The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-25 00:00:00

TIIE FOREIGN SECRETARY.

Earl Russell, K.G., Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
gave a state banquet in Downing-street, in celebration of
her Majesty's birthday.

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.

Tho Bight Hon. Edward Cardwell, Secretary of State
for the Colonies, gave a state dinner at his residence, 74,
Eaton-square, in celebration of the Queen's birthday.

THE SECRETARY FOR WAR.

Earl De Grey and Ripon, the Secretary of state for War,
gave a full-dress dinner, in celebration of her Majesty's
birthday.

THE SECRETARY FOR INDIA.

Sir Charles Wood, G.C.8., Secretary of State for India,
gave a full-dress dinner in celebration of her Majesty's
birthday.

CIVIL LIST PENSIONS.—The public in general,
and especially artistic and literary circles, will be glad
to hear that a civil listponsion of £lOO a year has been con-
ferred by the Queen on Mrs. Leech, widow of Mr. John
Leech. The following are found among the civil list pen-
sions for 1864-65 ;—Mrs. Bingham, widow of Colonel
Charles Bingham, of the Royal Artillery, in consideration
of her late husband's long andvaluable services, and of the
straitened circumstances in which she and her children are
left, £l5O. Mrs. Boole, widow of the late Professor of
Mathematics in Queen's College, Cork, in consideration of
his distinguished attainments as an original mathematician
of the highest order, and of his remarkable labours towards
the extension of the boundaries of science, £lOO. Mr.
William Howitt, in consideration of the long and useful
career of literary labour in which both he and his wife
have been engaged, £l4O. Mr. Thomas Wright, an author
who has contributed much to English literary and political
history, £6s.—The Owl.
CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.—An inquest was
held yesterday by Mr. Hereford, city coroner, re-
specting the death of Mary Reason, now lying dead at the
Manchester Workhouse. The deceased, who was a widow,
aged 66 years, left the workhouse about Christmas, and had
since been living at the house of Joseph Wagster, her son-
in-law, in Ancoats. On Sunday week a quarrel arose
amongst the persons living in the house ; they were in
liquor, and Wagster commenced to ill-treat his wife. He
attempted to kick her, but the deceased got between them,
and she received the kick on her abdomen. She subse-
quently oomplained of great pain near the place where she
was kicked, and on Thursday had to be removed to the
workhouse, where she was seen by Mr. Phillips, the resi-
dent surgeon, who found her in a state of collapse, from
which she never rallied, but died on Saturday night. Mr.
Phillips attributed her death to the effects of the kick. The
jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Wagster,
who was held to bail to take his trial on the charge.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH KENT RAIL-
WAY.—ShortIy before 1 o'clock yesterday morning
a frightful accident occurred at the Charlton station of the
North Kent Railway to a young woman named Eliza
Norris, who it appears, left London by tho midnight train,
and in leaving the carriage at the Charlton station, before
the train had stopped, fell off the platform on to the line of
rails, when the wheels of the last carriage passed over her
right arm, which was literally smashed. The sufferer was
soon attended by Dr. Fagan, under whose directions sho
was immediately conveyed, by means of a special engine,
to Guy's Hospital.
A POPULATION COLUMN.—For the benefit of those
who discuss the subjects of population, war, pestilence,
famine, &c., it may be as well to mention that the number
of human beings living at the end of the hundredth gene-
ration, commencing from a single pair, doubling at each
generation (say in 30 years), and allowing for each man,
woman, and child an average space of four feet in height
and one foot square, would form a vertical column, having
for its base the whole surface of the earth and sea spread
out into a plane, and for its height 3,674 times the sun's
distance from the earth. The number of human strata
thus piled one on the other woukl amount to 460,790,000,000
I—Fortnightly1—Fortnightly Review.