The Aberdare Times

The following is from the letter of the Correspondent of The Times, writing from Cork on May 13 :— The Cornell has arrived at Queenstown, and the circum- stances connected with the mutiny are now known. The Caswell Is a handsome iron bark of over 400 tons. She sailed originally from Glasgow In command of Captain George Edward Best, an Englishman. The chief officer was William Wilaon. the second mate Maclean, and the steward E. Griffiths. She was bound for Buenos Ayres and had an English crew on board. At Buenos Ayres the crew were discharged with the exception of the officers, the carpenter (Peter Macgregor), and two apprentices, named respectively Ferguson and MacdonneH. The vessel proceeded fer Val- paraiso in ballast, having previously shipped a crew con- sisting of three Greeks—" Big George," Nicholas, and Christo Sambo; two Maltese, who were brothers, Guiseppe and Jasper; one Scotchman, James Garrick; and one Englishman, John Dunne. On the voyage to Valparaiso some dispute occurred between the crew and the captain about the provisions, and one of the Greeks was heard to say that If the eaptaln lifted a hand to them they would "see the deck running in blood." Nothing exceptional occurred until after the vessel left Antifogasta, with nitre, for Queenstown and Falmouth, for orders. She sailed on New Year's Eve. John Dunne, of Bristol, able seaman, gives the fol- lowing information:— I was on the mate watch on New Year's Eve. One of the Greek sailors, Christo Sambo, was lying ill, and the mate told'Big George' he would have to go on Sambo's watch. He refused, and the captain went into the forecastle, with a revolver In his pocket. One of the foreigners, who was well able to speak English, asked what he came into the fore- castle with a revolver for. The captain said, I do not come forward among Greeks without being well armed I have got a revolver, and I mean to use it if necessary.' Big George then promised if Christo was not able to go te work at ten o'clock he would take his place. The captain then went aft. Af ten o'clock Big George was called, but he refused to turn out, using coarse language. Nothing further occurred until Tuesday, January 4. It was the captain's watch on deck. I was on the watch with Guiseppe, Jasper, and Big George, The last was engaged in tbe starboard main rigging. I saw the captain in his shirt sleeves, with a piece of yarn in his hand. He seemed to be instructing George how to put the seasons on. George was standing on the rail on the star- board side of the mainrigging and the captain right under him. All of a sudden I saw George spring off the rail and plunge his knife into the captain's stomach, at the same time cutting him across the abdomen. The mate, who was forward, ran aft, but as he was passing the galley Christo Sambo and Nicholas rushed out and seized him. and the latter plunged the galley knife into him. He withdrew the knife and threw It overboard, and unsheathing his own knife stabbed him in several places. The Maltese brothers, Jasper and Guiseppe, then rushed forward with their revolvers, and passing the captain, who was lying almost disembowelled on the deck, shot at his head. The mate, seeing them approaching, cried out 'Mercy.' Gui- seppe replied. 'No; no mercy,' and shot at him. 'Big George' called up the steward, and when he appeared at the companion hatch Guiseppe shot him. Big George' then seized him by the hair of the head, stabbed him, and while he was lying on the deck cut his heart out The second mate, Maclean, ran on the poop, crying to Ferguson, who was at the wheel,' Hard down; put the ship back.' He tried to get down the fore companion hatchway, and Guiseppe, called out, Come out of that, you beggar, or I will pound' you.' He then shot him in the arm. As the second mate was going off the poop he was stabbed in the back. The second mate ran forward to me crying, 'Oh, my God. Dunne!' I saw he was bleeding from tbe arm, and tried to stanch the wound. Big George and the others pursued him round the decks, firing after him. When at last he sank from exhaustion Guiseppe and Jasper shot him, and Nicholas, George, and Christo plunged their knives into him. They next ran to the house where the carpenter had locked blmself up crying Carpenter! Carpenter Finding the door locked, however they did not persevere. I cautioned Macgregor, and concealed myself behind two barrels, but they did not interfere with me. They appeared to hold a consultation among themselves, and seemed to come to the conclusion they would not kill any more. Guiseppe, who was well able to speak English, seemed to take command. He ordered us to get out the kedge anchor, at the same time telling us they would not kill us If we helped them. We got the kedge anchor along, and the carpenter camerout of the house. Guiseppe made him go down on bis knees IIn the blood that had flowed from the captain and swear to his God he would help them to the best of his ability. The carpenter promised to do so. Big George' cut about nine fathoms of line and bent it round the legs of the murdered men, who were lying on the deck amidships, on the starboard side. The other end of the rope was fastened to the kedge and the anchor, and the men were hove over- board. The captain and Maclean were still living, but the chief officer and steward seemed to be dead. The blood was then washed off tbe decks, and the mutineers went into the cabin and passed about the provisions (eggs and ham). After that they rummaged the cabin. 'Big George' and Christo came on deck, and with buckets of paint bletted out the name on the ship's stern and bow snd on the lifeboats. The mutineers then informed us that the ship was gotoj to Valparaiso and that they were going ashore and would leave UI. At this time Gui- seppe had taken charge of the navigation of the ship, and Nicholas was in command of the sailors. Seven days afterwards they Informed us that they were going to Boenos Ayres, as the wife and family of Jasper were living there On arriving off Cape Horn Jasper came forward one even- ing and told us not to go asleep as Big George Intended to kill us at night and afterwards go ashore at Cape Horn with his confederates as shipwrecked. He also stated that if they killed us they would alto have to kill him. On getting off the River Plate the brothers Jasper and Giuseppe launched the lifeboat, aud putting a quantity of provisions into her, with muskets and other matters, proceeded for shore. Before they started Jasper said he would like a night ashore lor tbe meD in order to have asliltance lent 011. James Carrick then wrote a short note, addressed to Who- ever this note may read,' giving an account of the situation, and asking for assistance. Jasper, when leaving, said, 'I have looked out for you ever since they killed the captain, you must look out for yourself now.' He also men- tioned that Big George determined to take the vessel to Greece. When the two Maltese left us George directed the main yard to be squared, and we ran off shore. For some time afterwards the Greeks were busily employed in making sails for the longboat. When they finished the sails they seemed to do all they could to annoy us, in order to provofce a quarreL The carpenter had been told off as cook, and on one occasion Big George, not pleased with the cook, threw hot rice into his face, remarking, 'This no English ship; this Greek ship. We command.' Soon afterwards he ran to the galley and threatened the car- penter with a knife, telling him to look out for himself. On the following Saturday, about the 12th of March, we bad hot peasoup for dinner, and he threw it Into our faces. We were then getting our 'grub' on the break of the poop. Carrlck ran forward, leaving his hat behind, I picked up the hat to take it to Carrlck, when Big George said to me i 'Come down below, I want to speak to you.' On going down he thrust a paint brush in my hand and made me paint Carrick's hat. Christo mattered at the time, it Jim (that Is, Carrick) speak bad, take any knife and dead.' He wanted me to take his knife to kill Carrick, but I refused. Big George' also tendered me his revolver to shoot Carrick, saying «All will be right, and you be same as me.' I replied that Carrick had done nothing to me, and I would not take his life. Big George' then took hold of me and drew his knife, saying If you speak to Carrick, I will kill you.' MacdonneH, the apprentice, was at the wheel, and, thinking he had overheard the conversation, they made him promise he would not disclose it to Carrick. I watched my opportunity," continued Dunne, and Informed Carrick of what occurred. That same afternoon Big George' went forward to the forecastle, where Carrick was asleep. I believe it was for the purpose of murdering him in his bunk, but finding that Ferguson was in the forecastle, he pretended that he was looking for a vinegar bottle. On the same night Christo came forward to see if the carpenter was asleep, but as he was not he went aft again. At two o'clock 'Big George' was at the weather side of the poop on watch. I saw him making ¡ threatening motions at the carpenter, and fully thought he I was going to kill him. The carpenter came forward and told [ us that we were going to be killed. We armed eurselves with hammers. The carpenter took the hatchet, and we rushed aft. Big George' met us half way. We attacked him, and the car- penter struck him on the head with a hatchet. We also struck him with the riveting hammers, and left him for dead on the deck. We next proceeded into the cabin, where Nicholas and Christo were in bed. They had heard the noise of the struggle on deck and were getting up. We made an onslaught on them in the cabin state-room, and after a fearful struggle, during which Nicholas fired three times, overpowered them We then endeavoured to treat their wounds, but' BIg George' and Nicholas died Christo recovered, and we placed irons on his leg and arms. Carrick then took command, and, knowing navigation, worked the ship for Qneenstown. We were taken in tow last evening by the gunboat Gothawk. Previous to killing the mutineers, Nicholas, who knew some- | thing of navigation, was taking the ship towards the Mediter- I ranean. Christo informed us on the voyage that the in- tention was to murder the Englishmen and take the vessel to Samo, in Greece, when, having disposed of some Of the pro- perty they would scuttle her." The Correspondent of The Timet also adds The cabin of the vessel bore traces of a severe straggle, There were three bullet holes in the state room, where Nicholas fired lrom the bunk when he and Sambo were sur- prised by the Engiiah. The glass is also broken, and there is a deep indentation on the partition frame of the berth, caused by a blow of the hatched Carrick Maegregor (the carpen- ter) and Bonne an quite young men, ef 84 to 80 years of age. Carriek is tall and lfifeft, but he has a slight stoep, and bean the impress of are and anxiety on his face. He is a very intelligent man, and apparently endowed with great firmness and determination. The log—in which the entire history of the affair is narrated—has been kept in a neat and regular way. Each day's reckoning is kept with the same care. and both the writing and figures are very well executed. Carrick's account of the mutiny substantially agrees with that of Dunne, but the former tells the story with more minuteness of detail. He says he believes that before they sailed from Antifogasta the Greeks had planned the mutiny. From the first their manner was defiant and insolent The captain was more indulgent to them than he was to the other members of tbe crew; he seemed to be afraid of them. On he morning of the 4th of January the captain came out of the cabin in his shirt sleeves. He was speaking quietly to "Big George," telling him how to pass the seasons round the rigging, when he jumped oft the rail and plunged the knife into him. Every one of them seemed to have a station' in the ship, so as to prevent assistance being given. Giuseppe had previously asked Carrick if he knew any navigation, and he told him that he did. He happened to know a little about navigation, but not quite enough to take the ship where he wanted. They sighted land at Cape San Antonio, near the River Plate. It was here that the Maltese left the vessel, Gaspar stating that he wanted to get to Buenos Ayres, as his wife and family lived near it at a place called Boko. Previous to the Maltese going ashore there were disputes between them and the Greeks about the spoil. The Maltese seemed to have grown more friendly to the Englishmen. They sighted Falkland Islands after the Maltese left. They dis pensed with Carrick's services as a navigator always until they found themselves astray. Nicholas made Carrick in- struct him in the English navigation books, and when he was able to master them the Greeks changed in their manner towards them and tried to provoke a quarreL Carrick felt very apprehensive and cautioned the others to be on their guard. He did not go to sleep, knowing that their object was to kill them one by one while they were asleep in order not to excite the alarm or suspicion of the rest. Every night the Greeks searched their bunks for weapons. Carrick was at the wheel frem ten to twelve on the night of the 11th, and he saw Christo running forward to- wards the carpenter's room. Carrick beckoned to the boy MacdonneH to go forward also. He was relieved at twelve o'clock, and he and his chips resolved to make a fight for their lives. He took the adze. The carpenter armed him- self with the hatchet, the handle of which he cut short in order to have it handy for use. Ferguson took a soldering bolt, and at two o'clock, when Big George was on deck, they rushed forward, and the carpenter getting behind him, nearly opened his head with the hatchet. They then went below and had a severe struggle tnere with Nicholas and Christo, killing the former, and making the latter prisoner. A curious Incident," continued Jarrick, "occurred on that night. While' Big George' was-walking the poop a bird about the size of a dove, pitched on his head. He attempted to catch the bird. but the bird fled and disappeared. We thought that was a bad omen for us, Instead of that it was the other way." In reply to a question as to why he did not put into Rio, as he was shorthanded and only a few days' sail from It, he explained that in consequence of the expense and delay which would attend his putting in there, he thought, for the Interest of his owners and also for the prosecution of the prisoner, it was better to oeme to England. He added there was plenty of food on board, and he expected to receive assistance from passing ships. He passed several ships, but only spoke two, one being a Frenchman, who was unable to give him any men. The statement in the log and the account given by the carpenter and the apprentices fully bear out the above narrative. One of them states that after the murder the Greeks kissed the innocent por- tion of tbe crew as a token of friendship and that they did not intend to molest them. Mr. Mercer, Sub-Inspector of Police, and a body of con- stabulary, went on board the Cornell on Saturday and took charge of the prisoner Christo Sambo, who was sitting on the main hatch, handcuffed and guarded by Marines. The pri- soner was brought before Mr. Starkie, R.M.. who remanded him until Monday.

JOTTINGS ABOUT THE LATE MR. STEWART. Americans are never weary of talking about their late fellow-countryman, Mr. Eighteen Million Ster- ling Stewart (says the Court Journal). Early in his career he made a grand stroke. Fashion in America suddenly demanded cotton trimmings for dresses, Fashion in England had made them unsaleable. So Mr. Stewart crossed the Atlantic, went to Belfast, where they were manufactured, and bought them at 2d. per lb., which was far below the price of manufactured cotton. In New York he sold them at 2s. per lb., and as he said in later years, After that specula- tion I concluded that money could be made in the dry goods business." When Mr. Stewart was visit- ing one of the colossal shops in this country, the pro- prietor said to him, with a self-complacent tone, "I understand you have a very large place in New York, but I suppose it won't compare with this ? No, it won't," said Stewart, "for it is six times as large." The Englishman was a little mortified, but he thought he was safe against rivalry when he added, Well, but I sell two millions worth of goods here every year." Stewart replied, "And I sell ten millions worth." With all his shrewdness, he had some pet superstitions. For instance, he caused an old applewoman who for many years had sold her edibles on the side walk in front of his wholesale warehouse, to be removed, stand and all, to his uptown store, because he be- lieved that she brought him good luck. He had some reason to believe in luck. When he opened his nrst store, a little hole only a few feet square, an Irish lady told him that she must be his first customer, as she always brought luck. She was his first customer. Years afterwards, when visiting Dublin, he heard that this lady had fallen into distress. He called upon her, asked her to drive with him, took her to a nicely furnished house, told her that this was hers, and settled a comfortable annuity upon her for life. On another occasion he ordered 100,000 dols. worth of goods to be sent out by the steamer Arctic, and, as was his rule, heodid not insure. The vessel was lost, and he then discovered that through a misunderstanding his goods had been sent by a Bailing vessel of the same name. His will has taken everyone by surprise. Eventually his vast property will come to some young ladies, who will thus be probably the richest heiresses in the world.

WORTH KNOWING.—The height of a position under Government does not necessarily bear any pro- portion to the physique of-the man who fills it. Some- times the weaker a man is, the tighter he holds to his post.—Judy,

Uttsallarctflws Intelligent*. I: HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. A CJESTUNARIAN.—The Times of Friday (May 12), says :—Lady Smith, widow of the late Sir James Edward Smith, President of the Linnean Society, entered her 104th year yesterday, in perfect health. THE BIRMINGHAM MEMBERS ON THE INCOME TAX.—At the annual dinner of the Birmingham Pro- perty Owners Association, a letter of apology was read from Mr. John Bright, who said :—" Two years ago it was proposed to get rid of the income tax. New the tax is being increased. This is very disappointing. Birmingham is not responsible for this, and this is about the only consolation you have." Mr. Muntz, M. P. wrote—" You ask me if I know other members of Parliament who object to the income tax ? In re- ply, allow me to say that I do not know one who is in its favour." THE ACTON TRAGEDY.—On Monday Dr. Diploek, the Coroner for the Western Division of Middlesex, opened an inquest at the Duke of Sussex Tavern, Turnham-green, on the body of Joseph Niblett, 22, who shot a young lady and afterwards himself at Acton a short time since. The evidence was confirma- tory of the statements which have already been pub- lished. Henry Pullen, a police-constable, said that the deceased made a statement to the effect that he shot Miss Burleton as he lay in bed, and as she was coming away from the looking-glass. She jumped up about two feet and fell under the bed. When he saw her look at him he thought, "I can't stand that," and he then shot himself. The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of suicide whilst of unsound mind. THE RIGHT OF DIVORCE IN FRANCE.—In support of a petition addressed to the French Cham- ber of Deputies praying that the right of divorce may be re-established "upon civil, moral, and political grounds," statistics are given in support of the argu. ment that such an enactment is much needed. These BtatiBtics show that in the twenty-three years from 1840 to 1862 28,640 suites for separation, or upon an average 1,219 a year, were brought before the tribu- nals. In 513 cases separation was asked for after only a year's married life; in 7,446 cases after less than five years; in 7,985 cases after more than five and less than ten years; <n 10,295 cases after from ten to twenty years; in 4,341 cases after from twenty to thirty years; in 1,436 cases from thirty to forty years; and in 365 cases after more than forty years of marriage. In no fewer than 22,763 cases the suit was commenced by the wife, the husband being the plaintiff in only 3,099 cases, the other 2,778 being cross-suits. The grounds of the suit were, in at least seventy cases out of a hundred, "cruelty and neglect" on the part of the husband, adultery not being charged in more than 2,000 cases.—Pall Mali Gazette. SALMON FOR THE ANTIPODES.—Accounts have reached England of the arrival of the ship Durham in Australia with the consignment of salmon eggs, col- lected in England by Messrs. Youl and Backland during the past winter. The greater bulk of eggs have been sent to Sir Samuel Wilson's residence at Ercildoun (about 18 miles from Ballarat), at which place hatching boxes have been fitted up in close proximity to a stream which is said to possess every characteristic favourable to the propagation of migra- tory fish. Of the 31,000 ova received at Ercildoun, 10,000 were living several hours after being deposited in the troughs, and were for the most part in a very healthy condition. The great pains taken by Messrs. !I Buckland and Youl to insure as large a percentage as possible of the eggs arriving at their destination in a healthy condition it is hoped will be attended with ¡ success. A WANT OF SMALL CHANGE.—The scarcity of small change for business purposes in the United States, has, it is stated by New York Tribune, become so great that a flood of complaints is constantly pour- ing in on the United States Treasurer and senators and members (says the Pall Mall Gazette). At the Treasury Department more than 100 letters on the subject have been received from various parts of the country, and the department is also beset by members of Congress, who seek to serve their constituents with small change as well as garden seeds and documents. The silver substitution thus far has, in the opinion of the Treasury officials, been a failure. There is what is termed a panicky feeling among the people. They know that fractional currency is to be swept away, and they know as a consequence that it must soon be ,scarce. In this belief they are hoarding it. Even business men are laying aside each day, as they are able to spare it from their business, an amount of small cur- rency, in the belief that they will some day require it for the necessities of business. TRADE WITH FRANCE.—In the quarter ended the 31st of' March the declared value of merchandise imported into the United Kingdom was £12,245,819, against JB12,458,319, in the corresponding period of the previous year. The export of British and Irish pro- duce in the same period of 1875 amounted to £3,720,140, and this year to 324,446,406. HER PRESENT ADDRESS.—The corporation of London recently agreed "to present Her Majesty with an humble address." While Her Majesty's letters reach ber at Buckingham Palace, London, and the Castle, Windsor, we can't see any necessity for the City's benevolence. —Fun. SUCCESSFUL BORROWERS.—The Times, in a leader remarking upon the recent issue of Stock by the Metropolitan Board of Works, says:—The Metro- politan Board of Works must be ranked among the most successful of the great borrowers of the day. The jBl.350,000 of Stock which they lately offered for public subscription at a minimum price of 99 has been all placed at a little above par. The more fully the case is gone into the more satisfactory will the result appear. The whole of the late loan was, in fact, subscribed for more than five times over. The contributors to it were of all classes. The interest the Board gives is only 3 £ per cent., but the security for this is thoroughly good. The new Metropolitan Stock has accordingly found favour, on the one hand, with small holders, who have been wise enough to look chiefly for a safe investment for their money, and have been contented with a frac- tion more than they could obtain fer it in the Three per Cents. We learn, on the other hand that one single firm send in a tender for the whole sum which the Board was asking for, though we are not told the exact terms of the application, or the amount which has been allotted in consequence of it. The Board any how, have good reason Ito be gratified with the soundness of their financial position, and with their popularity with the investine world. There are plenty of crowned heads who will envy them their easy control over the purse-strings of their fellow-citizens, and who would in vain offer twice the interest for the same sub. stantial results. THE WAR IN CUBA.—The New York Herald of the 2nd inst. says that the conflict waxes fiercer in the Ever Faithtul Isle," and the might of Spain is hurled in vain against the mountain and forest de- fended Cuban patriots, who are steadily approaching Havana and pushing their enemies off or under the soil of Cuba. After a struggle that has now lasted over seven years we find the area of Spanish domina- tion on the island growing gradually smaller every year, and the chances of a final suppression of the revo- lution absolutely nil. The soil seems to swallow the enemies of Cuba, for army after army has marched eastwards into these dense forests and ragged defiles, but has never returned; for even disease is patriotic in Cuba, and yellow fever and smallpox mow down the columns of Spain as effectually as the bullet and machete of the Cuban insurgents. The Spanish troops at present engaged in the Cuban war are mostly young boys, drafted under the conscription laws that were in force during the civil war in the old country. The majority of these poor young fellows have scarcely attained the age of twenty years, and, being brought direct from a temperate into a tropical climate, and exposed to all the hardships of a guerilla warfare, they speedily succumb to the terrible forms of disease incidental to a tropical campaign. It is a fact, and one pregnant of fearful meaning, that the Spanish reinforcements for Caba rarely bring arms with them. They are furnished with weapons from the ranks of their dead prede- cessors, and in turn surrender the oft-transferred rifle to death and their successors. THE GERMAN EMPRESS AT THE BLUE COAT SCHOOL.—The German Empress paid a visit to Christ's Hospital on Monday, accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge, its President. Her Majesty arrived at twelve o'clock, and found the boys drawn up in parade order in the playground. The Treasurer, the Head Master, and tbe Warden were presented by the Pre- sident, and the boys marched past into the great hall to the musie of their band. The Empress then came into the hall, and viewed the 100 boys ranged at the long lines of tables, while the choir sang God Bless the Prince of Wales!" She was evidently much struck by the sight, and after a few moments ad- dressed the boys, expressing the pleasure her visit gave her, and the hope that they would grow up good men and faithful subjects of their Queen." Before leaving the hall the Empress desired that a half- holiday might be given in honour of her visit, which was greeted by the boys with three hearty cheers for her and the President. Her Majesty next visited one of the dormitories, whose quaint and simple arrange. ments met with her entire approval. A visit was next paid to the spacious awimming-bath and other parts of the school. Before leaving the Empress again ex. t pressed the pleasure her visit had given, concluding with these words :—" 1 have via ted many educational institutions, and I have sometimes had to say,' Ah you will improve;' but I say to you, 4 Remain as you are. MR. GLADSTONE'S RELAXATIONS.—The Wreæ- | ham Guardian says :—44 An enormous beech-tree was < drawn from Hawarden.park yesterday by seven horses > belonging to Messrs. Bracegirdle and Son, timber mer- chants, Northwich, to the Wrexham goods station of I the Connah's Quay Railway for transit to Manchester. It was felled a few days ago by Mr. Gladstone, who, notwithstanding that it measured thirteen feet in cir. cumference, accomplished his laborious but agreeable task in less than six hours. The tree contained over 200 cubic feet, and weighed nearly nine tons. Expe- rienced fellers tell us that the ex-Prfemier did his work in a thorough business-like manner, and quite to the satisfaction of the purchasers." SALE OF AUTOGRAPH LETTERS.—At a Hale of autograph letters and literary documents, which took place on Saturday, in Edinburgh, Robert Burns- Patriotic song, £6 10s. characteristic song, "Why shouldn't poor people mow ?" £6 10s. sketch of his ballad on the Galloway election, £5 letter to Colonel Fullerton, with some of his own poems, £1108. auto- graph draft of a love letter, £5 5s. ballads to 41 My Jean," Sec., £6 15s. song in the character of a ruined farmer, £6 5s. letter addressed to Mr. Thomas Orr, Park, £3 poems, the Kilmarnock edition, j64. Thomas CampbeU—Two poems, £248. Charles II.-8ign .manual, 36s. Olive Cromwell—Superscrip- tion to the Committee for the Island of Ely, Lincoln, blaming them for having released persons committed, with other letters, £8 5s. Charles Dickens—Letter while editor of Morning Chronicle, £2 4s. Henry IV. of France—Two pages superscription to Marshal Dan- ville, 30a. Maris Stuart, Queen of Scotland-Letter signed and dated "Setowna, March 20th, 1436," £66s. It will be seen that a letter of Bobby Burns is more esteemed than one by hapless Queen Mary. That ought to be comforting to the poet wherever he may ))e.-Nota frtm the Nvrth in Pictorial Wvrld.* IMPORTEANT.—The Porte has communicated I to foreign embassies its resolution to raise all import: duties 20 per cent. A matter of Import to the Porte bondholders. -Fun. A BALLOON ACCIDENT.—A balloon ascont := took place last week at Dijon (Côte-d'O.r). M. Beugnet was to go up on a trapeze attached to the car. At six o'clock the departure was c-ffected, but the huge machine was suddenly struck by a gust of wind and driven into a tree. The gymnast was for- tunately able to cling to a poplar, and there he called lustily for a knife to free himself from the cords which attached him to the balloon. His request, however, could not be complied with in consequence of the great height at which he was placed, so that he was obliged to free himself as well as he could, but he ulti- mately descended with no further damage than some abrasions of the hands. The balloon was subsequently recovered. A LOTE OF HORSEFLESH. -The Paris people are becoming confirmed hippophagists. The siege first converted them against their will, and ever since the new gastronomical faith has gone on increasing. The quantity of horse-flesh sold and eaten in the French capital during the first quarter of the present year was no less than 429,300 kilogrammes, an increase of several thousands of pounds over the corresponding period of last year. The society whose special duty it is to in- culcate an appetite for the noble animal point out in the most feeling, but not very enticing terms, that "this progress of hippophagy is particularly advantageous to old horses, whose period of infirmity is thereby short- ened." AN EXTRAORDINARY SCORE.-The following wonderful score has recently been made by Corporal Foster, 9th Lancashire (Warrington) Volunteer Rifles, which has never been equalled, viz. Seven shots at 200 yards. 5555455 84 at 600 yards 5555554 84 „ at 600 yards.. 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 33 Total 101 Highest possible score, 105. Corporal Foster shot with the Snider rifle. FROM PORTSMOUTH.—Lines of troops were drawn up on the Hard last Thursday. Sad that his Royal Highness should meet with Hard Lines the moment he landed.-Pun. THE IMPERIAL TITLB.-The Saturday Review remarks The controversy as to the title of Empress is now at rest. The Queen is Empress of India, and she is not to be called Empress here more than is una- voidable. How far it will in real life be avoided de- pends not en the terms of the proclamation, but on the guidance of the Government and the unfailing good sense of the Royal Family. The painful episode of Mr. Lowe's indiscretion had at least the salutary effect of dispelling the illusion that the Queen personally had any thirst for a grander name and the Prince's long journey, his reception at every point of his pro- gress, and the warmth of his welcome home, may be relied on, among other things, to have fortified his con- viction that there is nothing greater or better on earth than to be King of England." TOASTED ANGELS "—Any suggestion as to a new diet will be welcome to housekeepers worried by the grumbling of their families on the subject of the dinners and suppers provided for them. A colonel of a British regiment was, according to the Times of India, lately much distressed by the constant complaints of his men respecting their rations. The beef was tough and stringy, the bread coarae and tasteless, the tea had no strengtn in it, and the sugar was largely composed of sand. The colonel, although he was unable to arrive at any other conclusion than that these complaints were unfounded, at last sent for the sergeant-major, and, confiding to him the trouble he felt at the grumbling which went on, asked him what could be done to stop it. "Grumble about rations," said the sergeant-major, 44 why, of course they do, sir and so they would if you was to feed them on toasted angels!" Certainly toasted angels sounds more harmless and respectable than devilled biscuits, and would, moreover, be a pleasing novelty. —Pall Mall Gazette. THE QUAKERS.—The total gross income of the Society of Friends, as appears in a Parliamentary Paper just printed, on Endowed Charities, is returned at £27,425 lis. 9d. Among the items of the applica- tions, 27,190 7s. 6d. appears for the education of Dis- senters, and £2,278 12s. lOd. for the poor. A CHANGE FOR SOMEONE.—There was once a good kind Cook, who having often heard her Missus regret not having any children, and say that she would like to adopt some dear little creature, thought she was doing an act of kindness when she introduced one whose mother was blessed with at least a dozen more of the same sort. We believe he was declined with thanks.—Judy. FASHION IN NEW YORK.—Striped stockings are passe, and red petticoats are all the rage just now. It is considered en regie for every woman who wears one, and walks Broadway, whether the day is rainy or sunshiny, to show a red petticoat-under the hem of her dress. This is the rule, and seeing a woman without one is the exception. Like everything else which is considered ultra-fashionable in this great city, the red petticoat is aped by servant girls, and on Sun- day you meet the Bridgets returning from mass in the morning sporting the red under-garment, and the mistress going to church marked by the same scarlet edging below her black dress. THE PLAGUE IN MESOPOTAMIA.—The Levant Herald of May 3, says :-A bulletin of the Sanitary Board issued last week shows a serious increase of the plague at Hillah and Bagdad, but happily no exten- sion of the epidemic outside the circle now enclosed by a sanitary cordon. At Bagdad, from the 16th to the 22nd April, there was 336 fatal cases, or an average of 48 per day. At Hillah 159 deaths were registered during the same period, or an average of 22 per day. Some isolated cases, too, are reported from Imam- Mousa and Nedjef, but these localities are within the sanitary cordon, outside of which, up to the 22nd inst., no instance of plague had occurred. According to private information we have received, the number of deaths at Nedjef was 11 from the 16th to the 21st of April, and at Imam-Meuca (a village within an hour's distance of Bagdad), 7 from the 15th to the 19th. AN EXPENSIVE EDUCATION.—The Edinburgh School-board election has cost nearly fifteen hundred pounds. There seems to be a good deal more £ S. D. than ABC about infantile education just at present. -Fun. HER MAJESTY'S SHIP SERAPIS." — The itinerary of this ship is well worth recording. She has kept her time as if she were a chronometer from the beginning to the end of her cruise, and has been a most agreeable surprise to those who remember the accounts of her early performance. Here are her runs:—From Portsmouth to Malta, calling in (as an incident) on her way to Plymouth, 2,245 miles; Malta to Brindisi, 373 miles; Brindisi to Athens, 471 miles; Athens to Port Said, 594 miles; Canal, 88 miles; Suez to Aden, 1,307 miles; Aden to Bombay, 1,649 miles; Bombay to Goa, 228 miles; Goa to Beypore, 305 miles; Beypore to Colombo, 394 miles; Colombo to Tuticorin, 126 miles Tuticerin to Trincomalee, 498 miles Trincomalee to Madras, 290 miles; Madras to Cal- cutta, 744 miles; Calcutta to Bombay, 2,128 miles Bombay to Aden, 1,647 miles Aden to Suez, 1,304 miles; Canal, 88 miles; Port Said to Alexandria, 148 miles; Alexandria to Malta, 863 miles; Malta to Gibraltar, 984 miles; Gibraltar to Lisbon, 249 miles; Lisbon to Portsmouth, 850 miles. Grand total 17,452 mile& She travelled 18,000 knots through the water in 1,780 hours, burnt in doing so 5,445 tons of coal, and made 4,698,743 revolutions of her screw, her speed varying according to circumstances.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN, 44 Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those who diffuse it; It proves nothing but the bad tastes of the smoker."— George Eliot's Daniel Deronda." Mr. R. A. Proctor, the astronomer, has returned to England after a tour in the United States, during which he has delivered 142 lectures. The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledges in The Times (as Conscience Money ") receipt of a £ 500 note complete, from "L. and of the two halves ol a £ 20 note (anonymous), both for Income-tax. Steps are being taken to erect a memorial to the late Lord Iyttelton at Worcester, to take the form of an educational or charitable endowment. Father Hyacinthe and Madame Loyson arrived in London on Monday. They are staying with the Right Hon. William F. Cowper-Temple, M.P., and Mrs. Cotrper-Temple. —Pall Mall Gazette. On Tuesday morning several Indian rajahs left Paddingson by Great Western train, and on their arrival at Windsor at ten minutes past nine, drove in the Queen's carriages to the Castle, where they had an audience with her Majesty. New York advices report that conflicts between whites and blacks have taken place In Louisiana, In which seventeen of the latter have been killed. The whites are stated to be arming, and the Sheriff has demanded military assistance. While cleaning out the large porpoise tank in the Brighton Aquarium the other day, the tank superintendent came upon several specimens of oyster spat of last season. The spat were of the usaal size, and sbout the size of a six- pence. This is the first ttme that oysters have been known to breed in an aquarium, and the spat to amx and mature. Prince William Auersperg, a young man only twenty-two years of age, and sole heir of the elder branch of the Auersperg family, has just been killed at Prague in a duel with Count Kolowrat, a volunteer in a regiment of Dragoons In which the Prince was an officer. By this event the President of the Austrian Cabinet becomes heir pre- sumptive to the family bonours.-Pall Mall Gazette. A child, seven years of age, daughter of a foreman carter named Mc'Ewen. died at Glasgow on Monday from the effects of a bite of a dog. which bit her on the face three weeks ago. The wound Inflicted was very slight, and little attention was paid to It, but on Sunday a medical gentleman found that the girl was suffering from hydrophobia. She gradually sank, and died in great agony. An attempt was made at Sheffield on Monday, but without success, to settle the colliery dispute in South York- shire. The masters originally insisted upon a reduction of 16 per cent. The men offered to accept a reduction of 10 This offer was refused, and the masters proposed that the dispute should be ended by the men accepting 12J per cent. reduction. The men declined this proposal, so that the dis- pute remained unsettled. An inquest has been held in London, at St. George's Hospital, respecting the death of Fanny Greatorex, aged 40, a laundress, of 12, Union-street, Chelsea. The evidence showed that on the 12th inst. a fire broke out in the laundry of the house of the deceased, some clothes which had been placed In the room to dry having accidentally caught fire. The deceased, in endeavouring to put out the "flames, was severely burnt about the face and hands. She was removed to the hospital, and died soon after. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death." The death is announced of Dr. Andrew Wynter, well known as a frequent contributor to periodical litera- ture. He was born at Bristol in 1819, took his degree of M.D. in 1853, and became member of the College of Physi- cians In 1861. His first publications, which were issued anonymously, were two volumes of sketches, entitled" Pic- tures of Town from my Mental Camera," and "Pictures of Town and Country Life; or, Odds and Ends from an Old Drawer;" some of these were afterwards reprinted in "Our Social Bees." From 1846 to 1860 he acted as editor of the British Medical Journal; he was a constant contributor to Once a Week when firBt established by Messrs. Bradbury and Evans, under the editorship of the late Mr Samuel Lucas and he also wrote several articles for the Quarterly and the Edinburgh. Review. Most of these have been re- published in a collected shape under the titles of Curiosities of Civilization, "Our Social Bees "(two series), "Subtle Brains and Lissom Fingers," and "Cariosities of Toll."—Pad Mall Gazette. Upwards of £4,000 were collected 1aat year lot stamp fees in divorce and matrimonial causes, belBg an iD crease of about £ 500 on the year before. Th« total number of Army pensioners "«ding r«MK is 819, of m 297 are non-commissioned emceis ■— 540 private?. « Tne Liverpool Mail statqg that it is the' the Government to bring in a Bill for the establishm Bishopric of Liverpool.. +h_ The game licences during last year yielded to public purse the handsome perquisite of upwards of £ 200, to which the dealers contributed about £6,000.. Thirteen thousand guns were licensed in Scotlano last year. «-~ns Liverpool proposes to obtain a supply of water Eton# Lake Windermere at a cost of £1,500,000. The Glasgow News, referring to the steady in the number of church organs erected in Scotland, remans that the supply of players is so scarce that organists nave be imported.. According to the latest arrangements, ber Majesty the Queen is expected to reside in Scotland tiU about middle of June, and will probably again visit Balmoral August. There were 171 fatal cases of smaU-pox Manchester and Salford between the 1st of JannaiT^n the 8th of May, exclusive of those oecurring in the Aionsiu* HospitaL tha An official statement comes from Salonica to w effect that thirty-six men, more or less implicated Ul recent disturbances there, have been quietly arrested, that perfect tranquillity prevails. At a little gathering the other evening, eoinebodir asked a man if he was fond of the opera. He said he passionately. He always liked that part where the lady rides around and jumps through the hoops.—Court Journal. A party of working men from the different clubs in London visited St. Paul's Cathedral on Saturday, and were shown over the building by the Rev. Canon Gregory. At an open-air meeting held on Plumstead-commoS on Saturday afternoon, in support of the POTmisslveB l^ vote of thanks was accorded the Right Hon. W. E. for supporting the Irish Closing BilL We are able to announce that the accounts of expenses connected with the Prince of Wales s show that the sum of £ 60,000 voted has not been exceeaeu- It will, therefore, not be necessary to ask for any furtner vo of money.—Vanity Fair. Mr. Disraeli's recent speech on Central Asia is to be regarded In German semi-official circles as affOi'W" evidence of the frendllness of Great Britain towards alliance of the three Emperors. The Inland Revenue penny stamp, as a commercial lever, Is not to be despised. Although a small unit in itsei»f when aggregated last year the receipts, drafts, <fcc., ol low value gave a revenue of nearly £ 800,000 sterling I A Scotch student, as usual supposed to be deficien In judgment, was recently asked by a professor, to the coiuj" of his examination, how he would discover a fool. By question he would ask," was the prompt and highly. lugger tive reply. Commenting en the Board of Trade Returns for tbØ last quarter, The Times says they fail to show that return 01 commercial life which has been so long awaited. In neany all direetions the paralysis of business which set in as earn as 1872 is still apparent. The sheep farmers in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. who invariably commence sheep shearing the first week in MalL have unanimously agreed to defer the process for a xortnlK^j in consequence of the cold weather, and the local WO° markets are postponed for a month. Blue Teas" and Samivars" are the latest terfljjj for five o'clock tea-parties across the Atlantic, Kew„ drums "having gone out of fashion. "Pudding Ianch61 are the rage in Baltimore—puddings of all kinds forming staple portion of the meal—while "Apple Butter PartM". and Myrtle Germans are the singular titles of other sovw gatherings. Mr. Sidebottom, M.P., speaking at a dinner givetf to the Glossop volunteers on Saturday, remarked that WjJ volunteer movement in this country had not been its influence on foreign Powers, but had on many occasion* added weight to our counsels and force to our diplomacy" It also proved that only an Insignificant number of peopw accepted the doctrines of the peace-at-any-price party. The death took place at Bristol on Monday of Alderman Procter, who recently presented the city with, splendid Mansion House, worth, with the furnishing, £ 15,WJ or d616 000. He had made other gifts to the city. He W the head of the manure firm of H. and S. Proctor, and uP personalty is expected to reach half a million sterling. The Pope completed his 84th year on Saturday (13th) having been born at Sinigaglla on the 13th of Ma1, 1792. He was elected to the Papacy just thirty years agw viz., on the 1st June, 1840. On Saturday he received maw congratulatory deputations, and his health is said to D vigorous. At a recent dinner in New York city the menfl were attached to toy balloons which were tethered by tug threads to small weights near each guest's plate. When was necessary to consult the menu the balloon was pnU^ down by the thread. Daring the entire dinner they mained floating above the diner's heads, bobbing hither a» thither in the adverse currents of air. The mania in English "high life" for driving coaches is heartily ridiculed by a Gallic "special "who bat been present at the starting of the coaches from PlccadiliJj "These strange public conveyances," says our critic, of no earthly use, and are run solely to show that EDgllJlY men are the first drivers in the world, and that there nothing (^rogatory or undignified for the highest in ™ land to hold the reins of a mail-coach.—Court Journal. A conference of the representatives of the An{ £ Income Tax Associations has been held in London at Westminster Palace Hotel A deputation to the ChanceU^ of the Exchequer was agreed to. It was also resolved all local associations be requested to urge upon their repj sentatives In Parliament the importance of increased acti*w and vigilance in support of the entire abolition of the ts^ special objection being taken to the proposed increase of per cent. in the amount. A beggar recently applied for alms at the door of partisan of the Anti-Mendicity Society In Edinburgll- After vainly detailing his manifold sorrows, he was peretM> torily dismissed by the inexorable gentleman. Go said he, go we canna gie ye naething." You might, least," returned the mendleant, with an air of (treat dign* and archness, "haverefused me grammatically." It is curious to observe the neck and neck betwixt Postal Cards and Postal Wrappers. The CsgJJ reached last year a sale of eighty-two millions, wh»i« *Tj Wrappers shot ahead only to about eighty-eight DaWion^ These numbers are certainly enormous in themselves, the use of these postal instruments is only limited as The Cards last year stepped out at one stride, nearly millions, but the Wrappers beat them by Increasing itf lions in the same time. f The briekwork surrounding the memorial-stone 0 the new parish church at Slough, recently laid by PrUtffJJ Christian, was broken through on Sunday sight, and^ bottle which had been placed within the stone taken «»J doubtless with the expectation of finding in it the curr%j coins of the realm. The bottle, however, contained ° papers and documents. The United States Senate has confirmed thei pointment of the first woman who has ever received a St*. office. The lady's name is Josephine Shaw LowelL She nominated by the Governor for the office of State 100;, mlssioner of Charities in the place of Commission^ Marshall. Mrs. Lowell belongs to a distinguished K"( England family. Her husband—a nephew of the Lowell-and her only brother were killed in the late war. The continued depression of trade in the Unitj, States, as well as the scarcity of money among the agriC"* tural and labouring classes in Germany, has had the of materially checking the outflow of labour from the 1»"JJ country and from the returns given by Consul Annesley his commereial report on Hamburg for the past year, issued, it seems that emigration from Germany to Amen1" was nearly one-half lower in 1876 than in 1874, In the fifty-mile trial race of the Bicycling bridge University) Club, which took plaoe on Mondays see which three candidates should be representatives et Cambridge against Oxford, the honour fell to Keith Falcon (Trinity), who completed the distance in 3h. 20m. s1"!1 Collier (Jesus) being second, with 3h. 21min. 35sec., &P"" Bodds (Trinity) third, with Sh. 30min 46sec. A singular claim has been made against the est* < qf the fourth Lord Rivers by two gentlemen who discovery during the lifetime of that nobleman that he was entitled J? some shares in the Shadwell Waterworks Company, up to that time had remained unclaimed. Vice*Chance*^ Bull, bowever, dismissed their bill on the ground that t had been no legal contract which could charge the est**?J but he refused to give costs, as he had no doubt the ess*^ had been benefited by the petitioners' discovery. t ( Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by the press of Germany and Princess Beatrice, paid a private on Saturday forenoon to the loan collection of sclenjjv apparatus in the exhibition galleries at South Kensing*^ | and afterwards inspected the school of Music. There present the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambric^ Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, the Duke of Richmond Gordon, and many distinguished men of science, of wb° | those specially familiar with the chief objects in the g^ display had the honour of pointing them out to her A supplement to tbe London Gazette was pnblisk| on Saturday, containing an Order in Council directing tjjjj from the 18th inst. the Animals Order of 1875 shall be and have effect as if Dover, Folkstone, and Newhaven not named in Article 63, and Dover was not named In Arflrj, 71 of that Order, and after this Order takes effect fore"^ animals shall not be landed at any of those ports. The Oro of Council of August 10, 1869, defining the port of Dov°j} within which foreign cattle might be landed for llaughter, revoked. a Weston, the pedestrian, was unsuccessful in the hfK portion of his double event, which he commenced..4 Klng's-road Rink, Brighton, at three o'clock on afternoon to last week. He tried to reach 100 miles wltb°j resting, but at six o'clock on Saturday morning, when he w¡a accomplished 80 miles in fifteen hours, he was obligee take two hoars' rest, after which he proceeded with rjj attempt to complete 125 miles within 30 hours. This he with an hour and a half to spare, and when 80 hours completed he bad walked 130 miles. Two half miles j t walked backward, and during one mile he played solos °v I cornet, accompanied by the band. 1 At a fancy fair held in the Palais Bourbon a le- d-t; ago, whereat Madame MacMahon kept a stall, one of most valuable contributions, in point of market price, 1I,J a presentation copy, with the autograph of the Authoress of Leaves from Our Journal in the HighlOp^ It was jjiven by the Queen to a Belgian Baroness, at death it was sold by weight with many other books to jJJ dealer on the Quai Voltaire. A Countess well knowfl^ Parisian society saw it on his stall, and purchased it in ot°g to transfer it to her own. It was sold for a large sum at Bazaar. # Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Thomson, Mayor of Li* m pool, died on Saturday morning at his residence, Leijfl Priory, West Denbigh, near Liverpool The cause of d«»$ was bronchitis. He was aboat sixty-three years of age, a native of Aberdeenshire. The firm of George Thomson Co., with which he was connected up to a few years were largely engaged as railway contractors, and execo several works, not only in England, but also abroad, par- larly In Spain and Russia. p | Mr. Wright made an as cent in his new baU0^ Excelsior from the Crystal Palace on Saturday last,^ companled by Messrs. G. Wilton and H. Everard. J- # balloon took a south-west direction, and at 6.15 got i very cold atmosphere, and at the height of 4,500 feet enteCjj a cloud, and was enveloped In snow for ten minutes. Lf sun during the ascent and previously to the balloon's eO^ ing the Gloud was shining brightly. The passengers ded to the park at Mickleham Hall, near Leatherhead, *^1 curiously enough a small paper balloon Which was on leaving the Crystal Palace and lost sight of was ™ caught to a tree close to where they themselves felL An American paper says that the stories teld of Stewart's poverty In early life are groundless. Be pff never otherwise than comfortably off. Having los* father at an early age, his grandfather, a man °f, y-jjiv shrewdness and sagacity, proposed to make a scholar o}Jz7tf He first attended a school In Belfast, and afterwards JWfte College, Dublin. At twenty years of age he became^ head of the family, and at that period he had an ioc" a I comfortable enough to support him. Upon comins^ America he had no definite aim, and having brought America he had no definite aim, and having brought letters of introduction he secured at once a creditable V^ji tion. He was a student more than anything else, for the recommendation of Mr. Chambers, from *^<9 family Chambers-street takes its name, he never would entered into trade at all. Hit first investment was *1' worth of insertion and tcoilpp trimmings in Belfast. A correspondent signing himself F. B." the GlobeI witnessed a domestic scene to-day Zoo, which you may like to record, between two Bra* bird? called caracara, of the hawk species. I was att»*j^ to this cage by a sharp, cry, and found one bird att the other: a deep wound in the breast of the latter visible. The blood that fell from the wounded bird yjd greedily sucked or picked up by its assailant, who ben» in this unneighbourly manner rather to gratify a 111 jt cannibal taste than through any feeling of hostility, j t course, called a keeper, who separated the birds, f" hope they will not be reunited under the same r<x»- r tA pelican, we all know, In fable at least, feeds its oBW on its own blood; the caracara Improves on tbe »a° Opting it to its more civilised requirements."

enr fotttoit CormgimiittiL [We deem it right to state that we do net at an times Identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.] The presence of the Empress of Germany in London and the return of the Piince of Wales have combined to make the capital very gay. Within forty-eight hours the Qaeen held two Drawing-rooms at Buckingham Palace, and the arrival of the Heir-apparent on the day which separated those two events reminded many of the dwellers in the metropolis of bygone times, when the West-end was regularly alive with courtly bustle and animation. The Prince had been away exactly seven months; he left on the 11th of chill October as the poets would have it, and came back with as again on the 11th of merrie May," a phrase equally poetical and inexact. Indeed I doubt if May were not the colder of the two months, and the keen north-east winds which now periodically visit us have done much to deprive it at its reputation for warmth and geniality. As to the Empress of Germany, her presence reminded many of the laconic but expressive telegrams addressed to her by her august husband during the war with France nearly six years ago. One great event after another was announced in the most terse and concise manner. For instance there was the first great battle, fought on the the 6th August, 1870, when the Crown Prince, at the head of an army of 120,000 men, barst upon Marshal MacMahon at Woerth, and dealt France a blow from which she never recovered. The aged monarch telegraphed to the presentEmpress, then Queen of Prussia, in these terms Wonderful luck! Great victory won by Fritz!" The crowning triumph of Sedan was announced in equally concise terms—a triumph which destroyed the Empire of France and made the Empire of Germany. When Metz surren- dered, the message ran: Metz has capitulated. This one of the most important events of the month." Not of the month only, but really of centuries, for it put an end to the dreams of a Rhenish frontier for France, pushed her boundaries back to the Moselle, lost her two splendid provinces, and gave her foes possession of a fortress which so long as it is held by Germany must place France absolutely at the mercy of her conquerors. Metz is nearer to Paris than Liverpool is to London, and if a foreign Power held the great port upon the Mersey, and turned it into a fortress of immense strength against us, net much could be said for the independence of either the capital or of the country. The world of art has lately had quite enough to talk about in the extraordinary price given for Gains- borough's portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, which has been sold by Messrs. Christie and Mauson for the enormous sum of £10,500. We often hear the works of the old Italian masters praised very highly and compared with those of English artists, greatly to the disadvantage of the latter; but it may be fakly questioned if even the masterpieces of such men as Michael Angelo, Titian, Rubens, and Tintoretto would fetch a much larger sum. The painting in question is undoubtedly one of very great merit, exhibiting in a superlative degree the artist's excellencies in richness of colour and harmony, per- fection of position and delicacy of expression. Yet the gentleman who bought it for JE65 was enabled to sell it for ten thousand one hundred guineas! This was a far better investment than many of those which have been heard of lately upon the Stock Exchange! The reign of Queen Anne has often been described as the Augustan age of English literature, and it was also a time of great military victories by the Duke of Marlborough. The reign of Qaeen Victoria may well go down to history as the age of geographical exploration and discovery. Travellers, like poets, are born-not made. They wander in unknown lands as if by instinct, and having once experienced the attrac- tions of romantic travel, they have seldom been able to go without them, and settle down into the common- place routine of life in civilized communities. Within the last few yeaas we have had the adventures of Livingstone, Captain Burton, Sir Bartle Frere, Mr. Stanley, Captain Speke, and, latest of all, Lieutenant Cameron. Never since the times of Queen Elizabeth, when Raleigh, Drake, Frobisher, and others made the name of England for ever illustrious in the history of adventurous discovery and scientific exploration has there been an age so fertile in distinguished travellers as the present. This is a re- mMkable fact to set against the repeated assertions of those who mourn over the decay of chivalry, and the loss of physical strength and endurance in Britain. The national flag is found floating in the most remote and inaccessible regions in tha globe, and at this very I moment an attempt is being made to plant it by reso- lute and daring men in the vicinity of the North Pole itself. Grosvenor House, in Upper Grosvenor-street, Park lane, is internally one of the most splendid of the pala- tial mansions of the nobility. It is the town residence of the Duke of Westminster, the proprietor of the soil upon which stands the richest part of London— Belgravia and Tyburnia. The income of his Grace is estimated at a million sterling per annum, and he has always in his employment a numerous army of work- men who ave engaged in laying out of new streets and the reconstruction of houses upon the valuable Grosvenor Estate. The residence of the Duke is often thrown open for the advancement of a good cause, and | on the day of the arrival of the Prince of Wales in town, a fashionable and distinguished company aa- sembled at Grosvenor House to listen to a concert by the pupils of the Royal Normal College for the Education of the Blind. Those who received invita- tions had the privilege of going over the mansion— a treat to lovers of art of which they did not fail to avail themselves. Last year the Earl of Dadley threw open his house in Park-lane for a similar laudable object. I may add that the term Lane," as applied to many a thoroughfare in London, is often likely to be misunderstood. Park-lane, for instance, is one of the most aristocratic streets in the metropolis, and none but those with very large incomes can afford to live there. Few sayings have been more often quoted than that of the Duke of Wellington, which described the Battle of Navarino, fought in 1827, as an untoward event." In that fight Russia joined with England to destroy í the Turkish fleet, and the Dake's political sagacity < told him that the strengthening of Russia at the ex. pense of Turkey was a piece of unwisdom which sooner or later would be regretted. The chastisement of Turkey was then carried out in the cause of the inde- pendence of Greece for the rule of the Turk was synonymous with cruelty, oppression, and fanaticism, and it was hoped that a revived Greece might reflect the glories of her ancient namesake. These expecta- tions have not been realised, but on the other hand the Turk has done nothing to redeem his character in the public opinion of Europe. The recent outbreak of re- ligious intolerance at Salonica may, if not avenged by the Ottoman Government itself, prove almost as untoward an event for the Mussulman as Navarino. The assassination of the French and German Consuls by a "rabidly fanatical mob has natu- rally provoked much indignation in both coantries; and unless punishment is awarded by the Sublime Porte to the perpetrators of this outrage, the two nations which have been insulted by the slaying of their representatives will, if they are unable to agree in anything else, unite in exacting reparation for a cowardly and fatal attack upon two defenceless men, whoee offence was that they differed in religious belief from the faith of the Moslem. During the session of Parliament, announcements frequently appear in the papers to the effect that Her Majesty held a Council at Windsor or at Osborne on this or that particular day. To this, of course, only Privy Councillors are admitted, and such as have special business to transact with the Sovereign. All Privy Councillors have the distinction of Right Honourable, and they are bound by oath to reveal none of the secrets which may be entrusted to their keeping while they enjoy the confidence of the Crown. The Council is, indeed, almost as old an institution as the Monarchy itself. It was first formed by King Alfred in 895, and the shadows of nearly a thousand years thus look down upon it. The number of members was originally twelve, bat it is now unlimited, and, with the Irish Council, consists at present of about 250 lords and gentlemen. When Her Majesty presides at a Council, those attending it appear in Court dress—a custom which formerly applied to meet- ings of the Cabinet. In these later times, however, the Cabinet Ministers dispense with such ceremony, and assemble at the official residence of the Prime Minister at Whitehall in the ordinary attire of English gentlemen. Yet court dress at Cabinet Councils was worn within the recollection of many living, although in the excitement of the passing of the mst Reform Bill, the Ministers had sometimes to be summoned so hastily that there was no time for changing, and from this circumstance the practice gradually died out. Court dress is, however, still necessary to all who attend the Parliamentary banquets of the Speaker, which are given on Wednesday evenings to the members of the House of Commons without distinction of party. "The gathering of the eagles" is an expression I which is often used in reference to the partition of Poland by Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, when a great kingdom was suddenly pounced upon by three more powerful neighbours, and divided between them. It has also been frequently heard of late in alluding to the proposals of the same powers for the treatment of Turkey. Each of them adopts the eagle as its national standard, and history shows that in all ages this stately bird has been a favourite emblem with warlike nations. Four hundred years before the Christian era the standard of the eagle was borne by the Persians at the Battle of Cunafa, and when the Romans were masters of the known world, they carried gold and silver eagles as ensigns, sometimes representing them. with a thunderbolt in their talens on the point of a spear. "Where the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together," was a prophecy relating to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies. Charlemagne added the second head to the eagle for his arms, to denote that the empires of Rome and Germany were united in him. France, like Russia, Germany, and Austria, adopts the eagle as its ensign, so that the bird can scarcely be said to be the distinctive embodiment of the strength of any particular nationality. The "British lion" stands out unique in that respect. It may be added that the lion and unicorn, the former English, and the latter Scottish, became the supporters of the Royal arms on the accession of James I. in 1603. Amongst the thousands who daily pass along Cheap- side, and note the name Bread-street" on the comer of a little thoroughfare running southward from that crowded street, there are comparatively few who have any idea of the origin of the term. This little tho- roughfare, then, was once the London market for bread, for until 1302 the metropolitan bakers were not allowed to sell any in their own shops. The tall ware- houses of to-day occupy the site of what was then an open mart where people of the capital daily assem- bled to make their necessary purchases. But bread is an institution, the making of which can be traced back to the earliest times. It was known in the patri- archal ages, as witness the records in the Book of Exodus; it was familiar to the Chinese 4,000 years ago; the baking of bread became a profession in ancient Rome; and was carried to a state of perfection in flourishing Macedon. Although in the language of Holy Writ, man cannot live by bread alone, it is so essential to life that a host of textB scattered through- out the Scriptures testify to its value and importance as a sustaining agency in the maintenance of human vitality. And for centuries, in all Christian lands, the lips ef children from earliest infancy have been taught to repeat a prayer—not for vegetables, nor for animal food, not for wine, nor even for milk, but Give us this day our daily bread."

THE "CASWELL" MUTINY. (From LLOID'S.) QUKHSTOWN, May 18. The Caswell, bark, arrived here in tow of the Goshawk, gunboat. REPoRT or J AMIS CARRICK, ABLB SJWUN, IN CHARGX or "CASWELL," BABI. The crew on leaving Antifogasta consisted of Captain Best, mate and second mate. steward, three Greek teamen, two ItaUan seamen, two English seamen, carpenter, and two boys. "On the 4th of January the Greeks and Italians mutinied and murdered the captain, mate, second mate, and steward. Carrick, who knew something of navigation, took charge, as the foreign seamen wanted to take the vessel to Greece. About a month afterwards, when off the coast of Brazil, the boys overneard a plot between the Greeks and Italians to murder the remaining Englishmen on board. Carrick and the carpenter succeeded In overcoming one Greek, whom they put in irons, but were compelled to kill the other two Greeks—one of whom was ringleader of the mutiny—in self- defenee. The two Italians then left the vessel in one of the boats, taking with them a letter from Carrick to deliver on there. The vessel was brought on to this port by Carrick. an English seaman, carpenter, and two boys, and a little English boy, who swam from the French barque Legaal when on the Equator."

Christo Sambo, was brought before the magistrates at Queenstown on Monday. The hearing was, how- ever, adjourned for a week, in order that time may be given for the preparation of the evidence.

THE PRINCE and PRINCESS of WALES AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY. (From Monday's Daily Newt.) On Sunday afternoon the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Connaught, attended the afternoon service in Westminster Abbey. No public announcement of the intended visit had been made, but a large crowd assembled, attracted probably by the fact that Dean Stanley was to preaeh. The first intimation of the presence of their Royal Highnesses spread through the congregation on the organ playing the National Anthem. Then the congregation stood up, and saw the Prince of Wales accompanying the Princess up the choir, closely followed by the Dukes of Edinburgh and Connaught. Their Royal Highnesses occupied seats on the south side of the choir, immediately below tbe clergy. The Dean, who wore the Ribbon of the Garter, chose for his text the first verse of Psalm cxxii. The Psalm, he said, was one of the songs in which the Israelites, after their exile, ex- pressed their joy at finding themselves once more within prospect of home. They had been sojourners in a mighty empire entirely j unlike their own. Their ideas of hhtory and religion had become enlarged in some respects they were a lesser nation, in some respects much greater. For they had received a new and mighty impulse, which ended in nothing less than the greatest etent in the world's history, the advent of Christianity. The two feelings of the human heart consecrated by the Psalms to the return of the Israel- ites were the value of home, and the value of new and wide experience. Surely there was not one single man in the congregation in whom the value of home was not one of his nearest and dearest thoughts, or who did not in some measure respond to the appeal in which the poet asked—in words almost too familiar to be quoted— Breathes there a man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land; Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand ? There had not been a generation of men for the last three thousand years, and there would not be a gene- ration of men to the end of time, who would not read with sympathy and delight the story on which the greatest master of ancient poetry spent all his heart, where he pictured the return of Ulysses, his wife, counting the weary days and nights in the hills of Ithaca, the dog leaping up in his master's face and dying of joy, the aged servants recognising their long- lost chief as he trod once more his father's threshold. To every man worthy of the name the thoughts of mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sis- ters are amongst the most inspiring, the most purify- ing, the most elevating, of all the motives which God has given us to steady our steps, to guide our con- sciences, and to nerve us for duty through "all the changes and chances of this mortal life." Happy, thrice happy, was he or she who kept the sanc- tuary—home—holy, pore, and undefiled; false to country and false to the true interests and the only progress of human kind was he or she who under- mined it. Not charity only, but all the virtues of which charity was the bond began and ended at home. Was there any Englishman or Englishwoman so dead to the greatness of our country, so hard to the instincts of humanity, as not to desire with all their hearts that the household thus blest by Providence in its outward deliverances from sickness and sorrow and danger should be also in all those things which alone could make a home truly happy and a family truly noble and truly royal ? A fresh responsibility had been laid upon the nation by the recent visit paid to India, It was not for nothing that to many of them there might have been of late called up visions of numberless, 8warming populations of their Indian cities. It was not for nothing that they had tracked on the map or in reality the scenes of the splendid, if at times harsh, and valiant deeds by which India was won for us, or of the heroic courage and endurance by which, in thfO time of the mutiny, it was preserved to us. Itwasnotfornothing that they might have read or heard of the monstrocities of idolatrous worship or the debasement of unchecked superstition, or, on the other hand, of the marvels of the sacred river, or the snow clad heights, the highest of earthly heights, or the luxuriance of the loveliest of tropical forests, and the grandeur of the monuments which Christendom haa never surpassed and rarely equalled. All these things had been unrolled before them for their good, and for the good of others. More countless multitudes, those fairy cities, would hence- forth become close spectators of our action, the near recipients of our beneficence; every crying need for spiritual help. every just complaint, every high aspira- tion from those distant shores ought thenceforth to find more ready access to their hearts; every act of grace or courtesy whieh they had shown, or might show, to- wards those subject races; every firmer grasp on the eternal principle, justice and charity, that they could exhibit towards them would henceforth strike with a double force on those who were drawn to them by the bonds of personal regard or personal know- ledge. Every deed of good or Ul, that they should perform anywhere was henceforth enacted not only in "the fierce white light that beats upon the throne," but in the presence of the gazing "eyes and listening ears of peoples, of kindreds, and of nations which no man could number." "I was glad when they said unto me, we will go up into the house of the Lord." Once before he had preached within those walls on that text. It was on the Sunday following the day when the whole of this vast city and nation was stirred up as one man to go to the great metropolitan Cathedral to return thanks for the re- covery of their beloved Prince from a terrible struggle of life and death, which for weeks people had followed with trembling eagerness and anxiety. In the five years that had since passed much had taken place in opportunities, mercies, visitations, and now had come another moment, less exciting, perhaps, less solemn than that festival, yet still it reminded them of that other time. Here also there had been an escape from perils, which, if unseen, were hadly less imminent; here also there was thanksgiving, which, from the Queen downwards, they all shared; here again they were as,. sembled in a venerable church, which, if less august than the great Cathedral of St. Paul's, was yet to many, to most of them, even more closely endeared. On that occasion he asked them to commemorate the general feeling of thankfulness by contributing to the restoration of the great metropolitan CathedraL On this occasion it happened that the time fell in with the contributions yearly made to the yet mere pressing and constant need of strengthening the hands of the chief pastor of the metropolis in his efforts for the good of the neglected masses of this city; and he could not imagine a more fitting moment for such a thank- offering. The voice ef the living and the voice of the dead all combined to tell them that the genuine thank- offering for mercies such as they had received, had but one adequate expression, and that was in a humble desire for goodness, increase of wisdom, increase of firmness, increase of contempt for what is vile and base, increased determination to fight man- fully in the faith of Christ crucified, and under his victorious banner against sin, the world, and the devil. Let us, said the Dean, in conclusion, join once more, and for the last time, in the words of the prayer offered every Sunday in this place, that the journey of the heir of this realm, now by the good pro- vidence of God, safely accomplished, may tend to his own best happiness, and the happiness of those nearest and dearest to him; to the welfare, physical, moral, and spiritual of the people of our Indian Empire, and of those of our own legal commonwealth, to the glory of Almighty God-the holy, the just, the merciful, and the pure. May the eternal Lord, who has blessed his going out, bless yet more abundantly his coming in, from this time forth for evermore. At the appointed place in the prayers that followed, the Dean said I am desired by the Prince and Prin- cess of Wales to announce that they desire to return their most hearty and humble thanks to Almighty God for the safe return of his Royal Highness from India. A collection was made at the doors on behalf of the Bishop of London's Fond.

MR. W. E. FORSTER ON SCRIPTURAL EDUCATION. A significant demonstration, at once a pretty spectacle for holy day njaker? and a practical coaimen- tary on the many controversies of 1M, years in aud out of Parliament on religious education was held in the Crystal Palace on Saturday, in the presentation of 4,000 Bibles and Testaments, the gift of Mr. Francis Peek and of the Religious Tract Society, to pupil teachers and children of the London School Board. Mr. W. E. Forster, M.P., who made the presenta- tion, said there was much in that gathering to soothe the fears and remove some doubts which were felt by many during the passing of the Elementary Education Act. The 4,000 children present, picked out of 126,000 children in the London board schools, represented children who would have been untaught but for that Act, and besides that, the average atten- dance in denominational sehools last year was 35,000 above what it was in 187L The majority j in Parliament said at the time of the passing of the Act, notwithstanding the Btrong objections that were expressed, that parents would prefer to have children taught in the Bible, that the ratepayers would require the Bible to be taught, and that teachers would most gladly teach it. That gathering he thought showed that the majority had good reason for their faith. The London School Board had set the example in undenominational Bible teaching to school boards throughout the country, and he did not believe there was any probabillity of a departure from the course 1 they had taken. Out of 126,000 children in the London board schools, the number of with- drawals from religious instruction, according to the last returns, had been only 126, and the majority of them did so, not from any conscientious objections, but merely from motives of convenience. He quoted an inspector of the London School Board to prove that religious instruction was as thoroughly and as reverentially imparted in the Board schools as in voluntary schools. He asserted that teachers found the Bible lesson to be their greatest hold over the obedience and affections of the children; while so far from conscientious objections existing on the part of parents to the religious teaching, they, on the contrary, showed their desire that their children might benefit by it, by sending them early enough in the morning, the Bible lesson being the first in the time table.

AMERICAN HUMOUR. An Indianopolis reporter calls the late unsuccessful printers' strike in that city a typographical blunder." There is a publican in New York so remarkably stout that he retails his shadow at sixpence a pot Came to his death while being hit on the head with a long-handled stewpan in the hands of his wife," was the verdict in a recent case in Illinois. Jonathan Briggs, of New York, has a memory so long that he is obliged to tie it in a knot to carry it about with him- A journalist says that the girl of the period prides herself on being no larger round than a candle." What he means is that she has a tapet waist In Indianopolis, a starving vagrant is engaged in selling his wife's wedding ring to buy bread. His average sales are twenty-five rings per week. A citizen of Chicago recently found it necessary to publish a card to the effect that he had not come to an un. timely end by committing suicide." A New Orleans gentleman named Moore, proposed to a lady by letter, and she asked time to consider his pro- positions, closing her letter with the words: No more at preseot." A disconsolate gentleman in Chicago advertises that the thief who stole his well-backet and rope will oblige him by coming and taking the well, for which he has now no use A Milwaukie coroner's jury rendered a verdict that a man whose body waa found in the river came to his death by a blow on his head, which was given before or after drowning." There is a man in Massachusetts 80 straitened in his circumstances that he Is obliged to get his waistcoats made at a lunatic asylum, and there is another who has lived so long in the State of O hi o, that he can't pay anybody. An Irishman and a Yankee met at a tavern, and there was but one bed for them. On retiring the Yankee said he did not care which side of the bed he took. Then," said Pat, you may take the under side." A traveller stopping over night with a Texan farmer whose estate was miles and miles in extent, said to him, "You must have begun life very early to accumulate such an estate as this."—" Yes," replied the farmer, I began life when I was a mere baby." Brigham Young is a director of the Utah Southern Railroad, and has a family pass The road, however. insists upon being notified in advance when his family wants to travel over it, that they may place more rolling stock on It. A San Francisco paper, giving an account of a visit to a dissecting room in that city, and the arrangements for the lupplyof bodies thereto, naively observes, The moment the breath has fairly left the body the deceased has no fur- ther interest in the proceedings." Important question discussed by a debating society in Milwaukie :—" Whether an untidy woman with a sweet temper is to be preferred to a tidy one with a sour temper 1" The controversy, according to the last report, was still raging, and no vote had been taken. He was taken sick in the night, and his young wife, in her youthful ignorance, made two mustard plasters, and put one in front and one behind. He was a well-bred man, and merely said that he realised the secret of the sensation felt by a well mustarded sandwich. An American special correspondent on his way to the Philadelphia Exhibition, crossed the Passaic Falla and writes thuslyof that liquid:—"The Passaic Falls are very high. At night the moon silvers the rolling, writhing tor- rent, which, plunging, fills the chasm almoat to its top with a roaring, Inowy cloud of foam. The huge black plnealtand with bowed heads and drooping arms in the massy midst, and far below in the dim basin the white waters rush from the embraces of the cataract with a saddening wail. Do not cross the bridge without an umbrella The other day (says a New York paper) we noticed the following warning stuck up in a ferry-boat" Passengers are prohibited from leaving the boat till made fast to the bridge." As we drove on, after reaching shore, we came to a bridge over a small stream, and learned from a conspicuous placard that "Peraona must not cross this bridge while in motion." A bear attacked a Texan farmer's cabin one night, when the farmer got up into the loft, leaving his wife and children to take care of themselves- The wife seized a poker and aimed a happy blow at Bruin. Give it to him. Nancy cried the valiant husband. After Bruin was dead, he came down from the loft, and exclaimed, Hancy, my dear, ain't we brave ? A St. Louis fashion reporter being detailed to write up the horse railroads, thus describes agorgeoua new car Car No. 86 is a beauty. She is trimmed in yellow, and gold leaf put on bias, corsage decoliette, trucks rotundo and en tablier, brakes entrain, with gable-potntedrevera of wrought iron. The seats are of cotton velvet, panier en pouffe, bound around with a fichu of red tape. Aa a whole, the car is a very recherchfi affair." The proprietors of a New York paper offer the fol- lowing advantages to all who subscribe to it .-To have their hair cut free for a year. and the offer of free vaccination every three months. Every subscriber who pays three years in advance will be entitled to a coffin, free of charge, at his death, or in lieu of that article his heirs may have six silver spoons. A Detroit lady purchased a jacket at a Woodward avenue store the other day, and the clerk said he would send it right home inside of half-an-bour. In about four hours a package boy appeared with the garment, and the impatient lady exclaimed: You boys are the greatest naisance in town. I suppose you stopped to play marbles or hunt mp a lost dog!" "Indeed I didn't," he replied. "I went home to change hats and ma ahe had to try on the jacket and parade before the glass. Then Katv put it on to make a call, and when she got bask ma was determined to walk over on Woodward-avenue to shew it off, and I got here as quick as I could."