The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-08 00:00:00

111

nqt
's opinions.)

f'llija'
fleteut

A few more days, and Parliament will have recom-
menced 4
its labours; and perhaps it will genfrally be
admitted that our position and prospects - ow,
although still rather gloomy, are brighter hfy
were a few weeks ago. Trade has somewhatiwe 1111,,•
and the distress amongst the poor has diminished.
Fenianisui, though not yet stamped out, isleatedettiant
t etratite than before, and the Fenian.' are so rapidly
betraying one another that they must all begin
to see that Fenianiam is,. hopidimagamie.- .Is.soking,
, ...abroad th'iri is nothing very disquieting to be seen qfl
the horizon. France, it if true,. is making gigan c
efforts for the increase of her army, and intends
" reform the war materiel and the . fleet," but- s
y 4; vidently has no intention' of gOttik" to war, unleka
forced to do so, or the public loan, which has been so
much talked of, wetly' not•boapatad dyer a peiifid- oil
".ttatenty months. The Alatiamia claim'. Way • cause
,iaotie little ill-feeling , between WI , 0P14.1041 Slid
i . America, but after all it if . only kteelipg ow paper,
. f and will Probably spend ktsgf. in diplomatic oorrell-
,,,,.pandence. . Blithout , entering , dee* to . purer
, . yvlitical mattenclt zruiy be st4eAthst ginistepi,v
commence th'e ParliailnenttLig campaio FUJI, a
amonnt of pnlelie conficterioeaLlt hOlitable 3iane's
' Sii?cess. It.is ramoured that retriffinnitzte irztaft
1" iva%ff4;4„. to 'tate the wind omit of ' tttff. Atli of
Op.-position, by bringing in an Education Bill
whether th,iB im true or not it is certain that not '
Afield al plalismentary business "ill- ,leext i
without some effort in this direction.' May.the .
be mutual forbearance and ultimate cli-Operation, .
_that the people may have the wrioritivity of etlucatinf
theisiezilartfa 1 ' .• '' •' r.• I
An attempt will be nii4e nexl Sesaion to amenkr
the present 'faittirseXlt Eitialllirefol inoteratiye
.14+
14 oOlfduttistam of food St , e. ' Aifflttula 13eon'pre-
pby a member of the Royal ( olleste of
,Surgie,
a- Xii4el1
ftilOthiefell IIdLoC-I..Pratfla." 'The rill
"711116:""pioNtitlest that " Brarw'' - 'wfWeittil u 4
:. ..
V,Vetviregy.v4reparuk.,- ', 44.0'444
..aorpTa , tir oil alit i . "iiith' if 'focal . or Attn
any Inji- carindkerial

+s*A4

oorreHl. Toe
•aire ^ aka'
wyl, '
f.o4r
' +f
tile
a
, mat
PIA.SII
, result

*r • ,

001 511 Sidi way _
adulterAtiimerlinerAlliTies of food, which aft.
.iied with "injurious or poison°.
ingredients. .Boms -dust in hrtail, c-olYf
and angstusarf‘ etherMiterralailffic'idullWatliag
and' "dXak, are not either injurious or pole,
but they arm-six/pi": eheasis; and it is bees—
they,are chtsp that the/ are ewe& So :fat as dttit-+
isaricOrVerd'od, the proposed bill may be-of benOlit! but
as to orfkimary censuroptim, the. -difll4ifte44 thiow t
" What' totwt, drink, and avoid," will as
. . .
...teat as Mier. The proposed eompulsory appointment
• of analysts is alas a good step; and a very good claifse
is that which provides for power to local authorities to
direct inspectors of nuisances, &e., to procure samples
of food, &c., and, if they are found adulterated, to
initiate proceedings; but still something more than
permissive " power " is required. Another good clause
is that which provides that any purchaser of an article
may take it to an analyst, who shall give a certificate,
and if this is sondemnatory, the certificate shall be
evidence before a justice, and the 55. paid for it shall be
part of the costs. l'erhaps with our present widespread
prejudice against all Parliamentary interference with
"the freedom of trade," we cannot expect a stronger
bill than this to have a chance of passing, and even
this would be a great advance on the present weak,
permissive, and inoperative measure.
_

•
The public will ere long have the opportunity of
reading the second volume of the "Life of the Prince
Consort," written chiefly by her Majesty, and under
the editorship of Mr. Theodore Martin. The sheets
are now, I believe, imaging through the press, but the
progress of the work has been retarded by Mr.
Martin's illness, consequent on an accident. The sale
of the Queen's "journal" has been so large, that it is
whispered that her Majesty has naturally been affected
by the charms of successful authorship, and is anxious
to enjoy a continuance of its honours.
Great interest is manifested in the approaching dies
cumion between Mr. Gladstone and the representatives
of trades unionism. It is to take place on the leth,
and it has been arranged that the arguments shall be
classified thus The limitation of apprentices ; the
minimum, standard of wages ; piece-work and over-
time ; the alleged action of trades unions in driving
trade to foreign countries ; and the practical advan-
tages of trades unions. A delegate will speak to each
of these points, each one of which is of no little moment
to working men, and all of which combined make up
• subject literally of vital importance. It is to be
hoped that arrangements will be made so as to give a
full report of the entire discussion. Mr. Gladstone is
known to hold opinions on some points which are
opposed •to those of the union men, though
on the advisability of trades unions existing,
prhtitled they are fairly managed, there is ad
diepute between the two. Here, however, comes
the difficulty - what • is fair management, and
how far have trades unions the right to coerce mas-
ters or men? By the. way, I wonder whether the
subject of trades union outrages 'will. be discussed.
Perhape not, as both parties would equally condemn'
them; though there must be a difference of opinion'
BS to how they are caused, sad how they are to be
avoided in future. At all events, it seems difficult to
have a discussion on trades unions and entirely omit
any debate on trades union outrages. Theereport of
the commission appointed to inquire into them at
Sheffield shows that out of sixty societies no less than
twelve promoted or encouraged these outrages. That
is a startling fact which it is not easy to ignore.
Mr. George Francis Train has of late done a good
deal to make himself look ridiculous. His pompous
protest against his arrest, for instance, is laughable,
and his claim for the trifling sum of £lOO,OO0-though
the arrest was perhaps just what he wanted- is so
stupidly extravagant that not even he could have
meant it. But as if his efforts to make himself a
laughing-stock were not enough, some of his zealous
admirers come in to his ail. After one of his lectures
In Cork, a pair of green silk garters was given him by
some ladies, or, as they facetiously call themselves,
"a few unworthy twigs of the great tree-womankind."
These unworthy twigs say they have no gems to offer
him, which is more to be lamented fur their sake
than foe his, and they remark :-
They'd worthless he to thee
Who sways the mighty multitude
Of hearts, so bold and free.
"Thee who sways" may be pardonable Irish, but it is
not English. But why should gems be worthless to
Mr. Train? He knows the value of money as well as
most people, and gems are money. But the unworthy
twigs proceed to say that -
01d Ireland's sons that nightly throng
To worship at thy shrine,
Are gems more pure, than e'er were got
From out Golconda's mine.
I would not say a word against the Emerald gems
generally, but it is a great pity that any Irishman
should go to worship at Mr. Train's shrine, and thus
repeat the old-world blasphemous fallacy, "It is the
voice of a God, and not of a man !" The unworthy
twigs then give us a piece of information which the
ordinary reports of Train's lectures omit. They say 2-
" Thy twenty-tour Inch head last eve
50.0 crowned with the eistor's wreath.
Certainly he lim a fine head, but it is. scarcely _
thus to ewe its measurement. Mr. Train is a man of
culture, whatever else he is, and mud laugh_ im-
mensely at web balderdash as this. ,
As railway travelling will now be on the increase it
may be interesting to point ont a siew system which
has been adopted in reference to the tune-tables.
Bradahaw's London Railway Guide " has made a
valuable innovation on the old plan, in giving tabular
and alphabetical arrangements of trains. The second
plan is altogether new. It shows the traveller at a
glance the times of departure from and arrival at
places not included in the tabular arrangement. For
example, a person at King's Cross, wishing to go to any
place, say by the Great Northern, or to any other
place with which this great line can be connected, finds
oil the same page the times of departure and arrival,
with the number of communications daily, the classes
of the trains being also indicated. And for travellers
coming up to London the name system is adopted,
The complication of railway time-tables has long been
subject of joking- -and sometimes it has resulted in
anything but a joke; and though much of the laboured
attempts to be funny on this subject have had no true
foundation, still the difficulty of understanding many
of the ordinary time-tables is so great that it is only
fair to acknowledge a successful attempt to loosen it.
The Aeronautical Seciety intend having an exhibition
next June, at the Crystal Palace. A better place could
not be chosen, always presnming that the society has
something worth seeing. In spite of the long list of
failures, the numeroue fatal accidents, said the very
little progress that has been made in the science (if it
be a science) of wronautics, enthusiasts continue to
come forward year after year. There was not long
since a notice of application for a patent for is flying
machine, or something of that sort-the exact title
apes me-which was to navigate the air by means
ui sails and rudders. Will this affair be exhibited?

poetical

Egolotion Relief I
-- new received • wife
-.ad sum for the purposes contemplated by their present
action, they have suspended their appeals to the munificence
of the benevolent. The question of the liability of the
county to compensate the owner. of Injured dwellings hav-
ing been referred to the Court of Queen's Bench, they have
- - • to await that issue. U a decision adverse to the
sufditseglViin they 9r050 agalfp to appeal to the'
tie at.
—0
Courier Feancais says—" America is beginning to
take a pert In European affairs. The presence of Admiral
Farm:lWe squadron in the Neapolitan waters Is meant to
counterbalance the presence ,I the French troops in the
Papil States. Admiral Farragut has bad interviews with •
many of the most eminent men of the party of action, until in
,11000 to hare- promised Ahem tifir support. A Meas.-Reis
sent off expressly to Caprera, and the answer of itailiaddi Is
waited for before waning to a,finslreiolution."
Mr. W. E. Forster, 31 P.. attended a soiste which the
" overlookers'i of ltradford mere on Saturday night in honour
of Mr. baker, the factory inspector. The hon gentleman,
refitting to the proposal to extend short time in factoriet to
hildren at fourteen *lefts of age, soud he could not pledge
himself to support it until he had firet heard the argusaents
on,, the 'ogssr ales.. Out his present opinion, was that the
changeivtiblit prielnee most beneficial results. ,There gouhl
be no doubt whatever, • he said, "that one year's mote
schooling fops iglaildspf Ahrsteen would liffvurth almost all
the years that hitd gohe before."

committee of "The

-- --
annonnual

tr;-rag Bo •
,plated

, Nei, lark Tribtow .reports one. of those. !shocking
_. Pirliich; °inning to light from time to time, .dlsolotie the
horrors otthe " middle passage" of the preseirt day.. The.
liftet4Wel, filtify lie i'finitz sailed. to Nee; York With a cargo of
ethigrants. The food was of the poorest quatily; 'the
water scarce and filthy : of hrokir Sint; Val Mist and
dying received no attention from the ,filvers of the yesset ;
105 Welly% were, thrown overboard; and .301 reached New
York in a Condit'. in bordering upon lunacy and starvation.
For several weeks the passage lasted sixty day., the alumina
of water dealt out to each person was half u.pint per diem!,
a specimen of the breed, which was green and mouldy, wee
exhibited at the Tribune. Otiine. The above facts were (At-
tained frogx the giUrriVOrit by 9 counnitite of•the German I
•°°.i-tt.r: ,! •'.— S . - - --.-• - " k-i. •
. The returns of special wiletaldea throuPhout the country .
' here inst heen lamed. The total for Lonilouhel2,474. The
City_ls at the head of tlig eiskrict ),tati,,.,,1th„,9,163 men oei;
tm
gditiliedfirriller the fif'f toinhifsshiner'brPulitai; St.
litmover.sguare, is next, with 3,414; St. Margaretrast-
minder, 1,745 : Paddington, 1,65 s ; St. Patients, 1,3;17 ; St.
Peter's, Westminster, has towel, 33. . The total for Great
lirVaitsleikl3,674: ,ltett hp. 3;974 if Gleafhain/ 3-,taf.S.l //rPtol,
4461; Slinoheeter: 2,215; and Ely, Trinity, 3.
!

by a hackney carriage driven by a nian moned itagach
.gga,„err: saverel7. i.p treed sim dfimm,-tonannerneitti h
iWbooea
daliwast.,4hip. deteslietita,appealpst Rileging
rrtvl hre On the part of the p aintilf and exaggeration of• the
injury sustained hut the court now ilecideii that Om dolls
gart .beentweolieltutively aseei•taincd tilbunalspelow'
.gwegilweensifisioarcele re4edted'Olicatiflpdal with'cinfte: ' •
. •
.lignimull of ilterMiumptien of the negotiations fat a Coq.
ferenee ea the. Roman question are stain circulating IS
he ev:r.cii3llTrifi.lligitteCJll
by the French trooS4rerh denting ntstite Papal fortiflCatiling
and troops with' French guns, and the protection of th
coast against the ineursionof Garibablians by French vessel
It is esen Viiitideltiy stated, init goad entity-illy:that th-
basisqvassegepted by the Italian GOVerlllllClit last l'hristni
Day. Prince Napoleon, alluding to these runtours, Is reporte
isavit•Wsid of Etnperots.4l"Whltiful fituifttu if
barely a fortnight shicztlet treped 4.conspire with Italy, and
now he conspires agglost-fier with' Diustria and the Pope :" I
'Con Satiirday a lock-out of iron moulders belonging to the
trade union took place in litasgints,aldin various parts id
Scotland. Foreemie time the relations between employers
and employed In this important Mandl of imliistrichave been
of a Very unsatisfactory character. The employers would
ai.pear desirous to remove • the restrictions which have
hitherto been imposed by the trade union, on the around
that these are oppressive and unjust, and the men naturally
are anxious to retain their position. The lot k-oirt is•to
continue until the directorate of the employers' association
are able to announce that the various slops throughout the
country have been opened free of all restrictions. It is said
that the men are determined to resist this step on the part
of the employers, and a protracted contest is expected.
Meantime, the trade is not wholly at a stanostill, a number
of the shops being supplied with non-union men, while in
others, employers not belonging to the association are
keeping their men at work on such terms as they have been
able to arrange between themselves.

6ittc,a

The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Repre-
sentatives at Washington have, it is said, come to the deter-
mination of introducing a bill declaring that naturalised
citizens abroad are entitled to the same protection as native-
horn citizens, unless such protection shall have been
forfeited by crimes against the Federal laws or against
foreign Governments committed within their jurisdiction,
or by desertion front actual service, or by enlistment in a
foreign army or OEM, or by adoption of a domicile beyond
the limits of the United States for over one year. Ity this
bill the President would he authorised to demand the release
of citizens who might be detained by foreign Governments
upon the ground of American naturalisation not absolving
them from allegiance to their native country. Should the
release be refused or delayed, the President would be auth,
rised to came the arrest of any subject of such foreign
Government as an indetnnitv and reprisal.

The jury at the Clerkenwell explosion inquest are in a
difficulty. They want Mullany to be brought before them,
and Mr. Hardy says he thinks it is illegal to allow prisebers
to be taken to Coroner's Courts. The Coroner is naturally of
the jury's opinion, but tie thinks it would be better to wait
until the legal question can be submitted to Parliament.
The jury are in favour of immediate action, alid at their
request tie. Lankester is to write to Mr llardy, asking that
Muttony may be produced. This is a very old difficulty,
hut it seems as far id a settlement now as ever. 'Or. Lan-
heater says the dignity of a Coroners' count ought to be con.
entered a little if a magistrate. sitting alone, can have
witnesses brought before him, why cannot a.Curoner who
his a jury to help him? The jury admit they have evidence
enough before them to pronounce on the cause if the deaths
—namely, the explosion—but without Muttony they say they
can find no verdict as to the cause of the explosioe. They
met on Friday, but from these hindrances they could do
little to advance the business, in hand, anti they agreed On an
adjournment for three weeks.

London has once more the prospect of a brilliant season,
for It Is now authoritatively announced that the Queen will
hold a Court at ihicknighain Palace on Tuesday, March 3rd,
to twelve ilia Corps I.l4plentatique, her Majesty s Ministers,
and other oflicialtersonagea, with the ladles ortheir families,
who will receive notifications of her Majesty's gracious in-
tention through the Lord Chamberlain. The Queen will aim
hold three. Drawing Rooms at Buckingham PalaCe; wig, on
Thursday, 12th March : Wednesday, Ist April ; and Tues..
day, 10th May, to which ladies will be admitted under the
same regulations as were formerly in force at St James's
Palace. The Queen will be present at each Drawing Room
as long as her Majesty's streogth will permit, one of the
Princesses representing the Queen during the.retnainder of
the time. Ills Royal highness the Prince of Wales will, as
usual, hold Levees on her Majesty's behalf during the season
at St. James's Palace.

The Manchester Chamber of Commerce held their annual
meeting on Thursday in last week. Mr. Baxley, M. P., said
the prospects of the cotton Industry were brightening.
There had been an " immense" depreciation in the value,
not only of the raw material, but also of goods—the
looms in Liverpool alone from this came during the
past year having amounted to little less than five millions—
but the solvency of the district had upon the whole been
well maintained. Among the other subjects touched upon
In the hon. gentleman's speech was that of the bankruptcy
law. Ile pointed out the gross injustice which creditors
suffered tinder the existing systeni, and urged the import-
ance of pressing for a thorough ref ofm of the law. He was
glad to tind that Liverpool was taking action in the matter.

Mr. Miles, the Conservative candidate for Bristol, has
Issued his address. After remarking that he has been
actively engaged in business for nearly thirty years in
Bristol, and is therefore acquainted with its best Interests,
Mr. Miles observes : " If elected, I shall be prepared to give
a steady support to the present Ministry, who have done
well for their country iu passing a measure of Reform at
once simple and comprehensive, and giving the franchise to
many of tie working classes not before included In the
constituency. In my opinion they have acted rightly in
setting at rest a question the frequent agitation of which In
the House of Commons has interfered so minfh with all useful
legislation. It will be my privilege, should you return me
as your representative, to assist the Government by all
means In my power to complete their Reform nieasures
for the three kingdoms. It writhe coy desire to promote
efficiency of Government, economy in all details, education,
and improvement in the social condition of the people. In
offering myself as a candidate for your suffrages, I have
been influenced by the feeling that all well-wishers to her
Majesty's tlinisters should use every exertion, even at the
sacrifice of personal comfort, tfl support them at this critical
period."

On Satnplay a deputation from the Church of England Mid
Ireland Temperance Reformation Society waited upon Mr.
hardy, at the Rome (Alice, for the purpose of pressing upon I
him the necessity of taking legislative measures for the
repeal of the Beer Act of IKIO. The Rev. Robert Maguire, •
Incumbent of Clerkenwell, introduced the subject, and was
followed by the Rev. H. J. Elliaon, vicar Of Windaor, Arch-
deacon Sandford, and other gentlemen, who exposed the
evils of the present system. Mr. hardy coincided with the
views of those who denounced the beershop system, but
thought as much evil arose from low publie•houses. .Itulaing
from his experience of late parliamentary eft one, he hesitated
to say whether Government would be able to inirodnce any
measure on the subject during the forthcoming session, and
he hardly thought Inc end of a Parliament was a good time
to interfere with public-houses or beershops. Ile was also
of opinion that a small measure would be of no use, and that
in any bill that might be introdueed. the whole subject
should beolealt with. Ilia individual opinion was that they
must have a restricted system, or a more extensive police
agency. The deputation thanked the Mune Secretary for
his statement.

lassi
it has std.._ lcss
yet in the TerfuriNFFECe had the
greatest p. y, our export trade being now more
than five times what it was in 1833. Under what
possible felicitous combination of circumstances, asks
Mr. Howitt, are we to liquidate the debt? We have
begun to regard it as part of our eonst/tution, and its
reduction is opposed on the ground that it would
necessitate fresh taxes, True, exclaims Mr. Howl&
but Merely te addillona interest whisk we hairkin
curred sines e Crimean war tv41,1 Imes been eruitiglr
to wipe off on dieth a the debt, and thlii amount paiil
for the last fifty years amounts to within V 300,000.000
of twice the mm. If we can pay it off, we should

_
prospenty,

about it quickly. _ _
TRADE OUTRAGE.—The Coro/fry .titstadard says
that an attempt was made to shoot Mr. Hitching, a
draper of the town, as he was passing over Gosford-
green on his way home to Stoke on Friday night. An
anonymous letter was subsequently received by Mr.
Ilitchins, informing him that he was mistaken for some
one else. It was so follows :
Mr. !Mains It was not my Intention of shooting you
but Paddy Heart and that—l will shoot and ii,endrick and
then F shall dlc happy. in help my God I shall never die
happy till theu et him Juni his men oil that minds two
Looms If the)' Hula Come out they may look out has well has
that—eal4 gwri: Night and god Bless you for your bits
Being Spare& '
The Mr. Hart mentioned has setight to reduce the
wages of some of his men, who refused to work on the
new .scale. U 4 thee. vent. to .the workhouse where
many Weavers are employed breaking stones and
lricV9BoakujlsAaddircy-alio refteled.to work on. his
ferms;flige7i.gviug-ottieser refused them all assistance ;
hence a certain amount of exasperation against Me.

Hart. . •
. .
Q'..Tug fPt
. .*; ICKED • LIFE
was held at:;reicssitsis on
:Monday, on the body of a
woman named l'eufts, aged thirty-four, and her
daughter, aid about a year and a half. The deceased,
who appear VI have had considerable personal attrac-
tions, hail led a loose and vicious life for years. Ilpr
conduct 'hut caused her husband to run away frilnis%r
tp Americti, and the child was the daughter of another`
roan With whom she had lived as his wife, but from
when she had :qeparated. After many attempas
ibgli wereirustrated, she at last succeeded in iinv.i44
possession of thq infant, and in throwing it PAIN aI
candtbito whieh She jumped herself. The jtirjt re-
turtied olita,oohose singularly limiest:6loSr" tar-
diets of "Unsound Mind," vinitli are,in iesq dap!
. .
so corn' moil. " - sts4
;Tue AJDA&AUfS 3I 014115 N 1140111441.0410.
magistrates and police of i'intilierl.ANNE
carried out their crusade against .betr,gars
energy-siss,to..pirestritpte itibto4stittoifrOo4ftillowin
eireulai to the clerks of pett)t_seisions in the Suunty :
`• County Gaol, ('arlislF,' JasittarT, )868. Sir,
I am diieozeillsj, Ants, Strequest th
you will intimate tia Zji/i ..magi,trates of your benc
that, thrigaal terisorinsrattiliarinln
conviction will be rei..,eiveiT until 'a very con, e
able discharge • has tilt-fir, of which notice wits
be Si ,it ti • you. ballit,sair,',Stotir obedient serval
eV.. ldrisis)L, .6 r.
10yersioit4l'esrhharratials8 Itf.tkett
Soijaipasstjj79mjuistiisesirnlllaga llased,tØtsr pert
plexing position, and, on SaturJay, offender" whqj
-s:sajd",rhitinstaftllrfttatl, tfol Ural Ole
11101.10.11tralli0A0 SW if nifty. wadi do bettesst
Lire IN SIC 11.1(..--A kAter him Partinico says;
tw,horimes have ,jasVbeeirtohissnatatt Ynatig inas
named coanejno wAiciihigirestl i, Ii sj„tield is, the midst(
of his Ik'Fiairi•A. the light he was shotl
because his parents hail not bantered to pay his ran,
"iteng- stirter, GMVioni? 31itzz; bag lath:
mooed to stop by einem tastsfutators, pot having been'
able to do so, as Ids horse taking i,ivltt started off at
a gallop, WM punished for his lion-compliance Joy a
volley. He was sri badly wounded that his leg must
be amputated. The chief of the rural guard was the,
only man that was thought to have rendered signal
service to the public safety. and flow lie is accused of
• the murder of Palazzolo at Palermo before the inn of
I Pizzuto.
- -

- ----__.
Too eftuEL !—Here is the latent theatrical
mot, as related by Mr. Edmund Yates, in Tinalry's
Magazine :
A manager, who has never yet been itemised of humour,
wrote to a leading actress, asking her 1.. play an engagement
at the autumnal opening ol the theatie ai..l begging her to
name her terms. The lady is reply expressed her willing-
ness to accede to the proposition ; her terms were thirty
pounds a night. The manager's reply as this :—" Dear
aladarn,—Make it shillings and it's a bargain"
TIIE CHURCH IN THE WEST.—Mr. William
Hepworth Dixon, in his Spiritual /Vic..., says that all
Yankees who go to church delight in singing and in
prayer, for which they seem to enjoy some special
gifts. The Psalms of David and the Lortra Prayer
aupply them with the bases of a common service,
suited to their simple tastes. A chapter front the
Lade read by some farmer, with now and then a
sermon from a preacher who chances to come that
way, and us willing to oblige, satisfies their spiritual
wants. The wanderer may preach any dectrine or no
doctrine; he may belfmg to any 'wet or to no sect •, if
the people like what he says, they will give him his
dinner and a dollar; if they like him very much, they
may invite him to stay among them, and when they
feel strong enough to build, they may ruse him a log.
church. It is in this simple way, awl by this natural
law, that churches grow in the great western country ;
not from the choice of those who make them, but from
the pressure of a force beyond In all these
churches, the preacher is of more importance than his
book ; the man rules in place of the canon ; hence the
widest field is thrown open to personal daring, personal
genius, and even personal freak.
FALL OF AN AVALANCHE. —An avalanche
lately fell at four in the morning at Bareges,,
in the Hautea-PyriMees. It came from the Turon de
Venne by toe Gavin arid struck near the
officers' quarters of the military hospitaL The (Leiria
choked up the bed of the Bastan and turned the stream
into the principal street of Bareges, inundating a great
number of houses, and tearing up the way to a depth
of three feet. The inmates in many rinse al difficulty
in escaping with their clothes. The use, riot yet
ascertained, is believed to be considerable. The
necessitry Aejat hate been taken to remedy the effects
of the disasters.
SINGULAR CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION.—At the
Abergavenny County Court, Joseph Holmes sired
Charles 1111oran for loss alleged to liave been sustained
by the slaughter of two cats. The j•laintiff is a fish
dealer and the defendant a butcher, and the nature of
the cane appears from the following particulars an-
nexed in legal form to the summons
:
To damage and injury dons to a cat belonging to the
plaintiff, caught in a trap set in your slaughter house, In or
near Lion-street, when the left foreleg of the said cat was
broken, and to compensation in !aspect of the same, t.. 1. .To
value of one cat belonging to the plaintiff caught amid killed
in the trap in the said alaughter.house, 42.
The cats were named respectively " Spot," and "Jet,"
and according to the testimfiny of the plaintiff's wife, who
gave her evidence with amazing emphasia, their value,
and snore especially that of the deceased "Spot," was
not to be estimated by " golden sovereigns." Legal
gentlemen appeared on either side, and after a lengthy
argument, and the submission of a case by the plaintiff's
olieitor, the judge ruled that the cats were trespassers,
and had come to their deaths by misadventure. The
plaintiff was accordingly nonsuited.
A BP.ILLIANT AYFAIR.—The last ball at the
11 Tuilleries was just no brilliant as the preceding,
although with a somewhat more restricted number of
guests. Tier Majesty wore a dress consisting of
several skirts, trimmed with acacia-flowers and green
leaves, and looped up by a sort of chfitelaine of pre-
cious stones—emeralds, rubies, and sapphires; the
front of the corsage was covered with a berthe of
emeralds and diamonds, her Majesty wearing a
diamond necklace, similar jewels in the hair, with
acacia-branches formed of emeralds. The Princess
Mathilde had on a dress of yellow satin, with black
velvet, and displayed a aplendid suite of diamonds ;
the Princess Murat was in mauve satin ; and the
Princess de Metternich in white tulle, sprinkled over
with sprigs ot lilac, diamond necklace and coronet.
Their Majeatien walked through the rooms more than
once, and spoke to many of the guests. Supper was
served at a little after twelve, but dancing did not
terminate until three in the morning.
Munrika IN A CIIIIRCIL—A few mornings ago,
as the AMA'. Gouache, cure of La Loupe, in France,
was receiving the confession of a female penitent, a
cattle-dealer, named Rousseao-Linaa, hastily entered
the church, and demanded that his confession should
be heard without delay. The Abbe left the confes-
sional to remonstrate with the new comer upon his
unseemly conduct, whereupon the ruffian drew a knife
and stabbed the priest so severely that he shortly after
expired. The assassin, who was captured in a cafe,
avers that he was seized with a sud4len impulse to
commit the crime. In support of this statement it
was shcwn that the prisoner nad been subject to fits of
mental aberration.
"Scas-Mao " OF THE UPPER TEN.—A writer
inn Paris paper speaka of a cayateriou.s affair in these
! terms

The mysterious hints thrown out about society In Paris
are curious. The young Marquis of
the lady on whom he has bestowed a magnificent firstel,
servants, and jewelry. This has caused great trouble in fk
high family where the daughter was to have married the
young nobleman. Domestic convulsions, whilst the young
Marquis threatens to commit suicide unless supplied With
more money. The young nobleman don't trill Morsel!, but
Indulges in betting In order to place himself in funds again.
Lady of high rank in despair as to her slaughter. Prince
Napoleon referred to. Lady appears in a mask, and has a
long conversation w Ith the mother of the prs angel sou. A
few slays afterwards a beautiful healthy baby is left in
a basket at the dreir of the hotel of the fluidly of the repro-
bate nobleman. The Messrs --- refuse-to advance money
to -- Bey. An pont de change oilers each to a person
who shall he nameless, arid the Duchess, In order to avoid an
interview with a high personage of the court, pretends she
is laid up with chilblains. The grand monde of Paris Is now
In a state of excitement bordering on an entente. whereupon
the Emperor is applied to. Such is the scan.mag of
the upper ten—fifths most unhealthy state conceivable.
A :MARRIAGE DISSOLVED.—In the Court of
: Divorce, on Tuesday, Sir J. I'. Wilde delivered judg-
ment in the cause of lull '. Hill and Johnson, which
was a suit promoted by the father of the husband for
a decree of nullity of marriage on the ground of un-
due publication of banns. The .htfsband'e real name
was Johannes tie Vere Hill; the wife's, Ellen Johnson.
The banns were. published at Liverpool in the names
of John Hill and Ellen Johnson ; and the question in-
volved was whether this was done with the knowledge
and consent of the wife for the purpose of concealment.
The husband, who was a medical student of the age
of seventeen at the time of the marriage, alleged that
it was; the wife, who was a servant in the family, de-
clared on the other hand that it was not. The hus-
band's evidence having been corroborated in important
particulars by the testimony of independent wit-
nesses, his lordship held that the court should give
credit to his statement, and accordingly pronounced
the marriage null and void.
TIIE LARGEST PLANE TREE IN BRITAIN--
The oldest plane tree in Scotland, and perhaps the
largest of its kind in Britain, fell in the gale of Friday
week. It grew by the side of the river Allan, near
Dunblane, and was known as the "Big Tree in Kip-
penross" as long ago as the reign of Charles 11. If
some old papers discovered in Dunblane are to be
trusted, it was planted upwards of 44i11 years ago. Its
cubic contents in 1821 amounted to 875 feet ';
and a
measurement in 1841 proved it to be 100 feet in height,
20 in the girth round the smallest part of the trunk,

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