The Cardigan Observer and General Advertiser for the Counties of Cardigan Carmarthen and Pembroke

f LONDON CORRESPONDENCE. ] • } THE opening of Parliament is the most im- portaat political event of the week. Ever since it was announced that the session would begin earlier than usual, much anxiety has been felt throughout the country to learn what the in- tentions of her Majesty's Ministers actually are, and the interest has also extended to the other countries of Europe. The latest occurrenaea at the seat of war make it evident that Parliament could not have been tummoned to rneeb at a more opportune tine. The catalogue of recent disasters to Turkey—the entry of the Russians into Sophia and of the Servians into Nisch, the capture of the Shipka Pass army, and the surrender of Antivari to the Montenegrins- has brought the end within view if no armed intervention takes place by any other Power. The period when proposals for an armistice have been made is just the one when Parliament em, be most usefully employed in counselling and aiding the Government. The policy of neu- ity has now approached its most critical stage, •and everybody must feel what dangers wouli lie in taking a single false step. If the Cabinet Councils, held day aftor day, |K had cot sufficed to awaken onr legislators to a due sense of the critical nature ot the situation, they would have been con- strained to fix their attention closely upon the state of public affairs by the multitudinous meetings which have taken place all over the country, within the last; three or four weeks, evidently for the purpose of in- fluencing the decisions of Parliament. The number of the!e meetings was also augmented by the circumstance that members of the House of Commons, who are not in the habit of shirking their Duties, generally take an opportune: df addressing their consti- tuencies immediately before the opening of a new session. No later than the evening of Saturday last Birmingham was addressed by its three re- presentative a- Mr. Bright, Mr. Muntz, and Mr. Chamberlain—who all agreed in the continued maintenance of a strict neutrality at the present crisis. When the big constituencies and the little have alike let their voices be heard, in resolu- tions and otherwise, Parliament can have less difficulty in deoiding what ought to be done or left undone. The cold frosty weather we experienced at the end of last week enabled us to sym- pathise more with the poor shivering sol- diers who were enduring the rigours of a Bulgarian winter, and who had to bivouac on the snow, often without being able to draw even momentary comfort from the gleam of a wood fire. At one time last week there seemed just a possibility that the lovers of skating- genuine skating that has nothing whatever to do with covered rinks—might soon have a chance of disporting themselves on the frozen waters of the parks; but, alas! there was a change of weather before ice could be formed into a solid floor, and the present winter promises, so far as outdoor amusements go, to be as unsatisfactory as the last. If we had been favoured with bearing ice it would have helped to settle the question whether the use of roller skates affects to some extent the easy resumption of the ordinary steel-shod skate". With reference to skating-rinks they may almost now, so far as the metropolis is concerned, be regarded as effete institutions, an4 the proprietors of several of them, after laying out a good deal of money in making them attractive, have reason to feel irate at the fickleness of fashion. The two tragical suicides which occurred last week in the City — the one at Ludgate Railway Station and the other in St. Paul's- caused more sensation, probably from the loca- lities where they took place, than events of the kind usuilly do in the metropolis, where violent deaths are of such frequent occur- renoe that people seem to hear of them with com- parative indifference. The terrible leap from the Whispering Gallery in the Cathedral, however, imparted a more than ordinary tragic aspect to one of the suicidal acts whieh, in the case of the viotim, was attended with shocking circumstances of mutilation. There are some persons who, when they approach the edge of a precipice or look from an altitude like that of the Whispering Gailery in St. Paul's, feel a strange Inclination to cast themselves down but the unfortunate man who hurled himself to destruction in the sacred edifice last week is believed to have been labouring under religious mania. As it is said to be thirty years siaoe a similar tragic occurrence happened in St. Paul's, there is not much fearofita beco aiing as notorious for shocking events of the kind as Notre Dame in Paris. An artist, in order to point out how much better they manage these things in France," has contrasted the dilatorines9 shown in con- structing Northumberland-avenue in London wita the rapidity that has characterised the buiHing of the Avenue de 1' Opera in Paris. With respect to this last he states that, at the same period on the previous year, the old streets were standing, and that it was only in the early summer the work of de uolition begun. Bat now there is a stately street, longer than oar Portland-place, already finished, the homes of six, seven, and eight storeys being solidly con- structed o? stone. It is also mentioned that the street contains three hotels, which are to open in April, and that it is brilliantly lighted along its whole extent with gas. Perhaps the expected opentngof the Exhibition at the beginning of the coming summer has something to do with this expedition in street construction, as Paris will then desire to put her best foot fore- most;" but it must be admitted that Sterne's trite saying holds good in this matter, and that our Board of Works go about their building undertakings in a remarkably leisurely way. Northumberland-avenue, to which reference has been made, is a good case in point. The unoc- cupied building sites still continue an eyesore in the very heart of the metropolis, and it is diffi- cult to conjeoture what length of time may elapse before a stately street fills up the present unsightly vacuum. The artist, who has called upon the Metropolitan Board of Works to take Paris for an example, wonders greatly how long they would take to build a street of palaces to endurefor centuries fromCharing-cross to Oxford- street. By the way, there is a hitoh about the con- struction of this projeoced street, though it is greatly needed in these days of ever-increasing traffic. ° One of the largest of the Channel tugs left Millwall last week for Ferrol to bring the Cleo- patra to the Thames, and we may therefore ex- pect the speedy revival of the controversy as to the most eligible site for the celebrated Needle. Besides a powerful vessel there has also been a picked crew sent out, and every precaution will be taken to bring the vessel safely up the Channel and up the river to the spot where the obelisk is to be landed. The vessel, containing the vanerable relic, is to be lifted bodily out of the water and laid on her side by means of hydraulic cranes, and there is a confident expectation that the engineering skill employed will be sufficient to prevent any mishap at the disembarkation. The Anglia and Cleopatra will have the benefit of long moonlight coming up the Channel, SJ that there will be a redaction of the risk of coming into collision with other vessels—a risk which re- cent fatalities prove to be a very serious one at this time of the year. D.G.

KAY'S COMPOUND ESSENCE OF LINSEED,for Colds A: Coughs cures 9 cases out of 10. Sold everywhere, 9id., Is. lid. FALL OF A SCAFFOLD.—A serious accident occurred at Lower Norwood. A building is there in course of erection on behalf of the London and South-Western Bank, and in front of it was a scaffold shout 30tt. high. On this eight or ten masons and bricklayers' labourers had congregated for a confer- enca on the subject of the pay they were receiving. While the discussion was going on another labourer went up-it is believed to warn the men of the approach of their employer. He had no sooner put his foot on the top of the scaffold than the whole came down together, precipitating the men to the ground. Six of them were seriously injured, and three, named Vine, Farebrother, and Austin, dan- gerously. Two of the worilt cases were immediately conveyed to Guy's Hospital. IAMPLOUGH'S PYRETIC SAHMc.—" Have it in your houses, and use no oilier," for it is the only safe anti- dote in Fevers, JUruptive Affections, Sea or Bilious Sickness, and Headache, having peculiar and exclu- sive merite. The Master of the Rolls has granted a perpetual injunction against others using the same and trademark. Sold by all Chemists.

THE SPANISH MARRIAGE. Among the strange spectacles which strike people's imaginations, writes the Paris Times correspondent, the Spanish Royal Family now furnishes one. A young King, placed on the throne by the greatest and most unexpected good fortune, at the most propitious time for long remaining there.ia about to wed her whom his heart had chosen during the troubled youth he spent in exile. Few reigns have ever begun under brighter auspices. Suddenly proclaimed, without bloodshed, without conflict, the young King ascended the throne at the moment when a cruel and insensate adversary was shedding the blood of his pretended subjects under the pretence of being a saviour of divi^o right. His presence sufficed to efface the rivalries o* generals and to rally round him all the forces of cue country, to give his army cohesion and courage, and to strike a mortal blow at the insurrection. His power based it- self on the pacification of the Peninsula, on internal peace, on the union of parties, on the comparative repose which wins over nations exhausted by long re- volutions. After securing repose for his country, the young King:, amiable, reflecting, a) most austere, wishing to impart to the Rol al Palace of Madrid the sobriety distinguishing1 himself, and remembering the young cousin who shared and alleviated his exile, seeks her in marriage, obtains the approval of his advisers, Parliament., peop!e, and of Europe, and prepares to lead her joyfully to the altar. Assuredly, if a bu.nan being could seem perfectly bappy, it would be Alfonso XII.; yet even this younsr King, for whom all Spain 13 planning nuptial fetes, has his cloud on the horizon, and when his thoughts turn to the Hotel Basilewski, his mother's residence, they are tinged with bitterness. Queen Isabella, since her last return to France, has been startling the world. She has discovered a means cf scandalising the city least easily scandalised, and has furbished the strange spectacle of a Queen and a mother lavishing testimonies of the tenderest friendship on the man who for years kept up civil war in Spain, stigmatised her son as a usurper, and shrank from nothing in order to overturn that son's power. It was she who first called on the Duchess of Madrid, and greeted Don Oarlos with the title of Majesty." It was she who received him and his family at her table. It was she who seated her- self at the Pretender's table, with Trietani on her right hand-Tristani, whose mere name fills Spain with horror. Six or seven times she exchanged visits with Don Oarlos, and then protested against the imputation of breach of duty. She still persists in these strange ways. After having thus wounded every Spanish heart, she claims to present in person to the Princess Mercedes the Royal mantle she has had embroidered for her, and to give it to a Madonna if prevented from carrying it herself. Now, it is use- less blinking the fact that Queen Isabella's presence at her son's marriage is regarded with positive appre- hension, that neither her husband nor her mother mean to go with her, and that every effort is being made to prevent her journey. Heie the matter at present rests, and so great is the perplexity that the Spanish Ambassador at Paris does not yet knew whether he can attend his sovereign's marriage without risk of his departure being followed by some fresh demonstra- tion here, or without the Queen, abandoned to her caprices, starting for Madrid to carry thither the trouble of which her pnwence almost would be the signal. Is it not strange that while Europe is absorbed by the gravest questions, while East and West are rest- less, while the personification of modern Italian unity is about to be interred, while Spain is counting on an era of tranquillity to be opened up by the King's marriage, this banished Queen should force Spanish statesmen, her son, her friends, the country she inhabits, to be occupied with her strange caprices, tc condescend to numberless petty precautions and stratagems, with the view of preventing her from making some fresh rent in the Royal mantle which has fallen from her own shoulders, and which she would fain prevent her son from wearing with dignity ? King Alfonso's marriage will, it is expected, be postponed, on account of the King of Italy's death, till the 2nd of February. The contract was read in the Cortes. The State gives no dotation to the Queen, but accords her a pension of 250,000 pesetas in the event of her surviving the King. The deputies will go to Aranjuez to congratulate Princess Mercedes.

A SATIRIC poet underwent a severe drubbing, and was observed to walk ever afterwards with a stick. Mr. P. reminds me," says a wag, of some of the saints who are always painted with the symbols of their martyrdom." THE PECULIAR PEOPLE.—The coroner for South Essex, Mr. 0. 0. Lewis, has been called upon to hold another inquiry into the death of a child whose parents belong to the Peculiar People. The case oc- curred at Thundersley, near Southend. It appeared that the child took cold, which developed into inflam- mation of the lungs. The parents gave it honey and gruel, but obstinately declined to call any doctor in. They told the coroner that they did not believe in medical aid. They did not think it right, they said, in the sight of God, and they preferred to trust in God rather than in man. Thev called in two elders of the Church, both of whom laid hands on the child, and one, a labourer named Angeio Chalk, also anointed it with oil, according to the Scriptures. The coroner made some strong remarks, and the jury expressed a hope that the guardians would prosecute the parents. THE LITTLE FRONTIER WARS IN INDIA.—The Times Calcutta correspondent says: Both our little frontier wars have come to a standstill from the diffi- culty of discovering a tangible enemy. The Jowaki expeditious have assumed almost a comical phase, as the Jowakis, having deserted their territory en masse, have left our two splendidly equipped frontier forces in undisputed possession, without an enemy to en- counter. This unconscious stroke of masterly diplomacy has completely upset all the previously concerted plans. It is difficult to forecast what new turn the Government policy will consequently be com- pelled to take. Negas is as defiant as ever, and has offered a reward of 500 rupees for every Englishman's head. COAQOUKE. —The best cement for Broken Articles,6d., Is., 2s. Postage 2d. Kay Bros., Stockport. Sold everywhere. KABIE8 AND HYDROPHOBIA. — In Liebig's Letters an account is given of a death through eating the flesh of a buck caught in a snare, and which had died after an agonising and convulsive struggle, and it is stated that the symptoms in many respects recalled those from the bites oj rabid animals Now we saw last week reason to fear that bites inflicted during and while enraged by sexual quarrels might cause rabies. In some instances, if not in all, is it not possible that the virus may be not originally due to any specific germ-graft, as in small-pox, so much as to some peculiar, morbid, unnatural condition of the secretions, occasionally caused by fear, agony, rage or other conditions? The fatal character of inoculation from the putrid matter of a corpse is only too well known amongst surgeons, and is one of the most defined forms of blood-poisoning known to the pro- fession. It is. worth notice that the dog-the most frequent propagator of rabies-is fond of gnawing putrid animal remains; and it may be possible that such morbific matter may become so modified in con- tact with the saliva, or may so change the character of the latter, as to set up under favourable conditions blood-poisoning in other and various forms. We would refer to erysipelas as an analogous case, not of blood -poisoning, but of morbific matter originated spontaneously (in the common acceptation of the term) and still being capable of specific trans- mission from body to body. Should some such view be the true one, we could then account, not only for inoculation, but for the rare cases which appear proved of spentaneous genera- tion, and even for those otherwise puzzling examples of cats and dogs, which have inflicted hydrophobia by their bites, themselves remaining unaffected, as in the cats named by Mr. Reece, and, apparently, one of the dogs mentioned at the commencement of this article. The dog or cat that really originated the outbreak might, in fact, bo expected to remain free, thus ac- counting for the rarity of such cases; while, on the other hand, the once-inoculated virus would follow the usual and well,known laws. Having studied the sub- let for some years, weare mere and more inclined to believe that some such vifw, which alone tolerably harmonises the various phenomena as known, will probably be found the true one.-Live Stock Journal. KEATING S COUGH LOZENGES contain no Opium, Morphia, nor any violent drug. It is the most effective remedy known to the Medical Pro- fession in the cure of COUGHS, ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS —one Lozenge alone relieves. Sold by all Chem's in Boxes, 1st .1 d and 2s. 9d. each. LIVE STOCK FROM: CANADA.—Mr. Dyke, the Canadian Government agent at Liverpool, reports that the exports of live stock from Canadian ports to this country during the year 1877 were as foHows 7412 cattle (including 65 pedigree shorthorns), 6825 sheep, 313 pigs, and 298 horses, showing an increase over last year's importations of 4645 cattle and 4218 sheep. Large numbers of Canadian cattle, sheep, and especially horses, have been brought vid New York, Boston, and other American ports in conse- quence of other Canadian lines of steamers being unable to meet the demands of this rapidly growing trade. The Dominion steamer Ontario arrived in the Mersey, bringing 128 head of Canadian live cattle, 237 hogs, 243 sheep, 35 cases of poultry, 305 barrels of apples, 135 boxes of Dears, and a very large cargo of grain and general farm produce. COMFORT WIITH ECONOMY secured by purchas- ing ODd of the Russian Home-spun DMsa Ig Gcw f at 1 Js. 9d, or an Italian Flannel one at fIs < Patterns post free of E. Avis, and Co., La-Jus Out- fitters, 213, Upper-street, Islington Jf.

| "A STRANGE AND HAPPY FAMILY." (Prom tke World.") The happy family life, of which Mrp. Buckland is the centre, is carried on in an ordinary London house, formerly the home of Charles Dickens's father- i -law, Mr. Hogarth, in Albany street. Regents park. In their time the room into which we were ushered was probably the drawing room. At first, during the present tenancy, it used to be called master's room now it is termed the "monkeys' room," which Mr. Buckland remarks is Darwin going backwards. The dining-room is indeed the one room preserved, but with difficulty, for the sole use of man. It is held, so to speak, at the sword's point against the incursions of animals from the neighbouring jungle. Sometimes the rule is relaxed in cases of sickness. It is to this room that all good animals expect to go, in a stuffed form, when they die. It is regarded as a Poets' Corner for the great,; while the bodies of the less distinguished are consigned to hon- ourable burial in the back green. Some excellent pictures adorn the walls of this room one of Master Frank, by Phnllips, "aged 3, born at Christchurch, Oxford, Dec. 17th, 182G." He is characteristically hug- ging a rabbit in bis pinafore. A bust of Mr. Buckland's father, the late Dean of Westminster, stands on a table. Below all this we come upon the practical work- ings of the scientific mine. Next to the kitchen, and acctssible to tho area, is the casting-room, to which everything extraordinary, whether from the depths of tue sea or the bowels of the earth, sooner or later gravitates. It is here that a prodigious amount of work is done, and gees forth in the most finished state, I to adorn the South Kensington and other great mu- seums, for the advancement of science and educa- tion of the people. Round the walls. are ranged bottles, casks, and jars, containing specimens in every stage of what the naturalist might call preservation and the ignorant decay. Eojoying the rare art of imparting his knowledge to others, Mr. Buckland delights in showing his treasures. Regardless of fear- ful odours, he will plunge up to his elbows into a deep dark tank, and draw forth a slimy dripping reptile, and ask cheerfully if he is not a beauty ?" It re- quires a strong stomach and no small diplomacy to know how to act, for' he is ready on a word of encouragement to make another fatal plunge and bring up the other seven But another joy awaits you -if you can bear it—in a jar, when be carefully hauls out a ribbon fish, and tells you it is the next of kin to the great sea-serpent. At that moment you heartily wish the great sea-serpent would bury its own relations; but Frank does not, and any one who would bring him the head of the family would be his friend for life. On the whole, Mr. Buckland prefers live snakes about him but he has not yet succeeded in getting his household to agree with him. A live snake is considerably wone than a pickled snake, seeing that the latter, they find, is not so likely to be found under their pillows. Perhaps the worse moments for the family are those when the Parcels Delivery van drives up to the door. On these occasions there is a general closing of windows observable in the neigh- bourhood, and the only light-hearted creature within the zoological circle ef Frank Buckland's home just then is the persevering parrot, who takes- the credit of the van s arnva. to himself. The naturalist steals out to survey the state of things, and, if likely to be very odorous, the man feels uneasy, while the hus- band, deep and treacherous, drops a propitiatory > sovereign into his wife's band, and recommends her to try a little shopping. Once it was a gorilla in a cask and when his unfortunate wife returned to her r home she found Frank in high spirits, and the gorilla in even higher. Mr. Buckland's chief domesticgrievance istheduater, which he regards as a miebievous invention ot women. Mr. Buckland makes the scullery his chief atelier, and shares the kitchen, when she will ) let him, with the cook. The invasion of her premises she might not indeed take in good part, but it mollifies her to see her master in his shirt sleeves doing the very dirtiest work, and she has long since come to the con- elusion that his place is far worse than hers. She deals, after all, with what is fit for human food; but her master's whole time is devoted to skinning, dissecting, pickling, and pouring over the bones of beastesses" the like of which no one could look at, let alone handle or dress; yet her master is so kindly and pleasant a gentleman that she cannot refuse sometimes when he asks for her help. Not with that solan-goose, however, which master said contained all the elements of a balloon' it nearly gave her a fit when he made it cry out as if it was alive, and only by squeezing what he called the voice-box at the bottom of the windpipe. Let us stand by the kitchen-cable for a few minutes while the master bustles to and fro over his work.' He is just now busily washing a splendid sturgeon a royal fish which, properly dealt with, he declares a cunning cook could serve up as fish, flesh, fowl or good red herring. Quaint and original must be many of the dishes which issue from Mr. Buckland's kitchen The long-suffering cook, were she free to speak, might tell some strange tales of mistakes Inevitable-of young crocodiles boiled down for stock, of food misapplied, ind of diets given to the wrong animals. Mr. Buck- land's house-keeping books cover a wide range; his bills for rats and mice and other small fry exceed the butcher's. Not less peculiar than the fare provided by his kitchen is the company to be met at his parties. It is his especial de- light to entertain celebrities' on view in the town. The due etiquette to be observed at these feasts is at times perplexing. When Chinamen, Aztecs Es- quimaux, or Zulus are the guests, the chief difficulty is with the bill of fare; but the ceremonial becomes complicated if Mrs. Buckland bus to choose which arm to take of the four owned by the Siamese Twins; nor are matters put right by Mr. Buckland leading the way with the Two headed Nightingale while much discussion was needed to decide whether Mr. Buckland should hand in Julia Pastrana (the hairy woman), or that per- sonage—by virtue of her beard should take in the lady of the house. Now and again otcer contretemps occur at these feasts. Nothing could have been more appalling than what happened when Mr. Buckland was honoured at dinner by Tomati Hapiromani Wharinaki and a number of New Zea land chiefs. The party had adjourned to the monkey- room, to smoke the pipe of peace, when, for their amusement, the host turned some six-and-thirty slow- worms out of a box. Instantaneously the guests were transformed the garb of civilisation slipped off, and they returned to the wild untutored savage. With one frantic glance at the slow-worms on the floor they uttered wild yells and straightway fled! Downstairs, the dining-room was open; through this into the garden, helter-skelter, like hounds breaking cover and filling the air with a tapage d'enfer. Thence they spread over the neighbouring gardens, taking the low fences like deer. Two of them seeing another open window, ana at it a peaceable old ladv at work, headed for it, dashed in, and with their tat- tooed faces and awful cries nearly were her death. By this time the whole parish was up; a hue ana cry organised, recruits joined from the railiDgB> an(j fugitives were run safely to ground. It appeared that they entertained a superstitious horror of the slow- worm; to them it was the "Ngarara"-the incarna- tion of the power of evil.

A LIVERPOOL SALVAGE CASE. In the Adrajralty Division of the High Court of Justice, the case of the$trah was heard before Sir Robert Phillimore, sitting at Westminster. There were three separate actions before the Court against the owner flt the vessel, which belonged t8 Nova Scotia. The first action was by the mate and two of the crew of the tug Great Western, belonging to Messrs. Jolliffe, of Liverpool the second by the owner of the same tug; and the third by the owner, master, and crew of the Kingfisher tug, ulso belong- ing to Liverpool. It appeared that the Sarah, on a voyage from Quebec to Liverpool, with a cargo of timber, got ashore during bad weather on the Middle Mouse. On the 14th October, about 10.30a.m., when there was a moderate gale blowing from W.S.W., and a heavy saa running, the Great Western was abreast of the Ormshead, looking out for vessels. The Kingfisher having left a ship whiek she had been towing, came some distance out of her course in order to inform the Great Western that the Sarah was on shore on the Middle Mouse. The Great Western nccordingly proceeded in the direction indicated, and found tbe vessel lying with her head on the rocks and her stern afloat, with a list to larboard, and the sea breaking over her. Tue tug proceeded to ths east side of the island, and with some difficultv the captain and two men went in a boat to the Sarah to have some conversation with her captain. Most of the loose articles of value had been removed out of the ship to the island, but the captain of the tug advised the cap- tain of the ship to remain on board and divide his crew into two parties, one to remain on board the ship, and the other to stay on the island. The crew, however, ultimately left the vessel, and the captain, having taken.: with him the papers and chronometer, also abandoned her. The tug then again returned to the wreck, and found her thumping upon the rocks. The mate, one fireman, and a sailor went from the tug in a boat to the ship, and succeeded in securing a 9-inch hawser. The tug then towed at the wreck and brought it off into deep water. A 13-inch hawser was th?n passed between the tug and the vessel, and the latter was towed to Liverpool, arriving there at about nine a.m. on 16th October. During the performance of the service the wind blew a hurricane, with rain and squalls, and much risk was run during thv R*ht owing to the severe weather. On arrival in' the Mersey the Tiger tug was sent for assistance, and after her return the Sarah was safely anchored in the river. On the following day she was berched with the assistance of the tugs Great Emperor and Hero. The plaintiffs contended that if it had not been for their shilful and successful service the derelict would have become a perfect wreck, and the whole of the ship and cargo, which was of the value of £6000, would have been lost. The defendants denied that the vesfcel ^rae a derelict, and alleged that the captain bad entered into an agreement with the plaintiffs to watch the vessel. Sir Robert Phillimore awarded d63000 to the plaintiffs, to include the payment of the .C$06 ex- penses alleged to have been incurred by them. The mate cf the Great Western was to receive £25, and i the two seamen X20 beyond the customary one pre- sented to the crew upon the award to the owners of the tug. The Kingfisher was to receive £ 60. „ '• '•

KAY'sTic PILLS, for Neuralgia,Faceaohe, Ac., gid., Is. lid ostage Id. Sold by all Chemists. Kay Bros., Stockport. GREAT MEETING AT BIRMINGHAM.—Mr. > Bright addressed his constituents in the Town Hall, Birmingham, confining his observations to the Eastern 1 Question. He remarked that the early summoning » of Parliament, which in ordinary circumstance: 1 would be viewed with indifference, was now regarded with anxiety and alarm. There was no doubt that I the country, during the recess had been stronelj agitated, and that the question upon which it had been disturbed was that of peace or war. r Mr. Bright believed it would be criminal for tht Ministry to involve this country in war. Expe- t rience had taught us that for the past two centuries all our wars and the bloodshed and loss of > life they had entailed had been undertaken for the 5 pursuit of some ghastly phantom or. some cunning • phrase. He trusted that the nation would not allow itself to embark again in war for a mere phrase, such 1 as British interests," and he held with Lord Derby, that the greatest of British interests was that of peace. L The right hon. gentleman pointed out that everything we obtained by the Crimean war was given up the moment the next European complication arose. Mr. Muntz and Mr. Chamberlain also spoke, and votes of I I confidence were passed. BERLIN WOOLS and GERMAN NEEDLEWORK.— The above are Imperted direct by M. LEADER, 9, NEW INS-YARD, SHOREDITCH, LONDON, E.G., from whocr i price lists are sent, on application, of every descrip ■ tion of fancy wools, canvas, filoselle, etc. ON SATURDAY the East Middlesex coroner held I an inquiry at Poplar as to the death of Williarc I Scotney Waite, 47, a pensioned policeman. The de- r. ceased had been unable through ill-health to obtain any work for some time, and had nothing to keep himself and six children upon but his pension of £ 25 i per annum, and a few shillings which one of his sons [ earned. This so preyed upon his mind that he went > to a beer-house in Penny-fields, Poplar, and banged r I himself to a beam in the skittle-alley. He was quits dead when the landlord found him. It appeared during the inquiry that some of the deceased's rela- tions had died insane, and that his eldest daughter, 21 years of age, and a boy of 12, were not in their right mind. A verdict of Suicide while of unsound mind was recorded. SUCCESS CAUSES IMITATION. — When purchns'.nS ask plainly for and see that every cake is stamped Spratt's Patent," or a spurious and highly dangerous imitation, same size and shape, may be served to you. BRIG LOST WITH SEVEN LivEs.-George Fogelstrom, sole surviving seaman belonging to the brig Brierly Hill, of North Shields, has arrived at the Sailors' Home, North Shields, bringing particulars or the wreck of the vessel, and the drowning of Captain Duncan and six of the crew. The vessel was caught in a heavy gale off Flusted, and drove on the rocks. A high sea was running, and six of the crew were washed overboard, one after another, and drowned, leaving only Captain Duncan and Fogelstorm, when the latter jumped into the sea, and made for the shore. He was picked up, greatly exhausted, by a boat- Shortly afterwards the vessel broke up, and Oaptaln Duncan fell into the sea, and was drowned. DYEING AT HOME..—Judson's Dyes are most useful and effectual. Ribbons, silks, feathers, scsrfe, lace, braid, veils, handkerchiefs, clouds, bernouses, Shetland shawls, or any small article of dress can easily be dyed in a few minutes without soiling the hands. Violet, magenta, crimson, mauve, purple, ponceau, claret, Ac. Ask for Judson's Dyes. Sold by chemists and stationers. Sixpence per bottle. PRESENTATION TO MR. H. M. STANLEY AT ROME.—Mr. Stanley was presented at Rome the Victor Emmanuel Gold Medal of Merit-inscribed, To Enrico Stanley, the intrepid African Explorer" -by Signor Correnti, President of the Italian Geo. graphical Society. It was accompanied by a sealed letter from the late King Victor Emmanuel, which whtn opened was found to contain flattering appre- ciations of the many geographical discoveries and services rendered to humanity and civilisation by Mr. Stanley. Baron Telfener entertained the traveller at a private banquet in his magnificent mansion. Kind welcomes to Italy were received from Turin, Milan, and Naples. WEIGHT'S COAL TAB SOAP (Sapo Carbonis Det&rgensh Antiseptic, Detergent .Disinfectant. The most healtliful» agreeable, and refreshing Toilet Soap in the world. By its daily use, freedom from infectious diseases is secured the complexion improved; pimples, blotches and roughness removed and the skin made clear, smooth, and lustrouS; In our hands it has proved most effective in skin diseases.' —The Lancet; "It is wie only true antiseptic soap."—British I Medical Journal. In Tablets, 6d. aDd is. each of all Chemists. W. V. WRIGHT and Co,. Southwark-street. London. MALICIOUS W OUNDING.-Mr. Bamford, a farmory living near Malvern, has been committed by the Mal- vern magistrates (Mr. G. W. Hastings in the chair) on a charge of maliciously wounding Mr. T, H. Baldwin, a publican, of Sberrard's-green, near Malvern. affair arose from jealousy excited in the mind Baldwin by the conduct of the accused towards his wife. The complainant on the 13th ult. ordered the accused out of his house, and afterwards finding a paper supposed to have been written "y the wife to the accused making an appointment to meet, he chal" lenged the defendant to fight. They afterwards voe^ attheM»lver° words again arising the accusedstruckBaldwin a violent blow on the head witb a knobbed stick, striking him with both hands, and knocking him down insensible. When told that he had killed the man, be exclaimed, "Let him die." The complainant received a concussion of the brain, and was in a dangerous condition for some time. The magistrates committed the accused for trial. MUNIFICENT DONATION.—The British Medici Journal says The directors of the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, have been informed that, by the will of Mr. John Freeland, who died at Nice on the 25th of last month, a sum of £ 40,000 has been bequeathed to the institution. Since the opening of the Western Infif" naary, a year or two ago, there has been a constat struggle to raise sufficient funds to carry on the insti- tution, and at the present time the income has fallen short of the expenditure by .flOOO. By the terms of the deceased gentleman'sr will the £4.0,000 has been left exclusively fo.* building purposes. The nt-cessit-Yo therefore, for increased funds is very great, as a larger number 0 patients than can be accommodated At present will forwards have to be treated. Mr. Free- land, who has resided for several years at Nice, on account of his health, was a well-known Glasgow cotton merchant. INDIOESTIU^ winger, in combination -with Brandy, is ever | an in k'oroaeiric. Messrs. Kenry Brett and Co. "scele- I Invited' Ne?'"0 s Head' Liqueur Ginger Brandy i3 most agroc" able, and adapted ai&e to lavalid, Sportsman at Travelled [

5f,. 00>)., "t¡., THE WAR f f.1' THE TURKI33 PARLIAMENT. The Vienna correspondent of the Times, under date Jan. 14tb, says: The accounts to band from Constantinople leave no doubt that opinions there about the lurkish Parliament have undergone a con- siderable change. There are men now not disposed to sea m it a device merely for throwing dust in1,0 the eyes of Europe, but who begin to look at the new institution irt a more serio"9 light, and^ to tegkrd it as a factor which must be token into account. The late change in the Ministry is in no small measure attributed -to it.) Far from showing a spirit of servility, the in- dependence displayed by the Chamber is so strong that the apprehension is rather entertained lest it should monopolise all control. The President-Elect la very difterent from his predecessor, allowing great freedom of discussion. The present Chamber, too, 13 ve^y unlike the previous one, and no longer consists ot a confusion of elements. In it are^t° b0 seen the beginning of a party organisation, *hich is simple enough—on one side those who are ready to approve everything said or done by the Government, whatever that may be, and on the other those who are deeply imbued with the earnestness of their task, and seemed determined to fulfil it; and these form the majority bv far. Their leading idea, and one which holds them'togther, is to vindicate. for the Chamber a real right of control over affairs by making the Ministers responsible for their acts. The gross mismanagement of affairs which has occurred and the untold misery to the country thereby occasioned have afforded'them a rare opportunity for making a breach in that svstem of absolute and irresponsible rule; and they seem to have been kept back by no considerations, for during the debate on the Speech from the Throne which ended in the vote of censure against the Ministry several members spoke out boldly, to the effect that it was no excuse for the Ministers to say that they had received orders from the Sultan to &3 • p°ne' ?n Previous Assembly even tb0 T™ formation displayed by some of the members was matter of surprise, and this seems to be much more the case in the present instance. 'Curiously enough, among those who have ren- dered themselves conspicuous are men from the n* °f the <^1. Smyrna, Janina, f A°atolia> and Adrianople are the fiiit nf n and yet they display an alC« j iC?u which could scarcely have xu ^ed scarcely be said that Vod nnn foken in the Chamber is not hplnc 0ur in 4119 Palace, and efforts are being made to convince the Sultan that the Oppo- 9Ln?iaVi ? ..?^9fen?'oacbin& upon his Sovereign power, though hitherto, xt seems, without success. PITIFUL CONDITION OF TURKISH PRI- SONERS T c°p,re8P°Bdent; of the Times, dating 'tlVe received from Df- Baker, who 15 P ng Wlth Dr- Sandwbh, the following information concerning the Turkish prisoners: PUTINE, Jan. 2. and 4000 Turkish pri- 8 nard Ti! through here with a Roumanian £ • „ were the personification of abject fZ.' r 7^othed, and nearly 50 per cent, suffer- "gvfL7,frnblte- • Great numbers fell out on the ArJa ftTiri ln the snow and died, and the S gS are now eatinS ^em, as I have seen I WIth my OWn eyes. The Roumanian Guards, who ° ,anch of course, more regularly fed Viarshne Priaoners, treat them with great SSSTf 1 hav° 8een them beati°S the p°°r not ma v°r ,no ot^er reason than that they could mone? /urther' and nearly all who had Ia"oney cOlEPlain of having been robbed by «.lsn ii Roumanian officers themselves were Yesterday Baron Benkendorf, the oivinwVi-n j6 P8ian Red Cross Ambulance, was frnm fi.n &1M* ^00<*to a P00r Turk who had fallen hv «> w^en a Roumanian officer who rode h« wr>nir)6fl J16 laushed at him, and told him that went a ffioT plenty of such work to do if he only nfficpi* Txrr\" ijersts ^urtker back. Another Roumanian ff ™ot allow his prisoners to accept some the nnn/ by a afc tlai8 P^ce, although auitifnnfHC+reatUres were thoroughly exhausted and i, resume the march in such weather as "Rfiftiim c*!?' thermometer showing 20 deg. auiffl hrV3 j08*" Most of the Turkish officers seem quite broken down and appear very grateful to the Russian Red OrQSs for the hospitality which it is able was h Jd ^em\ 0ae Turki8h colonel> however, h« ™ J VI P ?86, Upon being asked what °v *n excess of the usual ration, h^inor1^ White bread and brandy.' On that i, there was no such bread, he replied waa,1Joi accustomed to eat bran, and after Frpn«uS j bl;aDd.y Save his opinion that it was not jv0 onnD<7 1e™ned witil a gesture of scorn, thn V, • poor wretches sleep nightly in f 11 n ri a 08P^tal barracks erected by Dr. Sand with with o • the Russian Sick and Wounded Aid '• aD(^ literally thousands owe their lives to hv riend'y shelter and the good cheer furnished well r°Q dorf and his staff. Those who are h resume their march the next day, but many Turk ° day.9 anc* even weeks. Many of the IrnnJLvT arrived here yesterday were literally t up by the hardships of the march, and had firriro^iUartepec* 'a tbe barracks. Dr. Sandwith re to-day with Mr. Yilliers, of the Graphic, aGe the tour of the quarters occupied by the ?ovS^er8, T-ke poor fellows were overwhelmed with i»L en Sandwith spoke to them in their own «. J; and they poured out their complaints in a Continuous flow of words. Nearly all of them ey Were half famished, and most of them mhtP f "L that the Roumanian soldiers had Htrna i j m.?f their money. One poor fellow strug-gled with his desooiler and thereby lost j 011 y. 8 Purse, but the upper haif of his trousers. th« sympathise with the sufferers, as I spent n{ja j"ght of the New Year's Eve on the road, and nearly lost my nose, toes, and fingers from the and if I had been in the half-famished T f tialf-clothed condition of the Turkish prisoners, feel quite certain that my history would have been 1 tbD t0 tbe end of the last chapter. War in this er ia terrible, and presents a picture quite 8 -"toss Thompson's pretty soldiery standing in 6 8n«w wearing parade uniforms, and some of bodies >>^ar'n^ n'ce dean vermilion wounds on their THE CAPTURE OF NISH BY THE SERVIANS. After difficult passages over apparently impassable mountains the Servian flag now waves over the walls of NISh. i The Servians had their first encounter with the Turks on the 4th inst. at Ohichela, Brozbrod, J3arbanovatz, and Belotina. The Turks attacked them wice on that day, but were repulsed. On the 5th the Servlans captured several positions before Nish. On the oth the Turks attempted to make a sortie with g"Pe"or forces, but they were not successful. On the oth tae Servian left wing took by assault Markovo 777 which was bravely defended by the Turkish ln antj7i supported by artillery; while on the same vty i risllt wing captured the fortification of Vlasso Ordo. From this position, on which the Servians placed their cannon during the night, they bombarded Goritza Tabia, from where the Turks made repeated sorties, in the hope of regaining their positions, but they were repulsed. On the 9th inst. the heavy guns were got into position and brought into action. During this time the Schumadia and Morava Corps, with the Branitchevo Brigade, were engaged « before yanika and Abdi Pasha Tabias, both of which positions were taken after a desperate fight on the part of the Turks. The terms for the capitulation of Nish have been concluded Mill6611 °l°nel Leehaian, the representative of Prince f and Halil and fiashid Pashas, the Commanders oi msh. They are as follows: 1. The ammunition, u> 1dS8I and other Government material will remain in the same state as when the Convention was signed. 2. The soldiers will lay down their arms; they will not be treated like prisoners of war, but will be sent viana °<i A, region now occupied by the Ser- at 'l i Wizens, whether Mussulman or Christian, will n their arms; but if they own property, 1 «J ? returned to them when thi normal state is fn am*63 bed. 4. The Servian Regent vouchsafes Ufa 7li0neuPerfect security of property, honour, and nofmitt a "habitants who desire to leave the town are a nno ki 8°' their removal is made as quickly f, ? 81 p- All officers ann citizens may retain their swords in recognition of their bravery. mv n W-OCKADE OF ERZEROUM. •, aJ: y News special correspondent at Erzeroum wrItes as tollows, Dec. 26 We are blockaded. For the last two days the Russians have been showing un- "8U,aiactl"ty in the Olti Valley. The Turks,tried °J 6 villages at the mouth of the valley, but Tfi „6a e.n back by a superior cavalry force. Muhir All, a celebrated guerilla chief on the Turkish V i'. ''a8 pt through the thigh in a ca>alry Lrrl ear mi"5 village of Kirsk the day before ■f a^» w 8 Russians are now in tbe immediate ^t /zer°um, about two hours'distant in tho pi am t ween this and the Trebizond-road. Probably tbe telegraph wiu be cufc to-day. Dec. 27.- k*?" -^asha l6ft Erzeroum on Christmas T'" :i 1T> 8?1 esc°rt of four thousand men, leaving la to command lhe town. Com- munications, telegraphic and postal, are still open, but. I expect that this letr.er will be the last from Erzeroum. The Russian column which threatens to cut ouracommuiiicatlona consists mainly of cavalry. Fourteen field guns atso support it, and four battalions of mrantry, iu UU 7000 or 8000 mea>—X)ec. 28.—The uation is unchanged. Mukhtar Pasha is recalled to ■ instantinople. The general belief here is that he snt away from Erzeroum to organise a new army to ise thesiege in thespring. Some8000 men are at Bai- ( rt, to intercept the Russian turning movement by the f pir Dagh, to the right of the road of Trebizonde. ost serious dispositions are being made for the de- ice of the place. It is believed that Erzeroum 'I 11 hold out till the relieving army comes to help it. Jon't believe thij, The Armenians are already jculating on the favourable change the Rassiin .-upation will, bring about. I have been often Ited t° v'sit the town, only one year after .Russians may be in possession, in order to witness wonderful change for the better which will take ge. The Russians occupy the village of Henzig. usaians occupy ■ aral Heyman is in the village of Shafta. Several Alions are in the Olti Valley. Tergukasoff is in Jiillag6 Henaig with a lar.e force of cavalry. san see the enemy's troops mancsavring from •rai»Parfs. Yesterday the entire telegraph and apparatus were despatched from roum Baiburtr with the view of re- P >g the breaks. The chief danger seems ° tbe eloping movement of tbe Russians in the Vn!\iate vicinity of Erzeroum, a movement en masse. 've that Erzeroum practically is lost; but think Pro>ly it will make a better defence than Kars. Mohemed Pasha, virtually in command, is the rat soldier in the army of Anatolia. DANUBE AND THE RUSSIAN OOM- T MUNICATIONS. following is from a correspondent at Mimmi- £ ea'ited January 8 Since .the break ing of thebridges Sistova and Simnitza communication across ?Aube has been kept up by pontoons rowed by sal <L rpjjg river is full of large masses of floating J5e' bich renders the service a dangerous one. persons were drowned in attempting the passe in a private boat. The trip, formerly oCCJ*Tig a few minutes, now takes from one to ffi«lour8" pontoons are crowded with on duty and deeply laden with m0", -in boxes and sheepskin coats. No other S°°t J3 taken. Oa the 6th and 8th the fog lntcr- ruptetjg traffic, and it is likely to be often inter- ruP vby the same cause. Only a hard frost by freeZI\he Danube over, can allow of the full pas- sa £ e the necessary stores. Enormous quantities o° Pro\ons aid clothing are stocked in Simnitza. ~|ar aSy arrive with more. Hay is not to be bought. t cattle, fed alone on Indian corn, die in mbers, and the difficulties, always great, of ra Grtlng. supplies from the railway at Fra- tf9. ? < Giurgevo, will be increased greatly by this a Either of the following causes will bring all trau^j. to a standstill. A thaw will render every r°9 T^t%sable, every small stream a torrent, and the D, for some time a still more dangerous nver, b detaching large masses of ice at present adhering^ banks. Snow will block up the r°-ii'' by making each load harder to draw tlf1 a ^ra^t cattle, at present worked to release from their miserable life. can be of service. The question arises, it ftJ, continues, whence are the ranks daily thinning, njea and bullocks to be filled ? Already earts r surrounding countries can be seen in Simm Zft. rabla, ]jUngary, Wallachia,andMolda- yia are kaented by both man and beast. Carters unab e igi their contracts of delivering theii loads in \a> and ruined by the war prices here, are jnninS away, leaving the contractors under w work losers by reason of the large advances already made them. In Bucharest may be seen containing bread and biscuit, sheep- skin coa s, in Rusgia for the army, and senl away ifo™ Ve two months ago, which have nel only no eefl}elivered but it is not known where they are, so j8 the confusion. These goods have to e.rded by the carts I have alluded tc as at Bimni of those now on the road between Fratesti an place, 0JP eise by the new line ol railway jus .ngtructed between these two places. oPt^Viftth0 railway, in two spots it is so ex- posed that tn%ghtest wind drifts the snow ovei the li°e an makes it impassable. The engines are old, »im^. worn out, some of the worsl having leaky boilers, so that in the distance between ^ra and Bucharest (thirty-five miles) the engme 8Ioften to leave the train on th( line to go 1in 8\ch of water. The passenger trail that left hue ai for prateati at 9.50 ajn. on the 7th took .i^Jjiours to arrive at the latter place The train Eelingivo at 6 a.m. on the 8tl arrived at JJUCII AFC LQ 3() A M_ QN THE 9FCHI THII aptly descr ra^way communication. CHA^E p MINISTRY IN TURKEY. The JA resigned, and a new Cabinet has been consw u *ymp08ed of the following members Hanifii P**5 a,1ut Vizier; Server Pasha, Ministe; for Forfc,?n Savfet Pasha, Minister of Justice Said Pasha, ln*er 0f the Interior; Sadyk Pasha Minister 0 ^5ms; Kiani Pasha, Minister o Finance; Anmea^fyk Ministec 0f Publi instruction. AND Russia. A telegram r i Q0n8tantm0ple, Jan. 11, says It is stated in o c »c;rcjea ^er0 that Mr. Layard ha informed iror t accor(jiDg to advices receivec from Lord Derby Grand Duke Nicholas, in reply ing to the telegram m Keouf pasba asking for ai armistice, jjave expreSsed his persona views when bestatflhatthe armistice would have ti be based upon the ctitions of peace. That such i the case, • J is said to have pointed out, i confirm'd j* jy °f the Grand lJuke Michael who said tha 0 w wjtbout instructions in tb matter. Mr* ^arJj8 also declared to have adde< that Lord Augustus tte Ambassado in St. Petersburg, received instructions fron Lord Derby to expresr prjnce Gortschakoff his lord ship's astonishmen atK0 non-fulfilment of the Im perial Chancellor s Pr^-ge that orders should be sen to the Russian comm^erg treat for an armistice Lord Augustus Lottusi at tfae game time to remim Prince ^ortscha^kott r nQ 8tipUlation had beei made-in regard to the Cjgtjce being dependent upoi the conditions of peacef" CAPTURE OF TH TURKISH ARMY OF IPKA The Grand I^e^%ias telegraphed the fellow ing despatch to the mL0r of Russia,from Lovtcha I am happy -C°^\tulate your Majesty upon 1 brilliant victory gain jug £ Qne month afte: the capture of evna Q.enerai Radetzky, afte: desperate fighting, "as arisoner the whole Tur kish army defending T^Jhipka Pass, consisting alto gether of forty-ou0 ten batteries and on regiment of cavalry, uir command of Vesse Pasha. Prince Mirsla ]ia8 occupied Kezanlik and General Skobeleff htfl ghipka." The town was nagged ^jj0nOur of General Radet zky's great victory in thejjjjpka Pass.. CAPTURE 0p SQFIA On the 3rd inst. the -H ggjan troops entered Sofia the band playinf and 8Jni ng at their head. Then were general rejoicings ai Qng the Christian popula tion, and immediately a t4(jeneral Gourko's entry 1 solemn service was ^^Tpd at the cathedral. Thii is the first time since a Christian, army ha entered Sofia. RAJDETSKY ACROKJ BALKANS. The Daily News specu correspondent writes Further details have JJogot «f the manner ii wMch the crossing of Jalkans was effected. Oi the 26th of December the i^jan troops started fron Orkhanie for Tscburjan, ayj frem Wratschesch fo: Umurgatsch and Skiliawa. fevjr the Orkhanie detach ment, which marched in tt^g columns, a new roa( was made by the Sappera^f the guard and thi Preobrbshenz Oorps. This, work was commence< on the 21st of December. loader to keep the Turki in ignorance of wbat was t\ng done possession wa taken of the village of Tscl^f jan, on the southeri slope of the Balkans, and a squadron of Astrakai dragoons stationed there pre*ented the approach o reconnoitring Circassians, The Sappers anc Preobraschenz reposed m th, village of Tschurjai during the day, and wokea at night fron the 21st till the 35th of December, when th4 road was completed, being made broad enougl for the passage of 9-pounder^ Nothing had beei observed by the Turks. On tk, 24th a snow-storn threatened to destroy the wo^ and the road wai turned into a sheet of ice, that the advance< guard, under General Rkach, had to cu steps along the path In trder to drag th, guns up. The descent frOlu the crest of thi mountain was commenced at nightfall on th, 26th, as in thedaytim0 the movement would be visible from Arab-Konak and Schando»nick. The descent was more difficult than the ascent, the southern slope being so steep that the guns had to be let down from tree to tree by means of ropes. The ammunition cases were let down ewpty» and the ammunition was carried in the hands of the soldier^ On the 27th the vanguard began to assemble in Tscburjan, and General Gourko, having personally superintended the crossing, only arrived in that villas on thg evening of the 26th. The whole Orkhanie did lIet enter Tschurjan until the 31st, thus taking six days and six nights to accomplish a passage of which the distance is only fifteen versts, so enormous were the difficulties to be overcome. General column, which started from Wratschesch, encountered Btill greater obstacles the guns had to be discounted from the carriages and placed upon hedges. While cross- ing the mountain this column received orders to chango its direction, and 1D8tead of advancing upon Scbiljawa to proceed to Tachurjanas it had been ascertained by a reconnaissance that the Turks had fortified a new position near TasebkiseBa, which the Russians intended to attack. General Woljaminoff arrived at Tschurjan on the 30th Dee. The Turks, not having observed his movements in time, were unable to prevent his passage, and they therefore de- termined to await the Russians in the fortified position near Taschkisena. Here was fought the engage- ment of the 31st of December, which resultei, as j already announced, in the repulse of the Turks. Details have also been received of the engage- ment of the 2nd inst., at the occupation of the bridge over the Iska, near Wrasthdebna, eight versts from Sofia. The troops engaged were the advanced guard under General Ranch, consisting t-, of the Preobraschenz and Iamailou regiments, and a brigade of rifles of the Guard. The fight | lasted an hour and a half, and was decided by ft turning movement effected by the Preobraschenz; troops, who crossed the L-ker on the ice, whereupon the Turks abandoned their entrenchments and fled to the Sofia bridge, which they set on fire. The Rus- sians extinguished tbf) flames, and thereupon the ar* tillery crossed the bridge. COLONEL BAKER TAKEN PRISONER. In the affair at Taschkisena on the 31st ult., the English Colonel Baker, who took part in tbe fight- ing, was wounded and taken prisoner. On the Rus' sianside General Mirkowitsch was severely wounded. ————————————

WAR ITEMS. The Russian Government has issued an order for the whole of the Baltic defences to be supplied with guns of the heaviest calibre before the opening of the navigation in the spring. A large number of 12-incb 38-ton guns are being mounted on the batteries at Sveabor r. It having come to the ear of the Russian Govern- ment that the Tartars in the province of Taurida con- templated the sale of th-ir estates with the view to migrating to Turkey, an ukase has been issued for" bidding the sale of landed property in the province until the conclusion of the war. The day after Christmas (N.S.) a body of Turk"i from Novi Bazar attacked the Servian camp at Giur- gevo Stubovi, when a fight ensued which lasted hours, and resulted in the assailants being driveflj back to the town they had issued from. The Ser-| vians are concentrating at the above mentioned place> | Giurgevo Stubovi. j As regards the capture of Sofia, the Servian* J marched thither in three columns, tbe first effecting^ a junction with the Russians on their way Konashtitza to the Glinzi defile, the second, consist'^ ing of three large detachments, pushing forward the direction of Radomir, while the 3rd, after passing | unmolested through the CtzarBkibrod defile j- arriving at Slivnitza, proceeded directly to Sofia. The j Turks in their retreat tried to take the positions 0»| Radomir and Kostendil. j| A telegram from Constantinople says that the Porwrf. on receiving the declaration of the Grand DUke Nicholas that the preliminaries of peape must bOl settled before the arrangement of an armistice, sent J. reply to the Russian head-quarters to ask what the Russian preliminary conditions of peace. A late*| telegram announces that the reply of Russia h arrived st Constahtirople. j An official despatch from Crete states that all tMg Mussulmans, influenced by local Beys, are intent ofg defeating the conciliatory measures of the Porte are taking refuge in tbe fortified towns, being c0,1'j veyed there even in Government transports. TbjJ government outside the towns of the Island is in tbffir hands of the Christians, who hesitate, however, to dffj. clare their independence. It is believed that tbWf Turkish agent has full powers, even to gra.J1 autonomy. Jr At Nish the Servians found 200 guns (25 of the Krupp's), with munitions and rations of the value £ 4000. # .J It is announced from Constantinople that tb 4 evacuation of Philippopolis has commenced. emptying of all the hospitals of Adrianople has aVj.'| been ordered. The Turks hav i destroyed all th | railway bridges between Yeni Saghra and Seisu»a»l/*| where the Philippopolis and Yamboli lire join. ':1 A telegram from Philippopolis announces that th Turks have burnt Tatar Bazardjik, and that the;: Russians entered Yeni Saghra. When the Montenegrins entered Antivari, they,| found 200 wounded in hospital in a dreadful state. They were at taken charge of by the Mo** 1 tenesrin Red Cross Society. The garrison number 1400, having lost 300 men during the siege. The population numbered 4000. Many hundreds were si^ The fortified city was all in ruins. The poDulation etf grated where they pleased, under rhe protection of Montenegrins, the Prince lending his own horses those of his staff to carry the sick and wounded t would not stay.

iLonboii jHarfeets. COEN, LONDON.—The jrrain trade at Mark-lane has r dull. English wheat was in short supply, but better dition. Sales progressed slowly, and prices had a droopy 8 tlle tendency. There was a fair show of foreign wheat on ,ey stands. The trade was dull, and prices were weak. was in moderate supply. The trade was quiet, at late rates. English malting1, 52s to "■ 4s Saale, 45s to W Danish and Swedish, 39s to 44s; grinding, 29s fid to Oats were a dull market, and lower to sell—Riga, lfs; ? j Petersburgh, 19s 6d to 22s; Swedish, 19s to 2:s. MaJ was very quiet, at about late rates American, 29s to &>' Beans and peas were quiet and unaltered. The flour was dull, at about late prices. a CATTLE (METROPOLITAN).—^The supply of beasts WOS short but the general quality good. There was a attendance of buyers, and more life was noticed in tn trade, the tendency of prices being against the buy/?* Quotations :—Coarse and inferior oeasts, 4s 6d to 5s caS jei;ond quality ditto, 5s 0-1 to /is 6d; prime large oxen, 5s lOd to 6s 2d; prime Scots, &c. 6s 2d to 6s 4d; coarse and inferior sheep, is fid to 6s od; second quality do., 68 Od to 6s Sd; pruno coarse woolledt 6s 10d to 7s 2d; prime Southdown, 7s Od to 7s 4d; lambs. 0s Od to OsOd; large coarse calves, Ss 6J to 6 s Od; small ditto, 6s 2d to 6s 8d; largo hogs, 3s 6d to 4s Od; real small porkers, 4s 2d to 43 8d per Rib. to sink the offal. MEAT (METROPOLITAN).—Under the influence of milder weather the trade was slower, and prices were not so well supported. The supply of meat was moderate. Inferior beet, 2s 8d to 3s Od; middling ditto, 3-3 4d to 4s 4d; prime large ditto, 4s 8d to 5s 2d prime sma'J ditto, 5s Od to 5s 4d veal, 5s 4d to 6s Od inferior mutton, 3s 4d to 4s Cd; midd- ling ditto, 4s Od to 4s 8d prime ditto, 5s 4d to 6s Od large pork, 3s 4d to 3s Sd small ditto, 4s Od to 4s 4d; and lamb 011 Od to Os Od per Rib by the carcass. GAME AND POULTRY.-Widgeon, Is 9d to 2s Od; weodcock, 3s 3d to 4s 6d; wild ducks, 2s Od to 2s 3d; leverets, 2s 9d to 3s 3d; conies, Is Od to Is 9d ducklings, 3s Od to Is 6d; ducks, 2s Od to 3s Od teal, 9d to Is Od; plovers, 9d to la golden ditto, is Od to Is 3d; pheasants. 3s 9d to 5s Od; capons, 6s Od to 8s Od; chickens, 2s Od to 2s 9d; pullets, 3s 3d to 5s 9d; haunches of venison, 12s 0d to 20s Od each; fore-quarter of ditto, od to 9d per lb.

KA.Y'S COMPOUND ESSENCE OF LINSEED, a demulcent expec- torant, for Coughs St Colds. Sold everywhere, 9td., Is. lid. ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE. A tragedy of a shocking character has occurred in Wol- Terhampton. A young man named Griffiths, a bellows- maker by trade, attempted to murder a girl named Elizabeth Beeston, and, failing in the attempt, com- mitting suicide by cutting his throat. It seems the two had been formerly engaged to each other for a con- siderable time past with the full consent of their parents, who occupy a respectable position for their rank in) its. On the night in question Griffiths had called at the house of the girl's parents, and after a few minutes conversation, in the course of which nothing occurred to excite suspicion, he and the girl left for the purpose of taking an hour or two's stroll. The girl denies that there had been any quarrel between them, and states that nothing of moment oc- curred till all at once he put his hand on her shoulder and said, in a peculiar tone of voice, Bessy, stand still." She said, wonderingly, "What for?" Be made no reply, but immediately placed one hano across her mouth to prevent her screaming, and wi^ the other drew a sharp leather-cutting knife, wbicO he used in his trade, from his pocket, and deliberately commenced to cut her throat. She vigorously with him, and, being a powerful young woman, he was unable to master her. Her cries attracted assistance, and, Oll a young man named Lewis hastening to the spow the would-be murderer decamped. He was chaser for a short distance, but succeeded in eluding hiS pursuer, and was not discovered till about an houf afterwards, when the attention of some passers by ^a9 attracted by what they thought was a drunken lying in a gateway close to the road-side. On exam £ nation it turned out to be a dead body, and sub- sequently it was identified as the corpse of Griffiths* who had committed suicide by cutting his throat frouj ear to ear. The girl Beeston, though badly cut aboU^ the neck and arms, is expected to recover. Tbe de- ceased, Griffiths, was only 21 years of age, and thå a girl whom he assaulted, 19. Jealousy is presume to have been the motive, but nothing accurate is ye | known. n T A DANGEROUS RIDE ON A BUFFER.—"0 R- Saturday, at the Hertford Petty Stssions, WilliatØ Bates, 18, a labourer, of Ashbrooke, near Hitchiø, f was charged with travelling on the Great Norther" Eailway without having previously paid his fare. A appeared that on Thursday morning last, on the 1.1 p.m. fast train arriving at Welwyn Station, the defendant was seen on the buffer of tb hind break by a -porter. The train was imine- diately stopped, when the defendant jumped off, and was about running away, but the porter stoppfd him anii asked him what he w&s doing tberf' He replied that he wanted to find employment » Welwyn, and got on tha buffer to rido there. He w¡}6 asked to pay his fare, which he said he was unable to do, as he had no men- y he wns then given in'o cuS todv for defrauding the company. The defeudaut, lit answer to the charge, said that he got on the buffer Stevenage and rode to Welwyn for the purpose 0 getting work. His father was billed ny a macbiP and he had to work to support his mother and het 1 two other children. He was finecl 4s. and 6s. COpHI, or in default seven days' imprisonment. The dt>fe dant Wu3 locked up ia default.