The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-23 00:00:00

MEAT MARKETS.

NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL.—The supplies of meat
are moderate, and the demand is inactive, as follows :
Beef, from 2s 8d to 4s 2d ; mutton, 3s Od to 4s 4d ; lamb,
Os to Os Od • veal, 4s 8d to 5s 4d ; pork, 4s Od to 4s 8d per
81bs to sink the offal.
SOUTHALL, Jan. 22.—Only a moderate supply of stock
was on sale to-day, and the trade generally ruled steady, as
follows :—Beef, from 3s 6d to 4s 10d •, mutton, 4s to 6s 4d ;
lamb, Os Od to Os Od; veal, 4s 6d to 5s 4d; and pork,
4s Od to 4s 8d per 81bs. by the carcase.
ROMFORD, Jan. 22.—Each kind of stock was in fair re-
quest, at full prices :—Beef, from 3s 4d to 5s ; mutton, 3s 8d
to 5s 6d ; lamb, Os to Os Od ; veal, 4s 6d to 5s 2d ; pork,
4sold store pigs, 22s to 29s each; and ranch cows, £l4 Os
to XlB
£oldB too 4s
s eao6hd.per 81b ; suckling calves, 10s to 20s ; quarter

THE GAOL DELIVERY.

(From the Gazette of Bankruptcy.)

The Registrar to whom was allotted the examination of
the first 33 prisoners returned by the keepor of the Queen's
Prison, Capt. Hudson, as under his charge on the Ist Jan.,
18G2, attended at that prison on Saturday, and examined all
the prisoners, with one exception, whom he found within
his jurisdiction. The first on the list was one of these ex-

ceptions, and he is a cidevant dashing solicitor, who has
been an inmate of the prison since 1842. The reason why
the Registrar could not deal with this person was that there
is a vesting order touching him in the Insolvent Debtors'
Court. The like reason operated to exclude from the exa.
mination another prisoner, who has occupied free apart-
ments in the establishment since 1813, a third who has
been there since 1846, a fourth who has been there since
1847, and a fifth who has been there since 1851, besides
four other collegians who, being also under the wing of the
authorities still potent for pending business, were exempt
from bankruptcy interference. Some course must be at
once taken either to pass these persons through the Insol-
vent Debtors' Court, or to have the files of that Court re-
lieved from their names, so that they may be dealt with
by the Bankruptcy Court, under the prisoner sections of
the act of 1861, or otherwise, and that the Queen's
Prison may, at the earliest practicable moment, witness
their departure from within its too comfortable refuge. The
Court of Chancery may, also, consent to aid the good work,
by taking some steps, in the person of its proper officer,
to clear from their contempts such prisoners as are incar-
cerated for not appearing, not answering, and so on, and as
may be sent about their business withoutabsoluto injury to
the rights of other subjects of her Majesty, The first prisoner
on the list, for example, has no fewer than ten contempts
of the High Court of Chancery weighing upon him, from
which nothing but the intervention of that Court would
seem capable of exonerating him. Where punishment for
fraud, or for contumacy affecting public policy, is contain-
plated, that punishment, so far as we can perceive, is, in a
very slight degree, accomplished by relegation of the of-
fender to the airy and tranquil hermitage of the Queen's
Prison, where an excellent dietary, easy regulation, and
ready means of attaining all the creature comforts by those
who can pay for them at the market rate, are at the dis-
poall of the inmates. There is one worthy, for example,
now a prisoner in this establishment, who, if the allegations
against him, which induced the Registrar, while making
him a bankrupt to withhold his discharge, should turn out
to be true, ought to be undergoing the most rigorous dis-
cipline of the most austere common gaol ; yet this man—a
Mr. Morton—was credibly stated to be enjoying himself in
his apartment upon an expenditure of some £3 a week, the
facile result of begging letters " from an unfortunate debtor,
illegally detained" (all debtors are illegally detained), the
extramural manipulation of which is conducted by his
wife. One happy release effected by the Registrar on
Saturday was that of Mr. Cobbett, who, it is hoped,
will accept their emancipation from imprisonment with
resignation. There were several other prisoners who pro-
tested against adjudication, and were prepared with much
argumentative, documentary, and other heavy matter, to
dispute the jurisdiction of the Registrar and the wisdom of
the Legislature in creating his mission; but ultimately
about ten persons were adjudicated and released. A few
others of a milder sort were negotiating with creditors, and
had the most assured conviction that before the next monthly
return they would be discharged by consent. The Registrar,
only too happy to get rid of them by collateral process, as-
sented to adjourn their cases till the next month; but in
each case with the clear intimation that negotiations not
then completed must be regarded as unsuccessful, and that
adjudication must ensue. One prisoner, who had bean sworn
and examined, refused to sign his examination, and the Re-
gistrar thereupon reported him to the Court, and by the
agency of Mr. Aldridge, the Crown solicitor in bankruptcy,
applied under the 102 d section, that the recalcitrant might
be committed to the common gaol and be adjudicated bank-
rupt, nolens volens. The learned Commissioner, Sergeant
Goulburn, though anxious to carry the measure into full
effect, and, on this first occasion of the power of commitment
being invoked, to give a wholesome lesson to refractory pri-
soners, yet humanely resolved to give the offender locuspeni-
tenticv, and accordingly directed notice to be served upon him
that unless on Monday next he should either conform or
show sufficient cause against adjudication, he would then be
committed to the common gaol, and be made bankrupt.
There is another inm .to of the Queen's Prison who will
have to be similarly dealt with—the William Miller, whose
case has been made matter of so much compassionate com-
ment in the newspapers. It is very true, that this poor
man has been in prison some forty years, and it is very
possible that he may have been the victim of the illegal
Frsecution which he alleges ; but these circumstances,
factual and possible, afford no ground why he should, on
the very close of his life, obstinately reject the advantages
which a benevolent legislature has placed within his reach.
Let him be adjudicated bankrupt. and he at once obtains
his release from prison : there is nothing in his case—the
detaining creditor died in 1841—to prevent his obtaining,
within a very few weeks, his final order of discharge, -and
this once secured, the remainder of his days will, webelieve,
by arrangements already matured, be passed in the com-
fortable retirement of the Asylum for Decayed Freemasons
at Croydon, where, besides apartments and other neces-
saries, he will receive £3O a year. The excellent chaplain
of the prison is also prepared with funds, the result of his
own and of other charitable subscriptions, sufficient to de-
fray the clothing, board, and other expenses of this poor
man, until he shall enter the Asylum. Humanity, there-
fore, is interested in resisting the crotchet by which Mr.
Miller persists in his contumacy, or rather, the mischievous
counsels which probably influence his feeble intelligence.
There can be little doubt thatif the Court of Bankruptcy and
its officers enforce the provisions of the Act of 1861 with regard
to these prisoners firmly, a few months will clear the
debtor's gaols of the inmates now occupying them, or who
may for a short time occupy them, by collusion or other-
wise, and there will remain slight encouragement to credi-
tors to adopt imprisonment as a mode of asserting their
rights or vindicating their wrongs If the Courts of Bank-
ruptcy, and the County Courts exercising bankruptcy juris-
diction, fully carry out the intentions of the Legislature,
the only prisons needed in the case of debtors will be those
common gaols which are to receive bankrupts convicted of
misdemeanours under the act.

The visitation of Whitecross• street prison has also been
concluded by Mr. Registrar Miller. The number of pri-
soners returned by the gaoler was 26, and of these Mr.
Miller discharged five who had been incarcerated during
the periods of 14 days and two calendar months before the
date of the Registrar's return, required by Order 27 of the
General Orders of Oct. 12, 1861. On Saturday last Mr.
Registrar Roche visited Horsemonger•lane prison, and dis-
charged five out of the 14 debtors returned in the gaoler's
list. The comparatively small number of debtors dis-
charged by Mr. Miller and Mr. Roche is to be accounted
for by the circumstances that the debtors in those two pH-
sons, possessing property, were anxious to avoid a bank-
ruptcy by making an equitable settlement with their cre-
ditors. This feature in the operation of the new law is
extremely gratifying, because it tends to show that the fear
of bankruptcy in many cases induces individuals to do jus-
tice to their creditors, instead, as under the old system, of
defying them within the convenient precincts of a gaol.

THE AMERICAN BLOCKADE.—The schooner West
Indian arrived in the river Mersey on Monday with the
Confederate flag flying at the masthead, she being the pro-
perty of a Southern merchant and planter, and having suc-
ceeded in evading the Northern blockade at the port of
Charleston. She left Charleston the evening of the 24th
Dec., and proceeded out to sea without seeing anything of
the Federal blockading squadron. Before the West Indian
sailed from Charleston the stone fleet had been sunk, but
she passed safely through the 11-feet channel, one of those
left open. According to the statements of those interested
in this vessel, the people of Charleston felt no alarm as to
the consequences of the sinking of the stone fleet, but, on
the contrary, they believed the effect would simply be to
deepen the now comparatively shallow channels. The West
Indian, a schooner of 241 tons burden, has brought a full
cargo of spirits of turpentine. She is commanded by Cap-
tain Foote, and has also brought to England the owner.
This gentleman asserts that all the cotton plantations on
the seaboard between Savannah and Charleston have been
destroyed by the planters, and that at Port Royal, where
the Federalists alleged they have gathered a considerable
amount of cotton, the cotton secured consists really of only
that left by the planters, who did not consider it worth re-
moval. In the Southern States the want of tea, coffee,
sugar, and leather was said to be severely felt, and these
articles were reported to realise very large prices. The
owner, who was in Richmond, the capital of the Confede-
rate States, about three months ago, states there was a
growing belief that there would speedily be a determination
on the part of the French and British Governments to raise
the blockade of the Southern ports. _ _

SINGULAR BREACH OF PROMISE CASE.—At the
Hull County Court, a few days ago, an old pensioner,
named Galvin, brought an action against Mrs. Elder, a
widow, 70 years of age, keeping a lodging-house in Hull,
for I Is., value of some love tokens. It appeared that the
plaintiff had been led to think that the defendant would
marry him, and therefore he presented her with gloves,
books, handkerchiefs, and other articles, of the value of
lls., and upon her refusing to enter the matrimonial state,
he wanted his presents back, but she refused to restore
them. It was stated that the banns were published in one
of the Hull churches, and that, when the courtship was
broken off, defendant said she would not have plaintiff at
any price. His Honour ordered the money to be paid, or
the articles restored.

HARTLEY COLLIERY.—A writer in the Times
says—ln your article of this morning upon the deplorable
accident at Hartley Colliery, you observe that '!Nothing
has been omitted which could have repaired the accident;
nothing can be suggested to avert the recurrence of similar
catastrophes." While fully concurring with the first part
of your assertion, 1 beg to say that similar catastrophes
may certainly be averted in future by the simple expedient
of furnishing every colliery with two shafts, so that if any
serious accident occurs in one there will always be free
access to or from all parts of the mine by the other. This,
I believe, has been repeatedly recommended by the mining
inspectors ; but so long as coalowners find it cheaper to
sink one large shaft, instead of two of smaller dimensions,
it is not likely that the recommendations will be acted
upon. Ought not the Legislature to interfere for the pro-
tection of the mining population

LITERATURE.

The Medical Critic and Psychological Journal.
John Davies, Princes-street, Leicester-square.

This Serial appears likely to maintain a good
position among the numerous publications which
now treat of the human frame in all its mighty
and mysterious aspects of mind and body. Aris-
totle and Galen would be astonished to sec our
pamphlets on Physiological Chemistry ; our hand-
books on Operative Surgery; and the myriad octavos
and folios dedicated to principles of Anatomy and
investigation of Diagnosis. There is, without ques-
tion, very much put forth under the guise of expe-
rienced and genuine enlightenment on these sub-
jects, which savours more of egotistical vanity or
prejudiced
quackery, than of sound, practical judg-
ment and competent skill ; and when we find a few
hundred pages devoted to prove the infallible
agency of calomel: whether the purpose of its minis-
tering be to reduce a dislocation or check a fever—
and when we meet with a serious argument held
through a lengthy article, avowing that " salt" is
now found to take the established bad challacter of
" idleness" as " the root of all evil ;" why, we feel
induced to exclaim, " Would it not be better, good
Master Leech, that thou should'st mend thine own
brain with a patch or two of plain wisdom before
sending it out on the highway to preach to thy
neighbour's rags." As the school of "novel" writ-
ing is overrun with the productions of ladies and
gentlemen who mistake vivid imagination for accu-
rate perception, and inflated verbosity for graphic
power; so is the field of Medical Literature throwing
its weeds of this "fast writing" age to the surface ;
in the shape of countless volumes indited by those
whose talent and knowledge may be safer in con-
nection with the printer than with the
patient. We confess we have little faith
in the " M.D." whose ambition prompts him
to seek immortal fame by means of an abstruse
treatise on " Anatomy, Pathology, and Physiological
Analysis of the Thumb-nail;" or an elaborate article
on " Microscopic and Comparative investigation of
the Spasmodic and Muscular action connected with
Winking." We have little faith, we say, in much
of the medical pretension which now gallops into
type on the various hobbyhorses of " Speciality,"
"Homoeopathy," Hydropathy, Vegetarianism, and
divers other hacks of showy, but not enduring
breed; and would back the venerable Culpepper
and a sensible old nurse against many a learned
trio of consulting physicians,

Who know so little, and who do so much.

We are glad to perceive that the work before us
preserves a fair amount of common sense and plain
deduction, in conjunction with its scientific and
speculating tendency ; moreover, it is not so
strictly professional in its character, but that
subjects of public and general interest hold
a prominent place, and attract readers of all
classes. There are several articles in the
present number which must claim unqualified
praise. That by 1. Q. Rumball, on " Instinct and
Reason," presents a combination of evident facts
and broad thoughts, which cannot fail to arouse the
reflective faculties of any who would fain learn
something of the strong and delicate links which
marvellously unite the wisdom of the man and the
intelligence of the brute. It is concise and clear in
its style, forcible in its argument, and very sugges-
tive in its influences. A. few pages on "The Street
Folk" are at once pleasant and painful; founded
on Henry • Mayhew's " London Labour and the
London Poor," and Mr. Hollingshead's " Ragged
London in 1861." They give an insight into the
existence of metropolitan life and poverty, that poet,
philosopher, or philanthropist could scarcely bring
home to his mind. It is sad to learn all that is re-
vealed in these bo Mks, touching the very poor of this
noble and world-famed city. The following is a
well condensed bit of information—

The street folk afford a study of remarkable psychologi-
cal and physiological interest, and Mr. Mayhew has happily,
sketched the many points of comparison which exist be-
tween tkem and nomadic tribes. "The nomad," be says,
" is distinguished from the civilized man by his repugnance
to regular and continuous labour; by his want of provi-
dence in laying up a store for the future; by his inability
to perceive consequences ever so slightly removed from
immediate apprehension ; by his passion for stupifying
herbs and roots, end when possible, for intoxicating liquors;
by his extraordinary powers of enduring privation; by his
comparative insensibility to pain; by an immoderate love
of gaming, frequently risking his own personal liberty upon
a single cast; by his love of libidinous dances; by the pleasure
he experiences in witnessing the suffering of sentient crea-
tures ; by his delight in warfare and all perilous sports ; by
his desire for vengeance; by the lowness of his notions as
to property; by the absence of chastity among his women,
and his disregard of female honour; and lastly, by his
vague sense of religion, his rude idea of a Creator, and
utter absence of all appreciation of the mercy of the
Divine Spirit." The nomadic races of England include
the vagrants, pickpockets, prostitutes, street-sellers (a large
and impot tent class, the chief agents in retailing food to
the poor), 'An:pat perforniarg, onlimptlonnollmon, w,termGn,
&c. The life of these classes partakes snore or less of the
vagabond, and in all there is noticed a greater development
of the animal than of the intellectual and moral nature of
man ; they all also (like the nomadic tribes proper) possess
more or less a peculiar physical conformation, use a slang
language, and are distinguished for their lax ideas of pro-
perty, their general improvidence, their repugnance to con-
tinuous lakmr, their disregard of female honour, their love
of cruelty, their pugnacity, and their utter want of religion.
Happily there are many points of relief in this charac-
ter, points which afford a good ground d hope to the
philanthropist. The street folk are exceedingly susceptible
to kiadness, and often among themselves display rare traits
of honesty and self-denial. Mrs. Chisholm lent out at dif-
ferent times among them no less than £160,000, and the
whole of this large sum was returned with the exception of
£l2l Mr. Hollingshead.tells of a woman, who works at
clump-box making,pickitig up an orphan boy from the
streets and giving him a place amongst her own children.
He rightly adds, "Many cases of such self. sacrifice and
large-hearted generosity may be easily found amongst the
poor. The cases of heroic endurance under the most
frightful trials are even more frequent, and they make ns
respect these creatures even in their dirt and rags."
" Medical Jurisprudence" and " The State of Lunacy
in Ireland" are both excellent papers, and the
general editing and contents of this periodical
reflect the highest credit on its conductors.

The Boy's Own library. Vol. I. Wild Sports of
the World. By James Greenwood. S. 0. Beoton.
Mr. Greenwood has completed the first ♦olume
of this interesting periodical of natural history and
sport. We have from time to time noticed it
during its monthly publication, and called atten-
tion to the plain and concise manner in which the
description of the animals is furnished, and the
adventures compiled. The habits of the elephant,
and the various ways in which it is captured,
occupy a considerable portion of the work. The
adventures of many celebrated hunters with the
lion, tiger, and other wild beasts are full of inte-
rest. The book is illustrated with several well-
executed engravings and maps, in which the ani-
mals indigenous to various districts are delineated.
There are also several portraits of celebrated
hunters; among whom are those of Jules Gerard,
the Hon. Grantley Berkeley, Captain Rice, Sze.
Mr. Greenwood, although most of the adventures
he narrates are authentic, does not hesitate to give
many interesting legends believed by the natives in
different countries. We quote the following as a
sample, that the reader may form his opinion from
his own judgment :
A marvellous legend concerning a puma is treasured by
the good folks of Buenos Ayres—a legend that for romance
and pathos quite eclipses the world-famed: story of An-
drocles and the Lion ; and I am bound to state that the
most thorough investigation has disbovered no reason for
doubting the authenticity of one legend more than the
other.

During the Goverement of Don Diego de Mendoza, in
Paraguay, a direful famine swept the land. A murrain fell
on the cattle, and the hard-hearted earth, lacking the rain's
soft persuasion, refused to yield a single green blade. As
the inhabitants sauntered listlessly through the silent
streets, their garnients hung sluttishly on their lean bodies,
and, as they regarded each other with eyes great with hun-
ger, they thought on all they had heard of the way in which
famishing men at sea had ere now assuaged their appetites,
and the more they dwelt on it the more excusable the thing
appeared. That was how the strong, gaunt men viewed
the matter; it is probable, however, if the tender youth of
the city, and the little men who were constitutionally
plump, had been consulted on the subject, they would
probaly have been of a different way of thinking.
What made the destitution more aggravating was the fact
that out in the country and beyond Don Diego's jurisdic-
tion, there was food in plenty ; but the food was in the
hands of the Indians, with whom the Spanish governor
was at war, and he did not choose that his subjects should
reveal the weakness of his camp by appearing before the
enemy as lean beggars suing. for bread. To this end he
e city
forbade the people on pain of death to go into the fields in
search of relief, placing soldiers at the outskirts of the
to shoot down all deserters from the hunger
that hung over Don Diego's dominions.
Many
much
attempt, and were duly brought down by the
bullet,
a snot
to the satisfaction of the anima3tieadiaidoetntar:!a:,ittychb\ev°aantlelessa."
feathers that perched disconsolate on the _ At
last, however, a woman,
into the open country,
dabinflefeeoacire her indomitable courage
diers, vultures, and all, andn
How long a time elapse
night
was rewarded with a meal the legend does not record ; but
when came, and Maldonata required a lodging, she
h was roused by the m Y -
and down before
ost melancholy
and-by, however, s e
crept into a cavern, and there crouched down to sleep. B
4 -and, raising her head, her astonished eyes met
those of a greatmoan,ngs,
I'h® puma presently the cavern entrance. Tpuma pacing up
female
paused in its
uneasy pacing and approached
Maldonata
with the full in-
tention, as that person naturally supposed, of eating her
up; but,' wonderful to relate, instead of falling on her tooth
and nail it merely applied its tongue, and licked I\laldonata's
hand as a lap-dog might, hers being the lap it was familiar
with. The fact, however, was, the poor puma was about
to become a mother; and when the cubs were born, and
the animal out of its trouble, it still maintained the friendly
spirit it had at first evinced, and signified, as plainly as a
dumb beast could, its desire that Maldonata should con-
tinue to make herself at home—cheerfully taking upon
itself the whole responsibility ofproviding food
for the en-
tire family.

This state of things continued till the cubs grew up and
went about their business, as did their parent, leaving Mal-
donata to shift for herself. But, venturing abroad, she
speedily fell into the hands of the soldiers, who brought
her back to Buenos Ayres, and took her before Don Francis
Ruez de Galen, who then commanded in Mendoza's stead.
" Take her," said De Galen, who was a man of coarse and
bloody mind, '4 take her into the forest and bind her to a
'tree; as to her death, let starvation and the wild beasts

settle it amongst them." So poor Maldonata was taken,
and tied and left in the forest.

Curious to know the fate of the woman, however, the
same company of soldiers, two days afterwards, visited the
spot, when, instead of finding, as they confidentl3 expected,
the empty waist chain dangling from the tree, and the
victim's tatter-el and talon-torn rags strewing the ground,
there she was, alive, with a great female puma keeping.
sentry before her, and guarding her from a host of other
pumas and jaguars that chafed and mouthed on every side.
As soon as the guardian puma saw the soldiers, she with
the rest of the savage beasts, retired; and then, having
been released from her bonds, Maldonata related the story
of the puma in the cavern, and how that it and the 0113
that had protected her through two long days and nights'
were identical. Hearing this, the soldiers ventured to re.
present the case to De Galen, who ashamed to avow him-
self more heartless than a puma, pardoned Maldonata, and
sent her home to her family.

Baby Bianca ; or, the Venetians. By Mrs. V alen-

tine. London: Parker.

" Baby Bianca" will find a kindly welcome with
many readers, introduced to our notice as she is by
one so well known and so much admired as the
authoress of "The Ransom ;" and once known, she
will be prized on her own account. A sweet and
loveable character is that of Baby Bianca, and the
history of her chequered fortunes is one of the
most charming productions of Mrs. Valentine's
graceful pen. The scene opens in Italy some
three centuries ago, when the close of a long war
had desolated the beautiful plains of Lombardy;
many villages were utterly destroyed, and num-
bers of orphan children, in hameless and hopeless
destitution
wandered uncared for among the ruins.
Of these some forty or fifty are assembled by the
hero of their number, Antonio, and, under his
guidance, ultimately reach Venice. Touchingly is
this little group portrayed to us, and full of pathos
is the little scene in which the Baby Bianca is first
confided to their care—tenderly received by the
loving hands of Pietro. The fortunes of Bianca
and her two lovers, the early friends of her child-
hood, Antonio and Pietro, are full of varied inte-
rest. The determination ofAntonio and the devoted--
ness of Pietro, in their after lives, are in keeping
with the promise of their b)yhood. Pietro disap-
points us, however, for deception, from whatever
cause, is a vice not easy to forgive, and is incompa-
tible with all the nobler instincts of an affectionate
nature. Bianca herself is tender and truthful, and
cannot fail to win many hearts. The following
scene, in which the protector of her childhood again
meets his Baby Bianca, will afford a happy speci-
men of Mrs. Valentine's graceful, easy style of
narrative, and will introduce the reader to a charm-
ing domestic scene :
' Suddenly a rap at the door was heard, and, for an in-
stant, Bianca's cheek flushed, and she made a movement
to put away her wheel. But ashamed of what she thought
an idle fancy, she restrained herself, and sat still, while
Jane opened the door. But then, a rich deep voice, with
a soft Italian accent, asked if one Mistress Osborne dwelt
there P Jane answered in the affirmative • and it added—
" Is an Italian maiden, called Mistress Bianca, with her
now ?"

Bianca sprang from her wheel with a cry of delight ; and
as the tall and stately form of the visitor crossed the
threshold she rushed to meet him, crying,
"Antonio I Antonio I"

" Baby Bianca 1" was the reply, as he took her exten-
ded hands. "Dear Baby Bianca! But I must not so
address the tall maiden I see before me. Alas Imy pretty
IP
little vision has vanished, and grown into
He paused, and looked mischievously in her face.
" Into a very ordinary damsel, I am afraid," she said.
laughing—Bianca had a very musical laugh. "But still
she is your own grateful friend and countrywoman, and'
baby, if you will. Mistress Osborne, this is that good
Antonio of whom you have so often heard us talk—the
Good Providence of the children of Lombardy."
" He is very welcome," said the old lady kindly.
"And I have to thank you, good mistress, for your
kind, motherly care cf this little runaway," said the sailor,
cheerily, in good English. "Bianca mia, I learned where
you were, and all the details of this kind gentlewoman's
care of you, from your good friend Messer Osborne himself%
who hopes shortly to be with you all again ; and who.
charged me with this packet for your hands, kind mistress's
—(to Mistress Osborne)—"and with it all manner of loving
greetings."
" You are doubly welcome as coming from him, Master
Antonio, as well as for the sake of your kindness to
one whom I have grown to look on as my daughter,"
said the good gentlewoman. " Bianca, offer refreshment
to your countryman, while I read my sou's missive."
Bianca looked very Hebe-like as she proffered hospitality
to their guest. But he aeclined it, and telling her that he
had brought some remembrances from Venice, which his
men had without doors, called to two mariners who were
standing near the house, and bade them bring in the oases.
Two deal boxes were t hen placed on the table before Bianca,
and the lids deftly removed by their bearers. With girlish
curiosity and delight she examined their contents. A rich
dress, of the last fashion of Italy (then the ruler of taste
and toilettes) ; a necklace and bracelets of Oriental gold
beads ; some bodkins for her hair, ending in large glass
balls; a small mirror in which she could see " what a pretty
baby she was now"—Antonio told her, laughing—a drink-
ing vessel of Venetian coloured glass ; a robe for Bettina.,
Every article was greeted by exclamations of ingenuous
pleasure and gratitude by Bianca, and by admiring ejacu-,
Cations from the lookers on. Tho second case contained an
offering of " sack " from Candia for Mistress Osborn°, anti
I box of spices, which, if seen by them, would have been
the envy of all the city housewifee.
These gifts also received a gracious acceptance ; and
tress Osborne pressed the seamen to sit down amidst her
maidens, and take some refreshment ; an offer which they
gladly accepted.
_

- Then Antonio took his seat, also, by the fire, and -while
the whirr of the busy wheels formed a not inharmonious
accompaniment to his voice, he told Bianca, in answer to
her eager questions, of his long voyages, of his dangers on
the great ocean, of his many adventures in 'strange lands
since they had parted. The wonders of earth, ocean, and
sky appeared to be familiar to him, and, at the bidding of
his graphic words, were present in the English homestead.
These travellers' tales were told in a foreign idiom and
accent, which gave them a new charm; while the brilliant
eyes and animated countenance of the narrator atone for
his occasional lack of the English words.
Bianca hung upon his accents, and looked up at his gal-
lant and manly face with an admiration and deference she
had never felt before for any one. Was it that rapt look
which induced the keen-sighted " padrona" to seiLe on the
first pause to tell Antonio (and thus remind Bianca) of her
betrothal to Pietro ?

" I had heard something of it before," he said, smiling.
"My first visit was, of course, to Pietro, and sorely vexed
was Ito have missed seeing him. But Master Hurlock
consoled me by telling me of his good fortune in being em-
ployed by the Lord Cromwell, and also of the happy rela-
tion in which ho stood to our Baby Bianca. Did you not
marvel wherefore I have not asked about him before,
Bianca? I already knew where he was, and would not
pain you by reminding you of his absence."
He smiled archly as he spoke. She answered sharply,
almost angrily,
" It could not pain me to speak of one so dear to me. His
absence is for his own benefit, and is not, therefore a cause
of regret to his friends." ,

The sailor fixed his eyes inquiringly on her face as she
spoke, and after that moment's glance a shadow of grave
anxiety passed across his countenance.

AUSTRIA AND ITALY.

The Vienna papers publish the text of General
Benedek's address to the Emperor of Austria on
the occasion of the recent inspection of the troops
by his Majesty at Verona. This address has given
umbrage I o the Cabinet at Turin, which looks upon
it as a menace against Italy. The Vienna Presse,
of the 17th inst., has the following on the subject :
" The Cabinet of Turin appears to be much shocked by
G en eralb)
etßweeneendvelri,ennanadanads
the words spoken on the 2cl January by the Emperor, and
ttkh
ee r re e
arepl y
no to' Fdierledczteudgipmloemisatetric
relations(
Turin, it has had recourse, according to its old custom, to the
Cabinet of Paris. It has addressed a complaint to the lat-
ter against Austria, seeking to obtain, through the inter-
medium of France, explanations on these unusual and pro-
voking demenstrations of Austria. According to its cus-
tom the Turin Cabinet gives itself the appearance of per-
secuted innocence, and says, through its Minister at Paris,
that everything seems to show that Austria is preparing
for a campaign, while the King of Italy is remaining per-
fectly quiet in his own territory. It appears that the Paris
Cabinet has found the complaint of the Piedmontese Go-
vernment to be a just one, and eagerly taking advantage of
every opportunity to meddle in the affairs of others, the
French Government has, it is said, addressed ques •
tions on the subject to the Austrian Government
--questions, it is true, put in the most delicate possible
manner. The necessity of taking the Emperor's
orders in this matter is said to have been the
cause of Count Rechberg's visit to Venice. It is not diffi-
cult to guess the tenour of the Austrian, reply to the French
request. It needed simply to point out the continual de-
monstrations made daily by Italian statesmen, both offi-
cially and ex opt°, respecting the Venetian possessions of
Austria. Thus, it is said, Count Rechberg points out that
the manifestations at Verona, far from being provoking,
were nothing more than an indirect reply to the provoca-
tions which have recently repeatedly been made in the
Turin Chambers. If a crusade is daily preached at Turin
against Austria the right of the latter cannot be questioned
to show that she, on her part, does not fear an attack."
The following is the text of General Benedek'd
address, as published in the Verona Gazette

"Will your Majesty allow me, at this solemn moment,
to outstep the limits of the silence prescribed by the regua
lations, and as Commander-in-Chief, to express our inten-
tions and our sentiments in the name of the troops, officers,
and generals hero assembled—in the name of the whole of
the brave army which your Majesty has deigned to trust to
me. All of us, without distinction of nationality, birth, or
religion, acknowledge and worship one and the same Al-
mighty God in Heaven, to whom we address our Prayers
for the prosperity and happiness of Austria and her Empe-
ror. All of us, without distinction, acknowledge one and
the same honour, duty, and loyalty—those virtues of the
soldier which we cherish highly in our hearts. All of us,
without distinction of nationality, birth, or religion,
ac-
knowledge with obedience and devotion your Apostolic
Majesty as the first and sole Sovereign,. Emperor, King,
and Military Chief- We are ready to live with honour,
fight, conquer, or die for your Majesty, for your throne,
for all your august house, for your great Austrian Empire,
or our vast common country, for the whole great Austrian
Monarchy. And may God stand by US ! Amen:,

A letter from Esseg (Slavonia) announces the
execution in that town of a brigand chief,
Gorga. After
his trial he acknowledged himself guilty of the crimes with
which he was charged, but refused to impeach any of his
accomplices.