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

THE WAR. THE winter appears to have all but completely stopped the progress of hostilities in the Crimea, and the correspondents of the London journals now find occupation in chronicling the amusements by which the troops seek to beguile the tedium of comparative inactivity and idleness, varied occa sionally with details of winter storms and boisterous weather. The special correspondent of the Times, writing from the camp before Sebastopol, on the 30th of November, makes the following remarks on THE MUD OF THE CRIMEA. We are all ancle-deep in mud. No, that would be nothing. It would be no great matter of complaint or grievance if we had to deal with the ordinary material, so familiar to all Londoners after a few wet days before the scavengers remo v e the formidable soft parapets which line the kerbstones. That can be scraped off, cleaned, rubbed away, or washed out. This nothing but long and persevering efforts, continually renewed, and combining all the former operations, can remove. It sticks in pasty clods to the shoes, and will insist on being brought into clean huts and tents to visit your friends. It has a great affection for straws, with which it succeeds in working itself up into a kind of gigantic brick, somewhat underdone, in which condition it threatens to build your legs into the ground if you stand long enough in one place to give it a chance ; and it mightily affects horseshoes also, and sucks them off with a loud smack of relish in those little ravines between rocky hill sides, in which it exercise the greatest influence. Literally and truly it is like glue half boiled and spread over the face of the earth for the depth of several feet. It is no ioke for a soldier to see his sleeping place, in hut or tent, covered with this nasty slime ; but they cannot be kept clean. One step outside, and you are done for. The mud is lying in wait for you, and you just carry as much back on your feet as if you walked a mile. Carts stick immoveably in the ground, or the wheels and axles fly into pieces from the strain of the horses and mules, which have led a wretched existence, indeed, ever since this weather began. As I write, the air re sounds with the noise of the blows inflicted on the heads, sides, and legs of the miserable quadrupeds drawing fuel and stores from the commissariat depot of the division. He continues his narrative on the 4th of December, and thus speaks of the HUTS AND TENTS : We are in statu quo; possibly the mud is deeper, and the Russians fire more than usual upon the town. There is no change in the attitude of the enemy. The storm of Saturday morning taxed the huts severely, arid they are by no means highly spoken of; they are too frail and lightly built, and the rain and wind pass through with uncomfortable facility. The huts constructed in the sides of the hills by the French and Sardinians are said to be more comfortable, and do not cost a tithe of the money. They are roofed with wattles, covered with mud and earth, and, if they are rather dark, they are at all events warm and water-tight. It is now said that the men would have done much better if the authorities had sent out nails, hammers, planks, old canvas, and some glass. But it is impossible to satisfy everybody. In reference to the same topic, he further proceeds : The new huts are much complained of, and it is said they are frail, ill-made, full of chinks and knots, which drop out, and leave inimical little embrasures for the wind to shoot through. During a moderately strong breeze of wind, a short time ago, the roof of one of the hospital huts at the Monas tery went off on a mission of its own, and left the poor inmates shivering in the cold till they were removed to another building. The hut in question, however, was built before the new huts came. The tents now issued to the army are new and good, and most of the war and time-worn fabrics, inside which our gallant ancestors reposed in Egypt or Spain, have been condemned, and are used as outsides for the new tents, or as covers for huts, officers' quarters, stables, and fabrics of that kind. The authorities at home, you already know, refused the application of the commissariat for more tarpaulins to cover the stores, "because they were very expensive:' Well, the wet weather came on—hay began to smoke, corn and barley to heat; and the commissariat officers were obliged to purchase canvas wherever they could, to prevent the loss of thousands of pounds' worth of property, not to speak of the mischief to the army. But the " holders of canvas stood firm ;" they saw their opportunity, and they refused to sell it for less than 2s. a yard, at which sum many hundred yards were purchased for the commissa riat store of this division. But even now the stores are badly protected, for their is no pitch or tar to cover the canvas, although there is a vessel reported to be in Balaklava with 300 tons of these useful articles on board for the use of the Rroy. The correspondent of the Morning Herald, writing on the Ist of December, says, in respect to the RUSSIAN FIRE FROM THE NORTH SIDE : Although the desultory firing against the town of Sebas topol scarcely requires notice, that against the Malakoff is a novelty that must not remain unrecorded. During the whole period since their retreat from the southern shore of the har bour, the Russians have d a ily th rown s h o t an d s h e ll f rom th e north side upon the points occupied by the allies, yet in so useless a manlier, and at such long intervals, that the damage done proved unimportant. But since I last wrote you, and in order, perhaps, to wind up November with some éclat, the enemy, especially on Thursday—the anniversary of the Polish revolution, 1830 —maintained so unexpected and so very heavy afire upon the Malakoff, that the French were almost tempted to return it. But they did not. Their officers ordered them to keep under shelter in the very " bomb-proofs" into which the fire of the allies had so often driven the Russians, prior to the capture of that work on Saturday, the Bth of September. To this fire on the Malakoff the French disdained to return a single shot. The allies have not fired for weeks. " Wait a wee," as the Scotch proverb has it, and Prince Gortschakoff will find a few new batteries open upon him, which will more than compensate for our present non-acknowledgment of his favours. ;Yesterday, St. Andrew's-day, broke with so fine a frost'and clear a sky, that a renewed cannonade was expected, but this did not occur, and, soon after noon, heavy rain, which still continues, again set in, and "not a gun was heard," nor was there " a funeral note." The Russians seldom hit us, and therefore waste their ammunition most ridiculously. Some people imagine all this present fierceness on their part but pre cedes a pre-arranged retreat. I cannot myself think so ; and I imagine they are preparing for some mysterious "dash" in or near the harbour of Sebastopol, for we can perceive a good many boats and rafts under the north shore. N' imports, all Is ready for their reception, and perhaps the boats may be collected merely to be burnt some day, or, as the fleet was, but to be sunk. STORM AT BALAKLAVA. The Ist of December broke upon us with a fierce storm, which fortunately lasted only three hours. It began soon after midnight, and was highest between two and three o'clock. I was absent from the port, and slept in a hut on the hill towards Namara. My servant had a shake-down in a tent hard by, which fell about hi s e ars ; t a king refuge in a second, that also was blown down, and the same accident happened to him in a third. In the valley leading from the Castle Hospital to the position of the 89th Regiment, and the hospital huts of the Highlanders, under the doctors Mackin non, Rutter, and Pinkerton, the storm raged more furiously than perhaps anywhere else. The wind was about south. The canteen and one of the huts of the 89th, and the hospital hut of the 72nd, were blown down, and every tent around the hospital huts on the opposite acclivity shared the same fate. Cooking utensils, clothes, and all sorts of things, rolled down the hill before the inexorable wind, which also stripped the huts of their felt roofing. In the adjacent commissiarat store (near the Artillery), an immense stock of wood was blown down with a noise resembling a heavy cannonnade. Horses that were stabled in tents were terribly frightened by the unexpected fluttering of the canvas around them, and men rushed forth almost in a state of nudity to avoid the blows of falling tent-poles, and half asleep and half awake saw that another 14th of November (when the Prince was lost) was upon them. The Times' correspondent has some pungent remarks on the carelessness and waste which prevail among the subordinates of the commissariat department. He says, in reference to THE WASTE OF CORN : The waste of property, as of life, in war, is'prodigious and un avoidable. I firmly believe that.for three feet deep the whole of the quay of Balaklava, near the commissariat landing-place, is a concrete of corn. The sacks are often badly tied, or rotten, and full of holes. It is no uncommon thing to see a Croat or Turkish labourer waddling slowly along with a sack on his back from which the corn is descending in streams against his heels, till he arrives from the ship at the store, and then to behold him depositing the collapsed and flaccid bag on the heap with the greatest gravity and satisfaction at his success in diminishing his load at every step. In the various divisional commissariat depots there is also an enormous loss of grain from similar causes, and from shifting the sacks, and the dis tribution of the rations. But it seems to be impossible to prevent these losses, which are regarded as incidental to a state of war. In regard to the morality of the army and the evil effects of intoxication, he draws a more encouraging picture than we have been treated with for some time past. Provident habits meet with more encouragement among the soldiers, and severe /measure; are adopted to repress the sale of spirits. The result promises well, and there is a general anticipation of a DECREASE IN DRUNKENNESS. The Saturnalia (says this writer) in which the army seems to have indulged while the expedition was at Kinburn have terminated, and wise, judicious, and feeling measures have been taken by the Commander-in-Chief, to prevent their recurrence, by pointing out to the soldiers the mischief they do themselves, their families, their comrades, the army, and the country by such excesses. The fact is, that Major Powys has pointed out some of the main causes of the evil in his letter, and those causes will be removed in a great measure by the orders which General Codrington has issued respecting the transmission of soldiers' money to home. There will be drunken soldiers ever, lust as there are drunken cobblers and drunken gentlemen, but the men had more money than they knew what to do with ; they could not get rid of it in any way but by drinking it or throwing it away, and some of them selected the former plan, while many more escaped the alternative by wisely keeping it. The other day a man came to me and begged of me to take care of 30 sovereigns for him, as " he did not know what to do with it till he could get leave to purchase his discharge, and it was not safe to carry it about with him. Would it not be practicable to establish ambulatory r egimental savings -banks in th e fi e l d at trifling trouble and small expense ? The French are by no means free from drunkenness, but the extent is less apparent, inasmuch as feeble the men are not permitted to stagger about the country, although an occasional bacchanalian may be seen singin g ywhere chansons from between his blankets of mud an between Kamieseli and the left pare de siege. As to our own authorities, they are waging a war of extermination against spirit vendors, and, above a ll, against rakee b im porters. This villanous spirit inflames m en s rains, and sets them mad ; it has all the abominable properties of fretsh run rum or new whisky, but it affects the nervous system more mischievously, and produces prostration, which fre quently ends in death. It is dreadfully cheap, is colourless, like gin, with a taste of bad anisette and a fiery burning smack on the tongue, and is alcohol all but pure, with the exception of the adulteration, which contributes the flavour. Captain Shervington, the Provost-Marshal at Balaklava, has a wonderful knack of following out the concealed depots of this by the smell, and the process of punishment is simple. The owners are compelled to start the poison into the sea, and they are then ordered to leave the Crimea instanter. Can teen-keepers who keep it are fined heavily, their canteens are shut up, and themselves deported, at their own expense, to Constantinople. No less than three native vessels were seized the other day by Captain Shervinton full of rakee; the cargoes were confiscated, and the ships sent away, never to be let into Balaklava again. Every canteen-keeper or storekeeper on whose premises a drunken soldier is seen, no matter what the excuse may be, is fined £5 for each, and the Provost-Marshal has more money than he knows what to do with from this source alone. But they are a wealthy race, these social vultures—many of them king vultures—respect able birds of prey, with kempt plumage and decent demeanour —others mere " adjutants," dirty and predacious. The sutlers of Kadikoi care little for £5 fines while they can get 6d. a dozen for tacks and 2s. a pound for lard sub nomine butter, and they pay their taxes like lords, or rather much more willingly, now that the income-tax is pressing on people at home. Taxes ! What is the man talking about ? It is quite true, nevertheless." The special correspondent of the Times, writing from the camp before Sebastopol, on the 7th inst., says, in reference to THE WEATHER AND THE ROADS : The weather has been exceedingly unpleasant since I last wrote ; heavy rains have fallen, and the roads are severely tried, but on the whole they stand the heavy test uncommonly well, and the unsettled parts are undergoing repair. The cold of winter has not yet set in, and it promises to be a late spring next year. The railway is nearly useless, owing to the destruction of trucks, and the Land Transport Corps com plain bitterly of the discreditable, worthless, and rotten carts sent out to them from England. Is there not an inspector of carriages at Woolwich ? The effect of the mud and wet on the animals of the Land Transport Corps is distressing, but I am not able to affirm that it could be avoided. Notwithstanding the numerous good roads though the camps there are tracts to be traversed by thousands of animals under their burdens which are ex ceedingly deep and heavy. Many of the animals are cruelly used by the people to whom we are obliged to intrust them. There are two men to every three horses or mules, but then these men are barely sufficient to perform long marches, from the divisional camps to Balaklava and back again, and after wards to attend to the animals and clean them properly. In some muddy pool or in some deep scarp on the hill side the poor animal, which, perhaps, has stood in uncovered stables all night and is badly groomed or not rubbed down at all, sinks beneath its load, and dies there in lingering agony. Many of the divisional stables are still uncovered ; there is a great want of nails and planking, and the result is that the animals are exposed to the inclemency of the weather after hard work, get knocked up with sore backs or cracked heels —are lamed, lose shoes, and at last succumb on the road. The men have tolerable cover and warmth, and are not over worked—their fatigue duty keeps them healthy ; and it is observed by the surgeons that those men who are kept to labour as a punishment for offences, and enjoy moderate exercise in stonebreaking and road-repairing, are generally in excellent health. Last night it blew cold and fierce, rain and sleet fell in torrents, and many tents were blown down in camp. I need not say that those who were suddenly exposed to the violence of the elements were in a very sorry plight indeed. A bed with a lively little sewer intersecting it is not the most agreeable thing in winter time. It is considered that, if the Government had sent out hammers, nails, planks, and felt, the men would have done much better. The same correspondent writes as follows, respecting OUR FUTURE PROSPECTS : The siege artillery is ordered home—at least, a large portion of the officers and materiel will go before winter is over. The batteries will be filled up to their full complement. The staff officers of the train will return to Woolwich. Major-General Dupuis will be succeeded in his command by Colonel 'Wood, a very energetic and able officer. Since the battle of the Tchernaya the field artillery have had little opportunity of trying their strength with the enemy, except that which was afforded to Major Thomas at Eupatoria or Tchebotar during the recent reconnaissances, and of which that officer skilfully availed himself in the presence of our allies, and they look forward with confidence to the results of the next campaign to show that they are as superior to the Russians in the rapid and dexterous handling of their guns as they are in courage under fire and in their equipments and appointments. The Colombo came back from Kertch a few days ago, having landed with creditable expedition and despatch Major Bondhier's battalion of the Turkish contingent, and sailed on Saturday for Constantinople. She reports that provisions were rather scarce in the camps, and that the enemy effectually deter the Tartars from bringing in provisions, and are closing round the place, as though they meant to attack the position. The contingent is assuming shape and form every day, and will be able to give a good account of the Russians, should they indeed assail such a formidable position as the allies occupy. The Turkish huts are described as being admirably suited for the winter, and to excel those erected by our men, at vast expense, in every quality which a hut for troops should possess. The enemy have succeeded in burning a good deal of the hay stored up for the winter by the allies, or rather placed in positions where they thought they could rely on getting it for use. MILITARY AND OTHER OPERATIONS. The Courier of Marseilles says the intelligence from the Crimea makes no mention of any military operations. It says : The Cossacks forming the Russian advanced posts, finding that our troops have abandoned a portion of the Valley of Baidar, often descend into it, and occasionally capture officers and men belonging to the allied army who venture into it on sporting excursions. A few days ago three of our officers, having advanced too far in pursuit of a stag, fell in with a party of the enemy's scouts, and were taken prisoners. The attention of every one in the Crimea was directed towards the construction of roads and the establishment of branches of the Balaklava railway. Excavations lately executed on the line produced profitable results both for the purse of the labourers and archxolog:o ' rcienc An ancient temple, in a good state of preservation, has been discovered, the remains of which are now enclosed within a strong palisade, to save them from the pickaxe of the demolishers. A mysterious discovery, worthy to figure in the novels of Ann Radcliffe, has been the occasion of many conjectures. Workmen employed in the construction of a road bad dug up the body of a man who appeared to have been lately interred. ,The corpse, already in a putrefied state, was elegantly dressed, and in his boots were found pieces of gold coin, but particularly English sovereigns. The body offered no trace of wounds, and was buried near the surface of the ground. OFFICIAL DESPATCHES. WAR DEPA.RTMENT, Dec. 18. Lord Panmure has this day received a despatch and its en closures, of which the following are copies, addressed to his lordship by Gen. Sir William Codrington, K. C. B. SEBASTOPOL, Dec. 4. My Lord,—The enemy continue to fire occasionally, and sometimes heavily, on parts of the town. They must have ex pended a considerable quantity of valuable ammunition, with out causing us any loss or inconvenience. The enclosed casualty return is the first of the sort I have had occasion to report to your lordship. It may seem unimportant to refer to the state of roads and weather here, but their condition affects the essential commu nications and well-being of the army. The winter broke upon us suddenly on the 26th and 27th with snow, and has varied with gales and rain ; and a very deep state of the ground has damaged all communications. Constant presence of labourers and constant attention are requisite, and are being given to the road, which, from a pecu liarity of soil and condition, was worked into holes, but which is and will continue to be of the greatest service to the army and its supplies. I have, &c., W. J. COnRINGTON, General Commanding. _ _ _ P.S.—I beg leave also to forward the weekly report of - Dr. Hall, the principal medical officer, by which your lordship will perceive that the general state of the health of the army con tinues favourable. The return of casualties is WOUNDED. 7th Foot.—Captain Lord R. Browne, slightly, by bursting of a shell in Sebastopol. TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES. MARSEILLES, Wednesday. By advices from Constantinople, just received, we learn that, after a battle, Omar Pasha had taken possession of Khoni, which is five-and-a half leagues from Kutais. He found in the place 12,000 furs. He had pushed on to the banks of the Rion, and had made preparations to attack Kutais. The Jourdain has arrived, with advices from Constantinople of the 10th, and from the Crimea of the Bth inst. Advices from Erzeroum, of the 27th Nov., had announced that Kars was to capitulate on the 28th of Nov. Gen. Mouravieff had sent a portion of his army against Omar Pasha. THE TREATY WITH SWEDEN. The Moniteur of Thursday publishes the treaty concluded on the 21st of November, between France, England, and Sweden. It is declared that the treaty is concluded to prevent every complication of a nature to disturb the balance of power in Europe. By Article 1, the King of Sweden engages himself not to cede to Russia, nor to exchange with her, nor to allow her to occupy, any portion of the territories belonging to the crown of Sweden and Norway. His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway engages him self, moreover, not to cede to Russia any right of pasturage or fishing ground, or of any other nature whatsoever, as well for the said territories as for the coast of Sweden and Norway, and to reject any claim (praention) Russia might raise to establish the existence of any of the above-named rights. Art. 2. In case Russia should make any proposition to his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, or any demand with a view to obtain either the cession or exchange of any portion whatever of territory belonging to the crowns of Sweden and Norway, be it the permission to occupy certain points of the said territory, or the cession of fishing or pastur age rights, or of any other, on those same territories, or on the coast of Sweden and Norway, his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway engages himself to communicate imme diately such proposition to his Majesty the Emperor of the French, and to her Majesty the Queen of England ' • and their said Majesties take on their part the engagement to provide his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway With sufficient naval and military forces to co-operate with the naval and military forces of his said Majesty, with a view to resist the claima or aggressions of Russia. The nature, the importance, and the destination of the forces in question shall, the case occurring, be decided by a common agreement between the three powers. THE SURRENDER OF KARS. A Hamburg despatch says :—" The Invalide Russe con tains a despatch from Kars by General Mouravieff. lie reports that he has taken possession of 130 cannon, large stores of ammunition, seven standards , and of prisoners, besides those already reported, 6,000 Turkish regulars and 4,000 redifs." A letter from Trebizond, in La Presse, gives the most har rowing details of the sufferings endured by the garrison. This letter is dated Nov. 29, and does not contain the news that Kais had actually fallen, though the event was anticipated. The writer says : For seven months—seven whole months—the garrison of Kars has received no supplies. All the convoys announced from Constantinople have either stopped here, or have not proceeded beyond Erzeroum. Hafiz Pasha, our ex-governor, THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD dismissed the other day in consequence of an inquiry entered into by Cabouli Effendi, has a long and heavy reckoning to give on this score. In the month of October, the garrison of Kars was living on in a state of destitution. In November, famine was there. Most of the horses were eaten ; each man received a daily ra tion of 80 drachms only, which is about the same as 250 grammes. For a long time past they have had no meat to eat. This letter refers to the parley between General Williams and General Mouravieff, to the subsequent journey of Captain Thompson to Erzeroum, and to the further communications between the Generals, ending, as the writer truly supposes, in a capitulation. In a postscript he states that an officer had learnt from Captain Thompson's own lips a most horrible account of the privations which the garrison of Kars had suffered. In one week more than a thousand perished of sheer want. quotations of the 4th instant, amounted to of cents per barrel. Wheat has further declined 10c. to 15c. per bushel. Indian corn is 4c. to sc. per bushel lower than on this day week. Pnovisioics.—The downward tendency of the pork market still continues, and prices have receded 25c. to 50c., with only a limited demand, mainly for home use. The market for beef continues dull, and mess is rather easier. Prime mess con tinues in good demand for export, and the market is steady. Butter is in fair request. Cheese is selling at 91c. to 114 c. SALT. — Liverpool was dull, and the quantity now on the way being large, for invoices, to arrive, lower prices were accepted. A sale of 1,600 sacks Ashton's fine, deliverable next month, has been made at $1,60, four months, but that price is not now offered. IRoN.—There was no new feature to notice, and the gen eral market was quiet. Small sales of Scotch pig had been made at $30,50 to $3l, six months. English sheet there was a fair stock of, but not well assorted. Singles scarce and higher. - FIZEIGHTS.-With increased offerings to Great Britain and the Continent, and a limited supply of unengaged tonnage in port, the market is decidedly firmer ; in other directions there is no change to notice. The rates current are—To Liverpool, for cotton, id., to 9.32 d. per lb.; flour, 4s. per barrel; grain, 114 d to Is. per bushel. To London, flour, ss. per barrel; grain, is. 2d. per bushel. To Havre, cotton, per lb. ; flour, $1 per barrel; grain, 25c. per bushel. NEW ORLEAllB.—Cotton unchanged. Sales to-day, 6,500 bales. Sugar has advanced lc. on the better qualities. Mo lasses declined fc. Corn, 84c. to 874 c. OMAR PACHA'S ADVANCE. The Journal de Constantinople gives a circumstantial ac count of Omar Pasha's movements and reported victory. It is stated that after the passage of the Unfour or Ingour, the Pasha moved rapidly forward, crossing several tributaries of the Rion, without meeting serious resistance. On the banks of the Chopi stands a fortified village of the same name, having "a very considerable depot of ammunition and provisions, and eight battalions to defend the position." According to the Journal, Omar Pasha attacked at once, and the Russians re sisted but feebly, and quickly gave way, retiring without either carrying away or destroying his stores. Of what these consisted, beyond 12,000 sheepskins, the Journal says nothing, but adds that Omar Pasha continued his march, that the last news from Batonm (via" Trebizond) stated him to be on the banks of the Rion, opposite Kutais, and that he would soon be in possession of that town, which was defended by 8,000 or 10,000 Russians. AMERICA. ARRIVAL OF THE ATLANTIC. Bir the United States' Mail steam-ship Atlantic, Capt. West, which arrived on Sunday morning, we have intelligence from New York to the 12th inst. She brought 51 passengers, and $500,000 in specie. The Royal Mail steam-ship America, hence, arrived at Boston on the 6th inst. The steam-ship St. Louis, from Havre and Southampton, arrived at New York on the 6th, and the Ariel on the 9th inst. The Annual Message of the President has not arrived, Con gress again not having been able, after forty-five ballots, to agree upon the appointment of a Speaker. Upon the last vote being taken, Mr. Banks, Republican Know-Nothing, obtained 106 votes, but 112 being the number necessary to a choice, the Senate adjourned without having elected its Representative. At the conclusion of the 34th vote, a proposal, that the House should proceed immediately to the election of a Speaker, viva voce, and if, after the roll had been called three times, no member should have received a majority of the whole number of votes the roll should again be called, and the candidate then receiving the largest number of votes—provided it be a majo rity of a quorum—should be declared elected Speaker, was negatived, after having caused great excitement. The Government having received information that an ex pedition against Nicaragua was being organized in New York, had taken steps to prevent it. The Irish Convention, which had been in session for three days, in the Aston-house, had concluded its labours, after adopting some resolutions and issuing an address to the Irish people. No reporters were admitted ; but from the statement of the Philadelphia Ledger, it appears that some of the members were not very unanimous in their opinions, and that they were more likely to fight among themselves than against England. The British Consul, Mr. Barclay, is said to be taking a lively interest in the movement. An agent of Rus sia is said to have offered the support of his Government if an armed descent was made upon Canada. The New York Herald remarks that the movement had not received either the encouragement or sanction of the thinking part of the Irish population, and has already been condemned by a portion of the Roman Catholic clergy from the pulpit. A fire had occurred at Sing-Sing prison, state of New York; a portion of it was destroyed. Advices from Washington state that it has been ascertained, beyond the possibility of cavil, that a dispatch has been re ceived from Mr. Buchanan relative to the Crampton difficulty, the tenor of which was that the British Government, in a courteous but positive manner, decline giving such explana tions as have been demanded by the United States Govern ment, regarding the alleged violation of the neutrality laws by British agents. The bill making large appropriations for the completion of railroads in the State of Missouri, recently passed by the Legislature, and vetoed by the Governor, passed, however, over the veto, by a two-thirds vote. The Governments of San Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica had strongly protested to the United States Government against the recognition of the present Nicaraguan Government, and declared themselves resolved to exterminate foreign adventurers who might invade their soil for revolutionary purposes. Affairs at Kansas had assumed a serious aspect. A de mand made by the Governor of the country, to the Federal Government, for the assistance of troops, has been refused. Under date of the 6th instant, it is stated that four or five hundred men, accompanied by artillery and one thousand muskets, had passed through Independence, with the purpose of assisting in the maintenance of order. CALIFORNIA. — By the arrival of the transit steamship Northern Light, with $326,301 in specie and gold dust, advices had been received from San Francisco to the 20th ult. Among the passengers was Colonel Parker H. French, accredited Minister to the United States, in lieu of Mr. Marcoleta, re called. Colonel French is said to be vested with extraordi nary powers, to enable him to settle immediately the diffi culties existing between the United States, England, and Nicaragua. He brought with him the ratification of the new treaty made by his Government with Colonel Wheeler, United States Minister at Granada. The accounts from the mines were generally very flattering. The new discoveries in Table Mountain were continuing to create considerable excitement, and the whole region had already been taken up in claims. It was reported that several fine diamonds had been found in the tunnels of the mountain. The Indians in the north were continuing their depredations upon the whites, while those in the south were taking the cue from their more northerly brethren, and were beginning to show signs of dissatisfaction. An engagement had taken place in Rouge River Valley between 400 of the United States troops and volunteers, and 300 Indians, in which the Americans were compelled to retreat, with a loss of eighteen men. General Wool and staff, with a company of United States soldiers, had departed from San Francisco for Oregon. General William H. Richardson, United States marshal for the northern district of California, had been most brutally murdered in the streets of San Francisco, on the 17th No vember, by a man named Charles Cora. It was with diffi• culty the citizens could be restrained from applying the code of Judge Lynch to the murderer. Two worthy citizens of Monteroy, Hon. Isaac B. Wall, collector of the port, and T. S. Williamson, an officer of the county, had been assassinated on the highway, in a spirit, it was supposed, of revenge. The murderer, who was pursued, killed two of the pursuers. The banking-house of Sanders and Brenham failed on the 6th instant. The debts due to their depositors the day be fore the failure were $84,000. No assets were found. Mr, Sanders had been collector of the port, and Mr. Brenham mayor of the city. The town called Canon City had been entirely destroyed by fire. The entire loss was about $30,000. CUBA.—The advices from Havana, via New Orleans, are devoid of interest. Sugar and molasses had advanced, but the market was unsettled. _ _ _ From the Sandwich Islands the dates are to the 3rd ult. The king had returned from a tour of inspection of the islands, and was making vigorous exertions in perfecting many public works. The Hawaii canal was making fearful progress, and the safety of the town of Hilo was really menaced. The dates from Granada are to the 24th ult., and from San Juan del Monte to the Ist inst. The order of things inaugu rated by the new government had produced the most happy effects, as evidenced by the revival of trade and agriculture, and the return of a number of families to their hitherto de serted homes. Colonel Parker H. French had resigned his seat in the Cabinet as Minister of Hacienda, and was duly ap pointed minister plenipotentiary, with extraordinary powers, to the United States. - COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. NEW YORK, 121 K psc. After two or three weeks of comparative ease in the Money-market, symptoms of a recurring stringency are ap parent, though capital is still easy of access on undoubted securities of 10 to 12 per cent. per annum, where the maturity does not extend beyond two or three months. The specie reaches nearly twelve million dollars, being nearly a million and-a-half more than at the corresponding period last year. The deposits are apparently nearly a million lower.—The imports are beginning to fall off very materially. For the week just closed the entries were less, by upwards of half a million of dollars, than for the corresponding period of last year. Since the Ist of January, the imports amount in value to $138,530,800, against $166,988,075 to the same date in 1854. The exports, exclusive of specie, for the year, so far, amount to $64,816,474, against $59,956,491 same period as last year. The shipments of coin and bullion since the beginning of the current year are stated at V 6,591,137, against $37,087,081, to the same date in 1854. The exports of specie last week were only $11,260, to the West Indies and South America. In exchange there was a large business done in sterling, mostly by bankers, who raised their prices to 91 per cent. at the close. The mercantile bills in the market were not very abundant. The high prices of sterling affected the con tinental market, and the outside figures refer to the business done Monday and yesterday. We quote bills on London, at to 9 per cent. prem.; Paris, &c., f 5.21- to f 5.18, 60 days, and f 5.15 to f 5.131 short sight. COTTON.—The tenor of the America's letters (says the Shipping List of Dec. 12,) being more favourable than the published accounts, the market rallied immediately subse quent to the date of our last, and an advance of lc. to lc. upon the prices current on Friday has been established, not withstanding the rise in freights to Great Britain. The stock is light, and the market closed firm, with a moderate demand. The sales for the three days are estimated at 3,000, and for the week 12,000 bales, including parcels in transitu from southern ports to Europe. STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS, EXPORTS, AND STOCKS OF COTTON. Exports Total Exports Stocks on Receipts to to Hand and Great Britain. Foreign Ports Shipp'd. 1855 964,157 527,312 516,983 431,536 18.54 618,773 223,030 323,010 329,271 Increase 345,384 104,282 191,973 102,265 The following is extracted from T. J. Stewart's Circular of the 12th December :—The weather for securing the crop has continued uninterruptedly fine, and the season, as a whole, for growing and picking, has been more favourable than any of recent years. The amount of cotton now prepared for market is very large, and there is very little doubt but that, navigation admitting, it will be cheerfully transferred to the trade or speculators, with but a small reserve at the end of the season, at an average price at the ports of one per cent. per lb. below present rates. Assuming that freight to Liver pool will average ed., we think that at Bc. for middlings at the southern seaports, the country will be drained. Whether prices will rule much below that for a few weeks will deper.d upon the navigation being generally free, or restricted as at present. It must be borne in mind that as the crops have been generally large, the ratio of the cost of raising the same is reduced; and as the corn crops are also large lower prices than ruled last season will give better results, and at present we are more than Ic. per lb. over those rates. The present prices will stimulate close picking. As yet it is too early to guess at the extent of the crop; but at the prices we assume the deliveries will continue free at, we think the trade may safely calculate on a tender of 3,500,000 bales. BREADSTUFFS.—InfIour we had a drooping market through out the week, and the decline in value, as compared with the FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRANCE. The Moniteur announces that the Imperial Guard and the regiments of infantry of the line, returned from the Crimea, will make a solemn entry into Paris on the 29th. At the Bastille they will be harangued by the Emperor, who will then precede them to the Place Vendome, where the defile will take place. BELGIUM.-At the commencement of the sitting of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, on Saturday,. the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the Dutch Go vernment, by a despatch received that morning, had intimated that the treaty between Holland and Belgium, which was to expire on the Ist of January, would not be renewed. SPAIN.—Thp discussion on the constitution terminated on the 14th. The motion made for interpellations against Marshal O'Donnel has been rejected. The Madrid Gazette of the 12th contains a royal decree, sanctioning the bill adopted by the Cortes, which declares Spain an inviolable 'asylum for foreigners, and that the giving up of political re fugees shall never be consented to in any treaty for the extra dition of criminals. A smart shock of an earthquake was felt at Barcelona at seven p.m. on the 4th. The church bells rang by its violence, chairs and tables were moved and in some cases overthrown, and great alarm was excited ; but it does not appear that any serious damage took place. There was a slight shock at St. Sebastian, which passed almost un perceived. _ AUSTRIA.—It is stated, in a despatch from Berlin, that the English government has demanded from the Court of Vienna an explanation of the motives which have induced it to reduce the Austrian army. The organisation of the militia will be extended in the spring to the Polish provinces. The same despatch states that the publication of a fresh convention be tween the Allied Powers and Austria, is expected at Vienna, and it adds :—" The attempts towards negociation made by Austria and Prussia are not concerted or coincident in terms. It is rumoured that Austria is ready to become actively belli gerent, in case of need, if the allies will consent to erect the Danubian Principalities into an independent state, with a Prince of the Austrian imperial family as their chief." Paussm—Another illustration of Prussian neutrality is afforded by a despatch dated Tilsit (East Prussia), December 12th. The statement is as follows :—Within the last ten days several large caravans of horses—numbering in all about I,soo—have passed through this city for Russia. They are fine strong animals, equally serviceable for cavalry and artil lery, and were purchased by the Russian government in the kingdom of Hanover, under the superintendence of a Russian general officer, who also personally accompanies the transport. GREECE.—We hear from Athens, under date of the 12th : "The new ministry is consolidating itself. The new Minister of Public Instruction, M. Christopoulos, enjoyed the confidence of the King, and had become popular. He had succeeded in removing the coolness which had existed between the Greek Government and the Allies. The Morning Post has a con tradiction of this latter assertion. Russr.t.—A private letter from Moscow at the end of No vember speaks of the confidence of the petty tradesmen in the Russian paper currency being much shaken. Cases are said frequently to occur, more particularly in Moscow, Nichni, and Astrakhan, of their refusing to take it, whilst; on the other hand, they keep back and hide their silver money. Silver continues to rise there in price, a great deal of it being smuggled out of the country, then melted down, and brought back at an advance.—A correspondent of the Times says: — The " patriotic contributions ' to the war fund are made for the most part in kind,consistingof manufactured goods, produce of the soil, pictures of saints, the paper money issued by various monetary institutions or their coupons, so that the Treasury itself is not much the richer for them. Exactly the same I read in a letter from St. Petersburg now before me ; the preference which the Russian at all times entertains for specie increases in the same proportion as the paper money increases. For all trade with Asia paper money is, of course, useless ; silver becomes every day dearer, and, in spite of every prohibition, disappears more and more from circulation. The public offices pay out little or no silver, and it is expected that very shortly it will be m a d e obligatory for a portion at least of the taxes to be paid in coin. THE lONIAN IsLANDS.—Advices from Corfu of December 3, state that the energetic measures of the civil and military authorities have prevented the cholera from increasing in ex tent and malignity in that island. Since October 4, when the epidemic first appeared, there had been in all 812 cases, that is, little more than an average of 12 per diem, in a population of 70,000. There had been only about 50 cases in the garri son, chiefly in the Berks Militia, recently arrived. The mor tality had averaged about 50 per cent of those attacked in Corfu, but had been greater in Zante, where the epidemic broke out at the same period, and has raged with greater viru lence. The Ist Lancanshire Militia, quartered at Zante, have_ suffered severely ; but now that the cold weather has com menced, and that the snow has fallen on the mountains of Epirus, the epidemic is rapidly disappearing. There have been only a few cases of cholera in Cephalonia, and none in the smaller islands. The garrison of Corfu now consists of four regiments of militia and three companies of artillery. There are two other regiments of militia in the Southern Is lands. Perfect tranquillity prevails, though the failure of the crops has occasioned great distress. WEST COAST OP AFRICA.—The mail steampacket Candace, which arrived at Plymouth on Tuesday, reports the following vessels on the coast :—At Cameroons, November 5, the barks Lydia and Guildford, and brigs Arab and Idas. The bark Arabian had sailed for Lagos. At Bonny, November 7, the ships Martha, Sarah, Sea, Magnolia, Ferozepore, and Fanny, of Liverpool; barks Crown, Bombay Packet, Belle, Custos, and Cumberland, and brig Tremor, of Liverpool. At Accra, November 12, bark Costorelli, of Salem. At Sierra Leone, entered November 1, ship Lisbon, from Carerah ; 2nd, South erner, from Boston ; 3rd, Nancy, from Sherbro, and Bangah from Mellicouri; sth, Bella, from Sherbro, and Zouloucouna, from Rio Pongas. Cleared, schooner James, for Scarcies ; brigs, George, for New York ; Harriet, for Lagos ; Emily for Moribrali ; bark Orion, for Mellicouri; and steamvessel Dane, for French Guiana. At Teneriffe, December 3, ship Salazes, of Havre. The New Era, published at Sierra Leone, Novem ber 10, says :—" The great mortality on board English vessels, when compared with French, is inexplicable. Up to this date there have been no less than 19 deaths on board four English ships • and from the united crews of 13 French ships there has been but one death." NEW ZEALAND.—The native disturbances in the district of New Plymouth are a serious affair, and will require the utmost caution and forbearance on the part of the European settlers to avoid being drawn into the conflict. We learn that the troops for Taranaki had embarked at Auckland on the Bth August. The division consisted of 250 rank and file of the 68th Regiment, ten officers, thirteen non-commissioned officers and three drummers, under the command of Major Nugent. The detachment was accompanied to the place of embarkation by numbers of the citizens. The men e mbarked in high spirits and in admirable or d er. It is nine years and a half since any similar embarkation took place. On that occ ion it was on a much more extensive scale—two frigates, Castor and Caliope, one steam sloop, Driver, and two trans ports Slains Castle and Victoria, being employed for the conveyance of a large force to put down the aggressions of the natives of the south. Happily this time the troops depart on no hostile mission. They are dispatched far more in the character of an armed police to preserve peace and good order. And as they are to be assisted by an equal force of the 65th Regiment from the province of Wellington, we trust they may be enabled to carry out their peaceful purpose in a satisfactory manner, and speedily return to their head-quarters crowned with honourable but bloodless laurels.—Australian and New Zealand Gazette. COURT AND FASHION. MR. MAY succeeds Mr. William Ley as first clerk-assistant of the House of Commons, on that gentleman's resignation. Mn. BOUVEEIEALLEY;TE is apP . ointed Colonial Secretary of Grenada. Mr. Henry Sharpe is appointed Provost Marshal of Grenada. MR. ALBERT ALLOM is appointed Colonial Secretary at Tobago. Mr. Charles Berkeley is appointed Colonial Treasurer at Tobago. THE QUEEN AND MISS NIGHTINGALE.—The country will experience much satisfaction, though no surprise, on learning, as we believe we are correct in stating, that Her Majesty the Queen has, in a manner as honourable to herself as it must be gratifying to her people, been pleased to mark her warm ap preciation of the unparalleled self-devotion of the good Miss Nightingale. The Queen has transmitted to that lady a jewelled ornament of great beauty, which may be worn as a decoration, and has accompanied it with an autograph letter ; such a letter as Queen Victoria has ere now proved she can write; a letter not merely of graceful acknowledgment, but full of that deep feeling which speaks from heart to heart, and at once ennobles the sovereign and the subject —Morning Post. ACCIDENT TO THE EMPRESS OF AIISTRIA.—The Vienna Preen relates that on the 13th inst., about noon, as Her Ma jesty the Empress Elizabeth was proceeding to Schiinbrunn in a carriage and four, the horses took fright in the Mariahfilfer High-street. The coach-man endeavoured to stop them by turning them into a narrow side street. The horses however rushed back to the High-street, the two leaders broke loose, and the coachman being hurled from his box was severely in jured. The two wheelers being now wholly unrestrained, dashed on, when a carter coming in the contrary direction, with great presence of mind, drew up his cart across the street, and in this manner stopped the flight of the animals. Her Majesty during the whole of this occurrence preserved her usual calmness, stepped immediately into a private carriage passing near at the time, and drove back to the castle (Hof burg) amid the loud cheers of the people, as Her Majesty de termined on proceeding to Schonbrunn in another carriage. SAMUEL ROGERS, the poet, died on Tuesday morning, at his house in St. James's-place, London, in the presence of Dr. Beattie and Mr. E. Paine, his attendant. Mr. Rogers was born about, the year 1760, and had therefore attained the venerable age of 95. In 1787, after completing a course of travel, be published his "Ode to Superstition," and other poems ; and five years later appeared his "Pleasures of Memory," by which his fame as a poet was established. In 1798, he published his "Epistle to a Friend," and other poems; in 1814, his " Vision of Columbus and Jacqueline ;" in 1819, "Human Life ;" in 1822, the first part of his " Italy," on the illustrations and printing of which he is said to have spent £lO,OOO. Mr. Rogers's house, in St. James's-place, is a treasury of art. The pictures are amongst the very best of their class, and, though few in number, are said to have cost £6,000. ILLUST_RATIONS OF ENGLISH PROVERBS. "A merry Christmas and a happy new year!" A PROVERB this in general use just now—a greeting to be found in every body's mouth. Well, if the lips truly had as close a connection with the heart as they ought to have, the wish would be sincere, and being sincere, whether realized or not, would bring home to the object of our professed regard a feeling of trust and thankfulness. There is, however, in these our days such a hypocritical assumption of the garb of friendship, that renders it a very difficult matter to ascertain the real meaning and expression of seemingly kind words and offices; there exists a hollowness, a rottenness in what looks to be the soundest heart : in a word, those about us in the dealings of life, are not in a great measure what they appear to be. In this respect they may be said to resemble a mirage in the desert, which seems in the distance to be a lake of water; but, instead of relieving the thirst of the perishing caravan, allures with false hope, and serves only to provoke the dying curse of those whom it deceives. Just as a cypress tree, so is mere profession of e3teem: it is tall and command ing, but where is the fruit ? Let us, then, and especially at this festive season, seek to cultivate true sincerity of heart, for without it all our good wishes, or even acts of so-called kindness, are but as " sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." If from the world without, however, we are led to suspect so much deceitfulness and empty show, we may, at least, look upon the family hearth and social circle, and there indulge in a real and genuine reciprocity of good will. Christmas, therefore, is a time especially calculated to teach us the com forts of one's own fireside,—to draw and knit together the more sacred relationships of life in closer bonds of peace and love. In this respect, "there is no place like home." Here, at least, is a sanctuary amid all the losses and troubles of life. If there be kindness anywhere, it must be found at home ;—if obedience to every wish,—if the thousand delicate attentions which, like the tree cast into the bitter waters of Marah, render life sweet,—if true sympathy, if a feeling of security and independence, if liberty without restraint, — where can these be found except they be found at home ! Home is the citadel in which we are to select our weapons and gird on our armour, which shall fortify us amid thehard ships and struggles of this mortal life. A happy, united home may be well compared to a perfect lightning conductor, down which the fire of heaven will run innocuously, without endangering the edifice. Home is as a beehive : there may he much toil, much change, but there will always be a honeyed sweetness. Without a home, we may be compared to the cuckoo, which has no nest ; or the butterfly, which has no hive. The one, is it not proverbial for selfishness and folly and the other for levity and worldly-mindedness ? But the domestic hearth, on the contrary, may be likened to the parent hen or insect bee : here is affection and frugal industry Again, home is home, be it never so "lowly ;"—it is not the noblest mansion or the greatest luxuries of food and clothing which constitute a happy home ! Listen to Bobby Burns : " At length his lowly cot appears in view, Beneath the shelter of an aged tree. The expectant ' wee things' toddling, stagger through To meet their dad, with fluttering noise and glee. His clean hearth-stone, his thrifty wife's smile, The lisping infant prattling on his knee, Does all his weary, carking cares beguile, And makes him quite forget his labour and his toil." Join we, then, with hearty chorus, and around the Christmas fireside — "'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home; A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there, Which, wherever we rove, is not met with elsewhere. Home! home I sweet home: There's no place like home, there's no place like home ! Liverpool, December, 1855. G. D. A CHESTER TRADESMAN DUPED BY A WELSH HEIRESS! Ix is not often that such an instance of egregious simplicity on one part, and of barefaced impudence on the other, is ex hibited, as appears in the narrative we are about to relate of a circumstance which occurred in Chester, within the last few days. In fiction, there is nothing in " Gil Blas" that can equal it; and it transcends, in real life, the impudence and successful stratagems of Alice Grey. We will mercifully suppress the name of the unfortunate hero of the tale, and call him Mr. Green ; as the dread laugh of the community would be too great an infliction, in addition to the disappointment and dis grace which have fallen upon the victim of his own credulity and cunning, while thinking he was stealing a march upon others. About a fortnight ago, a person engaged in business in this city, a widower with four children, while employed at Rhyl in superintending some works of construction, obtained information that there was a young lady there with plenty of money, - and who was very anxious to form an eligible matri monial connexion. On that hint our townsman spoke, he being equally on the look-out. When flint and steel come into collision, ignition speedily takes place ; and, accordingly, the preliminaries of introduction were soon got through, and it was agreed that he should accompany her lo St. As:111 where she wished to prove the will of her brother, who fell in the Crimea, under which she became possessed of consi derable property—say £12,000, in land and mortgages. With great dexterity, and with more knowledge of matters and things in general than an innocent Welsh girl is presumed to be endowed, she so timed the trip to the registrar's, at St. Asaph, that she arrived there on a Saturday, just after the Will-office had dosed. As nothing could be done until Monday, and she was eager to get out of the clutches of her guardian, who had destined her to be the bride of an elder suitor whom she detested, she intimated that so great a catch as herself might be under espionage, and she dared not go home for her luggage; so our cit induced her to accompany him to Chester, where he prudently lodged her at the house of a reputable householder of much experience in nautical matters. Mr. Green then asked the advice of his late gover nor, who, on a pensive review of the circumstances, advised him not to let the prize out of his sight until the knot was firmly tied. On Monday morning, the enamoured swain, in toxicated with hope and joy, proceeded to obtain a license, but the surrogate to whom he applied mistook the cause and symptoms of his excitement, and suggested that he should come again when he was more collected. As time pressed he repaired incontinently to his solicitor in Newgate-street, who was in London ; but the head-man, with whom he communi cated, considering that such windfalls are of rare occurrence, and seeing the inconvenience of delay, recommended that the lady should get the ticket, as it was no matter whether " M. or N." took the oath. Thereupon, be went in search of the fair one, who was agreeably employed in spending some score or two of pounds which he had drawn from the Bank for that 'purpose. Silk dresses, shawls,&c., had been bought at a mercer's in Foregate-street, and he traced her to a shoemaker's in East gate-street, where she had just equipped herself with a pair of boots. It appears that when the fit was adjusted, she had taken a new pair of stockings from her bag, and, to the amazement of Crispin, took off the pair on her feet, and pulled on the new ones. The shoemaker, who is a very modest man, turned aside during ths toilette o p ri ie e d u s s , a o sp n te lh i p ; principle we suppose of the poet' s mnutim greatly relieved when the bridegroom in then s lilicense, ea arrived n d to interrupt the colloquy . She soon obtained very readily answered the question of her age, by stating that " she was 21 last Sunday at 2 &clock." Our reverend friend Mr. Marsden spliced the twain the following day, and they proceeded on their wedding tour to Birmingham. En route, the happy husband introduced his bride to his friends at Os westry, among whom was a relative, a draper. In his shop some conversation passed about the neighbouring families, and Mrs. Green asked about a Rev. Mr. —, not that she knew him personally, but she remembered that "poor dear papa had a mortgage of £lOOO on his land." The Oswestry trades man, anticipating business, did his best to conciliate goodwill, and made her a present of a waterproof tweed cloak for tra velling. Up to that time, all had been couleur de rose in the eyes of Mr. Green ; but now he began to think it time to realize the flattering dream, and to replace the sums drawn from his account at the bank. For this purpose it was neces • sary that the trustees of the will should be seen, so, accompa panied by a Boniface friend, they proceeded to Mold by train, and had a car from there to Ruthin. The husband inquiring from the driver for the residence of the trustees at Llanbedr Gate,was informed that the turn to the right would lead to their house. The lady, 'however, preferred going on to Ruthin, as she wished to see her solicitor before the trustees. They came on to the Cross Foxes Inn, and, on alighting, she left her hus band, as she said, for a few moments, under the pretence of calling ou a friend, but did not return, nor has he seen, her since. It has been ascertained that the heroine's name is Elizabeth Williams, and that, two years ago, she lived as ser vant about two miles from Ruthin. She stopped the night after leaving her husband with an old acquaintance, and left early next morning for—no one knows whither. What makes the matter more unpleasant to Mr. Green is, the fact that he had pledged himself to a very amiable person to marry her on New Year's-day, and the match would have been suitable in every respect. Under existing circumstances, his only pros pect is, that he will one day have an application from some clerk of a board of guardians as will, at all events, apprize him of his wife's whereabouts, accompanied with an intimation of chargeability, and the consequences resulting therefrom. — Chester Chronicle. _ 1 he strategic belle is from Velin•y-wig, near Ruthin, where her parents, very humble persons, reside. As might have been expected, when her purse, , which the bridegroom had filled in anticipation of the £12,000, became light, she re turned to her liege lord on Monday evening last, who refused to see her. The excitement which this Alice Grey has ex cited was well supported. A telegraphic message was re ceived in the course of Monday, by a friend of the duped husband, announcing the unwelcome intelligence that Mrs. Green, or more properly Mrs. Lewis, was en route to Chester for the purpose of demanding the support and pro tection of her lawful husband. The lady duly arrived in the course of the evening at the Swan, in Foregate-street, the hostlery of the friend of Mr. Green, who went with him to Rnthin to take possession of her supposed wealth,' where her reception, as is usual with persons of distinction, created an immense excitement. Mr. Green, we were informed, was at an inn in the same locality, but indignantly refused an interview with the Welsh heiress, and legally and physically his better half. The lady remained at the Swan during Monday evening, and as she was decked in all the bridal finery purchased at the expense of Mr. Green, sat as if " at home," surrounded by numerous friends and visitors, who arrived in rapid succession, not particularly to pay their re spects to the wedded lady on her return, but to obtain a view of one who, by her successful duplicity, has surpassed ,the heroine in the Bristol hoax, or even the artful ability dis played by Alice Grey. Such was the excitement to get a peep at the wily lady, that the Swan was crowded during the night, and the patronage which has been bestowed on that establishment by the Welsh heiress is, we have no doubt, duly appreciated by the landlord—the friend of Mr. Green. The bride, we hear, intends to take forcible possession of the house of her husband and protector, who in return threatens illegal and revengeful steps on the person of his bride. Such is the honeymoon !—Chester Courant. , w L ECESItEg 24, INia . . WHOLESALE P 0 ISON-1 - S 6 * 000 0 A BLACK-LOOKING CASE OF POISONING has Leicestershire. Mr. John Parsons Cook, a sporting b y- e d man, residing at Lutteworth, was th e owner of a horse as , 111 05 , Polestar, which won t wo o f th e s t a k es a t the Shre sro o races. Whilst at Shrewsbury, after the , race, Mr. C° °piey, taken suddenly ill. He was subsequently removed to R u 6" be where he had been stayi ng b e f ore th e ra ces, and wh ere ot died in five days after hi s re t urn . Suspicions as to t he f a je, of his death arose, and a po s t mor t em exam ination was Portions of the intestines were sent to Dr. Taylor, Friday a coroner's jury hea rd the evidence of the who were present. Dr. Taylor said—" My belief is died from tetanus, and that tetanus was caused by ine u o given to him shortly before his death. He proceede d t : n that all the symp toms tended to show that a dose of 5t 31 , e ' 1 ,4 had been administered. Taking into account the e/ 11° ', / : the symptoms, he had not the slightest hesitation is coy that the deceased had died from the effects of strYnn ir/e „ the tamed in the pills which appeared to have been gi ve 'g r , deceased by Mr. Palmer." It was then proved t ht o Palmer had purchased six grai ns o f s trychnine ;fly! chemist; that on the evening after the race - 110 ' o fs I had pressed the decease d to drink something 00' 3' de°° an glass, purporting to be gr og, w hi c h caus ed the i ll to exclaim, " There is something in it—it h" — 0 00 throat awfully !"—or words to that effect; that b e bad afterwards became sick, and ex pressed the belief that b , e t iot been " dosed .'? The jury returned a unanimous verdict; Do the deceased died of poison, wilfully administered o de by William Palmer, and the co roner i mm ediaL , e '' to the out his warrant for the committal of Mr. Palm er ~ A county gaol at Stafford, on charge of " w ilf u l ran. vaer. t th , st motive for the alleged crime is supplied by the ' 5 c various betting and bill transactions had passed betw ee tbao Palmer and deceased. Moreover, it is stated that 01.6 ; e5 0 one other of Mr. Palmer's relatives and acquain ts : o or now remembered to have died suddenly, the aecuse u offected large assurances on their lives, in one or two in pro' not very long previously to their decease, and it is fe lie/ST bable that the bodies will be exhumed. Mr. Williat e Jones, a surgeon at Lutterworth, who was es dled' ,, l tO t Palmer, on Mr. Cook bein g fi rs t se i ze d , gave a t the 1- 1 1 the the following dreadful account of hi s d ea th :—"W e , : e , the patient to arrange what should be given him 31t' night ; and it was proposed between Mr. Palmer O A lit tle Bamford that the morphine pills should be , repeated. d 1,0" after eleven o'clock at night, Mr. Palmer came over Pe e ' duced the pills, which he gave t o M r . C oo k in m 1 trese Mr. Cook made strong protestations against takingthe l 'ost that he was certain they made him ill the night before. 0 11 , immediately after he had swallowed the pills he von 3l t te'3 co ol- I and Mr. Palmer searched the vesse l f or th e pins, no. I not detect them. At his suggestion I slept in the /9 0 0 had not been in bed more than a qua r t er o f a n hour O r the minutes when he suddenly jumped up in bed, uttelle bell words: ' Doctor, get up ; I am going to be ill ; ring for Mr. Palmer.' Mr. Palmer came in the space 0f N vec site ,e; nutes, making the remark that he thought he I.' dressed so quickly in his life. (Mr. Palmer lives °Pr e ece I .'ff Talbot Arms, where Mr. Cook was s t o ppi ng .) I be'l'ai Palmer gave him two pills which he b roug ht with 1 ; 1 which he told me contained ammo n i a . Immedinte l lbites eft taking the pills he uttered loud scre ams , an d thresv_asteu back on the bed in very str o n g c O nvu l s i ons . He then re 03' to be raised up, saying, ' I shall be suffocated. h spa s,D 5 t voured to raise him up, but he wa s so s tiff en ed out wd'd that it was impossible to do so. Wh en h e found o ver ol ° I raise him, he said, ' Turn me over,' and I turned Lar w hich his right side. I listened to the action of his he ' died' found to gradually cease, as an onfix d hed i is n a few min_,,nt es , were 0 . have never seen symptoms so strong before. 'ln ip e-' o f t he 7 0 toms of convulsions and tetanus ; every rsuse.h is body '• it Taylor found no poison, on s w t a re s t s c t h i e ff d en o e u d t . , n The j a restingwas and strY ~,,t analysis of the org'' • fact that he added, differed from all other i s the o f oisons, f was rapidly absorbed into the blood • rs _ 9 t h e COUI IS . ,pe• hour after administration , and It t i ected by any I ; o a,Y could not , be of the iv mica test at present k sh T ow h e e d G n la o b t e ra s c a e i s s o .._ f d l i v se e Wing up anhedadclosed.hegs". Prcohfnes; The drawing like a bow, as describednionllirevidence, was 3 PeC l/ .d feature of poison by strychnine. Jones's ' 1)od of the deo de rst a c es transpired tending to establishother against v , stv charges Palmer, the surgeon, who has nd Th th e at ci y rculnS.. ll „ T V I been committed to Swot gaol on a charge of poisoning Mr. Cook. It is said Palmer insured his wife's life for gi • d sh°' e 3,000. She die th afterwards, and upon the usual probate being produm"hro• money was duly paid by the office. He then induced biS ther, Walter Palmer, o insure his life for a similar suanC t of afterwards obtained ' the transfer of it on an alleged £4OO, which he (William Palmer) stated was due to I ' i .', P ore his brother. Palmer made every endeavour to full'teZl f rom this life but in consequence of an anonymo c us,. , 50 d the Stafford it was declined. The brother has since lar arnsutiii,tj usual demand was made for the m oney hav in g " eite they and the previous death of Palmer's w i f e ' f fi ces concern ed , suspicion of the numerous insurance ° the hands of Inspec deemed it prudent to place the matter in Private Inquiran tor Field's (late of the Detective Police),_ ~,nson, the most office. Mr. Field, with his assistant, Mr. '-' l ' c 'f' a ft eri the Int at once to Stafford and the Isle of Man, and, of uPyra, searching investigation, extending over a period of c reported ertaw of six weeks, to the various insurance 0,11 to form s_ startling revelations which induced the office t o thes e . "defence fund," for the purpose of mutual rear tam' infortnatl attempts. 3lr. Field having, gathered certain, saran f that Palmer had endeavoured to effect an in ' w i ser r e ' X 25,000 upon the life of "a gentleman" whom, „,,,_ d „we . , ported to live "on his estate" near a village in Stan°. posit° proceeded there, and found that other persons in high n dioB had conspired with Palmer to falsely represent the ef r o the in life of the individual, who was, iu fact, no other P weet Palmer's occasional groom, renting a bedroom at 2s. pn;reot The prisoner, William Palmer, since his con fi t gaol, has preserved the same determination to abstain ee din 8 5 entirely from food as he did during the lengthened Pr" connected with the inquest. of State' In compliance with the request of the Secretal who wo the bodies of Ann Palmer, wife of the prisoner , r otbe r f buried in September, 1854, and of Walter Palmer, bl as b t, who was buried in the same family vault in Augus t m oell 3 L, exhumed on Friday, and were conveyed from the o P f .t i veui;', to the Talbot Inn, adjoining. At one o'clock a jurY„, eteP s three persons, principally tradesman of' Rugeley, Iv as elled to investigate the case. The body of Walter ;Ajmer encased in a strong leaden coffin, but that of Mrs. an oak coffin only. tr l `' ereo The jury proceeded to view the bodies, which Y 1 decomposed, but the features of both were recognis e t he great extent. " Evidence was afterwards taken before the coroner idestLa identity of the bodies—a young man named Woollen' s i er ing that of Walter Palmer, and a woman named BOW of Ann Palmer. O P O il The examination was made by Mr. Monckton, as ,pal one or two medical assistants, and the contents of the°, 00, and intestines were subsequently sent to Dr. Taylor , "' Hospital, for analysation. - - The inquiry was then adjourned. MARKETS FOR MANUFACTURES' MANCHESTER.—Considering the period of the ye , '' market continues in a decidedly favourable condition . ;e el ° is hardly so much doing as has been the case for several dter past ; but this arises, in part, from a natural pant.tl' e transactions that have been sufficiently extensive to el`" T ice, s ' market of stocks and to cause a gradual stringency in Yo which has at length induced buyers to pause fora ti;ro: their operations. On Tuesday the market was exceea'oo firm, and for some things a steady demand continued. Qirlee was particularly the case as regarded India goods. 4, fcs Tuesday the same aspect has been preserved, and 0700, large quantities of goods, at a shade below the fullee:,are have not met with very ready acceptance. In fact, aearqr.,llof either goods or yarns, it is rarely that at 01, 1 1 P s hi r tinel juncture such small stocks have been held. in, wa t ;th prie g (40 inch) have continued in very good deraan" , ‘:" c an ' gradually hardening, especially where early deliver% to til e secured. Indeed, for all descriptions of goods e tlitabi India and China trade, the inquiry has been generals TP , A ree„; extent, that most descriptions are becoming decidedly s ca rce and therefore very full prices have been paid. For the_ C o` market there is still but little doing.. The home tra o c l o lo.. tinues healthy, and for good printing cloths and tt,e there has been a fair inquiry. H e avy goods are still ( 112 ,'„ o no quantities of any magnitude are held. Yar ns yet , moderate demand. India qualities have been rather (I since the beginning of the week, but without in al; re, affecting the firmness of prices. For Germany there,4oout much doing; but for the Meniterranean a very steady aa're is experienced. The inquiries for yarns for home use,,,,j c p! so general as last week, but still a fair business is prices a shade . below the extreme rates then quoted. file cheater Courier. to 0, ROCIDALE.—WOOI : Sales have been limited, 00.114 " desire on the part of most, only to supply immedial s s on account of the nearness of Christmas. There Tti f Av k ' feeling in all kinds of wool, and prices keep remarkoeger' t 10 —Flannel : There is very little alteration from 1 °2 1 4cl Stocks are light, and in home-made prices are uneol a the lower kinds of Yorkshire goods prices are a ebs i r m a and business flat. In the better kinds we have t o trade, at former rates. d A T I CO HUDDBRSPIRLD.—Stocks are low, and there is le T , disposition to press sales out of their regular •ivf l l' '0 are about the same, and about the same amount dei n tiocelpi# BLACKBURN YARN MARKET.—The increased tig- of monetary matters, and the usually curtailed business, trvfe period of the year, necessarily limits the amount ,e e4 lO o f actions; and although, to induce operations, lower. PP' sil t been submitted to, there has been but a small 14133° „ ,,t1i i business. p er- o ff LEEDS.—Not much doing in the Cloth-halls. ,S o wveite, close of the year this is usually the case. There Is' n ee a very hopeful expectation that the trade will irolnl o ri, Christmas ; in consequence the mills are as well eel, usual at this season. Prices without alteration. Bl isl been very dull in the warehouses this week. to ~vfer, BRADFORD.—WOOI : The supplies of- wool colow„„ r ket are not great, and the staplers hold for prices tvZrojio the trade, which curtails the business doing. brokes are still dull, and prices unsatisfactory. -- ""11 0 V bu s iness doing is steady, and prices firm.—Pieces , p ee nothing cheering in this department, nor do we e ' el, material alteration till the turn of the year. `,,,, 5 y v ! 0 4 0 ', 1 NOTTINGIIAM.—LICE : Most houses are now finishing or in the midst of stock taking. A 'e..„ - c W I : buyers have been down to buy for after stock, 5'",."00 sprinkling of American orders to finish up the s', "s 11 ,r" been given out. With these exceptions, the tratt' e l ypie but not more so than is usual at this season of c eo 3 o / 4 Hosiery : Manufacture is in a quiet state. Ord e l fs c ickt o' 4 hand to some extent, but the trade in gene rn. ,,,„re exhibit much activity. Still, upon the whole , much substantial reason for complaint. LEICESTER. —The weather is now favourable for tk,etiocer‘; of winter goods, and small orders for assort ing arriving. The prices of wool and yarns have a tendeiw Di )11 ''''rr's ( t l '3 t f t he Pu kiece_r, took. 4_7Pan y bcae 11 E :1 o ° r ß s Rock ,4t, Gds nc is in t Ifter Trann #!K A I:ei e .. nded D re &c , ii'd„,t 2 ,3 . 21 is d •&,i . ~N. ‘(') 1 F Tiler mina Ik te "°/"S• Sell lc are boi i"arY of eertifipd Li on 6Y of the I Quo mak, u s 1 !‘ 1 3: a y 4411 c807 ' erry , , 6,4_ JUL . 11 ;e ' Pr er i Re had Oatterl :;orthoaislf(i' 'secasio QOr his k, l to t , .• h. im, afro the k (1 ,,0n b€ Lractu 44.11.iuries. ~.CII Sri 'Pa, in r r ates of h i "' doubt 1 • I „. 1 . came C. 'ss fo ai: liv e d i . When I , ber had Recto' as his to of tt 'tr as sec L lited chat heavily td receiv( ,z e z greate orbital i:ario ;1) of £i e.,, were ',Zak the j :' Q u buri ,ti,7l•tak 00, 1:1 lele:rteer 4 4 1 111 enc€ kt , 14 " w '4t;,, - . -e be ye in to but in? „ 1115 ' . tighta ~didr (trove kositio the • ins ;,, d h i re in 'ents h: I \ 4l le left exec Pon p tt i os tt made ed on 0] the ;time it hurt on liti ga th r totfie eard i n I`B.iudgi (;1 "i 1 ,4 hl . 1 44 41 )r a loc 4 be et and e i • Nt: ( 1 I h.kntit4 rial I tt,N 'etti t e o. e tt v 414 4 tls rNiti v tol es : 3 ). Are? k°i3:ltb Ika /41 i 8 € of l k o n the dist by si pri itty r han( )1. thei Whicl