The Press.
London, England, 1854-06-03 00:00:00

514

Da. Wlmem FREEMAN DANIELL, M.R.C.S., has

returned to England on his promotion of staff-sur-
geon. This indefatigable explorer of Africa has
again enriched the natural history of that country
with some invaluable specimens, and has been the
first to bring home in safety living specimens of that
extraordinary animal the lepidosiren annectens
(Owen).
AN " INFERNAL MACHINE " has been invented by an
Elgin tradesman, and the inventor summoned, ac-
cording to the Elgin Courier, to attend at Woolwich
and explain his contrivance to the military authori-
ties there. The instrument is denominated a "Longi-
tudinal Projectile ; " it is about four feet in length, may
be fired from a cannon, and will " hit to a hair" any
object a,: a distance of five miles. On being dis-
charged it expands like an umbrella, explodes the
moment it alights, and causes instant annihilation to
every material for many yards around. No substance
beyond " inflammable matter" is used in its con
struction.
THE METROPOLITAN MORTALITY last week, as enu-
merated in the Registrar-General's return, included
1,143 deaths from all causes. This presents a trifling
decrease upon the previous return, but is still 127 in
excess of the decennial average.
THE amount paid on account of criminal prosecu•
tions in England, Wales, and Ireland, from 1847 to
1853, was 1,031,7271. ss. Bd.—in England and
Wales, 1,242,5221. 128.5 d. ; and in Ireland, 389,2041.
13s. 3d.
THE " PITT PRESS " in Cambridge is henceforth to
carry on its business in partnership with Mr. George
Seeley, the publisher in Fleet-street, and Mr. C. J.
Clay, printer, of Trinity College and Tower-hill.
A "grace" to that effect has passed the University
Senate on the proposition of the Pitt Press Syndi-
cate.

ARRANGEMENTS for a demonstration on behalf of
Hungarian nationality are being made in Sheffield.
The affair is to come off on Whit-Monday. Kossuth
has promised to attend.
THE sums insured in England on farming stock,
which are consequently exempt from duty, in the
year 1853, amounted to 56,035,7771.
THE BROTHER OF CARDINAL WISEMAN, Mr. James
Wiseman, died last week in Liverpool. He was at
one time engaged in mercantile affairs in that city,
but latterly acted as interpreter of foreign languages,
being an expert linguist. His death occurred
unexpectedly, following very speedily from an attack
of cold, caught while attending the Liverpool Court
in his professional capacity.
THE ISSUE OF A BREVET is now considered a
matter on which there can be no doubt. The
extent to which it will reach is, however, still un-
certain. Our professional contemporary, the Naval
and Military Gazette, believes that it will include
" all the Lieutenant-Generals of 1846 to be Generals;
all the Major• Generals of 1846 to be Lieutenant
Generals ; all the Colonels of 1846 to be Major-
Generals ; the Lieutenant Colonels, down to Brevet
of 1846, to be Colonels ; the Majors, down to Brevet
of 1840, to be Lieutenant-Colonels ; all Captains
down to end of 1843." The United Service Gazette
states that this brevet "will be the last of the kind,
and, therefore, take in every officer whose position
gives him anything like a claim to advancement.
All vacancies will afterwards be filled up, as they may
occur, on the seniority principle."
THE Right Reverend Lord Auckland, Bishop of
Sodor and Man, has been selected by her MAjesty as
the new Bishop of Bath and Wells.
THE Qtr :EN has appointed William Henry Wright,
Esq., Chief Commissioner of the Gold Fields, and
Frederick Armand Powlett, Esq., Chief Comthis-
sioner of Crown Lands, in the colony of Victoria.
THE new cemetery for the parish of Lambeth,
situated at Tooting, was consecrated on Tuesday by
the Bishop of Winchester. The ground is most
eligibly situate, and comprises thirty acres, of which
twenty are set apart for the interment of members of
the Church of England, and ten for Dissenters, &c.
The time allowed by the Home Secretary having
terminated, the burial-grounds of St. Mary's, St.
John's (Waterloo-road), and others in Lambeth, were
closed on the same day.
A VOTE of 0,0001 is to be proposed by Government
for obtaining a complete system of agricultural
statistics in Scotland, to be carried out through the
medium of the Highland Society.
LAST year, out of 484,946 plaints in the county
courts, only 863 causes were tried by jury ; in 444
cases the parties requiring a jury obtained verdicts.
Ortiir eight of thirty-six persons summoned to serve
on juries at the City Sheriffs' Court were in attendance
on Saturday last. The judge (Mr. Gurney) expressed
himself strongly on the subject, and inflicted on the
absent twenty-four the full penalty of 10/. each.
THE REV. C. B. DALTON, late Rector of Lambeth,
has been presented by the Bishop of London to the
incumbency of Highgate, rendered vacant by the
death of the Rev. T. H. Causton. The rectory of
Lambeth, which thus becomes vacant, is worth
1,5001. a year, and is in the gift of the Archbishop of
Canterbury.

THE PRESS.

A sux of 2,5001. is to be asked for by Government
for the maintenance of the royal monuments in
Westminster Abbey.
THE RATING OF ETON COLLEGE to the poor rate,
after much disputation, has at last been conceded by
the Provost and Fellows. The college buildings and
demesne are assessable at 1,5001. or 1,8001. per
annum, or about one-fifth of the total assessment of
Eton parish. _ _

THE COLONELCY OF THE 17TH FOOT has become
vacant by the death of Sir Peregrine Maitland.
NEW SMITHFIELD MARKET is to be opened by
Christmas next or sooner. The City Corporation are
actively bestirring themselves for its completion. The
contracts for works has been taken by Mr. Walker, of
Bermondsey, and energetically proceeded with. The
building and other erections are to be of the most
substantial character, and to consist entirely of brick
and iron. The bulk of the ironwork, amounting to
several thousand tons, is to be galvanised by Messrs.
Morewood and Rogers.
THE TAPEWORM DISEASE has appeared among het
grouse in our (Dundee Courier) higher moors—
possibly from excessive drought. Hitherto there
have been few deaths ; but we learn that its ravages
are great in Glenesk and other Forfarshire moors.

THE LORDS OF THE TREASURY have issued letters
announcing that the consular authorities of the
Emperor of Russia will no longer be recognised in
her Majesty's dominions. This communication has
been transmitted to the principal officers of customs
at all the ports throughout the United Kingdom.

THE NATIONAL SOCIETY'S ANNUAL MEETING was
held on Wednesday in the National School-room,
Broadway, Westminster. The Primate presided, and
in his address observed that the cause% of education
had been making steady progress, and that the society
had fresh reason to be grateful for the success which
had attended its operations. The report shcwed the
extent and increase of the educational operations ef-
fected by the society during the past year:

Since the last audit, 5,2571. out of the Queen's letter fund had
been paid for school buildings now duly completed. This sum
had assisted in the erection of 185 schoolrooms, affording accom-
modation for 22,826 children, and also of 86 teachers' residences.
The total number of schools now in union with the society
amounted to 10,202. Of these 182 had been added during the
last year. The training institutions remained under the super-
intendence of the Rev. Alexander Wilson, and sixty-three mas-
ters and eighty-eight mistresses had been sent out from these
institutions since the date of the last report to take charge of
schools. The number of applications for schoolmasters during
the past year had been 119. During the last three years the
society had assisted in providing additional accommodation for
73.815 children in schools, either built or enlarged, and had also
aided in the erection of 260 teachers' houses. By the supply of
teachers from the trainiug-schoole of the society, as well as from
diocesan institutions, nearly all of which have received assistance
from the society by the extended sale of school-books and ma-
terials, and by the constant employment of the society's or-
ganising masters, the character of the instruction afforded in
church schools had been materially improved.
BARON JAMES ROTHSCHILD has contributed a fur-
ther
sum of 50,000 f. (2,0001.) to the support of his
suffering coreligionists at Jerusalem.
FOR the purchase of Burlington-house, in Picca-
dilly, a sum of 140,0001. is included among the votes
which Parliament will be asked to pass this session.
NEW FARRINGDON-STREET is at length to be ex-
tended. Years have passed since the roadway, which
could not be called a thoroughfare, has terminated
abruptly a few yards above the crossing at the bottom
of Holborn-hill. Legal difficulties are now, however,
removed, and the workmen this week commenced
levelling houses in Silver-street, Turnmill-street,
Coppice-row, and other lanes and streets in Saffron-
hill and Clerkenwell, preparatory to the completion
of the long-delayed work.
M. AoosnNr, one of the most distinguished mem-
bers of the Roman Constituent Assembly in 1849,
has died in London, where he has been residing for
some years as a refugee and exile, in the 41st year of
his age.
THE ENTHRONISATION OF THE NEW BISHOP OF
SARUM took place on Wednesday with much cere-
mony at Salisbury.
THE MAYOR OF BRISTOL, has forwarded to Major
Powys the sum of 5001. on account of subscriptions
received for the soldiers' wives, &c., fund.
THE ANNUAL. ACCOUNTS of the revenues and dis•
bursements of the East India Company have been
laid before Parliament. The revenue of India for
the year 11452-53 (partly estimated) was 21,196,745/. ;
the expenditure (also partly estimated) 20,557,2801.
The public debt outstanding at the several presiden-
cies is 48,014,244/., and the annual interest 2,279,5311.
A STRIKE has been threatening among a large
number of the engine-drivers on the London and
North-Western Railway. They demand 7s. per diem
for all who have been employed one year as drivers
either of goods or of passenger trains. There
has been a new arrangement recently introduced,
and partially worked, for driving the trains by con-
tract, which the more experienced hands eagerly
take, and make a good thing of it, at the same time
that it will save the company, if carried into effect
over the whole line, not less than 100,000/. per
annum.

EARL FITZHARDINGE has been elected High
Steward of Gloucester city, in the place of the late
Duke of Beaufort.