The Aberystwith Observer

THE NEW FRENCH CABINET. The Houvier Cabinet is thus composed M. Rouvier Finances, Posts, and Telegraphe." M. Flourene. Foreign Affairs. M. Mazeau Justice. M. Fa«liera Interior. M. Spuller Public Instruction and Worship. AT. Barbey Marine and Colonies. Gen.'Ferron. War. M. Dautresme Commerce and Public Works. M. Barbe Agriculture. After l.j days efforts and agitation, and after diffi- culties arising at the very last moment, the Rouvier Cabinet is (says the Paris correspondent of the Times) at last formed. Up to the very last its formation was considered doubtful; but M. Rouvier has ended by succeeding. It is true that be bas abolished two Ministeries, not only annexing Posts and Telegraphs to Finance, but Commerce to Public Works. This means, of course, a reduction of expenditure, and shows that M. Rouvier, having as chairman of the Budget Committee assisted in overthrowing the Goblet Cabinet, feels it his duty, after the deci- sion if the Chamber and in view of the financial situation, to proceed in this direction. J

FATAL COLLIERY DISASTERS. An explosion of fire damp bas-occurred at Messrs. Richard Evans and Co's., Brynn Colliery, at Ashton- in-Makerfield, near Wigan. At the time of the ex- plosion seven or eight men were in the pit. Those who survive were first made aware of what had happened by hearing a rushing noite, and then feeling a strong current of air, which carried them a con- siderable distance. The first sign of the explo- sion noticed from the bank was a puff of smoke from the shaft. The men in charge of the engine gave the alarm, and the manager, underlooker, mining engineer, and a fireman at once descended the shaft. The survivors were brought up suffering from the effects of gas and from bruises more or less serious. Three men were missing, and the search } arty was at work all night endeavouring to rescue them. Early next morning the body of John Lowe, aged 50 years, of Edge-green, Golborne, was found. The search was continued without cessation, and several of the foremost workers bad a narrow escape, they having nearly succumbed to the effects of choke-damp. They were conveyed to the surface, where emetics were administered, and they were afterwards removed to their homes. At noon, Mr. Hall, Government Inspector, arrived at the pit, and descended the shaft, remaining below until the bodies of the other two men were recovered. This was ac- complished at about three o'clock in the afternoon following the disaster, the explorers having been at work nineteen hours. The bodies of John Harrison, 24, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, and Peter Clare, of Golborne, were found lying with their faces buried in the debris, about three-quarters of a mile from the shaft. A cbllier in the Tunshill Pit, Milnrew, Rochdale, belonging to Messrs. Plast Bros., of Oldham, struck the other day into a disused pit, which was full of water, and the inrush imperilled the lives of upwards of 100 men. Three, named James Mills, 31, Thomas Schofield, 38, collier, and Michael Henry, 18, drawer, were drowned. The pit was completely flooded, and the escape of the other colliers was remarkable.

PALACE INTRIGUES AT CON- STANTINOPLE. The long delay that has occurred in the signing of the Auglo-iurkifh Convention is believed to be due in part to some incidents which have recently occurred in the Sultan's palace, and which are now the com- mon talk of Pera, although nothing can be said about them in the newspapers of Constantinople, or be tele- graphed abroad. The Vienna correspondent of the 7Ymes Bays On Sunday, the 8th of May, it began to be rumoured that the Ivislar Aga, or chief eunuch, had fallen into disgrace, and that several influential sheikhs were also under the Sultan's displeasure. On Wednesday, the 11th, the once all-powerful Shiekh Abul Houda was suddenly sent off with all his be- longings to Mersina; and since then five other high officials of tho pti'aoe have been dismissed. The charge against them is that they plotted to depose the Sultan in favour of his nephew, Salah-Eddin, the son of the dethroned Murad. The common belief is that they were innocent, and that there was no plot at all, out that a palace cabal succeeded in rousing the Sultan's susDicions against them. and that was enough. When once the Sultan's con- fidence in a favourite is shaken ever so little, the object of his suspicions must at once be removed from the palace and the capital. In this case it iö evident that Abul Houda's enemies worked very powerfully on his Majestj's mind, for exile has been decreed against several persons living outside the palace. Thus an Armenian, Ouce very rich and influential, named Agop Keutcheoglu, has been ordered away with several other Armenians who were denounced as having in their possession an Armenian newspaper, published in Paris, which contained articles on the Resurrection of the kingdom of Armenia. The Sheikh Abul Houda, who has been banished, has played a very important part in Turkish affairs for the last eight years. He came to Con- stantinople from Syria after the last war with Russia, and was introduced to the Sultan by the late Mahmoud Nedim Pasha, who had made his acquaintance when Yali of Adana. Abul is very learned in Islamic lore, and a reader of the stars. A man of great wit and eloquence, an ardent. Moslem, a mine of sophisms, aphorisms, and epigrams, which have such a charm for the Oriental mind, and withal Machiavellian in all his ideas of government, he established a powerful hold upon the Sultan, and did more than any one else to impress his Majesty with the idea of the vastness of his spiritual power as Caliph. From 1880 to 1883 he was omnipotent at Yiidiz; but disenchant- ment followed, and for the last four years his influence has been on the wane. His astrology did not prove infallible, he employed influences of a low order, and obtaine1 promotion for utterly unworthy men. His falJ is not to be regretted, though the causes which produced it-that is, the intrigues of an envious cabal -must be deplored; for by all accounts they have dan- gerously agitated the Sultan's mind and made him tem- porarily almost unable to concentrate his attention on Serious business." It is more than probable (the cor- respondent adds) that Russian influences have been at work in this affair. M. de Nelidoff has failed so com- pletely in his diplomacy that Russia's power at Con- stantinople has declined to the lowest point ever reached in late years, and it would be quite in keeping with Russian traditions that, having been foiled in open attempts to coerce the Sultan's policy, Russia should have raised a palace cabal against his Majesty's intimate advisers.

JACK HARnup writes One of the most mortifying experiences in the life of a man is to have somebody ask him the time of day while his watch is at the jeweller's for repairs. He absent-mindedly takes out a bunch of keys attached to the chain for the purpose of keeping it in place, and the more he sayB1 jeweller,' the more the other fellow thinks pawnbroker.'

— rump, LiH nittjtgSTHiTffiE APPALLING COLLIERY ACCIDENT IN I SCOTLAND. I High Blantvre is a colliery village, situated about three miles from Hamilton, and in the midst of the great coal-field for which the county of Lanark is famous. The pit in which a terrible calamity haa occurred is owned by the Udston Coal Company, and employs a large number of hands. The seam is known to be one of the most fiery in Scotland. On Saturday morning the usual complement of men descended the Cdston Pit; the actual number, I however, being at present uncertain. Tho colliery has four shafts — an upcast aud a downcast shaft—to each of the two pits. Just after half-past nine o'clock a terrible exoloaion told of a fearful disaster. Immediately after- wards a volume of flame burst from No. 2 Pit, and then from around all the district anguish- stricken women and children ran to the pithead. Many experienced colliery managers came forward with valuable practical suggestions, and offers to lead exploring parties into the pit. Three of the shafts were blocked, the cages having become jammed but in the upcast No. 2 shaft three men were engaged in examining the shaft, and when the report occurred the men at the top commenced to draw up this cage. On reaching the surface one of three, a lad named M'Gurky, was found to be dead. The others were only slightly injured. The colliery managers at once set about putting this shaft in order, and selected a band of workers from the scores of volunteers who pressed forward to offer their services to form a rescue party. The cage was safely lowered to the first part of the workings—the upper of the Ell seam, 113 fathoms from the surface, and here all the men, numbering 41, were found alive, though much overcome by after-damp. With care they were brought to the surface, wrapped in blankets, and sent to their homes. lhen tho ex- plorers heard calls for help from the middle or main I seam. Some of the imprisoned boys were sobbing bitterly, and the rescue party redoubled their efforts to release their comrades from their living tomb. But it was not until some hours had passed that the shaft was sufficiently cleared to enable the descent to be continued. At length the main seam was reached, and the rescuers found 37 men in this seam alive, and four dead. These were sent up by the cage, and the scene at the pit- head was then of the most harrowing descrip- tion. Wives and mothers pressed round the pit., some wringing their hands and sobbing, as one after another of the rescued appeared, and still no sign of their own dear ones. Every one of the saved was eagerly questioned as to the prospects of those below; but the information gleaned failed to furnish a ray of hope. Presently word was sent, up the shaft that dead bodies had been found. The first which was brought to the surface was that of James M'Tavisb, who was unmarried, and lived with his father. Hb features looked peaceful, and he must have succumbed immediately to the effects of the after-damp. The body was conveyed in an ambulance to his home. In a little space the cage came up again, and in it was the body of an old man, named James Rich- mond. The poor man bad been stricken down beside his son, who was brought up along with his father's corpse. The son was very pale, but after receiving medical aid he recovered slightly. Several other bodies were subsequently brought to the surface, The scene was very heartrending when the volunteer party announced to the waiting women that there was no hope for the men in the Splint seam, where it was conjectured that 70 men were at work. Without loss of time the explorers put forth every effort to reach the Splint or lower seam. Rapidly the mass of obstruction was cleared out of the way, and at five o'clock the gallant band had reached the entrance to the workings. Here the pathways were found blocked up by falls of coal and broken hatches. Notwithstanding, however, the almost insuperable difficulties in their way, two of the bravo fellows crawled through the debris into the lamp cabin, where they found Alex. Maclean, a young man of 22, lying dead. Other dead men were also seen lying around, and the explorers could only come to the conclusion that the whole of the 70 men in this part of the workings had succumbed. Still volunteers persevered undauntedly, working in relays, clearing the roads and restoring the ventilation with the hope that tome spark of life might still be found in some of the unconscious ones entombed in the work- ings. Several of the survivors who were in the two upper seams at the time of the explosion have made statements respecting their own experiences, but they do not throw much light on the origin of the explo- sion which occurred in the lowest working. An intelligent lad named Alexander M'Lean, who was in the Ell seam, states that after the explosion he heard men shouting in the main coal bottom. Having an uncle and cousin working in the Splint, he was anxious to know how the men in that part of the workings had fared. So he called to the men whose shouts he had heard, and asked if they could com- municate with those in the Splint. Somebody shouted an answer, but he could make nothing of it, owing to the noise edued by the shrieking, crying, and 8obbiuj of the boys in the next seam. Telegraphing at a late hour on Saturday night, a correspondent said The rescuing party have brought up the shaft 40 bodies in all. Half a dozen of these could not be identified, the features having been burned completely away. Exploration for the bodies of the men killed in the explosion at the Udston Colliery, near Glasgow, was continued during Sunday night and on Monday morn- ing, and by noon a total of G2 had been brought to the bank. It was believed that the bodies of eight more men lie buried under the d6bris, but, as the ventilation is in a very unsatisfactory state, and much rubbish had to be removed, it was not expected that the remaining dead will be reached for about eight days. ———— The Queen telegraphed on Monday afternoon as follows Her Majesty is greatly distressed to learn of the terrible accident. Kindly express her deep sympathy with the sufferers and their families. The Queen hopes that many more may still be rescued." Mr. Ralph Moore telegraphed back that there was no hope of the remainder of the miners being saved, and that up to that time 40 bodies had been brought up from the pit.

PROFESSOR HOLLOWAY'S WILL. The Holloway will suit has been tried in the Pro- bate Court before Mr. Justice Butt and a special jury. The defendant's case was first opened, and several witnesses were called to prove the execution of the will by the late Mr. Thomas Holloway, and the sound mental capacity of the testator. Mrs. Caroline Young, sister of the testator, was the only witness called to dispute the will. She admitted she never saw anything approaching insanity about her brother; he was peculiar, but nothing more.. Although affec- tionate towards her, three years before his death he reduced his allowance to her to five shillings a week. The jury found that there had been no undue in- fluence, and the judge pronounced for the will.

SAD END OF AN ECCENTRIC LADY, A lady, who was 87 years of age, Miss Allan, of Wilton House, Darlington, has just died under some- what mysterious circumstances. Miss Allan had long lived a solitary life, and had no intimate relations with the outside world. Her eccentricities were notorious, and have been for many long years. One of her peculiarities was the maintenance of an extraordinary antique costume, which might have been fashionable when George III. was king, but which certainly was not worn by any of her contemporaries. She also acquired some degree of notoriety by her high-handed manner in deciding disputes with agents and others, which frequently brought her into the law courts. Her interests have been entrusted to a large number of lawyers. Living totally alone, her end has been as mysterious as her life. On Tuesday of last week, she was. seen by Mrs. Ward, her occasional charwoman, apparently in her usual health. On the Wednesday and Thursday, no intelligence has been reported of her movements. On Friday a boy named Reed had occasion to call at Wilton House, but was unable to gain admittance. He states, however; that he dis- tinctly heard Miss Allan say, Come in." This was not an unusual occurrence with the eccentric lady, but on the boy being again unsuccessful in seeing her on the Saturday, and receiving no response to his knocking, the circumstances were reported to Mr. Robinson, her lawyer, who proceeded to the residence of his client. Entrance was effected by breaking open a window, when Miss Allan was found in her bedroom on the bed quite naked, and in terrible agony from burns on her breast and body. She has since died,

-1.1% Vur fffnkn Currfsponkiu. j f7-7: flfem it ngfct to state tlint we do Hot at all times "enklfy ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.] Now that we have entered the month of June we mav be said to bo looking the Jubilee fairlv in the face. Preparation fur the various celebrations is going rapidly forward, not only in London but in every town—it may almost be said every village—in the kingdom: and in another fortnight all will be on the tip-toe of expectation for the ceremonies which will render l,-o7 a memorable year in the history of the Empire. Westminster Abbey for some weeks i has been given over to carpenters and up- holsterers. and the grand old fane will witness such a gathering of notabilities, not only English but foreign, as havo seldom been brought together under a single roof. Along the route by which the Queen will proceed from Buck- ingham Palace to the Abbey seats in the windows are already being let at a high figmc, and stands are projected in some places for the better accommodation of those who will desire to witness a pageant which, once seen, can never bn forgotten. Contracts, also, are being entered into for the decoration and illumination of the principal West-End thorough- fares and busy committeemen are sketching cut the arrangements for entertaining five-and- twenty thousand London school children at tea in Hyde-park. All this pressure will become greater as the fortnight between this and the day officially fixed for the celebration wears away; and a worthy display of enthusiastic loyalty will be the result. That result, moreover, will be far from merely temporary. The Imperial Institute, which for a long time lingered in its progress in publio sup- port, is now an assured success and the Church House, which will be the Church of England's permanent memorial of the interesting event of this year, promises soon to have the same said of it. The Women's Jubilee Gift to the Queen was long ago known to be a triumph, and her Majesty's disposal of it will command general approval. As is well known, a portion-a com- paratively small portion—of the fund will be de- voted to the orection in the park at Windsor of a replica of the statue of the late Prince Consort, executed by Baron Marochetti for Glasgow, which her Majesty is understood to have stated to be the bset in all respects she has seen. By far the greater portion of the subscriptions will, however, be used by the Queen to endow some institution especially designed for the aid or com- fort of her own sex; and she has invited the committee to suggest three such institutions to her in order that she may choose one of them for this purpose. All will feel that not even the most querulous could object to such a disposition of the funds. They were raised for the Queen to do exactly as she liked with, and no subscriber, and above all no one who was not a subscriber, would have had a right, this being the condition of the gift, to adversely criticise any method her Majesty might have adopted for using it. But the method actually resolved upon is so admirable that adverse criticism is silenced, and the women's gift will be universally felt to have been put to admirable use. Much of tho criticisms which is so freely lavished upon those in high places comes from people who do not comprehend the disagreeable conditions under which the work of the eminent is often done. Only those in the innermost circle of all, for instance, can tell what strain of work falls upon royalty; but a far wider circle has now been made aware of the strain which falls upon those who conduct the parliamentary business of our country. "All-night sittings of the House of Commons may be stirring and even exciting to read of, but what is sport to the many may prove death to the few. One rather gloomy medical critic of the present condition of things in the House of Commons has given the opinion, that unless there be an entire change of tactics shortly there will be a hideous roll of mental and physical wrecks to chronicle. The year is already telling very seriously on many valuable lives, and before long the mischief in progress will make itself manifest." This is, perhaps, an unduly despondentview to take of the situation, but no one who frequents the House of Commons can doubt that there is something to justify it. It is a habit of man to think the evils of the present the most grievous tho^world has ever seen but there cannot be a doubt that hardly in the history of the House of Commons has such a continuous and worrying strain been placed upon members of all shades of opinion as within tho past few months. These are days in which the com- memorations of centenaries, and bi cen- tenaries, and ter centenaries flourish, and hardly any prominent person in history can escape the process. Among those to be thus honoured by popular recollection is Mary. Queen of Scots, and next month will be opened at Peterborough an historical exhibition of portraits, rings, missals, aad other objects of interest connected v. ith that unhappy Monarch. It is necessary to remember that Peterborough Cathedral was the scene of Mary's funeral, in order to see why the Northamptonshire city should concern itself in this particular matter; and as the exhibition has the patronage of the Queen, and has the Dean of Peterborough as the president of an influential committee, there should be little doubt of the success of what can scarcely help being an interesting historical collection. Whatever may have been the faults of the Scottish Queen, her unhappy fate has secured eloquent defenders for her in every age sinco the tragedy at Fotheringhay; and although historical judg- ments will differ concerning her until the end of time, there is no second opinion that she will always be an interesting figure in the chronicles of Britain. Our Antipodean Colonies have some peculiar troubles, the cause of which was apparently small, but the effects astoundingly great. Portions of New Zealand, for example, are overrun with a species of dock, the original seeds of which were sold by some swindling speculator to the settlers under the pretence that they were the seeds of the tobacco plant; and now the weed has so far spread as to be practically ineradicable. The rabbit pest of Australia is more generally known, but as each year's figures concerning it come to hand, astonishment deepens at the widespread nature of its ravages. From a statement recently made before the Legislative Council of New South Wales, it appears that from the passing of the Rabbit Nuisance Act m 1883 to end of last year over £ -iJ0,000 was paid for the extermination of rabbits in that colony, while a number of claims for subsidy for rabbits killed during the last quarter of 188G ivere still undealt with. During the same period nearly 8,000,000 rabbits had been destroyed, besides vast numbers slain by natural enemies, poisons, and other means, of which no estimate could be made. It must be almost disheartening to the people of New South Wales to learn that, despite all this, the area of infested country was increasing, and the ad- visability of further legislation was being con- sidered by the Government. The rabbit is evidently a very innocent animal in its place in England, but when taken to the Colonies it is a nuisance, the destructive powers of which can scarcely be calculated. Some hop3 may be entertained that there will speedily be a large demand for English iron and steel, consequent upon the decision by the Chinese authorities to commence the construc- tion of a railway system. For China is a country of magnificent distances, and if once the railway gytem begins to spread, an enormous amount of iron and steel will be required. It is true that several years ago the Woosung Railway was laid and that, so strongly were the Chinese prejudiced against it, for superstitious and social reasons that the rails had speedily all to be taken up again; but a brighter fate is anticipated for the lines which are about to be commenced. The Empress, who, from all accounts of her, is one of the most statesman- like women who ever sat on a throne, has approved a memorial advising that a railway shall at once be constructed from Kaiping to Takoo, the port of Tienkin, to be fol- lowed by a line from Takoo to Tienkin itself. The main object, according to the Emperor's advisers, is to provide for the easy conveyance of troops and artillery, but a secondary is to benefit trade, and, probably, in the long run the latter will be found to have been the most profitable result. The matter is important to England not only as promising a probable extension of trade, but as in no small degree affecting us in our capacity as country-owners in the East. For when China definitely emerges from her long sleep of centuries no one can place bounds to her power. A keener interest is displayed in England in a French ministerial crisis, such as that we have recently seen, than in a similar political detail in any other country. And yet such events recur so frequently that one might have imagined that any but those immediately concerned would ere this have grown tired of reading about them. The new Ministry is the twenty-second since the fall of the Empire, and as it is not seventeen years since that event occurred, the average life of each has been but small. We may fairly con- gratulate ourselves that is this matter, at least, they do not manage things better in France; and though the two last Ministries, the first of Lord Salisbury and the second of Mr. Glad- stone, each lasted less than a year, there is no immediate prospect of England following the French example. But it is interesting to note that in our own history, an un- usually long-lived Administration has been followed by a series of short ones. The three most prolonged Premierships in Eng- land have been those of Walpole, twenty-one years, the younger Pitt eighteen years, and Lord Liverpool fifteen years. After the first had fallen, there were eight Administrations in fifteen years; after the second, six in thirteen years; and after the third, seven in eight years. It is, therefore, evident that, as in England so in France-when once a system dependent upon one man is broken up, a long time is required for its various elements to re-crystalise. A. F, R,

DEATH OP THE BISHOP OF SODOR AND MAN. We regret to announce that the Bishop of Sodor and Man has died somewhat suddenly, after a short illness which was not expected to have a fatal termi- nation, at his London residence. The late prelate, the Right Rev. Rowley Hill, D.D., was the third son of the late Sir George Hill, Bart., of St. Columbs, county Londonderry, and was born in 183G. Dr. Hill was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge was or- dained a deacon in 1860, and took priest's orders in the following year. He was appointed incumbent of St. Lukt,'s, Edjjware-road, in 1863; was rector cf Frant, Sussex, from 1868 to 1871; vicar of St. Michael's, Chester-square, from 1871 to 1873; ap- pointed vicar of Sheffield 1873 and rural dean of Shef- field 1874. Both of these appointments, as also a canonry of York Cathedral, he held until his conse- cration to the see of Sodor and Man in 1877. The late bishop was twice married-first in 1863 to Caro- line Maud, second daughter of Captain Alfred Chap- man, R.N., who died in 1882; and secondlv in 1884 to Alice, daughter of the lace Captain J. George Probyn.

A SnoRT COURTSHIP.—A sensible woman, as Dr. Abernethy would have called her, was discovered by a shy man, who made her a rather original proposal. He bought a wedding-ring, and sent it to the lady, enclosing a sheet of notepaper with the question, Does it fit ?-By return of post he received for an answer, Beautifully.

THE AWFUL FIRE AT A FRENCH THEATRE. The Opéra. Comique, situated in the Place BoÏeldieu, Paris, was destroyed by fire on Wednesday night last week; and although the panic which usually attends such disasters was averted, and the audience mostly escaped, there was unfortunately serious loss of life among the employs. "Le Chalet and Mignon" were the pieces down for performance. The night being a popular one, at reduced prices, the theatre, which was calculated to accommodate about two thousand persons, was crowded. The fire, which was discovered shortly before nine o'clock, broke out on the stage in the middle of the first act of "Mignon," and is believed to have been caused by the gas coming in contact with the upper part of the scenery, whence it spread to the curtain, burning pieces of which fell on to the stage. One of the actors advanced to the foot- light", telling the spectators that nothing was the matter; but he had scarcely spoken when the stage seemed enveloped in flames, and the actors fled with cries of terror which thrilled through the spectators. The audience then rushed to the doors, the con- fusion and terrcr being intensified by the turning off of the gas. The fire spread rapidly along the roof, the ceiling almost immediately fell in, and, when the firemen arrived, the whole building was hopelessly involved in flames. THE SEARCH AMONG THE RUINS. The Paris correspondent of the Times says The known deaths include those of Mrs. Paul George, of Dover; Mii's Jane Russell, her companion, of 8, Rue Balzsc; Mrs. Summers (formerly Miss Knowlee), Miss Mary Knowles, and Miss Winifred Knowles, of 77, Rue Courcelles. Next to the ballet dancers the largest contingent of victims is furnished by the upper galleries. From these galleries the spectators had the greatest difficulty in making their escape. Some were blinded by the smoke, which seems to have filled the upper part of the hall with frightful rapidity, and tried in vain to reach the doors until they fell down suffocated. Others in the wild rush to the staircases seems to have fallen, to have besn trampled upon, and never to have risen again. The greater number of the dead bodies re- covered show by lacerations en the face and hands that they have been crushed under the feet of the crowd passing over them. In general, these victims are women. An expression of terror marks the features in cases where they have not been scorched or lacerated. The struggle at the doors was evi- dently fearful. One door seems to have resisted all efforts made to open it, and the bodies collected there have their hands stretched towards it. Twenty-seven persons seem to have entered a small bar attached to the galleries, thinking it was a way out. Once inside they could not leave it. A thick smcke filled the place, and they were suffocated. The firemen, when they reacoed this spot, found the bodies crushed against each other, with arms and legs so locked together as to form one solid mass. Here and there one of the group had succeeded in raising a hand above the heads. The women for thomott part had bare heads and loose hair. Their torn dresses showed the struggle they bad passed through in their attempts to escape. The fire did not reach the bar in question, so bodies found there were not burnt but suffocated. The bodies found on the staircase between the upper and lower boxes show that death was due simply to suffocation. There was no trace of fire on them. Some of the women had their gloves fastened, and even their bonnets still tied under the chin, though displaced and crumpled. In one case, however, a woman's hair was dishevelled. The women were mostly stout and elderly, having succumbed in the fight for egress, and their faoes are lacerated and bruised. The men, too, were mostly obese. Their coat-tails had in many cases been torn off. The watches found on the bodies were all found to have stopped at O.lo or 9.20.. As the fire did not. break out till after nine, their unhappy owners must have been almost irome- diately suffocated or trampled to death. Moreover, a man, feeling overcome by the heat (the gas was flaming), was urged by his wife to leave, and on reaching the street perceived that a fire had broken out. As he had left just before the sparks fell* an(f heard the people stirring as he passed the first landing, this is another proof of the rapidity of the fire. IDENTIFYING THE DEAD. The identifications led to harrowing scenes. Hor- rible as the sight was, there are curiosity-hunters morbid enough to try and gain admission by pretend- ing to have missed a relative, but the imposition was easily detected. Two ballet dancers called in search of a comrade, and at the arrival of every batch of corpses made a painful inspection. A girl of 14, with her maid, came to inquire for an aunt, and was told that the body had already been identified and sent home. Some of the bodies of the ballet dancers were so burnt to a cinder that identification was impossible. Among the victims were M. Langerean, of Tours and his wife and daughter, who had gone up to attend a friend's wedding, and for the daughter to buy articles for her own approaching marriage. The day before the fatal fire they were at the wedding, Mdlle. Langereau, aged 18, being bridesmaid. Her youngest sister, aged 13, having been unwell, was at the last moment left behind at Tours. They told the hotel- keepei that they were going early to the Opera Comique to insure good seats. All three bodies were found in the passage cf the top gallery. The father's pocket contained 1500 francs, the daughter's a memo- randum-book recording how the days bad been spent. Among the bodies found was that of a girl in the lower gallery, apparently English, who wore a locket inscribed Mary." The fire is attributed to a current of air having blown the border of one of the wings against the gas. The iron curtain put up three years ago to separate the stage from the rest of the theatre in the event of the former catching fire either stuck fast, or. as it seems more likely, no attempt was made to lower it. The injured, except four who have since expired and a fifth, who is in a critical condition, are likely to recover, and only four are in the hospitals. Various benefits and entertain- ments are being arranged to raise money for the suf- ferers, and Madame Nevada Palmer telegraphed from London her readiness to assist. Madame Furtado Heine subscribed 1500fr., and a grant for the relief of the sufferers was made by the French Government A GHASTLY SPECTACLE. The Standard Paris correspondent stated that all the corpses found in the ruins of the Opera Comique were transferred from the mayoralty of the Rue Drouot to the Morgue. The whole of Paris may be said to have gone to see the transfer. A. more ghastly sight the imagination could not conceive. Every scene in fiction is weak compared with this sinister reality. The girders of the roof bristled up in vigorous curls. From a mass of rubbish one saw a leg or an arm protruding. A hundred and fifty d(ad were owned to, and there were about seventy injured. It is certain that a number of the occupants of the first tier and balcony were killed. What, then, must have been the fate of the majority of those who were high up ? The house was very well filled. It will be a consolation to those who have lost friends and relatives to hear that in a great many instances suffocation was so rapid that the faces of those who so came by their death bad not time to lose the pleased expression which they wore before the fire declared itself. Attention was called to the elegance of the toilettes of not a few ladies who were in evening dress, and to the fine quality of the boots stockings, shoes, and socks of a majority of the victims. One body extricated from the ruins was that of Miss S. Cundell, which was identified by her father who lives in Kensington. The work of clearing away the debris was attended with considerable difficulty. PARIS, May 28.-The official number of the dead bodies recovered from the ruins was given on Saturday morning as 75. The authorities estimated that it would reach at least 100, besides those of whom all trace is lost. Mr. Knowles, of Gloucester, went over to Paris, and was able to identify the members of his family who lost their lives. The state funeral of 22 of the victims of the fire at the Opdra Comique took place at Pere Lachaise on Monday, after a funeral service at Notre Dame. It is still feared that the worst of the disaster is not yet known, as the authorities are suspected of a desire to underrate the number of the dead. The Daily Chronicle correspondent in Paris, writing on Tuesday night, said: "No less than 112 persons have now been declared to be missing at the Pre- fecture de Police. I have asked for the list in order to publish the English or American names. This has, however, been refused, on the ground that they belong to the domain of private life."

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATll,-Prisoner, you have been accused of murdering your wife. What have you to say?-Your honour, my life with her bad become in- supportable. -But you could have asked for a separa- tion. Impossible. I had sworn never to leave her until death parted UI

THE MURDERER OF A BROTHER. William Holt Brandt, 20, has been charged at the Central Criminal Court, before Justice Hawkins,with the wilful murder of his brother, Thomas Seeley Brandt, by shooting him with a revolver. Mr. Poland and Mr. C. Matthews prosecuted and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Geoghegan and Mr. Dell. The facts of the case will be fresh in the recollec- tion of the public, the only question for the jury being Wnether at the time the alleged offence was com- mitted the prisoner's mental condition was such as to render him criminally responsible for his actions. The prisoner and his family resided at Dulwich, the family consisting of the prisoner, Thomas Seeley Brandt, who was 22 years old, and another brother 21 years of age. Thomas Brandt got his living by driving a cab, but the prisoner at the time of the occurrence was not engaged in any occupation. The third brother was a coachman, and bad stables in the neighbourhood where the family resided. On the nigbt of the 5th of May the family retired to rest as usual. Some hours later a report of fire- arms was heard, but nc notice was taken of the circum- stance. In the morning, however, on Thomas Seeley Brandt's bedroom being entered, he was found to have been shot through the head and was dead. Prisoner had disappeared, and was not, arrested for some davs afterwards, when he admitted the murder, and said he had attempted to shoot himself, but had not the courage. The main question for the jury was whether at the time of the murder his state of mind was such as to render him criminally responsible for his actions. Among the witnesses called were the mother and brother of the piisoner. The prisoner told the police that he intended to plead guilty to the murder. "They cannot," he added, give me penal servitude they must hang me, and that will be all right, as there is no hereafter." For the defence, witnesses stated that when at school and afterwards prisoner had frequently acted in a very strange manner. Medical evidence was also called in support of the contention that he was insane when the murder was committed. The jury acquitted the prisoner on the ground of nsanity, and he was ordered to be detainedduring her Majesty's pleasure.

THE SPORT-LOVING JUDGE. Â good story, says a contemporary, about Mr. Justice Hawk'na and his dog has been going the round among those in attendance at the recent War- wick Assizes. His lordship never went out of doors except in company with an obese little fox terrier, and the pair invariably wended their way to the river or a series of pools down by the railway. Their partiality for water is explained by the fact that the dog is a capital ratter, and his lordshij is quite as keen on the pport as his dog. In one of their morning bunts the dog got into same private gardens by the river, and his lordship, so the story goes, so far forgot the severity of the law of trespass that he followed his dog along the back and into the gardens. The con- sequence was that his lordship was peremptorily ordered off the ground by the irate owner, and threatened with a summons for trespass. When he was told who had been the trespasser the owner of the garden said he did not care what he was even if he were a judge he had no right to trample over his ground poking about for rats.

A COMPANY PROMOTER IMPRISONED Dr. Philip Sayle surrendered to take his trial, before the Recorder at the Old Bailey, upon an in- dictment which charged him with obtaining £30, X25, and other sums of money, from different persons by fraudulent and false pretences. Mr. Lockwood, Q.C., and Mr. Mead prosecuted; Mr. Willis, Q.C., Mr. H. Petherick, and Mr. Lynn appeared for the defence. The defendant was the managing director of a public company called the Protector Catttle and Car- riage Insurance Company, and the case on the part of the prosecution was that in this capacity he bad obtained considerable sums of money by fraud and false protencer. It appeared that advertisements were inserted by the defendantin country newspapers requir- ing the services of agents for the company in the various districts. This caused several persons to come to London to see the defendant, who induced them to pay him sums of money, generally £ 25 or £ 30, in order to obtain the situation of agent in the locality from which they came. The parties were promised a salary of X150 a year, but it did not appear that any money was paid them, and when the company went I into liquidation it was found out that its affairs were in a hopeless condition at the time the money was ob- tained- On the part of the defendant t was con- tended that the company was honestly carried on with a legitimate abject, and it was not disputed that the books had been regularly kept, and were in fair order, and that all the proceedings were bond fide, and honestly conducted, and that no Datud was ever con- templated. ) The jury found the prisoner guilty, and he was sentenced to five years' penal servitude.

FIRST OARSMAN Are you preparing for the season ? -Secund Oarsman: Yes, I begin operations next week.—What kind of exercise do you intend to take ? -Well, I have arranged to first have myself inter- viewed two or three times. I don't know what I'll do after that.

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