The Aberystwith Observer

TOPICS OF THE DAY. (By an Occasional London Correspondent.) F^Itp who bave of late had occasion to pass through th" New Square of Lincoln's Inn, cannot have failed to observe a wooden building erected in the middle of the open space, and bearing altrong reFamblanoe to a volun- teer drill hall and they cannot have failed, if they had had any curiosity, to ask themselves what it oould possibly hav« been erected there for. The natural hypothesis wonld have been that it was the property of the Inns of Court Volunteers, who had been unable to obtain a more convenient site; but unfortunately for this supposition, the people who frequented it were not of the volunteer stamp, being business-looking gentlemen with beards, and professional looking gentlemen with no beards, and gentlemen who are known by their frf quent presence at public meeting.. In other words, the only people who were admitted were architects, lawyers, and reporters, and the building itself contained the competing designs for the New Palace of Justice. On Thursday in last week a public view was given, and a great crowd of people went to pee. To the unprofessional spectator the sight was not very remunerative.. The building bad been divided, by cross partitions, into six apartments, and a wide passage running right through the middle of them all sufficed to cut each apartment into two. Each com- peting architect had one of these little subdivisions to himself, and in it he was at liberty to display as naany plans as he chose. This complete isolation of the work of every competitor effectually prevented any one who relied upon the general impression of the whole from obtaining any very definite Idea of the respective value of the various plans. The architects themselves had done everything possible to give a fair ftpprUif'QHion of the effect of their work. There were front views, siHe views, perspective views, bird's-eye views close at hand, and birds-eye views from the other side of the river. In no case was the building unworthy of the trouble of so many plans. Some of them seemed remarkably nnlike the conventional idea of Law Courts, but all of them were handsome edifices, and any one of them set down at Temple Bar would be an ornament to the City. Which of them, however, will be the chosen one I shall not venture to say, not having much of the prophetic inspiration, nor much architectural skill One thing is very evident how. ever, that the new Palace must have one or more great towers, something between the Victoria Tower at Westminster, and the artistic representation of the Tower of Babel in appearance. No single architect has omitted some appendage of this sort. Perhaps it is felt that where so many lawyers and law courts are, there must inevitably be "a confusion of tongues." It seems to be arranged that Temple Bar is not to be swept away, most probably because of the objections of the eity magistrates thereto. What would a Lord Mayor be without a Temple Bar, whose gates be might officially open now and again? But what future Lord Mayors will do with some of the new Temple Bars, if they are fited upon, is a mystery, for they do not seem to have any gates to opeu Some of them are little beetle- browed arches which will obstruct the traffic much more than the present one does, but others are lofty brHatg which cross the street in one scan, and are sufficiently high to admit tubular boilers to pass beneath them. How gates will be applied to these is a pussle. Certainly those upon whom the choice of the new building devolves have abundanceof handsome edifices to choose from, and indeed, if they use their powers of discrimination well, can soarcely fail to give us a Palace of Justice which shall be worthy of our' name and nation. It is said to have been definitely arranged that the Prince of Wales shall be present at the opening of the French Exhibition in ApriL It is also expected that His Royal Highness will return to Paris in July, accompanied by the Princess. The Court Journal has denied a report which was set afloat to the effect that Her Majesty was Engaged in writing a book which would shortly be published. A meeting was held in Exeter Hall the other evening, to rass resolutions respecting Trades Unions. The assemblage which was very large and very orderly, was under the auspices of the Society of Engineers it was warmly declared that the late legal decision with regard to Trades Unions completely deprives them of all due protection, and it was also I resolved that no commission which may be appointed to inquire into the matter can give satisfaction, unless working men have a seat upon it. Two demonstrations of gratitude and admirationhan taken place in connection with the late Regent s Park catastrophe. In the one case Messrs. Druce As Co. and their assistant subscribed, and presented a silver cup to Mr. George Dickins who is an employee of the firm, in commemoration of his bravery on that occasion and in the other instance the staff of the London Hospital and the medical students there attending, assembled in the anatomical theatre of that institution and pre- sented a valuable gold watch to Mr. E Copland, who so gallantly saved the lives of three children at the risk of his own. The Eaterhaey jewels are now in London. Jewel. wearing seem* to bave been a family failing with the E«terh»zy. It will be recollected how severe Thackeray was, and how sarcastic he became over the jewelled pantaloons of one of the family. The ruling passion seems to have continue! as atrong until the end. Wherever Prince Paul appeared in public, his dress was stiff with gems from the collar of his coat to the heels of his boots, but when he died nobody of a like fortune could be found who had a desire to sport clothes like a ailiowman, and so the trustees on his estate put thnm up for sale. Mr. Boore of the Strand made an offer which was finally accepted, and now the jewels are in his premises. Some of them are very peculiar— such as a. decoration for his bear-skin cap, weighing a pound and a half! Of course they must be broken up in order to sell; so Thackeray's sarcasm about the jewelled pantaloons will soon require history to come to its aid and explain it. Meantime many people are running to see the celebrated collection ere it has ceased to exist. A blue terra ootta tablet, with a white inscription UDon it, has been erected at No. 21, Holies-street, Cavendiih square, to mark the birth-place of Lord Bvron, and it is intended to put up others to mark the birth-places of venerable men, where the sites are well authenticated, and the permission of the proprietor can be obtained. Tablets will soon come to he the only records of our old classic spots, Apollo Court, the Old Cock Tavern, and the house in which Izaac Walton lived, are all to be swept away to make room for the new Law Courts. It will be observed that the case of Yelverton versus Y tll verton stands first on the cause list this year. It is believed that the hearing of the case will be post- poned for some time, as the friends of the lady plain- tiff are anxious to raise funds to carry on the action, and 80 to prevent her from pleading in forma pauper it. The distress in the East of London still continues, although in a less obtrusive degree. We do not hear BO much about it, but it is there, almost in its pristine severity. The Admiralty have accepted the offer of Mr. Thomas Hughes, and have ordered 1,000 tons of iron to ht, sent to the Millwall Company, so that by employing men in the manufacture of guns they may give bread to the eater." It is to be regretted that in this time of destitution it should havebeennecessary to stop the Thames Embankment Works. It has, however, been found impossible to carry on the Metro- politan Extension Railway to New Palace-yard Bn'ess this were done. The railway excavations are bsinit proceeded with with all haste, to allow tne em- bankment works to be begun again, and meantime tne contractors are pushing on with the river wall. I have just been looking over a French newspaper and have come upon the new laws for the regulation r.f public meetings in France. I wonder what the Reform League would think of them They provide that DO meeting of a political, religious, or politico- ec.,nomical meeting shall be held, as also no meeting whose object is to disturb the existing imposes. No meetings are allowed to be hsld without leave, which may be obtained by moans of a requisition signed by at least ten householders of good repute. Every meeting must take plaoe within a covered area. Open-air gatherings strictly forbidden, and a govern- ment official may attend any assemblage and at once disperse it, should he be dissatisfied with its ekaraoter or its conduct. The eagle is pretty well elipped there! The blue undress frock coat now worn by the officers of her Majesty's infantry, by whom it is unanimously detested, is to be abolished, and a patrol jacket, of neat cut, worn in lieu thereof. This change of costume will be warmly welcomed in military circles. The Ministers, by the advice of Sir John Paking- f?D' going to authorise the issue of contracts for rri?- "f several new iron clad vessels of war. j- 5_ i* taken to give employment to the l t^1 Jlwa11 *nd Poplar, and it is of course obvious that the desired result will be attained. Velunteen w*e beginnjjjg te 0f their annual Easter while it keeps up the ntceFsary f'P. *jP* between metropolitan and provincial re^iments sUo wrveB to remind fuch of her Watty's eul jects who are mere lo„kers-on," that we bave plenty of eood men, and true" who would render very acceptable service in the went of "foreign jnpanK,na contingency, however, w» have little cause to dread. A few-and only a few-yeara ago "foreign invasion" was a phrase in everybody's mouth, atd an evil considered as far from improbable, if not defit,itelv anticipated, but now-a-day8 he who seriously ^'ke i of it would be laughed at, and bis opinions P"oh-j 0'.he<l, so thoroughly is the good taith 01 tne Eini eror of the French now relied on, and p0 we is hi" character, and its many excellent traits, understood, 80 our British volunteers meet only to drill, and not to fight, and once a year, as we all know, there 18 a strong "gathering of the clans" on the pleasant and breezy Brighton Downs. But every year there are among these citizen soldiers who ask—why Bngbton always'• and why not Dover sometimes? And tne pood people of Dover doubtless echo, why d?" believe the last named town » ?°°d chance of obtaining the pre- V,?ear; and I think that, should _rC!T? m baatinsr the Q leen cf watering places on 'his question, the Volunteers will have no cause O regret having broken new ground ou the heights o the PICturesque and historic old Keat.ish town, which poK^eFsesi* military prestige that renders her well suited for a Volunteer demonstration. The railway arrangements at Brighton last year were, I am told. none of the best, and in this particular at itast. Dover should come off triumphant. There is the South-Eastern *1^' always admirable in the ^anagtment of its traffic on any special occasion, and the Inevitable "London, Chatham, and Dover," ^hich latter, I should say» would be glad of a little fcu^ra if only for *.he look of the thing J Besides, should the meeting be held in the Kentish watering- Place, and the weather prove propitious, some of our Ga.¡.hc frio nds and neighbours mipbt be happy to come ovfer si-it have a look at Ui», and after having sufficiently Tatt-ruiecd. return home well pleased at having seen v'>hn y ulj out for a holiday, and having enjoyed one Our forthcoming season here in London is, I am told. to be a eood one. To use a vulgarism, there will be plenty of go in it. The Queen herself will, as in former years, enter into those social. courtMies to which her presence, I need scarcely saf, is a if not an indispensable addition; while t Wales will not have to forego any of her ar g by reason of her recent auspicious event the Royal 'anol'V n» usual coneratulations from the m., pr es. Non. will rejoice more than the Weat-end tradespeople at this resuscitation of hte U» the world of the "Upper Ten Ihousand. *rom the West to the East End, of ^ondoa » » Rood step, though not an intermmable W but alas! in respect to the ™ldl7 position and the habits and custom, of their inhabitants, how wide do the two districts lie apart! The distress among the East-end operatives has been, I believe, considerably mitigated by the prompt liberality of the wealthy classes, bnt although I would not say one word that might be construed into a hint that the assistance thus nobly rendered, was at all misplaced, it must, I think, be admitted, that many of the distressed operatives seemed to have overlooked the I proverb that tells us to put something by for a rainy day." Some of those relieved—a small minority I am willing to believe—were men who had not very long back earned as much as thirty-five shillings a week excellent wages for a class of men who have no great appearance to keep up, and who are in a position to live well and yet practise economy. As bearing upon this subject, let me relate to you a chance conversation I had the other morning with a young man, next to whom I sat as we journeyed together on the knifeboard of an omnibus in the direction of the City. My interlocutor, a clerk by occupation, in reply to a laudatory remark I happened to make m reference to the handsome manner in which city men" were wont to oome out when any case of "real distress" was brought under their notice said "Yell, sir, that is all very well, but might they not also remember that charity begins at home, or rather should begin in their own offices where they keep an industrious set of clerks at bread and ebeese salaries? There are many hardworking clerks in London who have to maintain a wife, two or three children, and the appearance of a gentleman on a pound a week, and sir, can you tell me how it is to he done! How indeed I This reminded me of an excellent article that appeared a year or two since in Liverpool journal called the Por- cupine, in which the writer called attention to the poor pay" of the Liverpool clerks who were in reality far worse off than labouring men, inasmuch as the latter could have their dinners brought to them daily by their wives, and need not spend much money on dress; whereas the former were compelled to dine and dress genteelly. What applies to Liverpool applies equally well to London, and I think, that were employers more liberal, employees would be more painstaking and trulltworthy.

PROTESTING AGAINST RITUALISTIC PRACTICES. Last week one of the largest and most influential meetings ever held in Dorsetshire took^place at the Shire Hall. Dorchester, under the presidency of the Barl of Shaftesbury, to protest against the ritualistic practices which have been introduced into many churches in the diocese. Lord Portman, the TTon. W. H. B. Portman, M.P.. Mr. Gerard Sturt, M.P., Mr. Floyer, M P., Mr. Digby, Mr. Caloraft, Mr. Mansell, Mr. Bliot, and other county magistrates were present, and took part in the proceedings. The following protest was unanimously adopted by the meeting:— Jt.eaolveà that we the Protestant laymen ef the county of Dorset have watehed with dee" anxiety the Increasing In- tr»d«eUoa Into ehurehes ot onr Iaori of ornaments and rltaalUtte prictieM almost identleal with those of the Church ot Roma. These ornaments and practto.. were rejected hy onr forefathers M laooaiistent with, and repngnaot to, the scrlptaral stmolielty of Pretestaat worship. We have heard with deep alarm the assertion of saaredotal claims and deevtaes es^ent allv at varlanoe with th" principles and teseblBfs ef the Seformed Church of Bngland. These opinions have been (1p..nl,. protesaet. aad especially In our own dUce»e by men who at their ordination pledged them- p»l»es te maintain the pnre doctrines of g>spel truth. Impelled by these convleilons, we hereby puMloly and solemnly protest a?»inst such ritntlJstlo novelties, snoh prieptl, claims and sach un»cr'ptnr»l dootrines all tevdine to undermine the Protestant foundations of the E<taWished Churoh and endanger within these realm, the very existence of the Reformation 1Uell. In the course of his speech, the noble chairman said the women were the cause of the whole of the mischief of Ritualism—a statement which was received with loud and prolonged cheering. But for them, his lord- ship said, the Ritualists would never get access to the houses of the people, there to drop the first word of mischief into the ears of the thoughtless and young. Without the women they would make no progress at all and be hoped that in that diocese they wonld soon have a Protestant sisterhood, banded to resist the principles which were being, promulgated right and left to unhold the true doctrines of the Gospel, and to ma^aintbe integrity and purity of their homes. If they were driven to accept something—if they must make a concession in a Romamstic sense, let them make it with this condition, that every confessor should be a woman; and he promised them that when that became the law of the Church there would at once be an end of the confessional.

A PROTEST TBOM SUFFOLK. A protest against extreme Ritualism" has also been signed and published by 191 clergymen of the Church of England in the county of Suffolk. The protestors observe:— We do hereby make our solemn protest sftlnii the Bomith doctrines and practices which, under cover of an elaborate Ritualism are growing uo And spreading within the pate of the United Chu>ea of B iglsnd and Ireland. We remember, with thank fain ess, that our Church has always cOlJceded to her members a wise and reasonable liberty on non-essential points in religion We bave no desire to see that liberty abridged. But we record our firm belief that the doctrines and I,Ncttcett against whieh we now protest do not eome within the legitimate bounds of such liberty, are not to b, reconciled with the Word of God or the letter or spirit cf our formularies, and are Uk*1?. unless checked, to un Protestantize and so to rain the Cnurch of England. We therefore fe..1 It our bounden duty, from le.iouty for the truth of tbe Gospel, from 105*1 love to the Church of B gland, for the information of our lay brethren, and for the satisfaction of onr own con- sciences, to bear pabllc testlm >n» »tf«jnst »e srstem of doctrine and praotice e >nsmou!y sailed Ritualism, ana 10 warn our flocks against it

THE DOG TAX. A B>ntleman, signing himself L«x writes as follows to the Standard, on the mbjtet of the resolution lately pasted In Parliament eoncernlng the tax on dogs:— I think that neither members of parliament, nor yet the public, are in the least aware of the effect of the resolution recently passed by the House of Commons which transfers the duty on dogs from the assessed taxes to the Excise. Under the present laws of assessed taxes two assessors are yearly appointed in every parish or place throughout England and Wales, who call upon all persons to make returns, and who make the assess- ments. These assessors, from their personal know- ledge, are well acquainted with every person who keeps a dog in the parish, and at each half-yearly collection the oollector calls at each person's house for the tax. Now what will be the effect of the resolution if it Ï8 carried into law ? Bxcise licenses are granted by the collectors of Excise, who only reside in a few of the largest towns, and who travel round to the market towns to receive the Exeise duties, and in some few instances, by the supervisors of Bicite who reside in the market tnwnø, ^at every person throughout the country will be obliged to attend at the Excise-office, in many ca«es having to travel milee in order to take owt a lioence for a dog, which neither gentlemen nor working men will approve of. It is also impossible that an Excise officer, passing through a parish only occasionally, at places only at monthly intervals, can be so well acquainted with the persons who keep dogs as those person* who con- Stantly reside there and it ia a well-known fact that the duty cannot be so cheaply levied by the Excise as under the assessed taxes. Reduce the duty to 5a. and allow no exemptions and a greater amount will be paid over to the revenue under the a-ses-ed taxes than is now, and at a far les< cost and trouble to the public than if it be neuesawy to take out an excise licence.

PRESIDENT JOHSNON'S LEVEE. The Washington Time,, thus de'dbe* a enrtous scene on the occasion ot « levee tield by tha President:— One niyht the President held a levee at the White house. It was a very curious scene. Anyone who f..ela inclined walks in at the dOllr, and a crowd of very varied appearance is thus produced in an hour or two. The city is at present very crowded, and J thought that near y everybody must have been seized with the desire to shake bands with the rresiaent. The throng was immense. Ladies who had come un. prepared for such a press were sorrowing over the untimely fate of their new dresses, and sturdy citizens whom one may see in the day time loafing about the hotels or sitting on the box of a cab, were shoviag aside genera's, foreign Ministers, and political erandees with a charming freedom and sense of equality, and the "I'm as good as you" expression very plainly written in their countenances. So large a concourse had evidently not been expected. The President waf. notprtpflrttf for tibdx (fturowi intrewn mttfe frhartH. The arangements were consequently as bad as they could be, only ene door being open for ingress or egress, and the crowd constantly pushing on with some little impatience, but with unvarying good humour. Indeed, I never yet saw in America an ill.natured person in a throng of this sort. We were a motley set in appearance, some of Us had lively red ties round our necks, and wore flaring shirts, and pea-jackets, and shooting coats, showing evident signs of long wear, and a steady course of tobacco chewing. A rather abort gentleman in a blue uniform and a wideawake hat over his eyes, who stood near me, turned out to be G-eneral Grant, jammed so close that be could neither move hand or foot. Presently we were driven upon an unfortunate diplomatist, who was suffering from extreme low spirits, caused by he impression that he had been deprived of the tail of his coat. Open some other door," cried one or two among the crowd, but no one took any notice of them. Toe ladies were a little frightened; but some of them, wearing bonnets and shawls, and looking as if they were going to market, seemed quite able to take their own part. After half an hour's haid work we reached the room where the President was receiving. One of his secretaries stands by his side and mentions the name of the visitor; the Prerident shakes hands (that is a very important part of the process), and then the people walk about and look at the rather handsome public rooms. Mr. Johnson seemed a little tired of his amusement, bnt pleased notwithstanding. It is long since he has had so many people to see him. It must have been twelve o'clock before he had shaken hands with all the crowd. Where half of them came from, or who they were, of course nobody knows or cares. Some of them were moat remarkable people to look at, and their notions of an evening toilet were full of originality. These, however, are points ou which great freedom of opinion is allowed in Washington; and if ordinary evening dress were indispensable, several high personages in the Government would never go into society at all.

SUICIDE OF A CHEMIST. An inquest has been held at Middlesbro* on the body of John Jackson, a chemist, who had been found dead a in his shop, on Friday afternoon. The following evidence was given :— Xlfsabeth Cooperthwaits said: Deceased was thirty years of age. About twelve months ago he commenoed business in Commerolal strcet as a chemist and druggist 80 Mon- day morning I a.w him go into his shop. The shatters were not taken down then, and the shop has remained closed until Friday, when it was broken open by Inspeotor Skelton. I don't think he did niaeh business, for he told me a while ago that he coald hardly make what would keep him in tobacco. Inspector Skelton said: On Trldsy afternoon I went to the deceased's shop, and broke open the door, which was locked front the inside, I found the deceased lying on the shop 4.JOr, and he had the appearance of having been dead some time. I fownd a glass and bottle standing on the counter close to where he was Iving. I searched his clothes and the IUOp, but oould not find any money. In a desk I found a pawn ticket for a gold watch which had been pledged for fl. Tha ticket Is dated September last. The shop It pretly well stocked In the room where he slept there was only an old common wooden bedstead with some straw on it, and a pair of old trousers, ooat, and waistcoat for cover- ing. Jonathan D'ck-rson, surgeon to the notice force, said he bad made apoUmorUm examination. He was satisfied that tbe deceased h»d aiea from having swallowed a quantity of oil of bitter almonds. The Jnry returned the following verdict—That the deceased died from having taken a large doae of oil of bitter almonds, while in an unsound state of mind.

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY. A meeting of the leading Cabinet Ministers was held at the Earl of Derby's residence, in St. James's- square, early on Monday forenoon. Later in the day the Premier, according to circular, met his political supporters at his official residence in Downing-street. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, soon after the arrival of the noble Premier, left his official residence to join his political friends. At two o'clock a very numerous body of the Ministerial party in the House of Oommons had assembled. The Morning Herald of Tuesday gives the following account of the meeting:— Lord Darby's supporters to the number of about 230, at- sembled at his (1ft.;lal residence yesterday, at noon, shortly after two o'clock His lordship, in a Ipe. ch of some length, put before the meeting the details of the R ,form Bill which tbe Government had prepared to introduce, and which cnr- responded with the programme set forth in Mr. Disraeli's speech of Monday night. He explained that personally he was inclined to favour a larger redaction of the franchise, coupled with a kind of plnrallty ofvottng but thar, finding tbe hitter prinolple generally unacceptable, he had been compelled to fall back upon the 6l rating qualification in boroughs and the 201. franchise in counties At the same time he intimated that he should not oppose a larger extension in the counties. Lord Derby's speech was received with unanimous applause, and his proposals were accepted by the whole meedoll At ttte conclusion, bll lornshlp remarked that this 1180' the last time he should attemp*. to deal wltb the question of Reform and, Ihould be faU now, nothing would mduce him, wearied and worn as he was wi h the responsibility of political life, again to accept the onerous duties of the position he now occupies.

A DISPUTE ABOUT ANCIENT RELICS. The Paris correspondent of The Times writes as follows on the mt- j^ct of delivering over io the B igl 8\1 Government the statues of the Plant"renets, wh ch are deposited In the chapel of the prison at Pjntevrault :— M. Beule, of the Institute, has written to the Debatt a letter on behalf of the Scientific and Artisti- cal Society of Angers, to protest against the contem- plated delivery to the English Government of the etatn"8 of the Plantagenets in the chapel of the prison at Fontevrault. He relates that on tii» fifck lost. _0 J agent of the French Government arrived there to re- move the f.,ur8t!i.tutlR of Henry I r. and Richard Ceeir de Lion of England, Eleanor of Guienne, and Isabel of Angouleme. The director of the establishment, how- ever, affirming that the order presented was informal, refused to deliver up the relics. The writer states that the agitation throughout the ancient province is in- tense, and that the Prefect, the Bishop, the Mayors of towns, and several learned bodies have forwarded pe- titions to the Emperor against the proposed removal; he also declares tint the statues belong not only to Anjau, but to the whole of France, and should not be piven up to England without a Bill passed by the Legislative Body. M. Beule adds that applications from the Engiillh Government were refused by the Restoration in 1817, and again under Louis Philippe that Sovereign, he says, removed the relics to Ver. sailles, and placed them in the national mu»eum, in order to discourage any ideas on the part of England of obtaining them, and it was the President of the Republic who, in 1849, acceded to the earnestly ex. pressed wishes of the people of Anjou, and had the four Sovereigns replaced m the chapel of Fontevrault.

A CAUTION TO THE~~LADIES! If the dread of gregarines," which bring on a horrible skin disease, will not prevent women from wearing chignons, it i" scarcely to be hoped that the fear of still more deadly infection will persuade them to abandon a detestable habit (remarks the Pall Mall Gazette.) But, when rumours of cholera are again arising, it may be worth while to listen to what Samuel Pepys has to say on the subject of wig-buy- ing. The old Secretary to the Admiralty records bow, on the 3rd of September, 1665, it being Lord's Day/' he waa- Vp and put on my coloarltd silk suit, very fine, and mynaw periwig, bought a good whi'e s nee, bat durst not wear, because tha plague was in Westminster when I bought it; and It is a wonder what will be the fashion after the plague is done, as to periwigs, for nobody w h dare to buy any balr, for fear of the in'ecion, that U had been cut 01: the heads of people dead of the plagne. Would that choleraic chignons were looked on with like distrust I An entry made in the garrulous secre- tary's diary a little later in the same year, when the plague bari begun to abate, mav aleo bear a special ia. terest just now. On the 27th of November he writes :— I went Into London, It being a dark night, by a hasknsy coach the first I have durst to go in many a day, and with gr»ar, pdn now for fsar. The Great Fire of the following year, though it des- troyed half the city, failed to burn out the defects in hackney coaohes, and we have as much reason to get into a cab "with great pain now for fear" as had Pepys two hundred yeara ago.

PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX. At the present moment small-pox is universally prevalent, no district, whether in or around the metropolis, being free from its ravages (says the Lancet). This ought not to be our normal condition; neither would it be if preventive measures were reo sorted to, or if we had in operation a jadioious system of vaccination regulated and governed by wise and practical legislation, which we have not. From the inspectors of the Privy Council we learn that in the metropolis alone there are from 40,000 to 50,000 children unprotected by vaccination from the report of the Small-pox Hospital, that in the past year the ad. missions had been upwards of 33 percent, more t^an in 18C3; and that, out of 2,069 patients, more than 20 per cent., or 425 cases, had not been vaccinated This terrible scourge to mankind, who live as we do, to a great extent, in the practical neglect of the laws of health, is really a preventable disease, and mav be stamoed out by a carefully practised system of vacciuation. Of this we as a profession, have no doubt. Wbat. then, is required to be done, seeing that the Act of 1853 has in many respects proved a failure ? First and foremost, we need a Minister of Public Health, who might be as- sociated with the Some Department of the State, and from whom would proceed all general directions for the preservation of the health of the nation. Secondly, a Vaccination Board, presided over by an independent medical man. This board should have the power of appointing inspectors of vaccination, their duties being to examine all cases after vaccination, and, if ap- proved, to give a certificate. Thirdly, a staff of medi. cal men should be appointed to vaccinate, apart from the Poor Law Board, and who would be under the control of the Home Department. A bill based on these suggestions should be brought in without delay, if the Government be really anxious to preserve the people from the ravages of preventable diseases.

A ROYAL SKATING PARTY. The Petersburg*1 correspondent of the Standard, wrltirg under date INo 16 gives the following interesting parti- culars ot skating on tue ice iu Russia:— Since her marriage the Cesarevna has led a very retired life having satisfied public curiosity she has apparently been desirous of avoiding observation. On Monday, however, she threw off her usual reserve and attended the soiree given on the ice by the members of the Neva Skating Soeiety, who ex»rted to icake the evening pass off as bri li&ntly as possible, and it must bj confessed that they perfectly succeeded. The effects produced by the SKiitul management of light at this fete were superior toanythine; that has ever been seen in this country, The entire quadrangle was surrounded by lofty poles connected by chains of lampa and from the top of the various buildings used as dressing- rooms, refreshment rooms, &c., all brilliantly illumi- nated, shone electric lights which shed their rays over the whole ground. Two castles, built of solid blocks of transparent joe, lighted up with Bengal fire of yioiiM oofcvra, prodrnM » nutgtad efftfov; fend the tiny lanterns, white, red, and green, worn by the gentlemen on their caps or their girdles, gave an animated appearance to the whole scene as the skaters glided about in all directions. The arrival of the Emperor was the signal for a brilliant discharge of Ro nan candles, the whole company receiving his Majesty with enthusiastic chAfOrs, and the band play- ing the National Anthem. The Cesarevna was con. veyed in an elegant sledge from the entrance to the Imperial pavilion, which was fitted up with great taste for the occasion, and as soon aa she had put on her skates she was conducted over the ground by two gentlemen and esoorted by some eighty or a hundred torch-bearers. The Eoiperor and all the Imperial party skated during the whole time they remained on rhe ice, and seemed thoroughly to enjoy themselves. The taste displayed in the costumes, tbe skill of the skaters, ladies as well as gentlemen, the excite- ment produced by the dancing, the music, and the lights, and the fairy-like appearance of the whole scene, give a peculiar charm to these fetes, which always prove very attractive.

FAVOURITE DAYS FOR MARRIAGE. The latest reports of the Registrars-General of England and Scotland show that no two nations could differ more widely than do the English and the Scotch with regard to the choice of days of the week for marriage. The Scottish report states that the favourite day for marriage in Scotland is the last day of the year, provided it does not fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. No marriages are celebrated on Sunday in Scotland, while in England it is the favourite day of the week for marriage, 32 per cent. of the marriages being contracted on that day. Monday is a favourite day in both countries. Saturday in England is the third day of the week in order of selection for mariage, 17 per cent. occurring on that d'y; but in Scotland no true Scot will marry on a Saturday, nor, indeed, begin any work of importance. With the Scot Saturday is an unlucky day for marriage, and ne impressed with the superstitious belief that if he married on a Saturday one of the parties would die before the expiry of the year, or that, if both survived, the marriage would prove unfruitful. Hence it happens that Sunday and Saturday, the two favourite days for marriage ia England, are blank days for marriage in Scotland. Friday is the day on which the English do not marry, but in Scotland it is one of the favourite days for marriage.

AN EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. At the South wark Police-court in London a middle. aged female, who gave the name of Mary Taylor, but whose real name was Grist, was brought before the magistrate charged with attempting to drown herself in the Thames. A policeman said that on Sunday evening he was on duty when he received information that a woman had jumped into the river by St. Saviour's Dock. He went there, and saw the prisoner seated in the river. which nearly covered her. He pulled her out, and asked her what she meant by snch conduct, when the said that she intended to drown herself. She also said that she had tried all she could to do so, but the water would not cover her, neither could she sink. She was in a deplorable state, everything being soaked about her, and she appeared to have been in the water some time. He conveyed her to the workhouse, where she was carefully attended to and her clothes dried. The Magistrate (to the prisoner): What have you to say ? Prisoner: Nothing, sir, only I wanted a home. The Magistrate: But not a bome in the river. Prisoner But I thought to end allmuery. At this part of the inquiry a very respectable looking man came forward and said his name was Robert Grist, and the prisoner was his wife, having been so fifteen years. For some time past she had not been in her right mind, and it was not we for her to be alone. The Magistrate told him that if such was the case he ought to have her taken care of., She had made a most determined attempt to commit suicide, and it wtf a miracle that her life was saved. The husband told his worship that he could not afford to pay for her in an asylum. He, however, never heard of her attempting to commit suicide before. The Magistrate directed the prisoner to be taken to St. George's Workhouse, and there to be examined by the medical officer of the parish" to her state of mind. She could not be allowed to go at large for the present,

ALL IN HIS EYE? k Polander, whose life has been a ssrlss of misfortunes, has Jut arrived at Paru under the following extra- ordinary elrcumdanc. In 1830 he was exiled to Siberia for political crimes, from whence he escaped to Montreal, arriving there in complete poverty. After eight years of miserable life there, he sailed to Brazil and went to work in the diamond-mines, and from Brazil to California, where, in a short time he sollected a swall fortune in gold. In 1863 he returned to Europe, and joined in the struggle for his country's independence. He was again captured, and transported for life to Nevtchinsk, in the north of Siberia. In 1865 he found in the bed of a river masses of melted quartz mixed with iron ore. His Brazilian and Cahfornian experience now came into play, and prosecuting 9ia search he dis. covered and secured diamond1 to the value of 8,000?., and near the close of summer he found one large diamond weighing seventy-five carats, and worth at least 50,0002. He resolved to make his escape, if possible, through the Chinese empire. The smaller diamonds he secured in a belt abo9t hj. person but to make sure of the larger one he forced out one ofVhis eyes, and in the vacant orbit, hid the highly-prized jewel. On his way through China he was robbed by banditti of his belt and small diamonds, save a few, which he sold to proeure the necessaries of life. After many dangers he arrived at Calcutta, and sailed for Marseilles. He is now in Paris, and in great m isery and poverty, not being able to sell his jewel, as it proves to be tilled with black spots, and almost worthless.

THE PEABODY BENEFACTION. The trustees of Mr. Peabody's gift for the purpose of ameliorating the condition of the labouring poor of London have made their annual report, in accordance with Mr. Peabody's expressed wish. By this state- ment it appears that the original fund has been increased by the earnings of interest and rents to the extent of i5,416Z. 8s. lid., making tbe sum total of the trust, at the end of December, 1866, 165,4162. 8i. lid. This is or™ *°f Peabody's sup- plementary gift of 100, WW. for like purposes, which, with its accumulation of interest, will not come into the power of the trustees till 1868, The operation of the plan has been satisfactory, and the sanitary results highly so. The sum of 40,3972. 2d. Id. was expended on the land and buildings at Islington: the gross receipts from which dnringthe year were 1,7172.16s. 9d., from which • .nave to be deducted for taxes, working expenses, repairs, &< leaving a net return of 1 1742. 0s. 5d. 1"L manner, the investment in land and buildings at Spitalfieldi was 27 2152. Its. 3d., and the gross amount of rents 1,0192. 8s. 6d. the taxes and expenses were 3752. 6a, 4d., leaving a net return of 6442. 2d.

DEATH OF SIR GEORGE SMART. The death of the veteran organist and composer, Sir fteorge 8m.riI, took place on Svurdsy, at the advanced Me of ninety. iiI. nealth had been in a declining state for sens time, aad nis demise was, therefore, notunf-xpectad. His r.MM beeD hODCUrably connected with the musical hyory of eM many years—Mr Geoigi -a. knighted in loll. a. uaoitn, by the Duka ot Rtchmonu, th«n X, »rd p»ut«' ait of Ireland.—Notioiug his death, the Pall Mail Gazette says Sir George Smart may be said to have witnessed the birth, the growth, the fullest splendour, and, it would seem, the decadence of modern music. When Sir George was boro in 1776, no masterpiece had yet been given to the world by young Mozart, and Beethooven was then playing a child of six years of age, in the dirty Kheingasse of Bonn. Smart had nearly reached the middle term of human life-the mezso del eammxn dv nostra vita—when Mendelssohn was born, and yet it is now twenty years since the author of "Elijah closed his eventful life. Sir George must have heard and known Michael Xelly- the singer who created tbe part of the stuttering judge in Le Nr-zze di Figaro," when the opera was first produced by Mourt, and who afterwards set up in the Opera oolonnade as an "imperter of music, and com- poser of wines," while half century afterwards he bad the credit of teaehing Jenny Lind to sing The Mes- r siah." It was in his house that Weber died, and he was associated, more or less intimately, with every great musical event of the century, Xc is said that the only pupil and successor of Weber calling upon Smart some weeks ago found him playing over St. Cecilia, the cantata recently produced at the Norwich Festival. It was no small privilege for a man to hear each new work of Mozart as it came hot from the com- poser's brain, to learn music at the same time as Beethoven, to live through in succession the entire lives of Weber and Mendelssohn, and be able, at the age of ninety-one to refresh a much-remembering brain with the new fancies of a still active composer.

THE SHORT TIME MOVEMENT. In a oircular issued by the secretary of the Preston Spin- ners and Minders' Association, the follow nf? observations are made relative to the frequent agitation in Lancashire for a reduction in the hours of factory operatives;-— The eight-hours movement appears to be the universal adoption of the working classes, not only in this country, but in all others where cotton is being spun and manufactured. General public meetings have been held of factory-workers to test their feelings as regards appealing to Government for improvement upon the present Factory Bill in two points—first, that the hours of labour be reduced from 10 £ to eight hours per day, or forty-eight hours per week secondly, to prevent over time working, and men from being discharged for refusing to work beyond the time pre- scribed by the law for wnnaen and young persons. That such restrictions should be put upon the moving power is a question that has long been settled by the factory-workers of the present generation, and the want of such an Act has long been felt. At different times some employers, even of our own town, h*ve run their engines, not very long since, till twelve o'cloc k at night; and very frequently, jn our own branch, we have had men discharged for refusing to work till seven or eight o'clock, a course which from time to time has cost our association some hundreds of pounds by paying the men when discharged. And some employers that we could name have gone round themselves and asked our men to work overtime, and where a direct refusal was met with, they were told that they must take the consequences for not Com- plying. We all know what that means. Past experience tells us clearly enough that if overtime must be done away with, and men prevented from being discharged for refusing to work after a given period, restriction must be put upon the motive power. One of our employers in Preston stated to a deputa- tion that waited upon him, requesting him to run short time instead of reducing the wages 5 per Met., tint he cooM notaffqrd to work any shorter time, but would lift TO ran Eft tforku fire hoatt a day lohgw?. So»ue newspaper writers, who pretend to know 80'1 our business, say that we are free ajjent«, and can pleat-e ourselves whether we work overtime or not; and that W" require no enactments to regu'ate the hours of labour for adults in factories. It so happens that we know something to the contrary, anf1 would recom- mend a few of those sceptics to go and engage in a factory, and work themxelves up to a spinner and continue in that situation for another five years. When they have done this we will acknowledge that they know something about the factory system and the freedom that exists therein.

THE GREAT FRENCH EXHIBITION. In another month the Great Exhibition, des'gied to eclipse alt former Exhibitions, and to be a standard for all Exhibitions to come, will be presented to a curious, candid, and critlcillng public. The building itself is, of coarse, the ugliest thing ever seen. The French themselves admit that nothing could possibly be uglier. It resembles an enormous gasometer, enclosing a series of smaller gasometers, with a circular garden in the common centre. From this centre roads or avenues diverge to 'he circumference, like the spokes of a wheel or the cross threads of a spider's web In each of the circular compartments thus formed and inter- sected certain departments of industry will find their place, and this principle of arrangement, excellent in its way, has determined the form of the building. The arehitect alleges that it will answer its main purposes better than any other structure could do, and with that success he Is content. But the peculiar characteristic, the great distinction of the French Palace of Industry, lies in its surroundings, or, as we might tay, its suburbs. It Is situated in an artificial park su"h as in old times would have been termed "a pleasaunce," and tt,1I ground will be laid out wtth extra- ordinary art. It will be studdtd, too, with little detached ediftcel for supplementary Exhibitions, erected and decorated in all the styles of architecture known to man. Temples, moiques, pagodas. wigwams, Josahouses, villas, tombs, and huts will vie with each other In novelty, picturesqueness, and beauty. Already, thoueh the park is half under water Rnd everything in dreadful disarray, the Parisians are satis- fied with this part of the spectacle, and are willing to believe that it will redeem the Inevitable ugliness of the central fabric. x l'he Commissioners are making all possible efforts, and some of them most arbitrary, to insure the highest amount of receipts from tb. dllplay. The building and Park have cost a very large sum, not less than ten millions of francs, and oertalnly two millions more will be spent before all is done, maldnr little ahort of 600 0001 sterling In alL This large sum was raised by a grant of 24,0 OOol. from the State, and a grant of 240,0002 from the Municipality of Paris, and la addition, a guarantee fond of 430 0001 was raised in the usual manner by private subicrlption. Not a penny of the latter sum has been called for, nor will it be; bat, as a matter of course, the money given by UtI! State and the Municipality has been spent to the last farthing, and, to do every one Justtoa. none seemed to bave expected a different result. About 20.0001 or Ji.CO 2 more will be raised o. the faith of the gnaraatee fund, and this will cover the expense. Now as to the payments. Profltl there can never be from the receipts of the building Jagging from our own and other similar displays, they are not llkuly to amouattemore than 800 OOOi, or thereabout. But whatever the gross re- ceipts may be, above the working expenses of collecting them, they are to be divided into three shares,—one in part repay- ment to the State, one in repayment of the Municipality, and one for tbe guarantors, who will thus receive a bonus of 15. or perhaps even 20 per oent., and not on the money which they lent, bat which. In case ot need. the? were willing to lend. The case stands thus—France anl the rest of the wor d pay for the Bthibltlon. Paris has all tbe direct and indirect profits trom ft, and the patriotic guarantors will get high inteie-t Indeed on money which will never qalt their pockets. Certainly, "they manage theaethinM much better in France." EogUnd, however, could do Just the same If a few enterprising Londoners could only persuade all the reat of the kingdom to heart e expense of a London Ixhibitton, and let London haye all the profits, Once oTMooma the soruplftf of all raiding outside the metropolis to such an Arrangement, and the whole thing would be easy enough. The only difficulty would be to remove those seraples. Of an International Exhibition which oan pay its way honestly, and which for every 20s. spent on it gives b ck a pound, the French have no notion. None of the French Exhibitions, as Sihlhttlons, ever did or ever will pay. Yet the French can say much in defence of their plan. Parts Is an exoeptlen to the rule of all other great oapltals. Half Its prosperity depends on the crowds of foreign visitors who are attracted by Its beauty, its gaiety, Its geniil climate, and pleasant mortes of life. The bargain which by.an Investment of half a-mllllon Insures an expenditure in such a capital of more than ten times that amount, Is not such a bad one after atL Paris II pleased by it and profits by It, and the provinces are pleased and profited by it in a lets degree. There Is no doatet that the removal of Prince Napoleon from the presidency of tbe Imperial Commllaton has done no good to the Exhibition. He used to take the liveliest in- teruS In its well b"ing and progress. Now, bpi"lleft vir- tually whhout a chief (for the Minister of the Interior never Interfere>0, what Is done Is nobody's business, or, what Is worse, it is everybody's. Thus, the Commissioners have lately done strange things, and, in their efforts to make the displ«y profitable, have rather overstrained their powers, and sold rights which were hitherto supposed to belong exclusively-to ths foreign Commissions themse'ves. It happens, therefore, that there are faw foreign Com- missions now in Paris which are not more er less eg ged in dispute or litigation to defend their rights The E g'ish Commission has two lawsuits, and is likely to have a tuird. For Instance, the Imperial Commission have sold the rg'it of publishing the English catalrgae not only ia tbe building and in France, but also the right of printing It in English througbou., the United Kingiom. The same, it is Mid. has been done with several other foreien catalogues, snd all their Commissions are, like the English, determined to resist. It Is almost needless to say that such a right of monopoly of prtntiq in foreign countries wUl he upset by the very first declelon.of the French law courts themselves. Another monopoly—that of the sole right of advertising in the hulldlng-bat been sold to an Ipecalator for, It is said, no less a sum than 12,OOOl, and this, rf course, has been sublet in different counrries, and the apparently ill-defined nature of the conditions and r'g its It alio wsls g Ying 1118 to much discussion. An illustration ot how this monopoly acts may be told :— Atorg the department for English machinery there are ftirty large windows la the buga red metal wall on either side Etch of these windows is some SO feet high by 20 wide, and ttyi glare and heat of the sun from them during sum- mer has to be dimmed out in tome way. The English Commissioners, therefore, proposed, instead of merely whitening the glau, to fill in their 80 windows with large and beautiful transparent blinds, bearing pictures of the chief machines for which space could not be fotnd. The Idea wal not.. bad one, nor yet a very Rood one, for no oDe buy a machinery from 18elng p1cture. of ft., or, indeed, cues muob to look at pictures of complicated mllchinuy at all. A, It was, however, tRe contractor for advertisements step- ped In and claimed the proposed pictures &II advertisements, which in a crtdn sense they were, and, moreover, claimed a l'oyalty of 5'Z. a win-tow if used for such a purpose, or 4,000t tor tbe whole 80. Tu this c'alm tne English indignantly refused to accf de, and accordingly the plan has been changed, but not abandoned. Instead of the windows, being closed with transparencies of machinery, they will be filled with the taste kind of blinds painted with allegories of London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester, As. Besides these there will he pictures of our ehief towns, pic- tures iUMtrati g the progress of steam machinery, and, what will be exceedingly difficult to represent, transparen- cies to illustrate the rise and spread of our p< nny postal system. Altogether the effect will b* very pretty, and some of the foreign C emissions are very sorry they did not think of euch a plan in time to carry it out themselves. The cost of all the blinds for the English sec ion will be much less than what was demanded for the use of the windows alone if pic'nreB of machinery had been put there This Is a fair sample of the way in which these wholefule disposals of monopolies work, either to the success of the monopolists or of the Exhibition Ulelf. Every day now the arrangements of the Interior grow with visibly Increasing rapidity, and oat of the chao* of planks and chips, and ropes, sawdust, ladders, shavings, and paint, the c> ief features of the dlsplsy can he distinctly seen 0<1 the FRENCH side, on the contrary, uniformity has been Insured at 'he price of monotony, even to teoiousness. In most of the circles the French eases are of precisely the same pattern, height, and colour-in fact, most of the thoroughfares exactly resemble, and resemble only, the hunrlred-aDd-one "pal8(J,o¡u" of Burow shops witb wbicb all Paris abounds. Nownere, as aru'e, can any gUmpse be got ahead, and not mucbleen around. The onl, exceptions to this are where large recesses are being fitted up. These are belD&, painted and decorated, and, when hung wish rich curtains, as they are to be, will look very beautiful indeed, though not handsomer or much oifferellt in style from the shops on the chief boulevards or round the Palais Royal. Oa the foreign side all this dead level of sameness Is changed, every Conrt, more or less, brings to mind not only the architecture, t-nt even almost thfl climat« of the country in represents rIlIN.A., JAPAM, SIAM, MOROCCO, COKSTAN- TiNOPLt, and EGYPT hav- their beautifully gilt mosque-like arcades, with lute-nal stalls arranged to show the goods as in the bas tars of C-tlro, Constantinople, or Tunis In de- coration and disposal these, in their wiv. will be models of Eastern Markets. So with the RUSSIAN Cmrt This Is already one of the most beautiful in tne collection. Its enclosures and all its fittings are formed of the m"tt elaborately carved white pine. S )me ot the balustrades and woodwork decorations which enc o<« this court are so rich in carving all to be fa'rly taken as standards of what such art manuftoturet) thouid be. The SWISS Court Is a grand Swiss chalet of the most picturesque s yle. The ITALIAN Court will also be very fine, as regaras both i's external form and soene like decorations. In fact, the effect, of all these Courts ia rather ovsr pretty and theatrical. Most of them are formed of light wooden screens, covered with canvas, and painted and gilt PRUSSIA, characteirstically enough, seems to have claimed more space than she can conveniently ftl1 In time. Her dis- play leeml very much behind, and, Indeed, beyond buildi nc up partitions agalnit her neighbours, she has done nothing of moment in the way of arrangement. Her exhibition, however, it Is said on all sides, will be iimncr the first In the building when it is displayed. The ENGLISH Cmrt is pro- gressing very slowly. In this and other respects it presents a singular and not very favourable contrast to all others tn the building. It has no peculiar national enclosure, like the other foreign Courts. Its sides are open everywhere; its decorations are sombre, not to say distasteful, and Its assort- ment of eases, all of the same funereal colour—black, but of every size and shape and height, t d mits of no arttstlc grouping whatever. In nearly ..11 that relates to the actual merit of the things exhibited England may face the world with confidence, but the most enthusiastic of her admirers will not be able to claim much cedU tor the minner tn wh ch she has displayed her treasnr ;s. Tne Court will show much as "n uncut diatnoud would appear in a necklace surrounded by polished gems of greater sparkle, but far less value. The English colonial display will be one of the best in the buHólng-lndeed, In the matter of colonial products, none think of competing with Great Britain. A great object of attraction just now in the English ma- chiuery *h <d Is a s;eam o-ane Done otbers are In tbe baUd. tng, and, Juiging from the crowds that collect round it all day, one has seldom, if ever, been 8"en in Paris before. Ir is a curious fact, but it is true. that even a> lecently as 1P65 not A Itngle orane was nsei in getting th* goods Into Ibe building All packajes were lugged in by hand winches, and the breakages were awfu'. This time the cranes and hoists are very little better, and all are worked a'ter the clumsiest and mist dangfrors fashion by capstan bars. It i» w| 'he tn*rk to say that ihs one English steam *r*ne^ tramway, and turning and wheeling in all direcitions, m >re work in a single day than all the windlasses and a cranes in the rest of the building put together. With regard to the Parts Exhibition, the Moniteur ol Sunday saysSince the ft of February the Emperor has several times visited the E^ihl^onandha, expressed hl8 satisfaction at the details has been able to assure himself that all will be completely Madybythe day nxed for the openiag ceremony."

THE PROSPECTS OF REFORM. (From the Morning Star of Tuesday.) From the tone of the discussion last night it ap- pears there is good reason to hope that the settlement of the great question of Reform has advanced at least a step. Last night served to convince the House of Commons that the Government of Lord Derby is incompetent to deal with toe question. There was an almost unanimous feeling in the House that the resolutions brought forward by Mr. Disraeli are altogether worthless, and ought never to have been submitted to Parliament. It is indeed obvious that when such members of the House as Mr. Lowe, Mr. Bright, Mr. Laing, Mr. Roebuck, and Mr. Gladstone, unite in condemnation of the course pursued by the Government, that course must almost of necessity be abandoned. We shall not be wrong, therefore, in pre- paring our readers to anticipate that on Thursday next the resolutions will be withdrawn and the Government, if it persists in attempting to deal with the question, will undertake to introduce a bill including in its clauses the proposition announced last iiiffht. Another result of last night's discussion is equally obvious. The division which acted so disastrously upon the fortunes elf the Liberal party last session eoema in a fair w ef being healed. Even Mr. Lowe lpoke in a regretful, aXmoft a penitential tori, fine the r extreme and harsh view he took last, eeogion of tht- measure brought in by Earl Russell's G >vernment. It was evident that mmy of the A iullamites of las' year were anxii^u* to retrace their step", and to unite themselves a^ain wiih their oil associates. All that occurred last night only confirms U8 in our repeaterily- expressed opinion tbat the Rrt-at question of Reform nan never be satisfactorily dealt with by the enemies of Reform; and that the sooner it is again committed to the care of its friends the better for the cause, for Parliament, for the character of our public men, and the satisfaction of the couotiy. What all Reformers ought to wish for is that Lord D-rby should retire from offioe. and that a Liberal Government in whom the great Reform party can have confidence, should undertake to deal with the national question. That is the course obviously pointed out by the Constitu- tion, and by all precedents in cases of this nature. We are not without a nope that last night's discussion may have helped materially to bring- about this result. The Liberal party are to meet at Mr. Gladstone's to day, and we may hope that without their being actuated by any anxiety merely to return to offioe, the leaders of the party will fulfil the just expectations of their constituents by consenting to adopt a firm and de- cisive course of action.

THE LAST GREAT JOB! *The Pall Mall Gazette says the House of Commons, in spite of much evasion and discouragement, is con- tinuing its researches into 'he origin and composition of the vote for the Paris Exhibition. It seems that the "Executive" is doing things in the grandest, pleasantest style. It has taken a splendid mansion in the Champs Etyseee, in which there are forty beds and general accommodation for forty-seven secretaries. For the maintenance of this mode6t establishment about 32,0001, is asked for under the bead of "management" and "office expenses," which is nearly as much as the entire expenses incurred in connexion with the last Paris Exhibition. Then there is 2.750J, for the Royal Commission, and 12,OOOi. for the urors—making altogether 46.750J. for personal expenses of which, however, we are told, the jurors themselves are to have only 4,2507. amongst them—the rest of the 12 OOOl. going nobody knows where at present. It is intolerable that all this should be per- mitted. The Saturday Review comes to the conclusion that the Treasury has been doubly done," first by the "executive" of the Paris Exhibition Commission, and next by the French authorities. No doubt 150,OOOi. is only a fleabite to this great and glorious country but it is because it is a fleabite that we are mad with rage and humiliation. Stated roughly, the cai-e is that of a host and his guests. An invitation is given and accepted, and it is generally understood that the host finds not only house-room, but table, lights, attendance, food, and wines. This was the rase with our Exhibitions of 1851 and 1862, and the French Exhibition of 185o. Now we are told that the French Emperor, or the French Commissioners, "thought fit to change the conditions;" and so, after we had accepted the courteous invitation of the flood city of Paris for the great banquet of All Fools' Day, we found out that we and all other strangers were required to bring our own spoons and forks and chairs and tables, and plates and dishes, and above all our menU-Dot excluding the poisson d'Avril.

PETITIONS TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. In the House of Commons, on Monday night, the following petitions were presented :— By Mr BBRKBLIT, from the inhabitants ot the city and county of Bristol, la public meeting assembled (under the Ilgnature of the mayor, who wal In the chair), stating that the petitioners consider the resolutions submitted to the Souse by the Chancellor ot the Exchequer unsatisfactory, and praying the House to pass a bill giving to the working classes an extension of the franchise and vote by ballot, with a redistribution of seats. By Mr. LUØX., from a public meeting of the North London brancn of She Reform League, held at Islington, praylnR the House not to proceed wi h the question of Reform upon the basts of the resolutions laid upon the table by her Ma jesty's Ministers, but on that ot registered manhood suf- trage and the billot. By Mr. GILPIN. from the Ballot Society, In favour of the adopt! 'n of t"•* vote by billot By Mr. M0FFATT, from Southampton (signed by tb. chair- man, on beha f ot a public meeting of the constituency for aD ex.nalon of the franchise. B. Mr KUTIXR from the District Board of Works of the parish of Wutttchapel, and trom the vestry of the hamlet of Mite-end Old Town, praying the House to pass a measure for the equalisation of poor ra*es tboughou. tbe metropolitan parishes on th" basi" ot anDu,,1 value. By Major PARKKR, from the Mayor, si Mermen, and burgesses of Sua<>ur>, for the reduction or abolition ot the duty on fire ln>u'ances. By Mr. BicWAUI. from the mayor, aldermen, ana bur- gesses of H'- ► ( .r.t, to the stme effect. By Mr. M OFF ATT, from Southampton, to the same eflect. By Mr. VtBNoif. from Alfred Palmer, publisher of the Bromsgrovt liest*nger, for an amendment of the law of libel. m Mr. HofiirBT. from Jamet Walhden, editor of the Blackburn Standard, to the same eflect. By Mr. IALBOT, from the board of guardians of the Bridgend and Cowbridge Union, for rating mines, woods, plantations, an" ..11 real property. By Mr. HARVBY, from the board of guardians of the Wycombe UUIOD, tor the amendment of the law relating to the rating of mines, woodlands, &c. By Mr. J ST. AUBTN. from the mayor and corporation of Pei>Ztnoe, to theaamo eflect. By Mr. WYNN, from the board of guardians of the Mao- hynllett Union, to the lame (Sect. By Mr. CAVE, from the students of New College, London, and from the inhabitants of Hendon anti The Hyde, for the abolhlon of th" lale of intoxicating liquors on tbe Snnda1. By Mr. VANCB, from the Wesleyan Methodists of Lurgsn, and from the Presbyterians of Xeatly and Clare, to the same effect. By Colonsl ANSKSLXY, from the Wesleyan congregations ot KAUeshandra and Corlespratten, county Cavan, to the same effect Bl Mr. BAZLET, from the mlnllterl and congregation 01 the Albert Testimonial Church at Manchester, to the same effect.

AN AMERICAN VIEW OF THINGS. It is amusing to note the way in which news is cooked for American breakfast tables by the gentleman who manages the Atlantic telegraph cable for the New York papers. This is how the opening of Parliament was reported :— The Queen's return to Buckingham Palaoe was even more dismal than her denarture. Everybody was thoroughly soaked. Cries of "Reform" greeted the Queen as she passed, and 'he people chaffed the po ice and the soldiers, but there was no cheering. The police behaved with great D;1°4"rat1oD, or trounle would bave ensued, u tbe crowd was ripe for mischief. The general prediction is that this is the last Parllameat the Queen will open in person. Great pre- parations are making for the Reiorm demonstrations on the 11th People say they will then show the Q aeen a proeession worth teeing. The bitterness of the popular feeling is nndls- i Placards are shown on the streets, sayiug, «' Men without votes are serfs." Every personal regard tor tha Qaeen is eclipsed by the Reform furor. The Queen has now resolved to appear more In public.

THE "RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY" IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS. The annual report to the New York Board of Education on the public schools of that city makes reference to the objections so commonly taken to the American system of public instruction, that moral and religious instruction is not specifically given. If these charges were well founded (the report observes) these objections would, it is conceded, be valid. Mere intellectual instruction is of little value, and quite as likely to prove pernicious as beneficial, unaccompanied by moral and religious culture, by the formation of good habits, and the systematic evolution of good character, upright principles, and a high-toned con- scientiousness. It is, however, far from being true that moral and religions culture does not form a part of the instruction communicated to the pupils of our pub io schools. On the contrary, it enters as a dis- tinctive element of the course, and pervades and gives vitality to the whole system. Not an exercise is given, not a study pursued, not a measure of discipline resorted to, in which reference is not distinctly had to the fundamental principles of morality, and the higher sanctions of the Christian religion. There is not a pupil in any of our schools who is not every day reo minded expressly in some of the exercises, or impliedly, but not less clearly and distinctly, in all, of the ex- istence aad attributes of the Creator, of the great cardinal rules and principles of Christianity, and of his responsibilities and duties as an immortal being. Sectarian teaching, it is true, is not permitted, nor ought it to be. The daily exercises in all our public schools are required te be opened by the reading of passages from the Bible, and are accompanied, generally, by the use of the Lord's Prayer, followed or preceded by devotional singing, in both of which all the pupils participate.

RIFLE PRACTICE IN JAMAICA! Some Correspondence relative to the recent de- plorable occurrences in Jamaica was published on Tuesday morning. Among the matters referred to in the papers is the execution, by order of Colonel Hobbs, of Arthur Wellington, who was alleged to have been tied to » tree and tired at from a distance of 450 yards, more than twenty shots being expended before he was killed. General O'Coinor wrote to Colonel Hobbs for a report of what aetually took plaee, and received from him the following account:— In reply to your let'er of the 7th Inst., regardirg the execution of that celebrated rebel and Obleman, Arthur Wellington, I have the honour to state that, on the nay of bis execution, having a large numbsr ol loaded rifles (which had been wet in the rivers the previous evening), thecnarges of which were about to be drawn, I directed a section of about ten men, instead of discharging their rifl«s before cleauing, to Are a volley at this rebel, at a distance of 400 yards; tney did so, and as the first round had not quite killed the man, some ha\llng missed, two or three Inen again fired, and shot nim dead. Captain Field superintended the execution, and I do not consider there was any undue waste ot ammunition on the occasion, as owing to the dampness of the powder the bullets must have fallen short. The above report not being considered satisfactory, the Deputy-Adjutant-General wrote to Colonel Hobba for fuller particulars. I am directed (says that officer) to request that you will state distinctly whether the prisoner was tied to a tree and fired at, 4DO yards or thereabouts, and was he struck in the neck by a ball from the rifle of a sergeant of the party, and the prboner kept In suspense, as It would appear from your letter the bullets must have fallen short. Captain Field 8uperlntending the execution, you will desire thllit officer to forward, through you, a moat mlaute detail of the whole circumstances in connection with the execution of Arthur Wellington, the majjr general being desirous of having this affair thoroughly investigated for no doubt but a report pi h serious nature will eventually reach the authorities iu England, perhaps furnishing a matter of discussion in Par- liament. To this Colonel Hobbs sent the following rejoinder :— I directed a section of ten men to discharge their rifles, whten bali gos wet, 8t tbla man, who wal placed at a ais- tanse of 40 » yarcs with his back to a tree, whether tied to it or not I caanot say of my own personal knowledge. Had some of the rifles not missed fire, death must have been fn- stantaneous, and nvuch quicker and less cruel than hanging; be was placed on a hill, in order that every other prisoner and special constable should see the fate of a man whom I described In my despatch as comb^ninsr the three qualities 01 murderer, cannibal, and Obleman. No attempt was made to torture the man: my first letter explains, I think, fuVly, the reasons why the bullets fell short, viz. the powder being wet: many men who werelhotat a distance of forty yard* lived longer than Arthur Wellington. If acopy of the report of this case Is sent to me, I will most willingly give any particulars which will more than satisfy any parliamentary inquiry. The time of execution was, I think, about two p m. The men knelt at Mr. Patterson's barbicne; fired up hill. The sun being very powerful at the tlme-I withdrew, and Cap- tain FMd remained. I ehclx»e m rapdrt, n It atfptfars trotmgYto°I1EP letl'er thaG the partlclU*r* of this Mention are n ng and. CoL Hobbs added that he boned the matter would be fully investigated in Parliament, feeling assured hedia that the investigation would a^d lus;r« and r.nownto the British army and the 6"h Royal Ilegi. ment, in particular. Captain Field's report was in the following terms l- I have the honour to state that Colonel Hobbs, the »>ight before the prisoner was ex°ented, stated that, he intenoed to test tbe power of the EnB 0101 r ft. at lorg I'lrgo-. The followii g day, at about two r.'c'ock pm.. the prisoner was taken up a hill, a distance ot 400 y vds. or thereabouts, and tied to a tree. The provost sergeant In charge of the pri- soner acted all a marker, and signalled the seventh shot as having passed through the said rebel's throat, the ninth or tfnth shot entered his heart or thereabouts I bog al80 to s'a'e that, as far as superintending the execution, 1 wss tn c>"»rge of the party, and carried out the commanding effljer's instructions.

THE EXACTING YOUNG LADY! The following case of prudery Justly punished Is related in the Par's papers:— A young lady recently presented herself with a child —let us presume that she was the nurse-at the railway station just as the train was about to depart. The young lady insisted upon a separate carriage. "We have not got one, madame," said the respectful chief of the railway station and assuredly you would not detain the train a quarter of an hour till we got a ladiea* rø.m&.ge! "Indeed I would-1 insist upon it 1" pi o help for it—the carriage must be got according to law and the young lady went champing and fuming up and down, while the passengers were equally fnming inside the carriages, and saying very bitter things at the expense of the young beauty blessed with a baby so early in life. At length the carriage was annexed. When the station-master appeared—" Madame, every- thing is ready—the ladies' carriage is here." She Wall about to ascend. "Madame it is forbidden 1" ex- claimed the official—"this is a carriage for ladies only: the baby you carry in your arms is a gentleman." I protest she Is not!" exclaimed the lady. I protest he is J" mildly and yet sternly retorted the railway official. "I say she is not." "I say he it, Madame."—[We drop the veil on the discussion, which ended in the young lady retiring from the station amidst roars of laughter of all who were witnesses of the affair.]

FEMALE EMIGRATION. Miss Rye has sent the following letter for publica- tion :— Win you allow me to state that I have Just received official notice of the arrival In Melbourne 01 the ship Bed Jacket. [atlt happy to say, thanks to Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners and their officers, that the ship was reported clean, and In good order throughout; no complaints were made of any description. The yonng people landed In good health, and have expre'sed themselves satisfied with the treatment they reoelved during the voyage. 01 the arrival of tbe ship at Melbourne SO of the single girls and all tbe married people were sent to the Depot at Geelong, 10 to Warrambool, 10 to Belfast, and 10 to Port- land. The immigration officer In charge of the Melbourne Depot had Intended sendlrg 10 also to Port Albert, but at the -Dd of tha second (lay every girl had been hired at good wages, and there W81 not one left to lønd. Three only out ot my ninety-nine girls In this ship are reoorted as persons of bad charsc-er (and I have to thank Birmingham for two ot these) as I find by looking over my hooks that In all three cases I have had evidently false charao- ters If Ten me. I thoni < like It to be distinctly understood that for the future T shall. In similar cases, publish tbe names of the girls asd of all persons wilfully misleading me on this subject. I do not surely ask too much wnen I ask for honest answers to plain questions. With fair nlay, and the moral support of truthfulness In referees, this work may oontinue, prosper, and be a blessing to thousands of strug- gling women but if employers will falsify facts to suit their own selfish purposes, the sooner I end my labours the better. We have allowed female emigration to drift into smch a hooeless condition that it wilt only be by a very severe struggle indeed we shall ever be able to recover our position, and I do implore aU persons, and especially all who believe In prevention being better than oure, to give me all the moral support in their power while I am trying to solve this problem. Mv next ship Is the Atalanta, and she will leave Plymouth for Melbourne on the 11th of AprIL 1, Adam-street, Adelphl, London.

DISMAL ELECTIONEERING! The Court Journal is responsible for the following story which it says is gomg about the London Clubs:— A candidate for a vacant seat In Parliament was walking through the streets ol the borough with his attorney when a neutral voter was pointed out. The legal adviser said that the candidate had better tackle the voter at once. What Is his profession t" said the ^andlda^e. 1 am not sure," was the reply, but I rather think that he Is a trunk- maker." How do you do, how do you do, my dear str said the candidate. How very fortunate that I have made your acquaintance. Mrs. X has been travelling about a good deal lately, and has worn out her trunk. Please make me the very bett trunk that you possibly can." "I am much flattered by your commands," said the voter, bat I am not a trunk-maker." "0'1, yes you are," says the candidate. "No, indeed, r am not, says the voter. Then pray what are you ?" says the candidate. "If you please, sir, I am a coffin-maker." "Oh, that will do just as well," said Mr. X., thewandt. date "Please make me a coffin; the very best coffin you possibly caD." The voter said—" Please, sir, you are Joking—now, I don't like that." Mr. X. In reply, "Never was more serious in my life." Well," said the voter, all is fair In the way of business, Bot oleale give me a writteD order." "By all manner of means,' said Mr. X, who at onoe gsve the written order. About a week afterwards a hearse with plumes and feathers drew up at a comfortable family mansion In one of the London parks, and out came a ccinn. The servants were horrified, and declined to take thej a.1t object Indoors. The undertaker was Inexorable. Mr. C. was at dinner and being Interrogated by his servant, desired the coffin to be brought into the house. But where shall we put it t" said Krs. X. "Underthe bed," said Mr. X. To this Mrs. X decidedly objected. Soon all the servants came and began to insinuate symptoms of giving warning. They could not think of abiding in the house with a oomo. Mr. X. then ordered it to be taken to his chambers in the Temple. On one of his friends asking him what he had done with the coffin, he admitted that he had put a whole set of voluminous law reports into it. A man like this who is so good at an emergency would save a colony if the geese were cackling at the door. Be must himself be above price.

A LONG-SUFFERING MILKMAN! An inquest has been held in Walworth, London, respecting the death of Mary Grnest, aged 65 :— The deceased was for many years well-known In the lo- oality from her singularly ecoentric habits. She had been for about thirty-five years accustomed to go round with milk, closely following a milkman, who It is understood formerly promised her marriage, but broke his vow. Notwithstand- ing the magistrates and police have been appealed to, It ap- pears to have been ineffectual, she pertinaciously continuing to dodge his steps till within two days of her being found dead In her room. Her attire was of the most extraordinary and remarkable description. It consisted of an old and conspicuously large black ailk bonnet, a very ample cloth cloak of the same colour, a black stuff dress, exceedingly full, and shoes very large and atout. After death the officer msde a rigid search of her room, but althoughshe was p ossessed of about 7002 some years alnce. only a few shillings were discovered on this occasion. Some stays she had long worn oould not be found, but there was an Immense quantity of clothing found, amongst which. In addition to many dresses, were no less than 40 flinnel petticoats, besides 11 which she wore, as also pieces of drug- get, and 15 pieces ot flannel bound round her head. It is not known whether she left any relatives, but the bad made a will without naming any amount, in favour of a Mr. Carden, with a proviso that he should provide her fnneraL It is believed her death was accelerated by the recent severe weather. Tae jury returned a verdict of Natural Death.

THE MARKETS. MARK-LA.NK, MONPAT. The supply of wheat fresh up to-day from E-aex and Kent wa. very moderate, and fa but middling condition. Even the finest samples met a heavy sale, at a decline In the quo- tations compared with Monday last, of fully 21 per quarter. At that amount of depression only a limited business was transacted, as very few of the millers refused to opeiate except at a heavy reduction in prices. The supply of foreign wheat was on the Increase, whilst the demand for all quali- ties was heavy, at Is to 2s per quarter less money. A few floating csigoes of wheat ofT coast were disposed of at tbe latedrcllne; but it Is expected thatnum'reus osrgoes will be ordered round to London from want of buyers. Tile show of English barley was limited—of foreign good. All descitp- tlous changed hands slowly, at prices btrely Equal to Monday last. We have no further decline to notice 10 the value of ma t. The trade, however, was heavy. Oits were a slow Inquiry, and 61 per quarter lower than on Monday last. The supp<y was tolerably good. Tilere was a good supply of beans on show. Sales progressed slowly, and pricetwerenotsupported. In peas very little was doing, at barely late rates. The fionr trade ruled very inactive, and country, as well as foreign marks were rather lower to purchase. Linseed and rapeseed were heavy at barely pevious rates. Cakes were very dull: hut clover seed, both red and white, commanded full prioeL Oiher Seeds, very little doing. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, MONDAY. The supply of foreign beasts ani sheep on ofter. here to- day waa tolerably good of foreign calves ratber l'mited. Amongst it were several pens of shorn sheep. There was a slight improvement in the demand, and the prices current on Monday last were rather exceeded. The arrivals of beasts freall up from our own grazing dhtrict were again moderate; whilst the general quality or tone stock was by no means first- rate. Most breeds were in improved request, at an advance in the quotations compared with this day sen'night, of 2d per 81b. The best Scots and crosses sold at 5i 2 i to 68 4d per Sib. The number of beasts from Scotland was small, but In prime condition. There were no fresh receipts from Ireland. From Norfolk, Suffolk, Enex, and Cambridgeshire we received about 1,300 Scots, crosses, and shorthorns; from other parts of England, 620 various breeds: and from Scotland, 234 Ssots and crosses. With sheep we were but moderately supplied. Nearly all breeds moved off steadily, at an improvement in the currencies of 2 i per 8'b The beat Downs and half breeds realised 6s to 6! 2d per 81b. The quality of the shetp was good. There was a steady sale for the few Iambs on offer, at from 7s 6d to Ss 41 per Sib. Calves were from 2 1 to 44 per Slb dearer than on this day week. with a ltEady demand. The supply was limited. In pigs, next to nothing was doing, at late rates—viz., 33 2d to 4s per Sib. HOPS. The demand has slightly Improved, but the trade Is by no means active. However, as the supplies held by brewers are becoming short, a period of greater activity Is anticipated. Already the inquiry for brown hops Is increasing. Tne Im- ports i"to London last week consisted ot 32 bales from Ant- werp, 23 from Calais, 46 from Hamburgh, and 45 from Rotterdam. Mid and Eut Kents, 170s to 23ls; Farnham and country, 1701 to 226s; Weald ot Kents, 168s to 186s; Sussex, 164s to 176s; yearlings, 105s to 160s Olds, 66a to 9&s per cwt. 961 per en. POTATOES. The supplies are fairly extensive. Fine qualities are In reqnest, at full prices, but other kinds are a slow sale. The Import into London lust week consisted ot 1,784 bag. Dun- kIrk. 40 tons Rouen, 6) Caù:1 Trouvlle, 21 barrels Alex- andria, and 45 boxes Ca'iiz. Yorkshire Regents, 100s. to 160s; Flukes, 120. to 160s; Rucks, 100s to 116s; Scotch Regents, 120s to 125s per ton. WOOL. Verf little business has been passing In English and colonial wool, either for home use or for export, the demand for the time being suspended inconsequence of the approach- ing public sales, which will be commenced on Thursday next. The Import into London last week, was confined to 2,066 bales from Adelaide. Fleeces: Southdown hoggetts, is 6td to Is 7<d half bred ditto, Is 8m to is &$d; Kent fleeces, Is 7d to Is fed: Soutbdown ewes and wethers, Is 6J to Is 71, Leicester ditto, Is 6d to Is 8d per lb. Sorts; Clothing, Is 64 to Is 9 Jd; combing, Is to Is lid per lb. TALLOW. The demand for tallow is heavy, at hsreli stationary