The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-06-24 00:00:00

BALLOON ACCIDENT,

On Monday evening Mr. and Mrs. Graham ascended in
aballoon from Batty's Hyppodrorne, Kensington, and when
about 20feet from the ground ,a pole tore a hole in the balloon.
Grappling irons were thrown out, but there was nothing
to hold by, and the balloon drifted directly over the
Crystal Palace, causing great alarm. The aeronauts,
seeing their dangerous position, threw out the whole of
their ballast on the roof of the Palace, and then managed
to pass over the building without injury, several flag-
staffs being torn away from the top of the "Glass House."
The balloon then drifted towards Piccadilly, and was
driven against the front of the houses in Arlington-street,
in one instance tearing away a stone parapet, and hurling
it on the roof of the house, through which it descended,
carrying with it some of the rafters into the hall below.
The balloon then ran between two large blocks, the chim-
neys of which had been carried away, and its progress was
arrested, a body of police securing it. Mr. and Mrs.
Graham had been thrown from the balloon, and were
lying on the roof of one of the houses, apparently lifeless.
Mr. G. has received a fearful cut on his forehead, from
temple to temple, and a severe contused wound in the
side. Mrs. G. received an incised wound on the head,
and several contused wounds on the back. On ascending
the roof to aid the aeronauts, Mr. and Mrs. Graham was
found lying ineensiblo, having been thrown out of the car.
They were taken home in a cab and put to bed, when it
was found that Mr. Graham's cheek-bone was broken
asunder ; his collar-bone was fractured closely over his
left El-milder joint ; he had several severe cuts on his
head, but the skull did not appear to be fractured. Mrs.
Graham is not so seriously injured ; she has, however,
four of her front teeth knocked out, and several lacerated
wounds on the temple and back of her head. She was,
however, sufficiently recovered to write an account the
following day to the newspapers. The damage done to
the balloon is estimated at £l5O.

SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE

GOSPEL.

submission to the will of the community. exacted by it for
its own preservation. These two conflicting principles
cannot be disregarded—they must be reconciled. To this
country belongs the honour of having succeeded in this
mighty task as far as the state is concerned, while other
nations are wr, stling with it. And 1 feel persuaded that
the same earnest zeal and practical wisdom which have
made her political constitution an object of admiration to
other nations, will, under God's blessing, make her church
likewise a model to the world. Let us look upon this as-
sembly as a token of future hope, and may the harmony
which reigns among us at this moment, and which we owe
to having met in furtherance of a commo❑ holy object,
be, by the Almighty, permanently bestowed upon the
church. (Hear, hear.)
The Secretary then read the report, which briefly
stated the history of the society, and contrasted its early
with its present condition. It stated—" That there were
now altogether, in British America alone, and for the
most part connected with the society, about 400 clergy-
men in the seven dioceses into which that vast territory
has been divided. For more than a century this society
had maintained missionaries and schoolmasters in the
West Indies ; during the last twenty years, 90 of the
clergymen who are ministering in the several islands re-
ceived their education in Codrington College, Barbadoes.
Within comparatively recent times, the society, taking up
the ancient missions of the Society for the Promotion of
Christian Knowledge in Southern India, commenced its
missionary operations in the East; and there were at pre-
sent in the three presidences 36 ordained clergymen, and
a large body of catechists and readers. The baptised
native converts exceeded 18,000, and there were between
5,000 and 6,000 more under preparatory instruction for
baptism. Last of all, attention should be directed to the
efforts made by the society for the religious benefit of the
rapidly growing population, free and convict, of the Aus -
tralasian colonies. The consequences in time to come of
our treatment of those young communities must be, be-
yond calculation, great. Thus, then, in all parts of the
world (for the colonies and dependencies of the British
Crown are to be found in every quarter of it) the society
has a great work in hand. Its means of usefulness were
derived from the voluntary offerings of a Christian
people."
The resolutions were proposed and seconded by the
Bishop of London, Earl Grey, Mr. S. Herbert, the Bishop
of Oxford, Lord J. Russell, Sir 11. Inglis, the Duke of
Newcastle, the Earl of Harrowby, the Bishop of Tenessee,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Earl of Chiches-
ter. Amongst the resolutions was the foltowing—"That
over and above such contributions as may be offered for
the general purposes of the society, in commemoration of
the present jubilee, special hinds be opened in furtherance
of three of the more important purposes to which the at-
tention of the society has of late been directed ; namely—
the extension of the episcopate in the British dominions
abroad ; the education of missionary candidates in colleges
at home and abroad ; the religious instruction and super-
intendence of emigrants."

THE .14TrERPOOL STANDARD.

HONESTY IN HUMBLE LIFE.—A few nights ago John
Jones, one of the street orderlies (No. 125) employed in
cleansing London. found a siver watch and chain in
Bishopsgate-street. On restoring the same to the owner,
who had given up all idea of recovering the articles,
.he
was rewarded with the munificent sum of one shilling.
A BENEVOLENT EXAMPLE.---The Rev. R. C. S. Cherm-
side, Rector of Wilton, Wilts, has offered £2O to the
railway authorities to convey to London all the factory
girls and children attending the National Schools at Wil-
ton, to see the Exhibition—the rev. gentleman also under-
taking to pay for their admission into the Crystal Palace.
The Trate/man can only point to Wales as the scene
of Conference increase. 'Everywhere else, a decrease is

reported; and how does our contemporary explain the
exception ? Why, innocently enough, he imputes it to
an ignorance of the English ltaiguage among the Welsh

Wesleyans !
The increase of population in Cornwall does not exceed
12,000, whilst in each of the three previous periods of ten
years the excess had been uniformly 40,000. The births,
however, from 1841 to 1851, have exceeded the deaths by
47,500. Emigrat;on is suggested as the cause of the re-

duced proportion of increase.
PEAT GAS.—Taunton was recently "brilliantly illumi-
nated" with gas from peat or turf ; a substance abounding
in the eastern part of Devonshire. The Taunton Courier
states that the jet was of unusual brightness, and left no
doubt of its decided claim to preference, over the ordinary

gaseous supply.
It will be remembered that a duel between Captain

Hawkins,~ of the Guards, and Viscount Maldon, took
place a few days ago, but our readers are not perhaps
aware of the cause Viscount Maldon, it is said, had se-
duced the wife of Captain Hawkins, who is taking steps to
procure a divorce : in the meantime, the Lord Chamber-
lain officially signified to Viscount Maldon, by command
of her Majesty, that his presence at court was no longer
required; and he was not at the Costume Ball.—New-
castle Journal.

INcENDrAar FIRES.—On the night of Monday, the
16th instant, an excellent farm-house, situated on the

lands of Oakley, was reduced to ashes by the act of an
incendiary. It is deserving of observation that a tenant
was to have been placed in possession of this house on
the day following ; that a respectable farmer had agreed

to take the land On which the ruins of the farm-house

stand, and that a house on the same farm had not long
been in the possession of a respectable tenant when it was
also burned. For the conviction of the perpetrator of
this last offence, Government recently offered a reward of
forty pounds.
Barnum has an agent, resident in London, constantly
on the look out for novelties. This gentleman is in his
way as great an original as his employer, and well known

to the metropolitan " men about town." A short time
since he was regretting to a friend his inability to find

anything or anybody to succeed Jenny Lind, when lie
suddenly exclaimed, with some energy, as if struck by a
great idea, " I should like vastly to take the Duke to
America, for one year ! I guess we might safely guaran-
tee him 500 guineas a day." We have not heard if this
magnificent offer has yet been made to the hero of
Waterloo.

The Census Returns give the population of Great Bri-
tain at nearly twenty-one millions. In round numbers
the females may be stated at nearly eleven millions—the
males a trifle over ten millions. This majority on the

female side is very serious, and is engaging the anxious
attention of politicians. Since the census of 1841, we
have increased by two millions and a quarter. The in-
crease in London alone, during the same period, ap-

. .
proaches to half a million. The population of the metro-
polis now reaches considerably above two millions and a
quarter. There is food for speculation hew had we but
room for it.

DISGRACEFUL ELOPEMENT.—On Monday, it was dis-
covered that Mr. Pincott, master of the National School,
Portsea. had eloped with Miss White, the mistress of the
same school, the heartless husband leaving behind him a
wife with six children, she being enceinte. What adds to
the criminality of the affair is the fact, that the wretched
girl, who was authorised to draw £lOO from the Savings
Bank, by her mother, has robbed her parent of that
amount, in order to enrich her paramour. Pincott and
his companion, state that they are on their way to Aus-
tralia, although this is doubted by the relations of the
parties.—Portsmouth Guardian.

A DOMESTIC PARTRIDGE.—A short time since, a par-
tridge in search of a place for her nest found access, by a
hole in the roof, to a fisher's hut upon the banks of the
river Earn, where she deposited her eggs in a quiet cor-
ner of the floor. As the hut is not much used, the bird
was little disturbed, and continued to go and come as she
thought proper. Last week, a considerate person, who
reflected that the young brood would not be able to get
out by the hole at which the mother got in, cut an open-
ing in the wall near the ground; and it is likely that in a
few days the old hen will introduce her family to the
world from the somewhat singular nursery she has chosen.
—Edinburgh Evening Courant.
EXTRAORDINARY OAK.—About two miles from 011er-
ton, on Sherwood Forest, there is an oak tree, called the
Butchers' Shambles, or Hooton's Shambles, from the
circumstance of a person of the name of Hooton, having
long carried on the practice of sheep-stealing, and secre-
ting the carcases within the decayed hole of the tree, until
he had found a market for them. At the time he was ap-
prehended, three carcases were found in it, suspended by
hooks. At the period he carried on his nefarious trade,
this tree was in a dense part of the forest—an unlikely
place for a sheep-stealer, and thus far it tended to lull
suspicion. This patriarchal tree is thirty feet in circum-
ference, and its hollow trunk is capable of holding four-
teen persons.—Derby Mercury.
NOVEL HAUNT OF RATS.—In the Scotia steam-boat
store a novel and efficient rat-trap has been discovered in
the following manner, An old hogshead had lain neg-
lected in a corner for some time. It was filled with bog
fir and straw, enclosed at both ends, the only aperture
being the bung-hole. This aperture the rats who infest
the wharf discovered, and, liking the straw and bog fir,
entered in great numbers and made it a family residence.
This the storekeeper found out. A bevy of dogs were
got, a stave knocked out of the barrel, and as the rats
rushed out they were destroyed. On the first worry no
fewer than 120 were killed, chiefly young ; on the second,
50. The barrel trap is now set up a third time with the
old ba.t, " bog fir."—Ayrshire Advertiser.
DISGRACEFUL DOINGS.—On Monday a glassman at
the works of Messrs. Featherstonhaugh, named Jefferson,
committed suicide. He went home, and finding his wife
_ _

time since

lying in a corner of the house in a beastly state of intoxi-
cation he exclaimed that he would bear it no longer, and
immediately went into another room and suspended him-
self by a rope to the bedpost. His friends, becoming sur-
prised at his absence, entered the room and found him
dead. A disgraceful scene tuok place at the funeral of the
unfortunate man. The body was conveyed to the ceme-
tery, Bishopwearmouth ; but almost all of the party were
in a disgraceful state of intoxication. They had forgotten
to order the grave to be dug, and also to bring the
coroner's certificate for burial—consequently, the funeral
was delayed for upwards of an hour and a half. One of
the mourners, who was drunk, sat upon a grave and gave
utterance to the most terrible howling, so that the officia-
ting clergyman was obliged to order I,is removal ; and it
was altogether one of the most disgraceful scenes ever
witnessed in the parish.—Sunderland Herald.
A SEA ADVENTURE.—A tradesman of Porthcawl,
Glamorganshire, accompanied by his son, recently took a
voyage in a boat from the river Ogmore to Newton Pool.
The boat having been moored, the voyagers proceeded to
Newton village, to pass the interval between the ebbing
and flowing of the tide; and great was their dismay at
finding o❑ their return that their frail craft had drifted
out to sea. The father, without hesitation, divested him-
self of his clothing, and in a moment afterwards was
buffeting the waves in pursuit of his lost boat. After
swimming nearly half a mile, he captured the object of
his search; but with the tide running strongly against
him, his efforts to reach the shore were fruitless, and he
was at the same time exposed to the chilling blasts of a
keen wind, which, acting upon an unclothed body, was
far from agreeable. What would have been the issue of
the adventure it is impossible to say, had not he been per-
ceived by some humane people at Porthcawl, who promptly
manned a boat and proceeded to his assistance. He was
safely deposited on terra firma at about ten o'clock at
night, after upwards of two hours of painful exposure and
suspense.—Swansea Herald.
THE DOG AND THE THIEF.—On Tuesday, William
Walker, aged 18, a drover, residing in Narrow Marsh,
Nottingham, rose early in order to go to Colston Bassett,
for the purpose of fetching a number of lambs. When
between Gamston and Bassingfield he met two vagrant
Irishmen, who demanded his money. He replied that he
bad none, where-upon they approached him evidently for
the purpose of searching his pockets. He struck the least
a vigorous blow on the jaw, which caused him to run away,
but the other, being a stout athletic fellow, grappled with
and threw him, and then rifled his pockets of a silver
watch and 7s. The drover had fortunately a good dog
with him, which sprang upon the robber and seized him
by the nose, the nose was tender, and the animal's teeth
so sharp that a portion of the nasal organ was bitten off.
The dog. succeeded in throwing the fellow down, and
pinned him to the ground while Walker regained possession
of his property, when he took his defender from the high-
wayman, and let him depart, which he did with all possi-
ble alacrity. The dog, however, having tasted blood was
far from being satisfied, and breaking from his master ran
after the Irishman, whom he caught and dug has fangs
deep into him bearing back a piece of frieze to the driver.
The piece of nose left by the vagabonds was as large as a
nut.—Nottinghamshire Guardian.
A SLIGHT MISTAKE.—A correspondent of the Bristol
Times says, " One morning, shortly after the arrival of
the Misses Sellon at their retreat in Lower College-green,
a clergyman, holding livings in this city, went to pay his
devoirs to the sisters ; but, through fate conspiring against
him, or some other cause, he was led to the next house to
the one where they lived. Knocking at the door, he was
answered by the servant, of whom he inquired if Miss
Sellon was at home. The girl fancying the rev. gentle-
man said Miss Ellen, and her young mistress having this
cognomen, said ' Yes,' and ushered him into the room to
Miss Ellen, who, as I am informed, was in the act of
copying music, not a very likely way, by-the-bye, in which
the good sisters pass their time. In the exuberance of
his joy at seeing so pious and amiable a person as he ima-
gined he did, he seized her hands, and (without embracing
her) begged her to accept his warm congratulations upon
the good work in which she was engaged ; (query, did he
mean the music?) and assured her that she had his
prayers for her success in her pious undertaking, or words
to that effect. Miss Ellen, as the sailors say, was taken
all aback by this exhortation, and told him he must be
labouring under some error, almost imagining that his
upper story must be very defective ; and it was not until
the young lady begged him to allow her to call her
mamma, that the affair was satisfactorily explained.
Then, to the rev. gentleman's great mortification, he was
informed that Miss Ellen was not the party for whom his
prayers had been offered up; and that next door he would
find the Sister of Mercy, for whom his respects were in-
tended, and I presume be made the best of a most unfor-
tunate

SOMNAMIIIILISM.—Last Sunday morning, a young man,
about 16 years of age, was found lying dead in a yard in
Dumfries, having fallen from the roof of the house where
. _

he resided, when in a state of somnambulism. He was
dressed in a shirt and night-cap, and his skull had been

. . .
fractured by the fall.—Dumfries Herald.
It has been proposed to present a substantial testimonial
to Dr. Cumming, the eloquent champion of Protestantism,

for his zealous, eloquent, and unrivalled advocacy of the
cause. A committee, of which Sir Peter Laurie is chair-

man, and Sir John Maxwell vice-chairman, has been

formed for the purpose of carrying out the necessary
measures to effect this object.
There are now living in the borough of Tewksbury,
Gloucestershire, all natives of that place, twenty-four per-

sons whose united ages amount to 2,021 years, being an
average of S 4 years for each person, the oldest of whom is
97, and the youngest 73. The population err ounted at
the last census to 5,800, and only increased 17 in the last
ten years.

MURDER IN LouTn.—The neighbourhood of Dundalk,
in the county of Louth, has been made the scene of an-
other ferocious and savage murder. The deceased was a
young man, named M-Integart, who, with his sister, was

•
Proceeding to a place called Knockbridge to hear mass,
and when about a mile from his father's house, at a place
called Anna, he was attacked by a party of fellows, and
bludgeoned to death. The only reason assigned as yet
for this deed is that the father of this young man took a

few acres of land that were held by another person some

BATH ELECTION Will take place this week, the writ
having been issued on:Wednesday. The candidates, Cap-

tain Scobell, and Mr. Sutcliffe, both maintain' the'ir
ground. On Thursday the latter issued another address
more fully explaining his political creed. He avows him-

.
self a Conservative, but not a Protectionist. " Opinions
based on early reading and reflection (he says) have led
me, generally speaking, to approve of those gradual and

experimental changes in our commercial policy which

have resulted in the abandonment of all material restric-
tions on international commerce;" and he desires that the

present "experiment" shall be fully tried

" FURTHER TRACES OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN."•

With reference to a statement which is going the round
of the press, headed as above, and alleged to have been
made by William Millar, a seaman of the Prince of Wales,

whaler, in 1848, and now gone out in the Prince Albert,
we are enabled to state that Mr. Lee, who commanded
the Prince of Wales, says that he was not at the time in
question in Jones's Sound. He supposes he ran up into
Lancaster Sound. He remembers guiding a boat in shore
for ashort time ; but neither on its return to the ship,

. .
nor during the homeward voyage, did we hear of any cairn
of stones having been seen.—United Service Gazette.

A NONAGENARIAN RECTOR AND AN OCTOGENARIAN
Curate.—Lately deceased, at the Vicarage, Down Amp-
ney, Gloucestershire, the Rev. E. H. Payne, curate of

that parish. At the same time was lying dead, the vicar
of Down Ampney, the Rev. A. Price, being also rector of
Britwell, Oxfordshire. Of the former parish the reverend

gentleman liad been vicar sixty-three years, having been

presented thereto in the year 1788 ! But, what-is far
more astonishing, he was presented to the rectory of
Britwell in the year 1782, so that he must have been its

incumbent sixty-nine year's ! What Mr. Price's age was
at the time of his death we do not precisely know, but he

must have been almost a centenarian ! !

STRANGE
.ACCIDENT.—An accident happened_ on
_the

Dumbartonshire Railway on Monday, hy which eight
persons were more or less injured. It appears that the

train, after passing Dumbarton, was suddenly divided by
the simple unscrewing of a nut, whereby the bolt coupling
the tender to the carriages became loose, and, falling out,

the engine shot ahead Of the train. On observing this,
the engine-driver immediately put on his break and
brought to, without taking into consideration that the
carriages had still considerable way upon them. The
train, however, soon overtook the engine by the momen-
tum it had, and before he could get out of their way the
tender was run into. Several of the carriages were con-
siderably damaged, injuring some of the passengers as

already described.—North British Mail. -
A RUNAWAY Tows- CLERK.—The greatest excitement

prevails in Tunbridge Wells, in consequence of Benjamin
Sears, the town-clerk, having absconded. It appears

that he has obtained money-to the amount of above
£2,000. by discounting very recently, and that many re-
spectable inhabitants of the town who placed confidence
in him will be brought to the verge of ruin. He was
collector of assessed taxes, town-clerk, collector of the
gas and water companies, and held other appointments.
It is reported that he is a defaulter in almost every in-
stance, and a warrant has been issued for his apprehension.
A search warrant, it is said, has also been granted to
enable the officer to examine the premises of a relative in
London. Sears is suspected of being in the metropolis.
His income exceeded £4OO per year.—Herald.

THE DUKE OF MONMOUTH'S POCKET-BOOK.—The
British Museum has recently become possessed of the
memorandum-book which was found in the pocket of the
unfortunate Duke of Monmouth at the time he was taken
prisoner by the troops of James 11. It is about six inches
long by four broad, and the cover is black leather. It con-
tains some 40 or 50 pages, most of which are written upon
by the Duke; but what gives it a peculiar authenticity is
an inscription on a fly leaf, in the handwriting of the King
himself, stating that it was taken from the person of the
Duke of Monmouth after the battle of Sedgmoor. After
his abdication James 11. seems to have presented the lit-
tle volume to a monastery in Paris, where it was preserved
with religious care until subsequent to the late revolution.
The contents are of a very varied description, and singu-
larly illustrative of the character of the noble writer. The
relic has only been in this country a few weeks.
A RUNAWAY BANKRUPT.—On Saturday a warrant
was issued by Mr Commissioner Holroyd, and placed in
the hands of Mr Bright, the messenger, for the appre-
hension of a bankrupt named Martin, late of Lewes,
Sussex, draper. It appears Martin carried on business
in the High-street, Lewes, and so far back as December
last established a shop at Jersey. His practice was to
obtain large parcels of goods from the London warehouses
on credit, and as soon as they came into his possession at
Lewes he sent them in a collier from Shoreham to Jersey,
where they were disposed of by forced sales. Property to
the extent of £3OOO was thus got rid of, and about £7OO
more removed from Lewes to the Old Ship, Brighton,
before the bankrupt decamped. The evidence shows that
he went to the last Derby, where, not being unknown, he
made heavy bets, which he lost, and the next clay pro-
ceeded to Liverpool, and sailed for America in the Pacific.
The property at Brighton has been seized.
THE CARDINAL AND ST. PHILIP.—The Tablet's Lon-
don correspondent writes thus, in a late number of the
paper:—" I forgot to mention, last week, that the Cardi-
nal granted an indulgence of one hundred days, to be
gained daily, by visiting the public chapel of the Oratory,
and there reciting three Paters and Ayes in honour of
St. Philip. and one Pater and Ave for the Pope, and the
needs of the church, before the picture of St. Philip."
Now, what can be the meaning of gabbling over the
Lord's Prayer three times, "in honour of St. Philip,"
and praying to the Virgin for the Pope, " before the pic-
ture" of a saint, the said picture being, possibly, a nearer
likeness of Judas Iscariot than St. Philip ? What, but
to perpetuate the shameful, barefaced impostures of that
corrupt church which encourages sin, by granting so-
called " indulgencies," and leads reprobates to hope that
a few Paternosters and Ave Marias will do all that is

necessary for their soul's health !
SUSPECTED MURDER OF MR. SHEIL.—The Bristol
Times has a curious paragraph in connexion with the
recent death of the late member for Dungarvan and re-
presentative of her Majesty at the dirty and despotic
Court of the Duke of Tuscany. " A correspondent (says
our contemporary) makes a startling suggestion to us : he
states the possibility that Richard Lalor Sheil, our late
envoy at Florence, met with his death in a suspicious
manner. Sheil (he says), though a Roman Cathol►c, was
a man of such liberality that, instead of playing the game
of the priests—(whom he knew too well to hold in very
high respect)—so far sympathised with Count Guiccar-
dini and the inquiring Catholics that be endeavoured to
protect them in the free perusal of the Bible. This drew
upon him the indignation of the inquisitorial faction.
His death was sudden and accompanied with spasms of
the stomach. Our correspondent concludes by wishing
that the stomach of the late envoy were in Mr. Hera-
path's hands." We let this go for as much as it is worth.
We will, however, add that, if the fact were as the corre-
spondent of the Bristol Times suspects, there would be
nothing in it that would surprise us.
DINNER TO MR. Fox, AT DERBY.—On Saturday the
inhabitants of the town of Derby entertained Mr. Fox
their fellow-townsman, head of the firm of Fox and Hen-
derson, at a public dinner, in honour of his great achieve-
ment—the Crystal Palace. The occasion must have been
a peculiarly gratifying one to that gentleman, to his bro-
ther, who is this year, for the third time, mayor of the
borough, and to all his friends, who flocked around him
to testify their admiration of his successful labours, and
their respect for his private character. Mr. Paxton had
been specially invited to be present, and came accordingly.
Mr. Henderson was prevented from attending by his
delicate state of health. As to the rest of the company,
it comprised mi..ny of the chief guest's most respected
townsmen and friends, and was in all respects a very gra-
tifying muster. About 150 gentlemen sat down to dinner,
and Mr. Douglas Fox presided in a manner which did him
the utmost credit. Among those present, besides several
of the town and county magistracy, were Mr. Bass, M.P.,
Mr. Heyworth, M.P., the Right Hon. Edward Strutt,
Mr. Mozley, Mr. J. Cochrane, Mr. Jobson, Mr. Cooper,
Dr. Wylde, Mr. W. E. Mousley, Mr. Low, and Mr.
Crampton. The dinner took place at the Royal Hotel,
and was worthy of the occasion.
EXTRAORDINARY PHYSICAL MALFORMATION.--
There is at present living, in a remote district in Suther-
landshire, a youth, aged 17 years, who, from extraordinary
physical deformities, is considered one of the greatest liv-
ing wonders in Scotland. Both his arms are entirely
powerless, and issue from his back. Below the wrists
they are reversed, and the fingers are completely stiff ; in
fact immovable. The position of his feet is indescribable,
their deformation is so extraordinary. Below the knees
the bone appears to be twisted like a screw, and his legs
resemble the arm of a grown-up person. The ancle, the
heel, and the toes are reversed, and the feet are flat. He
has never used shoes ; and the only way by which he can
convey anything to his mouth is by the toes of his right
foot. He can put off and on his clothing in the same way,
use a knife and cut a stick, or hold any other light instru-
ment, betwixt his toes. About three months ago he went
to school, and since then he has made considerable pro-
gress in learning. Taking into account the many disad-
vantages under which he labours he is very intelligent,
and he is desirous to acquire more education. We have
before us a specimen of his toe writing, and it is certainly
good considering the poor fellow was only three months
. at school. This poor yet very interesting young lad is
unable to support himself and attend at school, owing to
the poverty of his parents, who are poor and have a large
family to support. Notwithstanding the great deformity
with which Providence has been pleased to afflict him, he
, appears very cheerful, has a fine, open, intelligent counte-
, nance, and reads such books ag fall into his possession
with avidity.—Glasgow Mail.