The Aberystwith Observer

DENMARK AND GERMANY. Official information has been received by Her Majesty's Government that Austria and Prussia refuse to suspend or delay the entry of their troops into Schleswig. This piece of news was all the more disagreeable because it was so little expected. Of oourse the prospect of war now becomes more and more menacing. The only chance of its being averted lleein the possibility that the interval which must elapse before the Austrian and Prussian troops can reach the Schleswig frontier may allow to the Danish Go- vernment some opportunity of yet devising a compromise, or making a timely sacrifice. ° have reason to believe, that at the Cabinet Council held on Monday her Majesty's Government arrived at a very srave decision respecting the Dano-German conflict; that that decision has been submitted by Earl Russell to her aiajeety; and that dispatches have been sent off to the ambassadors at the Courts of Prussia and Austria, notifying the hostile attitude that the Government of Great Britain would be compelled to assume in the event of the Prussian and Austrian troops invading Schleswig The French Government, it is said, is upon this point in union with Mle BriUsh Ministry, and it is hoped that, with the prospect l11 Wlt8 opposition, the great German Powers will not persist m provoking a war. ] The Times, in remarking on the above, says i?hilerc'?re 40 hoped that, in spite of their threats »nd of their subjects, the rulers of Prussia in*t 1 hesitate before shedding blood in this un- When the act is once done, it cannot be fnrJierl i+ milf hues of the Dannewerk are once at- tacked. It may be tmPOBatble to check the impulses which £ ll w ™ to a calamitous war A victory fallowp^hi a mllU^ 1>an.ea from their Position might be followed by a ifor the confiscation of the Duchies as loud as fchat which rings through the political and civilian world of Germany. ffc need hardlv be said that defeat would be still more dangerous Suppose what is quite possible, that the Austro-Prussian army is re- pulsed from before the Danish works, the pulse of every nation would beat faster under the Influence of the most exciting news that can be told to men—the successful re- sistance of a small army to the forces of two great and plainly aggressive Powers. Defeat would, of course, rouse the Germans even more than success, and it would be im- possible for the two sovereigns to retreat without having taken a striking revenge for their humiliation.

Uliscellmuous |utcllip«, HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. A RAILWAY .PERFORMANCE.—The, French papers gravely tell us that we have had a theatrical represen- tation on a railway between Liverpool and Manches- ter, the train being fitted up expressly for the purpose, lius must be news to most, but the ingenuity of the idea is worth much. told "Grounded roof is furnished with chandeliers, throwing out a bright H^ht. The sides are formed of sounding-boards. By these mechanical arrangements all possibility of ex- ternal noise has been removed. Imagine also a recess lu wiusiciitns with their instruments can play a stage raised six feet above the floor er: +V>« carnage, and you have a tolerably correct idea of this extem- porised railway theatre. The pieces represented are *o arranged that a scene finishes at each station, and ^hotter commences on the way to the next, When there is a stoppage of a quarter or h;t'f an hour at any |'ace the drop act falls. On the 8th of December, -1863, M. Smarthe made the first trial at this theatre, With his company composed of twelve performers. A piece very popular in England was represented, and the programme had been handed to each spectator with his railway ticket at the station. The piece was very successful." EFFlCTS OF A DEFEAT !—IN the Visitors' Book at Amulree, where there is a good inn, the Hon. Fox Maule (afterwards I^ord Dalhousie) wrote the fol- lowing lineP. after his defeat by Lord Stormont: Rejected by the men of Perth, Cast on the world an ex-M P I sought and found a quiet retreat Among thy wilds, sweet Amulree. ANCIENT BRITISH PEARLS. — The pearls of Once ^SelSedl^eday80f °ld (saysa writerin it was thi^nrp» f01^ ulprve8ervedthatthe tradition too^0wl i°f Weal,th that tempted the Romans to thJ RWM♦ "J^re than one ancient writer refers O-pallf j studded with British pearls, which d J"s •an offering in the temple of j_? Rome. Tacitus mentions pearls among the products of our island, but adds that they were gene- ly of a dusky, livid hue. This, he suggests, was owing to the carelessness and inexperience of the collected them, who did not pluck the shellfish alive from the rocks, but were content to gather what the waves cast on the beach. Pliny and «tners also describe them as inferior on account of their fulness and cloudiness to the jewels of the East, Coming down to times less remote, we find Hector f°r?ei' 'J1 .e "^h century, expatiating upon the pearls ■°t Caledonia with much enthusiasm. They were, he 8a.ys, very valuable, bright, light, and round, and sometimes of the quantity of the nail of one's little oilger." BURNT TO DEATH.—All inquest was held in London on Saturday on the body of Miss Thorne, who had been burned to death. She had been Colum- bine" at the Pavilion Theatre, and on the 6th of January was dancing, when her dress swept over some ps lights, and in a moment she was wrapt in flames, rhese were soon extinguished, but she was so severely burnt that she died a few days ago. The evidence given at the inquest was to the effect that the lights Were not fully protected, and the inquiry was ad- journed in order that the Lord Chamberlain's regula- tion as to the protection of stage lights should be laid before the jury. To WEARERS OF CASHMERE SHAWLS.— The ^Maharajah of Cashmere is taking steps to check the further deterioration in the quality ofishawls manufac- tured in his dominions. With this view his highness has issued the following:— The previous circular addressed to the manufacturer of shawls was brief and not sufficiently comprehensive. Be it Known that in the city of Stree Nuggcr, alias Cashmere, a paradise on earth, the number of men and women employed j the occupation of shawl-weaving aggregates 70,000 and in net, nearly all the inhabitants of this far-famed city are connected with the hade. That owing to the dulness of to England and Trance, caused chiefly by the l °f shawls manufactured, many trades- to bATe beeu subjected to heavy loss and søme to 1».nkruPttcy, and a large proportion of weavers have been tlJrown on eIUploy. Onlate tour through Cashmere the circumstance OCCUpied his chief attention; and from in ofc^ he ordered a set of rules ^dtradeS lD order to. save both manufacturers a.n.d traders. THE POPULATION OF ROME.—The wmuktion OF Some is 201,161. Borne ^»s 36 Whops, 1,457 priests and clerks, 307 seminarists 2 569 ?nonks, 2,031 nuns, 660 male collegians, 1,G74 female inmates of schools, 947 male inmates of cbaritahlo institutions, 1,180 female ditto, 40,827 familie3 92 024 men, 87,819 women, 30;235 married men,' 28 201 parried women, 4,301 widowers, 9,447 widows, 59' 01 r» bachelors, 50,171 spinsters, 5,175 soldiers, 387 prisoners • heterodox population, 311, and 4,400 Jews. Accord- InK to thIS statement, the ecclesiastical population, so i-orj u?bt to be overwhelmingly numerous, would or 1)894 individuals of the secular clergy 0 031 nn8' °f the regular clergy or monks, and 6'seminSi~,?aki?e all 6,494. There are in Rome conservatories. ^ieRfs' charitable institutions, 15 relisrious ordeio ?» •6C'100^8 directed by nuns, 56 most members, nLmdCh^at °fi1 reckous nians the fewest, nam^lt n$at the Arme- many classifications, ^h v, i The nuns belong to increasing. have been of late raPldly AN OPPORTUNITY OF LKAT^TX^ I TI • I-N matter of the greatest surpr;se 1^t *s oiond correspondent of the Tim€8\ t^ Jif Jach" cognisant of the endless experiments in ™f i° are Jectiles which are every day made bv the pr°i Confederate States, that England has not ■^orth her while to attach to the armies of both if such a commission as M'Clellan had in the CrwT war, with a view to their gaining such scientific in. '1'r,I??ti°n with regard to ordnance and projectiles as nis moment can be gained nowhere else on earth. imnnr+8EASEt> CATTLE.—A conviction of some Worce^r6 P^ace before the magistrates at fomier~r.r>'„ • ?ve exPres'Qed a determination on a view of nrevpTii* putting the Jaw in force with the Kale in the lo^»i Ug e exI)0»nre of diseased cattle for held on Monday iAt,tlie last Yorcester Fair, » I'trd of 20 or cattW f Skde brouSht the prevalence in ? sa^e< consequence of ^led the foot aid mn,1! of a disease cattle appointed by &e town an officer baa been ° Dy tne t0Wn council whose special duty it is to watch the fairs and see that no diseased sheep or cattle are exposed for sale at them. On Monday the inspector (Berridge), while on duty in the cattle-market, examined Mr. Slade's stock, and found among them two cows which exhibited symptoms of disease. He accordingly seized them, and summoned the owner before the magistrates. Evidence was given by him, and by a veterinary surgeon, that the cows were so affected and the disease was contagious and infectious. The animals foamed at the mouth, and had sore mouths and tongues, and swollen fetlocks. The veterinary surgeon said that the owner could not plead ignorance of the fact, for no person at all acquainted with cattle could fail in detecting the disease. The magistrates accordingly convicted the defendant, fining hun 7f. and costs, and ordering the cattle to be detained until cured, and the extra costs of their cure and maintenance to be paid by the defendant before the cows were given up to him. AN INTERESTING RELIC.-Among certain articles dugup at Yorktown, Virginia, by IS orthernsoldiers, last winter, (savs an American paper), was a small red stone, which, upon cleaning, proved to be a garnet; and a further inspection revealed the interesting fact that it had once formed a part of the s'"gnet-ring of the Mar- quis de Bochambeau, the liberty-loving commander of the French army in this country, who acted in concert with Washington in plans which won for us the battle of Yorktown. It contains the noble count's motto in Latin, and his family crest. To THOSE DESIROUS OF ENTERING INTO MATRI- MONY.—A Manchester paper has the following A lady (30), of highly respectable family aud good educa- tion, desires a husband of middle age and moderate Income. Address K M. P., Post-office, Warrington. A gentleman in business, age 28, wishes to correspond with a respectable female with means, with a view to matri- mony.—Address, with carte de visite, &c., &c. A young lady, principal in a well-established light and lucrative business, in Manchester, is desirous of correspond- ing with a young gentleman with a view to matrimony. —Address, &c., etc. The great preponderance of gentlemen applicants has en- abled ladies to form splendid matches as fast its they ap- plied, and so many wealthy widowers and others are now on our boolcs, that 30 ladies may be suited at once. Cartes on hand. Ladies waited on, &c., &c. RECRUITING THE ENGLISH ARMY.—It is just ten years ago since the Russian war broke out; our army was then largely augmented, and thousands of recruits were raised during 1854, '55, and '56, to strengthen and replenish our small and decimated army. It was then for the first time that our "Limited Enlistment Act" came into full and serious operation. During the corresponding years of 1864, '65, and '66, thousands of our present effective soldiers will have completed the period^ of their engagement, and we have no power to retain them. On this the Army and Navy Gazette says:— Surely it is time that those in authority turned their at- tention to this matter. Why not hold some inducement to these men, by a grant of additional pay, or some other advantages, to renew their engagements? The value of thousands of thoroughly effective soldiers is too great to risk their loss. How can we replace these men, or do without them, if war breaks out MURDER IN IRELAND BY A TICKET-OF-LEAVE. —A most horrible murder has been perpetrated by a ticket-of-leave man named Cagley, at a place called Kilnasola, about seven miles from Cavan. Thirteen years ago, when a lad, he had lived with a farmer named Peter Reilly. He called at the man's house on Friday evening, and was hospitably received. In the night he called up the farmer, stating that he had seen a light outside and could not bleep. Reilly went to him to know what was the matter, when Cagley stabbed him, inflicting a mortal wound. Reilly's wife coming to the assistance of her dying husband, was stabbed also. She was not killed, but she is not likely to survive. He left the house without doing any more mischief. An alarm was immediately raised, the constabulary were quickly in pursuit of the murderer, who entered the Virginia station and sur- rendered himself to the police. He has been lodged in Cavan gaol, a verdict of "Wilful murder" having been found against him by the coroner's jury. While formerly in Reilly's employment, he had the misfor- tune to lose an arm. in consequence of being bitten by an ass, and it is supposed that he committed the murder through revenge for the injury. He was only a fortnight out of gaol. PRESIDENT LINCOLN. — A Washington corre- spondent says that Mr. Lincoln is a mere shadow of what he was a year ago. The cares of office are evi- dently wearing upon him with fearful effect. He is a man who devotes his whole attention, night and day, to his official duties, allowing himself no relaxation. His friends are alarmed for nis continued ill-health, and insist upon his allowing himself more leisure for diversion from the distracting thoughts that press upon his brain. WE HOPE so !—By the way, I suspect that the fire-insurance duty will be reduced (says a writer in a London contemporary). It has been three times condemned by the House, and I do not see how, Without disrespect to the Commons, the Chancellor can pass it by. This year, perhaps Is 6d. from this duty, and J,d._ from the income-tax (some say Id.), and some change in the regulation of the sugar duties in- volving no great loss, will be the extent of the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer's operations. WOMEN MAY VOTE !—The Court of Queen's Bench in Dublin have decided that women have a right to vote for town commissioners. The Chief Justice stated that the 22nd section of the Towns Im- provement Act clearly gave the right to vote to every person of full age," duly qualified by property, without adding anything to indicate that "persons" meant males only. Women, therefore,, had a right to vote under the. Act. Mr. Justice O'Brien, Mr. Justice Hayes, and Mr. Justice Fitzgerald concurred in this view of the law, and the last stated that he must not bo understood as denying that ladies were entitled to sit as town commissioners as well as to vote for them. The process of voting has nothing in it repugnant to their habits. They have only to state for whom they vote, and answer one or two questions. Women vote for poor-law guardians. THE EXAGGERATIONS OF AGE.-The papers are full of the deaths of very old people carried off by the rccont cold. Twelve nonagenarians died last week, and in this at least two persons said to be over a hundred. The oldest recorded is a lady of 107, who married for the first time at sixty. We entertain a Rood deal of suspicion about these very high figures. 1 hat people do reach a hundred is certain, but every year above that increases the necessity for strict evi- dence. The statements of centenarians about them- selves are not worth a straw, and as they must have outlived all contemporaries, documentary evidence, old Bibles, or baptismal certificates:are alone trustworthy. Age exaggerates itself to the imagination, nonagen- arians generally feeling like the villager who said she did not know her age accurate, but it warn't less than one thousand." A ZUMMERZET" STATEMENT.—At an inquest held on Monday, in Wells, a loquacious female, whilst giving her evidence, spoke of a youth slightly de- formed, whom she called Charley, and said se- riously that he went backwards and forwards for beer so often that his figuie had become bent in the shape of a jug. The old song tells us that "Fat Toby," a noted tippler, died the size of a Dorsetshire butt, but this is the first time we have heard of the human figure assuming the likeness of a jug. A DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE FRENCH COURT. —There is no need to describe the disappointment and dismay occasioned by the countermand which came from the Chamberlain on Monday, announcing that the ball which had been anticipated with so much eagerness at the Tuileries was put off in consequence of Imperial grippe (remarks the Court Journal, which further says):— The most curious scenes arose from the late hour at which the counter-order had gone forth. A great portion of the invites were unable to get the information, and at the usual hour a great number ef carriages, containing ladies splen- didly attired in full cvstume dc bal, were seen hurrying to the palace with all the haste and eagerness usual on such occasions. At the Imperial dinner-table the sub] set had, however, been discussed, and the most humorous con- sequences of the sudden decision suggested; and, as the deceptions and misfortunes of our fellow-creatures invari- ably create more mirth than compassion, great laughter and merriment were of course occasioned at the expense of the imaginary victims. His Majesty joined in the laughter, but, immediately on rising from table, gavo orders that two aides-de-camp should be stationed at the grand entrance, in order to receive with becoming gravity and politeness the guests who had been thus misled, if ttny should arrive. And well enough was it done, for dozens of carriages, as we have said, kept rolling in, and the thoughtful kindness of the Emperor was much appreciated when a brilliant aide-de-camp, aU covered with stars, and ribbons, and gold embroidery, advanced, and, placing his hand on the window, conveyed in polite and courteous language their Majesties' regret at the disappointment experienced, instead of the tired and irritable lackey who otherwise would have executed the unpleasant office with the rude and sulky curtness peculiar to the Jeameses" of every land. A PRUSSIAN ARMY HELD AT BAY !—When a Prussian battalion was on its march through a portion of Hessian territory, a local officer of Nenndorff, at- tended by a single policeman and by all the boys of Nenndorff, placed himself at the border ditch, and in- dignantly warned them off. It was in vain the com- mander of 1,500 men pleaded a French errand it was in vain he begged the minor Cerberus not to make a fuss about so insignificant an affair, when he knew he might save the troops a day's march in this excessive cold by giving the necessary permit. Hesse Electoral stood to her colours, and refused to come to terms. At length the opposing parties effected a compromise, and agreed that the soldiers should pass through, minus their arms, the latter being loaded on waggons and escorted by the identical policeman, followed by all the boys. And thus it was that the gallant Prussians continued their march towards Holstein and glory. DEATH OF A GREE^ SCHOLAR.—By the death of Mr. Burges, of Ramsgate, a literary pension of 100l. a year falls back to the nation. Mr. Burges was known to a past generation as a Greek scholar. He spoke Greek as readily as he could English, and he was one of the fiercest critics of the late Bishop Blomfield as a Greek editor. At one period of his life Mr. Burges was a man of considerable property, but he was also a speculator and an inventor, and in both characters bkb6 to very severe grief. But his old antagonist, the eame to his relief unsolicited, and procured for me impoverished scholar, critic, and translator, a in his d».aS literary man who had done good service j :r* Bulges was an excellent coacher to f Pi will i!eilts~7maIljr whom belonging to Cam- 1 ?tVrviitrinar ibis death witl11 egret. This some- what fel ine gentleman died at the age of 76, the age yhujhbM own father had very nearly°attained when Mr. Geoibfc urges was born, at a remote station in India. TALES OF THE RKCRUITING SERVICES AT NEW YORK.—The recruiting committee are allowed to re-enlist all ^Wiers whose term in the field expires at any time in i< .paymg them the bounty at once, and the term 01 s.Cl commencing from the new enlistment. Supervisor Islunt's dumb-waiter, or trap-door, works to a charm, As soon as a recruit is Passed, the chairman hands hisoUUdols., stands him on the trap and cries, Go and down he goes in .a twinkling, like a bag of sugar or a box of red !">rrings, into the regions or basement btlow, and nnd^ himself, before he knows it, among a score or more ul boon com- panions, beyond the possibility of being reached by sharpers, who are constantly on the look-out to wheedle the gallant fellows out of their money. Mr. Blunt has fitted up this room for their reception warm and com- fortably, and at 3 o'clock every afternoon they are all marched off; with drums beating and colours flying, to head quarters, and the following day clothed in blue toggery and transported to Riker's Island. The women have become extra patriotic, and are offering to enlist. One buxom lass writes to Mr. Blunt that she is a full and able-bodied woman, fit for the soldier's clothes and the field, and if she can only pass the sur- geon's examination, which she tells the chairman there should be no difficulty about, is sure she would make a better soldier than any man now in the field, and begs the supervisor to receive her. It is some- what doubtful if the supervisor will look upon her case in the same flattering light the would-be volunteer does. It is a case of superlative patriotism, and will probably be allowed to pass over.—New York, Times. PARISIAN GAIETIES.—The second grand ball of the season was given at the Tuileries on Wednes- day last, and was even more brilliant than the first. The presentations made by the diplomatic body and bv the Grand Chamberlain commenced at nine, and at about ten the Emperor and Empress, accompanied by the Imperial family, left the Salon Louis XIV., and proceeded through the Galerie de Diane to the Salle des Marechaux. Dancing commenced immediately after. The Empress wore a white gauze dress, trimmed with garlands of acacia, and round her neck and on her head diamonds on black velvet. The Princess Mathilde and the Princess Clotilda were also in white; the Princess Anna Murat in white and blue the Princess de Metternich in a white dress trimmed with flowers, and round her neck a superb necklace of diamonds and black pearls. Amongst the most striking of the other toilettes were those of the Mar- quise de Gallifet, Duchessede Morny, Baronne Hauss- mann, &c. Supper was served at twelve, and at-three the final galop was danced in the Salle des Marechwix. < NECESSARIES FOR A WIFE !—A con- siderable importance was decided bv ffle Lords Justices on Saturday. The wife of a^NR. Hooper became possessed of a violent fit of jealousy against her husband, and accused him of infidelity with every woman of their acquaintance. It was admitted that there was not the slightest ground for her accusation?, but the lady was not to be disabused, and she at last proceeded so far aa to raise an action against the husband in the Divorce Court. Before it could be heard Mr. Hooper died, which of course put an end to the suit but the solicitor to the lady claimed on the husband's estate for his costs, on the ground of neces- saries supplied to the wife. The Court now held that this claim was not justifiable, on the ground that he had not made due inquiries before commencing the suit, and they refused t!ie\so)icitor's claim with costs. GREENBACKS FOR EVER !—A most intelligent gentleman, who has spent several months in the United States, gives an account of the prosperity of the country which is something astounding. Those greenbacks, which it was predicted would be the ruin of America, have given a stimulus to her greatness which is really wonderful. Give me none of your gold," exclaimed a Western landowner to this gentle- man, I don't want it; keep it for the fools who have no faith in their country. Give me greenbacks—that's the money for me." And so he found it all through. These greenbacks are now being sought for so greedily through the country, that they are already scarce, and Mr. Chase will be obliged, by the requirements of commerce, to issue more. BUILDING SOCIETY LAW.—A case of some im. Eortance to building and land societies was argued efore the Court of Queen's Bench in London last week. A member of a benefit building society allowed him- self to fall into arrears, and afterwards intimated his resignation. The society, however, which had con- tracted debts on the faith of the members' subscrip- tions, refused to allow him to escape in this way, and sum- moned him before the police-magistrate for payment of arrears. The magistrate, after listening to various technical objections on the part of the defendant, decided that he had no jurisdiction. Against this deci- sion the society appealed to the Court of Queen's Bench, and the judgment of the Court was that the magistrate was wrong, and that he ought to have enforced payment of the arrears. A MARTIAL YOUNG LADY !—An American paper says:— A young lady of sixteen summers lately arrived at Louis- ville, who bad served eighteen months in the army, being connected with seven different regiments, participated in several engagements, been seriously wounded twice, and had been discovered and mustered out of service eight times. She is a Canadian by birth, and is bound to fight for the American Union. BrSHOP COLENSO FOUND GUILTY. — By the ar- rival of the Cape mail we learn that the trial of Bishop Colenso, by the metropolitan and suffragan bishops of South Africa, had been concluded. The bishop, it may be recollected, was accused by his clergy of nine counts of heresy. The suffragan bishops found him guilty of them all,.and. the metropolitan (Bishop Gray, of Capetown) concurring with them in their finding, sentenced Dr. Colenso to be deprived of his see and his rights therein. The bishop was not present. The metropolitan gave him to the 4th of March to sign a full retractation of his errors in the Cape, or till the 16th of April to do the same in London—in either ca»e this sentence would then be null. Dr. Bleek, for the bishop, protested, and gave notice of appeal. JESTING AT THE GALLOWS — A New York papersays:- Near the Provost Marshal's head-quarters Is erected a kind of long-backed gallows, the horizontal beam being about 15 feet from the ground. On this were perched, like crows, two black and one white culprit, Federal recruits. The white man sat doggedly astride, but the ncgroes wriggled about, and even in this position found some food for fun. Yah yah I" I heard one of them say. I'm glad the've put me into a cavalry regiment, any hoW," and he went throuf,h the motions of riding on his timber steed. CONFUSION OF NAMES.—The NEW York Tri- bune" represents that people are puzzled on hearing or reading that Mr. Brown or Mr. Harris has said or done something in Congress which they could not believe the said Brown or Harris would do-the truth being that they forget that there are three Browns and three Harrises in Congress. Congress has already three Clarks, three J la,vÎ8t:;j, and three Johnsons. As for duplicates, then' are a score of them. But the I'nvalid iotes that "iiio fsizil? were scan- dalously overlooked in the elections, and but one üi. them was chosen Mr. Smithers, of Delaware, just escaped being a Smith. In the more numerous English House of Commons the Smiths hold their own there are eight of them, without classing the member who uses trv last vowel in the alphabet as "just escaped." There are five Barings, four Bracrs, Egertons, Hamiltons, Peels, and Russells; three Berkeleys, Forsters, Johnstones, Lennoxes, Pagets, PoweLs, and Seymours and some seventy instances in which two members bear the same surname. So that nearly 200 members of the House of Commons have a name- sake in Parliament With them. In three or four cases a still closer similarity obtains; and when, for in- stance, anything is set down to Mr. F. Berkeley," the constituency of each member who might be so described must consider (as tho Tribune has it) "whether it is likely said Brown would say or do that." THE CIRCASSIAN REFUGEES.—The following is taken from a Trebiaond letter of the 2nd :— The state of the public health in this quarter has been seriously imperilled by the crowding together here of some 10,000 Circassian Immigrants, whom the rigdrolis proceedings of Russia have compelled to desert their homes andseekshelter wherever tlieymaydtid it. The inclemency of the present season, aggravating the destitute condition of these unfortunate people, has produced an alarming mor- tality amongst them, arising chiefly from smallpox, typhus fever, and scurvy. It is due to the local autho- rities to state that every possible assistance has been rendered to the sufferers in this emergency, and the Governor, Enim Pasha, has exerted himself in a most kind-hearted and actite manner to secure for them the necessaries of life. Subscriptions have also been raised by the different communities, aud the European colony have done their utmost in co-operatins with the local authorities. Mrs. Stevens, the Wife of the British Consul, organised a lottery last week on behalf of the Circassians, which produced a thousand francs for their benefit. The ladles of the governor's household contributed fourteen prizes, and the European ladies vied with one an- other in a spirit of generous emulation to augment the number of presents. A FEW WORDS ON FIRES.—As London grows and grows, the number of fires recorded every year in the vast agglomeration of brick and iliortar increases also. Thus in 1863 the total was 1.404, being 101 more than in 1862. Assuming the population of the metropo- litan district to be about 2,800,000, this wou'.d give about one fire annually to every 2,000 inhabitants. Liverpool, with a population of 450,000, had 297 fires in 1S63, or one to every 1,500 inhabitants i Manchester, with a population of about 360,000, 238 fires, or one to every 1,510 inhabitants; Glasgow, with a population of 410,000, 221 fires, or one to every 1,855 inhabitants; Dublin, with a population of 260,000, 174 fires, or one to every 1,490 inhabitants; Edinburgh, with a popu- lation of 170,000,127 fires, or one to about 1,330'inhabi- tants; Sheffield, with 190,000 inhabitants, 51 fires or one to every 3,670 inhabitants; and Leed. with 910,000 inhabitants, 47 fires, or one to every 4,4f0 inhabitants. Leeds thus appears to be the Centre of British popu- lation in which the devouring element" is most effi- ciently kept in subjection. It is worthy of note that, of the 1,404 fires which occurred in London last year, 227 were in some way or other connected with candles, 39 with children, 123 with flues, 100 with gas, 26 with lucifers,31 with tobacco smoking, 107 with sparks, and 26 with. stoves, while the cause of 487 remained aa unsolved mystery. SOMETHING LIKE A Row I—The Rev. Mr. Gil- fillan has been lecturing on politics, in 'the course of which he remarked t- It is generally Understood that the first shot, Jetdt be flred where it may, will awaken all the guns on the continent, and that then shall be seen the awful sight of a. biasing Europe responding to the fires of a blading Amentia, like Vesuvius replying to Cotopaxi across the deep. SENTENCED TO DEATH !—A fusilier of the 100th Regiment of the French Line, named Cuq, has just been tried before a military tribunal at Lyons, charged with having deserted to the Russians when encamped before Sebastopol, on the 16th of June, 18:Jf., with having betrayed to the enemy the secret of the intended attack on the 18th of the same month. Cuq has since resided in Russia, and now speaks the language with re- markable facility. He had recently come to the port of Nice while engaged on board a Russian vessel bound from Odessa, and was arrested by a police agent, who recognised him from the description sent round to all the stations. The accused declared in his defence thaf he was taken prisoner by some Cossacks while fishing in the Tchernaya. The charge of betraying of the allies to the enemy was not proved, but a'mini- ber of witnesses who were heard, being unanimous in declaring that he had swum across the river and^SWen- tionally given himself up to the Russians, the court con- victed him of desertion in time of war, and sentenced him to death. THE PROFESSOR AND THE EEL.—Professor Tyn- dall, in his last lecture on electricity, delivered to a juvenile audience, at the Royal Institution in London, being desirous to create an effect not likely to be for- gotten by his hearers, introduced a very largo eel in a tub of water. The professor passed an induced current of electricity through the creature. This, however, did not appear to be agreeable to his eelship, as he struggled violently but as this was not sufficiently striking, a still more powerful current was passed through him, when, to the astonishment of the juveniles and the dismay of the professor, the eel jumped clean out of the tub, and began wriggling about upon the floor. Three eager assistants immediately darted upon him to return him to his tub, but, like Laocoon and his sons fighting with the serpents, they only succeeded in getting well twined about by the eel, for he was far too strong and slippery for them to hold, and as fas as one end was put into the water the other escaped over the other side, causing roars of laughter amongst the boys, who fully appreciated the new actor's endeavours to amuse them. The professor in vain directed the efforts of his underlings the eel was not to be caught, until the Deus ex r.iachina, in the shape of Mr. Anderson, with a woollen cloth, appeared upon the scene, when, grasping him with the cloth, the eel was returned to his bath the boys, however, had so en- joyed the fun, that the professor had little chance to gain their attention again that day. A KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH WANTED!—The I Opinion Nationalc publishes the world's obituary for 1863 and informs its readers that England has lost, among other worthies :— "Maurice Lansclowne, ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer. president of the cabinet, and of the Privy Council."—"Sir Taton Syke."—Sir Georhe Cornwal Levis —and the poet and composer, Ch Glow,"—author of Jeannette and Jean- not." In addition to those losses we have to deplore the death (according to the Opinion) of "Agustus Leopold Ileg —a distinguished painter. The two last names are incomparably ingenious transformations of Charles Glover and Augustus Egg PLEASURES OF TRAVELLING TO WASHINGTON. —A baggage carfrom Philadelphia was precipitatfdinto the Susquehanna river, in 40ft. of water, on the 5th inst. Mrs. Bowers, the actress, lost 15,000 dols. worth of dresses and numbers of ladies found themselves at the Washington hotels with "nothing to wear." A debate arose in Congress on the need of better com- munications with the capitol. An Illinois member re- commended a removal to a more central and eligible place and a member from Pennsylvania suggested the valley of the Mississippi, where, he said, the water will take more good liquor than any other, and still be wholesome. JESTING OUT OF PLACE.—As the Earl of D-by was walking down St. James's-street with Mr. other evening, the noble lord re- marked to the right honourable gentleman that the days were getting out, when his companion promptly replied, "I wish the Whigs were."—Punch. HOPE FOR IRELAND.—Tho flax movement is making rapid progress in Munster. A numerous meet- ing was held at Limerick on Saturday, composed of the most influential gentry of the county, convened by the high sheriff, for the purpose 'of considering the best means of promoting the interests of the tarming classes in connection with the growth of nax- Colonel Dickson, M.P., described the misery of the poorer classes in the southern towns, and pointed out the causes of the decline of the farming interest. Produce had been so depreciated in value, that small farmers could not now live by the land. Four or five acres of wheat that formerly brought 90 £ or 100?. wm not now bring 501. He recommended the cultivation or flax, for which all classes should earnestly pull together, but the farmers should not indulge extravagant ex- pectations as to the profits it would produce. Major Gavin, M.P., earnestly pressed upon the meeting the urgency of the case. The country is "going to smash; we are losing 68,000 of our fellow-countrymen an- nually; the Americans are buying up our men at 250l. a head. This must be stopped. There never was such a chance for Ireland as at the present mo- ment. If all that had been said about flax was true, a vast field for improvement was being opened up and if all classes acted as they ought, the country would reap a fruitful result. A letter was read from Mr. Smith O'Brien, warmly approving the movement, and offering a challenge cup of tor. to any landlord or tenant who, within the year preceding, snail have "the greatest acreage of flax within the "yjtes of the countv." The Belfast Linen fra< e Circular shows that in the week ending the 9th inst., no less than 1,080 tons of flax were sold at 70l. Per ton, pro- ducing 75,000?. NOT FEELING COMPLIMENTED !—A writer in a New York Independent in giving some reminiscences of famous men" twenty years ago, tells the follow- ing anecdote of the late James Montgomery A few days passed at Sheffield gave me meet James Montgomery, whose hymns wi» n his elaborate longer poems will be forgotten. small, re- fined old man, with very silvery hair, he always looked oddly from being swathed Up in a huge cravat his chin quite down 011 liis breast. He was full»^enthusiasm for America, and full of indignation t0$m people should persist in confounding him th Robeit Montgomery, whose poem on "Satan" »™ .(like a beetle in a museum) by the keen pen 01 Alacaulay. Only think," said the dear old poet to me, that 1:should have just got a letter telling me that my P°EIA 011 Satan is the best I ever wrote THE NEW GUN—The Infant Prince," the six- pounder.-Punch. BEE SWARMING EXTRAORDINARY. It is not always either agreeable or safe to have a swarm of bees almost ins'de your house in such cases efforts to remove or even get rid of them mayhd deemed ex- cusable (says the Liverpool Albidn). On Friday last a swarm which for years past has taken possession of the space between the drawing-room floor and the dining-room ceiling of the residence of Mr. Buchanan, atPoulton cum-Seacombe, Wallasey, came out m vast numbers from their winter quarters, and disported themselves in front of his house as if it had been mid- summer. The annual movements of this swarm have long been a source of interest and curiosity in the neighbourhood. On one occasion the entrance to their cells was closed up during the winter; bUu in the following spring the bees made their way out into the light through the same aperture which had been barred against them and on another occasion, when it was thought they had been effectually destroyed by the action of burnt brimstone, great numbers of them were, nevertheless, Untouched, and forced their way iilto the air in the following spring, and the statin has never since been disturbed. A FRENCH MEMORIAL TO SHAKSPEARE — Victor Hugo has a new work in the press upon Shakspeare. It is to appear towards the end of February, just before the threc-hundredtli anniversary of the gre.-it poet's bil'thdfty, which it is intended to commemorate. The book is to be dedicated to Eng- land, as the country i" which the great Frencii exile has established his h" victor so many years. M. Louis TJlbach, in'speakmi,' this work, says:— It ia~ at ^yf £ >u"<l riexhaustive study, made with rr-iirr'i "ii jln rnVrrfii^ i'-1^ >v 'A l^ij^jwrwlence, of (Wj of thr. gteatSst 0* iheb. "—— Mom: SHAKsrEATtiAMrr.— (From the "Athe- naeum.") "weare. happy to state that the following gentlemen have given their consent to have their names added to the National Shakspeare Committee --Professor Holloway, Messrs Moses and Sonl Mr. Miles (sixtetm-shilling trcusefs), Mr. Close, the Peet, Captain Atcherley, Dr. Cutnming, Mr. Cox, M.P., the Viscount Williams, Mr. Jackv Sanders, and the Beadle of the liuvlington Arcade.—Punch. PICTURES BY YOUNG ARTISTS !—A trial of some general interest was brought before Mr. Justice Shee and a common jury, and concluded on Monday, in London. An attorney from Cnelthsfbrd went into a picture ailction-ropin, in St; Paul's Churchyard, Lon- don, and bought pictures to the value of 158l. It afterwards turned out that most of these pictures were painted by young artists, bearing the same names as great masters, and the plaintiff entered an action for the recovery- 0f his money, on the ground that there was co"Usion between the auctioneer and the brokers through whom the attorney made his purchases. The jury took that view of the question, and returned a verdict for the plaintiff for 58l. DEFRAUD^ INSURANCE COMPANIES.— At Bir- mingham, Mr..Thomas Lowdon, and Edward Beeton, formerly caring on business in High-street, Birming- ham, were a £ ain brought up on remand charged with having obtained certain sums of money .under false pretences fro^ the Liveirpodl and London and the Westminster i ire-offices. The prisoners commenced business as rapers in Birmingham in September, 1862, and insured their stock in the above offices. In January, 1863, a 6fe broke out on their premises, which com- pletely destroyed not only the stock, but also the building. J,a their claim upon the insurance-offices it was 8tated that they had received, more than the VftWe of the S^k, tVhith was accomplished by producing fictitious mvoices. In one case an invoice from Messrs. MorleT and Green, of London, for 1?. os. 6d. had been altered to 10]i. 5s. (jd., and in the case of Messrs. Davis1 an invoice was produced for 4Hl. 17s. 8d., though that firm had had no transactions with the prisoners. The case, whinh has been three times ad- journed-, e>:eited much interest, and at its close the Bench committed Lowdon to the session on the charge of fraudulently obtaining the money, but discharged Beeton, who, it appears, had very little concern in the management of the business, being at the time a minor. "BABY'S NAME."—The honourable Mr. Dutton, M.P., in a speech at Portsmouth, the other day, made a allusion to the new baby, but said that "he could not name him, because he had appeared so sud- that his name was not yet ready for him." Mr. fv F. Tupper, who has been loyally prompt with his tribute upon the occasion, has thoughtfully provided or this want. The Laureate of Albury, in his new Poem, calls the Princess of Wales— Thetis of our Northern Water. With poetic reticence* he does not precisely propose a name for the Hope of England, but if our—Lempriere —serves us rightly, the son of Thetis^ was called Achilles. There's a splendid name Prince Achilles of England. And it would be a delicate compliment to the Princess's brother, George of Greece. In favour of this name, Mr. Punch withdraws his own claim to name the infant, as ho did with even gteatef promptness thrtn Mr. Tupper.—Punch. JOURNALISM IN FRANCE.—The following appears in the Journal de Renncs .-—" We received this morn- ing the following lines from one of our correspon* dents:— The ccmmisaary of police is at this moment in the act of seizing all the papers in my writing desk. I cannot con- sequently address you any letter to-day :— Yesterday, probably at the time our correspondent was addressing us the lines given above, our editor W9!S summoned before the Juge d'lnstruclioil, who ex- amined him as to the date and the nature of our rela- tions with our correspondents. The central commissary of police came afterwards to our office and proceeded to search for and to seize the letters of one of our cor- respondents." I* ELOPEMENT AT WEST HARTLEPOOL.—A few days ago, an elopement of a rather romantic cha- racter took place at West Hartlepool. The fair one is just sweet sixteen, and is the eldest daughter of Mr. Dunning,I farmer, near West Hartlepool, and the enamoured Benedict was, until lately, employed as hind in her father's service. His name is Isaac James, and of late lie has been residing at Leeds, where he had made all the preliminary arrangements for the union. Miss Dunning had had some business to transact for her father in West Hartlepool; and at a certain hour ho had to meet her to accompany her home. He was there at the appointed but was surprised at not finding his daughter there to join him, and, more- over, that she had not transacted the business he had entrusted to her. Feeling uncomfortable in the matter, be made some inquiries, and while in the house medi- tating on his" lost child," who should make their ap- pearance but i is daughter, with her lawfully- wedded husband. She imploringly asked forgiveness, but in vain, her father being inexorable. Drtermined to punish the decoyer of his daughter, he proceeded to the police-station, and accused James of stealing his daughter's gold watch. A police-officer conducted both Mr. and Mrs. James to the lock-up, and in the pre- sence of the father it was shown that the watch had been handed over to the young lady's uncle, and, con- sequently, the superintendent refused to lock the happy bridegroom up. The trio left the station to- gether and, however imprudent the act may have been, it is hoped that Mr, Dunning will extend the hand of forgiveness to his daughter, and not impair the happiness consequent on the marriage state. AN AWFUL ACCIDENT BY MACHINERY.—At Birmingham a boy, about eleven years of age, in the absence of his master, crept beneath a workbench for the purpose of turning on the gas, when his clothing was caught by the bands of some machinery in motion by steam power. His apron was first caught, and he was in an instant dragged up to the pulley and wound round the shaft. He raised an alarm, but no person being near at the time, it was in vain. The shaft was only some fifteen or sixteen inches from the floor, and at each of its rapid revolutions the poor lad was dashed with great force, first against the bench above, next against the wall behind, and then was dragged through the narrow space between the shaft and the floor. The awful effect of this revolution may be imagined. The unfortunate lad was frightfully mangled—literally torn to pieces. His brains were dashed out, his limbs were torn from his body, and he ceased to live before he was extricated from his awful position. THE MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.—The following circular has been issued by the Premier to the sup- porters of the Government in the House of Com- mons ;— Downing-street, Jan. 22, 1SG4. Sir,—The meeting of Parliament having been fixed for Thursday, the 4th of February, I have the honour to inform you that public business of importance will be brought forward. I beg leave to express my hope that it may be consistent with your convenience to attend at the House of Commons at the opening of the session.-I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient and faithful servant, PALMERSTOK. VERY LiKELY !—A tale of a murder, perpe- trated in a mysterious manner, and of the discovery of the murderers by scientific means, is now the common talk of the inhabitants of the Russian capital In the so-called old city, on the right shore of the Neva, be- hind the fortress, is a small house which enjoys the reputation of having once been the residence of Peter the Great. One of the few rooms in the house is stated to have been used as a sleeping chamber by the celebrated monarch, and this apartment is now visited with feelings of veneration and awe by many thousands of Russians. Although the room is not in reality a chapel, a priest is attached to it, and it is richly adorned with gold and precious stones, on which account two soldiers are constantly on duty there. A few evenings since, after the priest had withdrawn to his dwelling, situate on the opposite side of the street, he was summoned to return to the chapel, as two men required his services. Thegoodmansoonrepairedtothe little chamber, and af terwards returned to hishouse. On the following morning the two soldiers on guard were found murdered at their posts, and the almsbox, which contained 400 roubles, had disappeared from its ac- customed place, while the costly articles with which the room was so plentifully adorned were found undis- turbed. It was suggested that the eyes of the mur- dered soldiers should be immediately photographed, in the hope of successfully testing the discovery recently made in England, when, to the surprise of all, the re- suit was the production of the portraits of two soldiers of the private guard at the palace, on whose breasts were the insignia of the Cross of St. George. The murderers were at once sought out, and apprehended. A WILFUL WOMAN.—A determined attempt to commit suicide by starvation has just been made at Gainsborough, by a young woman of 22, named Mary Beech, living as domestic servant with the toll-collec- tor at the bridge which crosses the Trent, and con- nects Lincolnshire with Nottinghamshire There is acoveredpassage on each side of the tollgate, with a door opening to the bridge and another to the street, through which foot-passengers have to pass. One of these passages is not Used for traffic, and in it the girl voluntarily shut herself up. She lay down upon the cold Hags, and for five days and four nights persisted in refusing food. At length the police and the relieving officer for the district were called in. They found her very weak, so that it was apparent she would die if prompt measures were not spredily adopted to make her take food. The relieving officer, however, could only offer the woman an order for the workhouse, which she refused to avail herself of, and the police avowed themselves unable to interfere unless she were turned into the street by her master—a proceed- ing the toll-collector did not feel justified in adopting. The medical officer of the district was next applied to with the view of ascertaining the state of mind of the girl. At length she was told that unless she consented to one of the two courses pointed out, she would be turned into the street and conveyed to the police-station. This threat seemed to have some weight with her, for she ultimately said, they might do as they liked with her." Without giving her time to change her mind, a fly was obtained, and she was con- veyed to the union. She was so much exhausted, although naturally strong, that she had to be lifted in and out of the vehicle. On getting her to the workhouse she was put into a warm bath, and was ordered by the medical officer to have nothing stronger than gruel given her. It is said that she has a most ungovernable temper and a remarkably obstinate disposition. On a previous occasion, in one of her fits of anger, she tried to strangle herself, and she has more than once been in is prison for wilful damage. THE END ACCOMPLISHED !—From the last papers published we may remark that the Townley case does certainly not improve upon acquaintance (says the Times). We may as well remark at the outset, that there has been no corrupt influence at work. It is not unreasonable to conclude that, except for money, Townley might have been hanged, but the money was not applied in any immoral, illegal, or even improper manner. The friends of a prisoner charged with murder, or of a convict under sentence of death, have a perfect right to employ in his behalf the best advocacy they can obtain, and Townley's friends did no more. The misfortune if, that they were enabled by these means, though-law- fully employed, to effect results by no means consistent with the public interests or conducive to publIc satis- faction. We may presume that the fresh correspond- ence now pubnah"d completes the story, and it certainly leaves little obscure. í — PARTY KOI: THE INSANE — The liicy-hatch Asylum for the Insane, 1 iveu their annual trent to the in- fn • lient institution. Of the 1,900 in- j;. alyuit 600,, male and female, were peril ~lto < ,kr part festivities, and to them were adrii '1 at 300 visitors, freely in the eivwc!, and helped to promote the solemnity of the occasion. The amusement* provitlea by the visiti:" committee were numerous, but though the liigger Minstrels were loudly applauded, the troupe of Chinese jugglers and Contortionist* were by far the greatest favourites. The groat dining hall of the. asylum was the chief scene of the sports. At one end was erected a temporary stage on which the various troupes engaged kept up a constant succession of amuse- ments. In the remainder there was ample space for dancinc, and, to tell the truth, if he committee had engaged two Or three t'Uadrille b>nds, one to succeed tile other, so as to keep up a contmu-u succession of dance music; perhaps they would best have consulted the general taste. With or without partners, the patieiits nevet Seemed tired of whirling round the room either to the polka or waltz measures. It was gratifying to remark how much alf present Beemed to enjoy themsslves, the patients quite as much as the visitors, and in the complete success of the party the officials who thus endeavour to enliven the dreary 1-fe of their unfortunate charges have their chief reward.

*fm .WiiW.rnSSIm^» WASHINGTON "FULL TO THE BUNG!" Washington is ftill of people- full of representatives and politicians (remarks an Amencan paper) fitu of honeet men and dishonest men full of office-seekers and office-holders; full of men who pick individual pockets and get arrested, and iuen wh pick the national pocket and get rich Jdl » ^Pers against whom the travelling and sojourning puhh-, are solemnly, warned in placafds, and public shatpers who are deemed highly respectable because they do business on a iarge stiale full d £ men wild pay their pew-rents regularly, thumb their hymn-oooK fe- ligiously, and sell shoddy overcoats to soldiers full of men who wouldn't let a iwte go to protest for the world, have no scruples against mouldy bread and spoilt beef for army purposes full of officers who would frush the rebellion instanter, wear fierce mous- taches, and fancy uniforms of no avdil against the rebels and rifles full of officers who ought to be with their commands, and officers who should never have had a command to be with full of colonels who want to be brigadiers, and brigadiers who will resign if they ttj>e not made major-generals ftui 01 speculators and peculators; full/too, of-ladies—ladies who are hand- some and acPompluheQ and know it very well, ladies who are Iiandsoiiie ahd accomplished and don t seem to know it, and ladies who are homely and unaccom- plished and don't Ecem to know it; full, too, of females who -are not ladies, though they now and then make an uninitiated member from the West believe they are full of Cyprians of high and low degree, from the owners of "gaudy equipages and the occupants of palatial residences to the poor pedestrians who live in garrets full of every body and everything.

AN ARTFUL SCHEME-BUT NOT SUCCESSFUL. On Tuesday the Lord Mayor of London haiidcd to the reporters sitting at the Mansion-hoUse, with a view to pub- lication, :ts a matter of cnution, a corrSspcudence forwarded to him by "A Clergyman" in the country, and from which the subjoined particulars are condensed A few months ago this clergyman bad an advertise- ment for pupils inserted in the papers, and in reply received) among others, two letters which he had felt it his duty to Send to the tiord Maybt-, written, as he believed they were, with the view to obtain money from him under false pretences, and believing also that similar attempts would be made in other quarters. In the first letter the writer, dating from Constantinople in August last, and giving the name of a major in the axilly, stated that he should be most happy to bring his three boys to London, and to leave them with the advertiser, paying, as they were brothers, 280E; a year, but that he and they had just^ arrived from India overland, and on reaching Cairo had intended going on direct to Alexandria, and there taking the steamer for Southampton. The vicinity of the Holy Land, however, was too tempting for his family, and he was forced to take them across the Syrian Desert to Jerusalem, which unforeseen detour had for the moment exhausted his resources, and obliged him to halt at Constantinople until he could receive supplies from India, which could not be before the 1st of November, when he would have a remit- tance of 8501. lIe went on to state that, if his sons should be happy and comfortable with the advertiser, he would procure him, in November, three more Anglo-Indian boys, nephews of Sir Hugh Kose, com- mander-in-chief, who were then coming over, Jike his Gwn, for their European education, and through whom the advertiser would "secure a powerful Anglo-Tiidian connection." He was atraid, he said, to place his children in a public school or large town, having regard to their morals, lie added that, if equestrian exercise could be procured, fc.e should wi.-h them to enjoy it, and he would 01 course pay an addi- tional sum. It would cost at the least, he said, 80?. to bring his sons to England, and he could then only com- mand half that sum, so that if the advertiser wished to receive them for tlireeyears on theliberal termshchad offered, with the prospective advantage of having the Hoses besides, and would send him, ina registered letter, a Bank of England note for -10k he wouldbring them to xi England forthwith. In that case the advertiser was to send a telegram to him to the care of a high personage in Constantinople, stating that he had for- warded such a letter as desired but in the event of his not receiving such a telegram in the course of the next week, he would "open a negotiation elsewhere." The letter of which the above is the substance was marked, Most confidential," and was signed with the name of a well-known military officer as that of the writer. Between the receipt of the first and second letters, the clergyman had changed, for a Greek word, the two initial letters he had inserted in his earlier advertisements for pupils as those by which applicants might address him. The second letter was in precisely the same handwriting as the first, but purporting to be written from the "Hotel de la Reine d'Angleterre, Pesth, Hungary," on the 4th January. There the writer; assuming an entirely different name, and calling him- self a brother of an old Irish member of Parliament, whose name he mentions, tells a similar story, evidently under the impression that he is addressing another person, as to his being on his way from India with his three boys, and as to his having been obliged, for the gratification of his family, to make a di- version into the Holy Land, which had cost him 50M., and all but exhausted his resources, until he could receive a remittance of 750?., about the middle of March, from India. The two letters differ in this respect, that in the second the writer promises, in the event of his sons being happy and com- fortable with the advertiser, to introduce to him three more Anglo-Indian lads, nephews to Sir Bartle Frere, the governor of Bombay, by which he would "acquire a powerful Anglo-Indian connection." He requested that a Bank of England note for 40l. or 501. might be sent to him in a registered letter, to enable him to send his boys to England, and that its receipt might be anticipated by a telegram addressed to him at Pesth, to the care of the Credit Mobilier Bank. Failing to receive the money by a given day, he would be reluctantly compelled to "open a negotiation elsewhere.

A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. A letter from Toulon gives'some curious details relative to a scientific voyage about to be undertaken by the Duke de Luynes. Lieutenant Vignes. of the Imperial Davy, has been appointed to the command of a steam gunboat belonging to the duke, which is to sail towards the end of the month on this voyage of discovery. The following is the pro- gramme :— After having visited the most interesting places in the Mediterranean, and particularly the coast of Syria, the boat is to be carried on the backs of mules across the mountains of Judea to be launched on the Dead Sea, of which the waters are to be analysed, as chemists are not agreed as to their quality. The gunboat is to be again carried to the Mediterranean, whence it will proceed to the Black Sea, ascend the Don, cross the Steppes of Dolgo in a waggon to reach the Wolga, which it will descend to the Caspian Sea, that immense conglomeration of water and of oil of petroleum, continually agitated with storms. After having carefully studied these phenomena, as well as the various inhabitants of that little-known region, the travellers will cross on camels the deserts of Asia Minor to the town of Mossoul, where they will explore the course of the Tigris and the Euphrates, and ex- amine the ruins of the great cities which flourished on their banks. After having accomplished that pro- digious journey across seas, rivers, mountains, and deserts, the gunboat will return to France by the Per- sian Gulf and the Red Sea. All the difficulties at- tending such a dangerous journey have been well con- sidered and carefully anticipated. Even the construc- tion of the boat is a clcef-d'(cuvre of naval architecture and of comfort. All the pieces into which the boat is divided when taken asunder are accurately numbered, so that it may easily be put together in 21 hours. It will be the first time that a steamboat shall have been carried across the precipices of Daghestan and the scorching sands of Mesopotamia. A picked crew have been placed under the command of Lieutenant Vignes by the French Government for the navigation and transport of the gunboat. The Duke de Luynes is to be accompanied by several friends, as well as by sarans and artists of the greatest merit, wbo have soli- cited the honour to share with him the dangers of this hazardous enterprise.

FRIGHTENED TO DEATH BY A GHOST! An iuquest has been held at the White Hart tavern, Kingsland-road, London, touching the death of a young woman named Priscilla May, aged 19 years, who lost her life through the practical joke of a servant in dressing up as a ghost. Mr. May, a tradesman carrying on business in Kingsland- road, London, said the deceased, his daughter, was a dress- maker She was in perfect health when about four months ago she went to lir. Blyth's house, in Hyde-park-gardens, to do some work. She returned three days afterwards, looking seriously affected in health She could hardly breathe. Her nostrils were greatly distended and were plugged. She said that she had been terribly frightened the night before. An she was going upstairs with the governess and *he servant, past the bath-room, the door of the latter waa seen to be open. She as-ked the servant to close tfi« door, and ine latter was going to do so, when something allin white threw the door open, aud appe^wl from the d^ikuess. sho said that she instantly fell back scr- amiug into the arms of the governess. Mood gushed fror" L." nostrils, and she was carried downstairs insensible. A doctor was sent for, and the servants remained up with her ail night. It appeared that the apparition in white was a servant, who dressed herself all in whik in a praetical joke. Deceased never re- covered from he shock. She lost her appetite, and her mind becamc uflected. Shegradually.sank, and she died on the 10th inst. ,.4 Sophia Sturgeon said that she was a servant in the employ of a gentleman residing at 30, Upper Hyde-park-gai l liayswater. On the night in question witness was prw oy >iisi Clarke, the governess, and the deceased r^jens, when she heard a supernatural scream to imitate Deceased gave a scream—like a laugh—and believed she fell.upon the stairs. A doctoral. Witness Witness said that Emma Frisley, the nuy^was sent for. came to the door of the bath-room in her Aery governess, as a joke. Witness would swear none of/white night dress were in tho secret. ^^the other servants Emma Frisley, nursery governess, >•_ appearance in white merely to frWsaid that she made her upstairs. Xhe other servants kiif.nten the She told deceased that she nothing of her intention, seriously frightened her. very sorry that she had so of her own head. j he whole affair was a frouc ou|r The-coroner said* "host was verv-1 ^that the fact "f dressing- up as a ca«es it r.rnJ .^foolish and very dangerous. In several A ^Tuc«d idiotcy, aud in the present instance »/death. It w-a, but rigU to consider; how- ever. that the young Worn 111 wJ»<> caused the mischief 'lid not intend anything serious, and that she was evidently sincerely sorry for her folly. No donbt this -CM i act as a warning to young persons, and in f- at way do a public good. The jury returned a vc» *f death from obscure disease of the brain and bvft ■ .doratod by a fright. and that her said ueath was cai. hy misfortune. The proceedings then terminated.

EPITOME OF *SEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. The Amsterdam, of Yarmouth, which sailed fioui Liverpool for Shields about the 24th October last, has not since been heard of. She is therefore described as a "missing ship." A Saxon leaden coffin hM been found at Bishop- stoke, Hants. It contained the skeleton of a young woman. A glass bottle and two oH^kinrr cup- were found in the coWn. A great number of large salmon are now spawning in all parts cof t ho Kiver Avon, in Hampshire, even high up the river -,it which is very unusuaL The Western Hallway Company of France has in- troduced reserved third-class carriages for females. On Saturday the mortal remains of the late Duke of Athole were interred in a vault in the ruined church of the old village of Blair Athole, amidst the regrets of hundreds of people. A patriotic old lady recently sent three smoking- caps as presents to officers in the army of the Potomac. One was for General Meade, and the remaining two she de- sired to be presented to two generals, one of whom must be a teetotaller, and the other one who never indulged in pro- fanity. General Williams, chief of General Meade's staff, took the anti-profanity cap, and General Hunt the tem- perance cap. With reference to the recent plot to assassinate the French Emperor, it has been remarked that the French police press understands how much the usefulness of the plot to the Government depends on Signor Mazzini's com- plicity, and accordingly to this hour it has not dared to publish Ms letter. A correspondent of the Hants Advertiser says that there are 80,000 barrels of gunpowder stowed away in Marchwcod magazines, about a mile from Southampton. A writer in the Quarterly Journal of Scicnce esti- mates that there are in Great Britain, within a depth of 4,000 feet from the surface, 83,544,000,000 tons of coal avail- able, and that this quantity divided by the quantity raised in 18C1 would last for about 9tO years. The last South Australian Overland mail for Eng- land consisted of 9,126 letters, 7,935 newspapers, and 2(j6 registered letters. The Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., born on the 12th of August, 1762, was exhibited to the admiring beau monde at the drawing-room which took place twelve days after his birth. We learn from Paris that the preliminary investiga- tions in the case of the Italians Aarged with conspiracy against the Emperor's life have terminated, and that the prisoners will certainly be tried at the assizes during the first fortnight of February. They arc to be tried upon the full charge of a plot against the Emperor's life. We have it on the authority of the parish clerk of Al):ham (says a Dover paper), that during the year just ended there has not been in that parish, which has a popu- lation of at least 500,. a death nor (shame upon the young Alkhamites!) a single marriage. Party preparations for the meeting of Parliament have been goiug on this week. Mr. Disraeli has addressed a note in the usual form to his supporters, asking them to be in attendance at the House of Commons on the 4th of Feb- ruary, as Dusiuens of importance may be expectcd." A report, which we trust Will turn out unfounded, had reached the Cape that Dr. Livingstone bad been mur- dered near Lake Nyassa. It is more certain tha* «• aa re- ceived news of his recal by the Government, ana 1115 saia he had admitted his expedition to be a failure. Among the skaters who attracted attention in the Zoological Garden at Brussels, during nty,P, f„ i° 'urai? an Englislunau named Annesley. he performed was that of °]!stacles nearly two feet high, placed twenty feet from each other. In some recently-ported Chinese maps, Spain, England, and Germany are all represented as islands The Queen has expressed her high appreciation of Dr Brown's skill and attention to the Princess of Wales, and as a proof of which, her Majesty has been graciously pleased to present to that gentleman a very valuable garnet ring, set with diamonds, in acknowledgment of his services in connection with the event. Surgeon Turnbull, of the 6th Dragoons, has been tried by court-martial since the Crawley case, and, like his chief, he has been honourably acquitted." A woman in Ayr fotind in the centre of a potato, to her surprise and pleasure, a gold wedding-ring! As the potato was perfectly sound, the ring must have been in- closed by the tuber in process of growth.—This may called a new potato disease f" Few would believe that the wilds of Braemar could produce so barb; ric a specimen of humanity as .-In ol,l girl who had never seen tea in her life before, The Scotch papers give a ruord of such a body m Gleueys, who last week boiled her present of half-a-pounu 01 tea as caDbage, and declared, after boiling it half-a:dozeu times, she could not make it tender kale, and ilung it away. [This is a new 'D version of an old tale. ED.] A man has just been removed to the insane asylum I at Concord, America, who buried two children in September last, and since then has been in the haqit of standing senti- nel by their g r;xves,'during the midnight watches, to save I jbem from imaginary intruders. It is thought that her Majesty will pay a short visit to Balmoral about the same time as last year; a's > that the Queen will proceed to Saxe-Coburg in the autumn. It has been determined by the Privy Council that there shall be a separate assize for the West Riding of York- shire. Leeds is to be the assize town. The King-of Portugal has just sent to the Duke de Morny the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of this Tower and Sword. A tattooed New Zealander, working as a gold miner at the Bendigo diggings, found a nugget, in November lasi, weighing 14 £ Ib., and worth 600Z. The parish of Upper Elden is a place with a dila- pidated church, one householder, and thirteen inhabitants. The parish consists of 300 acres, all in one farm occupied by the one householder! A young man has died at Powick, Worcestershirc-, and four or five others are in danger, from drinking Clde? made in a mill which had been repaired with lead, and i which the liquor had been left standing. A hairdresser, of Camden-town, London, gleeful' advertises the singular fact, that he was married on the sar.'>t day as the Prince of Wales, and that his wife was conflncd, also, on the same day an the Princess of Wales, of a son. The Archduchess Charlotte of Austria » said to 1,0 even more desirous of going to Mexico than her husband. An inquest has been held on the body of a young woman who committed suicide at Shooter's hill through tJll; desertion of her lover, and a verdict of insanity returned Letters from the young man, a soldier in the Army Hospital Corps, which were found in possession of the deceased, were read, and the coroner severely censured him for t-hi heartlessness the last of them displayed. There are ninety-three applicants to be admitted ns attorneys next term. Already there are more than 10,C0J on the roll. A grocer at Newark has a cheese weighing 7503 b. It was manufactured, near New York, of one day's mil!^ from upwards of 600 cows. A list just published shows that sinse the com- mencement of the Polish Insurrection in Febi"S*ry of la; t year, up to the end of December, 204 persons fcsvo !>e<m executed by the Russians. It is announced that the Great Eastern will be sold without reserve on the 17th of February. During an ex- amination before the Birkenhead magistratet ef a case in which the interest of the "big ship" is coHeefned, H transpired that it was hi the possession of the sheriff ot Lancashire, and that she was burdened with about 5()0 mortgages. The capital expended in Great Britain on railway; to the present time has been .upwards of three hundred ami eighty-five millions sterling, or nearly half the National Debt. This amount has been devoted to the construction of eleven thousand five hundred miles of railway in the British Islands, which are now open for traffic. At Limehouse a man fell into a vat of burning alum. His screams brought assistance, but before he was got cut he was most fearfully injured. His skin peeled off with his clothes. He was taken to the hospital, where he expired. A comet, which was discovered on the 28th of De- cember last by Respighl, is rapidly approaching the earth, and will probably become visible to the naked eye. Its nearest approach will be about February 1st, being then 18,000,000 miles. M. Domslain, an officer of the French navy, is sai l to have resolved a problem of great importance in steMn navigation—the substitution of fresh for salt water fav tlw boilers. The Prince of Wales has printed, for private circu- lation, a copy of a papyrus which was discovered during his late visit to Thebes. This Egyptian document is oilier than the time of Pericles, yet it belongs to a period marked ht the decline of Pharaonic art. Drunkenness has now become so prevalent among the Federal troops before Charleston, that General Gilmoro has had to issue a very stringent order on the subject. Another handsome square, to be called the Squara of the King of Rome, is about to be opened in Paris. It will be situate on the highest point of the Trocadoro, opposite the Bridge of Jena. The little daughter of a London licensed victualler lost her life last week from burning, her dress having been ignited as she was passing the fire. A firm has been established at Christchurcb, in New Zealand, for manufacturing paper out of New Zealand Sax-— thephormivm tenax. A large body of coolies, nearly a. hundred men, en- gaged on the Hindoostan and Thibet road, near Cheenee, were buried in tIle snow during a storm about the 6th ult. Thursday, the 21st, being the seventy-first anni- versary of the death of Louis XVI. (by the guillotine), cc 11- siderable numbers attended the commemorative masses cele- brated in the Expiatory Chapel in the Rue d'Anjou-Saiiit- IToncre, in Paris. Captain Lott, of the steamer Persia, of the Cunard line, was honoured with a complimentary entertainment no New York, previous to his commencing his three-hun^redUi passage across the ocean. Tlie Hon. li. J. Jejeebhoy, or Bombay, has offered r 150,000 rupees to enable five native youths, to be selected' from the three Presidencies, to proceed to England to qualify themselves to practice as barristers in India, on a footing (>y equality as regards legal training with European meiutoarsft the bar. A pauper died at Heavitree, the other .day, in whosw possession there was, at the time of his death, about 1- His family knew of his hoard, and expected to have heaid it was A Mr. A1 JormaE. 3 ivsry, of whose exertions I in'the cause ol reform made f)-b ,>»>cb-»»»rf;,oughout Lan' riiir&, died,dn IfoUdRY. Ttn v lidale more i?»- LI,A,WD than to Mr. lillongbe f' .membaredthere wP1 J II, "lie immediate cause of his ,1e" n.. tin, a diseases which carried 1 > '• 1 lyageoHt. 5a A snmrrhv ■ .J on the bran'(i» is pub- lished. TM'< 1 -mparatlvely eat Cla ucess C 1804, yet s'y of the Frenclf-feudget for !'n" It is v-eexpendil-ne 21 inimon francs 1 m traiii- beare- 6111 a snrpltd °' 2i (rancs is rectc, jiany lr lor.b- asserted that the late Dr. Linton, wht (-yt n to Lord Chancellor Brady, used to aecom T j Jfoi? hfp as f.-u as the door of the privaW TL M hriaum his lonMifp's tram, and then make «o the public entrance, present himi 'i't in the ceewHu private capacity as a ueiical doctor and be admitted to t. u I vice-regal presence The t-irtKAjmccilor's butler has suc- ceeded the deceased train-bearer. A very exciting rencontre with burglars is rebt. farmer's house, I)ut sonof the f^er 'an He replied by firing a sun, wounding the burglar In the lc_ The burglars were followed into the fields, wlui; farmer's son was again attacked, and again he shot c. one of the robbers, who aD, however, escaped. Vowrmri' taken on suspicion of being concerned in this outrage, v ci discharged. Another frightful c-c of wife luuiuer is reported from Liverpool, in which drfnk" plays a prominent part A marble mason and his wife, both of very in temporalis habits, quarrelled on Saturday night. ELo had been drinkim- and she, it is said, had taken some money frotfi her husband for the same purpose. This led to a quarrel, in which thu husband kicked her to savagely that she died shortly after. The rrincess of Wales is said to have submitted very reluctantly to the obligations of etiquette in the matter ft wet-nursing the baby. The Prince of Wales would, It isssi have willingly Indulged the natural wish of a young motlu:. But court traditions were too strong even for the Royal per- sonages. Federal agents are said to be still actively recruitiis in lrel:i" Recruits are promised 21. a head for an outfi:, and Ss. a-day r labouring on a railway..rpwtlrds -of 200 men are said to have enrolled. It has been estimated thai the entire number "of pt'- riodivil publications of all sorts now establÍAhed in London is 729. Of those no lever than 359 are monthly publications: while "4 are DSWOR and weeklies, 81 are quarterlies, aiiA are transactions of societies. A letter from Rome of the 16th says:—" On Monday last there was the anaual 'Accademia Poliglotta' of tho indents of the Propaganda, and I allude to it only to observe tw vouths who carried otf the palm were two negroc:, rejoicing Ul'be names of William Samba and John Provost. Their delivery ana were wonderful, Rnd called forth thunders of applause♦Tl- in a church."

■ ,t"1 1 ■■■ THE MARKETS. MARK LAJTE, MONDAY. Fresh up to Mark-lane to-day the arrivals of home-grown wheat were,very moderate, and the condition of the produce was by no means satisfactory. The trade, which at the close of last week showed a tendency to improvement, was- owing to the large importation, viz., 33,000 qrs. of wheat, rnd over 82,000 sacks and barrels of flour—in a sluggish state; however, at the close of business a fair clearance had been effected of good and fine dry samples, and prices for such exhibited less depression than on Monday last. Compared with this day fortnight, the quotations showed a reduction of about Is per qr. The supply of most descriptions of foreign wheat on the stands was moderately large- The amount of business transacted was very mode- rate, and where pressed, rather less money was accepted. Floating cargoes of wheat were in slow request at late rates spring corn afloat, was, however, tolerably firm. With barley the market was moderately supplied. Malting qualities, in fine condition, sold steadily, at full prices. Secondary descriptions were in slow request at late rate. For grinding and distilling parcels the demand ruled in- active, on former terms. A moderate business was transacted in malt, at previous currencies. The supply of oats on sale was tolerably large. All good and fine descriptions of corn were in fair average request at full prices otherwise, the trade was dull, on former terms. Beans changed hands to a moderate extent, at late rates. The show of samples was of fair extent. The value of peas was steadily supported. and the trade was tolerably firm. Although the import ..f barrel flour last week was large, very little was offered at market to-day, and prices may be considered the same as on Monday last, In other descriptions of flour a fair business was transacted, at late rates. Prices:— BRITISII. s. s. WHEAT ..Essex, Kent, and Suffolk, white, per qr. 42 to 1.) BARLEY..Malting. 30 to :;I OATS Essex and Suffolk J8 to n Beans Mazagan, new 29 to :;t Tick and Harrow 30 to 3. Teas English, white 36 to ;;s Ditto, gray 30 to ol FLOril .English, town (per sack; 36 to 40 Ditto, 2nd town 32 to t SEED Canary Perqr", to Carraway. • • -Per c — to — Rape Per V 62 to Hempseed ..perqr. — to 4c:; METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, MONDAY. For the time of year the supply of foreign stock on sale in to-day's market was rather extensive whilst its genei-u quality was good. There was more firmness in the demand, and prices were well supported. The arrivals of beasts fresh up from our own grazing districts, as well as from were seasonably good, andtearlyall breeds came to h;n-- in prime condition. Although the beef trade was by n" means active, sales progressed steadily, at prices fully equi-t to Monday last. The general top figure for Scots am! crosses was 5s; but a few very superior animals produce a 5s 2d per Sib. Prior to the close of business a fair clearance was effected. Notwithstanding that the show of sheq. was limited, the mutton trade exhibited no signs n: improvement. Prices, however, were well supportc^ Downs, in the wool, sold at 6d per 81b., and .1 the stock was prime. There were about 500 sh°rl} the pens, and which sold at Is per Sib. less money than tb<; u in the wooL The few lambs on offer changed hands slow iy, at from 6s 8d to Vs per 81b. Calves-the supply of whicL was only moderate—were dull, at previous rates. The in- quiry for pigs ruled steady, on former terms. POTATOES. The arrivals of home-grown potatoes by land and water- carriage are moderately extensive. The trade rules firm for nearly all qualities, and fine samples command mOfO monev There is no foreign produce on offer. Yorkshire Rfwnts 85s to 95s ditto Flukes, 100s to 110s; ditto Bock-, 70s to 75s Scotch Regents, 60s to 80s ditto Rooks, 658 t.) 70s; Kent and Essex Regents, 80s to 90s per ton. BOPS. The supply of home-grown hops on sale continues very moderate, but the receiptsfrom foreign ports bave increase,: the import last week having amounted t0. '11 Ostend, 3S0 from Antwerp, 15S from Gluckstaat, lib tio^i Boulogne, 180 from Bremen, 14S bales from New York. For all qualities M1, foreign—there is a steady demand, ati the aiuexed cur- rencv Mid and East Kents, HOs tg 100s eald of Kci.t 115s"to 145s; Sussex, 105s to 13°?^ va.nau, 1053 to 10: Belgian, 80s to 95s; American, 10os to porewt. WOOL. Lincoln and most other long-wools command a steady sr,1,\ at full Diices Other descriptions of home-grown proilucv) are however,"in slow request; nevertheless, previous quo- tations arc well supported. Colonial wool is held at fi''iy late rates. T'1C import last week amounted to 102 ba'i- from Port Natal, 751 from the Cape, 954 from Algoa Bay, from Sydney, and 1282 from Fort Phillip.