The Aberystwyth Times Cardiganshire Chronicle and Merionethshire News

',ødry FROM A BALLAD. OH small liad been our shoutin For shoy, if ve had known Dat der Stoasenheim im oaV^n wald, r Lay dying all alone. j Vhile his oldt vhit/> horse tnit droopin h«t 1 Look dumly on hiip doun, ] Ash it he 'linked, Vy lyest dou here Vhile flghtin's go in on?" Und dreams coom o'er de soldier Slow dyin on de eart; Of a scliloss afar in Ba,den, Of his mutter, un, I nople birt Of poverty and sorrow, Vhich drofe him like de wind, Und he sighed, "Ach weh for de lofed ones, Who wait so far pehind! "YYohl ,111 f, my soul o'er de moundains! Wohl auf—well ofer de sea! Dere's a frau dat sits in de Odenwald Und shpins, und (links of me. Dere's a sliildisli blays in de greenin grass Und sings a liddle hymn Und learns to^shpeak a fader's name Dat she nefer will shpeak to him. "But mordallife ends shortly Und Heafens life is long:- Wo bist du BrCitmanul-glaub'es-- Gott suffers noding wrong. Now I die like a Christian soldier, My head oopon my sword:— In nomine Domini! "— Vas Stossenheim his word. # De tramp of horse und soldiers Vas all de funeral knell; De ring of sporn und carpine Vas all de sacrin bell. Mit hoontin-knife und sabre Dey digged de grave a span, From German eyes blue gleamin De holy water ran. Mit moss-grown shticks und bark-thong De plessed cross ve made, Und put it vhere de soldier's head Towards Germany was laid. Dat grave is lost amid dead leafs, • De cross is goned afay: Boot Gott will And der reiter Oopon de Youngest Day. -From Hans Breitmann in Church; with other Ballads.

Another telegraph breakdown occurred on Monday, and communication between the metropolis and many of the provincial towns (including Liverpool) was practically suspended for hours. The interruption was caused by the boisterous weather and falls of snow. MATRIMONY DEFINZD. -A priest the other day, who was examining a confirmation class in the South of Ireland asked the question, "What is the sacrament of matri- little girl at the head of the class answered, 1 is a state of torment into which sowls enter to prepare them for another and better world." "Bein' said the priest, the answer for purgatory." "Put her down," says the curate, put her down to the fut of the class." Lave her alone, said the priest, "for anythin' you or I know to the contrary, she may be parfitly right." j L' i{ .r

gricttttUJat. "Land and Water" considers the Game Laws are doomed, though it does not like the prospect. Game must be preserved, as salmon is preserved, for the public good. If the name be so olyectionable. let it be called by some other-' phea.sant and partridge poultry'—what you will; but give this 'poultry' a sufficient close time. Reduce it to the rank of ducks, snipe, and woodcocks, or raise the latter to theirs; but protect the whole equally when breeding or immature-not as affording exclusive objects of enjoyment, but as affording food and recreation for the people.' THE GAME LAWS.—A Bill to amend the Game Laws, intro- duced in the House of Commons by Mr P. W. Martin,. Sir David Salomons, and Sir Henry Hoare, gives permission to tenants and their servants to kill rabbits on lands in their occupation with- out being liable to assessed taxes, or bound to take out a licence. The Act is not to apply to lands held under a lease for more than five ye irs. It is proposed to add hares in committee, CENTRAL CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE.—The annual general meeting of the members of this Chamber was held on the 8th at the Salisbury Hotel, Fleet-street; Mr George Tomline, M.P., in the chair. A report was submitted which gave & brief account of the progress of Chambers of Agriculture during the past year. The Council earnestly recommended that Chambers throughout the country should forward petitions to Parliament in favour of a readjustment of local taxation. -On this point Sir Massey Lopes, Bart., read a report from the committee appointed to consider the matter, and which urged vigorous and immediate action.—The Chairman said a subject on which the decision of the Council would be required, was the subject of exemption of farmers' horses from licence duty.—Mr C. S. Read moved that a deputation should be appointed to wait on the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Malt Tax.—Sir G. Jenkinson, Bart., M.P., seconded the motion, which was put and carried unanimously.- Mr Turner then introduced the subject of the best mode of providing for the future maintenance of turnpike roads and highways." He moved a resolution which affirmed that, as hardship and injustice had been inflicted by the practical aboli- tion of turnpike trusts, all turnpike roads should be settle upon a permanent system, and the cost defrayed out of the national funds.—Mr Cawnthorpe seconded the motion.-Several gentlemen expressed their opinion that the Highway Act had worked satisfactorily, and were greatly opposed to the appoint- ment of inspectors.—Sir G. Jenkinson, Bart., M.P., moved an amendment, but on the suggestion of Mr Read, M.P., resolutions and amendments were withdrawn, and the Chamber agreed to wait for the Government measure.—In the course of the discus- sion, Mr Knatchbull-Hugessen, Under Secretary of State forthe Home Department, declared himself personally in favour of a general road system, which in its local management should dis- tinguish between highways and turnpike roads; the former of which should depend for their maintenance on highway dis- tricts, while the latter, as being main arteries of communication, should be maintained by rates levied over a wider district. The highway boards, he added, had declared emphatically in favour of the Highway Act, the only fault found with it being that it was of a permissive character. The chief fear in the rural dis- tricts is that not only the expense of maintaining the roads, but the burden of the accumulated debts, will be thrown upon the local rates. Air Hugessen held out no expectation that Govern- ment would deal immediately with the subject. MR BOWEN JONES ON SYSTEMS OF FARMING. At the annual meeting of the Midland Farmers Club, Mr J. BowEN JOXES, of Ensdon House Salop, read alongandelaborate paper "onthe Relative Merits of the Four-course and other Systems of Cropping." The object (lie said) of a system of cropping, as they were all aware, was to prevent that exhaustion of the soil which would arise from the elimination of its particular elements of nutrition by the growth of plants and therefore in considering the best rotation of cropping to pursue on any sort of land, the point to arrive at was how to get the largest amount of remuneration in return, and at the same time to prevent the soil declining in its productive power. Another object must also be to increase the fertility of the soil by the judicious use of manures, and by good cultivation, &c., through which means they would ensure the growth of larger crops. The nature of the soil, the climate, and situation principally, with a variety of minor circumstances, must guide them in the attempt to carry t7 out these considerations; and although in a review of the subject it would be seen that the progress of modem times had in some degree abolished thoir original impotence when opposed to nature, they would still find that the quality of the soil and climate would continue to give a distinctive character to crops grown on different soils and in different districts. He proposed to divide soils into three sections, and to consider their ex- igencies, as far as possible, in separate order :-lst, Heavy; 2nd, Medium; 3rd, Light Soils. The first section would include clays and very strong loams the second, loams of a mixed character and the third sandy loams to light sands. First: heavy soils. The strong soils were originally farmed on the principle of taking all out by continuous cropping of white and leguminous crops, and then resuscitating by means of the bare fallow. Experience showed that this description of land possessed the power of growing wheat and beans; and practice proved that, when it was foul and exhausted, fallowing, in addition to cleaning the land increased its fertility also. Both practice and the researches of science showed that cultivation of a thorough character would develop the stores of nutritious elementary substances (con- tained in them in forms of combination before valueless) into active fertilizers, as well as render them accessible to the crop from the improved mechanical condition of the land. Taking these truths into consideration, how far could they improve on the old system, and in what way? The quality of the soil was such that it did not require the rest of an alternate green crop, as provided by the four-course system; the too frequent repetition of the root crop proved too expensive from the difficulty of preparing such soil for its successful growth; and there was a practical difficulty in removing the crop sufficiently early to prevent damage to the land; while its consumption upon the land by sheep would, in its mechanical action, be an obstacle to the preparation of a good seed bed for the succeeding ml crop. Neither (lid the soil itself require chemically recouping in this way for the growth of an extra crop; so that the four- course system was not one which must always be strictly adhered to, or which must necessarilv be regularly carried out on this class of soils, especially where only the ordinary appliances used in agriculture a few years back have not been improved upon. A very important consideration for the British husbandman was the production of beef and mutton as a profit- able method of farming, and it remained therefore a question as to what extent the growth of root crops should be pursued in the cultivation of this description of land. This question forced itself on their minds more especially at the present time, from the relatively high price of meat and low price of cereals. Foreign supplies of grain would always prevent high prices remaining of long duration in this country, and we should have no chance against regions blessed with sunny climates, and fertile land, with, in some instances, a low rate of wages, and nominal rents, together with extending facilities for delivering their produce, except by increasing our own yield by improved culture. There could be no doubt that the manufacture of beef and mutton, combined with the production of better grain crops, was the object which must be steadily kept in view for the successful cultivation of land in this country. In the general system of cropping clay lands, although the natnre of the crops was varied to suit the circumstances of different localities, the bare fallow was the key to the rotation. After considering the relative merits of the various modifications of the four-course system, Mr Jones went on to say that difficult as clay soils were to contend with, the fallows might be;,thrown in more frequently and used very advantageously in the growth of mangolds and swedes for winter consumption, or vetches, rape, or cabbage for summer and autumn food, which would enable them to form medium for the production of meat, through the feeding of which the straw would be again returned to the land in an enriched state, and the necessity for heavy outlay in artificial manures obviated. If, however, they could get rid of the bare fallow, with the year's loss of rent and charges, and heavy work- ing expenses, they must take care to remember the principles on which ita action had proved of so much value, and introduce them in any other rotation that might be adopted to its ex- clusion. Thus, by wide sowing of bean crops, considerable cultivation could be effected as well as during the growth of roots. Good horse and hand hoeing, frequently carried out, would also make up in some degree for its loss. It was not easy to lay down on this, of all other classes of land, a fixed rotation as the best to pursue. On such land the success of operations of preparation depended, more than on any other soils, on the weather, and despatch might often make the difference of a crop. His argument was intended to encourage the growth of roots, and by shortening very long rotations, and introducing other green crops, enable the land to carry more stock. Such a course as the following would fulfil these conditions, and would be a step in the direction we must ultimately arrive at when our appliances were more generally perfect:— HALF. Mangolds and turnips. Oats and wheat. Beans. Wheat. oi. Seeds. Wheat. HALP. Fallow, vetches, rape, and other green crops. Wheat. if Barley. ■ <"• Seeds. Seeds.. Wheat. They here got a proportion of green crops and cereals (including beans) of five to seven, and although the larger portion of them would be summer feed, there was a certain provision from the root crops and clover hay to carry the same quantity of stock in the winter as in the summer. Among the soils comprised in the second division of his subject would be found our most fertile arable land, the capabilities of which were, as a rule, sufficiently great to grow more than an alternate green and straw crop, or two com crops in four years, as adopted in the four-course system. An extension to the five-aourse would offer several points worthy of consideration. A longer interval would take place between the repetition of led clover, which, although thriving on such soils was apt to fail if too frequently grown, except on the very richest land. The acquisition of a good root of red clover ensured a succeeding heavy crop of wheat. An extra corn crop might be taken without overtasking the natural powers of the soil by a rotation running thus :-roots-wheat-barley- clover—wheat. The root crop should consist of a portion of mangolds and the rest swedes. The mangolds might be followed by autumn wheat, the remainder of the root ground being sown in the spring, and a portion with Talavera, which would be well adapted to such a soil. Barley wowd next he most suitably grown, and laid down with seeds, which the following year would form a good preparation for wheat, the last crop of the rotation. The continuation of the clover root a second year, and tnrning this into a six-course rotation, was a system often adopted, and had the advantage of beingthe means of increasing the stock-keeping powers of such land. This, however, was done at the expense of the extra grain crop that the land could well bear, and did not materially add to the winter stock of food. At times like the present, or should the land show signs of want of rest, it might be readily substituted without altering the rotation. He thought they would all agree that on the stronger loams they ought to endeavour, if possible, to precede barley with wheat, in doing which, and adhering to the four-course system strictly, they were compelled to carry out the rotation as follows:—Turnips—wheat—barley—clover. They lost the benefit of the clover preparation for wheat by following this arrange- ment and got two green and two white crops together. He saw no particular advantage to be derived from following clover with roots, as (although there was no reason why mangolds or swedes should not thrive well if taken at this period) the clovers could not be used much later in the season than if they had been suc- ceeded with autumn wheat, as it would be necessary to plough them early in order to decay the turf, so as to provide a good seedbed for the turnips in time for sowing in the spring. If this order was observed (with high farming), he saw no objection to a portion of the ley ground being occupied with early winter oats, followed by "a green crop, after beirig harvested, the con- sumption of which would permit the subsequent sowing of wheat, I and keep the course intact. With regard to the light soils, they were by nature more unfitted for the growth of crops from the absence of those ingredients of which the structure of plants was partially formed. The prosperous cultivation of this land was more dependent upon the production of beef and mutton than was that of any other description; and if they had found it incumbent upon them to keep this object in view to meet the demands of an increasing population in farming stronger soils, they would find it was absolutely requisite on the lighter ones. This class of land possessed the advantage of having soil the mechanical texture of which admitted of easy cultivation, which, by its-porosity, was always dry and workable, and which, together with its warmth of temperature, admitted of the rapid growth of plants and their early maturity. Its drawbacks were its sterility, its tendency to grow weeds quickly, and its capacity for disposing of manure, which when not received by the growing plant, was soon dissipated in the sub- soil. What, then, were the essentials necessary to develop its natural advantages and combat its defects; and how far did the four-course rotation of cropping accomplish them ? By providing an alternate green crop, fed on, with a white one, any consider- able diminution in the condition of the land was prevented, although the two off-going crops of grain would not be fully returned by the consumption of the straw and green crops. One of the most complete courses of cropping which had come under his (Mr Bowen Jones's) personal observation was pursued on a farm of a variable but moderately light nature in part, in Hamp- shire, and consisted of the following modification of the four- course system:—Wheat, followed by tnfolium incarnatum, sown in the autumn on one-fourth of the stubbles, vetches sown about the same time on another fourth, and the other half left for the same time on another fourth, and the other half left for mangolds, early swedes, or other early roots. The trifolium was followed in June by swedes on the portions first cleared, and by common turnips, rape, or transplanted cabbages on the later removed portions. The whole of the fallow crops were succeeded by barley, one-half of which was seeded by red clover; the other tf 'i -■ >[/■■■■ ..L. part being laid down with a mixture of white Dutch and trefoil, t with a small proportion of ryegrass. The results were very satisfactory, the crops all being exceedingly heavy. It was difficult to determine by an array of figures now far one method of cultivation exceeded another in cost. Perhaps it would be equally unsatisfactory; for he must confess he agreed to some extent with the late Sir Robert Peel, that nothing is more fallacious than figures." The value of the return of produce must be the standard by which the merits of any system must be measured; and, provided the cost of raising a crop did not equal its value, it mattered not adding to the expenses of cultivation to effect this parpose. He looked forward in good hopes and with faith to the more regular employment of mexsa power as one of the great means for improving the general cultivation of the country, both from the greater despatch as well as from the superiority of culture that would be attained by its application. His conviction was that the basis of good farm- ing in the ordinary run of arable land must be to alternate, as far as it was practicable, restorative green crops with cereals (which exhanst more particularly the nitrogenous substances of the soil), which was the principle of the four-course system; but he thought the time had come when strict adherence to a hard and fast rule -should be forgotten as a thing of the past; as it was in many an instance a cause of loss to the occupier, with- out being a gain to the owner, and consequently it was an act of folly under these circumstances to pursue it. After a brief discussion, a cordial vote of thanks was given to Mr Jones for his interesting and practical paper.

FJRORTINFL. THE BILLIARD CHAMPIONSHIP.—A match for 2100 a-sid* and the Champion Challenge cup took place in St. James's Hall, London. The competitors were John Roberts, the well-known player, and W. Cook, jun., a young player whose performances have of late attracted considerable attention in the billiard world. Seats wera provided for 1,000 persons, and shortly before the time fixed for playing the hall became crowded, and never was such a number seen at a billiard match. The Prince of Wales was present and nearly all the best amateur players. The game was 1200 up, and, and after four hours and twenty-three minutes of splendid play, Cook was hailed the victor by 116 points. THE HOME OF THE HORSE. -Up to the time of the in- vasion of the Shepherds, no representation of the horse is found on Egyptian monuments. It is only after their arrival that the horse begins to be known in Egypt; and after the expedition of Thothmes I. in Mesopotamia it becomes quite common. Then Pharaoh established stud horses in the Delta, where the breed increased so rapidly that Solomon is said (2,Chron. i. 17) to have procured from Egypt the horses for his own cavalry and those of his Phoenician allies. In the seventh century after Christ the horse does not seem to have bee. very common in Arabia, which has been so long looked upon as his birthplace; for Mahomet had but two horses in his army, and not one horse appears in the list of plunder he made on the Koreish near Mecca. Central Asia must, therefore, be considered the true country where the horse was first domesticated and introduced into the East. THE LIABILITY OF STEWARDS OF RACES.—On Friday, In the Court of Queen's Bench, in the case of Price v. Webb," a question was raised as to the liability of stewards under the following circumstances :—Mr Price entered a horse to run for the Wordsby Stakes at the Wordsbv Races, in Worcestershire, and though he won the first and third heats, his jockey, in the second heat, was dismounted and thrown off outside the distance post. This was held by the stewards to be a bar to obtaining the stakes, which was given to his competitor, Mr Dymock. Against this decision Mr Price appealed at the assizes, and obtained a verdict for 230 from the stewards, but against the opinion of the learned judge, Mr Montagu Smith, who presided at the trial. A rule was now moved for by Mr Huddles- ton, Q. C., and Mr Motteram, to enter a new trial; and their lordshps unanimously made the rule absolute for a new trial on the ground held by the judge at assize, that no liability attached to the stewards of races.

THE FISHERIES OF THE UPPER SEVERN AND VER- NIEW.—Wednesday, the 2nd ult., was the opening day for salmon and trout fishing, but the rivers, which on the 1st were lower than they had been for the previous four months, began to rise on that day, so that there was too much stream for the nets to work, and the rain we- have since had has kept the water up, so that up to Wednesday not a fish has been taken. Plenty of water in February is a boon to the rod fisher and the amateur netsmen on the Verniew and the upper reaches of the Severn, as it allows a few spring fish to run by; whereas, if the water is low in that month, the fish get so incessantly netted from Pool Quay to Shrawardine, that there is but little chance of their getting up into the Verniew, or to the waters of the Severn in the neighbourhood of Newtown. The spate" this week will help the kelts nicely on their way seaward. Those still remaining in the rivers have an unusually healthy appearance. Several new fish have been seen sporting both in the Verniew and the Severn. The professionals" have already begun pot hunting with the worm, in the dirty water, for the half-starved kelt trout; their takes, however, have not been great, 5pb. being the largest basket I have heard of. The wretched carrion, however, finds ready buyers at from 8d. to Is. per lb.- A. in the Field. THE GOGERDDAN HOUNDS. The following letter has been addressed to the editor of The Field SIR, -As I have always felt interest in reading the ac- counts of sport with various packs of hounds in your own columns and those of your sporting contemporaries, I have pleasure in sending you an account of our last three days, and I do not think that such three consecutive satisfactoiy days are often numbered. On Friday, Jan. 28th, the frost was so hard that riding was impossible anywhere, more especially in our moun- tains but the weather was fine andcahn, and keeping hounds and horses at home is not only unprofitable but unpleasant, so a hunt on foot was determined on. The meet was Mahen, the seat of that keen sportsman Colonel Apperley. The draw was on the mountains, and, though we started early, it was not till nearly one o'clock that we found in the large boulder stones of Darrentyrmaen Rock what I really believe was the biggest fox that ever was seen, really more like a wolf than a fox, and when killed it was, as the huntsman said, almost more than he could do to hold him up. The hounds winded him afar when going up the mountain side, rushed to the rock, and out ne bolted in the middle of them, thus giving them a capital start, which they never gave back, as they ran him for an hour and a quarter with scarcely a check; and, luckily for the field, who were all on foot, the fox ran in a sort of double circle. They at last forced him to take refuge in a mountain drain, where, after no little trouble in getting him out, they tasted their well-earned blood. So much for saying that there is a little scent in a hard frost. Wednesday, Feb. 2nd.-The meet was at the kennel, as most appropriate after the breaking up of a frost; and a draw was made for a good fox, who was known to be- long to Braginin gorse, a covert about two miles away, but he was not at home, and after trying Lovesgrovo unsuccessfully, and getting a little refreshment at the master's house, Peithyll, we arrived at one o'clock at Oak Wood gorse, so famous for good foxes, and it never held a better one than on this day. After one turn round the wood, with hounds close at him, he broke at the east end for Cwmboa, from thence straight to Elgar Hill, and on over Lenny river by Penpompren farm- house. From thence straight across Winllan hill to Tynygraig then turned to the right over the summit of Moel Llyn, and put his head straight for Cwmshyad rocks; but when nearly reaching that stronghold, ha found his pursuers too close on him, and was obliged to run down hill, and after some most beantiful hunting down the valley of the Einion river, which he crossed and re-crossed several times, this gallant fox was run into just above Furnace, after a magnificent run of two hours and a half, in which time he traveled a great quantity of country. The finish was rather uncommon: the fox (hard-pressed) had crept up into a rock covered with ivy, the bounds having run up were puzzled, they knew tne fox was not far off, but stillcould not quite make him out, and got all round the ivy-covered rock; at length out he jumped through the middle of them, and they quickly bowled him over. On Friday, Feb. 4th, the meet was at Penpompren, where that good and hospitable sportsman, Mr John Davies, gave all a good breakfast. After drawing two or three coverts blank, we found an old dog fox at Pant- glas, and had one of the best hour and a half's I have ever seen-sharp and quick hunting all through, killing him dead beat close to Lodge Park gate. With the ex- ception of one good turn over the mountain, this run was chiefly covert hunting; but this fox, having lived some years, seemed to have attained extra cunning, and kept turning at the shortest angles, thereby displaying to advantage the close hunting of the pack, and giving great pleasure to the real sportsman. Thus ended three excellent days' sport with a strong old dog fox at the end of each. NIMROD.

On Friday and Saturday a severe storm raged on the east and south-east coasts, and several shipping disasters are reported. The most serious is the foundering of the steamer Tasso, of Sunderland. Six of her crew perished. On Sunday evening a barque drove ashore off Great Yarmouth, and became a total wreck. The weather was so bad that no aid could be given to .the crew of the unfortunate ship, and it is believed that they all perished. A schooner was wrecked near Dartmouth on Sunday morning, and five of the crew, including the captain, lost then- lives. WELSH YANKEES.—A New England Society's dinner will always create a flutter amongst the Saints. There is the St. George's Society, the St. Andrew's, the St. Patrick's, and the St. Knickerbocker's (is it not), and all of them are present by representatives. Now, though a Yankee is a creature of ingrained modesty, yet, as a point of duty, a mere matter of principle, he will at a pinch praise New England. Even Bostonians, if cornered, will boast a little. It is a natural consequence of such a rehearsal of the marvellous virtues of New England, that all the Saints bethink them of their own virtues, and now and then the Yankees are made to understand that there have been some good and smart men besides the Pilgrims and the Puritans. For instance, at the last New England dinner, Colonel J. H. Puleston, the President of St. David's Society, made a little speech which even the well-fed Yankees were bound to praise with enthusiasm. He claimed for his own countrymen pretty much all the vir- tues and greatness of New England referred to the fact that the captain and crew of the Mayflower were Welsh- men, but for whose patriotism and seamanship no Pilgrims would have landed in New England, and then pointed eloquently to Roger Williams, who emigrated from Wales and proclaimed the great principles of civil and religious liberty, upon which," said the speaker, "New England, was formed, and which became the corner-stone of the Great Republic." He then proceeded to mention some of the Welsh signers of the Declaration of .Independence, and many other Welsh citizens conspicuous in the history of New England, and alluded to several Welshwomen, among them the mother of Daniel Webster, as fit representatives of New England women. Every drop of Roger's blood which circulates in our veins says Amen to Colonel Puleston The fact is, there are few better folks than Welshmen born in New England of ancestors who left Wales two hundred years ago.—.H. W. Beecher, t th4 "Christian Union" oj Jan. 8 th.. ¡.: J t J: ) i., ".t, .Ll,J iO 'r '.1-- i'' j'" t

6tutrat A gentleman at Bermondsey met his death the other day by falling on a frosty footpath. Spinas has been committed for trial for the murder of Cecilia Aldridge. The New York Tunes" states that fifteen Fenian convicts, escaped from penal settlements, have arrived at San Francisco. Mr W. H. Gladstone is to marry a daughter of Earl Fitz- william's. Private letters from Caprera state that Garibaldi is in good health. Mr George Hogarth, well known in literary and musical circles, died on Friday morning at the advanced age of eighty- seven. He was the father-in-law of Mr Charles Dickens. Major-General Sir J. W. Gordon died on Tuesday week, from the effect of cutting his throat with a razor at Westward Ho, Bideford, the previous week. His mind was deranged. A number of released Fenian prisoners arrived in this country last week from Australia, and were welcomed at Gravesend by a deputation. There was no attempt at a public reception. It has been decided that the annual volunteer review shall take Elace this year on Easter Monday. The selection of the place as yet to be made. It has been decided, at a meeting of the London committee for the Derby memorial fund, to keep open the subscription list until the 1st of July. The memorial is to be in the form of a statue; but the site has not been determined upon. The long-expected letter of Colonel Wright, announcing the resignation of his seat for Nottingham, nas at length been published. A son of Mr Morley, M.P. for Bristol, is likely to be adopted as the liberal candidate for the borough. As two girls were playing the other evening in the house of their uncle—Mr Glover, factor, of Lauricle-they overturned a paraffin lamp, and one of them was so much burnt that she died shortly after the accident. The Admiralty authorities are taking steps with the view of effecting considerable reductions at Pembroke Dockyard, and from this time to the end of April it is in contemplation to dispense with from three to four hundred hands. James Mackenzie is just dead, whose father, Henry Mackenzie, the author of the Man of Feeling," was born when the Young Pretender had almost grasped the English crown, and achieved literary distinction in the lifetime of Johnson. The prosecution of the witness Williams for perjury in the Godrich divorce case terminated in a verdict of guilty. The Lord Chief Justice deferred passing sentence until the sixth day of next term. Broadhead has written a letter explaining his return to England. He complains that owing to the prejudice created by the press against him he found" it impossible to obtain a situation. Mr Heron, who was defeated by O'Donovan Rossa, has issued his address to the electors of Tipperary. He advocates fixity of tenure, denominational education, and an amnesty to the Fenian prisoners. At Leicester, the other day, two commissioners in lunacy found at a house occupied by a widow named North, at Lough- borough, a relation, named William Nallis, aged sixty years, in a condition almost naked, and in surroundings filthy in the extreme. He was removed to an asylum at Leicester. Some details are given of the execution of Salnave. His trial lasted three hours, and in twenty minutes after sentence had been pronounced he was led out for death. He was alive after he had been struck by twelve bullets, and was finally despatched by a ball through the brain. An action has been heard in the Court of Exchequer in which a manufacturer living at Crewkeme sought to recover damages from Messrs Collis and Ure, solicitors, of Birmingham, for negligence in not arresting a creditor of the plaintiff. The jury assessed the damages at £ 1,800. The Daily News" says the interruption of telegraphic com- munication on the 7th was the result of misunderstanding by a workman who misplaced a bundle of wires connecting Lon- don with the north and west, thus disposing of the ingenious theories respecting magnetic disturbances. On Wednesday week, a snowballing combat took place upon the Liverpool Exchange flags, when nearly twenty individ- uals, including several merchants' clerks, were captured by the police, and when taken before the stipendiary magistrate were fined in sums varying from 5s. to 40s. each, with costs. Mr Stanley, the Norwich solicitor who was charged with bribery 0 in connection with the last municipal election, has been committed for trial. One of the magistrates who occupied the bench during the hearing of the case was charged by the counsel for the pro- secution with being implicated in the corrupt practices for which Mr Stanley is to be tried. Amongst other items of news from Ireland, we learn that a young girl who obtained a livelihood by buying and selling eggs has been brutally murdered in the county Clare for the sake of the few shillings which she was known to have in her possession at the time. The eight members who voted with Mr G. H. Moore aad Mr Matthews on Thursday evening against the issuing of a new writ for Tipperary were Mr Bagwell, Mr Delahunty, Colonel French, Mr Russell Gurney, Q.C., Sir W. Johnston, Mr M'Mahon, Mr Maguire, and Mr Stacpoole. The Recorder of London was the only m ember for an English constituency amongst this number. Mrs Tottenham, of Rochefort, County Westmeath, called all her workpeople together on Wednesday week, and read to them a threatening notice which she had received. She informed them subsequently that she was leaving her home for a time, and she had ordered all improvements on the demesne to be suspended, and every man to be discharged, unless the name of the writer of the notice was revealed. A very alarming accident occurred at Castle Hedington on Saturday afternoon, about four o'clock. A horse attached to a carriage took fright, it is said, from a band of music. The car- riage was being driven into the village. The horse dashed off at full speed, and ran into a shop. Two ladies who were inside were thrown out by the overturning of the vehicle. One was killed on the spot, and the other expired on the road to East Suffolk Hospital. Five of the Thorncliffe rioters have been discharged by the magistrates, being only identified by one witness each. Threat- ening letters have been addressed to Mr Chambers, one of the owners of the colliery, one of which is as follows:—" Prepare to meet tay God, as I insist on thee being a dead man if thou means to keep us out. If thou means to let us clam an starve, we mean to have it out of you, as thy days are numbered. Pre- pare to meet thy God. (Signed) Yours truly, One who Wishes You in Hell Fire." Twenty-three men are sent for trial. At Leigh, near Worcester, a young man named Walter Wells was courting his cousin, Emma Wells, who refused to accept his advances. The other day he met her when she was driving with her uncle and shot her in the face, badly wounding her. Wells, after committing the act, went coolly to the house of a person named Banner, close by, and there partook of cider and smoked his pipe until arrested by the police. The National Education Union have put forward a supplement to their programme. The principal alteration now proposed is that in localities where'school accommodation is deficient, and is not supplied after attention has been called to the deficiency, the Government shall provide the necessary schools partly at the expense of the local rates. They come nearer to the Education League also in providing for making education free in certain cases of real poverty. A letter has been received by Dr Mahon, of Westport, county of Wexford, threatening him with death if he does not prevent evictions from the lands of Mr Prendergast, of Ballinna. The letter is signed Rory of the Hills." Mr Leopold Cust, the Tipperary agent of Mr Smith Barry, M.P., has received three letters, warning him that unless he leaves the country he will be murdered; and Mr Barry is threatened with a like penalty if Mr Cust is not dismissed. An atrocious murder, somewhat resembling the horrible tragedy at Wednesbury, has been perpetrated at Leicester. A young woman named Cripps, separated from her husband, has been leading a very dissolute life there. She was seen in the company of two men upon a bridge near the river, early on Sundav morning week, and screams were heard, followed by a splash'in the water. The men disappeared, but the dead body of the woman, shockingly outraged, was dragged from the river. A servant girl in London has reccovered 20s. from a beadle for breach of promise of marriage. He was a poetical beadle, and had sent his love, who lived under the same roof with him, the following verses- • By fate decreed beneath one roof to bide, To greet each other's visions day by day, Yet forced each thought or look of love to hide, Tho' sad, to seem the gayest of the gay." In distributing the prizes of the Birkbeck Literary Institu- tion, the other evening, Earl de Grey and Ripon said there need- be no fear that the work of Mechanics' Institutions was drawing to a close. The noble lord spoke of these institutions as the universities of the working and middle classes, and although he desired to see our national universities freed from those tests and obstacles that excluded so many who were entitled to par- ticipate in their advantages, he yet was convinced that even when that was done there would still remain a wide field of use- fulness open to such institutions. Our ("Daily News") correspondent in Washington sends us an account of Prince Arthur's visit to the United States, and says that the Prince has created a very favourable impression upon all who have come into contact with him. He is considered to be old for his years, and to display an amount of self-posses- sion and knowledge of the world rarely met with in one so young. The distinguished men who have seen him seem to be impressed with a high opinion of his intelligence, and General Sherman has spoken of him as a "clever lad." Our corres- pondent thinks that the visit cannot but be regarded as in every respect successful, and as tending to promote that friendly social intercourse between the two countries, which is now greatly increasing.. One of the last suggestions for connecting France to England by a road of some sort across the Channel was that an enormous wrought iron tube or tunnel should be laid down between the two countries at the bottom of the sea. A new plan is now sug- gested by a Frenchman, who has submitted it to the Academy of Sciences. This inventor designs creating an artificial island in mid-Channel, from which a bed of concrete would extend to either coast. On that bed he would erect piers, and these would support spans of various dimensions and character. Those near the shore ends would be arched high enough to allow small vessels to pass, while those towards the centre would be great tubular bridges high enough to allow the tallest vessels to pass under. It is stated that though Lord Cairns appeared as the leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords on Tuesday week, he will immediately seek in a warmer climate a refuge from the rigours of an English spring. The Standard" says—"We venture to anticipate that on his return he will be found entering upon the sphere of labour (law) which he especially covets, and that the responsibilities of the leadership will be reposed in one whose personal aptitude and traditional claim to the post are beyond dispute." Rumour in London points to Lord Derby as the future leader, and it is noted that he has taken his seat on the front Opposition Bench. t Mr Hull's paper, read before the Royal Society last week, ought to have considerable interest for the consumers of coal. From experiments made at the Rose Bridge Colliery near Wigan, the deepest mine in Britain, it appears that at a depth of 808 yards the temperature of the coal is ninety-three degrees and a half. It will be readily inferred from this fact that the cost of labour and timber for props must be immensely increased, and the danger augmented. No doubt geologists are right in their belief that below the old red sandstone are inexhaustible beds qf coal, but if the temperature increases at the ratio of 1 degree to every 55 feet (as Mr Hull's paper implies), it will be necessary to train a race of salamanders to work the mineral. The "North German Correspondence" reports that at about two o'clock on Monday morning a rather alarming fire broke out in the upper part of the Palace of the Crown Prince,'just above the apartments of the Princess Charlotte, the ceilings of which were partially consumed by the flames. The young Princess having been removed to another portion of the building, the fire was soon extinguished by the exertions of the fire brigade. The Crown Prince and Princess were awakened by the cry of "fire." His Royal Highness lost no time in reaching the scene of danger, and giving the necessary orders, while the Princess hastened to her children. Mr Barker agent and goods manager of the London and North- -western Railway at Milverton, has absconded from Leamington under circumstances which will give rise to serious and painful inquiries. Mr Barker was suspended some few days ago for some slight act of indiscretion, but in consequence of something which transpired suspicion was aroused, and the audit clerks of the company made an examination of his accounts, and a deficiency was discovered. It is stated that he has a wife in London, and has contracted a second marriage with a young lady of most respectable family, whose relatives reside in Birmingham. A warrant was issued, and he has been arrested and brought before the magistrates on a charge of embezzlement, and remanded. A very sad case has come before the magistrates at Durham, where Bridget M'Intyre has been committed for'trial on a charge of manslaughter. She is described as a careworn, middle-aged woman, scantily clad, and carrying an infant, which she rocked nervously to and fro. The evidence was a miserable story of the hardships of the poor. The deceased, a bailiff named Vasey, went, accompanied by two policemen, to make a seizure. He took away a little box, which served as a cradle, and out of which the baby was unceremoniously bundled and as vlie was approaching her bedclothes, saying at the same time that he was going to take all,; the prisoner struck him on the temple with a brown pitcher. The. blow proved fatal. On being; charged in the usual way by the Magistrates' Clerk, the poor said: Oh, I have nothing to say. I did'nt intend to'do any JIarm. I was wholly out of my mind at the time. 1.t6.:1nrrlon, ¡ gentlemel1." tJ v ;■■■ ,| :m •' ,i .< •' '• :.• .■>, i'.j f .1

lipyn ø low dh. There is a rumour that no appointment will be made to the see of St. Asaph until after Easter. The amount of the offertory at Chester Cathedyal last year was 2726 6s. 4d., as compared with 2685 12s. lid. for the previous year. A party of "Female Christys" have been visiting Wrexham, and leaving without paying the printer. The Bishop of St. Asaph finally left his palace on the 3rd instant, and has, we believe, taken up his residence with Archdeacon Wickham at Gresford. A contemporary gives a new name to the St. Asaph Diocesan Association. A ruri-decanal meeting at Den- bigh in connection with that association is headed Meeting of the Church Reform Association." A drunken hairdresser at Chester, named Roberts, threw himself into the Northgate locks the other day, to avoid being privately executed by the police, which fate he believed, awaited him. He was rescued before he had quite executed himself. The Visiting Justices held an investigation last week into the conduct of William Lloyd, a warder in the Salop prison, and after a careful enquiry sentenced him to three weeks' imprisonment, and to be dismissed from his office, for bringing tobacco into the prison contrary to the regulations. The body of a man, name unknown, and without any means of identification, was found by a police officer in the river at the foot of the Glencarrwg Mountains, near Neath, on the 11th. It was very respectably clothed, an 1 though exhibiting no marks of violence the pockets had evidently been rifled. Decomposition had set in, the body having apparently been in the water more than three weeks. At a recent meeting of the Cheshire Chamber of Agri- culture resolutions were passed in favour of county finan- cial Boards, of petitioning Parliament to extend the area over which highway rates may be levied, in the event of the abolition of turnpike trusts, and praying Government to introduce a Bill for making ths Highway Act compulsory. A lady, just landed from the Dublin boat, allowed a man to carry her bag at Holyhead the other day. After he restored it she discovered that a purse containing £ 15 was missing-all the money she had except 2s. Fortu- nately she was booked through to London. The necessity for the promised Government Bill on the subject of rating is very strongly shown at Chester. In that city, we are told, in one parish houses paying 29 12s. rent are first subjected to a reduction of one sixth, and then to another of thirty per cent. as composition, so that the rates are levied only upon B5 12s. But in other parishes the rent is reduced first by one sixth, then by one fourth; and then by thirty per cent! The other night the ticket-taker at Chester found two little lads, one seven and the other nine, in a railway car- riage without tickets. On being questioned they said they came from Mrs Gladstone's orphanage at Hawarden, where they had been kindly treated, but from which they had escaped to go to London to see their mother. The poor children were given into the care of the police. Five pounds is a good deal to pay for the privilege of aiming at a partridge. At last week's Denbigh petty sessions William Wynne was summoned for using a gun for the purpose of taking game. He was on his own land, and a policeman said he saw him aiming at a covey of partridges. The defence was that he had no gun—but that if he had one it was for the purpose of shooting rabbits. He was fined 25, with a recommendation for a reduction. At the last meeting of the Bangor and Beaumaris Union the question of Sunday-closing of public houses came up, and a resolution in favour of closing was moved. To this an amendment was proposed, deferring the further consideration of the question till the details of the Govern- ment measure were known, and eight voted in favour of each side. It fell, therefore, to the lot of the chairman, a publican, to give the casting vote, and he said "he fully agreed with closing public houses entirely on the Sunday, and therefore he must give his vote for the resolution." There are different ways of showing respect. The most trying of all, perhaps, is to be waited upon by a deputation, but to have one's house fired is quite bad enough. The other day an inhabitant of Aberdovey, Mr E. Jones having returned from his wedding tour, a number of his fellow townsmen scattered lighted oakum balls about the place in honour of the happy event. One of the balls found its way into the house where Mr Jones and his friends were sitting, and set fire to the curtains. As the balls were dipped in paraffin Mr Jones may be thankful that his life was not sacrificed to the congratulations of his warm-hearted friends. Speaking at a great liberal demonstration at Northwich on the 10th the Hon. J. L. Warren said-" Speaking is very well in its way, but no amount of eloquence will strike one name off the register. Get your own names down that is the whole political duty of man, in a com- pendious statement. (Laughter.) Get your liberal neighbours on the lists, and strike off your conservative neighbours." (Laughter.) Alluding to education, the hon. gentleman said a new system must be framed, not for that well-to-do children, who go to school now, but to reach the very dregs of the population; and there was no reason why, because they were godless they should be ignorant too. I want to teach our street Arabs to read and write even if we cannot get them to subscribe to the thirty-nine articles." We may make up our minds for a lady Chancellor of the Exchequer, and how near the Mrs Lowe of the future may be nobody can tell. Miss Lydia Becker does not see why a sharp clever girl should not have the opportunity of going through the higher schools, and obtaining such offices under Government as she was qualified t<Srfill, in the same way as her brothers." Miss Becker said this at Crewe the other night, at a meeting called to support the movement in favour of giving the parliamentary suffrage to women. Miss Becker singled out school inspectorships as peculiarly appropriate to women, who would beat men, she said, in that department; and concluded with an elo- quent appeal to her audience to "help in securing man- hood and womanhood suffrage." The meeting was a large one, but the resolution in favour of conferring the fran- chise upon the ladies was carried, with only one ungallant opponent. We hope it will not all endi in the exclu- sion of the "worse half of creation from any share in the government of the country. The ladies, no doubt, would manage it best, but we cannot relinquish everything with- out a feeble protest. In the Lower House of Convocation on the, 9th, Archdeacon Allen gave notice of a motion to the effect that whilst acknowledging with thankfulness the great care care shown in the revision of lectionary, and agreeing that some liberty should be allowed to ministers in the selection of lessons, the House protested against any sweeping changes in an arrangement which for so many years has been connected with the worship and the liturgy of the Church. The Prolocutor said he had reason to believe that the lectionary would come before the notice of the House. (Hear.) On the same day the rev. archdeacon moved a resolution to the effect that a requisition should be made to the Upper House, that the examination of deacens seeking the priesthood should be made more searching and strict. He maintained that if it were not so easy to attain to the priesthood they would find the Church better served. Canon Selwyn seconded this, a long debate ensued, and ultimately the resolution was adopted in the following form That a dutiful request be made to their lordships asking for such measures as may greatly increase the facilities for the admission of persons to the deacon's order, and at the same time ensure that only those may be admitted into the higher orders of the ministry of the Church who are judged to be specially competent for the office." Dr Pierce, the Mayor of Denbigh, but better known as the Abergele coroner, was one of the Mayors who went to Brussels, and at the last meeting of the Town Council he was thanked for giving his valuable time to attend the presentation. In reply the Mayor patriotically declared that he was only a poor surgeon, it was true, but he cared but little for spending money—"be it in traveling from London to Brussels, from that capital to the bloody fields of Waterloo, or elsewhere, so long as the spending of it ultimately benefited Denbigh." All this is extremely kind and generous of this patriotic Mayor, and other towns will go an envying" of Denbigh, that they possess not civic dignitaries willing to visit bloody fields on their behalf. Dr Pierce had been referring to the "spirit and pluck of their ancestors," and—with a slight and excusable confusion of ideas-no doubt imagined that in visiting bloody fields," albeit in a hackney coach, he was exhibiting the same herioc qualities. But not only at Waterloo did the Mayor of Denbigh show his spirit. Some of his fellow dignitaries, he says, asked him if he was the Abergele coroner, and his reply was worthy of the man and the Welshman. It was invariably, Yes, I am what have you to say to it? All they could say to such a gallant answer was to compliment him upon his ability, and to express the flattering opinion that Denbigh was preferred before Merthyr Tydfil to represent the Principality, because it was presided over by "the Aber- gele coroner." The conclusion of these gratifying proceed- ings was an entry in the minute book of a record of the auspicious event." We hope the Mayor's expenses were mentioned—he spent £100 in glorification of his munici- pality. In a review of Mr Mayor's History of the College of St. John" the Athenceam says—"In the calendar of Johnian documents the reader of Mr Mayor's volumes comes upon some interesting particulars relating to the Shrewsbury Grammar School. For instance, we learn something about the moral qualities deemed desirable in schoolmasters by our ancestors of the Elizabethan period, from the ordinance which required that the masters of the Salopian scholars should 'not be common gamesters, nor common haunters of tavernes or ale-houses or other suspect houses or places of evell rule, or of other knowne vice at the tyme they be elected,' and which enjoined that they should neither 'take the charge or cure of preachinge or mynisterie in the Churche, neither practise physick or any other arte or profession whereby his service in the schoole shoulde be hindered.' On their election, the masters of the school, it was ordained, 'shall swear not to proloyne, steall, convey, came awaie, geve, lend or by any meanes defraude or spoil the said schoole or any the buildinges belonginge to the same of any thinge whatsoever they shall have founde or after was boughte with the schoole money.' On inducting a new master to his office, the bai- liffs of the Salopian capital, it was directed, shall then in the schoole drinke to the newe schoolemaster, and the schoolemaster to the former schoolemasters and schollers, and this to be done vpon the schoole charges, wherevnto shall be allowed 20s.' That the dinner-hour for the boys was 11 a.m. we learned without surprise jrbut it occasioned us momentary astonishment to find the framers of rules for the promotion of the moral health of the scholars ex- pressly authorizing the lads to play games for money. 'Item,' runs one of the ordinances, 'the schollers plaie shal be shootinge in the longe bowe and chesse plaie, and no other games except it be tunninge, wrastlinge, or leap- inrre and no game to be aboue one penye or matche aboue foure pence, and lastlie that they vse no bettinge openlie tor covertlie, but when it is founde either the schollers so offendinge, to be severelie punyshed or expulsed for ever. I Earl Brownlow (according to the Law ffimu) intends to appeal against Lord Romilly's decision in the Berkhatnp- stead Common case, which, if necessary, he will carry to the House of Lords. In reply to a memorial from the Town Council of Den- bigh, praying that a Welsh bishop may be appointed to- the diocese of St. Asaph, Mr Gladstone promises to "give the subject of the new appointment his most anxious con- sideration, with the view of meeting in the best manner the exigencies of the case." The name of the Rev. W. Walsham How is announced as the writer of a paper on the "Private Life and Ministrations of the Parish Priest" in a volume of essays, The Church and the Age," published by Murray, and contributed to by the Dean of Chichester, Dr Irons, Sir Bartle Frere, and other writers. A Cardiganshire contemporary contains a poem written to comfort a bereaved Mr Thomas. The poet thus con- cludes— Death there is life, and life itself Springs out of death alone, A river, mighty, wide, and clear, From the glorious yonder throne. And Mrs Thomas, on its banks, Is bright and joyful now, And sorrow there to touch her heart, Her God will not allow. Mr John Dawson, farmer, Whixall, writes to a con- temporary—" I think it is my duty to second, in your columns, the gentleman's report to this country from Port Natal as to a cure for foot and mouth disease in cattle. When my cattle were attacked with that disease, about five years ago, I drenched them with salt and water, and a little bluestone vitriol; and when applied with a horn the cows dressed their mouths; and I had no more trouble than to drench them every morning. In three days they were all right. They could eat hay or a mash throughout the attack. I used a little linseed oil with it; I also washed their feet with salt and water and vitriol. I gave the same mixture to my neighbours, and their cattle were cured by it." A contemporary of last Saturday announced that the dead body of a man had been taken from Bala Lake a little after nine on Thursday evening, and that the deceased was ascertained to be Mr Joseph William Jones, of Llewellyn-terrace, near Bala." "This sad event,"lour contemporary proceeded to say, "created quite a sensation in the town, as the deceased gentleman was universally esteemed and respected for his kindness and many other good qualities." This eulogy is about as truthful as that of many similar newspaper paragraphs, the only difference being that as no dead body was found in the lake, it could hardly have been that of Mr Joseph William Jones; and as there is no Mr Joseph William J ones (and not even a Llewellyn-terrace), he could hardly have been "highly esteemed and respected." Besides all this, we fail to see how the body could be recovered a little after nine in the evening, and the inquest held, as the reporter states, "during the morning." The following is translated from the account of a wedding in a Welsh contemporary—" The bride appeared poetical and interesting. There she is in her brother's arms, a tall, well-shaped gentlemanly young man, very light complexion, and pleasing eyes. Her form is shape- able and of common stature, light complexion, blonde of the highest order, her hair is yellow, like pure gold, and her cheeks like the handsomest roses, her angelic face is always smiling and gdntle, being perfected with blue and meaning eyes. But to-day, when the sun is shining, and the atmosphere above is blue, when the cannons are roar- ing, banners floating in the hair, men and children shouting with joy, and women clapping their hands in mirth-a handsome gentleman in the church waiting for her handwith her cup filled to the brim—to-day, we say, when everything is smiling, she looks low and gloomy, on the point of weeping. When she is united to the one she loves in her heart, what could be the reason ? Perhaps the enjoyment is too much and the felicity of to-day overcomes her perhaps she looks at the serious step she has taken-indeed it is serious-and that makes her solemn or perhaps she is thinking of leaving her native place for ever to go and live amongst strangers. Of such things we thought when glancing at her, and it is a thou- sand pities that an Englishman should have snatched such a charming rose from the flower garden of old Cambria. There is something remarkable about the house that the bride went from to church. Her great great grandmother was wife of the Big House her great grandfather had a wife at the Big House; her grandfather, too, had a wife at the Big House her aunt had a husband at the Big House and the daughter of the Big House is the wife of her brother, who took her on his arm from the Big House- to get married."

Qitdt$iutJfitn1. The Rev. Thomas Dale, Canon of St. Paul's, has been ap- pointed the new Dean of Rochester, and the Rev. H. P. Liddon succeeds to the canonry. The Church Review" says it is expected that the Bishop of London will shortly nominate a suffragan, if not more than one, for his diocese. Mr Gladstone has consented to'lay the report of the Ritual Commission on the lectionary before Convocation before a Bill is brought into Parliament. Bishop Temple preached at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, on Sunday. Mr Gladstone, Mr Gathorae Hardy, and Mr Ayrton, were among the congregation. The Rev. Joseph Crompton, a dissenting minister, was sum- moned at the Norwich Police Court, last week, charged with having used threatening language to Mr Stanley, solicitor, and with having thrust his fist into his face. The reverend gentle- man was bound over in his own recognizances in the sum of Lior to keep the peace. The Bishop of Orleans, the Rome correspondent of the "Pall Mall Gazette" states, has determined to bring before the Council the abuses and oppressions practised by the temporal govern- ment of the Papacy. The Court of Rome will forbid the discus- sion, denying the right of the Council to interfere with its temporal administration; but the bishop insists that the Papaey ;t is as much subject to the fathers in one aspect as the other. The "Guardian" says-We learn from the Rev. George Venables, the honorary secretary of theAssociation, for Promotion of Union of Christians at Home, that the memorial presented last week to the Archbishop of Canterbury, begging for some measure of relief in the use of the Athanasian Creed, has been referred by his grace to the Ritual Commissioners, who have ordered that it be taken into consideration at such time as the subject of the creed comes on for discussion in order." One of the gravamens rejected by the Upper House of Con- vocation,- because their lordships would not recognize the signature of Dr Mackenzie as Bishop Suffragan of Nottingham, had reference t* the sale of church livings. It set forth that grave evils and public scandal exist in the province owing to the sale of next presentations to livings, whereby a sacred trust is degraded into a matter of pecuniary profit;" and it asked the House to take steps to mitigate, and if possible, remove the evils and scandals complained of. At a recent meeting held at Chatham, in furtherance of the National Education League, the Rev. G. L. Herman moved the first resolution. In doing so he caused quite a sensation by stating th&t he was informed that in that town last night, a. sermon was preached in which the preacher compared the pro- moters of the League to the devils, who were made to go out of the man into the swine. This statement was greeted with cries of "Shame," "Name," <fcc., the audience being in the utmost excitement.—The Rev. Mr Reynolds: I am the man. (Sen- sation.) A stone which promises to be one of considerable interest, has been found in Moab by the agents of the Palestine Explora- tion Fund. As far as the labours of Mr E. Deutsch upon a por- tion of the inscription enable us to judge, we are likely to learn from this stone some interesting particulars respecting the his- tory of the Moabitish children of Lot. Zoar, in Moab, was the cradle of the race. It was from one of the Moabitish sanctuaries that Moses was permitted to view the Land of Promise. One King of Moab, Balak, was the intriguing enemy, another, Eglon. the proud oppressor of the chosen people; and it was from Moab that Ruth came, one of the most atttiTe characters in Old Testament history. The stone lately discovered appears to record the achievements of a King of Moab named Mesha. Now, the Old Testament mentions three Meshas, and one of them as being King of Moab in the days of Ahab and his sons Ahaziah and Jehoram, Kings of Israel. Mr Deutsch tells us that the names of Israel, the rival power, and Chemosh, the na- tional god of Moab, occur repeatedly in the inscription. The "Daily News," referring to the appeal to the Privy Council in the case of Elphinstone v. Purchas, says—Experience shows that you may pass judgment after judgment against the Ritualists on minor points, such as altar lights, incense, pro strations, elevations, and the like, and yet after those judg- ments have been satisfied to the letter, the system to the eye of an ordinary observer, remains unchanged. It would be other- wise if vestments were disallowed. These wondrous articles of attire, with their brightly contrasted colours and extraordinary forms, give a strongly marked character to the service in which they are used. Hitherto the legality of these vestments has not been brought to the test of a Privy Council judgment. The Ritualists have assumed that they are protected DV a general principle laid down by the Judicial Committee in Liddell v. Westerton but their belief is only an inference, which may prove unwarranted. In any case the judgment which the Church Association is about to invoke must prove of the greatest in- terest to Churchmen. The education question was discussed in the Lower House of Convocatien last wee' but no resolution was adopted. The general tone, it need not be stated, was in favour of denomin- ationalism. Some wholesome things were said during the debate. The Archdeacon of Leicester thought that if the con- science clause had been accepted fifteen years ago the Church would have been in a better position to-day, and would have had less reason to fear the changes which are now inevitable. He further urged that schoolmasters' religion was not a de- sirable thing to have, and religion should be taught by the clergy." Bishop Mackenzie (of Nottingham) followed in the same strain. It was the duty of the clergy, he said, to reverse its last twenty years' policy with regard to the conscience clause. His experience had led him to the conclusion that if the Church of England was to remain the educator of this country, that policy must be reversed. He was certain that the policy of a rigid conscience, which made the clergy blind to the consciences of others, had done harm, and it was time that the Church carried out the rights of toleration. In the Upper House of Convocation on the 10th, the Bishop of Winchester moved that a committee be appointed of both Houses, with power to confer with any committee that may b appointed by the Convocation of the northern province, to re- port upon the desirableness of a revision of the authorized ver- sion of the New Testament, either by marginal notes or other- wise in all those passages where plain and clear errors—whetheT in Hebrew or Greek text, originally adopted by the translators, or with the translation m:tde-shall on due investigation be fonnd to exist. The Bishop of Gloucester seconded the motion, which the Bishop of St. David's supported. After referring to two objections brought against the proposal, and deprecating the idea of a "Church Bible" and a "Dissenting Bible" as a great evil, he said-The third objection or difficulty was that when the authorized version had received all the amendment it deservedly required, it would be found to have effected a very great change in many parts, and one would be that it would de- prive a number of the clergy, and still more of the dissenting ministry, of some of their most favourable texts—(laughter)—to some of which he alluded. He had referred to certain transla- tions, and said his belief was that a revision would result in great advantage, and increase the value of the Scriptures to the English reader, not only in public, but in private, and prove extent of that inadequacy and imperfection they ought not to conceal. The result of the inquiry would alter to a great extent the meaning of portions of the Holy Scriptures. The proposal met with general approval, and the Bishop of Llandaff moved, and the Bishop of St. Davids seconded, that the Old Testament should be included in the enquiry.

Loss OF Six LIVES AND PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE LUNATIC ASYLUM AT AISNE, THROUGH THE IGNITION OR AN ORDINARY LUCIFER MATCH. A melancholy catas- trophe has just taken place at Aisne, resulting in the destruction of a great part of the extensive Asylum, and the loss of six lives. It occurred through one of the iumate* setting fire to his bed by lighting an ordinary match- This is another striking instance of the value of those Matches (Bryant and May's) which light only (when so, desired) on the box. t; :1t4; tø}< ;J"i