The Aberdare Times

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. T 6F LORDS, May 22, Lord Derby, in reply to «>ra Granville, who said it was understood that France and JLtaly had agreed to some new proposals suggested by fi-pr- many, Russia, and Austria for the pacification of the revolted provinces of Turkey, obseived that ihe e v j.r<>pos*)s of ih« ♦>l*ee ^wt IE ha<4 been MSBsi.teJ to by France and Ita-ly bnt Jne British Government, after cauful c.>»'Si"erit.ion. felt theni.etves unable to give their consent to them, ihiu 'h he was not able to afford any information re-pectu g them at present, because, as far as he was aw..re, they were Dot yet lorraally communicated to the Porte. Lord Carnarvon moved the second reading of the Cruelty to Animals Bill, the provisions of wtiich are founded on the Recommendations of the commission appointed to inquire Ibto the practice of vivisection. The Bill provides that Vivisection should only be performed with a view to the ad- vancement of human knowledge, the proloncation of human life, or the alleviation of human.suffering that it mutt take place in a registered place that it must be performed by a person duly licensed by the Hume Secretary; that the animals mutt be put under the influence of auestiieties that Where pain would be prolonged after the anaesthetic tff C's had subsided the animals should be killed and that experi- ments should not be made by way of mere illustration in lectures to students. The Duke of Somerset thought the able Report of the Commission of Inquiry on the subject went beyond the legitimate conclusions to be drawn from the evidence, and hè regarded the Bill as going further than the legitimate results of the Report. He quite agreed in the provision of the Bill that there should be no public exhibition 01 expert- ments, though he should object to their being carried on in Perfect secrecy, and he feared that the Bill was calculated to Put a stop to all original research. Lord Shaftesbury thanked the Government for bringing m the Bill; and after a short discussion, in which Lords flenniker, Airlie, S'anley of Alderley, Winmarleigh, and Cardwell took part, the Bill was read a second time. jQjW»e ^other business being disposed of. their Lordships ad- In the HorsE OF COMMONS, Mr. Disraeli replied at some to a question, addressed to him by Mr. M. Brooks, as probability of the Royal mercy being extended to the offenders still suffering punishment for breaches of their allegiance to Her Majesty in connexion with the Fenian con- spiracy. He began by informing the House that there are at Present in custody only 15 prisoners who came within this category, and he declined to admit that the two men who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to penal servitude Jor life could be described as political offenders. Of the nfteen only six were in prison in England, and referring Particularly to the case of one Devitt-who had been convicted with one Wilson for the same offence-he pointed out that while Wilson had been sentenced to seven years' Penal servitude Devitt had been sentenced to 16, which showed that, in the opinion of the Judge, Devitt's case had been marked with aggravating circumstances. But Wilson bad just served his time, and it would be Impolitic and unfair to choose this moment for putting the more heinous offender on an equality with him. All the other prisoners -Were military offenders. Three were in prison in this country, and theirs were aggravated cases; the remainder bad been transported to West Australia. Two had worked out their time and were free, and the others probably were In a condition very different from penal servitude. If they were pardoned, it must be on condition of absenting them- selves from this country, therefore their position would not be much changed. The others were cases of an aggravated character, which could not he lightly overlooked. aLd at the Present moment he was not prepared to advise Her Majesty to extend mercy to these prisoners. Mr. O'Connor Power moved the adjournment of the House to order to enter his protest against the decision of the Ministry. Considering that the whole country was rejoicing at the return of the Prince of Wales, and that a memorial Praying for a pardon had been signed by 133 members, It — Was not unnatural to expect that the Government would OaVS extended the clemency of the Ciown to these men. Mr. Anderson, on the other hand, cordially approved Mr. Disraeli's decision, and, with regard to the Manorial, said that statements were made In obtaining the Eignatures Whlcb were not in accordance with the facts. He himself had refused to sign it unless the prisoners convicted of mur- der. were specially excepted. Mr. Biggar remarked that only a country would be afraid Of pardoning half a dozen poor Irishmen which permitted a German Prince to command its Army, and was governed by Prime Minister alien in race and religion, who had truckled to Prince Bismarck. Mr. Parnell contended that the evidence against the two prisoners found guilty of murder was not conclusive; and Mr. Callan, in warm language, repudiated Mr. Anderson's statement that the signatures to the Memorial bad been improperly procured; but Mr. Briggs and Waddy both declared that they had signed the Memorial on the explicit understanding that it did not include the cases of those who had been convicted of the Shedding of blood, and the latter added that, after the temper manifested by one or two Irish mem- berg, he almost doubted the propriety of releasing men *bo might come under such influences. Mr. O'Connor hPower, however, explained that In canvassing for signatures ~e bfcd stated distinctly that it would be ior the Govern- ment to draw the line between the different classes of Prisoners. Mr. M. Brooks expressed his regret that he had put the question which had drawn such an answer, and also had provoked such language as Mr. Biggar's which he entirely repudiated for himself and the other Irish members. Mr. Stacpoole, Mr. P. Taj lor, Colonel Beresfnrd, and Mr. Butt made some observations, the last conletding thit the two prisoners mentioned by Mr. Disraeli had only been technically convicted of murder, after which the subject dropped. lu answer to Mr. Bruce, Mr. Disraell said it was true that the Government had been unable to concur entirely in the Proposals drawn up by Russia, Austria, aId Germany, and addressed to the Porte, but umil these proposals had been presented to the Porte, it would be uuf iir to lay the papers on the table. In answer (o Mr. Beresford Hope, he stated that the Whitsuntide holydays would expend from the rising of the Home on Thursday, Junel, to the following Thurtdny. The Report of amendments of the Merchant Shipping Bill occupied the remained of the evenii g. A number of new til antes, were proposed by various members, for the most part revivals of questions discussed and decided to Committee, but nearly all were withdrawn or nega- tived after a brief conversation; Colonel Beresford, however, went to a divlaion as to the clause which he again moved to compel passenger ships to carry rafts and other appliances for saving life, but he was beaten by 178 to 85. »«HIOif I.8?* r*lsed *be question of compulsory classification, but his clause was negatived by 178 to 85. grain cargoes and the deck-loading Clauses were dis- cussed at considerable length, and Mr. Piimsoll renewed his endeavours to modify or to extend them according to his special views, but was unsuccessful, except on one point. An rfbendment moved by him with the object of prohibiting jj"*oiate)y and entirely the carrying of all deck loads of in the winter months, which was negatived by the mai°rity of eight in Committee, was carried against government on this occasion by 162 to 143. Aijfl ',on< amet,dments were inserted In the BUI by Sir C. carr>tog out promises which he had given in Com- °b Thu^d** u'^ma^e'^ was or<*ere(l to be read a third time f*16 other business was disposed of, and the House ad- journed at a quarter to two o'clock.

DYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK. iting account is at hand of the voyage from [ to the United States of the Liverpool 3aJtic, Captain Perry, of the White Star line, 'ived at North River at a late hour on May before the Plymouth packet sailed (Bays the Albion). The Baltic sailed from Liverpool th of April, and Queenstown on the 21st. On loon of the 22nd, the wind blowing freshly, a sterly sea set in. Orders were given to take and while this was being done a heavy sea :e ship forward. William Merritt, an able Bngaged in stowing the jib, was washed over- The engines were stopped, and a lifebuoy wn into the sea within tifty feet of the drown- He was seen to pass the stern of the vessel ship's length, but was lost to view. After )f more than an hour the ship was again put urse. On the 23rd, about eight in the morn- rque flying signals of distress was sighted. ic bore down, and it was found that she was iregian barque Augusta, of Christlansand, in ler pumps were choked, and there was nine feet n her In Id. No time was lost in rescuing the sisting of 15 men. The captain was in a delirious and had to be removed from his vessel by force. tb, atseven in the morning, Peter Peterson, one cued crew, fell into the sea and was lost. On i heavy gale from the north-west set in. One of of the forecastle storeroom was stove in, and lage was caused in the saloon aft by pitching, is continually sweeping the decks fore and the 27th it was discovered that one of the passenger?, an Italian, had smallpox. The was at oiice placed in the deck hospital, and tad to come in contact with him were vaccina- e ship's surgeon. The passengers were not that the small-pox had broken out, as it was lat a panic might result. Upon arriving at is, the sick man was taken on shore by the tS. The steerage passengers were all vaccina- after being properly disinfected the ship ved to go to her pier. After the gale on the IDg head winds and rough seas were encoun- ing the rest of the voyage.

v ARTICLE IN A BILL.-A native of the sunny ide a sojourn at a Highland hotel. Before ie called for the bill, a request that somewhat he worthy landlord, who was not in the habit written bills nor by any means an adept at y. The traveller, however, was to be pi-zzled for, on glancing at the contents of the bill )duced, he was fairly put to a stand by the entry-" 3d. for fash." "Fash," exclaimed nant cockney, what in that f I never got Ou na, man," said the landlord coolly, gted some."

I THE PRINCE'S MENAGERIE. Mr. Frank Buckland writes in Land and Water "In the annals of the menagerie of the Tower of London er of the Zjo'og'cal Society, no greater event ha* ever <-h»n the ,¡cee¿f<j,H1. "f Ute enlU-otien jnst icaue by hi., R yat Highnt- 3 t'.o P<incy OF Camilla from Inoi#, we would, of couiaa, anticipate that the principal obj C's of inteiest would hab; ci- mells of the 'yp cki auuiittl of that country—naiufly, elephants. There are atur.ng elephants, as among h >ree*, good, bad, and ii!d:tferent; but we arequi'v cer- tain that the Indian riij ths wnu'd not allow Lit Royal Higticesa to bring back pm thing but first-eiasa ar.-inti jJs. There are, accordingly, four elephants. Two øf these are about 4ft. 6in, h'gh, and the others ara considerably larger. Tae two smaller elephants have their present lodgings in the tent with the tigers, bears, ostriches, &c. The two larger elephants have very comfortable slteping places, and a good promenade in the gallery at the back of the dens in the new lion-house. The two little elephants have been evidently very much petted by the sailors of the Serapis. They are con- tinually lifting up a foot to shake hands with the visitors, while their long, flexible, and sensitive trunks are perpetually searching about for what they can find, especially if it be anything to eat. The names of these two elephants are Bustum and Omar. There are three native attendants to act as groums to the two larger elephants, two little wiry men and a boy, with a thoroughly Eastern cast of fa ^e, and a look of com- mand about his eyes. Mr. Bartlett informed me that it had btcn ascertained that the height cf an elephant was twice round the foot. We there- fore immediately tested this theory, and found that a piece of rope fitting round the foot of the largest measured 2fc. lOin., giving the total height of the animal as 5ft. 8in., which was as nearly as possible correct. The height of an adult male Indian elephant ia from 8ft. to 10ft.; an adult female about 7ft. to 8ft. The following is, I believe, a reliable account of the growth of the elephant:—' The young animal grows very rapidly at first; by the second year it has reached the height of 4ft. after this period it increases more slowly till it has reached 20 or 22 years. They are suckled for two years; and in a wild state the young run for suck indiscriminately to any female, without regard to the mother, and thus the cry of dis- tress from any of the young generally arouses the herd. The cheek teeth appear about six or seven weeks after birth.' Associated with India are, of course, the tiger and leopard—animals almost typical of that part of the earth's surface. The two largest tigers in the Prince's collection still occupy the dens in which they came over. These are very massive strong boxes, with iron bars on each side and rings at the corners, so that they can be slung or carried about. There are in the collection four partly-grown tigers and a cub, the mother of which the Prince him- self shot. The animals next most worthy of note in the Prince's collection are the leopards there are four kittens, named respectively Emma, Jenny, Elizabeth, and Savior, and another one about, say, one-fourth grown; tbese are very playfl1llittle animals, and seem very healthy. Mr. Clarence Bartlett, son of our good friend Mr. A. D. Bartlett, superintendent of the Zoolo- gical Gardenf, London, has accompanied his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales tbrought the whole of his journey, and has supervised and carried out most successfully the difficult task of caging and trans- porting the creatures, many of them powerful, savage brutes, intiusted to his charge. Mr. Clarence Bartlett had not only charge of the live stock, but I he also had intrusted to him the preparation as taxi- dermist of the numerous and valuable natural history specimens shot by the Prince. Mr. Bartlett, senior, assisted by his son, superintended the unshipping and transport of the collection from Portsmouth to London, and he has arranged the dens and cages in the tent where they are now exhibited. Those who visit the collection will, I am convinced, be highly gratified at, and be grateful for, the admirable and ingenious arrangements he has made for the well-being of the animals, and the comfort of those who come to see them. The latest news is that the thar goat, a rare and valuable animal, on Saturday morning produced a fine healthy kid."

THE EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY FOR INJURY BILL. A deputation from the Mining Association of Great Britain, consisting of Mr. Heath, M.P., Sir Georpe Elliott. M.P., Mr. Mellor, M P., Mr. Tennant, M P., Lord Eslington, M.P., Mr. C. M. Campbell, M.P., Viscount Gulway, M.P., Mr. Sampson Lloyd, M.P., and others, has waited upon the Home Secretary. Mr. Heath, M.P., introduced the deputation, and, in doing so, said they were anxious to bring before Mr. Cross the question of employers' liability with rega'd to injuries t-*> workmen, in order to ascer- tain the G vernment's views in reference to the Bill, so that they woull know how to act in their defence. Mr. Masked Peace, the secretary, stated that the Bill had been fully coi.>s'd<rr<jd by the association, which regarded its provi«'<ris with the greatest pos- sible alarm, and submitted that it should not pass iuto law, for the reason that in every case of accident the masters would have to compensate the person damaged or the relations of the persons killed. He urged, also, that in an employment like that of mining, the risks run by the servants were compen- sated for by a high rate of wages, and, therefore, the Bill could only be calculated to encourage that reck- lessness which was proverbial among people employed in mines, who would know that if any accident hap- pened, they would be kept in idleness until they were better, and, if killed, their relatives would be sup- ported by the mine owners. He further submitted that in the case ef an accident occurring in a mine, such as an explosion wliere loss of life was very large, the pecuniary result to owners of mines would be ruinous. They had encouraged the establishment of societies in the various mining districts for the purpose of affording relief to persons injured, and had supported *them by grants of money out of their own-pockets, for the relief of the widows and children of those killed, and in that way had dispensed large sums of money. The result of a Bill like this would be that alL those salutary provisions which tended so much to promote economy and foresight in the workmen would be done away with, inasmuch as there would be no necessity for them to contribute towards such socie- ties if the burden were thus to fall upon the masters. Moreover, the societies paid dividends of about 20 per cent., and the management of them was left entirely to the men themselves. The measure was fraught with the greatest possible danger to the interests repre- sented by the deputation. It was clear that unless it could be shown that the men either contributed to the accident by their own negligence, or it was materially caused by the negligence of their fellow-workmen, the master would be made liable, especially if he neglected any precaution, such as providing proper machinery, want of proper signals, or safety-places of refuge. The Home Secretary, in reply to various members of the deputation, said he certainly could not let the Bill pass as it stood, and thought it was badly drawn. Lord Eslington asked if the Government were going to bring in a short Bill on the subject. The Home Secretary said they were not. Mr. Pease, M.P., said that a measure of such im- portance if brought forward at all should be so on the responsibility of the Government alone and not be left to private individuals. The deputation thanked Mr. Cross and retired.

AN ADVENTUROUS CAREER. (From The 'l imes.) If the time in which we live is eminentIy practical and the mechanical appliances of civilisation seem to in- volve a certain monotony in the lifes of meD, as con- trasted with those of a ruder age, there are even in these degenerate days those who know how to extract from them the elements of adventure and excitement which specially pertain to them, and to invest 19th century life with a romance peculiarly its own. Oae such has just passed away from among us. There are many in all parts of the world who when they read, in our obituary column of the 12th, the death in the Albany of Captain Charles Stewart Forbes, R.N., will recall with a sigh the daring and reckless seaman, the warm-hearted and generous friend, and cheery com- panion, whose eventful career has just closed. Few, men have lived so much in so few years, or seen and done more with so little noise. The first years cf young Forbaa" service were passed as a midshipman in the North Star, with Sir Everard Home, on the Australian station the Crmsan War found him ia C( mmand if a gunboat in the Baltic and on the breaking out of hostilities in China, he proceeded to the seere of operations as Lieutenant commanding the Alqerine. Throughout the war Lieutf nant Forbes never lost a chance cf distinguishing hitnielf, &nd the Algerine Boon became celebrated for her success in "t Irate i'iler m," Refcuruin? home just as Gaiibaldi ¡ landed in Sicily, Forbes hum-, d out ai-d was the cn'y Erglishman who participate d in the first action outside Palermo. Conspicuous from the beginning to the end of the campaign, in his blue flannel tui^and alwayninthe hottest of the fire, he s ion attracted the notice, and ul' i- mately the fri, ndsl'ip of Garibaldi, finally rccannoittiug Naplt s in a cai riage in i d vance of the General, and receiv- ing a triumphant welcome intend d for the latter, which enabled him to report on his return that the Royal troops had evacuated the city. On his return to Eng- land Forbes published an account of the campaign which is probably the most authentic record of it which exists. The success of this book tempted him to new scenes of travel, and he not long after made a m !st interesting exploration in Iceland, giving us the result of hii experience there in a graphic aud interesting form. Ou receiving his promotion be weut out to the River Plate as Commander of the Curkw, and com, pteted his term of service in those al ways stirring regions, just in time to accept the command, under Captain Sherard 0;3born9, of one of the vessel? of the t expedition which was being fitted out for the Emperor of China. Taking his vessel along the West Cuast of Afica. and touching at several ports on his way, he arrived at his destination to find the project of a Chinese Imperial Fleet, commanded by British officers, abandoned, and returned to England the bearer of despatches from Captain Osborne to the English Government. On his arrival in England, Forbes found his love of adventure almost imme- diately gratified by the command which he obtained, without difficulty, of a blockade runner, for the Ameri- can War was then at its height, and he soon distin- guished himself in his new vocation. His system of evading the enemy required that combination of skill, coolness, and courage which the habits of his life were so eminently calculated to develope. Steering his ship with his own hands, he ran into port on the darkest nights on the bearing which he had taken during the day when first sighting land, and when the small vessel which he commande i was too far out to be visible to r the blockading squadron. The close of the war found him in the harbour of Galveston, and unable to extri cate his ship, he left her, to join the fortunes of the ill- fated Maximilian in Mexico. Of his hair-breadth escapes and the varied perils he encountered during his blockade running and Mexican experiences, we have, unfortunately, no published record. After a severe at- tack of yellow fever in one of the West India Islands, wherehe narrowly escaped premature burial, he returned to England in shattered health. Scarcely, however, allowing himself time to recruit the year 1865 saw Captain Forbes once more on the way to the East. OAl this occasion bis visit was in the first instance to Saigon, for the purpose of obtaining from the French Govern- ment in Cochin China a telegraph concession, and thence he proceeded to Japan in order to negociate a loan with the Government of that country. He failed in this, but established such relations as enabled him to return to England in the capacity of Agent for the Chinese and Japanese, for the purchase of arms and vessels of war. Before leaving Japan he made a most interesting exploration of the then almost unknown island of Yesso, the results of which he embodied in a paper for the Royal Geographical Society. He now for a short time devoted himself to mercantde pur- suits connected with this agency in London, but was once more tempted out to China by the offer from the Imperial Government of the appoint- ment of Marine Commissioner and Inspector of Chinese Lighthouses. This novel and into resting position he held for about two years, when he again returned to England; this time by way of California. He was so much struck with the resources of that rapidly developing portion of the Western Hemisphere that he determined to extend his financiil operations—which bad now become oonsider- able—-in that direction. His usual shrewdness and good luck did not desert him in this new field of enter- t prise, and as the result of two expeditions to the mineral regions of Nevada he drew as a prize a share of the Comstock Mine, and about a year ago returned to his own country in possession of a very large for- tune. Unhappily it came too late. A typhus fever, during which he remained for 17 days delirious in San Francisco, shattered a constitution which much expo- sure to bad climates had undermined, and thus pre- maturely terminated a life of incident and adventure, of which we have been only able to give a brief sketch, at the comparatively early age of 47. Few men were more universally liked or more widely known. Without a decided literary faculty, Captain Forbes lived much in the world of letters but whether he was campaigning by land or by sea, or engaged in some commercial speculation, exploring an unknown country, buying a mine, or writing a book, building men-of-war, or inspecting Chinese lighthouses, his coolness, courage, and shrewd com- mon senee invariably secured success, while his kindly and genial qualities, and the originality which cha- racterised all his acts obtained for him a notoriety and popularity peculiarly his own. Had he lived in a more exciting period of the world's history he would have made himself a great name. As it is, his death hM caused a gap in a very wide and varied circle of society, and many men the most dissimilar in race, religion, and position will sigh when they hear that Charles Forbes is dead.

VISIT OF BRITISH WORKMEN TO BOULOGNE. The Correspondent of the Daily News, telegraphing from Boulogne on Monday night, says :— "Twelve hundred British worimen, members of friendly societies, thanks to the liberality of the South Eastern Railway directors, came over free to-day in four of the company's steamers, with their parapher- nalia of scarfs, badges, and banners, and were received by 500 representatives of French societies, who con- ducted them in procession to the Tintelleries Gardens. Six eemi-circular tab es had been previously arranged thsre, with 800 bottles of wine, biscuits, &c,, and a vin d'honneur was offered to the English visitors lemonade being provided for the Good Templars An interchange of speeches took place in both latiguates, full of expressions of welcome, goodwill and fellowship. The speeches were brought to a close by two of the English bands marching off to play an aubade before the residences of Dr. Orion, the acting mayor, and M. Douault, President of the Société de Bienfaisance, who have taken the lead in this interna- tional demonstration. During the afternoon the Soci £ t £ Mnsicale gave a concert in honour of the Eng- lish visitors in the gardens of the Etablissement. At ten o'clock the excursionists embarked. The jetties were illuminated with Bengal lights as the steamers left the harbour. When the last vessel passed the pier head two showers of rockets were let tff amidst much cheering from hosts and guests. The Boulogne friendly societies are to visit Folkestone on Whit Monday."

WRECK STATISTICS. The number of wrecks, casualties, and collisions from all causes on and Lesr the coasts of the United K'nulom and iu t ie surrounding seas during the year 1*74 vi-as, .'ioc r 'in/ to the wr»*c'c st.tia v-J: ju-t ■\5tlf), b<:ii: g 1.7'.7 m'ro than the n-, ;,1-" r reported (Lr bit' trie yfar 1873-4. Or ih«*e 3 5Pu wrecks, casualties and c .Li,o, 470 iavolved total j, s<, ;»g»iijJ-t 408 auj 576 reop c'ivi-lv br the two previous ve.»rs. Deducting 472 fr, m 3 590, the rpwainder is i/iade np of 1,17 ¿ serious casuaitit-sand 1.9 ift'ininoraicidents. The return? show that tbe number of 'ives loss from wrecks, c >sual- ties, and collisions on and n-^t-r the coasts of the United Kingdom during the yoar 1874-5 was 926. This is 420 more than the number lost in the year ending June, 1874. 331 lives were lost at one wreck—namely, thai, of the German steamship Schiller. Twenty-one of these lives were lost ia missing vessels, supposed to have been lost before July, 1874, but included in the". returns. Itsemnfrom the statistics jdven that 137 British vessels were not heard of after sailing, in which 1,450 bves are supposed to hll-ve been lost; 78 of thete sailed from ports in the United Kingdom, 27irom ports in British possessions abroad, and 32 from foreign ports. The statistics of "wrecks abroad" give a total of 3,413 for the year 1874 5, of which 704 were totally lost, 1,187 met with ferious casualties, and 1,522 with minor casualties. Of this number of 3,41.3, 3.287 were British vessels and 126 foreign ves- sels. It must, however, be remembered that wrecks, &s., of foreign ships happening elsewhere than on the coasts of her Majesty's dominions are not dealt with in the tables of these returns. The number of lives lost by "wrecks abroad'' was 2,828. Another table shows that, although 14,898 lives were lost between the years 1855 6 and 1874-5 on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom, 77,918 lives were saved, of which 8,333' were saved by lifeboats, 7,032 by rocket and moitar appara- tus, and 10,770 by luggers and coastguard and other boats, 16,478 by ships and steamboats, 219 bv indi- vidual exertion, and 6,455 by other means."

THE NEWSPAPER PRESS OF THE PRESENT DAY. At the annual dinner In connection with the Newspaper Press Fund, the Lord Chief Justice ot England, who was to have presided, was prevented from attending by Illness. His place was supplied by Lord O'Hagan, who, while proposing the toast of the evening, compared the present position of the press with what it was in a time within his own remembrance. He referred tl) the press as the medium through which man>y had risen to eminence, and spoke of the arduous nature of the work of pressmen, the conscientiousness with which, In the most difficult situations, they discharged their duty, and the amount of remuneration which was awarded to their services. In the course of his speech he said :— What must be the potency of that press which in this country represents, shapes, and to a large extent pro- duces opinion (Hear, hear.) Its potency is enormous, for it is lise the atmosphere, which, though it ma) sometimes be poisoned by mephitic vapour, is a neces- sity imposed upon ns by nature, and is, on the whele, conducive to the best interests of human beings. Morally, physically, and intellectually, the press improves with the times, and we have had of late years an extension of the power of the press such as our forefathers never could have imagined, for the railway and the telegraph have spread throughout the world the opinions which command the world. We are coerced, therefore, into a belief that there never was before such a moral power as tha' which is now exercised by the press of this coua- try. That power is exercised all the more in that way, because the press has so much improved. If you look at the press at the beginning of thi3 century, say when Hazlitt and Coleridge were contributors to the daily papers, you will find an acerbity of feeling, a violence of diction, and a bigotry of sentiment which have now all happily passed away; and even within my own experience I remember when there were weekly publications in the city of London outraging individuals, living in the fetid breath of slander, and violating the sacredness of private life. (Hear, hear.) All that has passed away, thank God, and the press of this country is almost the reverse of what it once was in impartiality, in truth-telling, and in forbear- ance towards those to whom it may be opposed. That is an enormous advance, and .we ha.ve reason to ba proud of the press, though there may be portions of it still of which we have little reason to be proud. It is the press of this country which frames and shapes the thoughts which ultimately find legis- lative expression in the House of Commons. I: is said to be the function of that House, in which, through the favour of my Sovereign, I hava a seat, to prevent precpisate deci-iuns and premature change. It is also a function of the Eonoe of Lords— and is the source of safety and strength or that Hume-to note the progress of opinion, to note the signs of the times, to learn when it is right to contend, and when it is right to yield, to discover when innovation, wdch may have been hereto- forf injurious, becomes a necessity and wisdom f the time. But, if that is so, how is the Houee of Lords to obtain information Fa well as by looking iuto that m rror of the press, which indicates the varying ph&pe-i of national opinion, and present-i the form and pressure of the age which is reflected in it ? Taking these things together, am I wrong in saying that you are proud of your press ? and, being interested in the people who are connected with that press, I am not likely to want sympathy and support in expressing these opinions. (Cheers.)

ENGLAND'S DETERMINATION to EDU- CATE and be EDUCATED. (From The Times.) It is pleasant to feel that a good many of us in this increasing and multiplying country are still young enough to believe in improvement, and to look forward to the year A D. 1881 as a rather remote and very critical era, when it may b6 fairly expected that Eng- land will have turned over a new leaf and become an educated nation. There are those who have ceased to hope much for this country, aud who see nothing for it but that the next five years must be as the last five years, and as many another five years before. But, happily, the wise and desponding give place to the itiexpeiisnced and hopeful, and Nature starts the world year by year with fresh and more ardent expectations. If the question be simply whether the progress we have made during the five years' trial of the Elementary Education Act justi- fies a belief that by the end of another tive years the great machine will be in good working order and doing its work thoroughly, then we are forced to ask whether the present obstacles have given way, or are likely to give way to any treatment that can be suggested. Lord Sandon rests his confidence upon the fact that as the law now stands England has quietly sub- mitted to an immense amount of inteiference, that the industrial classes have thereby shown themselves less jealous of dictation than the middle and upper classes, that accommodation has been provided for more than three million children, and that nearly as many are on the books giving a general submission to a course of instruc- tion and an arbitrary code of rules, and that as regards the children employed in many trades the interference is exact and minute. Add to this the immense sums granted by the nation, contributed by good people, and even paid by the children. The figures thus stated would have been incredible even so recently as thirty years ago. Lord Sandon, however, very candidly avers that the force of these figures consists in the evidence they give of England's determination to educate and to be educated. Parliament and people are committed hereby, and should they happen to find they have gone on a wrong tack and committed a few errors, they are now bound by their own admission to persevere. It is very true, as Lord Sandon admits, and cannot but ad- mit, that the average attendance is only about half the number for which schools have been provided, and that u t0u- numher presented for examination in the three higher Standards is very small indeed com- pared with the whole. He has to admit that the Agri- cuitural Children's Employment Act has generally failed, and that only in a few exceptional counties has oeen an attempt to enforce it by the means of the Police and, in fact, he gives up the Act alto- gether. His Lordship does not venture to express a belief that Education itself has made much progress during the last five years. He confines himself to statistics. Bad schools have disappeared good schools have taken their place the State and the benevolent public have done all they can. It now rests with the children, with the parents, and with the employers. Well. What is the ground of the hope he evidently cherishes? It is nothing more nor less than the sug- gestion which has been before the world for several years,—indeed, from the introduction of the Eiem<-n- 1;ary Education Bill,—that, so far as regards com- pulsory attendance, Municipal Councils and Boards of Guardians should be put in the same position as School Boards—that is, be made School Boards for this purpose. Lord Sandon thinks this the one thing want- ing, and also practicable. The proposal has the very great merit of being in a perfectly safe direction, and of having no pretence to originality. It is about as certain as anything can be that, instead of creating new authorities for this or that purpose, we shall one by one, commit all matters affecting public order to the existing local authorities, to the Councils in town", and to the Boards of Guardian in the rural districts. Inspectors paid by those authorities are to see henceforth—that is, after the present year—that no child shall be employed, ex- cept in certain specified cases of half-time employment unless it can show a certificate that it has passed an examination in a given Standard, or given the attend- ances required for so many years. In the year 1881, the child, in default of having passed the proper ex am i n ation, will have to prove attendance for five years, including the present. In default of both examination and attend- ance, the child will be bound to continue a certa/ number of attendances at school. Lord Sandon seems to entertain no doubt that he has now turned the tables on the parents. With them it has been a ques- tion of shillings and pence. They could not afford to lose the earnings of their children, but if the children would lose their earnings altogether, or in great part from ten to thirteen, if they have not obeyed the Jaw, then, it is concluded, the parents will see their advan- tage lies in obedience, and will take care to qualify their children for employment. The question is, Will they?" If we could suppose parents, children, and Boards of Guardians all evolved from a Parliamentary machine, and seeing things exactly as Lord Sandon sees them, then we could have no doubt cf the agree- able results. But, the truth must be confessed, five years is a period far beyond the ordinary scope of either parents or employers in the rural districts. One year ia sufficient to tax their intelligence and their powers of calculation. We doubt whether one agricultural parent in twenty will make a child attend school now in order that it may have a certificate of attendance five years hence. The country Boards of Guardians are elected by farmers and are generally farmers or land- owner's, both equally interested in the supply of labour. If a farmer in the year,1881 has the change of a likely lad only ten or eleven, he will not let the want of a certificate stand in his way. The opinion of the rural district will be on his side, and will hold any amount of evasion and even deceit justifiable. The doctrine that "the end justifies the means" largely prevails, and there are no bounds to what people will do or say so long as they think they have the substan- tial right on their side. Then will come in the impos- sibility of half-time in agriculture. In view of the disadvantages under which the battle of Education will hava to be fought when the boy is old enough for work, the compulsion must be applied at once that is, the CouncU or the Board of Guardians will have to see at once that all children are keeping up a proper amount of school attendance. How is this to be done ? Lord Sandon has set the children at liberty at hay and corn harvest, and whenever the work of little titig»rs is wanted. There are otner more serious b.;trrruptiins of fctt^r.da'-ce, sometimes to t.he entire o'osi;of the s.-hool. Moasles and srarWiDa mme -v> ry two or three e; r-. Tbera are ui-ny village ,)(.1" 111 which half t'ltj children come -from homed a mile off, th'oug1'. lanes often deep in mud, or 8:10\ A lady would hesitate to send a delicate child .1'1' or in the company of children as young, »iik!e deep in w vter, in the rain and snow, a mile to school, without a change of clothes or shoes, and with the prospect of returning home in 'he dark. Very often, too, a nurse is wanted at home, and no nurse is to be found except the eldest child, not yet eight perhaps. In these and many other circumstances that might be mentioned, all the sympathies of the farmers will be in favour of work as opposed to Education, and we should not expect much from them or any person employed by them. Having, as they think, the right on their side in Bome cases, they would push their quarrel with the Jaw further, and take no pains to enforce it at their own cost, as they would thick it. Lord Sandon pro- bably believes he meets the instinctive repugnance of the mere farmer, and puts the business in better hands, when he suggests that it may be d >ne by a Committee of the Guardians, and ev^n by a Committee of the Ratepayers, with autnority from the Guardians. We have, however, to suppose the case of labour being very much in request, and the labour ques\im consequently a very sore one. The Committees would not be appointed without heat and prejudice, and their course would ba in conformity with the spirit prevailing around them. Nevertheless, we certainly tend in this direction, for the simple reason that the ordinary parish is much too small an area, and its condition much too precarious, to be trusted with any business of much importance. One obstinate, or stupid, or head-strong man may prevent anything being done in a small parish, and so reduce it to barbarism, heathenism, or worse. For all the multifarious purposes of local government we are driven to the Union. We are now committing to it the care of our health, the suppression of nuisances, and most probably other work of which the slight village staff is wholly incapable. But the Union itself will have to be strengthened before it can do its work honestly and thoroughly. How that is to be done, whether by an accession of authority or by the introduction of tome paid representative of the superior Department, it is premature even to conjec- ture but it is evident a Board which has every year more to do will require more power, means, and au- thority to do it. If the matter now before us—that is, the compulsion cf school attendance, and that chiefly by the prohibition of employment without the educational qualification-be left to the parish with an appeal to the magistrates. Lord Sandm's present measure will only become law to share the fate of the Act which he has to conduct to i^a early grave. We must not blind ourselves to the difficulties which have stood in the way of Education in our rural districts now for many centuries, and which have just now proved themselves as great as ever by a successful resistance to Parliament.

WORDS AND FACTS. Presbyter has sent the following letter to The Times:- Sir,—Can nothing be done to put an end to Con- vocation and its opportunfty for much mischievous talk? I can suggest nothing but your giving those who ex- press the opinions of 19 20t,hs of the clergy an oppor- tunity of being heard. Bishops have got to think that it is their peculiar function to be mouthpieces on all subjects stirred up by Liberationist agitators. An indiscreet, a.wkward-tempered parson of some obscure parish gets into a quarrel with chapel people about a burial on the strength of this the whole Dissenting Press, or Press favouring Dissent, makes a tJUd and violent protest. Whereupon, a^ the upshot of it all, the Bishops, robed in their scarlet Convocation robes, treat the so called agita- tion with great solemnity, and conferences between Upper and Lower Houses are held; and it seems as if the matter was so grave that something must be done if the Csurch of England is to remain established. This fuss and lack of power to distinguish between trifles and things of real moment does incalculable mischief in 999 parishes out of the thousand where the people, generally, are quite contented with things as they are, and in the maj rity of them would be very sorry indeed if any alteration whatever was nobd- Tnis talk of Bishops and Convocation feeds agitation, gives it im- portance, puts people upon thinking that there mu«t bet-omegnevitnce. or such holy and wise men would not take so much pains tu remove it. What a talk Convocation has had about allowing or <rhi.oiug hyrnr s. Hymns have alwals been sung by some people when conveying the dead to the enure yard aDd verv frequently they are sung when the Church Burid Service is over—occasionally also when a member of a club is buried one of the society reads a printed form of address, with which no fault Gan he found. In the burial of soldiers there is firing over the grave, and the playing the "Dead March to the grave, and a very Jively air from the grave but I see nothing authorising all this in the Service for the Burial of the Dead, and never heard of a clergy- man havingbeing suspended, or even remonstrated with, by a Bishop for allowing such departure from pre- scribed ritual. On the contrary, all kinds of departures are permitted. Who hears the short peal after the fnneral ? The exceptional carrying the dead into church has become the rule. It was never intended they were to be borne there, unless the inter. ment also was to be in the church. But, worst of all, is the strange irregularity of leaving the dead to be buried by the gravediggers instead of doing this while the mourners are standing by, the Rubric directing that then it should be done. Instead of which somebody sprinkles a little earth on the coffin, a most unautho- rized, absurd symbolizing of burial. Yet not a word, in Visitation addresses or at other times, is said to us for permitting these really unseemly and wide de- partures from our service. How are we to reconcile this abstention from rebuke with all this grave talk about the time out of mind permitted hymn singing ? A word on the sentimental grievance from the Dis- senters' point of view, of our using the same sarvice for sinners and saints. So far do they distinguish between sinners and saints in funerals they attend, that they are sure to be present in great crowds if the man died almost in the act of sin, and never is the singing so loud and hearty as when there is the funeral of such an unhappy man. Every clergyman must have ob- served this, which, being so, we may judge how the refusal of a clergyman to bury in any conceivable case where the law does not forbid him would be resented.

A CHINESE WIDOW. In most countries it Is common, if not fashionable, for widows to seek for consolation in re-marrlaee. At Foochow, in China, however. it appears that bereaved ladies look upon the loss of their spouses with more serious regret, il the story which comes to us by the overland China mail can be taken all fairly Illustrating the habits of the people who dwelt iu that part of the Celestial Empire (remarks the Daily Telegraph, in giving the following) :— A short time since a young woman belonging to the Cheng family lost her spouse. There were amongst her friends those who counselled a surcease of sorrow, and who told the lady that they were intimately acquainted with a gentleman to whose care she might safely confide her future. But, unhappily, Mrs. Cheng had made up her mind, and the decision she had come to was none other than to hang herself, or. as the phraseology is in that delightful corner of the globe, "to ascend to heaven on the back of a stork." Where upon, as it was clear that the widow meant what she said, the relatives at once made arrangements that all things should be done decently and in order. An ex- ceeding tasteful and pretty gallows was erected at the back of a temple lately built, and to the cross piece, which overhung a table that could be easily kicked away, was suspended a piece of red cord fitted with a sliding knot. All along the road leading from the lady's house to the place of immolation were de- posited little < Springs or presents of viands and wine; and on the day appointed a tom-tom pro- cession with a sedan chair called at Mrs. Cheng's dwelling-place. Here they found the fair de- votee ready, richly dressed in ornamental papers like a goddess, and wearing on her head a paper crown like that of a princesB. Mounting the sedan I hair, on which there was placed a ied cloth, she gave orders to the cortige t'O move forw&rd, and, as they weut past the houses of her parents and friends to bid them good-bye, the was "visible," we are told, "to all the spectators, smoking a pipe and smiling." Now and then she would stop to taste the offerings which had been placed on the road for her, bowing to the peop'e who looked on, and distributing red flowers amongst them. At last, the scaffold being reached, she ascended the platform in the presence of over seven thousand people, about three thousand of whom were splendidly attired as if attending a wedding, and bowed to six men who weie standing close by her, and who were dressed in Court costume with crystal or gold buttons. Then in a loud voice she called out, Heaven and earth and my friends, I am quite satis- fied that I am dying in this manner." Having said this, she jumped up on to the table, put her head in the noose, and, while a red cloth was being put over her face, kicked the foot-rest away, and was forthwith suspended. A quarter of an hour later on her body was earned home in the" sedan chair, Ó and a funeral ceremony, which the local chronicler estimates cost a thousand dollars, took place. An unsatisfactory ele- ment in the story is that, so delighted were the lady's neighbour's at her method of quitting the world, that a little boy who had witnessed the suicide went away forthwith to a mill hard by, and most successfully hung himself also.

PAUPERISM. It is satisfactory to see that pauperism continues to decrease in spite of the stagnation of trade. The monthly comparative return just published shows a diminution in every division of England and Wales throughout last February, with the exception of the Yorkshire district. In the cecond and third weeks, pauperism slightly increased in that one division, owing, probably, to the prevalence 'of strikes. All the other divisions presented favourable features in each week comprised in the return. During the first there was a decrease of 58,731 paupers, or 7-7 per cent. as compared with the same period last year. In the second week the dininution was 55,401, or 7'3 in the third 64,007, or 7'1; and in the fourth 69.337, or 9 0 The exceptionally large decrease in this last case was principally due to Wales, where the diminution amounted to 21-percent. On analysing the return more closely it will be found that the decrease has taken place almost entirely in out-door paupers. In the first week, the number relieved in-doors was 145,696 against 147,107 last year; in the second, 145,137 agliinst 146,941; in the third, 146,281 against 146,566; and in the fourth, 145,62) against 146,827. It will be seen that the figures for the two years are almost identical. But when tbe number of paupers relieved out of doors comes to be looked at, a very striking difference is apparent. The first week shows a fall from 616,649 to 559,329 the second, from 614,634 to 560,097 the third, from 614,564 to 560,839; and the fonrth, from 628,209 to 560,029. Taking the month itself, there was but little variation throughout, the total number in receipt ol relief in-door and eat doot on the last day of the first week being 705,025, in the second 706,234, in the third 207,123, and in the fourth 705,649. This would seem to prove that the percentage of pauperism has now nearly reached its lowest level, until a recovery in trade once more sets in motion the iufln nc^s tha- cause it-to diminish. It is only «oi;d*rt'ii that there ha-» not bf-Ti a more decided reaction in the other direction, the decieas^ In tbe wage rate feeneradv telJieg np0U the chB-e" wh", even in proper us ti-ut s. can ¡., r--ly keep < ut or Ihe workhouse. Tnat ti e> stou'd not yet have been m11ch affected by the oemi- paralysis of souJe of our principal Industrie-, is sug- gestive of a gmdunl improvement in the economic con- ditions of their lives.

LADIES' CONFERENCE ON TEM- PERANCE. In London, on Monoav afternoon, a conference of ladies, in connexion with the National Temperance League, was held at the Memorial-hall, Farrligdon-street; Lady Jane Elllce in the ch*ir. In opening the proceedings, Lady Jane Elllce ex- pressed the great interest which she had tak- n for 21 years in the temperance movement, the necessity for which she regretted to say she had observed as each year had gone by. Tbey had still very powerful enemies to contend with, but she believed no one I CJUM ounose them with any chance of nlumate success. S/ie strongly protested against the extraordinary belief in doctors' alcoholic prescr ptions which at present pre- vailed in this country. The following letter was read from Sir Henry Thompson, F.R.C.S. :— 35, Wimpole-street, W., May 7, 1S76. Dear Lady Jane,-In reply to your letter I am quite aatie- fied t,bat fermented liquor of any kind is unnecessary as an article of diet. For the few who may require an hllobitual alcoholic stlmulent it can only be considered as a medicine, and should therefore for them be so regarded. As with many other medicines, however, its employment is apt to be greatly abused, and thus wine or spirit is taken when not in the least degree necessary, often when it is absolutely in- jurious. For people who enjoy tolerable health, but never- theless nud "digestion slow" or "Imperfect," or "the circulation languid "-popular forms of excuse for taking wine —It seems to me more frequently a dangerous snare taan a tolerable remedy. Let us put alcoholic liquor in its proper place-nameJy, among the 50. called "luxuries" of life, not among its" necessaries." I am quite alive to tbe exquisite perfume of a specimen of some rare old vintage; to the agreeable exhilaration which follows a moderate dose of champagne. The fragrance of a fine cigar has charms for many persons lbs soothing effect is often still more enjoyable. It is meless-it Is not wi8e to ignore the existence of these things the best natures have felt their iLfluence, and may perhaps have paid some price for Its enj{)yment. Bllt that !.II exactly the point I want to Insist on—l3on't take your daily wine under any pretext of its <MUng you good. Take it frankly as a luxury, one which nJ8it be paid for by lome persons very lightly, by some at shigh price. but always to be paid for—and mostly some loss of health, or of mental pr¡wer,or 01 calmness of temper, 01' of judgment, Is the price. Now with great. deference to your opinion, I think that at the pre!ent moment euch a view of the sut jsct is one which needs to be considered, and if my mar.ner of explessing it ca-i be of any ute, this letter is heartily at your service—1 have the honour to be, dear Lady Jane, very faithfully yours, HENRY THOMPSON. Mrs. Clayton also read a long letter from Dr. B. W. Richardson. He asserted that it was one of the effects of alcohol to check the natural process of oxidation in the body, and for this reason, as he had experimentally proved, it reduced the animal warmth. The view that alcohol was demanded in order to keep up feeble cir- culation was opposed to reason and to practical know- ledge. He had found by direct experiment that the effect of alcohol was to reduce the muscular fibre. Miss Maria Firth, M.D., and Mrs. Docwra, subse- quently read papers on the subject of alcoholic Liquors in Relation to Health." In the evening a public meet- ing was held in the large hall.

THE FUNERAL OF M. MICHELET. The Paris Correspondent of The Times, writing under date Paris, May 18. thus describes the funeral of M. Michelet:— To-day, at noon, as previously announced, the funeral procession accompanying the body of Michelet left his house in the Rue d'A'sas for Pere Lachaise. The newspapers hostile to Michelet had declared that the letter in which Madame Michelet desired that no cries or excitement should trouble that day was only designed to make the funeral a pretext for a political demorstration. The event has shown that they mis- interpreted her letter. It is only after a long judicial struggle that Madame ilichelet has been allowed to bring the remains of her husband to Paris. Michelet made two contradictory wills. H" Baid in ttie one that he wi-ht-d to be buried in Pari*, while in the other he assigned the cemetery nearest the place of bia de.-»th. Henc, the law-su't whicfi the eon of his deceased daughter by a former wife engaged in to obtain the re'ention of ihe body at Hyferes,. where Michelet died. It would be useless to at-empt to explain why this law-suit was entered upon, and it i8, I think, simpVst to suppose that it was dictated by a sentiment of fiual j-.jiou-y, and that on both sides the desire was upper- most ro conform to :1icbelet's desires. But th", case wai a painful one. The Judges were much perplexed, and ultimately gave a decision in favour of the wife, who had attended Micbelet in his last davs with the tenderest care and the most touching sffection. This goes to prove the sincerity of Madame Michelet's letter. The immense crowd that assembled obeyed her exhortation. The noiseless procession encountered I on its route the most respectful silence. The body arrived at Paris yesterday evening, Madame Michelet having herself gone to Hyferes to fetch it. Michelet had never left France, and it was not as an exile that he died, but by a curious chance he had lived for many years at the extremity of France, and his body, which was thought to have been left for ever at Hyferes, pass- ing over such a length of French territory, recalls the return of great exiles, welcomed by a whole nation on their route. Wherever the train stopped the sym- pathising population turned out to do honour to the deceased. In some villages of Central France flowers were scattered over the coffin of a man who had the greatest passion for flowers and birds and all that is infinitely small in nature; and in the larger towns deputations came to greet the widow who was bringing the remains of her husband to the Paris which he had so often agitated, and which has retained such an abiding recollection of him. At ten o'clock already the Rue d'Assas was in a state of excitement. No. 76 was draped in black, and the coffin, according to custom, was brought down into the porch, covered with black cloth. At eleven the depu- tations began to arrive. The College of France, where he was Professor, the Institute, of which he was a member, the students of Paris, Lille, Montpellier, IN ancy, and Montauban paid homage to the Professor, whose chair was a tribune, and who from that tribune sent forth words that had the gift—often an untoward one—of moving Europe. There were representatives, too, from among the Senators and Deputies, among whom he reckoned many friends, the Press, to which he belonged, men of all ranks and nationalities, from a hundred different motives had been drawn into the procession. The coffin was carried in a veryeimple hearse, covered with flowers from Italy, Nice, the South of France, Paris, and other places. Several wreaths were carried solemnly behind the ccffin by the deputations of students. The representatives of the Institute arrived in full dress, their coats em- broidered with green palm leaves. In a large mourning carriage which followed were Madame Michelet and three of her family. At twelve o'clock the procession started. The crowd on both sides of the street was very great. At the head of the pro- cession a few wore bouquets of yellow and red immortelles in their button-holes. Yet along the whole course the usual vendors of this stranee commodity continued offering them to those who followed. Among the crowd of spectators stationed along the streets, not joining in the procession, and having evidently not the least reason to take part in it, there were men of the people, artisans with the yellow and red immortelles attached to their blouses. In the procession, also, I noticed a woman in sombre dress, leading by the hand a little boy of seven or eight years in the complete costume of an officer of artillery. Nothing was wanting—the lace cap, the white gloves, even the spurs. The lady leading him had a large bouquet of yellow immortdles under her black shawl, and on the uniform of the little artillery- man was one of the same kind. Why were these flowers, the emblem of freethinkers, put on the child ? Why were these flowers worn by the workmen stationed on the pavements, drawn by curiosity to the route of the procession ? Why were immortelles fastened to tie breast of those in the crowd pressing behind the pro- cession and by the students attending as a deputation from Montpellier and elsewhere ? Why, in the last place, were there seen in the procession two coal-black negroes, their constant laughter revealing white and well-set teeth. Why bad they yellow bouquets in their button-holes! Michelet believed, and never ceased to believe, in the immortality of the soul. Under the influence of Quiaet and Mickievicz, he once carried on a war against religion, but his loving heart and poetic spirit were not long benighted in taese bitter combats, and he devoted the last years of his life to describing mountains, insects, fl jwers, women, and birds. No doubt after the example of Jean Reynaud, he devised a special theory of im- mortality, but under whatever form he believed in it, and protested with all his power against the doctrine of annihilation. Nowhere was the exhibitioa of that emblem, which in the eyes of the mass symbolizes abso- lute incredulity, less in its place than in the procession of to day. But its exhibition explained the crowd form- ing the procession as it explained the crowd along its course. Michelet, it must not be forgotten, was not a popular man. He never figured in the deli- berat'ons of the Assembly questions in the ordinary acceptation of the word; and if Italy Roumania, and Poland were represented at his funeral, it was be- cause in defending what they had done be wished to defend the cause of humanity and of national liberty, without touching the purely political side of the causes which he defended. He was too subtle and delicate a writer for his works, including his History of France," ever to have penetrated to the lower classes. But what proved in this funeral an attraction for the masses was its not being a religious burial. They made it an occasion for an anti-religjous demonstration, pre- cisely one of those demonstrations of which the yellow flowers are the symbol; and for the thousands of persons who followed the coffin or did homage to Michelet, the others have made it what the burial of Quinet, of Oremer, or of Madame Lonis Blanc was, and what that of Esquiros will be on Sunday at Mar- geilles—a free-thinking demonstration. sellles-a free-thinking demonstration. Thus it was that the procession went through the Faubourgs, the Boulevard St. Marcel, the Boulevard de l'Hdpital, before the Orleans Railway Statiun, to reach Pkre Lachaise. At first it was intended to go along the Boulevard St. Martin, to touch the Rue de Rivoli. and thus traverse the heart of Paris. Bat this idea was 11 b ,mdüned, and a less frequented course was chosen. Oa the Boulevard St. Marcel there were few spectators, but thty reappeared in thick masses at the end of the Boulevard de i'Hfipital, and increased as the procession passed through the artisans' quarters till it reached Pere Lachaise. At the end of the Boulevard de rHopital I overtook the van of the procession, and I stopped to calculate how many were present. I know that numbers in such cases are often exaggerated to add importance to the demonstration, or for some other purpose. I cannot, of course, give that of the crowd with any approach to precision, tor when such a procession occurs all Paris or, at least, all that part of the town through which it passes, appears at the windows or in the streets, but it was easy to count those who formed the procession. They marched three, four, and even five abreast, at a distanoe of hall a yard apart, at the ordinary rate of a horse walking. The passing of the procession took exactly 19 minutes. The number of persons I counted as they passed the bridge was about 2,800-even a little less, and I am sure that during the .hol.. eiuree of «>ne l o ir iii ten mil ut> t rtytr reaceo 3 uOO. I iiiS'ft ou this b-caune I '.j'3 a tiew-p.v(>~x b f T' ú..a w-icb estimutep i. at the incrediij*- number of 15 OJO. Ju-t, as it entered I e c Lachai-e the procession, it is trn", wa. iiivxd-'i, f,.r vh-i police, who had maiuiained •rrhr ruuui tbe house, bad not followed The procesbiot,, Bit in truth, theic prtt-enoe was needless. The gr'r&test c-ilai ar,d the pro-oundest siience prevailed un. tr„keu a.lung the whole of the long route. Tne crowd uncovered, accor iiBg to cusoun, be.ore the remains, and maintained an attitude of silence acd respect which was really admirable till they reached Père Lachaise, when the coaches and those on loot entered in some confusion. The cemetery was as much thronged as the streets had been, every avail- able position being occupied, and at the place of interment a large police force was fully engaged in pressing back the thousands who awaited the arrival of the procession. At the announcement of its approach there prevailed the utmost stillness, and when it at length appeared ail heads were uncovered. But at this moment a sudden rush was made, as if pre- meditated, and several hundreds of students and arti- sans dashed past the police and took up their position ciose to the mourners. The police retired, and again everything resumed the appearance of orderwhich had hitherto prevailed. The speeches were opened by M. Bertot, Director of the Normal S -hooi Messrs. Laboulaye, Ha vet, Challemel-Lacour, and Quicherat followed and lastly a Roumanian, a Neapolitan, and a Parisian student spoke a few words in the name of their respective fellow students and countrymen. The mourners then departed, and the crowd dispersed.

DOG-BITING CASES In the High Court of Justice, the cause of Ward v. Vickers" has been heard before Baron Huddleston and a common jury, and was an action to recover compensation in damages for injuries resulting from the bite of the defendant's dog. The plaintiff is a letter carrier at Fulham, and the defendant, who is a bar- rister, resides there. Toe dog in question, a black retriever, bit the plaintiff on the leg as he was sorting the letters at the box between 7 and 8 p.m. on the 22d of June, 1875, on the road. According to the plaintiff's case the dog had flown at five other persons before; but there was no evidence that he had bitten any of them; and one man who was alleged to have been attacked while on a bicycle did not appear. The plaintiff had to have his leg cauterized, and was dis- abled for six weeks thereby. The dog himself was pro' duced in Court and did not present a very fierce ap- pearance. The case for the defence was that the dog was per- fectly quiet, and that the plaintiff had kicked the dog and thereby brought the attack on himself. In sup- port of this the defendant's little bay, of nice years old, was called, and deposed to the occurrence acd the kick by the plaintiff. The defendant and his wife and a friend abo gave evidence, the first stating that hs had had the dog since it was a puppy in August, 1869. It was the tamest d'1g he ever knew, and was always about the house with the children and servants. The ladies also said the marks on the plaintiff's legs were f-howntothemon the evening in question were very trifling scratches, and hardly bleeding at all. Out of kindness the defendant had paid 7s. Gd., the doctor's fee for examining the leg. Baron Huddleston, in summing up, told the jury he had allowed them to see the dog, following a precedent set by L< rd Chief Justice Erie, and approved by Lord Campbell, that they might form their own opinion. His Lordship commented on the absence of any evidence that anyone was bitten before the plaintiff. There were three questions for the j ury—First, was the dog mischievous and accustomed to bite? Secondly, did the defendant know of this ? The plaintiff was bound to satifofy them on those two points in order to entitle him to the verdict. Thirdly, did the plaintiff kick the dog as deposed to by the defendant's son and so bring the injury on himself ? In that case they were bound to find for the-defendant. The jury, after an absence of 25 minutes, returned into Court with a verdict for the defendant. In the Court of Appeal from Inferior Courts, West- minster, before Baron Cleasby and Mr. Justice Grove, the caee of "Mansfield v. Badderley has been beard, and was an appeal from the decision o' a Judge of the B oomsbury (Jounty Cuurt. The plaintiff was a domestic servaut of the defendant' who was a dress- maker. The defendant, having valuable dresces and work upon her premises, kept a dog for the purpose of protecting tnern. Tois dog was of a ferocious dispo- sition, had Hit en an Ita'iin. and survivad to bite the plaint ff, When the plaiutiff was about to t..ke some tea-things from the kitchen into a wuikroom, the d i? rushed at her and seized her by the leg. The dog was usually kept tied up, but on the ujcasion in question he was at large. When the rule nisi was moved for, Baron Bramwell suggested that as it appeared that tne dog was quiet until the plaintiff began to take away the tea-things it might have sup. posed that she was a-porting the tea-thing animofurendi. The County Court Judge nonsuited the plaintiff. It was contended that this nonsuit was right, on the ground that the ferocity of the dog being known to the plaintiff, it must be taken that it was one of the risks which she ran by staying in the defendant's employment. The Court, however, thought that the risk which the plaintiff undertook to run was that of the dog tied up, and not of the dog at large, and that the defendant was liable for not keeping the dog tied up. Judgment reversed.

THE MARKETS; MARK-LAX E. —MOHDAT. There has been Increased firmness in the grain trade at Mark-lane to day. A rather better atteodance was noticed, auu business was steadier. English wheat Vas in short supply. There was a firm trade, and the prices realised were about Is. to 2i, per qr. higher than on Monday last. Witn reference to foreign wheat about an average supply was on the stands. The market was steariy, at an advance on the week oi about la per qr. A moderate supply of barley was ou the stands. There was considerable firmness in the trade, and prices were well supported. Malt was steady at late rates. Ihe supply of oats was shorter. With a steady trade prices advanced 6d. to Is. per qr. Beans and peas were quiet but firm. The flour market was steady, and the turn dearer than on Monday last. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.—MOHDAT. In the cattle trade to-day there is no fresh feature ot im- portance. Business is hardly so brisk, and a weakness is occasionally noticed in quotations. Rither more liberal supplies of beasts came to hand both from our own districts and from abroad. The condition of the English stock was fairly satisfactory. Trade, however, was of a dragging character, and the tendency of prices was in favour of buyers. The beat Scots and crosses were disposed of at 5& 6d. to 5s. 8d. per 8lo., while many good, useful aHimals were sold on much lower terms The foreign side of the market was more freely supplied. The demand was quieter and prices ruled weak The sheep pens were fairly supplied. About an average business was transacted, and the prices realised were somewhat on a par with those current on Monday last. The best Downs and half breds were disposed of at 6%. M. to to 6a. 8d. per 81b. Lambs were dull, at from 8s. to 9, per 81b. Calves were quiet, and pigs met a slow sale. At Dept- ford there were 350 beasts. The quotations Coarse and inferior beasts, 4a to 5s. second quality ditto, 5s to 5a 4d. prime large oxen, 5s. 44. to 6s. 6d. prime Scots, &c., lis. 6d to 5s. 8d coarse and inferior sheep, 4s. 6d. to 5s. 6d. second quality, ditto, 5s. 61. to 6s. prime coarse wooiled, 6s. 4d. to 6s. 6d. prime Southdowns, 6a 61. to 6s. Sd. large coarse calves, 5s. to 5s. to 6s. 6d. prime small ditto, 5s. Sd. to 6s. 2d. large hogs, 4a to 5s. small porkers, be. 6d. to 6s. and lambs, 8s to 9.. per 81b. to sink the cffaL METROPOLITAN MEAT MARKET.-MOHKAT. The supply of meat on offer this morning was large. Trade was dull, and prices were somewhat depressed. Inferior beef, 3s. to 3s. 8d. middling ditto. 41. to 4s. 8d. prime large ditto, 4s 8i. to 6s. prime small ditto, 5s. to 6s. 6d. veal. 6s. to be. Sd, inferior mutton, 3s. to 3s. 8d. middling ditto, 4s. to 5s. prime ditto, 6s- 8d. to 6s. 8d. large pork, 4s. to 4s. 8d. small ditto, 5s. to 5i. 8d. and lamb, 7s. to 8s. per 81b by the carcass. FISH. Soles, Is. to 2s. 104. per pair; eels, 10d. to Is. per lb, bloaters, 6s. 6d. to 7s. 6d. per hundred kippers, 2s. lOd to 4s. per box lobsters, 10s. to 27s. 6d. per dozen crabs, 29s. 61. to 35a per kit salmon. Is. 9j. to 2s. 2d. per lb. turbot, 10s. to 21s. each mackerel, 7s. 6d. to 8s. 6d. per pad grilse, Is. 80.. to 2s 6d. per lb. whiting, 7s. 6d. to 10s. per basket smoked haddock, 15s. to 26s. per barrel; native oysters, 18s. to 20s per hundred brill, Is 31. to 3s. each trout, la Sd. to la, lod. per lb.; chad, 15s. to 20s. per dozen. SEED. LONDON, Monday. May 22—A few straggling orders drop in for Cioverseed, which are executed at reduced prices, ana the stocks will be weil nigh exhausted at the close of this season. Tares were in limited demand. Holders are anxious sellers at less money. Dutch fiempseed sold steadily on former terms. Canaryseed was dull and lower to sell. Eng- lish R-poseed brought high prices, being still scarce. Wnite and brown Mustardseed was in limited request, without any quotable change in the value of either sore. POTATOES. The supplies of potatoes continue on a moderate scale, and with a steady demand prices are supported. Kent repents, 130f. to IS0s Essex ditto, HOs. to 170s Victorias, 160", to 196s. and IBOg. tj 196s. rocks, 100s. to 120s. kid- neys, 120s. to 1403. per ton HOPS. The cold weather has had some influence upon the trade for hops. Tbe season beiug backward Llulders are uriwii.iug to sell at present prices, but buyers are iiiduposed to operate at any advance, and hoi eg tne amount 01 business in pro- gress is very limited. On the C )iitinent a firm tone also pre- vails, but no advance in prices has been established. EdSf Kent goldings, 1875, £ 5 12s. to jC7 7a Mid Kent ditto, JBS 5s. to £6 6s. W eald of Kent ditto, 42 5s. to Zb 15s. Sussex ditto, 4L3 to 45 5s. Worcester oitto, C4 15.. to £5 ditto country ditto, 44 10s. to Z7 7s yearlings, 1S74, C4 4s to 1-6 10s. Bavarian, 1S75, C3 15s to jM 6s Belgian ditto, 42 12s. to £3 Alsace ditto, iC3 10s. to iCt 10s. American ditto, JM to jM. GAME AND POULTRY. Capons, 7a. 61. to lis. 6d.; fowls, Sa. to 6s chickens, 2s 9d. to 4s spring ditto, 4s. to 5s. ducklings, Ss. 9.1. to 71. 6d. goslings, 7s. 6d. to 12s. ptarmigan, Is. to Is. 6d. prairie grouse, 3s. to 4s capercailzie, óa. to 7a peafowl, 10«. to 16s. Od. gninefowl, 6s. to 6s. quails, 3a to 4s golden plover, la. to is. 4d red shanks, 6d. to 9d. godwit, la 3d. to Is. 6d.; hares, la ltd. toSI. 101 each. PROVISION. LONDON, Monday, May 22-The arrivals last week from Ireland were 203 firkias Butter and S 081 bales Bacon and from foreign ports 24,491 packages and 8 3^6 balss Bacon. Foreign Butter has rapidly declined in price. Normandles offering from 106s. to 132a according to qualities and repute of branda Brittanies lOOa. to 108s., best Dutch 106s. to 1101- At the close of the week there was less pressing to sell, the weather continuing fine and dry, with easterly winds. Bac, n very slow. No change in the value of Irish, but some desc-iptlous of Hamoro' about 2s. lower. L-ird slow, at 80a for laddered, and 70a for kegs for bett Irish, on board. Butter, per cwt. s. s. Cheese, per cwt. is. a. Dorset 136 to 146 cheshu e 40 to 78 Friesland 104 112 D <le Gloucester 66 74 Jersey. 90 100 Cnecidar 70 84 Eiest), per dtz 14 16 American 40 60 Ba^on. p.r cwt. Hums: Ymk 104 108 Wiltsntre SO 82 CumOeiland 102 106 Irish, green, Lo b, 78 84 Irish 91 10i TALLOW, s. d. a. d. Town Tallow, per cwt. 42 9 Rough Stuff, per cwt. 14 0 Rough Fa.t, ytr 8iba.. I 104 Greaves 16 0 Melted Stuff, per cwt. 29 0 Good Dregs „ 6 0 Yel.ow Russian, new 47s. 6d. per cwt. Ditto Ditto old POa Od. Australian Mutton Tallow. 42s. 6d. Ditto Beef old 41s. Od. HAY. WHITECHAPEL, Saturday, May 20 —They was a fair supply of hay and straw at the market. With a neavy traoe, prices for straw were rather easier, as follows Prime Clover. 100s. 110 150s. inferior, 86s. to 95a Prime meadow hay, 90s to 135L inferior, 55s. to 75s. Straw, 851. to tSt. per load.

BNANT RIGHT IN JERSEY. raey Correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette A conflict of a singular nature, arising out of ;ht, has just taken place here, and though for the tie dispute has been settled, it will probably led with a view to an adjustment in higher The militia of the island have been in the a great number of years of repairing to Jersey :or the purpose of target practice. The ground property, and a number of the inhabitants of h of Grouville, in which it is situate, have ght of pasture over it in virtue of their hold- er Government. Presuming on their undis- ;hts, these tenants, at a meeting convened by r of the parish, passed a series of resolutions ti they granted the right of shooting on days to certain favoured rifle clubs, and not to allow any further use of the ground litia for the same purpose. Their right to is exclusive regulation was disputed, and a Ektion formed to contest it. Accordingly, one veek three squads of the East regiment were, of Colonel Touzel, sent to the common for target practice, under the command of the instructor. While they were so engaged the ce officer of the parish repaired to the ground 'sted them to desist, alleging the orders of the 5 his authority. Captain Gray, who bad the squads, refused to obey the order, and continued their practice. The result was that ) of one squad was summoned to appear at e-court on a charge of trespass, and when ) magistrate the colonel said he assumed aU the ility, and desired that the men might rged and himself made the defendant, with of testing the legality of the tenants' resolu- le matter had been laid before his Excellency moral Norcott, lieutenant-governor of the id the Attorney-General attendtd on behalf )wn to support the right of the militia to the ground for shooting practice when under the of their officers, and contended that the vere not justified in the prohibition they had Their rights of pasture pave them no posses- the common, and the only body empowered lority to interfere was the municipal assembly, d issue such regulations as would secure due i to the public while shooting practice was The magistrate concurred in the views qf ney-General, and dismissed the defendants.

AN ANCIENT ASTROLABE, In noticing the Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus at Kensington, The Times remarks :— In a case by themselves, near TJcbo Brahe's quad- rant, there, are several old observing instruments, some dating from times when astronomy consisted only in such rough knowledge of the stars and planets as could be obtained from observations made with the naked eye, the knowledge being valuable chiefly for the pur- pose of telling the time. Among such instruments the astrolabe naturally comes first. Standing in the middle of the case, as the oldest instrument in the col- lection, is an astrolabe made in 1345, at Barcelona, by a descendant of King Raymond of Aragon. Instru- ments of this kind were known in England at about that time, as only a few years later, in 1391, Chaucer wrote his" Coi elusions ot the Astrolabie," addressed to his son "Lytel Lowys," then ten years old, in which treatise he speaks of it as "so noble an in- strument," and seems to imply that it was well known. Besides this there are other astrolabes of different countries—French, German, Arabic, and Persian—but, unfortunately, no English specimen. There are also quadrants for taking altitudes, two nocturnal dials for jtinding the time at night by means of the apparent motion of stars round the Pole, and a number of old sun dials of different kinds, some of which are moat elaborate in their construction, one small one being provided with cogged wheels, and purporting to tell the time exact to a minute—an unnecessary refinement, one would think, before the days of railways. Besides these complicated dials, of which Hudibras with some truth might say— True as the dial to the sun, Although it be not shlned upon,"— there are rudimentary forms which are more portable, but much lef-s accurate, as the Ring dial, which is pro- bably the kind Shakespeare was thinking of when he made Jaques, in As You Like It, say of the Fool- And then he drew a dial from his poke, And, on it with lack-lustre eye, Says v8ry wisely, 'It Is ten o'clock.' (Act 2, Scene 7)— and the Shepherd's dial, a small wooden cylinder having a little slip of metal projecting from it. This dial was held by a ring at the top, and the shadow of the metal tongue, regulated for each month, when turnedtowards the sun showed the time on a series of curved lines. This form may still be oceasinally met with in use even now among the peasants of the Pyrenees, who, if they know whether it is before or after noon, can tell the | time witbia half an hour by it. Van de Sande, Bak- huyser of Leyden, and Prince Pleas are among the chief contributors of these objects.

"Amicus" writes to The Times of Monday:—"I am fure that every one who had the happiness of the late Charles Forbes's friendship will read your account in The Times of Thursday of his adventurous career' with pleasure and satisfaction. But there is one point in his character which your article has not alluded to. I refer to the unostentatious charity of the late Charles Forbes. No one knows better than the writer of these lines how no friend or even acquaintance of the Como- dore (as he was familiarly called) who applied to him for advice or help but had his request or his want supplied. I have on several occasions at his request sent considerable sums to poor or struggling men, who to this hour have never known who the good Samari- tan was who helped them in their hour of need. But this charming trait in his character was only in keep. ing with his whole life, which, as your article states, was not one only of daring and adventure, but also of generous and warm-hearted impulses."