The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-10-27 00:00:00

e Two " The -N e young and beautiful m forget f Alex the parched mouths fixed in of the rocky caves, in vain , above all, th ;ne in bronze Lt of I is equal f What a grandeur in th filth and sat es from s ies there, to t and neglect of twe coeses, full of much injured and dilapidated ; while the great tower frowns in its lofty eminence, grand and imposing to the last. Nismes was taken by the English in 1417. Louis XIV. destroyed the Calvanist power, their chapel, and built a castle to keep them in awe. Nismes is seated in a fertile plain, abounding with oil, wine, game, fruits, and cattle; while at Nismes, I was told the Pont du Garde, an immense Roman bridge was an object of great in. terest. I hired a voiture, and proceeded alone to inspect it ; and of all the bridges that ever were constructed, this appeared to me to be the most durable, simple, and irtind in its simplicity, rising from the depth of the val ley, and uniting two lofty hills by arches 192 feet in height, and 580 feet long. This stupendous bridge and -ieduct may rank with the Pyramids of Ghizah and the To be sure, I clambered over this ; and my impressions, of course, not then having seen the last two wonders of world, and to which the bridges of Menai, Conway ad Hungerford, are but as ele4a , first amphitheatre at Nismes, and those I have seen sin Coliseo at Rom wondrous work alon were vivid nt fillagree work xplored at Verona Rome, Polo, and part of 'a still larger one than any of these at Vi t excava )w the wonderful pow iberalit works of sands, from barren tatraturr. ETCHES OF A TRIP TO THE CONTINENT, ITALY, AND EGYPT. Y EDWIN ET A ES Q. TVritten for the Li' tandard.) tuber I into a cab for t parable from t rt found over Engbind, Fra many, Sicily, and Egypt, ti less th spots of earth, dragged from the beds of rivers, none apply )rolific in thei an Father Thames—all ice held . . y, I proceeded to Beaucaire, and 700 paces in length over the Rhine, pro ce to Marseilles. By the by, here let 'osstng ceeded by d me caution any voy enteen hours, doing sew Aix, and thence by steamer, 'own the Rhon kix is a lar country a' ve water indignantly pr great that t transact its 1., rig onl Decided in mud and water, near the ruins of Memphis ; 3: although a friend of mine offered to land it in London - 'OO, this also has been declined.—But let us proceed 3r Chalon ;.3 the office, and t ,-sur 7 Saone ; sorest trial of tr tience in all my travels hours s and a half, t nd walk the deck one of those long be Rhone and the Saor itfts on the Rhine ! It n their nec of Country Life without of the poor the could net stop to visit is rich and luxuriant. All the way to Montpelier is a lively neighbourhood. The springs at Aix are medicinal ; and many bronze images left by the Romans have been dug up, which display the high esteem the waters were held in by that sagacious but Cruel people, that subjugated all Europe and great part of the inhabited portion of the globe. At Marseilles, I stopped at the Hotel of the Em peror, and a very comfortable house I found it ; but a grand funeral ceremony, with the military, mutes, and sable-clad officials, ill accorded with the bustle of this large hotel ; but is not our life a journey, our solemn 1 the grave the port where Moored in safety's breas. We mock the mountain wave and tr VARIETIES WINDMILLS IN HOLLAND.—There are 1800 engines of this description in Holland, averaging a force of 90,000 horses power, of which 60,000 are required to keep the —The Builder SUBSTITUTE FOR CREAM IN COFFEE. Beat the cite of an egg to a froth. Put to it a small lump of butter, and poor the coffee on it gradually, so that it may not curdle. It is difficult to distinguish the taste from ORIGIN OF THE WORD " TOADEATER." -At the final overthrow of the Moors, the condition of the Mo risco population in Spain was scarcely better than that of the Helots of Sparta, or the Fellahi of Egypt. under the The Castilians, I too proud to wait upon each other, made use of alien humble and obedient servants-of-all-work, whose satisfied masters lavished on them the affectionate diminutives mi lodilo, mi lorlila, " my all and everything," the tru etymon of Toadeater.— Quarterly Revicie AD AMPER TO ELOQUENCE.—Amusing scenes occur nally in grave assemblies. During the late session of the New Hampshire Legislature a newly-fledged ora tor rose to make his maiden speech in the House of Re presentatives. A bill had been brought in to tax bank dividends, and watching his opportunity the debutant ad dressed the members:—" Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Dover, who introduced this bill, does not seem to be aware of its inevitable results. He would strip the widow." (Roars of laughter, and cries of " The widow who ?" " What widow!" " Not in this public hall, I hope," &c.) As soon as the tumult had subsided in some degree, and the orat or cou ld ma k e hi mse lf h ear d, he put me down - by clamour —" Gentlemen need not think to Is there no 'sympathy here than stripping. Put on this tax, and I say you drive the widow to her last shift." here the clamour became so speaker, despairing of a hearing, resumed ,ular business.—Neto York Paper AT CAIRO THE ARRIVAL OF THE OVERLAND MAIL —You can imagine nothing to equal the bust! of Cairo during the two last days ; at no time a very quiet place, was absolutely hurried into hysterics the day before yesterday, by the arrival of the two overland mails, one going out to India, the other coming from it, and leo : •1 both depositing for a few hours their respective live car- goes in the old e city of the The confusion this incursion occasions cannot be described, in a place like two European hotels, which are generally•tolerably well filled with other travellers, and the proprietors of which are not over inclined to put themselves much out of the way for mere birds of passage like the Indian passengers, who are not allowed to make any delay at Cairo beyond the necessary time for making up the mails. It often happens that the floors and stair cases of these two hotels are dotted with the accommodation of ladies' maids, &c. & Itervals of re- I three children are stowed away for the night on the top of I. I • . _ mattresses for c., and two or and not unfrequently when ti believe themselves to be peaceably disposed of until the morrow, they are suddenly roused up in the middle of the night, and obliged to resume their fatiguing progr , Certainly, those who have borne th_ the most of their time during their short stay here, such scampering about upon donkeys as there is ! such displays journey well, wall of pink and blue bonnets, and dandy travelling-caps, hastily turned out of their band-boxes to create a momen tary sensation ! such cheerful faces beneath them of lovely young girls and light-hearted young cadets on their way out to India, the world all before them, and every thing tinged with the bright hues of hope ! And, on the other hand, many a wan and sallow face , and broken-down form, are to be seen.—Mrs. Romer's Pilgrimage. SHEEP-SHEARING FEAST.—The great copper is filled with furmity, made of boiled wheat, which, when cold, cuts like jelly ; currants, raisins, spices of every kind ; sugar shot in, in pounds, which, when boiled enough, is emptied into basins and pans, and cooled with new milk. Round this delicious mess assemble the young, three, or eating out of one pansion, or large earthenware vessel, about two feet wide. Sometimes they quarrel like pigs around a trough—one has thrown a spoonful of furmity into the other's face ; others have left off, and . gone into the orchard to swing ; the great kitchen is a very Babel of sounds. Sometimes the feast is in the barn; the immense door is turned into a table, and almost bends beneath its load of provisions. We talk of roast beef—taste what is placed before them ! quell of that chine ! what a nosegay ; it is stuffed with all with the kinds of savoury herbs : it tastes like duck, goose, pork, veal, as if all good things were rolled into [t and made one. It would make a sick man well only to smell of it. What slices ! what appetites ! what horns of brown ale they empty ! A waiter in a London eating house hr qt-'^'--- I would run away horror-stricken, arm proclaim a coming famine throughout the land. They eat their peas by spoonfuls ; a new potato vanishes at every mouthful ; dishes are full and emptied ere you can turn your head. That was a whole bam ten minutes ago ; now you behold only the bone. Who ever before saw such enormous plum-pud dings? Surely they have eaten enough. Why, that broad shOuldered sun-burnt fellow has clapped a solid pound upon his plate—it is burning hot : look how he holds that large lump, and blows it between his teeth ; the tears fairly start into his eyes. Where are those legs of mutton? the chines, and sirloins, and egebones of beef? Gone, for ever gone. And now come the custards, and cheese-cakes, and tarts. The men will assuredly burst : see, they un- 2iefs,_ their waistcoats, as if they were ig to begin again in downright gamest. Every man ns as if he had brought the appetiTe of three.—Pietures EDUCATION OF THE POOR.- og a few words SNOW-HARVESTING AT NAPLES (From " Matlivarlane's Popular ,Customs Sports, and .Recollections of the South of Italy.) To supply the city of Naples, one of the largest cities of Europe, which has a population of 450,000 souls—all snow consumers—a very extensive mountain-range is put into requisition. From the Appenines, and from all the nearer branches and ramifications of those moun tains, snow during the summer months is constantly be ing brought into the city by land and sea—always, how ever, by sea when practicable, as by that mode of con veyance it is kept cleaner, loses less by melting, and costs less for carriage. Hundreds of men and boys are em ployed exclusively on this business. A mountain that contributes very materially to the supply of the capital is Monte Sant' Angelo, the loftiest point of the bold pro montory that separates the Bay of Naples from the Bay of Salermo. This mountain, which towers majestically behind the town and seaport of Castellamare, near the end of the Neapolitan Bay, is only about twelve miles from Naples itself. On account of the short distance, and the advantage of an easy water carriage, the snow is there harvested with great industry and care, and Monte Sint' Angelo is well provided with caves and chasms as we have described. Some of these contain singly an im mense heap of snow, but prodigious as the quantity may be, it rapidly disappears before the labours of the work men, who, with iron-spiked poles and shovels, dig into it, and break it UP much after the fashion of men working in salt mines. These labours, for a very obvious reason, when, in the day time, Fahrenheit's thermometer often marks 90 degrees or 100 degrees in the sun, are nearly all performed during the cool of the evening and at night. Long strings of mules, each like a little caravan, ascend the mountain to the snow cause. There they are loaded with the snow broken into large lumps, and secured from the external atmosphere as well as may be, and then, with all the speed that can be managed with heavy bur den!, and on steep, precipitous, and, in parts, very dan gerous roads, they descend by Quisisana to Castellamare and the whurfs, where large roomy boats are in readiness to receive their loads. As soon as the very perishable cargo of one of these boats is completed and covered over with straw, dry leaves, and tarpaufing, it pushes off di rect for N , ples. The time of their departure is from twelve o'clock at night to one or two in the morning. They are all furnished with mast and sails, which may be useful on their return ; but as there is seldom a breath of wind on a summer's night in this bay, they are of little use in going to Naples, and the sailors are obliged to pull the boats with oars and long sweeps. This labour, from the clumsy, bad construction of the vessels, and the dead weight thrown into them, is excessively severe, particu larly when t hey are delayed in starting, and threatened with the heat of the rising sun before trey can reach the port of Naples. Fire ought to be brought to the aid of snow. A small steam-boat might tow over a line of these vessels without any uncertainty as to time. During the summer nights, at the town of Castellamare, the tramp ling of the mules from the mountain, the cries and songs of the muleteers, the putting off of the snow-boats, and the shouts of the mariners, the roll of whose heavy oars is heard far across the bay, are scarcely ever interrupted for five minutes at a time. When the snow-boats arrive in the port of Naples they are quickly unloaded by a number of facchini, or porters, regularly appointed to that ser vice. These fellows, who are very active and very strong, though their principal food is bread, olives, garlic, and other vegetables, with now and then a good dish of mac caroni. run with their loads of snow from the water side to a large cool building erected on purpose to receive it. This building, which is called " La Dogana della Neve," or the Snow Custom House, is situated a little in the rear of the port, at the distance of a few hundred yards from the great Neapolitan Custom House. To this general de pot the retail dealers come to furnish themselves from all parts of the vast town ; and there is scarcely a street in Naples, however miserable and remote it may be, but has its snow-shop. By an old law of the country, these shops are never allowed to be shut up during the hot weather, either by night or by day ; or, if the owner closes the door or absents himself, he must leave some one in the shop ready to serve, should snow be called for. DR. TumvstiLL's TANNING.—The new method is to prepare a mixture of sugar and water and sawdust—it may be of any other substance containing saccharine mat ter, such as beetroot, potatoes, turnips, honey, &c. The action of the sindr and proxalic, or wood-spirit, is so ra pid that the skins are rendered fit to receive and imbibe the tannic acid immediately ; and thus the operation of tanning is perfectly accomplished in a very short time. The leather thus produced is heavier and of finer quality than any leather produced by the present method of tan ning. This method of removing the lime is of vast im portance, as it not only improves the leather in weight and durability, but enables the tanner to produce a supe nor article in a much less space of time, and at a much less expense than heretofore. The advantages of the new method appear to be, first, a great additional weight of leather, especially in calf-skins ; second, leather of a much better Quality, soft and not liable to crack or strain; third, a considerable diminution in the expense; and fourth, the tanning is effected in one quarter of the time consumed by the present mode of tanning.—Hall's Book of the Feet. AUSTRALIAN SERPENTS.—I have met with several and witnessed many wonderful and narrow escapes. A friend, who had been out shooting for some hours, coming home tired, without thought or reflection, was on the point of throwing himself on a stretcher to rest, when he was sud denly pulled back by a bystander, who had observed a tre mendous brown snake coiled up on the opossum cloak. He was horrified but providentially saved. The snake of course was soon dispatched. Another friend, on a cruise, put his saddle down for a pillow at night, as usual, and on lifting up the saddle flaps the next morning, he observed a beastly deaf adder lying flat down. He soon dropped the saddle, and killed the snake. While giving our horses water one day, my cousin saw a black snake, half in and half out of the water; he shot it and put it upon an ant hill, to watch the ants at work. While so engaged, its mate came at 114 , passing over my instep, in a state of great excitement: it was also shot. On going over the Main Range a deaf adder was observed creeping on a poor quail, which crouched on the ground fascinated. We allowed the poor bird to fall a victim, and then struck at the adder. The blow did not take effect, and the reptile sprang three feet at my friend, who escaped unhurt. The adder was subsequently killed. Again, being one day encamped on the Main Range, for the purpose of cutting bark with my brother and friend, I had to go down to a little water-hole to fill the quart pots for tea. While stooping down to my task an enormous black snake slid down the bank, quack ing and hissing. Before I could recover from my fright be had passed over my arm and up the opposite bank. I was much too terrified to shoot at him, though I had my gun at my side. Two more instances will suffice. A little child, the daughter of a friend of mine, playing on the ve randah, was on the point of picking up what she thought a varnished piece of wood—so flat and straight was it ex tended—when her father called her back. The snake (for such the piece of wood turned out to be) basking in tFe sun, proved to be a large diamond snake about nine feet long. Again, I was sitting with my sister, after the children were put to bed, and having heard that a snake had been seen in the house during the day, we were fright • ened. While engaged in conversation, we heard noises of " Cab, cah, cah," issuing from the rafters and shingles ; and, to our horror, beheld a nasty, yellow snake hanging down over our heads, as if about to spring upon us. Up we started ; a gun was brought to bear upon him, and he fell down. I found two mice inside him, for which, no doubt he had visited us.—Hod.oson's Reminiscences of Australia. AN AGED PEASANT WOMAN.—That old woman who resides at the little cottage beside the pond in winter gathers broken branches and decayed boughs in the woods and lanes, and these she ties up in a bundle of nearly a hundred weight, which she carries on her head to the neighbouring market-town, a distance of nearly three miles, and sells for fourpence. Sometimes she makes two journeys a day, and gets a lift on the road in any waggon or cart that may chance to pass, for no one would refuse so small a favour to an old woman. You may meet her at the entrance of the wood on the bleakest day in winter, when the ground is ancle-deep in snow, and no footcnatk but her own has invaded that silent solitude ; her heavy burden on the little roll which sits on the top of her close-fitting cap ; her old-fashioned, faded, black, gipsy bonnet hanging by the strings from her arm, while her weather-stained red cloak adds to her picturesque ap pearance ; and, with a heavy, broken branch for a walk ing -staff, she trudges along through all weathers, nor does she murmur at her hard lot. The ruddy tinge of health is on her rough, hard cheeks, and her face is marked with numbers of small wrinkles, invisible at a distance, and, when seen close, looking like the fine network of of lace. Steadily does she bear her burden, swinging her body to and fro to keep it in even balance ; for, when once placed on the roll on her bead, she has no need to hold it with her hands. Habit has given her a safe mo tion, and her resting-places are the tallest gate-posts where she can place the weighty billet and mount it again on her head without the pain 'of stooping. It would re quire the arms of a strong man to lift that bundle of-wood from the ground, and place it on the round, stuffed roll, that, like a coronet, sits on , the summit of her old mob cap. Beautifully.marked are some of the heavy branches she brings home; covered with various coloured mosses and lichens of every hue, from the frosty-looking white to tha deep orange and richly-hued red, which clings to the bark like icicles. ' Then the aroma she brings with her! that smell of wood and bark; the genuine old forest per fume, retained even while the faggots are burning, and throwing out that delicious fragrance which, on a cold morning, comes so refreshing from the chimneys of a clean, English village; for, next to a hay-field, is the healthy smell of a real forest wood-fire. And oh ! the brown bread, baked upon the hearth by the red embers of wood—sweetest and purest of all . home-made things—to see the dead, white-looking ashes cleared from the round tin or earthen vessel which covers the loaf; and to behold the crisp, umbered crust, and, above all, to have a good appetite and a basin of milk just warm from the cow, and a " hunch " of that warm loaf, is a meal never to be for. gotten. You 'feel as if you were devouring health at every mouthful ; as if you were' swallowing the substance from all sweet country smells and tastes—a mixture of dews from every sweet wild-flower—perfumes from neighbouring hay-fields—hawthorn blossoms gathered, kneaded, and baked—honey with another flavour —cream before it had grown cold or thickened—and the smell of the cows breath floating over all ; - rind, when you have breakfasted, you feel as if you should never again need a doctor, not even if you lived to reach your hundredth year. Happy is that old woman when, seated by her own hearth, she watches the blazes of the' branches she has gathered; the red embers that fall , below, the splutter and crackle of the burning boughs, as the sap comes frothing out ; the fire Seems to talk to her ; it burns not in silence like coals ; it becomes a companion ; and the' old woman half fancies that the faggots are glad that they have made her so warm and comfortable ; they seem to expire cheer fully, as if they preferred such a glowing consumption to lying cold, and frozen, and damp, and covered with snow, and be left to rot in the cheerless, wintry woods. For years has that old woman been a " Faggot Gatherer.'' THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. and as I )at bound to Bou- r) j u red up of fa- by flood and g wort )f departure, I swing of luzgi ort town ruptly wit ernn q whet 3 to feel of Pool; past Black- through the et by the fire anc lwich, Harmer's t! and 10, the long flights of the Ives, tell us plainly, w lang,,hing g, and skipping to and fro the deck, pleased with new object, begin to hang their heads like wind lilies ; the dishevelled tresses, the deadly pale faces, otal abandonment of prudery, these, with utter help lessness and misery, say too plainly that sea sickness it hat can palli lathing can preven B - ut nc t is just visible, 1 . As the mists g approach, for we %. few wa e rolling, rising, 'ailing ship e buzz goes rc relights neces- and our touchinr t all safely landed, rifles in r luggage is taken off en Tr t ar 1 at the French supper, c their light v 'orget the da-ne of sleep, who Two of t Le Continent, and I after they enter ;raveHers are h stant exact ilitary- gentleman quentl*.ocuir- Paris was a dull, u y hours fication as th ad them finish by Mehemet Ali. If nt 1700 pieces of ar- Kilful soldiers to ma pe'and Mehemet Ali, ) science, peace, and which would require 6800 d work them. Louis Phi! Ards of na .ttle and s—the widow's ler arid her babe :o the crevices sties, the Louvre, )i. What a lifelike ,eated in his arm- workmanship and skill art the French nation ours in Trafalgar- mn—ours to' Wilk hat one o 3r years covere Government s colossal statue of 1 sublimity, is half 1 in length to th unceasing volubility of young and warlike France. He aim) in good set terms: her decao, le probity of her merchants gone—_ ad be sold at Leipsic fair--and such a ti. Britain and poor John Bull I never before or since heard. But in a few boors we reach the celebrated city of r..yons. Here the swift Saone and arrowy Rhone form a entincnce. ,Lyons has some remains of a Roman amphi heatre, two academies of art, science, and belles lettres vii contains nearly 200,000 inhabitants. It is protected vin the boisterous north winds. that blow here with inch violence, by the mountain of St Sebastian and two ;.bees. The Museum is large and o -y interesting ; and immense quadrangle, about r' 's square, contains ase to escape the led spri s of the ng perfidious Al a had commenced— igfish goods could irade against little ) yard gi, altars. vases, &c ---- s Plaucus ; ed, foo' ths very and in the wintry month of December I found it It and gloomy as the old and venerable cathedral it- From Lyons, where wooden shoes and Popery abound, was glad to embark on board another fine steamer for Avignon ; so at 6 a.m eve glided down the rushing ys, vast tracks of vines, now 1 town, pass like one con- Rocks, hills, v e quay an before your v motony, as upon the Rhine, you are glad to take to ur book or a game of chess, or order some of the npting wines and refreshments from the stately, well assed, precise stewardess. The waters, as you approach rignon, are sometimes too high to allow a passage under the - lightly-built suspension bridges, or, if a very dry sea sn, too shallow for navigation, and you must betake yourself to a land trip. As it was, we were detained one -night, only a few miles distant from Avignon, some said because the captain's wife lived there, others on account of the state of the river. We, however, arrived at Avig mori at 10 a.m. nest day ; and here I was struck by the clatmge of climate. In London and Paris it was cold, foggy, sleet and rain. At Avignon, as I gazed from the walls of the Papal palace, upon the straggling, ill-built the air was my soft o be in the delightful mosphere of the South of F ti-Popes sleep side by side Many Popes and .e also may be seen the c brated Laza the city of Avignon. !d tomb of Petrarch's husband, Hugh de Sade. talons, have destroyed even lias changes, c uarrels, pretty cl] these celebrated dead the lofty candles, the r-burning lamp, the n 1 Icendini to bea;en's arches,—where the respc and the solemn pealing anth( thoughts of heavenly beatitude, and garden-baskets crowd the e to the Hymn to the Virgin, , raised the rapt soul to —heaps of fruits, seeds, rated temple, now in . , rains / A few years since, and Avignon boasted of seven gates, seven palaces, seven colleges, seven hospitals, and of the seven Popes they Lad once residing within seventy years in the city. Before the Revolution there were also seven nunneries and monasteries ; but these were at that dreadfui , reaction abolished, and the large silver bell, that rang only on the death of the Pope, melted down. The Jews are not now obliged, as at Rome, to dwell in a con fined, filthy, and narrow part of the city; nor are they compelled to wear yellow hats and a particular dress, as if infected with plague. From Avignon I joined a French gentleman in a vol .. meg. H nd, handsome, benevolent e Institute of France, and Ind sympathy I expe. „tor ntleman, a member of tt ever shall I forget the politenes tear short journey from Avignon, vines, to the city of Nimes. our May in England. amps at 4 p.m. were rienced from M.Libri in c through groves of olives Truly, December here was I Around the fountains at Paris scarcely visible : f Nismes, crowds of with children, were basking in the The Roman antiquities at Nismes ex- 3ungers, servants )eceuiber sun around the cited my particular attention and admiration. After a very excellent dinner at the fable d' hate, seated by the side of my kind and attentive new friend, at about the seventh course some dishes of small birds excited the attention of a guest opposite to me, who was very inqui sitive as to the name of the delicate bipeds. " Are they quails ?" " No, dey are not quails." " Thrushes ?" " No." " Larks ?" " No." " Fieldfares ?" "NQ ; I sink in England you call dem foals!" After a comfortable repast, I sauntered forth to see, by the light of the moon, Nismes and its celebrated Roman amphitheatre. Never shall I forget the imPres „ion I felt, •ag turning the corner of a street, it suddenly burst out before my view like a dark gloomy slumbering giant, that had reposed for so many ages, alike defying the crumbling hand of time, and that of the more rude despoiler man. The Maison-earree, or square house, is 45tie of the finest Roman remains of its class in the - world. The temple of Diana, although still beautiful, is ger not to do so, as I was kept se- y miles of most abominable which gbes thr into the Mediterranean to Marseilles id handsome city, which, as I was anxious vities, I ne for the Christrnas fe The country too, about Aix I cannot conclude this 1.1 I be but The proposal that lately has been made tha overnment of the country should undertake to pro vide for the secular education of the people, leaving their religious instruction to the voluntary exertions of the clergy and other ministers of religion, appears to demand some expression of opinion on the part of those to whom the clergy will naturally look in such a matter for council, if not for direction. I said in the charge which I deli vered in 1834, that religion ought to be made the ground work of all education, that its lessons should he inter woven with the whole tissue of instruction, and that its principles should regulate the entire system of discipline in our national schools ; and I added that the lessons of religion could not be rendered less impressive or effectual by being intersperced with teaching of a different kind. I adhere to that opinion, and deprecate, as I have always done, all attempts to divorce religious from secular in struction in the process of education; a separation which must of necessity be made, if the government of the country were to take the education of the people into its own hands, and to provide secular instruction for all, leaving the rule of religious teaching not to Abe masters or mistresses of-schools; who must then, as a bounden duty, manifest an absolute indifferentism, but to the voluntary exertions of the clergy and of the masters of different sects. How far these exertions might be de pended upon, and to what extent they might .clash and interfere with one another, and embitter sectarian feelings, I'Will not stay to inquire; but surely to forbid by law the direct teaching of religion (to prevent the indirect is im possible), to proscribe the reading of the Bible as a sub ject of instruction, and the use !of prayer also by the teachers of schools, would not only deprive religion and knowledge of the support which they ought actually to render each other, and habituate the learner to a notion that religion has nothing to do with the ordinary occupa tions and pursuits of life ; but would unavoidably lead to the training up of a race -of school-teachers devoid of all religious character ; for no truly religious teacher could reconcile it to his conscience to be altogether silent on the most important of all subjects, especially if he saw reason for believing that the minister of religion, to whom that department would be exclusively entrusted was either a negligent or an incompetent instructor. We have only to look to the present state of popular education in Ger many and France to be convinced of the truth of this assertion.—Bishop of London's Charge. GENERAL MISCELLANY. The Ilaydon FUnd subscription has now reached £2200. In the eastern parts of England the potato failure has not been near so general as was anticipated. The import duty on wheat is now 4s. per quarter, the lowest rate of duty under the present corn-law. Mr. M. Short is appointed Police Magistrate, in the room of Mr. Bond, deceased. There is no truth in the report that Mr. Tennyson D'Evncourt has conformed to the Romish faith. Mr.Wombwea had a severe loss at Leicester a few days since, by the death of a rare animal, the chimpanzee. ENORMOUS PRICE OF POTATOES.—Potatoes were sold in the Bath market on Saturday week at one guinea a sack. Tait's Magazine is in the market, the publisher retiring full of honours, although certainly not in years. Lord Palmerston has appointed to a clerkship , in the Foreign-office a son of the Rev, Dr. Wolff. A vessel arrived last week in the London Dock, bring ing from the States 500 tons of ice and 8 boxes of peaches —the latter a very novel article of import from America. A large factory in Macclesfield bas, according to the Macclesfield' Courier, commenced short hours for the workmen, and others are expected jo.follovv. At this moment, there are 100 vessels of different sizes on the stocks at Sunderland, and two or three on an ave rage are launcFed daily. At an inquest held last week, in London, it appeared that an infant died from the mother's destitution, the breast faiting to supply it with nourishment. Several sea swallows were hovering over Cambridge for several days last week which is considered an indication of very rough weather. The Brilann'.a says that Lord Dalhousie regards his appointment, as governor of Bombay, as extremely im probable. The price of potatoes fell considerably at Sheffield, on Tuesday, and the crop of that vegetable in the neighbour hood of that town, will turn out better than anticipated. CAUTION TO NURSES,—A child, five days old, died at Bath, last week, from two drops of laudanum being ad ministered to it by its nurse. A GAY BIRD.-Mr. Jay, tbe well-known dissenting preacher of Bath, at the age of seventy-seven, has just married a lady with a fortune of thirty thousand pounds! —Globe. THE NEEDLE TRADE.—Th needle-pointers and the manufacturers of Redditch are still at variance, and the latter have resolved upon the decisive measure of em ploying machinery to supersede entirely the practice of hand-pointing, so injurious to life. The varnish-house attached to the floor-cloth manufac tory in Kennington-lane, opposite the Lambeth Po!ice court, was consumed by fire on Friday night. There were 500 gallons of varnish in the building, and the blaze was tremendous. In throwing a basket of cinders in a furnace at New port a workman overbalanced himself, and fell into the glowing mass : in three minutes, notwithstanding that the blast was immediately stopped, not a particle of the un fortunate man remained ! An inquest was held last week at Carnarvon, on a pauper who died from neglect. He was compelled to lie on a mass of putrid straw, swarming with maggots, and having no covering but such as the charity of a fellow-pauper afforded. DURHAM.—Lord Adolphus Vane, who, with Lord and Lady Seaham, visited Durham on Wednesday, addressed the inhabitants from the Rose and Crown Inn, and " trusted that he would shortly be more closely connected with the city." An inquest was held at Hammersmith on Monday, on the body of Eliza Rogers, aged 47, who died through visiting ber father's grave, which she was in the habit of doing at night, in very inclement weather, and scarcely clad. GRATITUDE OF POSTERITY.—The last pension granted by Sir R. Peel is thus described in the pension list : " £25 per annum to John Lloyd, in consideration of the services rendered by his ancestors to King Charles 11. in his escape after the battle of Worcester." CHESS.—The chess match between Mr. Staunton and Mr. Harwitz, after a struggle of nea►ly six weeks' dura tion, has terminated in favour of the English player. Mr. Staunton gained the whole of the games in which he gave no odds, and the majority of those wherein he gave the very large odds of a pawn and two moves. FOREIGN WINE.—It is stated in a parliamentry docu ment, that in the year ending on the sth of January last, of foreign wine, 8,469,776 gallons were imported. On 6,987,555 gallons the duty was paid, and 1,612,519 gallons were exported. On the sth of January the wine in ware house under bond numbered 10,230,946 gallons. THE FIRST SNOW.—The Ochills were on Wednesday clad around their summits with snow. In 1836 snow was seen on the Grampians on the 3d of September.—Edin burgh Advertiser. Skiddaw, Helvellyn, and Scawfell have all been capped with snow within the past week.— Cumberland Paequet. On Wednesday, a number of omnibuses commenced running between the Bank and Paddington and interme diate stations, for the conveyance of passengers at the low rate of one penny per mile. Several mere also started from the Strand to Paddington, the charge being two pence the, entire distance. MAGISTERIAL WlT.—The special constables for the ensuing year were sworn in yesterday. Among them were a majority of the newspaper proprieters of this city, with their reporters and clerks, which caused Mr. New man to remark that " they may he truly called the press gang !" One - of the " press gang" instantly replied, " An old joke for a New-man."—Bristol Journal. THE Poon. LAW COMMISSION.—In 1844-5, according to a Parliamentary paper, the Poor Law Commission cost £53,000, £52,770 in 1845-6, and £59,200 in 1846-7. In the present year £6500 was required for auditors at Unions, £15,000 for schoolmastes, and £40,000 for medical relief. These sums were not asked for in the preceding years. - - The first effects of the bill .that lately passed through Parliament were shown last week, by the procession of a Roman Catholic Guild through Radford. The procession was headed by cross bearers, singing " the Litany of the Blessed Virgin." The late relaxation of the laws against the Roman Catholics will make these attempts at seduc tion of the people not unfrequent. On Wednesday week, two boys. aged ten and eleven years, employed at the colliery of Mr. Whalley, in Pem berton, hooked the basket to the chain, at the bottom of the pit. in order to ascend the shaft, and when about 20 yards from the top, one of the hooks gave way, and they were both precipitated to the bottom and literally dashed to pieces. SERIOUS AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On Monday night five keepers employed by Lord Wharncliffe met eight or nine poachers in a field near Wortley, in pursuit of game on Lord Wbarncliffe's preserves. A desperate com bat ensued. One keeper got his leg broken ; the shoulder of another was dislocated and his fingers smashed ; a third lost a piece of his ear ; and all five were well thrashed. The poachers escaped. FLOODS IN WARWICKSHIRE.—SO incessant has been the rain in the neighbourhood of Rugby during the last three days, that the river overflowed its banks to such an extent on Sunday week as to completely flood the mea dows, whilst the turnpike-road, leading from Rugby to North Kilworth, was flooded to such a depth at St. Tho mas's Cross as to render travelling a matter of consider able danger. COPPER ORE FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA.—The Cam brian of Saturday announces the arrival of a second cargo of copper ore from this important colony, by the Malcolm, which had arrived at Swansea from Port Adelaide, laden with a fall' cargo of rich ore, consigned to Mr. Francis. The Cambrian adds, " We are much pleased at this, and anticipate a greatly increasing trade in that branch, as several large vessels have been recently chartered at the colony direct for this port." _ _ ATTEMPT TO SET FIRE TO A MILL AT LEEDS.—A young man, named John Joseph Hall, is now in custody at Leeds, charged with having wilfully attempted to fire the flax-mill of Messrs. Ines and Atkinson, one of - the largest in the town. On Tuesday circumstances of a strongly suspicious character were stated before the ma gistrates, and the prisoner was remanded. He is ap prenticed as a clerk in the above firm, and apparently, is not more than sixteen or seventeen years of age. The Farmer's Journal joins issue with the Romish clergy in charging the Irish famine on the government ! Of course, the national prayer ought to have been to call down the maledictions of heaven on the Peelers and the Whigs. One would scarcely expect to find such blas phemy, in one sense, as this, and nonsense in another, in an English newspaper; placing in squabbling contention —a Divine Providence—the Times—and rotten potatoes ! What next, if this be the oracle of the farmers ? IMPORTANCE OF LLOYD'S. The vast resources of Lloyd's establishment to merchants, shipowners, under writers, and others in maritime affairs. may be easily gathered from the fact that on Monday there were re ceived no less than fifty-seven British and Irish manu scrip shipping lists, with fifty-eight foreign ditto, together with newspapers to the same extent. This is not by any means a solitary instance of the receipt of so vast a mass of shipping and mercantile intelligence in one day. THREE HUNDRED POUNDS STOLEN.—On Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, a daring robbery was com mitted at Birdcourt, Walbrook. The robbery was effected by opening the door of the room on the second floor, in the occupation of Mr. Needle, the landlord of the house, which is let out in offices, and the thieves succeeded in carrying off a brass-bound mahogany writing desk, upon which was a brass plate, engraved with Mr. Needle's initials, " W.N.," and which contained notes and gold to the amount of £3OO, as also valuable memoranda. A NIGHT ON A ROCK.—During the stormy weather last week, a clergyman at Scarborough set out with the inten tion of walking to Filey by the sands and rocks. Having got a considerable distance, he found it impracticable to proceed further, and attempted to return ; but the tide had flowed so high he could not succeed. Finding him self surrounded by water, he took up a position, where he remained during a bitter cold and stormy night ; and, although thus exposed, returned safe to his lodgings the next day about noon.—Hull Packet. CURIOUS FACT.—A rather singular scene may be wit nessed at the provision shop of Messrs. Harris and Bowers, in Mealcheapen-street, Worcester. A spider has descended from the ceiling, and taken up a pea out of a bowl of dried peas, which happened to be placed under his domicile. The fly-destroying insect must have first glu tenized the pea, and then ascended, on a slender fibr e , leaving some second one connected with it. The spider is now gradually drawing up the pea, at the rate of an inch or, two•a-day. The spider and his handywork are held sacred from vulgar touch. REMARKABLE EicAPE.--On Wednesday, while a wo man of the name of Christie was hanging out clothes from a window at Laurie's close, Leith, she lost her balance and fell to the ground, a height of four stories, when singu larly enough she sustained so little injury as to be able to return to her house without assistance. In her descent, she came in contact with and broke the poles that had been extended from all the other windows below for drying clothes, which must have broken the force of her fall, and thereby saved her life.—Scottish Herald. G. S. Kenrick, Esq., an eminent iron founder at West Bromwich. devotes much of his time and wealth, to the promotion of the Temperance Reformation. This gentle man employs four or five agents to travel though the neighbouring counties, disseminating a knowledge of the principles be so warmly espouses, and he also conducts a monthly periodical—the Temperance Gazelle, of which about 4,000 capies are circulated. The Grand Junction Railway Company have granted a free passage to any of these agents on the line between Birmingham to Crewe at any time. NOVEL CASE.—On Monday one of the debtors in OUT gaol died, and the gaoler has been placed in an awkward position as to what he shall do with the body, it being the opinion of some of the most eminent legal men here; that if the gaoler delivers up the body, he will be answerable for the debt. Cases have been cited where the debt had to be collected before the body could be buried ; but whether in this case they think, the poor felicity having paid the debt of nature is to get off free without paying his creditors, is likely to furnish employment for clever men to decide the case.—Norwich Advertiser. The unfortunate gentleman who attacked Mr. Parker in a mail train from Derby is Mr. Markham Osborne. A letter from the surgeon in attendance on Mr. Osborne makes it appear that he was under the influence of deli rium previous to an attack of brain fever, which he is now confined with. He had remained out all Monday night after leaping from the train, and was brought to Kensing ton workhouse, and thence removed to his own house. His servant, who was in a second-class carriage, on the arrival of the train at the station in town, was surprised to find only his master's clothes and watch, which he had left in the carriage. THE LATE GALES.- The packets laden with cattle from Holland have had a fearful time of it. One Dutch sailing vessel, the Drie Gezusters, from Harlingen, out of 109 cows and 280 sheep, had the large number of 52 of the, former and 130 of the latter description of cattle perished on board, in consequence of the boisterous weather experienced during the passage, and the length of time she was at sea. The whole were, and we believe for the first time, landed at Gravesend, which is considered to be within the port of London, with all possible despatch, in order to prevent further loss to the owners. FREE TRADE FALLACIES-.—A• fiction of universal be lief, and which is working much mischief, viz., " that the more corn England imports from foreign countries the more manufactures will she export in return," is a fallacy. The Quarterly Review proves it to be so by the returns of the Board of Trade to both Houses of Parliament. There we have it demonstrated that those countries which sup ply us with the largest quantities of corn and provisions take from us the smallest quantities of British manufac tures, and that this ratio is kept up in every season, the fact being that, as their exports increase, our exports . . diminish GAME. —On Tuesday, Sir Henry Hesketh, Bart., and three or four friends, enjoyed a day's sporting in the park, at Rufford-hall, and during the day destroyed 446 head of game, made up as follow :-267 hares, 51 rabbits, 125 pheasants, 1 partridge, 1 woodcock, and 1 owl. The same party went out on Wednesday, and shot over the worthy baronet's land at Holmswood ; and although the day's de struction was not so numerically great as that of the pre ceding one, it must have made a tolerable thinning in the stock of game on the farms, the number of heads amount ing to 289, of which there were 152 hares, 45 rabbits, 84 pheasants, 5 partridges, 1 woodcock, and 2 snipes ' • thus making a gross total destroyed in the two days of 735 head. The inquiry at Clavering as to the deaths of several children, the offspring of Sarah Chesham, terminated on Friday. The result was, a verdict of wilful murder against the mother. It was clearly established that the deceased children had died from the effects of poison. Up to Saturday night, the 17th of January, 1845, both Joseph and John Chesham were in perfect health. On that night and during the whole of Sunday the groans of the children were heard by one Deards in the adjoining hause, and it was inferred that whatever was administereu . to the deceased children for supper that night contained the poison of which they had died. There was no direct evidence to show that Sarah Chesham had prepared the poisoned supper, and, through the unwillingness and eva sion of certain witnesses, she was not satisfactorily con nected with the purchase of arsenic. Still the jury were satisfied. SINGULAR CONTROVERSY. — The gentlemen of the long robe are about to be engaged upon a subject exceed ingly fertile in all that is required to bring forth legal ta lent. About six or seven years since the Emperor of Russia sent out an order to India for five of the most ela- borate Cashmere shawls that the oriental looms are capa ble of producing, without limit to time or cost. In IVtay last the package arrived, but through some error, five pairs were sent instead of five single shawls. In this di lemma the consignee sold the five duplicate shawls to Mr. George Smith, of Ludgate-hill, with an understand ing . I _ _la they should not be copies. _!ie designs, how ever, appear to have possessed charms too powerful for the shawl-dealer to withstand ; the consequence is, that the patterns of the royal bijous, of three or four hundred pounds each, are now before the public, in imitation ma "-qure, at f t-`wet" outset.- Ave to . Ave pounds, with alterations which were considered sufficient by Mr. Smith, but which as every one must be in the state of our home trade, after the triumph of Free-trade principles, it is something to have to point at somebody that is likely to be benefitted thereby. According to recent advices from the Haven.. nab, great joy has been manifested at the passing of the Sugar Duties Bill. The town was illuminated upon the arrival of the news, and as slave produce is now admis sible in England, there has been quite a fever of demand in the slave market. Prices rose 25 per cent. ; and a boy, fourteen years of age, with good muscles, will now (thanks to the Whig Government) bring readily 400 dol lars. This rise in prices must retard for awhile the re duction we all expected in the prices of sugar. But as twelve new slay 3s are about to be fitted out to pro trade which England now fosters and of a few thousand fresh Africans (and the consequent murder of eight or ten thousand in that process, and in the middle passage,) we shall at last get our sugar a little cheaper FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday, an accident took place near Shoreditch Church, London, by which four persons met with most serious injuries. It appears that the Rev. Richard Cruttwell, Rector of Spexhall, near Wickham Market (who had been on a visit to the tr ietropolis,) was driving a spirited horse in a chaise along he Old-street-road. At the.corner of Hoston Old Town he horse took fright at a railway carriage placed on a ruck... The rev. gentleman used all his endeavours to re strain the animal, but without effect ; he dashed mad'y forward until the chaise came i❑ violent collision with a cart laden with bricks, literally smashing the chaise to pieces, the Rev. Mr. Cruttwell being thrown with fearfu violence to the ground ; the horse, finding himself disen gaged, rushed on, and in its progress knocked down an aged woman residing in the Shoreditch Almshouses, and a little child, both of whom were much hurt. A man en deavouring to stop the frightened animal, was also knocked down and severely injured ; as also the waterman of the Shoreditch rank, who received a severe contusion of the left eye, and his arm and leg severely injured. The horse then ran on to the pavement and smashed several nganea of algae in the A lhinn nfrop_hrinca aria etnrl+;snroarl its career until it was secured in the burial ground of Shoreditch Church, which fortunately happened to be open. On the Rev. Mr. Cruttwell being picked up he appeared to be insensible, and it was found that his collar bone and two of his ribs were broken. MURDER AND SIIICIDE.—From two inquests which have been held at Sleaford and Little Gonerby, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, it appears that a singular mur der has been committed on a girl named Mary Hill, by a man named George Healy, who afterwards poisoned him self. The girl had been residing some days at the house of Healy's father, and was to have been married to Healy in a few days ; but on Thursday, the Bth instant, she un expectedly left. On the same evening Healy left his fa ther's house, for the purpose of following her, and it ap pears that he succeeded in borrowing a pair of handcuffs, and a constable's staff. On the Friday night, he arrived at a public house, in Grantham, in company with Mary Hill, who was handcuffed, and whom he asserted to be his prisoner. He declared that she had committed a rob bery at Gonerby, and that he was taking her to the office of the magistrates' clerk. On Saturday morning, be left the inn with the girl, and was seen with her in a field,near the river Witham. Mary Ilill was never again seen alive; but on the 15th instant her body was found in the river. On the evening of Sunday the 11th instant Healy, who was completely wet through, came to a beer shop at New Sleaford, where he passed that night and the following day ; but on the Monday morning he was found dead in his bed, from the effects of a dose of laudanum which he had taken. During his stay at this place, some boatmen recognised him as a person whom they pulled out of the river. From various other circumstances detailed at the inquests, little doubt can be entertained that Healy drowned the girl Hill in the Witham, and attempted to drown himself ; but that having been rescued from the river, he had recourse to poison. The juries returned verdicts, that Mary Hill had been found drowned, and that George Healy was felo de se. PROPOSED OPENING OF THE PORTS.—We cannot, says the Halifax Guardian, see the propriety of the pre sent agitation to abolish the low duty now chargeable on foreign corn. True, provisions are high, and corn not so plentiful as it ought to be. True, also, that there is reason for alarm at the renewed potato blight, more parti cularly as regards Ireland. But the duty is now only 4s. per quarter. And it is not likely to rise, we fear, for some time to come. It behoves the government, there fore, to think seriously before it abandons a duty which may be necessary to maintain the balance of next year's income and expenditure. If by removing the duty the nation could get its wheat 4s. a quarter cheaper, that would only be robbing Peter to pay Paul. But will the opening of the ports have that effect? Is it not, on the contrary, much more likely that the speculator and the foreigner will quietly pocket whatever amount of duty the British Government chooses to forego? The present high prices of provisions do not seem themselves to be justified by any well grounded prospect of dearth. The potato disease has again most mysteriously stayed its ra vages. The recent wheat harvest is admitted to have been an average one. Whilst in the great wheat exporting counties we hear of none of that dearth and scarcity which the Times in its leading articles affirms. Thus on Monday the Times declared—" The harvests of Europe are insufficient for the exigencies of Europe. France is straightened even more than ourselves. Austria is bid ding against us in the marts of the Mediterranean. Odessa is well-nigh drained." Whereas the Sun of Thursday states that on the 18th ult. at this very drained port of Odessa there were 150 vessels loading from 350,000 to 400,000 quarters of wheat for Italy and France —that after these- had been shipped there would remain about 150,000 quarters available for exportation from last year's harvest—and that this year's crop " would be suffi ciently abundant to allow of large further exports." Whilst from America the only limit to the amount of our , exports seems to be the difficulty of finding shipping. tae. 27, 1846. HEALTH Cet LONDON.--Our readers will have ob served that since" the cessation of the intense heat which prevailed in August, the weekly deaths in the metropolis have steadily declined, and have fallen below the averages. We this week pass from the summer to the autumn aver age, and the influence of a change of season will be here manifested. The weekly summer are to the weekly au tumnal deaths as 898 to 1000. Diseases of the brain and nervous system appear to be now most prevalent and fatal. Contagious and epidemic diseases are reduced be low the averages. The deaths from diarrhoea and typhus, taken individually, are above the autumnal average but then small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, and hooping•cough. are considerably below the average. It speaks well for the extended influence of vaccination, when, out of a po• pulation of nearly two millions, there were only 'three deaths from small-pox during the weelt,.and. these oc curred in infanta r Diseases of the organs of respiration have also just now less than their average fatality.—Me cited Times. ANOTHER ADVANCE IN THE PRICE DE BREAD.— OD Friday morning the bakers in nearly every locality of the metropolis made a still further advance of one half penny in the price of the quarters loaf, making about the fifth rise in price during the present month. The prices range (according to locality) from Bd. to 11d. th'e 41b. loaf. In the low neighbourhood of the New Cut, Lower Marsh, Lambeth, and its immediate vicinity, the price is only ad. in some instances, and Bd. in others. In the Blacklriars-road, Southwark, the Borough, and other parts of the Surrey side of the river, the latter sum is the utmost demand, except for full-priced bread. In the City, without exception, the price is 84d. and 9d, ; Bfd. and 9d. is charged in the vicinity of Clare-market and Picket-street, whilst for a similar article but 71d. and Bd.- is demanded at Whitechapel, Poplar, East Smithfield, &c. In some neighbourhoods no less than 911 is charged per 41b. loaf. The amount charged for the best 'or "full-priced" bread averages from between 94d. to Hid. and 11d.— MORE INTIMIDATION.—The Hon. Grantley Berke ley, member for the Western Division of Gloucestershire, has issued a second address to his constituency, wherein he openly declares that" Lord Fitzbardinge has actually signified his intention of withdrawing his support from his brothers, the liberal members for Bristol and Gloucester shire." The eight gentlemen who at a meeting approved of the noble earl's views in respect of the representation of Western Gloucestershire, have published a declaration in which the gave as their chief reason for doing so that the Hon. Mr. Berkeley himself had expressed his inten tion of retiring ; and it appears that a candidate to suc ceed him was in readiness ! We suppose, therefore, that there will be a change at the next election. It is remark able that among all these bickerings in the liberal camp, and the family disputes without, not a word is said con cerning the unconstitutional proceeding of a peer inter fering in the election of members of the Commons House of Parliament. Had a Conservative nobleman attempted to exercise a tithe of the influence put forth upon this occa sion, we do not think this point would be lost sight of. MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A CLERGYMAN.—On Sun day week the inhabitants of Everton, near East Retford and the neighbourhood, were thrown into a state of ex citement and regret by learning that the Rev. Robert Cock, the respected curate of the former place, had, on the morn ing of that day, in a moment of temporary insanity, put a period to his existence by shooting himself through the head with a pistol. The deceased gentleman was a native of Stamford Bridge, near York, and was 45 years of age. In due course he became curate of a small parish in York shire. About 10 years ago he married the daughter of the late vicar of Feliskirk, near Thirsk, by whom he had several children, only one of whom survives him. He was afterwards curate of Tickhill, where he resided till last summer, highly respected by his parishioners for his zeal as a minister, and his general character as a man, giving, at the same time, the most perfect satisfaction to his vi car. Towards the latter part of his r - ' ' , try there 1. :e, iow ever, some evil-disposed person set afloat au unfounded rumour that he was frequently intoxicated, which coming to his knowledge, and knowing the charge to beuntrue, had so serious an effect on his constitution, that his friends believe, (and the evidence at the inquest tends to corrobo rate that belief,) that it laid the foundation for that state of nervous excitability, involving temporary aberration of mind, which prompted him to commit self-destruction. It appears the reverend gentleman rose and dressed at his usual hour, but appeared to belabouring under some un pleasant sensation ; he paced about, went into the kitchen, kissed his only child, bid it good bye, then took it into - ther roc -- ' it r ' --- and " ano Jun, plum, on his knee, and immediately ap plying a pistol to his own head, discharged its contents into his right temple, and fell dead. SINGULAR AND EXTENSIVE. ROBBERY.—An investi gation has been going on at Abingdon, Berks, for some days, into a most extraordinary case of wholesale theft, extending over a long period, and in which a number of persons are implicated. By an accidental circumstance , during the transit of some of the stolen goods through farm, inquiries were set on foot which led to the impeach ment and incarceration of seventeen persons, stated to be more or less entwerned in tha During the last two years, as appears by the confession of one of the prisoners, upwards of 100 quarters of malt have been i stolen from various malthou b es an d warehouses n the tnovn fnerst.h.v. em,;l4s es rhf ihrms• amounting town, togerner with a large quantity or 1101) - nt ro hnie m lvoe a ss n sh y anv p fe o a c bn k ey e e t cn s o ; snos a ew n ci d enlel i nc h co e enc p ae r r e p c ee l i u ra t s i t o itd n n s canr i n a rvi k ee e d n boeue b t - n y , tdh t i b as ! covered. The inquiry is still going on, and so varied are the details, so numerous the separate thefts, that it is un certain when it will teiminate in committal previous fo trial. The confession of the " main offender" (who, strangely I s ° vbe, brewer, eenrec.i hasved e s beenap h pr t ov e e rp,r)iniscivpoat luminous, and discovers robberies to a vast amount of money. bliss loser of the malt and hops. Three or four hundred sepa rate cases of felony have been admitted by three of the utsciosures BANK NOTES AT ROGERS A" Co.'s.—Within tl • ays circumstances are understood to have transpired which leave no doubt tu ,, - ere long the large amount of property stolen from the banking-house of Messrs. Rogers and Co. will be restQlVi• That the whole of the notes, to the amount'of £40,11 00 h. are still in existence, has been satisfactorily proved by the fact that a few days since a .E 1 note, the number of which does not appear in the printed list, but which was stolen at the time, was forwarded to the banking-Vpuse, the party sending it requesting the receipt of it to ba acknotr 'edged in the newspapers, and stating the whole of th e notes would be restored upon the payment 0r.£10,0 00, the acknowledgment to be to "H. F.' This request was accordingly complied with ; but as to the coiPprornieet that has not been ascertained; and from a variety of cir cumstances which have transpired, but which it would be at present highly injudicious to notice, furthei than the mere assertion, no doubts are now entertained but that the whole of the stolen notes will be recovered, and at the same time such evidence will be adduced as to lead to the conviction of the offender. Paragraphs have occasionally appeared, stating that some of the stolen notes have been circulated on the continent. This is incorrect, for the steps taken render the negociation of them impossible. and it is well known that the whole of the stolen notef are at the present period secreted in the metropolis. THE GUN-COTTON.—An English surgeon, Mr. Thos. Taylor, has discovered that the gun cotton can be mad ° with the ordinary nitric acid of commerce, by previouslY mixing it with about one-third of its volume of sulphuric acid. The cotton when immersed in this mixture quickly becomes whiter, more opaque, and loses its elasticity After having assumed this appearance, which it does in the. course of a few minutes, it is to be taken out and well washed in water, to remove the slightest trace of acid; It may then be squeezed in a linen cloth, dried, and carded. Thus' prepared, the cotton differs very little is appearance from ordinary cotton, except that it is more harsh to the feel. On the application of an ignited body it explodes without leaving the slightest residue, as well as readily when struck by a hammer, and could be fired over gunpowder without igniting the latter. Dr. Otto has also publisred an account of the process of menu' facture. He says—" In order to obtain explosive cotton , I steep it for half a minute in strongly-concentrated n itric acid, which I prepare by the distillation of ten parts of dry saltpetre and six parts of oil of vitriol. I then wash it immediately in water, renewing the water so as to ge t rid entirely of the acid, taking care to separate the rcr" tions which adhere too closely t oge th er . It i s then drie d , and the process is thus completed. The effects of ails preparation have astonished all who have witnessed then' ' The smallest quantity of the cotton placed on an an" ' and struck with a hammer, produces an explosion equal to that of fulminating mercury. 'When a light is set "' all it explodes like gunpowder, and in a gun it produces „,, e the effects of gunpowder in much smaller quantities._ T ay explosive cotton is to be used precisely in the sre e after as gunpowder. It is made up in a kind of P c i e ' r , and which a wadding is introduced, as with gu° l)°- •h a ramrod. The explosion of the capsule produce s n ti it over this a hall is placed, and all are rammed do w the cotton." [Parties making these experiments be too careful in doing so.] EXTRAORDINARY TEST OF MILNER'S FIRE -RESISTING MAN UFA CT U RES.—In accordance with the ci rcu l ars i s - at f is sued, the trial of these safes came off on Monday last on a spacious plot of ground on the scuth side of the Railway , Dock, consequently a great num b er o f our i n fl uent i a l a nd scientific gentlemen assembled amongst whom w ere John Gresham, Esq., Mayo r , Rev. O.T. Dobbin, LL. J. R. Pease, Esq., K. Watson, Esq., R. Firth. Esq., and many others. A round safe of Milner's Patent was filled with various papers, in which was also placed a gold watch and chain, four £5 Bank of England notes, containing the signature of the Mayor, a packet of 'gunpowder, and a document with several notes fresh written, purposely to try how the steam would affect the ink. After being fag' tened down it was placed upon R pile in the centre of u circular furnace six bricks high, leaving a space betweel every brick to admit of draft. This safe was surrounde d with fire of the most intense heat for six hours, when, 00 being opened—to the utter astonishment of every person —all it contained was without a singe: but such pow has the non-conductor and tubes to repel the heat, that Is was comparatively cool, and Mr. Wenden actually sestet himself on the top before raising the cover. The watt was set by the Mayor at the time of being deposited, and wnen taken out, had not varied a second. We repeat* this was perfectly astonishing, as the fire was so stronge that the bricks forming the ring were completely vitrified* The second circle contained two safes, both filled alike; one being of the common iron construction, with chard' bered lid; the other "Milner, No. 1;" these were sub jected to a similar fire for three hours, and, upon being withdrawn, presented a contrast indeed :—the iron one red-hot and cracked with the heat ; Milner's quite whole; and cool, similar to a boiler. This safe was as perfe° inside as without—not a scorch to-its contents—merely 1 slight discolouration occasioned by the essential oil from the non-conductors ; while those of the other were re' duced to one blackened mass of calcined ashes. A bead: tiful skeleton lock, with various others, was also exhibited upon the ground, and much admired ; as also a model box lined with glass, through which could be seen the arrange merit of tubes, and protective principles pt' these excellent manufactures.—.4l4ll ever,