The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

ptianb.

THE CoMMISSIONEES OF EMI 11BERED ESTATES
have resumed their sittings, and Baron Richards, the
first commissioner, is now completely restored to
health. The new act of Parliament prolongs the
duration of the tribunal for four years from the
I:ith of August last, and thenceforward to the end of
the parliamentary session. The entire amount real-
ised by sales ordered from the commencement to the
10th instant inclusive is 10,1:10,-1011. Id.
THE IVhI.TRuI. EXIIIIIITIoN will be closed on
Monday next, the :11st, by his Excellency the Lord
Lieutenant. The occasion will ls• celebrated l•y a
unisicalfitc, which promis►s to be very effective. It
k tinderstood that his excellency will confer the
honour of knighthood upon Mr. e. I'. Honey, the
honorary secretary to the Exhibition. A balance in
band of -KIM/. has been paid over during the week
by the committee to Mr. l)argan. being the amount
which he had advanced to them for the purposes of
the Exhibition. The proposed honorary banquet to
that gentleman will be given next week.
31n. 316DottiH AIL, clerk to the Attorney.6;eneral,
has been appointed to the office of clerk of the writs
and appearances, vacant by the death of the late

Itolwrt Cooper. F:sq. The salary is 84NV. a year.
vERV I%II.I*ENTI.II. MEETING of merchants inte-
rested in the Irish linen trade was held at Belfast
last week, for the purpose of considering the pro-
pnety of communicating with the I lovenunent on the
subject of procuring a change in the existing tariff
of the United States) 44 it stfeets the linen unutufsc
turers of

SATURDAY,

THE WORKS ON: THE B►►YsE VI.U►CCT, which is to
connect the Drogheda with the Belfast Junction
Railway, have been stopped, in consequence of a
strike amongst the workmen.
As an instance of the scarcity of labourers at pre-
sent experienced in the south of Ireland, the Cork
Examiner states that an application was made at the
Cork poor-house this week for able-bodied men, to
whom employment was offered at the comparatively
high wages of one shilling and sixpence a day. A
few of the inmates were found to answer the descrip-
tion, and readily embraced the offer, the first one of
the kind made at the workhouse since its construc-
tion some twelve or thirteen years ago.
THE present year has been so prosperous for the
Irish farmers that a large amount of savings is said
to be now in the hands of this class, whose fortunate
possessors are eagerly looking for investments in all
directions.

1N consequence of the age and debility of the
Right Itev. I►r. Blake, Homan Catholic Bishop of
I►rumore, the election of a coadjutor bishop for the
diocese took place on Tuesday, in the Ronan Catho-
lic cathedral of Newry. The Rev. I►aniel Shaikey,
P.P., Ballvtialtinch, who received five votes, is re-
turned as ;fignissimus, and his name, with that of the
three other candidates, will he transmitted to Home
for selection of the coadjutor prelate from amongst
them.

Fou THE IlomAN CATHOLIe l'xivEusra Suit Elm
subscriptions to the amount of 1,674/. have been re.
ceived and acknowledged by the committee during
the past mouth. The entire sum received towards
the project exceeds 441,1 N Nll.

THE 110 N. 3lns. NonroN hays been staying at Lis-
more Castle for the past three weeks, accompanied by
her eldest son.

A large part of the front wall of the Killarney Bail.
way Hotel fell on Thursday night. Much damage
was done, but no lives were lost.

EFFECTS OF " SPIRIT RAPPING " IN
AMERICA.

THE papers report many incidents showing the
lengths to which the " rapping" delusion has run,
and the terrible consequences which have too often
resulted from the delusion. The following extracts
will give some idea of the practical consequences of
this deplorable mania :
" The wife of Michael Catt, of Pecker Township, In-
diana, was shot by her daughter-in-law, who was much ex-
cited on supernatural objects at the time."
" Mr. Orville Hatch, of Franklin, Connecticut, has be-
come insane, having devoted considerable attention to the
subject of spiritual rapping& Mr. Hatch is a fanner, and
has been instnunental in introducing many important im-
provements in agriculture."
" Mr. 'Wiwi.. a deacon in one of the churches (Coupe.
gat' I) in Warwick, has income insane, in conseimenee
of surrendering himself to the ' spiritual-rapping ' delusion.
I lin wife and other members of the family are in a similar
state."

" Mr. B. remissly hung himself in a barn in Grafton,
Louth' eounty. He was an amiable. iutrlligeist, and re-
spected young man, and became so absorbed in rapping% as
to unbahuiee his mind. His ease is but one of a long hat
of insane. made so by modern rappings and spiritualism."
" The I report id' the Ono Lunatic Asylum discloses
the fact that there are no fewer than twenty-six iwrisina
(thirteen men and thirteen women) who Line found their
way there by means of the spiritual rappings."
S •I Pole, of Warlington county, thin. was made
insane by the spirit rappingm, and became possessed with
the idea that lie must otter, like Abraham, a sacrifice to
the Supreme. He aeconlingly proceeded to eat oft one of
his own fret, w Melt lie succeeded in doing in a very seien-
title manner, and with heroic deka ))) ) tation. His family,
reining thud some other of his limbs might be demanded in
a like cause. had him conveyed to the lunatic asylum."
" A young woman was removed to the asylum at Utica,
hawing-become insane in consequence of witnessing some
• spiritual ' experiments in Massachustiets. She is new
wild with madness."
Mr. Christopher Stievely, a very worthy and lulus
tritium citizen of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, has become in-
51111C in consequence of attending to ' spiritual
wmlifrstu-
tions.' and has been conveyed to the Pennsylvania Lunatic
Asylum, and is now it raving lunatic."
•• Ebenezer Pope, of Milton, hung himself on the 14th
instant: cause. ' spiritual millings.' He was one of the
select men, and leads a family to mourn over his terrible
." _ _ _

c regret to announce that a hilly of Northampton,
llassacluissetts, a holy too of great hcauty, lowliness, and
intelligence, the molter of six children, has become raving
mail through the influence 44 • riiiritual manifestations.'
She wits conveyed to the Itattle•laaough insane Hospital
in suet' n state of excittint•nt that it took two attendants to
hold her. These instances are imiltiplying with fcarlid
rapidity in every quarter of the country. Some of the moat
sane, too, out of the madhouse, talk like madmen.'

The forest of Compiegne, which is chiefly ocenpicol
by very obi trees. is ebtimated to be worth. timber in
chided, 19.000.00 francs. It comprises '29,11; 4 llereS ;
its circumference is 12 leagues ; it contains :cis roads
of 220 leagues in length; 11 ponds; :31IJ
and 11 fouuteim.

)CTOBER 29, 1853.