The Aberystwith Observer

ff dropolttan (Sossixjs. BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. Ii i jv :arks under this head are to >o regarded as tho ex- iKS .n 0 independellt opi¡¡íOIl, from .ne pen of a gentleman ,m v,■„ have the greatest confidence, but for which we :ve..nekj.; do not hold ourselves responsible.] The election petitions have somewhat revived the languishing interest in political affairs, but otherwise there is still but little excitement in the political world, and there appears little chance of politics securing much public attention till Parliament meets on the ICth of February. Her Majesty, by the way, returns to Windsor on the 15th or 16th of that month, and this lias led some people to hope that Parliament may be opened by the Queen in person. The public are very naturally looking forward to the meeting of Pru ament with special interest, in consequence of the rumours, and something more than rumours, of con- si- lemble redactions in army, navy, and the Govrrn- liktut departments generally. That this will be the poncv of the present Ministry might easily be shown by adducing numerous direct and indirect statements and facts all tending in that direction. Take the latest of these. A deputation has waited on Mr. Card well, the Secretary for War, urging Government to assist the operatives who have been thrown out of employment at the dockyard and arsenals at Woolwich, lie Secretary for War emphatically said that he could not hold out any prospect of increased work, nor could he promise any assistance from the Government, whu rather contemplated further reductions. Bad news this for the employed as well as the unemployed. No doubt reductions are needed, but it is a lamentable thing that it is always the working classes who suffer first, and oftentimes they are the only persons who do suffer, while governors, superintendents, managers, officers, &c., retain their snug berths. Whether in carrying out their policy of retrenchment, the present Government will make an exception to the rule remains to be seen. The only other great political subject which occupies public attention is the Conference, and there is every reason to believe that it has arrived at a satisfactory conclusion, and that all danger of war is now averted. There is one inference, and a very pleasant one it is, to be drawn from the reports of tbe numerous meetings of banks, companies, &c., that have recently taken place, and that is, that confidence, which Pitt said was a plant of slow growth, has been growing for some nine past. The joint-stock banks, notwithstanding that during a great part of the year the value of money was so low, have as a rule made large profits and declared handsome dividends while many other limited liability companies, of varied character, have also found that the effects of the panic which set in in May, 1S66, have now almost died away, and good dividends have been declared, with the prospect of a larger division next half-yearly meeting. Commercial men generally now appear to expect a period of revived activity and enterprise. Without wishing to enter on any of the disputed points in the great Ritualism controversy, it is not easy to avoid reference to the matter as one of the most prominent topics of the day. The great meeting of Ritualists at the Freemasons' Tavern the other day appears to me to have failed to arrive at any conclusion at all on the leading question that brought them together—whether they should obey the law of the land or resist it, this being the terms in which the chairman himself stated that question. At first a majority of the meeting passed a resolution ac- knowledging the duty of submitting, under protest, to the law of the land, upon that law being put in force' it rejected an amendment refusing sub- mission then it struck out the words" upon that law being put in force then that part of the resolution (which had been carried) which acknowledged the duty of submitting was struck out; and then an addendum wa-i made to the already altered resolution leaving sub- mission or non-submission" to the individual judg- ment of each priest." So that practically with the exception of repudiating the Court of Trial Appeal the meeting left off where it began. All who take an interest in the affairs of the Church of England must now be anxious to see what will be the next move- ment on the part of the Judicial Committee of the bishops or of Government on the one hand, and the llitualists on the other. Will the Privy Council rest c ntented to have merely declared its judgment, with- out that judgment being enforced? Will the bishops act upon it ? Are the Ritualists to be allowed, if they choose to do so, to defy the law of the land as ex- pounded by the highest legal tribunal ? Such are some of the many questiousnow agitating the public mind. Volunteers, who have recently had something to grumble at in Mr. Card well's refusal to aid them in their effort to obtain any increase in the capitation grant, have now something else to talk about of special interest to them. Where shall the Easter Monday lleview be held ? It is said that the choice is to lie between four towns—Portsmouth, Brighton, Dover, and Guildford and that Lords Truro, Bury, and Ivanelagh, with some other gentlemen, have been appointed a committee to decide this ticklish question. There are arguments in favour of each, and not the weakest in favour of the latter town is that the annual Review has never been held there before. Many, however, would regard this as an argument against it. Wherever the Iteview may be held, it is to be especially desired this year that it may he a success, on account of the Government having felt it to be their duty to refuse any further money to our citizen soldiers. There have been a good many resignations since Mr. Cardwell's decision was arrived at, but we may still look to the volunteers for that patriotism which has never yet failed. A clergyman in Clerkenwell—one of our poorest and most densely-populated districts—draws attention to a fact which is of great intE-r, "t to the working classes generally. He says, By the last mail I am informed that the Government of Ontario, Canada has deter- mined to make free grants of 200 acres to every bona fide settler. This will be an immense boon to the working classes of Great Britain about to emigrate to Canada, where, after five or six years' labour, a com- fortable living can be obtained as a good provision for old age." And he adds that a society has been formed in iiis district on the principle of self-help and mutual help—with a view, I presume (though he does not say so), to assist unemployed working-men to emigrate to our Canadian possessions. Are there not, may I ask, some funds out of Mr. Peabody's bounty that could be applied in this way. That benevolent man has given to "the poor of London" some £:350,000, and it is universally admitted (except by Mr. Peabody himself and liis trustees, strange to say) that the poor of Lon- don—the absolutely impoverished class—have not benefited by his munificence, though mechanics and artizans and their families may have largely benefited by it. If a few thousand pounds were devoted to emigration, under proper conditions, it would be a boon indeed to the half-staiving, unemployed poor. How often are we called upon to read some lament- able report of an "Accidental death from a gun!" The tale is nearly always the same. A silly, practi -al- joke-loving man sees a gun which he thinks is unloaded he presents it to somebody, in fun;" he draws the trigger, and a corpse lies before him. Argue and moralise as we may, this kind of practical joke occurs over and over again. But Mr. Justice Keating has yone somewhat beyond moralising and argument. In summing up the evidence in the Barnsbury shooting case, the learned Judge has laid down that, "if any one takes up a gun without knowing whether it is loaded or nut, and without taking any steps to ascer- tain whether it is loaded or not, presents it at another, discharges it, and death ensues, he is guilty of the crime of manslaughter." This ought to be exten- sively promulgated, and for this reason I give it ad- ditional publicity. If juries will have the courage to act on this judicial dictum, it will go far to put an end to this stupid and wicked species of practical joking-. It is said that a trial to which the public looked forward with much interest "Day v. Rous has been privately arranged, and will therefore not go to court. I think it is better that it should be no. There is another sporting event (though spirt- ing of a very different character) which at present, it is feared, will not come off. It is said that owing to the unexpected inability of one of the intended Cam'ridge crew, and the absence of any com- pete .t man to till his place, the University rowing match will not take place this year. A similar fear existed last year, and for a long time it was doubtful whether the match would be rowed, but the difficulty was at last overcome all in good time. May it be so this year. The grand feature ot this annual contest between the two great universities is that it is rowed for honour, and honour only, and I believe is in this respect unique. If for no other reason, therefore, it is to be hoped London will be favoured with its grand annual acquatic tournament. The Newspaper Press Fund, which, in its young days, of course, had to contend against numerous dif- ficulties, may now be regarded as a thoroughly esta- blished institution. It now numbers 217 members 170 < f whom are resident in London, and 77 in the country and there arc no less than Cl life members. Its r-ec:uniary position is secure, for it has an inverted capital of upwards of £4,400. But still, making due ail raufo for all these facts, the Association is not so v i supported as it ought to be. Instead of 2-17 :• tsieve ought to be 5uO at the very least. I :[.1 that during the past year the society made g to distressed members to the amount of £305. Like the--Literary Fund and some other associations, the N.P.F. keeps secret the names of those who are relieved. If it do not exactly do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame, it at least applies the Press system of anonymity to the alleviation of trouble, and thus renders a double service to the recipient of the bounty.

A SWEEP OF A NEW BROOM. The following circular letter has been issued from the Admiralty (the heading to the article is given by The Times) ;— "Admiralty, .lan. 7, 18G9. "Sir,—The First Lord and the Board of Admiralty, in accepting the charge of this great Department, have under- taken that its expenditure shall be carefully examined and anxiously watched and controlled, with a view to a wise and well-<>raeied reduction. "They believe that such a reduction in naval expenditure may be effected without any detriment to the leal efficiency of the navy, and they invite the aid of all officers whether civil or naval, in accomplishing this important work. Economy in administration it attained not only by spending no m^re than is necessary #n the work which is undertaken, but (still more) by not undertaking woik unless it be absolutely requisite for the public service Moreover, effective control over expenditmre is better secured by hold- ing competent officers responsible (within due limits) for necessary work, and by enforcing the consequences of thit responsibility, that by two minute interference by superior authority. These principles, it Is the intention of the First Lord and of the Board to carry out; and they would impress their importance on all officers in the service of the Admiralty. "Commanders-in-Chief and senior officers of squadrons should regulate the movements of their ships so that the necessary duties may be performed without waste. They should exercise such supervision of the establishments of their stations on shore as to make sure that public property is duly cared for, and that the staff and labour engaged are not in excess of the absolute requirements. "Oincers in command of Her Majesty's ships mustexercise a continual control over the valuable stores intrusted to their charge. The reports of inspection and paying off will enable a correct judgment to be formed of the manner in which this part of their duties has been perfermed. The consumption of coal should be particularly watched and it should be taken in as little as possible at places where the price is hiCk, whether it be obtained by contract or net. "Superintendents of dockyards, victualling yards, and hospitals, master shipwrights, and superior offieers, will impress upon those under their command the neeessity of patient and persevering economy in trie use of Iterel and materials. They must see that that the duties of subordi- nate officials and of leading rnen are faithfully erformed, and that the time of the skilled artisans and labourers is fully and profitably employed. "They should view with disfavour all proposals to expend either stores or labour on unremunerative work, and they will be held responsible for recommending reductions in their establishments *nd stocks if these should appear too large for the work really required. "Officers in every branch of the service are enjoined to reduce the amount of useless writing and copying by all the means in their power. "The Estimates proposed for the consideration of the First Lord and the Board, whether in respect of the ser- vice of the year or of any particular work will receive close examination, and in submitting them it is hoped that all officers will be guided by the above consideration. ihe First Lord and the board will not fail to observe and appreciate the efforts of any officer naval or civil, under their orders who may distinguish himself by exertions to assist them in the task they have undertaken "I am, Sir, your obedient servant, "W. E. BAITER."

TOO HARD UPON THEM! In the St. Louts Democrat there is a report of a con- versation with General Grant, which shows the character of the President in a stronger light than any- thing that has been said or written for a long time. It is related by a prominent citizen of St. Louis, who was present at a recent interview between General Grant and a Senator and Judge from Louisiana. From the report the following is quoted to show Grant's character, and also to indicate some of the sentiments that will no doubt govern his adminis- tration :— "'General,' said the Senator, 'Judge -wishes to see you for a few minutes, and consult with you in regard to the improvement of the levees of the Lower Mississippi. We wish the Vnited States'Government to endorse and thus guarantee the bonds of the State of Louisiana for the restora- tion and improvement of the levees. I hope the Government will not do it,' the General re- plied with a quick, positive utterance that was not only de- cisive and final on a subject, but almost stunning. '"But General' urced the Senator, 'we only wish the United states to endorse the bonds, so that we can sell them without a ruinous discount, giving the United States ample security for the entire amount, so that, it would be impos- sible for the Government to lose a cent in any emergency. "Again Grant quickly interrupted, 'I never knew a Go- vernment to become responsible for any aaiount. thxt it did not ultimately have to pay. You now want the endorsement of the bonds. If that is given you will toon want to legislate for the payment of the bonds.' General,' said the Senator, you are too hard upon us. While we are discussing on all sides,' said Grant. how* the national debt is to be paid, I shall oppose any increase of the national It is impossible to cultivate our lands,' Interposed the Senator. The levees are absolutely necessary.' "'I know a'l about the levees,' he answered. 'I served in that country when a young man, and I had something to do myself with the breaking of those levees.' But,' said the Judge, millions of acres of the best land in the world are subject to Let them overflow, and let them stay under water, said Grant, 'until, their owners are willing that Northern men and Northern capital should c ;me in and protect and im- prove them. Northern men with ample capital are ready to make a garden of your state, and you won't let them do it. Your large landholders are as hostile to this united states Government to-day as they have ever been and if tlutt Government should rebuild their levees it would not change them a particle. I know no way the Government could have adopted for rebuilding the levees but to have confiscated the lands of those engaged in rebellion, and used the proceeds to restore the country. As that was not done nothing re- mains but to set yournegroesto work, and invite in and welcome Northern men.' 'General,' said the Judge, the negroes won't work.' 'Won't work,' Grant quietly replied; they'll work if you pay them for it.' Am I not right ?' he added. 'Is there not such an hostility to Northern men that it amounts, in most sectiohs of the State, to a practical exclusion of them from the agricultural interests of the country? Is there not an unwillingntss to divide np the lands, ind sell in small parcels to those who might immigrate and is there not a general tendency to secure the services of the negroes without prompt and adequate compensation ?' I must say,' said the Judge, that there is more or less of truth in all theset points. Then,' said Grant, I think you will have to build your own levees, or wait under water until you are willing lllen hould come in who will build them.

fPistcilaiietras Jnltlligntct, .OME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. The Agricultural Gazette, in an article upon the agricultural statistics for the year just issued by the Board of Trade, says it is much to be hoped that the gradually dying jealousy on the part of the farmers of some districts, which leads them to refuse all information to Government officials, and thus to some extent to spoil or make im- perfect the information readily given by others, will soon altogether cease. We believe it will. It will soon appear that the information asked for can have no personal or immediate interest whatever. Every item is lost in the mass to which it is contributed. And no 0113 need suppose that any one is going to be a bit the wiser regarding his personal affairs because he is public-spirited enough to answer such questions re- garding them as may result in some trustworthy in- formation to the country at large, as to what the home supplies of food are likely to be. LAMENTABLK SUICIDE THROUGH WANT.—A most distressing case of suicide has been under the notice of the Liverpool coroner, when an inquest was held on the body of a boiler maker named Corlett, who resided in Beaufort-street in that town. He had a wife and family dependent upon him, and as he had been out of work for nearly two months they were in very destitute circumstances, indeed were in want of the common necessaries of life. The poor fellow enter- tained so strong a feeling of independence that though they were without a particle of-food in the house he resolutely refused to apply to the parish authorities for help. The state to which he and those belonging to him were reduced depressed his spirits, and, during the absence of his wife from the house, he committed suicide by hanging himself. A verdict of temporary insanity was returned. A RIVAL TO THE THAMES TUNNEL.—The tun- nel under the Chicago River, known as the Washing. ton-street Tunnel, connecting the south and west divisions of the city by a solid and permanent roadway, has just been completed, and was opened to the public on New Year's Day. The contract price was 328,500 dollars. The length of the work is about 1,605 leet of the retaining walls of the open approach on the west side, about 320 feet).and. 275 feet on the east side. The length of the main archway, or covered way, is V;;2 feet. There are t.hree archways leading through the tunnel one is for foot passengers, and two tor teams and horses. NEVER CAUGHT !"—The Vienna Presse tells the following story of Hobart Pasha, the Turkish admiral, and we leave the responsibility of it to that organ. No less than twelve times he is said to have broken the blockade of Charleston, each time under circumstances of great danger. He, in censequence of this, published his reminiscences under the title of "Never Caught." When the Turks, a few weeks ago, sent him to Crete in order to destroy the Enosit, the Russian Minister, General Ignatieff, made ener- getic eiforis to retain him at Constantinople. Politi- cal arguments being unavailing, an action for debt was at last brought against him, in the hope that he would be imprisoned, or, at all events, detained. But this device, too, was frustrated, and he got safely away. Arriving on board his ship, his first act was to forward to the Russian Ambassador, together with a polite message, his little work entitled "Never Caught." THE NEWHAVEN ENOCH ARDEN CASE.—The Newhaven "Enoch Arden" case, so called, was terminated before the Superior Court in that city on Thursday, says an American paper. The facts are these :— John A. Wilcox went to the war, leaving af young and pretty wife at home. Years pMsed, and hearing nothing from him she believed him dead, and, having vainly sought to learn that he still lived aud mourned for him in widow's apparel for two years, she married a respectable mechanic named Benjamin Hotchkiss. She lived happily with her second love until a few months ago, when the. first husband appeared, and brought a suit against his wife for bigamy and against her second husband fer adultery. As soon all these suiti were brought, which was the first intimation the woman had of her first husband's eristence, she separated herself from her second husband to await the result of the trial, and, like a good woman, conducted herself blamelessly throughout. she also preaented a petition for a divorce from Wilcox. The court on Thursday acquitted both honourably of the charges of bigamy and adultery, granted the petition for a divorce, changed the name of the petitioner to that of Mary L. Martin, her maiden name, and gave Mary the custody of a child by her first husband. The conclu- sion of the story will be tha legal marriage of Mis* Mary L, Martin to Mr. Benjamin llotchkiai. SINGULAR BUTTING CASE. — The following eurioua case arising out of a bet hai been heard at the Rochester County Court:— The defendant, Harrison, wautakehelder between Brooks, the towu-crler of Chatham, and a man named Staples, the stakes beinjj £.6 a-side, and the bet being that Staples could not show Brooks 400 pheasants at one time. Arrangements were made that the betting parties should attend on a fixed day on Lord Darnley's preserves, in order to cury out the wager. But Brooks had ascertained that arrangements were made with the keepers of the preserves that the pheasants should not be fed for so long a time that 400 would De col- lecUd together. Brooks, who ia an old soldier, aud never belonged to the Marines," was not to be done in this way, but proceeded to the appointed place of meeting, armed with his crier's bell, which he rung vigourously. Staples, seeing that he was being outwitted, said to the gamekeeper, "This man is disturbing your master's pheasants you must turn him out of the grounds;" and Brooks was accordingly turned away. Brooks then claimed the money from the stakeholder, and followed up the claim by the present proceedinga. His honour non-suited the plaintiff on technical grounds, but a case for appeal was taken. THE GENUINE ARTICLE.—Mr. Sanford, United States' Minister at the Court of Brussels, gave, three days back, a grand dinner to 24 guests at the legation, in the Avenue de la Toison d'Or. This banquet waa remarkable from the fact that the service was entirely composed of American productions, and compnlied oysters, meats, game, poultry, fruit, vegetabletf. chee &c., all of which had been sent expressly ^m JNew York ev« the Fr„ch voyage across the Atlantic ana accompanied by American champagne. PROBATES AND WILM.— The' numoerof wills de- posited in the year 1867 amounted to S^ from g land, 2,538 from Scotland, and I « e number in 1868 amounted to 24,548 En land 2,327 Scotland • no return from Ireland. Ihe grants of administration amounted ux to 9,312 England none from Scotland 222 from Ireland. In 1868 they amounted to a,505 in Lngland no return from Scotland and Ireland Ihe above statement shews that the decrease in 1868 m the number of wdls deposited was:f trati(,ns shew an increase in 1868 of 193 over the 18b7 returns. TREASURE TROVE AT HAMPSTKAD.-The other day, while engaged indivgmg the foundations of the new Home for Sailors Oiphans between Church-row and High-street, Hampstead, a working man came upon a leaden coin, aoout feet below the surface, in a bed of loam and clay. It is about an inch and a half in diameter, and on inspection it turns out to be a "bull" of Pope Innocent IV., one of the well-known family of Fi^co, who sat in the chair of St. Peter from x. v. 1243 to 12o4 The "bull" bears on the reverse the figure* of St. Peter and St. Paul and is in a tolerable state of preservation • and we understand that it is likely to be secured for tha British Museum. DUELLISTS PUNISHED MM. Jecker, the Mexican banker, and 0dyM6 Barot, a writer onthe LiberU,hn.ve been condemned by the (^rrcctional lri- bunai of Brussels to a month's imprisonment audJOOf fine each, for having fought a duel some tune ago at Boitsfort, near Brussels. The seconds were ^quitted The significance of the judgment lies in the taa that this is the first attempt made to ».tfr°vP0f"U system of I renchmen choosing the territory of King Leopold as the theatre for settling their affairs of honour. A SAD Tiuar;or — On Friday afternoon n man named llob.Tc "Robin* inariter Dolphin, of Whitehaven, went ml^ in that town aud ordered some di'Ill,k\.Uy g ri thf coun- ter a half-crown he had ^nTpawn » Guernsey jacket he had Xdfe Jlis wue toiloived hhn into the ioo, a1 l for the money. He refus, (i to give it snatched at it. In the scuffle which ensued appears to have fallen down on the floor, where it was subsequently found. Robinson, believing that his wife had got it, asked her to return it to him. She replied that she had it not, and he thereupon struck her a heavy blow with his clenched fist behind the ear. The woman fed down, and expired almost immediately. Robinson was shortly afterwards taken into custody at the publichouse, which he had not left when the police arrived. THE GOLD-DIGGINGS IN SUTHERLAND.—The goid-diggings, iu the Strath of Kildonan and the Seis- gill Burn are attracting large numbers of treasure- seekers. No nuggets of any great size have been got, but a number of people have succeeded in getting quan- tities estimated in some in-tanees as high as to pay them from 5s. to 30s. for their day's work. The gold is got in small particles in the alluvial soil washed down from the mountains by the river and in conse- quence of the swollen state of the streams at present this is the most unfavourable system for prosecuting the search. The people engaged are new to the opera- tion of washing, and a tin dish and a trowel or spade are all the tools required. AN OMINOUS SIG.V !—A curious fact comes to us from the Tuileries on the famous Mondtuv change. Before the fresh combination was carried on the. Emperor us- d to receive three copies of the official organ splendidly printed on vellum, this being the gracious act of the printer to his Majesty. Now the new Journal Officiel sends also three copies to the Emperor, only they are like anybody else's, on com- mon paper. It appears that the first day it came in that vulgar shape Napoleon the Third twisted his moustache—this being, as you know, the greatest sign of astonishment in the ruler of France. A SOLUTION.—The following advertisement in cypher appeared in The Times the other day "Oxh.—Hpu 2 opuft-tpssz zpv xfsf tp jmm—ipqf rvjuf xfmm opr—mpoh x6z po kpvsofz—wfsi nvdi cfuufs wfez Ijoe nipvhiut—gffm mpofmz." The following is the solution ;— Each of the letters should be taken to represent the one immediately preceding it, and the following is the result :— ONE—Got 2 notes—sorry you were so ill—hope quite well now-long way on journey—very much better—very kind thoughts—feel lonely."—Court Journal. A COSTLY SQUEKZE.—In the Bradford County Court, a young woman named Carey, weaver, brought an action against a young man named Coverty, a labourer, for £5, as damages sustained by reason of the defendant having broken her finger, which prevented her from following her employment for eight weeks. On August 14 the plaintiff went into the house where defendant lodged in Bradford, and there the defendant seized her by the hand, and squeezed her with such gre.it severity that when she recovered her hand, after a severe struggle and great screaming, one of her fingers was broken. The consequence was that she had been disabled for eight weeks, and unable to earn her usual means of subsistence. In defence, it was alleged, though the plaintiff repudiated the "soft impeach- ment," that the plaintiff and the defendant were court- ing, and that the broken tinger was the result of acei- dent in a too ardent squeeze "f the hand. The Judge gave a verdict for the plaintiff for ±15 and costs. A MYSTERY CLE ARED UP !—Last week a state- ment appeared in the papers from Mr. W. Strange, of the London Commission Exchange, announcing the disappearance of the secretary to the Exchange. It was stated that this gentleman had started for Bath and Bristol on Tuesday week, to re- turn on the next day, but that nothing had been heard of him for more than a week, that he had not reached either Bath or Bristol, and that his disappearance was altogether unaccountable, and gave rise to serious inquietude as to his fate. From in- quiries made it has been ascertained that this alarming statement was ludicrously uncalled for. Mr. Roche had been to Bath and Bristol, where he had transacted his business, and returned to his house in Hammer- smith. Being fatigued, he rested prior to reporting himself at the Exchange, and Mr. Strange, being un- aware of this act, became the prey to dark misgivings, which, when communica.ted to the newspapers, as- tonished no one more than the gentleman supposed to be missing, EXPLOSION OF TORPKDOES.—An explosion of two torpedoes occurred in the lower bay of New York on Sunday, the 3rd inst., by which four persons were killed and others were wounded. One of the torpedoes was placed under the wreck of the steamer Scotland, about twenty-eight feet below the surface of the water, and the boats containing Captain Churchill, the electrician, and other persons connected with the Sub- marine Company moved off about 150 feet, only half the distance usually allowed. The torpedo was then exploded by the galvanic battery, operated by Captain Churchill, and the force of it lifted the boats six feet out of the water. Another torpedo in one of the boats was exploded by the concussion, and the boat in which it lay was torn completely to atoms. Captain Churchill and two men were blown to pieces, and another one had his brains knocked out. RESPONSIBILITY OF RAILWAY COMPANIES.— A question as to the responsibility of railway com- panies as carriers has just been decided at the Civil Tribunal of Paris. M. Say, sugar refiner, had sent in February last a sum of 12,150 f. in bank-notes by the Northern line to M. Martine of Ham (Somme), in payment of certain merchandise. The bag which had contained the money was duly delivered, but on its being opened the contents was found to have disap- peared. A suit now being brought to recover the above-mentioned sum from the company, thp, defen- dants pleaded Art. 105 of the Commercial Code, which says :—"The reception of the object transported and the payment of the costs of conveyance precludes all action against the carrier." The Tribunal, however, decided that the clause in question was not applicable in the present instance, as the seam of the bag had heen opened on the way, and had been sewed np again so skilfully that M. Martine could not possibly have seen from its outward appearance that it had been tampered with. A verdict against the railway com- pany was consequently given. A CONCERT WITH A VENGEANCE.—Mr. Gilinore, the famous band-leader of Boston, is deep in the pre- paration of a monster vocal and instrumental concert that shall eclipse all the former efforts of the world in a musical way. It is to take place on Boston-common. in June next, and wdl consist of an orchestra of one thousand instruments, the choruses to be given by ten thousand selected vocalists from all parts of the country. The choruses are to be supported by the basso of artillery, discharged by electricity. Mr. Gilmore has already secured 1,500 subscribers at 100 dollars each, and is busy in securing members of the orchestra and chorus. HORRIBLE WIFE MURDER IN MICHIGAN.—A diabolical murder was committed in the town of Monterey, about seven miles from Allegna, Mich., on Christmas evening. The victim was a German woman named Isenberg, and the murderer was her husband. It appears that she had been a severe sufferer for some time past from a cancer, which had at length eaten away her left breast and exposed some of the vital organs. In order to alleviate her terrible sufferings her physirian had given her morphine powders, which she had been in the habit of taking. Upon the night in question, being in great pain, she called for some morphine, and her husband procured a powder and gave it to her mother to mix. This she attempted to do in water, but it acted so differently from what previous powders haa done that she declared that it was not morphine. The wife also thought it was not her usual powders, but the husband insisted and expressed so much impatience at being kept waiting that she finally took it. In about five minutes she was taken with a spasm, followed by almost total paralysis, in which condition she remained for three-quarters of an hour, when death put an end to her sufferings. She was perfectly conscious all the time, and indicated by signs her belief tha.t it was poisom. On inquiry it was ascertained that Isenberg had bought strichnine at a drug store on the 22nd, declaring that it was for the purpose of killing wolves. He is a. farmer, reported to be worth 10,000 or 15,000 dols. He haa fled, but the officers are on his track.

EPITOME OF NEWS, BRITISH AND FOREIGN, The Pall Mall Gazette putll forth a plea for a public subscription on behalf of Co ont<l Cameron, ex-coi sul of Abyssinia, whose health has been shattered by the privations he hlOll endured. In London alone scarlet fever has destroyed fifteen lives (of children chiefly) every day for the lallt thirteen weeks. The Rev. F. O. Morris writes again to The Times to complain of the massacre of birds which aoes on all round our V<Ao8t8. ° At Rhewlas, near Machynlleth Mr Davies, a reai- dent, went out shooting with ons of his keeper.. Iu getting through a^ fence his gun was abcharged, »nd the contents entered the keeper's bod v. and tke poor fellow died almost immediately, Three Spanish noblewomen recently presented to Marsha Serrano a protest siened by 16,00° of their ^untry- women, Against religious freedom and toleration. The Boston (U S) Advertiser says:—"A noted democ atic politician of this vicinity was once asserting iig entire indifference to the opinions of h« °pP°nents and to their personal abuse. « Why,'said he, a man likened me the other day to Judas Iscariot but *Yes,' said a bystander, but how does Judas feel about It?' The Prince of the Anurias (son of the ex-Qne«i of Spain) at present follows, as an ° e conrge of instruction given at the Co o •^m Paris. A preceptor accompanies him ea- Y S • and returning. The Moniteur #Algeria ^ates that on the morning of the 4th of January, Ali"^red anrl' ♦'lemned <leath iu October last, for bavi K > u eu hix persons in less than a month, was put to deatn by shooting, in the plain near tilidah. In the Iri*h Landed Estates Court last year the number of 'l the purchase-money amounted to il,518,307, as against £ 1,25a,585 during the pre- vious year. A man is frequently to be seen in Regent's-park London amomst the flower-beds, surrounded ^.s.er?f*t hundred sparrows and other birds who come up to his feet to receive the crumbs or whatever it is that he attracts them with. The Pope has attacked chignons in a letter which he has written to a wpil 1™ V. ?v.„iic writer, and in which he invites all ''Chri^ of to form a league aLabitf -Stut'up of chignons, and the arranging of tre«!f a day, which occupies the ln?fth^ shou'd be devoted to religion" duti.s, pious works, and family affairs „ The Witner Zeituna the Austrian official) ournal, announces that the mav^r of Ssegedin, in Hungary, has Promised a reward of 2,500fr. to^any one itluit s laH cause to be uncovered and taken a ^<11 OOOfr *hich l"fests that i'eighbeurhood, aim l.OUOrr. to any otle thafc shall deliver into the hands of justice two of the miscreants, dead or alive.. The Pall Mall tllat many of th1 Ritualist clev^ have c eta °edo,se, on the occasion of future services, Reparation for the dishonour offered to the Sacrament. A point to Friendly Societies was argued in tbe 1leei; s Bench on Saturday, J no secretary tlAa ^ual.-fal«ated Society o" Carpenters aud Joiners at Bradford ha« )>een g,lmmol)ed iot embezzlement, hut the lM'U3sed the summons for want of juris- diction, on the giound that as one of the objects or the society was to encourage strikes and restrain trade it was not, strictly spi king, :i benevolent society. Ajrair.st fus deCision the present appeal wa3 now argued. Judgment w as postponed. The Emperor of the French has recently ordered six carriages from a London finn. The pantomime at one of the East-End theatres of London is entitled Bfilutzherranbhothrumh A Massachusetts physiologist a-serts that there ar« no line sincers who use tobacco It is pioved in the dissect- 01 ing-room, he claims, that tobacco injures the voice. The canton of Uri is about to erect a statue to William Tell in the town of Altorf. it is to be executed b 1 it M. Imhori, a sculptor of Berne. v Bv direction of the Admiralty, the turret armour- d plated ship Monarch, 1,100 horse-power nominal now fitting b for sea, is ordered to have an apparatus fitted on board for a the manufacture of gas, for lighting every portion of tha a vessel. II The accounts of the agent for Messrs. Bright. Dixon, and Muntz, in the late Birmingham election, show ;L total 1: cost of £ 2,600. As usual, Mr. bright was returne free of cost to him. The two other candidates contributvd to th« } fund; and of the guarantee fund raised by the electors y- generally, only one-half has been called up. i The number of political newspapers pub": ed in Switzerland is at present 201. Of thes ? l'i:* are in ;rm<.n, 31 in French, 4 in Itabnn, and 3 in Rmany mx are i published seven tbres a week, 32 six times, 35 three times, 72 twice, and 54 once a-week. The operatives employed in the cotton tra," in the ] Blackburn distriet have commenced an agitation < i?t the reductlon of ten per cent, ill their wasrts. and in v >uv or short time as an alternative. An attempt, it is said, is About to be made r cross the Atlantic in a balloon. The bold adventure;' is if. Alexander Chevalier, a well-known aeronaut, and be expectit to mai<e the journey in three days and nights. He will start from New York. ""We are informed that the highly-objec i inable black strap hitherto in vogue to distinguish medical from combatant officers of the army is at last, after manv solicita- tions, to be rendered of a more ornamental character, by the addition of a border of gold lace on the pouch a:l,1 sword- belt. Medical officers, we are sure, wihbf glad h hear of the improvement."—Medical Times and Gazette. A surplus sum of £6;0 which remained aft"r pay- ment of all expenses in connection with the Dublin Exhi- bition Ball of last year to the Prince and Princess Wales, has been appropriated by the committee, on the m 'tion of the Duke of Leinster, to found an Alexandra War 1 in the Hospital for Incurables, a charity in gre,Lt local esteem. A man named Alderson, aged 71, has been charged at Leeds with unlawfully receiving, by way of exchange, certain military clothing. On the 24th October last the prisoner took from a gunner in the It >yal Horse Artillery, who had deserted, a cloak, a cape, a pair of trousers, and a dress jacket, and gave him in exchange civilian'* clothing. rhe prisoner was fined Is. and costs, with the alt. nntive of three months imprisonment. In addition he had to pay the treble value of the clothes, £6. A despatch from Montreal, states that Mr. Murkstreet, a magistrate, has been arrested with his two sons, on a charge of conspiracy to defeat justice hy a mock trial of one Bogart, a paymaster's clerk of the' receiving- ship Vermont, who absconded with a Urge sum of money while the vessel was in the New Yiek Xavy yard. The magistrate tried Bogart, but subsequently set him free. It is alleged that he paid Murkstreet 4,500 dollars for releasing him. On Monday a heavy fog hung ov r London for the greater part of the day, caUSlllg several accidents It] the streets, almost entirely stopping the traffic on the river. and causing considerable inconvenience to trade, places of business having to be lit up aU day. A Paris correspondent writes :—" In his way the Prince Xapoleon is a clever man and if his Imperial Highness had as much tact and common sense as he has ability, he would be with a vencence what he affects, the Orleans branch of a Bonapartist dynasty. While' the Emperor is the most bland, agreeable-mannered man possible to conceive of, the Prince, his cousin, affects a resemblance to his great uncle in brusque rudeness, as well as in countenance. A census of Chicago, taken on the 1st of October, 1S68, shows its population to be 252,054, an increase of 51 C36 since the census taken two years before. Chicago has not the reputation of being the m ist mcral city in the Union In the year 1868 the police made 23,000 arrests, but report only 27,500 dollars worth of property stolen. In a long review of the 'Memoirs of the Earls of Granard,' which appeared in The Timet of Thursday we read that one extremely able member of the Forbes family after this made frequent journeys to and from Ireland, and for a long time he performed these journeys on horseback.' The Times may well say he was a remarkable man. So was his horse a remarkable Lance. Mr. N. de Fleurimont. the editor and proprietor of the Sindian, (an Indian paper has been found deail in his chair, having shot himself in the night with a double-barrelled gun. The Poor-law Board has issued a circu'ar to some of the pirochial authorities in the metropolis, with the view of regulating the administration of out-doi>r relief. Amongst other orders, it is laid down that able-bodied out-door male paupers shall receive half of their relief in articles of absolute necessity, that no relief shall be given vhile such pauperis employed for wages or for hire, and that every such pauper shall be set to work and kept employ, d whilst he is in re- ceipt of relief. Anv depaiture from the regulations must be reported to the Poor-law Board within twenty-one days. The Saturday Review says it is not creditable to the rulers of Europe that a petty and ill-governed State should be able to produce universal alarm by a violation of the rules of good neiahbourhood. The Paris Figaro announces that Victor Emmanuel has written to the Pope, wishing to return to the sheep-fold from which the Papal bull of excommunica- tion has driven him." A schooner^load of lepers left this port on Tuesday last for llolokai. As they passed through the streets they presented a sad and pitiable spectacle. The leper colony on Molokai is increasing rapidly in numbers." — Honolulu Advertiser. During the past week 47 wrecks have been reported making for the present year 135. When Fuad Pacha was Ambassador at Lisbon, he presented the Queen of Portugal, Donna Sfaria, with a splendid necklace of diamonds, of which the two most beautiful were converted into earrings. "I hope his Royal HLhness will not be offllded!" asked the Qeeen. "My master will be hut too happy that your Majesty should lend her ear to anything coming from him," was the reply. On the shutters of a shop in the Boulevard-Hauss- mann the other day was to be read Dea l for to-day only Happy proprietor No doubt gone out for a holiday A;1 Englishman had the pretty idea of appearing as a Garde National with an umbrella at a recent bal masqu6. For his reward he was taken to the lock-up, and told that no one wai permitted to make game of a military costume. The Record, referring to the rumour that Mr. Mac- konochie, unable to pay the enormous costs with which he has been saddled, may possibly go through the Bankruptcy Court, says that, if the Vicarage of St. Albans were seques- trated for the costs, and a Protestant clergyman of the Church of England substituted for the Anglo-Ctthoiiea, such a conclusive result would probably gratify the promoter, Sir .John Martin ,even more than his recent victory. At Newton-lane End, near Wakefield, a child was sitting at the fireside In his nightdress, watching his grand- father toast some bread, when a stone slab, forming on6 side of the mantelpiece, suddenly feU npon him, and he was so severely crushed that he died a few hours afterwards. Among the 3bS carriages which are catalogued for sale at Madrid, and have belonged to the ex-Qnecn of Spain, is one ornamented with panels painted by .Murillu. Accidents caused by velocipedes have become so frequent in France that in many towns Lyons, Grenoble, Montpellier among others—they are forbidden in the public promenades alld 01'1 the footways At B .rdeaux, in addition, they are not allowed at night without a lantern. It was the Marquis of Bute's refusal to pledge him- self against secession to Rome that put an end to hie pro- posed matrimonial alliance with the l'resbyterian house ot Argyll.Court Journal. A Virginian paper publishes the following marriage notice On December Gth, III front of the parsopage in Crab Bottom, Highland county, on horseback in the big road, by the Rev. Stephen Smith, Mr. George A. Halteman, aged 16, and Miss Barbara J. Wagoner, aged 24, all of Highland county." In the course of a discussion at a meeting held in London, it was stated that pauperism and crime cost the country about £17,000,000 per annum. The interest evinced by the gentler sex in the affairs of the sterner was strikingly illustrated in Camden Church Peckham, on Sunday last, when the Rev. Fleming preached a sermon to young men on their duties, danaers, etc. Strange to say, the church was crowded with young women. The text chosen was Th$glory of a young man is his Hrength." A man who belonged to the baggage train of the American army during the war of independence recently died at Richmond at the age of 121 years. Horse-flesh is rising in estimation in Berlin as an article of food. In 1868 the number of horses killed for this purpose was no less than 4,044. The blood is purchased by a manufacturer of the city, who employs it as a dye. A Berlin restaurant intends shortly to open an establishment in which only various preparations of horse-flesh will be served to the guests. Mere curiosity will perhaps make the speculation a good one, at least for a time. Earl Granville presided at the annual dinner of the Shropshire cha"' ,jer,° Agriculture, which was held at Shrewsbury_OH[ Saturday evening. In proposing success to the chamber of which he is the president, the noble earl indicated the more important questions to which &uch insti- tutions might well devote their attention. Amongst were erle'nf 'tj'T education, the relations between landlord an!j if, !e "rai"age of land, the utilisation of sewage, and the adjustment of the game laws. an advocate of Metz, who had not attained his 30th year, has just fallen a victim to a deplorable accident.while boar hunting in the forest of Bettlainv.lle. 01 his companions, in the gloom of a wet evening, taxing the unfortunate gentleman for the animal pursued, Pr(?d, and shot him full in the breast, killing him instantaneously. The United State's Congress does not seem disposed to dve Mr. Johnson much credit for his amHesty proclama- tion. The Senate has resolved to ask the President hy what authority He issued the proclamation, and will, it is thought, declare the document illegal. as tenfiing to necessitate a tedious process of individual pardonings, entailing much complication and expense." It is certain (says the Economist) that the late Government did not leave the Exchequer rich, and it.1I certain also that the cost of the Abyssinian expedition win far exceed the £5,000,000, which Parliament voted- We should be glad to be quits of it for £ 7,000,000. At thistir-e of ease, it does not matter in Lombard-street w nether we have a poor or a rich Government, but a year or two ago, when money was 7 per cent, it would have mattered much. At any rate we shall have a poor Government. A widow residing in Lafayette (US.) fell a victim io consumption. Reir.g a member of tne Methodise Church she sent for some of her fellow-members to attend her in her dying hour, and stated to them that about seven years ago she poisoned her child, and it died from the effects 'of tha poison. A year or so after she adinii istereij noison to her husband's father, and he died too. Later still on the return of her husband from the army she dealt to him also a fatal potion, aud he too passed into the spint land. The mit-er- relatWes'aU 8 Racier as do al o all her The Spectator is of opinion that circumstances, though they do not auiount to proofs that war is at hand, amount to proof that the half-c zen men who rule Kurop^ warXostT 0f,eac^ther to a de^ee ->^h would male war almost a relief. There is but one peaceful and one chTrTc'!f.r f Me the Prospect. The peaceful one is the character °f the Emperor of the French. Ihe reluctance of that remarkable man to play for tremendous n" kes il Perhaps the strongest feature in his character, and this time the stakes involve his throne and his dynasty. The pleasant feature is the character of the British Cabinet. Air. Gladstone Nearly is not going to war if he can help it. The clergy of the rural deanery of Kilmaerenan, in the county of Donegal, have passed a resolution approving of the principles of re-construction of the Irish Church when disestablished which have been propouuded in Arch. deacon Btopford's pamphlet, and calling on the B shop ot Derry" to take early action with a view to convening a synod representative of the clergy and laity of the diocese on those principles. Sir JIenry Stracey, the conservative member for Norwich, is the iirst who has been unseated under the pro- visions of tiie new act. The hon. bllronet" as examined at some length, and denied that he had supplied any lunos f,"r illegal purposes, and stated that he knew of HO illegal ex. penditure on the conservative side during theeleo'i";v He knew nothing of»iiher oi the two pr- m ueut biiber? w>.o h*d 'i 'rented themselves from tha rquiry. Bei'riniin»i'o; y tvj. den. e was then i.iou-ht forward against Mr. T*.ilett, the petitioner. Air. Baron Martin, in delivering judgment, stated that he should repoi\ to the speaker tb'.tt Sir Henry Stracey was not duly elected. The question to costs and the general report as to corrupt practice! in Norwich he should reserve. Sir Henry Stracey v,-as not personally iiurhen^d, but bribery was proved to havj been committed by agents.

Rev. A. H. Mackonochie on the Judgment of the Privy Council. The Rev, A. H. Mackonochie, in explanation of hi3 refusal to comply with the judgment of the Prity Council, has sent the following letter Jo the Papers for publication :— There i" great danger lest, while thinking of the particular ruling of the present report of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, we lose sight of the great principles which are involved in it, and the line of action wliich I venture to think, is necessitated ùy it. Un the first point taere mutt be a great diversity of feeling. Some men in the church of England, of thoroughly catholic mind 1\8 to doctrine, posi- tively dislike all expression of doctrine by way of ceremonial; others agree with us entirely as to the principle of cere- monial, but have never becume used to it, at least in the form of altar lights. Xeither of these can be aggrieved by the actual finding of the court in the same way as we are, though all of them must be outraged by the injustice done. I am not going to examine the judgment; but to notice one point on the face of it, which ought to draw all cathelics together. It is the one to which reference hag been so often made, namely, the marked alllldeliberate way in which the argument on whiLh the decision is based, cuts us off as far as the aet of a mere civil court can do so from catholic tm- dition. Now this catholic tradition j" the Thing, and the only thing, on which the church of England professes to stand. It lias her Obè def,nce for the Reformation. A most ample defence it is; but then, here comes the Privy Council with a bold aswmption of the very opposite. What are we to do ? We have been talking a long time; what are we now to do ? Wen, how Etands the case? Weare told that we bore the Gorham" case, we bore the" Essays and Review" case, ami why should we not bear this, which only touches the outside of thing*, not the heart of doctrine ? For one thing it may hû answered that it is "iliC last straw which breaks the camel's back." The injusth 3 which we have had to bear has been cumulative and if this he las people uy it is) but a straw, Yèt it may make up the sum of the injustice to be beyond Endurance. Hut more than tRia. We did not bear the '• Gorham" case, for we have ever since been doing the very thing which the Privy Council told us not to do— preaching that the doctrine of baptismal regeneration is not an open question, but the essential truth of Christ, and the only honest senile of the ArtIcles of the Church of England. \V-e did not bear the judgment in the" E s ,ys and Review" case, for we have, ever Bince it was delivered made a point of teaching more fully t11al1 before the duty of eTery English churchman to believe and teach the doctrines therein assailed, namely, the inspiratiol1 and infallibility of Holy .Scripture, and the truth of Our Lord's teaching about the eternal world. If we (ever had accepted these jwtgments we should have becn guilty of heresy. We are told to wait till doctrine is attacked-and how will the enemy attack doctrine ? Why, by cutting away bit by bit the outward expression of doctrine. In the meantime we are to stand quiet, though in danger of being called UPOIl to break our ordination vowi on some matur which to the world looks trivial, though to us essential, and that by a court which has nospiritual juri8dic- tion over us, awl whose decrees cannot bind U8 in foro con- scientiœ, in matters spiritual. The Privy Council may ten me to do what it pleases, but I cannot plead its decrees befQre the Last Great Court of Final Appeal. What is to he done ? I venture to answer-Two things. 1 We have talked about a reform of the ecclesiastical law courts. Why do we not insist upon it? It is a question which just now touches us specially but it is not one which belongs more to one seetion of the church than another. If we aTe groaning umler the injustice of heing told that the church of England has no supernatural existence, our erethren who ùo not see as we do the sacramental teaching of the church, ale most reasonably outraged at the threat of being compelled to perform" the service for Holy Com. munion in a way which to them would be most unreal. If the "Gorham" case was an offence to us, the "Essays and Review case is equally so to them in common with us and the St. Barnabas case apart from us. Doubtlesa more- over, if some mån shall be tried for teaching tllat our Blessed Lord is not God the Eternal Son, the court which now forbids lights to be burnt in His honour wotùd gladly complete iti work by acquitting the blasphemer. At any rate, I venture to cal1 upon churchmen to 1. egin at once, and stick to the work of insistiTJg upon properly constituted eedesiastical courts, in which clmrcn law may be impar- tially and elluitablyadl1lÏ1Jistered by men really lcarned in the matter on which they are calleu to adjudicate. Would it be tolerated that judges should sit in the Court of Bank- ruptcy whù did not know the difference hetween a dehtor and a creditor? Why, then, should matters which attect our comciellces be tried by men whose ignorance of the questions laiu hefore them is, not through their own fault but by.theJ"rce of circumstances, perhaps even a8 deep ? As Engli hmen, let us appeal to the crown, the parlia ment, the convocation use every lIltlnence which we can bring to bear on individuals, either in otfice or in OPposition wIth thc VIew to obtam for the church really church Court for church causes, as long as the estahlishm, nt Jasti. s 2. And this brings me to the second thing to be done. I suppose evelY one. has more or less been thinking over the question of establishments. If I may judge from the rec p tion WhICh was given to a few words of mine at the meeting of Tuesday, in iicemasons Tavern, the conviction is gain- mg. ground that the time has come for the church to claim deliverance from the) oke of state control. I do not beheve It to be a question belonging to any political school, for I constantly find myself at one on thii point wIth men of views differing as widely as possible from one another and myself on political questions. Even if we look at the matter from a state point of VIeW, the principles for which I contend lies deeper than any differences of modern politics; for thus regarded, an equitable union ot church and state ill only pouible where the two term3 are co-extensive. In any other case one of two difficulties will arise-either the influence of the church in the affairs of state wm be a bw-den to those sub- jects of the i tate who do not belong tu her pale, or else (which is the more probable alternhtlve tIll, yoke of the state will press heavily upon the conscience ùf the church. The English establishment dates from a time when the two were co-extensive; and a continuance of this condition was assumed at the Itelormation, tut has not been reft1iBed; nor WIn anyone dare to predict that it is likely tù be realised so that even from this point of view the union of church and u^ei,n?chroniam, and omdit, to be swept away. But lnteJest of religion solely, not HI that of politics, has the snouHe^'f "e^d by us. What right of the worV» Sureh ally herSfcir v/lth th# P°wer3 spiritual adultery agato*t° which \° co?imj"that ter",)Ie warned her. If the state be unbelwL 0 J^ 80 1 one wishes to impose upon the ruline u i— I liuPP,ose po state except, upon the crown itself) the m —the very idea is an offence to the dullest 2t And yet if we take the opposite hypothesis weshall Vthink find it worse. A Christian state is the child of the I thmk, It is of the church, in such a state, that each "begotten again of God ill Christ .Jesus"-it, is uy ber th IS each is fed by her prayer and blessing that all state acts seek for help from God: hy her anomtmg that the sovereign is set apart for the high functions of Government. Can we tRen defend adlÙtery between It mother and her son? Such Í belieye to be. and always to have heen, the nature of union between church and state. D0ubtles3 the state owes to the all the affectionate care and support that It dutiful son can give to his 11lOther; hut this is not- the theory of establishment. The Jewish church began to fall from God, and ultimately sank intO idolatry from the time that it became an establishment, in the reign of Saul. The reign of Constantine was the beginlling of the decline of Christianity m spiritual thmgs, quite as much aj it was the beginning of its rise in temporal grandeur. Nor do I think that the state has suffered, less than the church from the alliance. Bitt 1 must not prolong my Jetter by the discussion of this que.tion. Lee u* then, as citizens as well as churchmen, move every power to obtain a dissolu- tlOl1.of tIns IlTtgody alliance Why should nd petitions to parliament and memorials to ,convo::<1tion he ready by the commencement of the session ? theTl hy thc time parliament meets aj.nn after Eisner, ot.isr memorials might oe ready, i and thus the question oe thoroughly ventilated'. I feel that it is impossible to urge this matter too strongly, i Tl'.e limits of a letter prevent me from doing more than I barely indicate crudely some of the thoughts which have long beeD in my own mind. I trust other hands more ahle than mine will take up the 5ubject, and show further grounds for the action which seems so desirable. Once free from stite control we shall begin, I trust, to feel as a body, and not merely as individuals, that we helong to a kingdom which" is not of this world." Our hhhops will know that their power is that of the servants of Christ, not of lords of parliament; we of the clergy shall be free of the temptations to worldlv gain and amhition with which an establishment surroands men, end our people wiB receive or reíect us for Ckrist's sake not as ministers appointed by the state. The Times has the following leader on the above :— The Rev. Mr. Mackonochie's letter may, perhaps, possess some interest for the pub1ic who are hy this time sick of technical arguments concerning the terms of the Articles, aud of discussions as to all the constructions that can be placed upon the judgment of the Privy Council. It may foerve to trrow 50me light upon the peculiar mental charac- teristics of the Church party to which Mr. Mackonochie belongs, if, indeed, he win admit that the Church can con- tain a party within itself, and is not a mystic, indivisible whole and, at all events, it put., forward a very distinct policy for the common adoption of all Churchmen. Mr. Mac- konochie has heen condemned hya tribunal to which he owes subjectiriII tor an offence 8<!ainbt the law ot the Eótab- lished Church to which he belongs. There 11 no iurther Court of Appeal awl the remedy wtveh Mr. Mackonochie suggests as the proper one under the circumstances is—first to abolish the tribunal and then to ois«olv;- the Esth blish- ment. In saying this we entirely acquit him of heing ill- fluenced by personal chagrin, and we are ghid to take the opportullity ot acknowledging that, so far 85 we know, he has born himself throughout what has beeu to him a severe trial with becoming temper. The burden of his complaint against the recent decision of the Privy Council is that the argument upon wbich it is hasell cuts Churchmen off from Catholic tradition. It is quite true that the decision does not recognise the whole 'if C"tbo1ic tradition, but it is not true that it admits none of it. On the contrary, it in effect declared that the Reformation settled what of tradition should be retained and what discarded. The result was modification, ani not (lis- continuity. The Ritualists, however, are addicted exclusively to Catholic or pre-Protestant tradition. They dislike the bare Protestant ceremonial. They ignore the settlement of the Reformation. As, therefore, it is the duty of our ecclesi- astical trihunalB to entorce that settlement, they cannot es- cape condemnation But tl1Ís act of condemnation is by no mealls the only offence Ahich in the eyes of Mr. Mackon- ochie has been committed by the Privy Council. lie hears that trHlUnal a grudge also on account of the Gorham judgment and of the judgment in the case of Extay* awl. He views. But when he lays that he never accepted those judgments, and that if he had done he wllul. have been guilty of heresy, he misrepresents their nature altogether. lie assumes that they imposed false or disallowed true doctrine, whereas, in fact, all that they did was to declare clergymen not open to prosecution for preaching that which is not forbidden by the Articles. Such liberty, it appear5, i5 abhorent to sound Churchmen. This gives an idea of the sort of justice which would be dispensed it the Privy Council were superseded by a tribunal after Mr. Mackonochie's own heart, Low Churchmen would be discountenanced Broad Churchmen would be silenced Ritualists alone would be indulged in their rites. But, of course, Mr. Mackonochie does more than take exception to the particular decisions of the Privy Council. He demurs to its general constitution and jurisdiction. He stigmatizes their Lordships M disqualified by ignorance for the functions they have to perform. A body of hues, not all n- cessarily Church men, how can they be fit to decide Church questions ? Wen, they do not pre- tend to the infallihility of the Pope. nor do they undertake to legislate for the Church, like the ancient Councils nor do they even set up to be antiquaries versed in the history of Church vestments, ceremonies, and doctrines. But atter all, their duty is hut a plain one-to interpret impartially the Rubric and the Article* which lie before them. For th¡¡1 purpose In the eyes of most people professional Judges wi1l seem better qualified than clergymen possessing no judicial experience and with all the bias of theological parti- sans. As for the Privy Council sanctioning blasphemy as 111'. Mackonochie is pleased to predict, we may expect that they will sanction it when the Rubric and Thirty-nine Articles sanction it, and not before. Mr. Mackouochie with his curious notion of the supernatural existence of thé Church, concludes by denying that the Privy Council has any spiritual jurisdiction over him so as to billd him in foro consc¡entiœ. But nobody ever asserted that it had The Privy Council can only declare what is per- missible, and punish Mr. Mackonochie if he dis- obeys. No tribunal, ecclesiastical or other, that we can Imagme could do any more. The second remedy which Mr. Mackonochie proposes is the abolition of the Church Estab- lishment. To him and his friends the burden has become intolerable. By the prohibition of lights on the altar and genuflections before the altar, they are now compelled to perfonn the service of Holy ConmlUnion in a way which to them is most unreal. They long to be delivered from the scandalous company imposed upon them of persons who bold defective views of haptismal regeneration, of sceptical Essayists and Reviewers, of various heretics from Bishops downwards. They desire the c'ergy, for their own sake and for the sake of the laity, to be free from the temptations to worldly gain and ambition. So far Mr. Mackonochie is intelligible enough. These considerations, whatever else we may think of them, are practical. They include wme tenets which he would filld the Liberation Society held in common with himself. But then Mr. Mackonochie is careful to tell liS that these do not constitute the chief objection to Establishments. The evils ahove described, aggra- vating as they are to the Church, are, in fact, in the nature of a punishment. The Church ought never to have been established at flll. An Establishment is an abiding spiritual offence. The union of Church anù State is terrible spiritual adultery. It is curions to observe the process by which he arrives at this singular result. In the first place he apparently cannot understand, or he refuses to see, what is an Estahlishment of a Church by law, wch as is familiar to us all. The ordinary incidents of an Establish- ment are that the State portions out the entire kingdom for ecclesiastical purposes into dioceses and pari8hes; that it sets up an ecclesiastical hierarchy, investing the members with fixed duties of a determinate ttatus that it provides endowments in the right to perception of tithes and other advantages, regulates the tenure of benefices, authorises the institution af Ecclesiastical courts with compulsory juris- diction for the maintenance of doctrine and discipline, and in various ways makes provisions fur the spi- ritual comforts of the people. All these are consider- ations too simple, too common-place, too matter-of-fact for Mr. Mackonochie to take into his account. No the State, when it establishes the Church, marries the Church. Union of Church and State i8 marriage of Church find State -nothing less and nothing more. üf this proposition Mr. Mackonochie offers no explanation. But we mUót take it for granted in order to follow his argument. His second point is that the Church i8 the spOU8e of Chriit. That the Church was founded by Christ, is supported hy Christ, preaches Christ, may be true, but this is not sufficient for the purpose of Mr. Mackonochie. Nothing wiU satisfy him but to adopt in a natural or, shall we say, a hideously non- natural sense the figurative worda of Scripture that the Church is "the spouse of Christ." We are now in a position to understand the strange logical dilemma put for,q¡ d by Mr.i;:rk -nochie. The statu say* he is either unbelieving or believing. It were truest, he thinks, to say unbelieving, for" no one wbiles to imp se upon the ruling bodies in the English State, except upon the Crown, the name of ChrÍ8tiau "-that is, because we do not exclude Roman Catholics, or Nonconformists, or Jews from our Houses ",1 Parliament, we are an unbelieving people. If. he continues, the State be unbelieving, the very idea of the State marrying the spouse of Christ is all offence to the dnllest spiritual instinct. If, on the other hand, the State be believing, the offence is still worse; it is not adultery, but incest. Eor the Church being the spouse or Christ, aud the Christian State heing a chitd of the Church, whereof" each individual is begotten again of God in Christ Jeaus," the union of Church and State is an unhallowed union of mother aud son. With a person who deliberately puts forward notions like these we scarcely know how to deal. Statement of fact and argument are thrown away. Mr. Mackonochie evidently lives in a world of fantasy, putting words for things, the torm for the substance, the figure for the thing signilied, and enveloping all his ideas in an incense cloud of sentiment. nis whole denunciation of Establishment is a wonderful commentary upon Ritualism.

PERSONATING A VOTER. At Carlisle Petty Sessions, Thomas Wybergh Pattin- son, barber, has been charged with having at the re- cent Parliamentary election for that city knowingly personated and falsely asumed to vote in the name vf Mr. Thomas Pattinson brewer, tnereby rendering rendering himself liable to be punished by imprison- ment for & penod not exceeding two years, WIth hard labour. Mr. M'Alpin (solicitor for the Liberal party) said this was one of a large number of cases in which the delinquent must àa.vliI voted with the full knowledge that he was not the pers8u in whose name he had voted, and that he had not the qualification that per- son possessed. The facts of the CMe were these. The defendant Thomas Wybergn Pattinson was » barber and lived in Caldewgfate. He voted at the late election under the number 2549 on the register, name" Thomas Pattinson," qualification "a brewery," situate at Mil- bourne-street. Now, the only ThomM Pattinson pos- sessing that qualification wag Mr. ThomM P&ttmson, who had & duplicate qualirication in another ward, and did not vote in Caldewgate at all. When the prisoner tendered hi. vote at the ejection it waa immediately disputed; questions were put to him, and his attention was particularly drawn to the fact that the qualification was a brewery. Therefore, he sub- mitted, the man acted knowingly. Poll-clerks and others were called, who deposed to the facte as stated. Mr. Wannop (Conservative agent) denied that the priiloner had knowingly and wilfully personated Mr. Pattinson, the brewer. He worked in Brewery-row, and resided in James street. Finding that there wall a Thomas Pattimon on the register, described &S living in Milbourne-street, and there being no Thomas Pat- tinson in that street, his frienùII persuaùed hiw he must be the person meant. He waited till close upon fonr before tendering his vote, 80 that he might waive hi8 claim if anyone turned up with a better right to the vote. 1£ the register were examined, there would be found an endless number of persons personating. A witness having beeILexamined on behalf of the de- fence, to show that when the prisoner was asked questions at the booth he only replied, "I'm Thomas Pattinson, that's enough for you," the Mayor an- nounced that the magistrates considered the evidellce sufficient to warrant them in sending the prisoner for trial at the a86ize8. The prisoner WMI committed for trial accordingly, but was admitted to bail.

SHOCKING DEATH BY FIRE. A young married lady, aged about 24 years, the wife of Mr. Barlee, was burnt to death under most shock- ing circumstances, en Sunday morning, at 28, Lans- downe crescent, Notting-hill, (near London.) It appears that a Mr. Barlee, his wife, and two servant girls retired to rest at the usual time on Satur- day evening, without detecting anythiIJg out of the ordinary way. About six o'clock on Sunday morning a policeman saw that a fire had broken out in the lower part of the house, and roused the inmates. Very shortly after that Mrs. Barlee was seen to open one of the third floor windows, and screamed for help. It was evideut that the staircase was on fire, and that her life WM in great peril. A fire-ellcape was at once sent for but, as the nearest was at least half a mile distant, the suspenlle of the spectators, and the sense of danger in Mrs. Barlee, were terrible in the extreme. Her screams continued, and, although police and con- ductors were hurrying with the escape as fast as they could, she sank back from the window, ex- hausted by the emoke and the scorching heat which: had for some time enveloped her, just before help arriven. Still an attempt was made to reach: her. The escape was planted against the houle, and at a signal the fly ladder was raised with too much, but pardonable, haste. The guide ropes were pulled away and the ladder broken, 60 that all chance of saving the life of Mrs. Barlee was past. Mr. Barlee hImself managed to escape from the back part of the *r?UTP: i?°.n er the first alarm engines belonging to the .tire Biigade reached the spot, and, as they were pr. paring to attack the fire, a gentleman who was HtanJllIg near caded attention to anqthcr w(,m,:lI, who was standmg at one of the higher window*, "t the back of the house aud screaming for help. Tw,) (If the fire- men named Grimshaw and Buckland, finding no more direc t way of reaching the woman, ascended to"the roof ot the adjoining house, thinking they could go from that to Mr. P>arl<-e's. They were, however mis- taken. The roof was so steep that it was impos- sible to keep a footing there, and there was no gutter or coping to prevent their being precipitated into the street if they risked a step. Per- plexed for an instant, the men were soon urged to exercise their ingenuity by hearing the screams of the woman. They could not see where she was they could only guess by hearing her screams. They called to her to keep up her courage, promising to reach her soon. Then Grimshaw, who had obtained a rope and fastened one end of it about his body, whilst Buck- land held He other end tight, crawled down the steeply slanting roof, and, making a guess at the spot where the window was at which the woman was screaming, he threw a line with which he had provided himself towards, her, having previously shouted to her to try and catch it. Very fortunately she caught it at the first throw, and said so very eagerly. She was told to put the line many times about her waist and make it fast. This she did, and on her crying that she was ready, Grimshaw, shouting out, Hold fast, for God's sake pulled at the line, and, amid the breathless anxiety of the spectators, drew her from the window. Then the spectators, with a sickening sensation, saw the woman holding on to the line, which depended from the hands of a man who, without foothold, was himself held up to the roof by a rope, moving with bump after bump against the wall and spout from the window of one house to that of the other. S on her rescue was completed. She was Mrs. Barlee's servant named Sullivan. The only dress she had on was her night- gown. Her body, wh:ch had been burned in several places, suffered more from the bruises she sustained as she was dragged from the window. She was carried to the hospital, and is progressing favourably there. The remains of Mrs. Barlee were found in the course of the morning, burnt so shockingly that identity seemed impossible. ° Captain Shaw, the chief of the Brigade has made inquiry into the circumstances attending the damage to the fire-escape, and exonerates the conductors from all blame. He speaks of the- exertions of Grimshaw and Buckland in saving the life of the servant Sullivan as being deserving of high praise.

SINGULAR CASE OF MANSLAUGHTER. An ir quest has been held at Wevle, near Shrews- bury, upon the body of Mr. Ferriday, an old man, who had been killed on the previous day, under cir- cumstances of an extraordinary character. The pro- ceedings were watched by solicitors, engaged both on behalf of the family of the deceased and of Captain Scott, a country landowner well known in Shropshire. From the evidence of Mrs. Edwards, the keeper of the Wevle Turnpike-gate, it appeared that on Wed- nesday afternoon she saw the deceased passing through her gate with his cart. He was sitting in front of the cart with the reins in his hand, and was driving at a slow pace. Just as he got within the gate-posts Captain Scott drove up from the contrary direction, and the vehicles met and passed each other in the gate- way. The deceased was on his right side, and was driving as close to the pathway as he could get, leav- ing plenty of room for Captain Scott to pass. The Captain, nevertheless, shouted out to the deceased, and as he passed him turned round and angrily cut at him with his whip. The lash caught the old man on the hat, and the horse immediately set off, Ferriday being shaken off his seat and pitched bead first against a wall, whence he rolled back under the wheels of his cart, which passed over him. He was picked up dead. This testimony was corroborated in every particular by a woman who lived near the gate and witnessed the whole affair. Captain Scott, being sworn, said that on driving up to the gate and seeing deceased approach it in his cart, he believed there would not be room for both to pass, and he accordingly, after calling out to Ferriday, pulled tip in the gateway. AsFerriday's cart passed nim a slight collision took place, and he, believing the old man was asleep, flicked at him with his whip, to waken him up. He was of opinion that Ferriday's horse ran away in consequence of the wheels of the cart and chaise grating against each other. The jury after an hour's consultation, returned a verdict of' "Manslaughter against Captain Scott," who was committed to take his trial at Shrewsbury Assizes. Captain Scott left the place whilst the verdict was under consideration, and thus escaped arrest, and eventually bail was tendered and accepted.

THE TREATMENT OF DRUNKEN WIVES. An inquest has been held in St. T uke's, London, respecting the death of Catherine Anna Wright, aged 36 years, when the following evidence was given :— George Wright said that deceased was his wife. For the last two years she had been given to drink. She had been drinking rum and brandy since Christmas. She had not been sober for a single hour since then. Coroner Did you drive her to drink ? Witness: No. I never beat her; all I did was to use hard words when she got drunk. Coroner Why did you give her the money to get drunk ? In old times when a husband found his wife getting drunk he locked her up in a room and fed her on bread and water until she got sober. In Scotland there is, it is said, an island where drunken wives are landed, and all that they are left by their husbands is a loaf of bread and a pitcher of cold water. A juror If that island was near London it would be thickly populated. The witness said that he only gave his wife money when she promised not to drink, and she always pro- mised that. On last Wednesday he found her lying drunk underneath the bed. She died on Thursday. Dr Syson said that the deceased had expired from effusion of serum on the brain accelerated by alcoholic poisoning. Edward Richmond, the landlord of the deceased, said that he had frequently seen her drunk. Her husband was always kind to her. The Coroner said that it was lamentable to see the home of a steady man rendered miserable and broken up by the habits of a drunken wife. There was only one way of reclaiming such a person, and that was by withholding cash from her until she got sober, and then reasoning with her, and with kindness she would come round. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from ex- cessive drinking."

CONTINENTAL ARMIES. The following paper strength of Continental armies was given by Baron Kuhn m Austro-Hungarian parliament :— FRANCE. AUSTRO-HUNGARIAS Army 800,000 MONARCH r. Mobile National Regular forces, in- (juard 450,000 eluding navy and reserves 800,000 Total 1,140,000 border troops 6»,000 Landwehr. 200,000 NO*TH GBEMA.* BCNB. Standing army *a.m Total 1.043,000 Laudw4hr Weld army includ- Totfcl W"* CaUTsy.0,he 8,7,850 SOUTH QIUUKT. Local forces 410,427 ^regulars 229,223 Standint army 15fl,T60 ———— Landwehr *Mn Total 1,*J7,000 ITALT. Total *00,171 Army 14.\4.111 Mobile National JfOiTV AMD SOUtt OK*- (iaard including itA-ST ToeWHia. Veaetia 11%,000 ToW ToU1 440,461

Referring to the gigantic array of Prussia, the MiH- tary Sheet of Berlin has the following A telegram from this capital could now at any moment I suffice to put a million of men under arms as our military organisation is complete. The Prussian troops consist of j?5 batta i >ns of infantry, » of which belong t° the Guard 268 squadrons of cavalry, o2 of the Guard 11 regiments of artillery, with 114« guns and 12 battalions of engineers in all 410,000 combatants; to which must be added the 63/ 00 whom the J-e era1, contingents have to fun-ish. £ o t-hi3 number (46%0e0) must be joined the soldiers <>f Baden, Hesse, Wurtemburjr, and Lavuna, piaced bv treaties under the orders of the head of the Confeuerati.m Besides, Prussia could immediately put on foot—l theVe'serve. 120 oattations of infantry, 76 squadrons of cavalry 2t0 guns, and 12 bat- talions of engineers, iu all 143 000 fighting men and 2, in troops of occupation ami defence Of fortresses, 200,000. j In these figures are not included either the oflicer?, military traitf, axnijr wwJtincn, or special corx>s of various kinds.