The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-12-13


al History of the present year, and speedily
attracted the notice of English pal@ontologists.
An officer of the British Museum was des-
patched to Pappenheim, and succeeded in Sc
curing this unique fossil for our National In
stitution. 1t was made a sine qua non to pur-
chase the collection OF which this was a part,
and the sum paid for the whole amounted to
not less than e750. What remains ofthis crea-
ture is admirably preserved: but unfortunately,
the head, neck, and breastbone, and vertebral
column OF the body, are absent. The fore and
hind cxtremities, the pelvis, and several of the
ribs and the long slender tail-whch is per-
feet to the tip, are distinctly visible. The foot
is formed precisely like that of bird; the
fore limbs are feathered at their extremities.
but the mode of insertion of the feathers differs
from that of birds. The tail, a bony structure,
resembles that of lizard, and consists oftwen-
ty slender, elongated vertebra, to each side of
which severally a feather is attached The
absence of the head and other important parts
of the skeleton ismuch to be regretted, as
without these it is impossible to pronounce
with certainty on the afiinities of the creature
and for the present we must rest contented
with the deduction of Von Meyer; and all that
we can say is that it was eathered animal in
termediate between birds and reptiles, wholly
difierentfrom any creature previously known.
1t is annoudced that Professor Owen will
read a paper on this fossil at an early meet
ing of the Royal Society.
DANGERS FROM PovERrY.-A foul muir
der has been committed near Preston. The
victim Is an old woman, aged 80 but hale and
active, living quite alone, and believed to be
ia comfortable circumstances. A robbery fol-
lowed, as matter of course, for many things
were taken from the house. A circumstance
hardly less atrocious has recently taken place
in London-the death of gentleman who
w raeantlv uarrnttaI bx-f fbraa in
chapel, and who has now died at his residence
at Sydenham of the injury which he then re-
ceiyed. The metropolitan police-courts afford
every day the most lamentable evidence of the
Insecurity of life and property. Things have
come to such pass that they can hardly be
worse, and the ticket-of-leave system is held
responsible for it all. There is growing con-
viction in the public mind that we are sadly
too lenent TO our convicts, and too stringent
to our paupers. As long as the Jail affords
better feeding than the poorhouse. punish
ment can hardly be said to be inflicted. 1t is
cruel on the part of the Government to let
loose on the honest and respectable portion of
society the hordes of rutiians that are con-
stantly yomted forth from our prisons. Dis
cussions have long been going on respec ting
the English and Irish modes of prison disc-
pline, but all we can say is that if the latter is
not better than the former, it is very bad in
to the old system of transportation, and space
must be found in some of our least inhabited
and least thriving distant colonies, for the
wretches who live at home when they are at
large, by violence and plumber. The criminal
law, too, will have to undergo revision: for
however much it may shock philanthropists,
practical results prove that the minimum of
punishment produces the maximum of crime.
A London writer, commenting on the present
fat of in Va,
our houses, our purses, and our throats. We
want to walk about our streets without the
risk of being knocked down and strangled.-
We consider that system of prison discipline
the best which leaves the fewest thieves
abroad. just now the number of these train
ed depredators is far too great, and We cry
out against the system accordingly" Unless
the Government can provide prompt and eff
fcient remedy for this deplorable state of
affairs, the honest portion of society must arm
themselves, and combine for mutual protection
against thieves and assassins, as they were not
unfrequently compelled to do in the earlier
portions OF our history. Such state of things
Is lamentable commentary on the boasted
civilization of the nineteenth century.-ILiy-
erpool Times.
THE Poor OF ESGLAND.-The rigor with
which the poor-rate is exacted in the impover-
ished districts of Lancashire is illustrated in a
case which recently came before the magis-
trates at Rochdae. Twenty-Five of the un-
employed operatives were summoned for the
non-2ayment Of poor-rates, and the magis-
trates, who said they could do nothing in the
way of remission without the consent of the
Guardians, isued warrants of distress against
all who had not paid the rate One man, who
may be taken as a sample of the entire batch,
pleaded that he had family of six, that he
was earning two shillings aud tenpence week,
1. a
pence a week, and little meat and bread from
a soup kitchen, which was all he had To ex-
act rates from men in this furnishing condition,
and, in the absence of payment, to sweep away
their little articles of furniture, seems the per-
lection Of cruelty. Nothing can show more
clearly than this incident the hardness to
which habtual suffering exposes those who
administer the law, aud it also proves the
promptitnde with which the ills of the weav-
ers ought to be relieved. But as we have
glanced at the subject in separate article, we
will not cucumber it with any additional rea-
soning beyond thls-that large numbers of the
factory girls in the distressed districts have
made applications to the Poor-law Guardians
to be sent out OF the country, to Australia,
Canada, or elsewhere. BY law, the Guardians
have the power of assisting emigration out of
the poor-rates, but in this instance they have
declined to do so, from fear that some of their
77DesI HdDus might DE induced 10 go. In
these colonies female labor, for the rough kind
of domestic work that these factory girls
could perform, is in good demand; the girls,
probably. would get husbands in their own
condition in life; but the milowners decline
to part with them, much less to assist them in
bettering themselves. This fact is not very
creditable to the masters.
SCENE AT A BULL FIGHT-The circus at
Saragossa has just been the scene of a sanguin-
ary drama. On Sunday the place was full,
and two toreadors of secondary rank, but very
popular as natives of the city, named Joaquin
Gil and Perez, made the customary salute, and
offered to kill the bulls in honor of the pres-
dent and the assembly. The first animal was
cleyerly killed by Perez; the second was a
Portuguese animal, very vicious, cunning and
strong. He received the fatal blow from Gil,
but at the same moment he tossed the unhap-
py man into the air, received him upon his
horns, which entered deep into the body, and
threw him to the ground senseess, and then
fell dead by the side of his victim. The third
bull was also a Portuguese. The toreadors
were under state of terror difficult to de-
scribe. The picadors would scarcely touch
him. Fierce in the middle of the ARENA he
seemed to defy the banderlleros who at great
risk fixed two or three frebrands TO his neck,
in order to excite him. From pain and noise
the bull became furious: The task of killing
him fell to Perez, who advanced with hesita-
ton, and seemed only able to stab feebly with
| his sword The president called to him and