The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-27 00:00:00

STOT3III3IIIDGE OBSERVER.

the 31 counsel from time to time engaged in its ethics-
tion, one was and one is now Lord Chancellor, one was I
Master of the Rolls, two were Vice-Chancellors of
England, no was Lord Chancellor of Ireland, one '.500
Chancellor ,f the Exchequer, one was Speaker of the
House of Commons, out- -.llldant-General, one
Attorney-General, one Sol .t,r-General, two were
Knights, more than half-a-dozen were King's or Queen's
Counsel, and two were conveyancers of immortal re-
nown. The suit having grown to manhood, produced
four suits as its otfspring, all of which became extinct
with their parent. The occasion of the birth of the
original suit was the failure of a banking-house, which
was formed in 1794 and stopped in Pia Among the
parties to the parent and younger suits was one earl,
the Earl of Leicester (Mr. Coke, of Norfolk), one via.
count, one viscountess, one baronet, and one clergy-

maIL
NEW METHOD OF CULTIVATING POTATOES.—
The Staats-Anzeiger gives some particulars of the new
method of cultivating the potato, discovered by
Guhlich, of Pinneberg, in Holstein, and which, it is
said, has given surprising results where it has been
employed. The leading features of this new mode of
culture are :—L Turning up the soil to a considerable
depth. 2. Choosing SP seed large, sound, and many-
eyed p 'Woes. 3. Leaving each seed potato a space of
12 square feet. 4. Laying the seed potato with the
budding side down. By a report laid before the last
meeting of the Frankfort Agricultural Society it is
said the result of experiments are perfectly successful.
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•
SUICIDE OF A RICH MISKR.—An inquest was
held on Friday, at Bow, near London, on the body of
a person named Harriet Gray, eighty-one years of
age. The deceased was the widow of a man of pro-
perty who died a short time since. She was worth
over £40,000, and although she was possessed of that
great wealth she was in the habit of denying herself
the common necessaries of life. She kept one candle
in the house, and whenever her nephew called upon
her to see her, she made it a rule to light it, but when
lie was going away she blew it out, 118 it was her habit I
to sit in the dark. The house in which she lived was
in a filthy condition. The coroner said the case was a
most singular one, and that all the deceasea's property
would now go to the heirs-at-law. The jury returned
a verdict of suicide while in a state of temporary

insanity.
STRANGE FREAK OF A PEASANT.-A Corre-
spondent of Land and Water writes :
I beg to send you an account of the freak of a pheasant
which occurred here a few days ago. Some friends were
with us in the drawing-room when we heard a noise re-
senilili iig a loud explosion overhead. I went out of doors to
look at the roof of the house, a lady ran upstairs to see what
could have happened in the bedroom over us, and to her
astonishment found the carpet, bed, tables, etc.' covered
with small splinters of glass, a large hole through a plate-
glass window, anti at the foot of a wardrobe, opposite the
I window, lay stunned a splendid cock-pheasant, which she
brought downstairs to convince us all that nothing more
terrible had happened. I enclose you a piece of the pane of
glass, that you may form an idea of the force required to fly
through it. The bird was no doubt on his way home, and meant
li, take a short cut across a corner of the bedroom, when he
was killed either by the first blow against the alias, or the
second against the wardrobe opposite the window, and 20
feet from it.
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SPARROWS IN CANADA.--The imported sparrows
at Quebec are good colonists, says a Canadian Paper.
In spite of the tremendous snow storms they still
manage to keep up undiminished numbers. There are
DOW about 20 birds, which may be seen daily in am]
i
about the Artillery Barra,ls. Their utility s more
particularly observable at this season of the year; the
hot sun vivifies insect life for several hours of the day,
when from their semi-torpid state they become an easy
prey to birds; the eggs, too, of the caterpillar tribes
are approaching maturity. A little bird, therefore,
such as the sparrow or the black-capped titmouse, can
commit great havoc among what will become insects at
a later period.
NOT TO BE DONE !—The enterprise of news-
paper reporters at Washington luta always been famous.
The following story was tt Id lately in the " C .rres-
pondents' Club," which has been formed in that
city :
At the funeral of the late General Baker, which was held
in the White House, the correspondent of a New York
Journal, unable to get a ticket of admission, got down
through a coal-hole, and after groping his way reached at
last the East Room, directly in the rear of the officiating
el. rgyram. While the clergyman was engaged in prayer, the
reporter observed a roll of paper in his hat. To seize It and
fly wa, the work of a moment. When the clergyman turned
to Mal his sermon he found it not. Ile attempted to deliver
his remarks from memory, but made a wretched failure of it,
much to the astonishment of the dignitaries who were
present. The next morning he had the satisfaction of read.
mg his discourse in the New York Herald.
THE LATE MARQUIS Or HASTING'S DRESSING
CAM—This, supposed to be the handsomest ever
manufactured, is enclosed in a case which looks about
the size of an ordinary portmanteau with a week's
clothing in it. The fittings of the dressing-case are
in every respect worthy of it, being entirely composed
of silver-gilt, and on each of the articles the crest and
monogram of the marquis are mounted. The soap
dish is composed of massive silver-gilt, as are likewise
the railway-keys and the corkscrew-case Then there
are razors, with gilt handles, that would shave a
weazel asleep, and the various boxes all open with
double springs. The brushes have ivory backs, with
gold edgings, and armorial bearings in scarlet and gold
in the centre, and protected bya leather sortof fencing.
The cost of this magnificent ornament to the dressing
table is said to have been 750 guineas.
A Hoßioru.r. SCENE.—Four negroes, William
Wilson, Frank Rounds, William Wells, and George
Bailey, were hanged recently at Princess Anne, Mary-
land, for the murder of B. F. Johnson and Henry
Cannon, captain and mate of an oyster sloop, in
March, 1868. Each prisoner cotif,to ml his guilt.
Rounds and Wells died instantly ; Bailey in a few
seconds; Wilson's neck did not break. He groaned
and struggled horribly. He got the rope off his hands
and legs and caught hold of the shroud of Rounds, and
then of his own rope, by which he drew himself up on
the scaffold again. The gaoler ascended and tightened
the noose, and again pushed the wretched man off,
jerking the rope violently as he fell. The victim con-
firmed to struggle for five minutes, some of the crowd
yelling, " That s right, you ought to suffer." The exe-
cution occupied forty-five minutes.
DUELLING IN SPAIN--A most shocking duel
has just taken place in 'Madrid, and created a very
psinful feeling there. The incident which led to the
encounter was, it seems, of the most trivial character.
Don Celestine Olozaira was at the Opera, and hap-
pened to drop his cane upon Count de Jars. who there-
upon became very irritated, and would not believe
that the cane had fallen by accident, though assured
that such was the case. Hot words arose, and ulti-
mately a duel with swords was arranged, which took
i
place next morning. Count de Jara, who s said to be
an excellent swordsman, escaped unhurt; his opponent,
who knew nothing of the weapon he fought with, was
run through the body, and died instantly. Don Ceies-
tino Ohmage is described as a very promising young
man of six-and-twenty. He was one of the secretaries
of the Cortes, and nephew of Don Salustiano Olozaga,
formerly minister of Queen Isabella, but more recently
representative in Paris of the Provisional Government
in Spain.
AN EMBARRASSING EPISODB.—The New York
Times gives the particulars of an awkward incident
which occurred during the ceremonies of the inaugura-
tion on the sth inst., and whinh, it says, deserves
mention, not only because of its importance, but
because it was the only material thing which marred
the otherwise well ordered arrangements. By some

neglect the House of Representatives was not an-
nounced on their appearance in the Senate Chamber,
and Speaker Pomeroy and General Schenck advanced
up the aisle toward the presiding officer and there
remained standing. The column of members from
behind pushed in and blocked up the doorway, and
some confusion occurred. No courtesy whatever was
shown to the Speaker and General Schenck, the chair-
man of the committee, and after standing in this
awkward and embarrassing position for several minutes,
Speaker Pomeroy ordered a countermarch, and led the
column of members into the rotunda toward the plat-
form. Arriving at the eastern door, the policemen on
guard barred egress, when Mr. Pomeroy ordered them
to stand aside by his authority as controlling the house
half of the rotunda, and the column pushed through to
the platform. The band mistook this for the regular
procession, and struck up " Hail to the Chief" in
earnest, but the leader was soon apprised of the state
of affairs, and the music subsided. The members then
applauded the action of Mr. Pomeroy and General
Schenck.
Ccratous NOTION.—There is in the graveyard
attached to Mandlimstreet Chapel, Kilkenny, a head-
stone, erected since October, 1868, bearing the follow.
ing inscription :—" Erected in memory of Patrick
Power, of Maudlin-street, Kilkenny, who died in 1869,
aged 73 years. May his soul rest in peace. Amen."
'rid, stone was erected by the said Patrick Power, who
is still living in Maudlin-street, and confidently asserts
that he is to die in the month of June next, or there-
abouts. Meanwhile Pat regularly visits the graveyard
says his prayers at the head-stone, ; but beyond
this he seems very little concerned about the near
approach (according to his own account) of his disso-
lution.

DANGEROUS PLAY.—At St. Louis, a short
time ago, two little boys resolved to play "butcher ; "
one of them personated the ox to be slaughtered, while
the other acted the part of the butcher. Providing
himself with a hatchet, and rolling up his sleeves and
improvising an apron for the occasion, be proceeded to
get the other little fellow representing the ox into a
favourable position, when he dealt him a heavy blow
on the head with the hatchet, knocking him down and
making the blood spurt out copiously. The boy's
cries attracted the attention of I is mother, who ran to
the spot just in time to arrest the arm of the
"botcher," who was preparing to follow up vigorously
his first blow. Fortunately the little fellow was not
dangerously hurt.
Tins RENTING or PEWS.—The Bishop of North
Carolina recently spoke at New York on this subject
as follows :

Whatever tends to erect barriers between class and
class, and to hinder the diffusion of religious truth
among men, is opposite to the purposes of G.!, and hinders
the salve hm of ma.•kind ; and these serious consequences
seem to flow very mrtainly from the practice so prevalent
among us of dividing the house of God into compartments,
and then rentirg these to him who will pay most for them,
and thereby making Mammon the porter to stand at the door
of the temple of Got to open and shut as he is or is not pro-
pitiated by those who . esire to come in; for this is incontro-
vertibly the effect of the pew system. It gtves the right of
entrance into the sanctuary of God to the man with a purse;
' but to bins who, like the Apostles, is constrained to say,
"Silver and gold have I none," its reply is, then "I know
you not; depart from me" If you have no money you have
no place in this house of God. For you there are no sacra-
ments, no ministry, no worship. What, then, is its effec, ?
That the Gospel becomes one of the hunnies of the rich, and
not the bread of life to hungry souls What, then, follows?
That a Church—by which I mean a society of Christians—
consistently acting on this system, must estrange Itself from
the mass of the people, and abandon them to religious
ignorance and insensibility.
AN INCIDENT AT ST. ANDNEW'S.—In the
address of Mr. Froude, the historian, upon his installa•
tion as Vicar of St. Andrew's University, the following
passage occurred
It was not so that we have colmsised, and we are reaping
now the reward of our carelessness. We sent America our
convicts. We sent America our Pilgrim Fathers, flinging
them out as worse ti an felons. We said to the Irish collier
" Vu are a burden upon the rates go find a home else-
where." Hal we offered him a home in the enormous tent-
tortes tivit belong to us we might have sent him to paces

where he would have been no blirdenTbut a blessing. But
we bade him carelessly go where he would, and shift as
he could for himself. He went with a sense of burning
wrong, and he left a root of bitterness behind him. In.
justice and heedlessness have borne their proper fruits. We
have raised up against us a mighty empire tote the rival it
may be the successful rival, of ,nir poser.
The students here (•055 the Seaman), broke out into
the chorus of "Rule Britannia," which they continued
for some time to the great amusement of all present.
AN EX-QUEEN AND IFIER LANDLADY.—A suit,
in which the ex-Queen of Spain is one of the parties,
has just given rise to an application to a judge sitting
in chambers. Her Majesty, before purchasing the
Hotel Basilewski, had hired on lease two adjoining
residences in the Champs. Elysees, belonging to the
Baroness de Montailleur. Certain changes were to
be made, but these not being executed in time, the
Queen gave notice that she should not take posses-
sion of the houses, and also commenced a suit, before
the Tribunal of Commerce, to have the lease annulled.
The proprietress resists this pretension, on the ground
that the delay was caused by the Queen herself;
but pending the decision of the action applied for
permission to restore the premises to their former
state, block up the opening in the wall between the
two residences made at the request of the tenant,
and re-let the property without prejudice to her
rights. The application was granted.
MORE EXPECTED TROUBLES IN AFGHANISTAN.—
Some fresh complications had occurred in Afghanistan,
the principal facts in connection with which have
already been reported by telegraph. A son of the ex-
/. 'steer. Azim Khan—with what assistance we are not
informed—had taken advantage of the abaeuce of the
lately sa pointed Governor of Southern Tarkistan to
occupy Khilm and Tukhta Pool, two places of con-
siderable importance. He had sent for his father, who
had been for some weeks on the British frontier with
Sirdar Abdool Rahnian Khan, hesitating to accept a
refuge on the terms offered, and vet not knowing what
else to do. Abdool Rahman Khan, it is had
promptly determined to go to Turkistan. Mahomed
Yakoob Khan, one of the sons of Ameer Shere Ali
Khm, hail claimed to be recognised as heir apparent,
but the Angier had declined to accede to the demand,
and it was thought possible that a serious rupture be-
tween father and son would be the consequence.
PRIZE FIGHT BETWEEN Two Woman—The
New York Herald of the 9th says that a bond fide prize
hlzht, according to the rules of the ring, except that
hair pulling and biting were allowed, took place be-
tween two women in Somerville, Maas., at an early
hour on Monday morning. The contestants on their
appearance in the ring were clad in the conventional
costume of gaiters, stockings, and drawers, wearing
nothing else to speak of beyond waterfalls and
Magenta curls. At the very first round one of them,
named Sarah Chapman, became frightened and jumped
out of thering, but her backers drove her in agdn, and
she eventually won the fight. At the twenty-first
round, her opponent, Molly Jones both of them hav-
ing been severely punished, beggedher seconds in God's
name to take her away, and so the tight and money—
fifty dollars—was awarded to Sarah!
THE MARRIAGE OF PRIESTS IN ITALY.—
Another incident relative to the marriage of priests
has just occurred at Naples. The Court of Appeal in
that city was called on to revise a decision of the Tri-
bunal of Salerno, which had interdicted a marriage of
that nature. The advocate of the appellant took the
purely legal view of the question, arguing that priests
had the same rights as other eltizens, that the civil
code only was sovereign, and that whoever presented
himself to the authorities ought to be received simply
as a citizen, the law having nothing to do with any
scruples of conscience. The Advocate General fol-
lowed in the some sense, and whilst he was drawing
his conclusions the greatest excitement prevailed in the
court, many persons being scarcely able to suppress
their indignation, whilst others gave vent to their
satisfaction by vociferous applause. In the end, the
tribunal ordered the civil officer to proceed to the for-
malities required for effecting the marriage.
A SAD END!—On the sth of March, as some
men were cutting a road through the snow drift near
Peacham Corners, Vermont, they came upon the
frozen bodies of Mrs. Emmons, aged sixty years, her
daughter, and her grandson. The old lady had fallen,
overcome by the cold and snow, half a mile from a
farmer's house, through the windows of which a light
was shining all night, while the daughter had
approached a little nearer, and the boy was within two
rods of the window. He had evidently dragged him-
self some distance on his hands and knees.
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upon the body of James Fisher, aged forty-nine years.
The deceased, who was foreman of the men, was pre-
paring to blast an immense piece of limestone rock,
and whilst forcing the "charge" into a hole in the
rock with a steel rod, it suddenly exploded, and he
was thrown a ith great violence into the quilt ry below,
a depth of sixty feet. His face and hands were smashed
almost to a jelly, and when picked up he was quite
dead. Ralph Westworth, another workman, who was
standing near deceased, WWI also very seriously injured
about the head and face. He now lies at the Lancaster
Infirmary, and if he recover, which is considered
doubtful, it is feared that he will lose his eyesight.
Five or six men who were working in the bed of the
quarry had also a narrow escape. The jury returned
a verdict of "Accidental Death."
A FEARFUL FALL.-011 Saturday a corn porter,
named Corkell, died at the hospital, Wakefield, from
injuries he had received the previous day. The un-
fortunate man was engaged at a corn warehouse, on
the topgarret-floor, four storeys from the ground,
lowering wheat into a waggon below, when by some
means he slipped and fell head foremost down. The
waggon was directly underneath, and upon it he came
with such terrific force as to cause his head aml arms
to go completely through the stout hoards. The de-
ceased leaves a a ife and family, and, what rendeis the
occurrence still more melancholy, is the fact that his
eldest daughter was lying dead when the accident
h occurred.
FATHER IGNATIIIS.—On Sunday night, the Rev.
J. L. Lyne (Father Ignatius) conducted a religious
service and preached at Store-street Music Hall, Lon-
don, which was crowded. There was a marked modi-
fication in the treatment of the service, compared with
the ritualistic tendencies that were apparent in the
rev, gentleman's procedure in the same hall imme-
diately after his temporary inhibition, some months
ago, by the Bishop of London. Intonation was en-
tirely abolished, the utmost simplicity characterising
the whole of the service, genuflexion and crossings
being also less profuse. Prayers were read by the rev.
preacher in a plain surplice, assisted by a brother of
the order, also in a plain surplice. Mr. Lyne preached
habited as a monk, with embroidered purple stole, and
large metal crucifix suspended from his neck. A pair
of ordinary candles and candlesticks had taken the
place of the large ornamental candelabra that adorned
the altar table on the last occasion of the rev, gentle-
man's appearance at the same hall.
WZIOHING A STEPMOTHER. —The Indian Daily
News says :
A most interesting ceremony was pale through yesterday
morning at the residence of Rajahs K ally Krishna, Komi!
Krishna, and ICarendra Krishna, Bahadoors. The Rajahs
had their step-mother weighed in scales, in one of which
were placed gold-moburs and rupees. I hese, together with
a quantity of rice, sugar, ghee, dhall, dm., were then pre-
sented to Brahmins. The kanintlees also shared the bounty
of the Rajahs, inasmuch as they obtained alms to the ex-
tent of two annas each. This liberality on the part of the
Sobha ibuar Rajahs speaks for itself, and we can only wish
that their liberality were more wisely bestowed. The ex-
ample might then be of service to their contlymen. The
amount expended was 10,000 rupees.
_

----- , _
A HARD CASE.—A case, which has been men-
tioned in the House of Commons as an illustration of
the hardship of the bankruptcy law, was tried on
Saturday, at the Yorg Assizes. An old loan, named
Kenn, approaching ninety years of age, was charged
with defrauding his creditors, the charge having been
sent to the assizes by order of the judge of Knares-
borough County Court. After hearing the evidence
for the prosecution, the jury immediately found a
verdict of not guilty, and, speaking atrgigly of the
course which had been pursued against the prisoner,
the judge refused to allow all the costs. The old man,
however, cannot be released from prison, as he is
detained for the costs of an action for slander, and mu-
tat be released until they are paid.

_ ---
A grand religloos service has been performed in the
Cathedral of Madrid in honour of Lamarthie.
The Timm remarks that the Alt C Despatch 800
entitlea the Inventors to the gratitude of all who keep their
papers in order. We would. on the contrary; t.pecially
commend it to the notice of those who dot keep [lieu papers
in order,
. „

--•
The New York Express thinks a "Very old hat" a
good thing to have. It relieves its owner from care. as at
balk inAl the theatres there is no danger of it being stolen.
John Krup, of Rockport, Ohio, advertises that his
wile ran away and took some of his money, February 11.
and adds, "If she does not return in twenty-four hours, I
call us parted."
The business of the Bank of England has increased
so rapidly since the financial crisis of 1166 that the Court of
Directors have resolved to enlarge the historic house in
Threadneedle-street by the addition of another story.
The jewellery of the late eccentric Mrs. Thwaytes
realised by public auction £7,604 the furniture and effe, ts,
£4OOO ; the silver plate, £1,06); and the town mansion,
£7,700,
Paper coffins, "perfectly air-tight, waterproof, and
damp-defying," are the latest novelty.
There is a photographic album at Scotland Yard, in
which umy beacon the carte of every ticket-of-leave man in
the country.
An amusing typographical error appeared in the
Petites Affiches the other day. It ran thus :—" Didier
Gerault, aged three years, and his wife, aged twenty-three,
desire situations together, the husband as valet, and the wife
as cook."
A New York paper gives the melancholy informa-
tion that " Middletown, Connecticut, is to have a wholesale
dying establishment."
At the Glamoreanshire assizes, Thomas Morris, the
was who was committed some time ago on a charge of ignit-
ing four casks of gunpowder in the house of a farmer, named
Richards, with a felonbois intent, Mr. Richards, his wife, and
family of eight children, being in the house at the time,
pleaded "Guilty," and was sentenced to seven years' penal
servitude.
A Scotch paper, in reporting the speech of the mayor,
lays—" In his present position as chief magistrate he would
endeavour to promote virtue and piety amongst the: people of
the town, and put down vice and immortality."
In the last ten years the Parliamentary votes for
piddle education in Ireland have amounted in the whole to
£2,948,669; the amoant raised by school fees has been only
V 160,363. and by local subscriptions and from endow-
ments, dm., 6.111,437, the two items together amounting to
but £471,001, or less than a sixth of the amount voted by
Parliament.
rhe ship Chieftain arrived at New York recently
from Calcutta. When five weeks out the Captain ;Maguire)
was prostrated by fever, and his wife taking command
brought the vessel safely to port. Mrs. Maguire, it is said,
has sailed with her husband for twenty years, and knows
every rope and spar aboard ship. Several years ago, winks
In command of a brig, Captain Maguire with his crew were
taken sick, and Mrs Maguire navigated the vessel to port
with scarcely any assistance.
The blessed golden rose which the Pope sends every
year to some I avoued and virtuous Sovereign, and which
has been bestowed ou Queen Isabella, received the benedic-
tion as usual in the present season of Lent; but it appears
there is now no Soveriegn child of the Church in sufficient
favour to merit this sacred gift.
So much attached was the late Sir Arthur Clifton
to Ills old regiment, the Royal Dragoons, that he declined,
several years ago, the colonelcy of the King's Dragoon Guards,
the emolumeids of which are £550 a year greater than those
of the Royals.
The Prince Imperial, on the anniversary of his
birthday, received by telegram from the Pope the apodolic
benediction, for which the Emperor returned by the same
means his cordial acknowlegdment.
Sir Wentworth Dilke, late member for Wallingford,
will shortly be presented with testimonials from the workhig
men and the wives and daughters of the working men of
that borough.
The statement made by the John Bull that Miss
Braddon had become insane haa been contradicted. It
appears that owing to the death of a near relative she has
sustained a severe shock, from which she is now recovering.
Mr. Crowley, of Birmingham, in addition to various
liberal bequests to the charitable institutions of the town,
has bequeathed a sum of £lO,OOO for the foundation of an
orphan asylum.
The Tablet states that the Duke of Norfolk, the
Elul of Denbigh, Lord Petre, and other noblemen and gentle-
men, have formed a committee to raise funds for the purpose
of defraying the enormous expenses incurred by Mrs. Starr
and M re. Kennedy in defending themselves in the action
brought by Miss Saurin against them.
The money which has been recently collected (for
the most part in penny siMserlptimS in Liverpool and the
district for the "Gladstone Testimonial" is to be expended,
in compliance with the Premier's expressed wish, upon a con-
valescent hospital, the foundation stun,: of which will
shortly be laid by Mrs. Gladstone.
The Prussian journals state that a Protestant jubilee
Is to be held next autunm at Berlin, to form a counterpoise
to the Council to assemble at Ikune. A preparatory meeting
is to lake place at Worms after Whitsuntide.
On Saturday night, during a fog, the signalman at
the lianwell station on the Great Western It Mway, not ob-
serving the danger signal en Dom Southall, allowed a goods
train to raft into another. Seven carriages were broken to
atoms, the engine of the hindermost train being much
damaged. The engine driver and stoker, seeing that a
collision was inevitable, jumped off, aid thus saved their
lives. The guard of the train which was run into had his
leg broken by the concussion, mid is in a very precarious
condition.
-

Another colliery explosion has occurred. The
disaster occurred in the Stable Pit, Nantyglo. Nine men
were severely burnt, one of whom died, and three others are
trot expecte r to live.
The Birmingham Daily Poet has information that
the recent conduct of the released Fenian convicts has caused
the Goverement to stop all further stepe in extruding the
Royal clemency. The Irish Executive was investigating the
claims to the pardon of several other prisoners, but the con-
duct of the released men caused a stop to be put to such pro-
posal. The Government is t indisposed to consider the
claims of the convicts, but more substantial guarantees f
good cosduct will be required, and at present no further
liberations will take place.
At a meeting of the British and Colonial Emigration
Society at the Mansion•house, in London, it has been resolved
that with a view to assist in mitigating the Mistress in the
East of London, the Colonial Government should Unasked to
grant free poseages to emigrants under proper supervision.
It was stated that there were nowexcelleet opportunities bir
settling both in Canada and Western Auatraha. The society
has now £3,630 111 hand.
The estimate of the cost of building the New Opera
House, Paris, amoonted to sixteen millions of francs. More
than double that sum has already been expended. and it Is
now confessed that the total will come up to forty eight
i milllono 1,, tire the work is con Meted. A debate oil this
extravag lit item will shortly follow that on the Trocadero
folly, and the Luxembourg job, in the Corps Legislatif.
A shoemaker wtan supping off tripe at Leith the
other night, when a piece stuck in his throat and choked
him.
The copyright and back stock of the Church News
were sold by auction on Thursday for the sum of £3O.
C. B. B. writes the following to a London paper
"The sister of a friend of mine is engaged to a Venetian
nobleman. The lady is a Protestant, the gentleman a
Catholic. Because of this difference of religion they can-
not be married in Venetia, and are actually about to cross
the bonier into Austria, where Priests have no power to
keep loving hearts asunder. IS Italy asleep ?"
"The law of suicide" was the subject of a conversa-
tion at the Bow-street Police-court, in London on lost Satur-
day. In the course of the examination of a pensioner who
was charged with having attempted to commit suicide, blr.
Hough the chaplain of the House of Detention at Clerkens
well, remarked that in nearly all the canes of attempted sui-
cide which came tinder his observation the prisoners were
under the impressitm that they were neither morally culpable
nor guilty of an infraction of the law. Sir Thomas Henry
Aire magistrate. said that the offence was clearly an indict-
able out, and hoped that publicity would be given to this
warning.
A romantic affair has occurred at Bristol. A young
clerk took his sweetheart for a walk the other morni..g in
Duchess's Wood, Stapleton. It would seem that he mole
some excuse for temporality leaving the girl, who at length
becoming alarmed at his protracted aliseuce, went ill search
of hint—to find him hanging by his handkerchief from a
branch of a tree. Having no other means of extricating her
lover, the girl actually tore the handkerchief in two with her
teeth, and the former, by this time inseesitle, fell to the
earth. The unfortenate young man lay unconscious for •
length of time, and his recovery is a matter of doubt.
Mazzini has just published a work entitled "Political
Testament to the Bahama"
The Empress of the French often speaks and writes
French incorrectly. Whenever she gets excited she uses a
great many Spat ish words in her conversation, and when
angry, the will, at last only speak Spanish. The servants at
the Imperial Court, therefore, when saying, " The Empress
has talked Spanish to me," mean "Sire has scolded me."
The salary of the President of the United States,
General Grant, is only £3,550 per annum.
The latest new thing in Paris in "ready-made dog
, warehouses." " Every description of clothing requisite for
the kennel in five minutes." These shops have always Oil
hand a stocks! "enstomes do Haan." "The finest are of
velvet, the next of fine cloth any hue', with straps,
crests, monograms, and initials. Some are of greeii cloth,
embroidered palm leaves, and, finally, there are bathing-
dresses of white flannel edged with red."
Advices from Belgium state that the Empress
Chailotte is gravely indisposed, and t -at Dr. Jenner has
arrived at Brussels from England to attend her.
The Prince Imperial received on the anniversary of
his birthday as a present from the Princess Mathilde an
elegant velocipede.
Information has been received at Liverpool via New
York of the foundering at sea on the 29th of December last
of the bark China. In heavy weather she lost her captain,
chief officer, and eight of her crew overboard, and beeame
waterlogged. The second officer and six of the crew drifted
about for four days without food or drink, and were at length
taked off by the ship W. 11. Jenkins in a state of great
exhaustion. The second officer died two hours afterwards.
In a short time after their rescue the China went down.
On Saturday, at the Dorking petty sessions, James
Napper was convicted of keeping cows in • state of starva-
tion, and was fined £2 and costs for each animal named in
the information—£2s Os. in all—or, in defauit one month's
imprisonment with hard labour for each animal, being a
total of ten months. The moiety of the penalties to be given
to the C'apel Hospital.
A jar of mixed pickles, manufactured in England
and sold at 7d., Is sold in Russia at 2s. Bd.
A young woman named Doumergue has just passed
a brilliant examination before the Academy of Slompellier
in the section of pharmacy, and been admitted, with one of
the first numliers, to follow the lectures on botany, chemistry,
toxicology, and elementary physics.
A correspondent writes to say that a rather severe
shock of earthquake was felt on Wednesday morning in hot
week It happened between a quarter and half-mot nine,
but no damage was done.
"A National Ball' means 'in the beautiful city
called Cork • a Fenian benefit. They dance, hut with a design;
every wet...3r whirls with a with for the regeneration of Ire-
land, and the country dances are Irish in every step."—Daily
Tslivraph.
Thirteen Beata are now vacant, seven of which were
filled by Conservatives, and six by Liberals. The Congaree-
tive vacated seats are—two at Beverley, two at Blackburn,
and one each at Dublin, Norwich, and Sligo. The Liberal
unfilled seats are—two at Brithlewater, two at Hereford, one
at cashel, and one in Dumfries. So far, the three English judges
have dealt with 33 memoers. Mr. Justice Willcs has nit.
motel three out of 13, Mr. Bftroll Martin four out 01 12, and
Sir. Justice Blackburn six out of eight
Much damage has been done by the recent gale on
the 'oath-west and east coasts. Noble services were ren-
dered by the lifeboats at Sheringham, Paling, Great Yar-
mouth, a, d Ilfracombe, where a number or lives were saved.
At Hayle, lint Cornwall, th- crew of a lifeboat made a most
determined and gallant effort to rescue nine men from a brig
which was in great distress. After tour hours' battling with
difficulties almost insurmountable, they succeeded iu reach-
ing the hat hour with their precious cargo in sat ety. At
Basle, Um, six shipwrecked seamen, the crew of the Ariel,
gym rescued gallantly by the St. hes lifeboat. The vessel
shortly afterwards became a total wreck.
Mr. Justice Willes, in his report on the Blackburn
petition, gives a lucid account of the nature and extent of
the intimidation which was practised in that town He
mgt.. bitt u most instances the iutimidation was exerted by
the Saran' n themselves, and in a smaller number of cases
by managers, or overlookers. It was confined to the winning
side, and was speedily checked .by tha interposition of the
emMoyers ; " but," says his lordship, '• mutt have left
behind distrust and apprehensioe, which were expressly
proved to have effected the votes of some few, and more
than probably influenced many.'