. An old sergeant in the army, named Jauckus, killed his wife and two children, aged nine and two and a-half years, by stabbing them with a poignard knife. Drunkenness and jealousy are said to have been the cause of the act. The murderer, after committing the crime, went to bed and slept soundly till the morning, when he was arrested. THE CURRAGH ENCAMPMENT.—Lord Seaton, the Com mander of the Forces iu Ireland, has arrived in Dublin, from the camp at the Curragh, the severity of the weather having forced his lordship to discontinue his field days until'the en suing spring, when it is his intention to open the season by a conrse of practice in artillery and Minie rifles. THE REV. DAVID BROWN ?Amor, minister of St. Matthew's, St. George's-in-the-East, London, having petitioned the Insol vent Court under the Protection Act, it appeared at the hear ing of the case last week, that the insolvent's income, which was now about £3OO a year, had been as low as £6O, en which he had had to support 'a wife and seven children, ‘ef whom two daughters are still living. Mr. Commistioner Phillips said he deeply felt for the underpaid working clergy, laying an emphasis on the void "working." Protect:kayos granted. THE Carßoni ISLANDS.—Accounts from the Chincha Islands announce 'that Pisco had been =deg, port of entry. This will effect a 'considerable saving of tine—say one month —in the voyage of vessels loading guano. There is now no necessity for them to proceed to Callao 'for license and for clearing papers.—Shipping Gazette. THR Cifirk VP DR. VAUGHAN.—The 'indictment against the Rev. I:Yr. Vaughan, which stood for trial at the Central . Criminal Court, on Thursday, hasbeen removed by certiorari into thel-Court of Queen's Bench, .apPlication being made to a judge Itt.Chambers for that purpose onlbehalf of Dr. Vaughan, when gn order was made for the issue. Tirt'shock of earthquake which was lately felt in the Pyre tees.produced a strange effect in the commune of Gencrest, at the Oathern extremity of a smali valley, about four miles from Montregeau. This valley 'was crossed by a rivulet Whkh was abundant enough to 'work two flour mills erected in the village. A very sbottiline after the shock the'rivalet 'ceased to flow, and the bed.ofahas since remainedperfettls 4; 7 , GRIM AND JENNIE AND.—The two greateSt I=u -'artistes in the world are .at thislnoment residing within - Abors of each other—jenny !Lind at the Bedford Hotel, and -Grisi in a mansion dose to %her, where the latter villl - remain till after her conSnetaent,lthe accouchement of ." Ike Diva" being daily expected. Ilaatio returned to Biighton from Paris on Saturday last, and' is still here.—BrightodOhazette, Ax UNFoarrs..am BAI.R.—Tbe North .of England Joint Stock Bank which . stopped payment in New'ca'stle in the _ _ early part of 1847, and ther.'affairs of which save iince been in course of settlement 'wider the Winding-up Act, has now nearly reacbedthe'end of that process. The Molter of the Rolls, on 3lonliay, orderid a further return of £.5 per share, in addition 'to three.sereral calls of £3O, e„l5, mid alb, to be paid by suelpof the.tontiqbutories as hart not elitared into any compromise. THE 'Amu Wakley, the coroner, - stated; atan inquest helVast , week?that his belief, and fliatof a number of his prefesSionorss,lhat the Emperor Niell6las committed suicide. " ilisdeatlt-was put down to paralisis of the lungs and brondlitis, tvihfch, according to etelyptriNlms described, was known bylus' medical men to have been Impossible. The official documentidescribing the Emperm4weleath, stated that at the last he look t geave of his fatality %Atli a firm voice- . -a proceeding physical ly impossible if he was-suffering from the disease Stated . in theoertificate of death." PUBLIC APPOMTAIENT s AS i Raw OF Mnarr.—At the meeting of the Huddersfield Mechanics' Institution last week, presided over 'by the Dean of Hertford, the chairman read alletter from 'Mr. John - Wood, 'Chairman - of - the Inland RerenueComraiision, authorising the Dean to offer, as a prize to be competed lor in the Huddereld Multiplies' Institution_ a siturtEon in the :inland revenue, Wlifeh the chairman wOl cadlims el f ready to provide yearly--Malka es te r Guardian -- IIanmun , COISIMES' RAILWAY--- , The , :mremony of cutting the ifirst sod of This railway was dutppuformed at Heiham, on Tuesday. ThOline commences at about a mile from HeK bam,,Where it irilljjoin the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway.; it croeses the river, and taking the vall e y of North Tyne by Waik, Redesmontb, Hareshaw Ironworks, Bellingham, and Valstene, terminals in a valuable mineral district, called the Plaithetts. Er Irr-nre.c GOMPANY.—ne , quxterly meeting of this company , was held in Leadenhall-street, on Wednesday, when sanction for tanalteration in the rammer of electing the di rectorywas negatived. A resolution was proposed that the Court of Directors be abolished, atdibe responsibility trans ferred to the 'Crown ; but an amendment, "that the abolition .wolla be produotive of most Nations consequences," was .car lied,,,aaid the resolution consequently thrown out. The war- Tantslor the Half-yearly divides are to be delivered on 'the Itharanuary. SrILSDY JUSTIa.I.—On Thursaeymight a garotte robbery was oeommitted in the parish .0-Nst. __zeter. Information was, at once given to 'the police authorities: they suspected two ticket-of-leave menoVba were known to be in the:neighbourhood; traced them land apprehended them; Iriidx.-y morning they were examined and committed by the , county magistrates; and within twenty-four hours after the .perpetration of;tharobbery were.found guilty, and sentenced by Mr. Baron Parke, at the wintersesize then being held, to twenty:. years' Inamsportation, azid;,cla accomplice to twelve ;months' imprisonment. tOzt WEDNEISDA. - Y, 600 artisankbandicraftsmen, and navvies, very carefully selected for the duties which they will have to .discharge, embarked with their. difiters on board the Jim , . steamitransport, and proceeded on Thursday direct to the Cri mea. They form.,a portion of Sir Joseph Paxton's Army Wokks Corps, and have been organised by him as a special body, ways available for the wdrk.of the commissariat,,iri therto,.very expensively and inefectively performed by Croats .and other labourershlred in the East. TErE LATE Dom' .OP MANtalanslAlß'S WILL.—The lathe Duke., of ManchesteVs will, dated ',March, 3, 1855, has been prayed-1w his executers; the present -duke, and Mr. Ormsby, a Dublin barrister. His personaltyl in the province of Can isetburyis sworn under.. 2.15,000, =elusive of his charges, to the moult of £35,0013, on the estate of the late duchess in. Ireland. His grace has left-£10,10004t0 his young . &Jebel's, now the , dowager, exeloative of her (jointure of £2,000 a-year. He ;hoe deft £5,000 to-each. of her einfant children, and the whole .6f his residuary personalty, estimated at upwards of. £7o s o9o,rto the present , duke s on Whom are also settled the English ;and Irish estatas, producingfa rental of more than £2o,oooAatzgear. FAUNAL EXPLOSION AT BLAST ;FTSINACE.—A dreadful explosion:.occurred on liteaday,l last , week, at the blast fur naces ,oMessrs. G. H. and .A. Haitkinan, Bilston. The furnaces \were in full operation,: and in one-of them were shoat five tons.of fused material„, when,.. without the slightest pre vious ,warnizg, the red-bat contents,,tif the furnace were ejected ;about the place to qa distance of -some thirty ya r d s , with a irepert as of a small ,cannon. .The ..engineer, William Sutton, was -standing with four .othersoavitbin a few feet of the furnace; Tien the molten stream escaped. Directly that the fiery Alloizer poured upon them their ,clothes were in flames. Sultenthrew himself into. wtank ofwater, and, though badly injured, -survives. The others became insensible, and died Soon afterwards. 1 1 iYSTEalaW 3 Cass OF POK.Q.NIZTG.--an ',the 'village of Billesdosi, nearcLeicester,o wh o l e f am il y , of tiaeiname of Part ridge, consisti4g of grandmother, father, and two children, were poisoned-4y the pudding partaken of-at tust Sunday's dinner. The putiding was made by the old lad w.. 10 at dinner asked a bailiff,aho was in possession, to partake of some, which. he did. shortly after dinner the ,whole family were taken ill, and the okl woman died in the course of the after-. noon. It is fearodttbat a little boy of Sveyears, Old will also lose his life: hopes are entertained that the others will re cover. Arsenic •wa,-..; found in the pudding which Iliad been left, and a ea nistenef.arsenic was also found at :the ;house of the old woman. AMONG recent wilkand charitable bequests mentioned as having been proved :ore —Thomas Monkey, Esq., banker, £140,000; John Phillips, Esq., St. Georges-place, Knights bridge, £70,000; Johnalancan, M.D., £25,0003 John•Bowan, M.D., £14,000 ; the Rev. James John Horriby,:M4, ;Rural Dean and Rector of Winwick, £25,000'; Thoina,s Copeland, Esq., F.R.S., of Cavendlob-square and Clapham, £lBO,OOO personalty, and has bequeathed £5,000 to the Asylum for Poor Orphans of the Clergy, :St.john's-wood, and £5.,000 to the Society for the Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medico' Men in London. Mrs. Elizabeth Boyton, of Dover, has 'be queathed £l,OOO to the Society for Promoting Christian lcuowledge, £l,OOO for the IPoopagation of the. Gospel in: Foreign Parts, £2OO to the Dover Hospital and Dispensary, and £2,000, one moiety to be ,inxested for the purpose of allowing from £1 to £5 a-year for ,mch of the inmates of the almshouses in Dover, and the ,othor moiety for the annual distribution of coals to old sailors .aud widows of sailors, inha bitants.a Dover. FotTE CITILDREN STARVED TO REA.TH.—On Tuesday, the parochial authorities of St. Matthew, Bethnal-green, London, were informed of the deaths of four childnen of Jane Hiller, a widow, residing at No. 20, George-street, Hopetown, Bethnal green. The wretched place where the famali lived was badly ventilated and ill-drained, to which source the illness of the children has been traced and fatally illustrated. Amelia, aged four years, died on the Bth inst. ; and Frederick, aged eighteen months,, .expired on the following morning. The poor woman, finding that her means were so small, and that others of her family were dying, kept the dead bodies covered over in the corner of the room, to wait the decease of another child, which took place on Friday morning. A fourth child expired on Monday morning last. The appearance of the deceased was most wretched, their bodies being literally a heap of bones ; but whether their condition has really arisen from mesentric disease or starvation is at present a question for the medical gentlemen who will give evidence at the coroner's inquest.— Globe. TIEN QuoRN HUNT.—By the death of Sir Richard Sutton, Batt, the large and well-known hunting establishment at' Quorn, Leicestershire, has been broken up, and the fine stud of horses, picked packs of hounds, &e., have been brought to the hammer. The sale, which took place at Quern on Thurs day and Friday week, was attended by some two thousand persons, including a numerous proportion of noblemen and gentlemen, masters of hounds, huntsmen, dealers, &c. The bidding for the horses was extremely spirited. Somerby, whose reputation for jumping made him eagerly looked for, fetched 360 guineas, the purchaser being Mr. Murray, of Man chester, and it was understood that he was to go into Cheshire.. The total sum realised for the 32 horses, sold on the first day, was 5,812 guineas; 13 made an average of 294 guineas. On Friday, six horses, that had been used in cub-hunting, fetched 480 guineas ; three hacks, 242 guineas ; three ponies, 100 guineas ; and the rest of the horses, &c., 2393. The saddles and clothing brought 216 guineas, and the hound-van 16 guineas. The hounds, which were sold on the first day, in 14 lots of aye couples each, produced 1,806 guineas. THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. MR. GEO. STACEY, late secretary to the Church of England Building Society, has recovered from the directors, by action in the Court of Common Pleas, £125 damages, for dismissal without just cause. A raw days ago, a man named Drummond, in attempting to avoid a runaway horse, on the Whin-road, Alloa, stepped back, and fell with his face on an axe which a boy was carry ing on his shoulder. The consequence was, that his nose was nearly taken off. EASTERN CotrxTrEs RAILWAY.—The Board of Trade, whose attention to the state of this railway had been called by the town council of the city of Norwich, have appointed Lieut.- Colonel Wynne, 11. E., to inspect the line between London and Norwich. Ix the Exchequer Court, on Wednesday, Mr. Wyld, of map ping celebrity, brought an action against Mr. Ingram, pro prietor of the Illustrated London News, for infringement of copyright, in copying into that paper some maps of the en virons of Sebastopol. It was alleged that various minute de tails, and the repetition of its inaccuracies, showed the im pression in the journal was copied from Mr. Wyld's map. The case was ultimately referred, a verdict for the plaintiff being taken, subject to the reference. A Men VAGRANT.—At Oswestry, on Friday, a most miserable-looking man, with a wife and six children, was seek ing alms. He complained of dreadful poverty, and of his ina bility to get anything to eat, and was kindly afforded shelter by the gaoler. While he was making himself and his family all right for his brief sojourn under his host's care, something struck Williams that it might be worth while searching him, rpon looking closely, a silver watch turned up. Emboldened by his success, the gaoler searched further, when a gold watch turned up, besides sundry sovereigns. The tale told by the vagrant was that he found the silver watch near Liverpool, and the gold one was vicked up by the children near Llanid loes. The different police-stations were comninnicated_with,. when from Newton as owner was found for the gold watch, which bore the initials. of "M. B. P." The man and his family are now living on their own means until something more is known about them. His name is Patrick Middle.— Hereford journal. . Twa ARIVIIN DESERT.—Captain William Allen, of the British navy, has published a book advocating the conversion of the Arabian Desert into an ocean. The author believes that the great valley, extending from the southern depression of the Lebanon range to the head of the Gulf of Akaba, the eastern branch of the head of the Re 4 Sea, has been once an ocean. It is, in many places, 1;800 feet below the level of the Medherranean, and in it are iltuated the Dead Sea and theSettof Tiberias. He believes that this ocean, being tut , off' tl-dni the Red Sea by the rise 44* the land at the southern , extrttalty, and being only leit'Phr small streams, gradually betame dried by , solar evaporation. He proposes to cut .a mud of adequate size from the head of the Gulf of Akabato 'the Dead Sea, and another from the Mediterranean, 'near 'Mount Cannel, across the iilain Esdraelon, to the ifissureln 'the mountain range of 16banon. By this means the Medittv 'ranean would rush in, with a fall of 1,300 feet, filUtipthe 'valley, - and - substitute an ettan of 2,000 square miles in eitent for a barren, useless desert; thus making the navigation to India as short as the'areiland route, spreading 'fertility over a now arid country, and 'opening up the fertile :regions of Palestine to settlement and cultivation. AN Excoataconrc - vation as COBLfixTs. - -= . on , Sunday, we were witnesses of a ceremony which has ndt'becn !performed _for__Centuries=ilzw,_Lan_excommunication,:the inlbject being M. Sonntag, amorchatt at Coblentz, who was divorced , from his first wife, and - eight years ago was married, ; - lty the civil authorities only, to b his present one. Last-summer M. Sonn tag Was COmmande:diby the clergy to separate from his wife, and not obeying 'their decree, he was on 9 Stinday excom municated. Dean Kramentz, after preaching a sermon against theeivil.ror-criage, put on some othersacerdotal- gar ments, and, accompanied by two clergymen bearing wax tapers, read, 'standing in the middle 'Of the church, the sentence •cift - exce.Mmunication agaituit M. Sonntag and his lady- Tie 'then -extinguished the tapers,ssaYing that the.per sons ramed-svere.not worthy to see the darof the Lord,-and throwing the - casidlesticks to the greland, threaking them to picots, exclaimed, "Let tbe belts sonfidtke funeral knell!' Weimmediaali heard the sound of'bells and the chants for - the - clead: Alva • dealt; cOnclegion, - liroaiimed that no one vrhamsotvervas to hold relations 'With' the excommunicated, to salute them, &c. This yorchibitiOn has not had much eiffect,Tor'lthelr house bas been filled' ever since with visitors :and at 'UIf: 7 ;M they have been serenaled.—Lettera from Ori6lentz Dec. 12). C ,`A AIIWC TERI STIC 'aid of one of the Turkish; soldiers who was the first to set foot inside the battery at sgour. :perceiving a Russian colonel lying dead upon the groand; he plucked off his glove, and appropriated a valuable iliammidting which was upon iiisifimer. Knowing, however; that itivould be impossible very' long to keep secret the pos session of so valuable a price, he showed his Usbashi, or captain, his treasure , and requested permission to keep it. The ilsbisha told the man that he wasmaite right to bring the prise to him, and that henceforward itshould. be transferred for finger of the said Usbashi. The-saldier, not satisfied with' :arrangement, referred tie matter - to the Bimbashi, or major, who said that both beam..ltlleMbashi were highly culpable in daring to retain the rir.g from r heir superior officer, and 'that lie . ikbuld, therefore, rive ihent of the subject of dispute. from the Bimbashi the soldier went to the Kaima Kama, or 'HO/tenant-colonel, who at oncefollowed the example of iris in- '(criers, and took possession , ofs tke ring. The soldier ttill.per keiered, however, and w*mt'4o the Meer Ali, or coloTil, , who 'determined that he was the rightful possessor of the ring, by r•Vivtue of his rank, and dismissed the rival claimants from his .:presence in the most summary manner. Next day, taTrench r , tificer, attached to the st a ff-nf O mar P as h a, o b served a private leoldier prowling near thetent of the commander-inzoliinf. The . -story of the ring was at once-retailed by its original possessor to this gentleman, who laid the matter before hisilighness, and the man had not only the satisfaction of regaining p osses . sion of his property, hut of knowing that those whe had at !--tempted successively to deprive him of it had bees -ceveiely 1 - reprimanded for their conduA. LORD CAMPBELL ON MEE LIABILITY OF RAILSTAIST COM PANIES.—In the Court -of Queen's Bench, on Monday, an action was brought by the widow of a gentleman named Meagher, to recover compensation in damages fro= the Eastern Counties Railway Company for the death of that.gentleman by an accident on the :defendants' railway. A\vertlict was taken by consent for the-plaintiff, with £1,900 damages, it. being arranged that 9-18ths of that sum should 'he appor tioned to the widow of The deceased, and s.l9ths to each of his two children. Lord Campbell said the EasterntCounties. Railway Company had:acted very handsomely . in , yielling at. once and making compensation. He wished that all railway companies were equally conscious of their liability; but he understood they made it- ground of complaint that - the act of 'Parliament obliged them to become insurers without pre mium. Now; that was , a , complete misrepresentation of the ant of Parliament; for ecaaspanies were not sued-as iinsurers, but as wrong-doers, and aslhaving been guilty of negligence hich caused death. .The Y: were not liable unless the party killed, if he had survived,, would have had an action :for neg ligence. In former times, when a coach was upset, there were great rejoicings when all the passengers were Jailed, for in that case no actioninotild be maintained for 'negligence; whereas, if any one survived he was entitled to maintain an action to recovetdaraages for the injury which he had suf fered by the accident, 'The object of this act of Parliament was, when a party was',Lrilleil by negligence, to givetthe re presentatives of the deceased a remedy for the wrong. The representation which ',had ibeen made of the act was Wholly unfounded; - for not only companies, but alliper-sons, were liable to make corepansatinn, so that where a personmas killed by negligence there nnight be a remedy against :the wrong-doer. THE FRENCH WARtRODEE.—The Moniteur publithee a !.long article on the steps taken by the French government, at Ithe suggestion of the Emperor, for improving thehreed horses for the army, by means of introducing more freely Arith :.blood among the horses oftthe French regiments. The Barb, ,or horse of North Africa,; is said to be superior to •the Asiatic horse. To the qualities which constitute the ,war horse—vigour united to docility, impetuosity to gentleness, and power of supporting fatigue and privation—the African :horse is superior to iits ,Ogiatic brother. Although 'Perbsps less-elegant-in fortn,--it-Lis more robust-and-vigorous ; :ands he war in the Crimea , lias Chown all its value, 'by ,its 0 e r a k i i nf ri fff. t .ae been aevrneen cst s uh u fffa l r o,ejs suffered de c u t e tr d shmao i . an o ttlele% the ty ie s t eed ir r aiy e se t adr t ys tt bred. hardship, i h n viliep a je uclimateshihorsese dle t h s o tooef the letier what. the Arab says .of the courser which is the prideof his tent :—" He causstandetatigue of every kind, and can support hunger and thirst!' The African horse is truly the deaandant of the noble gatiiraahcf which Job, nearly *Poo ors ago, said, "He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha ;' he .einelleth' the battle afar oft tthe thunder of the captains and the shouting." broctobor,l66l, Lieut.-Colonel Vatlot was placed at the head of mission, charged to visit all the markets where horses are offered- for sale ; to go with the officerstof the Arab burestax:among .the tribes who more particularlpidevote their attention •to the r breeding of horses, and among whom the original hreed,was 'kept up in its great est purity, to avail themselves of every • opportunity of pur chasing such-stallions and mares as were ;best suited for the formation of breeding establishments, ;and for keeping up those already organized. In 1851, th :number of stallions possessed by the:State in Africa was4BB.• 1855,1 he number was 111. The number of mares at the French depOts and stations devoted to purposes of breeding, 'sin ;1851,oras 8,209 ; in 1855, they hadenereased to 14,066. THE POPE ANID iPHE TROOPER.—The fjourrierdies A /peg relates the following.story, the authentieiti of whidh it gua rantees :—"A few months ago a soldier of the army of the East, writing to a comrade of the French Amy at Rome, drew a sad picture of the privations and fatigues which -the former Iliad to endure, of the dangers to which they wercexposed,and ,of the ravages which disease and the Russian balls •were making in :their ranks. He concluded his letter by recommenclinglbis kiend without delay to carry to the Pope himself the priced amass for the preservation of the French army, and request 'him to perform it. Faithful Ito the recommendation of his friend, the soldier at Rome went the next morning to the Vatican, and requested the first attendant he met to con duct him to His holiness. 'Rat, my brave fellow,' said the guard, 'have you obtained the previous authority for an audience?' All that is veil well,' replied the sol dier, for great lords, but with a simple trooper no such ceremony is necessary.' The guard would not trespass on the -usual regulations ; but the soldier, on his side, was so little disposed -to give way, that it was found necessary to conduct him to the prelate on duty that day. There similar observations were made to the applicant, but all in vain ; and at length the prelate, despairing of overcoming the importunity of his viiitor; went and mentioned the matter to the Pope. As may be supposed, the curiosity of Pius IX. was excited by the application, and the etiquette of the Vatican was set aside, the soldier being ushered'into the presence of his Holiness. On coming near, the soldier stood upright as a post, and, then giving the military salute by raising his hand to his forehead,addressed the Pope as follows, just as if he was speaking to the lieutenant .ofi his company : , --"llfpn Pape, here is a letter from a conlikade in the Crimea which concerns you ; please to read it,. ld tell me what answer I am to send.' At the same time h e 'with one hand held out the letter, and with the other some pieces of money. The Pope took the letter, and, after reading it, returned it to the 'soldier, saying, My friend, my mass of to-morrow is appro priated to a particular purpose ; but the day after, without fail, I will say one with pleasure for that grand French army. I, however, make one condition, and that is that you attend yourself and prepare to receive the Holy Communion. As to the payment you offer, keep the money to drink to the health of ybur brave brothers in arms.' `That is sufficient, Mon Pape,' replied the soldier, ' I will go and prepare myself with the chaplain of the regiment, and the day after to-morrow, at the app9inted hour, will be at my post.' He then again saluted a la tnililaire, and, turning right about, left his Holi ness, charmed with his military nonchalance. On the day appointed the soldier was present at the mass of the Sovereign Pontiff, and had the happiness of receiving the communion from his hands. THE Moscow journals announce the arrival at that capital of the Persian Envoy-Extraordinary, Seifoul-Moulk-Miri- Pindj-Abbas-Kouli-Khan. AT the Thames Police-court, London, on Tuesday, a lad, aged ten years, was sent to the House of Correction for one month, for having worked a private still. THE London and Westminster Bank has sustained a loss of about £3,000 through the defalcation of one of their clerks, who has been about 20 years in the service of the company. Sin M. R. Sna.w STEWART, M.P., has, with the view of affording his tenantry healthful recreation during the winter months, constructed a curling pond on Lunderston-hill, at a height of 300 feet above the sea level. AN official communication from Canada has reached the 'directors of the Great Western Rail Way of Canada, to the effect that the line between Hamilton and Toronto was opened for traffic on the 3rd instant with great success, the trains having kept time and been well filled. THE superintendent of the South Shields police force has been interrupted in a systematic appropriation of the borough funds to his own purposes. Twenty-six cases have been proved, in which he has received fines and fees from drunk and disorderly persons, and neglected to transfer the same to his Corporation account. He was committed for trial. A LETTER from Faro Sound states that the American brig Robert Patten has been seized by the Swedish authorities at Stockholm, and found to have bales of cotton filled with re volvers on board. There are said to be three other vessels similarly laden at Copenhagen, waiting for the departure of the English squadron. A PEW days ago, the Whitehaven harrriers, belonging to T. Ainsworth, Esq., of the Flosh, near Egremont, were in pursuit of a hare, near Calder Abbey, when, in passing the brink of a large and deep quarry, six of the best and swiftest dogs fell headlong to the bottom of it. Some of the animals were killed by the fall, and others were so seriously injured that It period was put to their existence. TILE Camkrland Pacquet states that the wife of a farmer residing, at Frizington-hall had occasion, on Saturday, to go into an outbuilding where a thrashing machine was at work. She incautiously stepped too near the machine, and a portion catching her dress, she was instantly drawn in among the machinery. She did not survive 'many hours, the injuries which she sustained before she could be extricated being very severe. Ties LONDON -AND PARTS I;XHIBITIONS.,—The Prone& newspapers publish a comparisonbetween the principal reedits 'of the London Exhibition df t 1351, and that of Paris df the eresent year, which is not 'Without interest. The principal feature in it is, that whilstthe former was open only1(31 lays, and the latter 198, the number of visitors to the former was ' 6,039,195, and to the latter only 4,533,464 ; and that the receipts at London 'Weft 12,625,5091., and at , Penis only 2,941,668 f. RUIN OF 'ME Ortmvo VlNTAGE.—According to the Commercio, a respectable Oporto paper, all theaeorst antici pations of the 'vintage 'of the Alto Dotero this year will be realised. A ilistis kleen of 45 cultivators, 'poseeseing 68 vine yards, and their:pi-Niue for 1855 is comparedwith that of the average of former ; years. The result isllB6.pipes against 5156 pipes. Takieg - this as a guide for estimating The whole pro duction, it is preettmed that it will not this.year exceed 72 per i cent. of the average quantity. A sm days'ago, a boy named trvitV;tl pupil in the Cen tral London iitistrict School Establishment for Pauper Chadien, picked up a paper containing tetpaantity of _powder, in the school-yard. lie showed the powiler to a school-fellow nausea \William Randal, 14 years of age, who immediately took a pettion of it into his month Atha swallowed it. He diedlin' twellsours afterwards, the !powder proving to. be cor rosive sublimate, which it is believed had been thrown into die school-yard from an adjoining Ohne road. itstearne a trial before Mr. JUStire Willes, at Durhatn,.a bremaa, on the judge making some observations on the legal hearing of the case to one of thertomsel, addressed his lord ship,',ensid roars of laughter, and (add, " I quite agree with yCkrrlordillip." Again, on thejjadge stopping a ease, the Juryman informed his lordshili that he was of opinion it ought to istsee been stopped half ran ' , hoar ago. As the judge was seutmaing up, he was for *hedged time addressed/lay the jury -man, who said, " Too may..ga on all night, kat you :can't 'rebst. sge my opinion?' IBXTRAORDINARE Tarke.---Madamoiselle Dupuis, a young 4nd:tress at the Vaudevill e Th e at re , P ar i s , lately:appea;ed.before . t'llhe tribunalof Correctional:Mice, to complabsof the editor of ',LtaTne Theatre, for Ihavistg,iin a criticism., ceorpared her to , a, `l. - ' 4 * Nuremberg doll:" What particularly :aunoyed 'Mane. Dupuis was, that :she :never appeared at Zia the part which 'the editor of the "Th*oltPe so unmercifully "cut up." The 'tribunal decidedthat such a style of criticism was not allowable, .'and, as it - apPearea'tollave been dktatett by personal ani mosity, it condeaanediadllabert to pay ZOttr..fine and:2,ooofr. damages, alsoto insert the text of the Judgment in his paper, and to pay the tespenses‘of inserting it in three other papers of Paris, to he 'ehesen'by the complainant. GAIETIES .air IVIAtTr...—A letter fireandlalta says :—" Malta was never so attractive to visitors as at - present. On Wednes day, the mew printwittonna, Madame L'eonti, is to have :her benefit,andalreadytheavy premiums are offered on the prices of the tickets. .ilt is thought it will, if : possible, exceed her debit., and then Officers in uniform were glad to go in the gallery; ;certainly,never since the English had Malta was so ' fallahosse seen. .On Friday, the officers of the Third:Division :- gave alargebill;tothe elite of Malta:; 700 tickets have already been issued. -Oranges are a failure :this year. Green ; peas have just come iin. The price of 'provisions is , very high, although we.areeo close to Africa l aeltere poultry and meat is to be had for almost nothing." CitEXIC TE i THE , PAPAL STATES.—The Piemonte gives en accouat of -the state of the prisons iin the papal dominions. It says , —:"ln-aSiset, there were' imprisoned 10,436 persons.; in 1851, 1.4279:; in 1852, 11,767 ;sin 1853, 12,035 ;' in 11854,, 13,006." Showing an augmentation of 2,s7o,—nearly, one fourth, in fivelsears. The same journal states that on the 31st of Last August, there were '683; venous imprisoned in Fort Urbane. whoniit divides under the following heads :=" Con demned hy.theif.s.cra Consulta,A3l; condemned by the ordi nary tribunals;•337 ; condemned'. loy the military tribunals, 191 a-condemned by the diocesan tribunals, 7 ; awaiting jadg ment, 2; in transit ; 1; detainidas a measure of precaution, 124. .If thesaifigures are only thlerably correct (and the diffi culty ofaseertning with strict•precision such statistics must be well understood), what a sad .pieture do they present of the demoralszatiower a country containing less than 3,ooo,o9o'in habitants, and:governed by the Romish Church! 13UnatEGE •CUEIOSITIPEL—Darimg the recent audience to British agents.at Burmaleby thd , King, the King and Queen sat , on the' Ithrone smoking. .The King is pronounced to be decidedlyorirkandsome mani, and -With an agreeable expression Of fewe, his Queen decidedly.plain: she is five years younger than the Xingewhois forty-two-years of age. An extraordi nary .phenemenon was smithy thdlEing, for the inspection of the embaosyoirr the shape of aavoman covered with hair. The hair etcher-fee& is -from four to.e.ight inches long, and of a fine' silky texture. Ileside the eat itgrows fully eight inched long,. and is of a.whitish brown colour. 'Notwithstanding the -un natural appearance imparted by , the hair on the face, the woman's , ,countenance is pronounced pleasing. In her arms " she carried_ a- child fourteen months .cld, covered with down of. ' a flaxen colour; -she had another-child with her of oraistaff7 appearance, and the father is a Burman of ordinary appearance. THE LATE AN Rrtiti RornsoreiLn.-The Swabian Mercury contains the .following from Fnuakfort:—" The fortune of Baron de Rothschild, who recently 'died, has been valued at forty to fifty millions of florins. A sum of 1,200,000 florins i S destined to - coatince the alms which the deceased was :in t he habit of distributing every week, as well as for the distri-. b'ution of wood to the poor in winter. !The fund for giving .a, d. ower to Jewish,maidens receives,sll;ooo florins ; the fund for the sick as well vas-the .Jewish hospital, 10,000 florins each. TI se Jewish echool,iso;6oo.florins. Sums.of 3,000 florins are be stowed on several :Christian ,estalonsannents. The clerks' who have bean more limn twenty years. in the firm receive 2,090 florins, the others 'l,OOO ; the juniors from 300 to 500 florins. Many iegacies are left to servante."—By the death of M. de Rotheciad. it„appears that his godson Sir Anthony Rothschild, of London, ..,v4l receive f2.."008,0d, and also an equal share with the other raephews and nieces of the residue' of the estate of Use deecase4. Bia.Loom Accitanyr.—lL Godard, junior, ,the aeronaut, 'had a miraculous escapeon-the 10th of December, at Crefeld, iin Rhenan Prussia. He asocaded in a balloon Sled according tothe Montgolfier systew,and placed himself .on, z a " traptir ortitanging board attadhaltoa,parachute fastened to his bal flow. He had already attained a considerable height, and was in. the act of performing his ,petilous gymnastieleats above the beads of several thousand,swctators, when an.explosive -report, like that o f a fleld.gam, , uras.heardhe balloon was seenrto collapse, and to descendswitb terrible velocity. It had burst. M. Godard retaiued :his of mind, and was enablOdlto detach the cords ofithe parachute. This sosaewhat broke the velocity of the descent, and he landed, orTather fell, in as open field, without °awry:la:nage than some severe bruises occasioned by the hand•frozen_ground. A subscription was ;immediately made for his benefit, .Which produced *bait twenty.five pounds. A BAyszc CAMPAIGN..--The .Sie'cle anticipates a futv.re campaign intthe Baltic provinces,and after having enumerated the forces possessed by Russia in theseregions, which it values at 200,000 men, thus marshals the armies•which the allies. in conjunction 'with Sweden and Denmark, ,cotild dispose of if necessary : : —F` Admitting that Sweden wasTto .furnish .70,000 men, stud Denmark 30,000, the Western Rowers would have to furniainloo,ooo.usen, or 70,000 French and:64looo English. France could eveniinerease her contingent ,if the military or ganisation of our neighbour were not to permitrthetu to com plete theirs, for ,our country possesses a military .strength really formidable. Thus is constituted the French arng : Infantry of the line, :$2B battalions ; light infantry ;(rifles), 80 ditto; artillery, 248 companies ; siege train, 120 tlibto .en gineers, 54 ditto; sappers, 11 ditto—ctivalry, 378 squadrons ; gendarmes and firemen of Paris, 119 squadrons or 'companies: veterans of all arms, IZcompanies. It is not a question there of an improvised foece. At like advent of the government of the 2d December, the army was composed of 327 battalions of infantry, 313 squadrons.of mavalry, and 240 companies of Artillery. It has thus only been augmented by 30 battalions `,of - infantry and 60 Ruadrons - .of cavalry. Without any offence we may say that this great army bras been organised under the constitutional regime, and had found in Algerialhe tra ditions of victory. `I like to hear the roar of cannon in Algeria; said Louis Philippe, ' Europe ,does not hear it.' Eu rope ihas since heard this African cannon, and friends and enemies know that it fires well. A great expedition to the Baltic is therefore not impossible. England will pay her alli ance in vessels, and our soldiers will find at Cronstadt another Malakhoff." CULTIVATION OF THE SUGAR CANE IN FRANCE.—A suc cessful attempt to cultivate the sugar cane has been made in the department of the Vaucluse. In June last, aM. Tellee, residing in the village of Caumont, having procured some of the reeds of that plant from a friend in the colonies, sowed them on his estate; and notwithstanding the advanced period of the season, by the month of October last they had attained a sufficient degree of maturity to be cut down and subjected to the operation for extracting the juice. One hundred canes of a medium size were crushed by means of an oil-mill, and afterwards pressed, when they yielded 50 litres of saccharine juice. One important point remains yet to be ascertained, and that is, whether the canes produced from cuttings will succeed as well as from seed, as it is well known that those raised by the latter process lose a great deal of their saccha rine quality in a few years. The sugar canes grown at Cau mont attained a height of about 19 feet. The cultivation of the cane does not require more attention than that of corn. After the ground has been well ploughed, furrows are drawn and the cuttings are planted at equal distances, and covered lightly with earth, and then with the leaves of the old canes, reserved for that purpose. As soon as they begin to shoot above the ground the furrows are filled up with the earth and the plant is left to itself, taking care to keep the ground clear of weeds. The climate of Provence is perfectly identical with that of New Orleans, where the sugar cane is cultivated with great success,— Galignani's Messenger. MR. THWAITES has been elected chairman of the Metro politan Board of Works. THE inspectors of the estate of Messrs. Do Lisle, Janvrin, and Co., at a meeting on Thursday, determined to declare a third dividend, payable on the 2nd of February. It will be 2s. in the pound, making, with the former two dividends, 10s. in the pound. PERVERSION TO ROME.—The Rev. W. Wheeler, for many years vicar of Old and New Shoreham, in the county of Sus sex, has within a day or two left the Church of England and embraced the doctrines and become a member of the Church of Rome. A. TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGE has been received from Bremen, announcing the arrival of the United States mail steamship Washington in the Weser, having landed her mails, passen gers, &c. In consequence of the rapid accumulation of ice in that river the Washington has been compelled to put back to Southampton. NATIONAL GALLERY.—The late Samuel Rogers has be queathed to the nation three well-known pictures from his collection—the Titian " Noli me Tangere; " the Giorgiorie, a " Small Picture of a Knight in Armour ; " and the Guido, " Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns." The remainder of the collection will, it is presumed, be sold in the course of the ensuing spring. THE SOUTHAMPTON MURDER.—At the Winchester Assizes on Thursday, Abraham Baker was convicted of the murder of Naomi Baker, at Southampton, on the 14th of October. The circumstances attending the murder will be fresh in the re collection of our readers. Baker was sentenced to death, and the judge intimated that no commutation of the sentence could be expected. THE FRAUDS OF DAVIDSON AND GORDON.—At the Cen tral Criminal Court, on Thursday, Daniel Mitchel Davidson and Cosmo William Gordon, who had been acquitted on the previous day upon an indictment for embezzlement, were placed at the bar upon another indictment charging them with having, within three months of their bankruptcy, obtained from certain creditors goods by fraudulent means and pre tences, with intent to defraud, and not to use in the way of business. The trial lasted the whole of Thursday, and was resumed on Friday, when thejury found both prisoners guilty. The Judge then sentenced them to two years' hard labour. MR. BARON MARTIN, in reply to a letter by Dr. Jackson. complaining of the closing expression of the judge, in his charge to the jury on Mr. Wooler's trial, "that there was another person whom he would be inclined to find guilty rather than the prisoner," asserts that "he never made use of any such expression, or anything tantamount to it ;" that the substance of what he meant to say, and he believes he did say, was, that having endeavoured in his own mind to arrive at some conclusion on the subject," it appeared to him there was no proof against any one, and that if he were to indulge in mere surmise and fancy, not the prisoner, but some other person would first occur to his mind. A Cunrons METEOR.—A very curious phenomenon was observed at Gateshead, about 6h. 15m. on Wednesday morning. A very bright pillar of blue light appeared to stand up from the horizon to an altitude of about 30 degrees. At that point 'it assumed a very bright appearance, resembling the bursting of a bilge rocket. A stream of sparks and haze ascended to a height of about 10 degrees more. The light continued visible for abcait two seconds, illuminating the whole neighbourhood, and was unaccompanied by any noise. , The lower parts then disappeared, leaving the haze in the form of a bright oblong cloud,. which gradually diminished in brilliancy for nearly ten minutes, when it had entirely disappeared. Its position was 'nearly due south. Sur rossn ACCIDENT.—Some anxiety has been created at (Chatham inconsequence of the absence of three young engi neer officers, who, accompanied by the brother of one of them, 'went from Gillingham down the Medway on Saturday week in pursuit of 'wild-fowl, and have not since been heard of. It is feared that they have been drowned from the upsetting of 'their boat, which, it appears, was ill calculated to encounter a -stiff breeze. 'Every exertion has been made by the authorities, `but no tidings of the young gentlemen, boat, or oars have 'been obtained. A hope is entertained, however, that, having -'gone 'a greater distance from their starting point than they lexpected, they have got on board some vessel bound to another port, and that in a day or two some information respecting 'them will be obtained. Thu CONSERVATIVE PARTY.—With reference to certain -statements which have appeared in several of our contempo raries relative to a supposed breach in the ranks of the Con -servative party in North Essex, we have the highest authority • for' giving a most emphatic contradiction to any such sinister reports. The Conservatives of North Essex are thoroughly united upon all essential points. The differences which_ exist are trifling and insignificant, and have their origin in the ma levolent attempt of a local journal to avenge itself upon a cause which some years since abjured its equivocal advocacy. We Lave the best grounds for believing that, whenever a dissolu tion shall occur, the Whig-Radical party will find the True Blue electors ready to meet them with two candidates, whose I principles and whose character entitle them to the support and confidence of a Conservative constituency.— The Press. i A MAN FROZEN TO DEATH AT SEA.—Ou Saturday week, the schooner London, of and from Boston, left the Roads, laden with wheat, for Port Dundas, Glasgow. Shortly after she had stood out to sea she encountered heavy gales, and about two o'clock on Sunday morning it was discovered that she had about two-and-a-half feet of water in her hold, while she appeared to be sinking, and was drifting towards the shore. On this the crew, consisting of the master and two men, put 'to sea ha the boat, but finding they could not reach the shore 'with safety, they put out to sea. It appears that the boat 'Thad drifted about till Wednesday, when it was picked up by 'the brig- Temperance Star, of Ipswich. By that time the master bad died from the effects of the cold, and his compa tuions, w ho were more dead than alive, were taken on board rthe brig. CHANGMS IN THE HOUSE or Commons.—Several new members will take their seats on the opening of parliament next mon th, and some writs will be moved for as soon as the iiacuse assembles. Mr. - James Rust willtake the oaths and his - seat for Huntingdonshire, in the room of Viscount Mandeville, inew Duke of Manchester ; the Earl of Gifford succeeds Lord -Seymour a t Totnes, the noble lord having become Duke of -Somerset; Captain Joliffe will take his seat for Wells, in the . room of Mr. Tudway, deceased; Sir Charles Napier succeeds to -the represe: citation of Southwark, vacant by the death of Sir `William M olesworth ; Mr. Bond will take his seat for Ar magh, in th. e room of Mr. R. S. Moore, deceased; Mr. M'Evoy succeeds to . ..Ur. Frederick Lucas, deceased, in the representa tion of the ci minty of Meath. On the meeting of parliament, nemwrits wi 11 be moved for Taunton, in the room of Mr. La bouthere, wh o has become Secretary of State for the Colonies ; for Leeds, in the room of the Right Hon. Matthew T. Baines, now Chancellt w of the Duchy of Lancaster ; for New Ross, in the room of M r. Charles Gavan Duffy retired; for Rochester, in- the room of ' the Hon. Francis J. Villiers, who has accepted the Chiltern I lundreds ; and for Yarmouth in the room of Mr, C. E. Ruml who has intimated his intention of with drawing from p; trliamentary life. .THE ;BROMSG ROVE AND STOURBRIDGE BANKS.—A final dividend upon th is estate, estimated at 3d. in the pound, was declared-,yesterda. v in the Birmingham Court of Bankruptcy. --Debts --t,O the am ount of between £3,000 and £4,000 were proved during the day. This dividend, with 6d. in the pound already paid, make s 9d. received by the creditors of the Broms grove establishmei it. Messrs. Philip and Frances Rufford were the, only partoers. In the matter of the Stourbridge Bank, of which M essrs. P. Rufford, F. Rufford, and C. J. Wragge constituted the firm, a final dividend meeting is fixed for the 13th of Septet nber next, when the estate is expected to realize a further divi'dend of 7d. or Bd. in the pound. Two dividends of;ls. 6d. anal sd. each have already been declared, making a total of 2s. 7d. in the pound. The separate estate .of Mr.,Philip:Rufford has already been realized and divided. The first dividend was 55., and the second ls. 3d., making a !total of Cs. NI The separate estate of Mr. Wragge, which proved to be byr.far the most productive to the creditors, has also been dividek. There were three dividends—the first of 42.5..,a, second of - .lc. 3d., and a final of 25., making a total of ;Ms. 3d. in the ipound. A final dividend meeting of the separate estate of - Mr. Francis Rufford is fixed for the 23rd of January. :Throe Xividends of ls., ld., and 4d. each in the pound, and the final are likely to produce as much as will make a total from the separate estate of the late member for Worcester of 3s. !bet.l. in the pound. The estates have been realized with. t dknculV, in consequence of the uns a le a bl e nature df re property, and the numerous questions of legal nicety and importance which arose, not only between the estates !themselves, 'but with other parties. It is a fortunate circumstance that no action or suit has arisen out of these racriouscoraplications either in Chancery or at common law. Small a.-Alte dividends are, they would have been much smaller but fora l prndent avoidance of litigation. AVOTERIL POISONING CASE.—An inquest was held at Devonport, touching the ceeath of Louisa Mitchell alias Louisa Hallettliving as the wife of Mr. John Hallett, drug gist, of James-street, lint . commonly known as Dr. Hallett. The deceased had lived with Dr. Hallett upwards of seven years as his wife, and, from the evidence of several witnesses, they had lived ;in .a state, of,discomfort, and quarrelled fre quently. The , tleceased had been ill several months. About two months since, Mr. James ,Bennett, surgeon, had been called in to attend her professionally. He now deposed that, on the 2nd November, he was requested to visit Mrs. Hallett by a female, who represented Mrs..Hallett as being danger ously ill. He saw tle,cleceasediinled. She appeared insen ,a.ible, her countenance ,waavery much Hushed, her breathing very loud, and foam was issuing from her mouth, the pupils of her eyes were contracted, and the pulse slow and labouring. He immediately bled her, !hut she continued insensible. He then considered deceased tolite sufferingfrem great congestion of the head. He intimated to Dr. Hallett that the recovery of his ,wife was doubtfuL The doctor replied that she was suffering from apoplexy, and Trefusedito•havea second medical opinion. Witness subsequently again urged tthe propriety of further advice, but Dr. Hallett Again refused, ttating that he had sufficient con s fidence in him (witness). Witness visited deceased several times during the day. On one,of these occa sions Dr. Hallett said, "I like to look on dead ; eo y le—poor devils. I always call them poor devils, for they are.' Witness attended deceased three days, and she appeared to get better. On the third day, when he alled at the house, deceased was down stairs. Dr Hallett said, in witness's presence, " I had a good mind to give her a good hiding this morning, for the took too long dressing." Deceased made no reply, and appeared afraid to speak. Dr. Hallett spoke in a very decided tone, at if he meant it. On witness's first visit, it was his impression that the deceased had taken narcotic medicine. Witness did not visit deceased after the third day, but on Friday last he was requested by Dr. Hallett's son to call. The son represented that Mrs. Hallett was dead when he left the house to call witness. Witness called, and Dr. Hallett then stated that the deceased was alive when the son left. Witness examined the body externally, but there were no marks of violence. He proceeded to make an examination, in company with Mr. Laity and Mr. Little. There were marks of ulcers on both legs, and the remains of an ulcer on the left knee; pupils of the eyes rather dilated, arms very flexible. In making an examination of the contents of the chest, he dis covered a quantity of bloody serum in the cavity of the pleura; the heart was of the natural size, healthy but rather flabby, liver much enlarged and diseased, and the external surface of the intestines was very florid. On turning the body round, a quantity of fluid escaped from the mouth and nose, which was preserved with the contents of the stomach ; the brain itself was healthy. On the stomach being opened, the natural sur face presented a dark spot about the size of a halfcrown, and a quantity of fluid of an oily nature. In witness's opinion the deceased died from congestion of the lungs, not arising from natural causes. The jury here pressed the witness to give an opinion whether poison had been administered; and he replied that it was his opinion something of a deleterious nature had been administered, but he was unable to say what it was. On this the inquest was adjourned to Monday, the 31st inst., to give time to have the contents of the stomach analysed. Dr. Hallett was in attendance during the early part of the pro ceedings, but behaved in such a way that the coroner was obliged to order him out of court. FOREIGN POST REGULATIONS.—POStMaSterS making up mails for foreign parts are directed to treat as unpaid letters all those upon which au insufficient amount of postage may have been paid in pdstage stamps. In the case of letters in sufficiently paid in money, they are directed to surcharge the deficiency upon the postmaster at whose office the letters may have been posted, and treat them as paid, and transmit them . as such to foreign destination. REPRESENTATION OF LINCOLN. — There seems to be every probability that there will be a strong contest for the borough of Lincoln, which has become vacant by the death of Colonel Sibthorp. Sir Montague Cholmeley, Bart., who unsuccessfully contested the Northern Division of the county at the last general election, is spoken of as a candidate. The seat will be contested by Major Gervase T. W. Sibthorp, son of the late colonel, and Mr. Chas. Seely, a wealthy merchant of Lincoln. MR. RUSSELL and Mr. Angell, of the Post-office, dined with General Codrington on Thursday. Owing to some strictures made by Mr. Russell in the Times on drunkenness in the army, and his advising- the withdrawal of the soldiers' field allowance granted by her Majesty, his house was attacked by the red-coats the other night, and serious consequences might have ensued but for the prompt arrival of the picket.—Crimean correspondent of the Morning Herald. CURIOUS CHRISTMAS CUSTOM. —At Dewsbury, a bell is tolled on Christmas-eve, as at a funeral, or in the manner of a passing bell ; and any one asking whose bell it was would be told it was the Devil's knell. The moral of this is, that the Devil died when Christ was born. The custom-was discon tinued for many years, but was revived by the vicar in 1828. Among the sweet bells of Dewsbury is the famous " Black Tom of Tothill," which is said to have been an expiatory gift fora murder.—Bridgewater Times. IT is, it seems, the fashion at Antwerp to have the tomb of Rubens periodically opened. The last opening took placea short time back, in presence of a " select party." The interior, of the tomb is said to have presented a frightful spectacle— nothing was seen but fragments of coffins and mouldering bones. Thirteen persons, besides Rubens, were buried in the same vault, and the exact spot in which he was deposited is not precisely known ; but four coffins are slightly elevated on iron rails, and it is supposed that three of them were occupied by the great painter and his two wives.—Literary Gazette. THE TICKET-OF-LEAVE SYSTEM.—The grand jury, sitting at Winchester, have presented a memorial to Baron Parke, "earnestly urging on the Government the pressing necessity of abstaining for the present from issuing any further tickets of leave to convicts, except in cases where the most satisfactory proofs of reformation are given, and of taking the earliest op portunity of submitting to Parliament some comprehensive plan for enforcing the punishment of offenders sentenced to transportation or penal servitude, either by the establishment of a new penal colony, or by adult reformatory establishments within the United Kingdom." THE Italian jonrnals have frequently described , in terms of enthusiasm, the performances of a blind Sardinian shept herd, named Picco, on an instrument they call the tibia-pas toral—to wit, a half-penny whistle of the rudest and most primitive construction, with only three holes, and its length not exceeding that of a finger ; yet upon this barbarous instru ment he has performed at the San Carlos and La Scala, and the Neapolitan and other papers affirm that the blind musician draws sounds as dulcet as those of the sweetest flute, and that his execution upon it is still more marvellcns. The poor Italian ministrel has arrived in Paris to perform at the Italian Opera. THE LATE SAMUEL ROGERS,—We have, within the last dozen years, heard Mr. Rogers describe how he had seen Marie-Antoinette dance, and illustrate the same by himself walking a minuet. There is also an anecdote of his having left an early poem at Dr. Johnson's door only a day or two before the doctor's death. Till an accident confined him to his chair, Mr. Rogers continued to be an attendant at the opera, the Antient Concerts, and, when these died out, at the Exeter-hall oratorios. Till a very late period he might be seen at midnight feebly hurrying home from these on foot— no matter what, the weather—thinly dressed, and as resentful of the slightest offer of attendance as was " the Duke " when he was scarcely able to mount his horse. This passion for pleasure did not forsake him till a very late period. Only a few years since, a street accident, caused by this imprudent manner of wandering home alone, sentenced him to a chair for the rest of his days.—Athenseurn. THE CANADA LAND COMPANY.—A meeting of this com pany was held on Thursday, Charles Franks, Esq., in the chair. The statement of the operations from the Ist of Janu ary to the 23rd ult., showed,. [that the sales of land comprise 3,302 acres of Crown reserves at 275. 9d. per acre, and 1,413 of the Huron tract at 275. 6d. The leases included 19,116 acres at 415..11d. of Crown reserves, and 4,740 acres at 61s. ld, of the Huron tract. The land leased converted into freeholds was 13,203 acres, at 16s. ld., and 53,001 at 15s. 3d. per acre. The receipts during the above period were £129,659 2s. 4d. currency, against £164,614 in 1854, showing a falling off of £34,955 17s. ld. The funds in hand were—balances at bank ers, £4,513; loans at interest, and interest thereon, £58,800; and short bills, £11,100; making a total of £74,413. As re gards the liabilities, they are very small, viz., £7,600, of which £3,269 was for debentures unpaid, and interest thereon. The report, which recommended a division of the assets, to the ex tent of £7 a share, payable in January next, was.then agreed to. A resolution was adopted for the introduction, of a bill' into Parliament for enabling the directors to divide the assets half-yearly. A vote of thanks was passed to the chairman and directors, and the meeting adjourned. POSITION OF PEusslA.—The Berlin correspondent of the Times writes :—" Prussia is just now at - the head of Germany, as regards giving the tone of political feeling ; neutrality towards without and reaction towards within are the order of the day ; the advantages of neutrality are exemplified, says this party of the Kreuz Zeitung, by the sacrifices and losses of the belligerent Powers, the necessity of reaction is felt in the consciousness of the danger and disgrace of the revolution just put down. England and' France are the incarnation and radiating point of revolution, and all that trouble the repose of the world: England and France are the belligerent Powers, and are suffering for it in their fearful sacrifices of men and money. .Ergo, down with revolution and everythin :Ire, movement. Avaunt England and France, that would drag l'sussia into sharing their sufferings.. These are the sentiments of the Kreuz. Zeitung men, and which are every day spreading further and further like a leaven "through the various strata of society, and to this end the course taken by our diplomacy and by our press has contri buted very largely." THE prospectus has been issued of the General London Omnibus Company, established in Paris under the French law as a society en cornmandite. The capital is to be. £1,000,000, in shares of 100 f. or £4 each, but the first issue is to be limited to £BOO,OOO. The gerants are Macnamara, Carteret, Willing, and Co., and the London managers are to be Messrs. Wilson, Barber, Hartley, and Trevett. The com pany state that complete regularity of service is to be estab lished; that tiane-tables are- to , be published monthly and. traffic returns weekly; that indicate are to be used, as in Paris ; and the contracts have been fflitered into for the pur chase of the greater number of the 810 omnibuses-now work ing in London. In their financial representations they men tion that each omnibus, under the present imperfect system, gives an average profit of £lOO a-year, which, on 810 omni buses, would yield £Bl,OOO, and consequently a return of ten per cent. In Paris; however, the result of amalgation was an increase of Bs. per day in the profit of each omnibus; and, assuming an increase of ss. in London, the annual profit would be raised to £150,000. The dividend now paying by the Paris company is stated to be at the rate of 15 per cent. THE AUSTRIAN CONCORDAT.—THE - PROTESTAN TS OF TIM EMPIRE.—The new laws relative to the future position of the Protestants in Austria are now before the Council of the Empire, and they will probably be less unsatisfactory than the world is inclined to believe. People here profess not to care for public opinion but you may be assure d th a t th e storm of indignation to which the concordat has given rise in Germany and other countries has made them feel extremely uncomfort able. Indeed, there is proof positive that such is the case ! The draft of the new marriage act or law, which has been made by the Archbishop of Vienna, will, instead of being at once ac cepted, be referred to the crown lawyers. The following ex tracts from the pastoral letter of the Archbishop of Milan will suffice to show that the Italian prelate is already inclined to go beyond the concordat :—" The concordat not only gives the bishops the right to prohibit bad books, under the menace of ecclesiastical punishments (?) but also to prohibit their being read by the faithful. The co-operation of the state to prevent their promulgation is promised. All law matters re lating to the matrimonial tie belong to the church alone (?) By the concordat, the immaculate bride of Christ (the Roman Catholic Church) has acquired freedom, power, and glory, throughout the vast empire. Cast down is every barrier which had been an impediment to her ` giant steps,' broken is every fetter which impeded her action. The church has the right to oppose all kinds of error and temptation, as well on the stage as in the press. The concordat is a work which gives a brilliant example of religious feeling on the one side, of moderation on the other, and of the perfect prudence and wisdom of both parties.— Tinier' Vienna correspondent. lEASTERN COUNTIES' RAILWAY. —Mr. Waddington has issued a reply to the report of the Committee of Investigation. He sums up his view of the question in the following sen tence :—" How comes it that I have encountered the hostility revealed in the report of the Committee of Investigation ? It is, I repeat, because you have, in your complicated direction, an influence which, if permitted to prevail, must permanently injure your property. You have three directors less interested in increasing your traffic than in forcing it into other chan nels. You have there men who will profit much more largely by making you pay a toll than by participating in your divi dend. Look at the whole tenor and character of the report, concocted principally upon their evidence, and under their influence. What are the points specially assailed ? Lowestoft harbour; the coal traffic which has been developed; the steam-packet traffic which we have endeavoured to create OH the ports of the east coast; the East Suffolk line, which, how; ever undesirable for us, would undoubtedly assist that coast; the Hackney -wick branches, which form so important a con necting link between our Eastern system and the North and South-Western lines of railway ; our advances. for the pur poses of the Norfolk and East Union lines, and the additions to capital for working those and other railways. A moment's reflection will show you that this apparently scattered hos tility has but one aim and one object. That aim is to sup plant our eastern system by a northern system—to substitute the East Anglian for the Norfolk line—to make Lynn the chief port of your system, and thereby to subject your ear nings to a toll which will go, without benefit to you, into the' pockets of the East Anglian shareholders, and which will enable them to depreciate your stock and raise the value of their own when the time for compulsory fusion arrives in AR . • TO MESSRS. COBDEN AND BRIGHT 1 WHERE, where is the big loaf, Messrs. Cobden and Bright, Which you promised to all, when Free Trade came tolight ? Where, where it it Cobden ? where, where is it Bright ? In vain do we ask you from morning till night ! The bellows of Anti-protection you blew , And sounded the horn o f th e "L eague " eider crew ! Down, down with Protection, and up with Free Trade; Let the big loaf on every one's table be laid. False prophets you've been, and that with a vengeance, And every one sees it from Berwick to Penzance ! And you know it well, but say " 'tis the fighting," - As if that set all folks at their loaves faster biting ! Then if with our army we'd done as you wished, John Bull would have been most assuredly dished; Yould have left us no troops worth talking about And nary in readiness for a " turn out." , But hurrah for Old England, tho' peace we delight in, We'll keep up our army all ready for fighting ; So that if with proud boasters we " come to the scratch," They'll find, to their cost, we are more than their match. December 1855. A. R.