The Aberystwith Observer

(Dm: yonkit Covrisp0nl1e.it. [We deem it right to st&Se that we do not at all time Identify ourselves with o&: Correspondent's opinions. The Commons of England, in Parliament assembled) are engaged in very dull work just now, and according to a well-calculated estimate, are likely to be so engaged until about the 20th of the present month. Five days in the week the first order upon the notice- paper is "Land Law (Ireland) Bill—Committee." Every day of the Parliamentary week, Monday to Friday inclusive, is devoted to this gigantic measure. The principal share of the work devolves upon the Prime Minister, who is assisted by the Attorney- General for Ireland. Meeting at four o'clock on Mon- day afternoon the House aits for about ten hours on the stretch, and adjourns not much before two in the morning. It reassembles at two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, goes on until seven, adjourns until nine and then goes on until between one and two. On Wednesday at noon it is again in Session, rising at six in the evening. Thursday is a repetition of Monday, and Friday is the counterpart of Tuesday. The respite of Saturday and the rest of Sunday must be grateful enough to all who are en- gaged in such protracted and monotonous labours. But inasmuch as there is an end to all things terrestrial, members of the House of Commons may console themselves that Committee on the Irish Land Bill will terminate at last. Mr. Gladstone has promised an early prorogation, and has actually men- tioned the first week in August as a possible date. After the exacting work of the long Session, wel- come enough will be the cry, Away to the woods, away J" Since the 6th of January, six months ago, has the legislative machine been in operation. It has gone on through a winter of Siberian severity, when the snow was piled mountains high in the streets, and when the river, upon one of whose banks the Houses of Parliament stand, was as firmly locked in the ice as though it had been the Neva. It has pur- sued its labours through the abnormally cold spring, and now is patiently plodding its way amid the torrid heats of July. The sun is so many hours above the horizon that there is but little real night. The twilight in the western sky has scarcely had time to fade away before the dim grey tinge of dawn is ob- servable in the east, telling of the approach of the i ? rising sun and of the beginning of another day of life and labour for the millions of London. The short night leaves the air but little time to cool; and not- w ithstanding all the appliances of science to the tem- perature of the House of Commons, the work must often be necessarily carried on in an enervating and exhausting atmosphere. The New York Press has been comparing the system of railway travelling adopted in the United States with the European plan, greatly to the ad- vantage of the former. They tell us that our mode of carriage building is antiquated, and that the idea of the first constructor appears simply to have been. to imitate as closely as possible the old stage coaches that were superseded. The American carriages are all of one class, and are in the shape of a long carriage with a series of open compartments on either side of a wooden roadway running the entire length of the train. In Europe, on the other hand, travellers are boxed up in carriages divided off into compartments and although tragedies are not of frequent occurrence, those which have been perpetrated show that the plan t f isolation is easily conducive to villany. In America the whole of the passengers in a train please themselves whether they saunter about it from end to end or loll upon the lounges but there they are, all together, under the eyes of the guards and conductors -and it is impossible for a single traveller to be locked in fifty miles with a madman or a murderer. Nor are the trains detained in America at wayside stations for the examination or collection of tickets all this is done during the progress of the journey. A remarkable feature of the Money Market of late has been the way in which Consols have gone above par. This is taken as an additional proof that money is going to be very cheap for some time to come, but it is regarded by many as having other meanings. The Consol market in which a rise has been noted, would probably be as lifeless as any other part of the Stock Exchange were it not that the time for the pay- ment of the dividends is at hand. Dividend period always brings with a reinvestment demand, and the market has been preparing to meet that by buying in anticipation. This is the actual and immediate cause of the advance in Consols, and the rise is helped by the extreme scarcity in stock. The price of Consols is primarily the estimate formed by the investing public of the national credit, and that estimate just now seems to be a high one. The Eton and Harrow Cricket Match on Lord's Ground speedily follows that between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and on either occasion, or in. deed at any time when there is an important contest on, a visit to Lord's is well worth paying by any one who has a few hours of leisure, and wishes to see London life under a fashionable and aristocratic aspect. The lines of carriages three or four deep, and the manner of their appointments, silently tell an eloquent story of wealth and luxury. This year, as originally fixed, the second day of the Eton and Harrow match fell on the date subsequently selected for the Windsor Review, and as at the last spectacle of this kind in the royal demesne, the boys of these two public schools occupied reserved seats, the time of the cricket competition was altered so as to enable them to be at Windsor on a day when more than fifty thousand Volunteers were announced to pass before their Sovereign. Such a vast gathering of citizen soldiers has never before been brought together in the history of our country, and the arrangements for an annual fixture like a cricket match might well therefore be open to revision in the face of an event of such wide interest and importance. Meanwhile the Wimbledon meeting has again come round, and Volunteers are speculating on their fate npon the Common so far as the elements are concerned. After the camp is opened-on the very day of the Windsor review-will they be roasted under the rays of an Indian iun, as in 1868, or run the risk of being drowned, as in 1875 and 1879 ? The experiences of the marksmen who have regularly gone to Wim- bledon illustrate in a remarkable way the uncertain- ties of the English climate in a month when it is not unreasonable to expect something like settled weather. The July of 1868 brought them face to face with a sweltering heat which was not much exceeded at the equator, when the dried grass in the fields was set on fire by the sparks from passing railway engines, and when the scarlet shafts of sunlight struak people dead in the streets of London. That was one kind of July; in 1875, and again two years ago, there was one gf a very different description. Hill-side rivulets were converted into mountain torrents; meadows were turned into turbid lakes, the surface of which was swept by a chilling wind valleys presented the appearance of inland seas. At Wimbledon by day the Volunteers who prefer to take a prostrate aim did so at a cbst of being saturated through and through; at night they were frequently awakened by the water pouring into their tents, and bidding them arise from their peace- ful slumbers if they would escape drowning. Thus far the present year has presented no such extremes, and it is to be heped that, when the prizes are distri- buted to the successful competitors at the close of the meeting, the committee in charge of the arrangements may be congratulated on having carried through the Annual Rifle Competition to a successful issue. While the Law Courts in the Strand are progressing at a rate which enables the First Commissioner of Works to promise their completion by next Easter, a Parliamentary Committee has been inquiring into the practicability of removing the Mint from its present site to one upon the Thames Embankment, where, as it will be remembered, it was at one time proposed to place the Law Courts, Now that the plane trees on .either side of the Embankment are beginning to show some results for their ten years' growth, that splendid thoroughfare has become one of the hand- somest boulevards in Europe. A new Mint would, doubtless, have added to the architectural beauties of the t fare but upon the other hand the mephitic vapours from the chemicals employed ia the establishment wcsM not kare tended to jnprert ,bt atmosphere. At all events, the House af Commons' Committee unanimously decided against the project of remove. As illustrating the enormous value of land in London, it may be mentioned that the site alonOt would have cost a quarter of a million sterling. Ttus construction of the new building would have been carried eut at an estimated expense of JB150,000, with an additional £40,000 for machinery. The Committee have, however, decided that the existing Mint can be enlarged for all practical purposes at a moderate expenditure. The first quarter of the financial year showed an in- crease of nearly £ 146,000 in the national revenue as compared with the corresponding period of 1880. There were expectations of a somewhat better return, looking at the fact that the trade of the country is held to have considerably improved. Time was when the present Prime Minister, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, declared that the prosperity of the nation was increasing by leaps and bounds," but it appears that it must now be content with a. more moderate scale of progress. Another indication of the com- mercial condition of Great Britain will shortly be furnished by the announcements of the railway dividends. The half-yearly accounts are made up to the 30th June; and although the second six months are always the best for railway companies, the results of the first half will be vested with considerable interest, as showing the advance which has been made upon the opening six months of 1880. It will, of course, be borne in mind that this year the companies had to contend with the great snow storm of last January; and this would, to a considerable extent, account for a diminution in the amount of their receipts.

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES. Mr. Garfield, the President of the United States, was shot at and severely wounded by one Charles Guiteau, a lawyer, of Chicago, in the terminus of the Baltimore Railway in Washington, at nine o'clock on Saturday morning. At first it was believed that the President could not survive many hours, and in the evening the medical report was that he was sink- ing rapidly. On Sunday, however, he rallied con- siderably, and good hopes were entertained of his recovery.—We condense the following particulars from The Times of Monday :— PHILADELPHIA, July 2, Morning. President Garfield, in Washington, went to the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station to take the Pennsylvania Railroad train for New York this morning, about half-past nine. Upon arriving at the station he was shot twice by a man described as a dis- charged Government employ6, who is insane. President Garfield was shot in the ladies' room of the railway station, immediately after entering the room arm-in-arm with Secretary Blaine, who, hearing two shots, rushed in the direction whence they came to arrest the would-be assassin. Before reaching him the Secretary returned to the President, who was pro- strated. Both shots took effect, one in the right shoulder, the other in the back, near the kidneys. The Surgeon-General, Dr. Bliss, and Dr. Purvis, the latter a coloured man, were quickly in attendance. They probed unsuccessfully for the balls, and then ordered the President to be conveyed to the White House. By this time the streets were thronged with excited crowds. Two companies of regular troops were ordered from their barracks to aid the police in preserving order. The shooting was done in the presence of about 50 ladies, who were awaiting the train. The pistol used was of the heavy calibre known as "California bull- dozer." The President was removed to the White House and made as comfortable as possible in his chamber, and all persons were excluded from the grounds. Immense crowds surrounded the enclosure, anxious to learn particulars. Great sympathy was expressed for the President, with threats of "lynch- ing the would.be assassin, who was taken to Wash- ington Gaol. Guiteau is in Washington Gaol, where by the Attorney-General instructions all access to him is for- bidden. A strong guard of troops and police surround the goal, threats having been made that the mob might attempt "lynching," though nothing of the kind has yet been indicated. The prisoner is thirty years old, 5ft. 5in. high, and is supposed to be of French descent. He weighs 1251b. Intense excitement prevails in all American cities, immense crewds surrounding the bulletin boards anxious for news. Guiteau before shooting the President prepared the following letter, which was taken from his pocket by the police:— "July 2. To the White House. The President's tragic death was a sad necessity, but it will unite the Republican party and save the Republic. Life is a flimsy dream, and it matters little when one goes. A human life is of small value. During the war thousands of brave boys went oown without a tear. I presume the President was a Christian, and that he will be happier in Paradise than here. It will be no worse for Mrs. Garfield, dear soul, to part with her husband this way than by natural death. He is liable to go at any time; anyway, I had no ill- will towards the President. His death was a political necessity. I am a lawyer, theologian, politician I am Stalwart of the Stalwarts I was with General Grant and the rest of our men in New York during the canvass. I am going to gaoL CHARLES GUITEAU." A similar letter was found in the street addressed to General Sherman. It read as follows:- I have just shot the President. I shot him several times as I wished him to go as easily as possible. His death was a political necessity. I am a lawyer, theologian,, politician I am Stalwart of the Stalwarts. I was with General Grant and the rest of our men in New York during the canvass. I am going to gaol. Please order out your troops and take possession of the gaol at once. CHARLES GUITEAU." The gaolers say that Guiteau during the past two weeks made visits to the gaol, but was not admitted. Vice-President Arthur left New York at midnight for Washington. Mrs. Garfield was brought from Long Branch to Washington by special train. The entire Cabinet remained at the White House throughout the night. Sir E. Thornton, the British Minister, with Mr. Victor Drummond, the Charge at the British Legation, on Saturday afternoon delivered to the Secretary of State in attendance upon the Pre- sident a telegram from Earl Granville, expressing the great concern of her Majesty's Government and a hope that the report that the President had sustained serious injury was not true. Subsequently Sir E, Thornton delivered a second telegram from Earl Granville, to the following effect:— The Queen desires that you will at once expressl the horrer with which she has learnt of the attempt upon the President's life, and her earnest hope for his recovery. Her Majesty wishes for full and immediate reports of his con- dition. The would-be assassin's full name is Charles Jule Guiteau. He freely gave his pistol and papers to the police when arrested. Answering questions, he said :— I am a native-born American, born in Illinois. I did this to save the Republican party. With Garfield out of the way, we can carry all the Northern States. With him in the way, we cannot carry a single one." He further said to the officer:- "You stick to me; have me put in a third story front at the gaol. General Sherman is coming down to take charge. Arthur and all these men are my friends. I'll have you made chief of police." Being asked whether anybody else was with him in the matter, he said:—"Not a living soul. I have contemplated this thing for the last two weeks." On reaching the gaol, Guiteau said he had been there last Saturday, and wanted them to let him look through. They declined, telling him to come on Monday. He wanted to see what kind of quarters he would have to occupy. The Government officials are making a searching investigation to discover whether anyone is in censpiracy with Guiteau, but while all sorts of rumours are afloat, no evidence implicating anyone has yet been disclosed. Guiteau left a package of papers addressed to the Washington Correspondent of the Chicago Inter-Ocean newspaper, which he said explained his motives. The authorities hold them, and will not make their con- tents public. The correspondent denies all knowledge of him. Guiteau seems to be a person of disordered mind and restless habits. He was at times a religious enthusiast. Last summer he turned his attention to politics, apparently hoping to gain preferment by making Republican speeches in New York. He was a frequent visitor at the White House, seeking interviews to urge his claims for office and frequently addressing notes to the Presideat expressing support for him in the quarrel with Conkling, and asking for an audience. While waiting for audiences which he never got he wrote many letters and also cards, till the clerks objected to his taking public stationery. He an- swered, "Do you know who I am? I am one of the men who made Garfield President." He intermitted his visits at the White House for one week till Friday night, when he was seen in a porch at the main entrance. On Saturday morning he came in a carriage to the railway station just before the President entered. He attracted attention by compelling the eeachman to gallop Ms horses along the street shouting to him "Faster, faster." His brother, John Guiteau, residing at Boston, says Charles was born at Freeport, Illinois, in 1841. He was a tractable boy. When a youth, he joined the' Oneida Community at ,New York, living there several yews, fottt Ipiy because be could not live up to the re. strictions of the comaMHiity. He left Oneida. about ten years ago, and studied law in Chicage. Guiteau's brother says he has seen little of him for the past twenty years, but has often heard from him. He had long considered him insane, and always expected that he would end his career in a lunatic asylum or meet a a werse fate. He does not believe he had any precon- ceived purpose to kill the President, but thinks that he took a sudden notion to do so. He had intense Republican views, but in politics he was too unreliable in every way for any one to have intrusted him with such an undertaking. Guiteau said on his way to the gaol that the Presi- dent's assassination was premeditated, and he went to Longbranch for the purpose of shooting him, but was there deterred by the enfeebled and saddened condition of Mrs. Garfield, which appealed so strongly to his sense of humanity, that he came back without carrying out his intention. WASHINGTON, July 3. The news agencies have never closed since the attempt, and all the papers throughout the country have been issuing special editions during the day, which were eagerly purchased by the excited people. Meetings were held in many towns yesterday evening to express abhorrence at yesterday's event. The greater portion of these meetings were held in the South, where the feeling of horror is very manifest All day long despatches have arrived from prominent men of all parties, anxiously inquiring after the state of the patient and expressing the hope that God will save the President's life. Prayers have been offered in the churches every- where to-day for President Garfield's safe recovery. The sports and pastimes arranged for the 4th of July have been countermanded in consequence d the Pre- sident's condition. The attempt upon the President's life is the sole topic of interest throughout the United States, and the sympathy and horror expressed are universal. From all sections, and notably from tle south, come despatches announcing the deep grief and in- dignation felt at the shooting of President Grarfield. In many places business was suspended on receipt of the intelligence, and intense anxiety prevais every- where as to the President's condition. The N;w York Stock Market declined sharply on the news leing re- ceived. Later on the market became less exited on the first favourable reports, but continued feverish up to the close. The prison officials where the would-be assassin Guiteau is confined say that since his arest the prisoner has conducted himself very quietly, making no demonstrations o any kind. He seems to have prepared a plan for his conduct in advance, and is evidently observing it strictly. It is considered that if Guiteau is mad, there is a considerable am)unt of method in his madness. The prisoner eviices no desire to enter into I conversation with thE prison officials. The records of the Pension Bureau show tlat two months ago Guiteau applied for a pension on the ground that he had been a soldier during tb Civil War. His papers are on the file in the Buretu, and bear the endorsement of the examining sirgeons stating that the applicant was insane.

In a telegram from Philadelphia, dated July 4, tb Corre- spondent of The Times says America has passed a sorry Fourth o" July, the ;errible event at Washington restraining the ordinary celebrtion of Independence Day. The public feel more like holdir; a fast than a jubilee. On Sunday in all the churches prayers were offerei up for the President's recovery more than one clegyman denouncing the assassination as the outcome of that actious political spirit which now dominates, more especiallyin New York. The universal demand is that the Senate Jontest there should end, either by electing the Senators or djourn- ing the Legislature. The national salute usually fired at sunrise in Wasington on Independence Day was omitted to-day. The cit is un- usually quiet. The customary firing of guns and packers has been almost entirely abandoned. Crowds from ft early hour gathered around the White House enclosure, irtuiring as to the President's condition. Much anxiety to learn the President's condition bs been shown throughout Canada, and prayers for his recovry were offered in the English Cathedral in Quebec on Sunday Inquiries as to the President's condition, with mesages of sympathy, have been received from the King of Swden and Norway, the President of the Council of Miniters of Roumania, and from almost all the American Miniters to the European Co arts. The chief of the Treasury detectives, Mr. Brooks, rho has been carefully examining Guiteau's case, expreies hi epinion that Guiteau had no accomplices and that b alone was concerned in the crime. He declines to say whiher or not Guiteau, in his opinion, is insane. The Waatington prison officials describe him as eccentric, but not insac. In every statement which he has made, Guiteau flclares that the plot was conceived and executed by himsellilone. He asks all his visitors how the President is, exposing regret that he is not dead and wishing that he hi put another ball into him to end his sufferings. His only motive, he says, was to cause the retirement of Gtieral Garfield and to have a "Stalwart" for President. teing asked how he had rested, Guiteau said, "Thiaistheirst rest I have had for six weeks. While this thing was en-ny mind I could not sleep. Now it is over my only wish is tiat he may not recover, making my act fruitless. My mÍlld would be perfectly at rest if he died. I do not fear the con- sequences." M. Grévy, at Paris, has sent the following telegram to ■. Mrs. GarfieldAccept the expression of our deepest sympathy." Telegrams of condolence continue to arrive, including messages from the Emperor of Japan, Mr. Parnell in the name of the Irish members, and various foreign Ministers on behalf of their respective Governments. Despatches from all the chief towns report a very quiet Fourth of July, with little or none of the usual celebrations, the customary national salute being also omitted. The brother-in-law of Guiteau asserts that the latter has been several times examined by physicians, who pronounced him to be insane. The same person states that his insanity took the form of imagining himself to be a great man.

Guiteau is said to be a Canadian Frenchman by birth, and has been considered by people who knew him in Chioago and other places as erratic or half crazy. He has been in Washington since March, and was a persistent applicant for the Consulship at Marseilles.—General Grant says of him :— I met him in the Fifth Avenue Hotel at the close of the last presidential campaign. He wanted me to sign a paper recommending him as a proper person to appoint as Minister for Austria. I knew nothing about him. My son told me that Guiteau was a lawyer in Chicago, and was sup- posed to be half crazy. He was no doubt crazy when he shot the President, and I attach no political importance to his act. Under these circumstances it was the act of a cowardly assassin, who had been disappointed in his search for office. Guiteau evidently believed that he was a man of great importance to the Republican party, and the defeat of his aims must have unbalanced his mind. He told me that he was engaged to a young woman worth one million dollars, and that he should obtain the appointment he was looking for it if I would join Henry Ward Beecher and others in seeking it for him. I refused to sign his papers. I told my servant not to allow him to enter my parlours. He sub- sequently forced his way in one day, but I refused to talk with him, and dismissed him speedily. I regret this sad occurrence from the bottom of my heart." Mrs. Sarah V. E. White, a lady in charge of the waiting- room at the station, was the person who first reached the President after he was shot. She thus describes the attempt and arrest of Guiteau "I saw the whole thing. A man came in from the door, entering the ladies' room from the main waiting room just as the President entered the middle door from B-street. When he bad approached within five feet of the President he fired, aiming, I thought, at the President's heart, and missed him. The President did not seem to notice him, but walked right on past the man. He fired again, and the President fell. He fell right at the turn ef the second row qf seats. I was the first to reach him and lifted up his head. A janitor rushed in and called the police. held him until some men came and lifted him up. He did not speak to me or to any one until a young man, who I think was his son, came. After he had vomited I think he said something to him. When he was lifted upon a mattress he spoke or groaned. The man who shot him said nothing. No words at all passed between them. The man walked deliberately out of the centre door where somebody headed him off. He turned and started back the way he came, and was seized at the door by the police. I have seen the man once or twice before. One time in particular I noticed him, a few days ago. He promenaded up and down, just as he did to-day, wiping his face, and ap- parently excited. I thought he was waiting for some friends. This morning he waited here half-an-hour, walking up and down. There were few people in the room when the shot fired; all the passengers had gone out. I think there was a gentleman standing near the door.

In a telegram from New York on Saturday, the Corre- spondent of the Daily News says;- This city was overwhelmed with amazement and sorrow when the news came from Washington that the President had been shot. The first and overpdwering feeling was of bewilderment. That in a time of profound peace, in a period of the greatest prosperity ever known in a country, a President of so amiable a character, who had no bitter personal enemies, should be stricken down by the hand of an assassin was utterly in- comprehensible. Hardly any, one believed the report when it was first heard, but the bulletin boards of the newspapers, and the announcement which appeared in every office receiving stock quotations, quickly gave unwelcome con- firmation. The excitement aroused was rarely violent in its demonstrations. The prevailing sentiment was one of profound sorrow. It was asserted soon after the first news of the tragedy that the President was dead. The grief caused by the sense of the great loss to the nation gave way to hope when this statement was contra- dicted and the wires brought word that the wounds might not prove fatal. Further encouraging despatches were received, and people began to think that the earlier accounts had greatly exaggerated the matter. As the afternoon wore on, and the news in regard to the President's condition grew more and more ominous, the ex- citement grew correspandingly intense. The crowd in the streets increased, and people waited breathlessly for addi- tional information, Park-row, where all the morning news- paper offices are, was almost a solid throbbing mass of vehicles, and men, vomen, and children. The crowd was enormous. The street was filled with vehicles, but above the heavy rumble of the wheels could be heard on all sides the cries of the newsboys. Papers brought lu<rh prices. At all the bulletins were large crowds, and the policemen were unable to keep them from obstructing the pavements. Men were very quiet and orderly, and talked in low tones of the tragedy and its probable and possible effects. The excitement was too deep to display itseif in a noisy way, and the sadness of the people was too genuine and heartfelt to expend itself in loud talk. There were men of all shades of political opinions in the crowds which surged around the bulletins, frat they all had a one sentiment in common upon the great crime which had been committed.

Mr. Camacho, the Venezuelan Minister to the United States has made a statement, in which he says he had just sent his carriage home and walked to the other end of the waiting-room of the station and was in the act of returning to the door, when a carriage drove up, from which Mr. Gar- field and Mr. Blaine alighted. Their carriage was dismissed, and they entered the waiting-room. As the President's car- riage drove away another one drove up, and a man with a pale face jumped out, told the driver to wait, and followed the President and Mr. Blaine into the room. This turned out afterwards to be Guiteau. He did not seem to be at all insane, and he acted throughout with amazing coolness. The President and Mr. Blaine had advaned some little distance into the room, and the Venezuelan Minister, raising his hat, was about to speak, when the man who had alighted from the second carriage jumped forward and shot the President from behind. Mr. Blaine, on the impulse of the moment, ran away a little, while the President, without a word, staggered forward and turned half round to face his assailant. The man then advanced two steps in a crouching position, deliberately pointed his pistol at the President and fired another shot into his body. Mr. Garfield fell forward on the floor, and Mr. Blaine, after making a start after Guiteau, dropped on his knees besides Mr. Garfield and tried to raise him. The assassin turned after the second shot and ran towards the door. The Minister jumped forward at the first shot, and was nearer the door than Guiteau, and the man then darted back. His carriage, with the open door, was waiting for him to enter. When driven back he started for the other door, intending to run around the earner of the building and enter his carriage that way. At that moment Guiteau was pounced upon by half-a-dozen men and secured. Mr. Blaine called out to have the doors closed, and they were at once barred by the officials. The President was then examined. He lay as he had fallen for- ward on his face, apparently dead. Assistance was sent for, physicians and an ambulance summoned. The excitement increased when the significance of the deed became known, and the people become almost uncontrollable. Guiteau was perfectly cool. and as determined and defiant-looking as possible.

The correspondent of the Standard says that when Mrs. Garfield was hastening to her husband's side, she narrowly escaped serious and, perhaps, fatal accident. The train that brought her from Long Branch consisted of an engine and one Pullman car. When within two miles of Bowie Station, sixteen miles from Washington, a parallel rod on the side of the engine broke, while the wheels were making 250 revolutions a minute. The rod is a steel bar which connects the wheels. It is about 12 feet long 6 inches wide, and 4 inches thick. As the engine continued to thunder along, although the engineer im- mediately reversed steam and put on the air-breaks, the broken rod plunged into the ballast with each revolution of the wheels, tore up the sleepers, and considerably damaged the engine. This continued for two miles before a stop could be effected. An eye-witness states that as the train flew by Bowie Station splinters of shattered sleepers filled the air. Had the engine left the track the Pullman car must have been splintered into kindling wood, and the pas- sengers all killed. Another engine was sent out from Wash- ington, and Mrs. Garfield's car was brought to the city. Guiteau's"brother-in-law had interviews with the prisoner. Guiteau asserted that he had done the will of the people at the inspiration of God. When asked how he knew that it was the will of the people he should kill the President, he said, I studied newspapers every day, and found from them what people wanted. I cut slips ifrom these papers, which showed that, if the Stalwarts got into power, the country would be satisfied and all differences would be ended. Slips so cut out were enclosed by me to Attorney-General Macveagh, together with my ex- planation why I was going to shoot the President. I asked him to publish the whole in the newspapers. He has done me great wrong by not having done as requested. People ought to know my reasons." He says nobody knew he was going to shoot the President. He had no personal feeling against him, but considered it his duty to shoot him. He is not afraid of being punished.

It has been decided to make no attempt to probe for the bullet. In New York, at the corner of Madison-square, near the Fifth-avenue Hotel, is a stereopticon bulletin sheet, where, during the Presidential election, the results of the poll were flashed after dark upon a large white disc on the side of a house for the information of great crowds of excited electors. On Monday night thousands came again to gaze at the stereopticon, which took up and continued the start- ling despatches in the sensational evening papers. Despatch after despatch flashed on the illuminated space towards which a sea of anxious faces of men and women turned. The symptons are not so favourable," Tympanitis is setting in," "Not one chance in a thousand," were the first mes- sages on the illuminated disc, then came in detail official bulletins announcing that the patient must die before mid- night. Among the warmest expressions of sympathy received from organizations are some from different Hebrew congre- gations. As rumours of a conspiracy still circulate, Mr. Secretary Blaine has placed an emphatic condemnation on the reports tending to create an impression that Guiteau is a tool of a con- spiracy. Next to hearing from the President's bedside, the American public take a chief interest in learning how Europe, and more particularly England, regards the President's misfortune. The strong personal interest which the English people have shown has been warmly praised. The Queen's inquiry was the earliest to reach Washington, and was followed by every indication of the warmest English sympathy. The cable tokens since Saturday have done more to promote the Anglo-American friendship than any event since the payment of the Geneva award. The German Emperor, it is said, was very deeply affected by the news of the crime, and immediately caused his sym- pathy to be transmitted to the wounded President.

RECEPTION OF THE NEWS IN LONDON. The news ef the attempted assassination reached London about four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and created a pro- found sensation. At present an unusual number of American visitors are in the metropolis, and the moment the news was published in the brief form of the first telegrams the greatest excitement prevailed among the American colony. The Government offices, the American ration, the London offices of the New York Herald, and te American News Exchange in the Strand, were thronged IT anxious citizens of the United States inquiring for nws. The telegraph-office at Charing-cross was busily ojupied in the despatch of messages to Washington asking fftne latest details. For a considerable time after the B^S nad been otherwise received nothing was known offi- cUy on the subject at the United States Legation. Mr. {Tf/ arranged to leave town on a brief visit to Mr. i Arnold, and had actually left his residence, Iwndes-square for the purpose. But on his way to the idway station he found that the report was but too well stnenticated, and he telegraphed to his expectant host the ;h« postponement of his visit. Before the news i i e ^nlted States Minister, it had been officially peived from the British representative at Washington, by ie foreign Offle. The telegram, which was of the briefest jaracter, was forwarded to Lord Granville, and bv him a ipy was despatched to the Queen. The news reached her Majesty at Windsor late on Satur- IY afternoon. By the Queen's command Sir Henry Pon- ? J telegraphed Mr. Lowell as follows :—" July 2. lndsor Castle. 5.50 p.m.—The Queen has heard with the (epest concern the report of an attempt having been made ton the life of the. President, and sincerely trusts the imOurl3 of his having been hurt are untrue. Her Majesty ould be glad to learn any news you may be able to give this of course a reply was at once forwarded, giving ? Queen all the information then to hand. The following twam was subsequently despatched from Windsor Castle tihe Hon. Mr. Lowell:- Sir Henry Ponsonby, Windsor Castle, 10.5 p.m., July 3rd. T Queen would be glad to know the latest intelligence as t(he condition of President Garfield." efore the last telegram could be answered the following w received ° .Windsor Castte, H.30 a.m. The Queen to Mr. Lowell, XJtea States Minister. I am most anxious to hear the laPt accounts of the President, and wish my horror and de> sympathy to be conveyed to him and Mrs. Garfield." ) this Air. Lowell replied at. length, giving all the news henen had and expressing his deep sense of gratitude at tbnterest taken by her Majesty in the President's condi- tit moag the communications from Marlborough House the foiwmg was also received .K>0r0^h House. Pall-mall, S.W.— Lieut.-General frr<?byn presents his compliments to his Excel- States Minister, and is desired by the £ •»?»« » mcess °f Wales to express their Royal H*, m.0,st extreme regret at the dastardly attempt me on President Garfield's life. Their Royal Hignesses btthat his Excellency will kindly at once let Sir Dighton ♦ti?' .,their information what the latest accounts f i "resident's state; also that his Excellency will ]j|iy telegraph to Mrs. Garfield their Royal Highnesses' dEl concern at this cruel outrage. Sunday, July 3." alars"3 3 re^ wa8 a^° sen'> giving the latest par- i Sunday, at many of the London chapels and churches, that|empted assassination of President Garfield was ai^ed to in feeling terms. the Tabernacle Mr. Spurgeon offered a special supplica- ti<for the recovery of Mr. Garfield. The prayer alluded tohe people of the States as our own kindred, deserv- ia°ur good wishes and sympathy, and calling for our ut)st regard in respect to the melancholy event which had relltly happened, and which left in a precarious con- dun the head of the Government of this great land bflDd the sea. Were the wounded President still all-and this hope was entertained wherever the English linage was spoken-it was their most earnest prayer that w +v° oa imPr°ving, and be soon restored in perfect hfyn to tne great people to whom he belonged, and over WIn he had been called to govern. As a sister country we gtour sympathies across the Atlantic to the people of that ls,r?5e 80 ^any of our kith and kin dwell, and between ana us the bonds of everlasting union existed. the close of his sermon at the City Temple, Dr. Parker relhe following declaration "This congregation, assem- b^ a A v .°^ London, representing every shade of reli- *S° ical opinion, has heard with inexpressible ^tempted assassination of the President of tbimted States of America, and most profoundly sympa- th?;Jf „ Pe°Ple in this hour of national consternation a o v Dr" Farker said he thought they were bound t°8Ke some such declaration of feeling at so critical a jmure. He asked the congregation if they approved of tb l^ution to at once signify the same by rising to their fee ine congregation immediately rose en masse.

>iHTeh}n a *eader, remarks:—"General Garfield, as Pjf ent of the United States, has had but a short tenure of oJJ¡ It was in the summer of last year that he was nomi- nf Republican candidate for the Presidency. The v of the Republican party was secured by the elections ol ovember, and in the March of the present year came in in due course as successor tor ment Hayes. He was no unknown or untried s?,.10n *or the highest dignity his country coi A was due to the respect had in- g an<i consistent career passed under the PPTif ii,- nomination as President was not sought by was Put forward only when other names nnno r ,nma,1{i the necessary amount of confidence b?p A ^came immediately the party Garfield, like most of his predecessors in ofr. as been the workman of his own fortunes. He has hj!Hs way to make in the wwlci, aaa pr fhi qualities which the people of the United States are forward in besM^lifp 'aTOUr- President Lincoln « vS in thl nv.1 a nwi v ^sident Garfield as the driver of °]no and Pervt$yfcvania Canal. From this humble aa iiterature, and made his mark teacher, then as the Principal of his hPtwppn that point f°rward alternated between political military iife. He gained some suc- cesses as a Gen^j^s ^e United States Army during the great civil war4 b-it, soon returned to politics, partly from his own enedfe^ partly at the pressing request of President Lmcoln, found it more easy to supply his place in the field than hi Congress. His elevation to the Presidency has been the well-deserved crown of his political career.

WASHINGTON, July 5, 3.55 p.m. The President's condition has not materially changed since 1,45 p.m. The physicians continue to regard the symp- toms as very favourable. He suffered to some extent yester- day and to-day from the great heat, and the medical attend- ants are consulting with a view to the adoption, if practi- cable, of some plan of artificial refrigeration in the President s Vice-President Arthur called this afternoon at the White House. 4.15 p.m. The pulse has fallen to 104, and the President is rest- ing quietly. Dr. Agnew and Dr. Hamilton have returned home. Notwithstanding the favourable character of the bulletins the feeling everywhere is one of deep anxiety.

PHILADELPHIA, July 6. The President's condition shows a steady improvement. At nine o'clock on Tuesday night his pulse was 106, his tem- perature 101, and his respiration 24. He took 18 ounces of chicken broth yesterday. He seemed to be hungry, and twice asked for food. He complained that the broth was not strong enough. He was afterwards given bouillon. The nourishment assimilated perfectly notice- ably increasing his strength. Limited inflammation has been developed in the bullet's track, but this is regarded as a healthy evidence of healing. No tympanitis has developed. The pulse increased during the night, relieving apprehension of any serious inflammation. No reaction occurred during the night. The President said that he felt considerably refreshed with his night's rest. His pulse at six o'clock this morning was 100. 6 p.m. This afternoon General Garfield asked to be allowed to eat a beefsteak, but as it was not thought prudent that he should partake of such solid food, he after some objection, consented to take an egg instead. This was given to him. He also wished to know whether he could not be permitted to hold a Cabinet. meeting, and evinced generally a disposition to enter into conversation, which the physicians were obliged to discourage and restrain. The symptoms now continue favourable.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN. Her Majesty has directed Mr. Sampson, the art is of the staff of the Illustrated News, to paint a picture of the Royal review at Windsor. Japanese Nonagenarians are to be minutely cate- chised respecting their early life and habits by the Govern- ment authorities, who intend to combine the information thus collected in a practical treatise on hygiene. The Reserve Squadron, under the command of the Duke of Edinburgh, reached Cronstadt on Saturday. A salute of 21 guns was fired by the squadron and answered by the forts. Mr. William Inman, the proprietor and manager of the Inman Line of steamers, died on Sunday morning at his residence, Upton Manor, near Birkenhead, at the age of fifty- six. Deceased was a magistrate for Cheshire, and at one time held a commission as captain in the Cheshire Volunteers. A great fire has occurred at Flushing. The ship- building establishment of the Scheldt Company has been almost entirely destroyed. The estimated loss is from three hundred to four hundred thousand guilders. In spite of a lavish consumption of ice in the venti- lating department, the temperature in the House of Com- mons on Tuesday evening (the Daily News says) stood at 75 deg. In the Ladies' Gallery it was 82 deg. Truth doubts whether the hard work is really telling on Mr. Gladstone. He has so wondrous an amount of intellectual energy that what would prostrate most men is to him but healthful exercise. When, the other day, he was laid up, and ordered by his medical advisers to remain in perfect quiet, his idea of rest was to take the new version of the New Testament and to collate it with the Greek." Inquests were held on Wednesday at Aldershot on the bodies of four men who died on Monday from the effects of their exposure to the sun during the evolutions of a field day. Several witnesses said the labours of the day were not unusually heavy. Verdicts were returned in the several cases—two being to the effect that death had resulted from heat and fatigue, one from heart disease, and the fourth from natural causes. The jury recommended an alteration of the time for holding reviews, when the rays of the sun were so excessively powerful. There were 2,486 births and 1,440 deaths registered in Lendon last week. Allowing for increase of population, the births exceeded by 18, and the deaths by 42, the average numbers in the corresponding week of the last ten years. The annual death-rate from all causes, which had been equal to 191 per 1,000 in each of the two preceding weeks, rose to 19 i. A town's meeting has been held at St. George's Hall, Liverpool, to pronounce upon the Sunday-closing Bill. The mayor presided. The Bishop of Liverpool moved a resolu- tion declaring that the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sun- day was a special source of intemperance, immorality, and crime, and demanded an immediate remedy. The resolu- tion was seconded by the Rev, Father Nugent, chaplain of Walton Gaol, and was carried by an overwhelming majority. It was also resolved to forward a petition to Parliament in favour of Sunday closing, although considerable objection was expressed to this course being taken. A petition, containing 6,000 signatures, was for- warded from Bristol to London on Tuesday for presentation to the House of Commons praying the House to conclude no commercial treaty with France until the public has had an opportunity of considering its provisions, and that under no circumstances shall any treaty be concluded without con- taining a stipulation enabling Great Britain to withdraw from the same after one year's notice. Press censorship in Japan seems as energetic as in Russia. Before any local journals are presented to the Mikado, who reads the newspapers most assiduously, all objectionable passages are carefully obliterated. The writ for the Parliamentary election for the Elgin Burghs was received on Tuesday morning. The nomi- nation is fixed for Wednesday, July 13, and the polling for Tuesday, the 19th. At Greenwich Royal Observatory on Monday the temperature rose to 148'9 in the sun and 901 in the shade. Such a reading in the shade is rare even in July. Attention is drawn by the Registrar-General to the fact that there were 62 deaths from small-pox in London last week. Eleven were of children under five years of a<»e 15 of persons aged between 5 and 20,14 between 20 and lo' and 12 aged upwards of 40. The number of small-pox patients in the Metropolitan Asylum Hospitals, which had declined from 1,644 to 1,578 in the preceding weeks, further declined to 1,408 on Saturday last. The Standard of Tuesday says Though Mr. Gladstone did not formally abandon the Bankruptcy Bill yesterday it is now well understood that it will be impossible to proceed with that measure this Session. Several of the mercantile members of the House are anxious that an effort should be made to pass it, but we believe the Government will not agree to prolong the Session for such a time as would be necessary for that purpose." At the close of Midhat Pasha's trial it is reported that he begged that his death might not be long delayed, adding, "lam weary of life in so unjust a world," and, turning to the audience, said, "I thank you for having assisted at my condemnation, and now have only to ask you to assist at my execution." It is expected in Constantinople that the sentence of death passed upon Midhat Pasha and the other prisoners wilJ be commuted to fifteen years' hard labour. Miss Rye started in the Sarmatian, with 63 little girls, on Saturday, for Canada, and hopes to receive a second party of children in the autumn. Application for admission of destitute little girls into the London Home may now be made to Miss Steel, Avenue House, Peckham Rye. On Monday a collision occurred on the railroad near Covington, Kentucky, by which seven persons were killed and twelve injured. Rooks are making large settlements in the Orkney Isles, where they were unknown until two years ago. Now scarcely a garden in Kirkwall possessing large trees is with- out its cawing colony. Lord Wenlock has just arrived from abroad suffer- ing from a singular accident. Whilst on a fishing expedi- tion in Norway and Sweden he suffered from a mosquito bite, for the relief of which he desired to apply ammonia. He was opening a bottle of this, when the fluid burst out and got into his eyes. Partial blindness and intense suffering followed, and instead of proceeding to Lapland, as he had intended, he has had to return home. A sad accident happened at Blackpool on Monday. A party of nine excursionists from East Lancashire went out for a sail. The sea was somewhat rough, and the waves were breaking into the boat. At the time for returning to shore the boat was capsized, and nine men and the boat- men were thrown into the sea. All were rescued but one young man, named Harrington, from Blackburn. The body was afterwards recovered. The Polyphemus, torpedo ram, recently launched at Chatham, is to be lighted by means of the "Brush" system of electric illumination. An inquest has been held at Athlone on the bodies of Sergeant-major James Mitchell, Mess-Sergeant Isaac Stewart, Sergeant John Cromley, master tailor, and Sergeant James Thompson, acting Sergeant-Major, all belonging to the 60th Rifles, who were drowned while on a boating excur- sion on Lough Rea on Saturday evening, and whose bodies were recovered on Sunday. On Wednesday afternoon a passenger train from Saltburn ran into a train of empty carriages at the Darling- ton Station, and the passengers were shaken and bruised, but not seriously. The cause of the accident was the break- ing of the rod fromjthelever guiding the points, on account of which the train was turned on to the wrong line. The empty carriages were quite telescoped and forced on to the platform, breaking some heavy iron rails. Fortunately that PM4 ot t&e station was empty at the time, On Tuesday a private in the 55th Regiment, named John Gibbons, was found dead near the Old Mills, Dover, having fallen over the cliff at the western heights. Another great fall of cliff has occurred on the Dorset coast, near Bridport, several thousand tons of the cliff having fallen. The Kroumir bonnet has appeared in Paris. It is large, and of a fiery hue. Intelligence from St. Petersburg says that a telegram from Volhynia Government reports that a large fire has occurred in the town of Rovno. Five thousand families have been suddenly thrown into complete destitution. The cathedral and all the public buildings are destroyed. The New York Produce Exchange Bulletin thinks every day gives proof of the fact that flour will soon super- sede wheat in the exports to Europe, South America, and, in particular, to China. It is estimated that sending flour across the Atlantic saves 30 per cent. in weight, and if this estimate is correct, the saving of freight alone must be con. siderable. The population of Bombay is upwards of 755,000, or 110,621 more than when the Census was taken in 1872. In point of population, Bombay is the second city in tha British Empire, Two bisons from North America were lately im- ported to Bombay but died in a few weeks, being unable to endure a tropical climate. A telegram was received on Tuesday at the Ad- miralty from Rear-Admiral the Earl of Clanwilliam, com- manding the detached squadron, dated Melbourne, July 5, reporting that there is no foundation whatever for the rumour circulated on Monday respecting an accident to either Prince Albert Edward or Prince George of Wales. The number of fourpenny bits in circulation is getting smaller by degrees and beautifully less" decipher- able; It is just twenty-five years since the last of these coins was turned out by the Mint authorities. No more will be issued. As against this some two millions of three- penny bits have been circulated within the last three years. Mr. Fawcett is contemplating a wise alteration with reference to the registration of letters. Under the present arrangements the maximum liability of the postal authorities for letters lost during transit is e2 he proposes to increase it from sums varying from 45 to £ 20, upon pay- ment of a twopenny registration fee. c?nstructing a canal between the North Sea and the Baltic, which firsf arose after the conclu- sion of the Danish war, is now again being considered by the Prussian Government. In the House of Commons, on Taesday, Mr.' Stevenson presented a petition in favour of Sunday closing which, he said, was signed by 84,283 persons, and was 1,100 yards in length. In New York the Brush Electric Light Company is erecting, at its own expense, a pole 150 feet high in Union and Madison squares, each to have on the top six lights of 6,000-candle power each, as an experiment in lighting the city from above. Three similar poles are to be put up in the lower part of Central Park. The Horseshoe Fall at Niagara is to be lighted up by forty electric lamps of eight thousand candle-power. The fall will make its own electricity, and it will be the first time it has done a useful stroke of business. A man who had been working in a field at Gretton, died on Tuesday from sunstroke. A fatal case of sunstroke occurred also at Rugby, and another at Betch worth, near Reigate-in the latter case the man having been play- ing at cricket when he had the stroke. Bradford wool fair was held on Tuesday in very fin weather. The attendance was fairly good, but the pitch was only 12,630 fleeces, being several thousand less than last year. Ihe prices were steadier than last week, the average being about 26s. a tod, and the highest 28s. The Duke of Bedford sent nearly 900 fleeces. The potato crop is said to be unusually good in the United States. The expenses of the Gloucester Election Commis sion amounted to £ 4,16118s., equal to a rate of 9d. in the pound. Lord Dalhousie, representing the Home Office, has presented to the House of Peers a Bill to regulate the hawk- ing of petroleum and other substances of a like nature. Up to Monday about £ 27,000 had been received at the Mansion House on account of the Metropolitan Hospital Sunday Fund. Information has been received at Lloyd's that the Harbour Light on Rocky Point, at the entrance to Harbour Breton, iortune Bay, Newfoundland, has been burnt down. Steps will be taken to replace it as soon as possible. An interesting testimonial to Mrs. Hayes for her maintenance of temperance principles during the period of her husband's Presidency has been presented by the women of Illinois. It consists of six volumes of autographs and prose, verse, and pencil sketches from politicians, authors. artists, poets, and officials of all kinds. The Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and suite arrived at Queenborough from Flushing at eight o clock on Wednesday morning. The flagship fired a Royal salute. A special train was in readiness at the Continental Pier, and shortly afterwards their Royal Highnesses left for Windsor, on a visit to her Majesty the Queen. The Daily News Correspondent, in a telegram from Chicago on Tuesday, says:To-day Griscom enters upon his thirty-sixth day. He is somewhat troubled with sickness and vertigo, but is cheerful and confident." The death-rate in New York for the six months just ended is 35 per 1,000 per annum. There have been 18,698 deaths, against 15,279 for the same period last year. Still they come—those questions. There were only 37 on the paper in the House of Commons last night [Mon- day], but 42 were asked without notice, and the total of 79 occupied an hour and ahalf.-Globe. The Calais tug Hercules arrived at the Admiralty wW.'iS?Vfr' morning with 150 Catholic priests, cS immediately for Canterbury, to visit the shrine of 8t. Thomas a Becket. A New York telegram says that the visible supply of wheat on July 1st was 16,400,000 bushels; ditto, Indian corn, 12,900,000 bushels. Export clearances of wheat tot Europe during the past week, 2,170,000 bushels export .clearances of Indian corn for Europe during the past week, 2,400,000 bushels. Last week's receipts of cotton at all United States ports „ have been 20,000 bales, and since 1st Septembee 5,633,000 bales.. Shipments to Great Britain, 24,000 bales, and to the Continent and Channel, 9,000 bales total 1st September, 4,272,000 bales. Stock at all ports, 358,000 bales. Malaria is said to be developing with alarming rapidity around New York. A generation ago malaria was as little dreaded about New York as it would be in London, but now some of the most beautiful suburbs of the city are becoming depopulated from this cause, and town after town hold a§Ue' which never aSain releases its TvrJ^"ern Mai8sty has approved the appointment of Major General Sir Frederick Roberts to be Commander in M,adra3 Army in the room of General Sin JN<evuie Chamberlain, who has vacated the appointment on the expiration of his period of service. General Roberts, who is to be granted local rank as Lieutenant General in the Army, will leave England in the course of the next few months to take up the duties of the appointment. At the meeting of the Irish Land League in Dublin announced!' SCrlptkms to the amount of £ 1,487 ^Vr1"-fArenen a-1Iy has iuat appeared in the field, t« help Mr. Gladstone in pressing forward the Land Bill Tha young grouse are reported to be both plentiful and strong on the wing this year and if that does not influence the Housa to make quick despatch with legislature, nothing wiLI Rome, it will be remembered, was saved by a goose per- haps it may be Mr. Gladstone's destiny to have equal cause for thankfulness to the grouse.-Glabe. The revenue returns of the colony of New South wales for the past quarter amount to £ 1,690,000, being an increase of £ 514,000 as compared with the same period of 1880. Ihe total increase for the half-year is £ 979.000, and for the twelve months ending June 30 £ 1,610,000. An inquest was held on Wednesday on the body of Catherine Connolly, a woman aged 60, who was killed on Tuesday by lightning while sitting in a ditch near Crumlin, county Dublin. Dr. Richard Hearne, medical officer of the district, deposed that he examined the body of the deceased. He found an incised wound, nearly an inch and a half deep, on the back of the head. It was a wound not caused by any instrument, but by a stroke of lightning. Her clothes were considerably torn and burnt. The jury found that she wag. killed by lightning. The compilation of the Clearing House returns from twenty of the principal cities in America shows the volume of business for the last week in June to have been in the aø- gregate fifty and nine-tenths greater than in the correspond- ing week of last year, and the amount for June greater than in any other month in the history of the country. The Liverpool Daily Post says that a few davs aim the Bishop of Liverpool received a threatening letter fsFZ an anonymous writer. The Mayor (Alderman W R v™ wood) has also been the recipient ofasinX cJmmnn^T tion, which is illustrated with a skull and crosl-bo^ tb ?:°^esde I'Am, a journal published at Bonn? has anneal11* n dePartment. says that a plague of rate seem to Innumerable swarms, which seem to come from t he direction of Lyons, have invaded many communes, doing great damage to the crops. Some tarmers, it is stated, have killed from five or JMY thousand rats in their fields in a single day. The Daily News publishes the following telegram from their New York Correspondent:—" Mr. Secretary Blaine, in response to my inquiry, telegraphs from Washing- ton You have my full authority for the statement that the visit of the President's private secretary to London had not the remotest connection with any phase of the Irish question His sole errand was to convey several millions of New United States Three-and-a-Half per Cents, to be exchanged in London for Fives and Sixes in the hands of foreign holders •" The total number of vessels which entered anrl lef#- the Mersey during the year ended June 30th Ws 20 with an aggregate tonnage of 7,893,948 tons aoainst 20 078 ton? K^hotTl incrf88* Th^crreifate receTntq nf paymS harbour rates only» by a reduction of rates at the beginning of the year. The Earl of Holine died suddenly on Monday after. an annointmpnV wm, ^stream. His Lordship had tance^from f-ho ?ne of his foresters at a spot some dis- mansion. As he did not appear at the ap- was fonnd l?^' searcl1 was made, and his Lordship's body to the hoixsi ^°n the 8round- xlle remains were conveyed pTHnnt ^ru' aid was summoned, but lite was 1 ',le late Earl, who was in his eighty-third vear and y Um,er Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs" ments d °ther positions UHder Conservative ^ver Science has just lost another distinguished renre« sentative in the person of M. Henry Sainte* Clai £ J>S who died in Paris on Friday in last week, after a Ions; illness, in his 64th year. His discoveries bore chiefly on mineralogy. He was a Professor of Chemistry at the Faculty and a member of several scientific societies both at home and abroad, and wrote many remarkable works. His name is chiefly known among the general public for the discoveries he made in the production of aluminium, thanks to which that metal was brought into use and became at once popular.