The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

ITALIAN BEGGING BOYS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS, Andrea Bertorelii, an Italian boy who has been in custody for nearly a week, on a charge of beg- ging and carrying a guinea-pig to excite the sym- pathies of the benevolent, and who had been remanded in the hope of being able to fix his master with the offence of sending him out to beg, was again brought up, at "Lambeth Police-court, before Mr. Elliott. Signor G. Luciano, secretary to the Italian' Benevolent Society, said that, since the last exa- urination of the prisoner, he had been to the house, No. 9, Little Saffron-hill, and there saw a man of the same name as the prisoner, who acknowledged that he and another man were the employers of the boy, but said that the day on which he had. been taken into custody was the first time he had i sent him out with the guinea-pig. The man here alluded to stood forward, and Mr. Elliott directed Signor Luciano to be sworn; and tbis having been done, he repeated his statement, adding to it the fact that Bertorellisaid the pri- soner came to this country seven months ago, and not three, as he stated. Mr. Elliott: Did the man say what the prisoner was to do with the guinea-pig when he sent him out with it ? Signor Luciano: No, he did not. Mr. Elliott observed that it was quite time that something was done to put a stop to the importa- tion of these Italian beggars, and getting rid of that which was an intolerable nuisance, not only in the metropolis, but through the country. There was, unfortunately, a great difficulty, from the cunning they adopted, in bringing the offence, as in the present instance, home to the real offenders; but the nuisance was becoming so intolerable that something should be done to check it. At present he must discharge the offender.

AN OLD TRICK CLEVERLY PERFORMED. The Dumfries Courier mentions the successful performance of an old and clever swindling trick, Of which an East Lothian farmer was the victim to the tune of .£35 10s. It seems that he came to Dumfries for the purpose of purchasing a horse, and, at his hotel, made the acquaintance of a stranger who happened to breakfast with him. During the day he met this individual in the market, who professed much joy at meeting with the farmer, as he wished his help to purchase some cattle. He had, he said, made an offer for some cattle which a gentleman's land steward was selling, and for which he wanted £36. The owner, however, had told the steward that he was not to sell them to him, as he was affronted at the price he had offered. Under these circumstances the farmer was requested to buy the cattle at £36, and to come to a certain public-house and the money would be paid. The East Lothian man readily did so, and proceeded to the public-house with the steward, where the farmer paid the £36, and got 10s. back. They were soon joined by the man, who began bantering the land steward that he was to get the cattle after all. The steward and farmer then left for the latter to get delivery of the cattle. When they had gone a little way the land steward said that the farmer had better go back and ask his friend what mark he wished put on the cattle. This the farmer did, but Ms friend had left the room. On coming down to the steward the farmer found that he also had disappeared. However, the cattle could not so readily vanish, and he proceeded to the lad in charge of them, and asked where his master was. The lad pointed to a person entirely strange to the farmer; and, on making inquiry, the farmer found that the cattle did not belong to the party who pretended to sell them, and that he had been swindled out of = £ 35 10s.

INJUSTICE OF THE PROBATE AND SUCCESSION DUTY. At the recent Congress of the Social Science Asso- ciation, held at York, a paper was read by the Rev. "Nash Stephenson, "On the Probate and Succession Duty levied on property left under general power of appointment." The heaviness of the tax on property bequeathed under these circumstances was illustrated by assuming that the sum of £1,200 had been left, the narties being strangers in blood. There would then have to be paidUnder first wilt-Probate duty on < £ 1 200 = £ 30; succession duty on £ 1,200, at 10 per cent., £ 120. Under second will.—Probate duty on < £ 1,050, < £ 30 succession duty at 10 per cent, on < £ 1,050, £ 105; total to be paid by appointee, £ 285. An exaction like this, which eats into and devours nearly a. fourth of the capital, ceases to be of the nature of a tax, and amounts to confiscation of property, paralyses the desire for the amassing of wealth, and leads to evasion of duty. A like sum left direct under the first will would be subject to half the amount of duty, and yet no one could pretend to assert, excepting, perhaps, in strained legal phraseology, that there were two successions, two devolutions of property, two beneficial enjoyments; and it was sound policy to en- courage the leaving of general power of appointments and to defer to as late a period as possible the appro- priation of the corpus, as none can foresee the changes which death and ever-varying circumstances may bring about. It was hard to understand why lease- hold should be included with personal property under these taxes and freehold property should be exempt. If it be contended that freehold property has its special burdens, such as tithe, poor, and highway rates, &o., the answer is good as against personal property, but breaks down as regards leasehold property. Both freehold and leasehold property are similarly circum- stanced. There is but one alternative—both or neither should be included. From what had appeared recently in the public press, it was probable that the probate and succession duties would be reconsidered in the approaching Session of Parliament, and Mr. Stephen- son hoped that the whole subject would be first of all taken up by the Law Amendment Society, now affili- ated with the Social Science Association, and that they would draw up a Bill, and that in such Bill the grievances he complained of would be abated.

ALARMING COLLISIONS ON T^E SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY. On Tuesday evening a collision, providentially un- accompanied with loss of life, occurred at the Putney Station of the Windsor, Richmond, oandReading branch of the London and South Western Railway, between an up Reading and a goods train. A goods train, from Windsor, was delivering some goods at the Putney Statiyn, when the latter was run into by an up passenger train. As the Reading up train rounded a curve its engine ran with a frightful crash into the rear of the goods train, the break van of the latter (which the guard had only quitted a second or two before) being crushed and broken by the force of the collision. The goods train consisted of an engine and a number of trucks, some empty and some with goods, and one of these trucks, that nearest the break van, was shattered and thrown against the side of the cutting; the next truck to this was thrown up into the air, and turned over on to the truck in front of it, while several more were thrown off the line, the whole presenting a scene of wreck and confusion which showed the violence of the collision. The engine which drew the Reading train (consisting of eight passenger carriages) was apparently but slightly damaged, though its forewheels seemed partly off the rails. Happily, no lives were lost, though many of the passengers were severely shaken. A serious accident occurred to a platelayer, while assist- ing in removing the broken trucks from the line. His name is Robert Morgan, of Barnes. He was caught between two buffers, and crushed in the stomach and back. On being carried into the station his injuries were examined by Mr. A. L. Owen, a medical student of Trinity College, Dublin, and one or two medical gentlemen present, when it was found he had received an injury to the spine. As the line had become crowded with passengers and spectators, it was found necessary to obtain the services of the metropolitan police, and after a short time Mr. Superintendent Butt, with some twenty or thirty constables of the V division, hastily obtained from Putney and Wands- worth, rendered most effectual assistance by clearing the line of strangers. At eight o'clock no less than four down trains and several up were detained on each side of the Putney station, but after a delay of two or three hours, the line was sufficiently cleared for the resumption of traffic. 0:1 A collision also took place on Monday night, between eight and nine o'clock, near the oldGodalming station on this line. The direct Portsmouth train leaving Waterloo at seven o'clock proceeded as far as Guild- ford in safety, the time of departure from that point being 7.57. The up-train from Godalming leaves at 8.20, and on moving from that station everything appeared to be right. It had not, however, travelled many yards before the down-train from London ran into it with considerable force. The engine and tender of the up-train were knocked completely over and much injured, and one of the carriages was nearly broken to pieces. In both cases the whole of the car- riages were shifted from the metals. We are glad to learn that the driver and stoker in both trains escaped unhurt. The only instance of personal injury reported to the company was that of a gentleman who was able to continue his journey. Mr. Godson, the general manager at Nine Elms, proceeded at once to the scene of the accident, and he there ascertained that the auxiliary" signal lamp had gone out at OodslmmR thereby taking the driver of the Portsmouth train off his guard, and causing the collision. Some time elapsed ere fresh carriages could be made up to con- vey the passengers fca their destination.

MELANCHOLY DEATH BY DROWNING OF AN OLD CITY MERCHANT. On Monday night Mr. W. Carter, the coroner for Surrey, held a lengthened inquiry at the Wheatsheaf; Tavern, Upper Tooting, on the body of Richard Gibbs, 'i y Esq., aged seventy-four, for upwards of half a century one of the largest tea brokers and merchants in the City of London, who met with his death under the following melancholy circumstances :— Mr. Bonner appeared to watch the proceedings for the relatives of the deceased. The deceased gentleman was highly esteemed, and both in the City and in the neighbourhood of his residence, Elmwood, Tooting, he. was most charitable to the poor. The jury, which was composed of the gentry of the district, having viewed the body of the lamented gentleman, which lay at the mansion, and the cistern into which he had fallen and perished, the following evidence was taken:— Sarah Barton said: I was in the service of the late Mr. Gibbs, at Elmwood. It was my usual custom every morning to take water into his bedroom for him to use. I did so on Friday morning, at half-past seven o'clock. I expected to have seen him in the room. He was not there, and I thought he had gone to the closet. Mrs. Gibbs was in the bed, and she asked me what I was going to give Mr. Gibbs for his breakfast. I put the jug of water down and left the room. I came up again at a quarter-past eight with his tea to the bedroom, as it was my custom to do BO. I found that he had not returned to the room. My mistress became alarmed, and flew out of bed, and we commenced to search for him. We tried all the doors and found them right. A fellow-servant called my attention to a sliding door of a small apartment which contains a tank, on the second flight of stairs in the house. I was surprised to see the door open, and on looking up I saw my master's feet on the edge of the cistern. I knew it was his feet by his stockings. I soreamed out that my master was in the cistern, and the footman and other assistance came, and he was got out. He was lying with his face downwards in the tank. He only had on his night-shirt, flannel drawers, and dressing-gown, and his clothes were wet. He was quite dead. Coroner: Can you account for his being found in the istern r -w Witness: No, T cannot, except that if he went to he water-closet and found that water would not flow hrough the valve, he might have gone to the cistern md endeavoured to remedy the defect, and by doing 10 overbalanced himself and fallen in. I have known J lim do that some short time ago. Some further corroborative evidence having been c Mr.' W. Green said he had been in the service of the ( leceased in the City for 29 years, and he spoke of the r general active habits of his late master, and of his I desire to remedy at once anything that might get out of order. He was the last person whom he should t think wouU commit suicide. He had ample means at his command, and he delighted in going about and 1 doing good. 1 The jury, after a brief deliberation, returned a ] verdict to the effeet "That the deceased had acciden- ] tally fallen into the cistern and was suffocated and < drowned." 1 The investigation did not terminate until a late hour.

Death of Mr. Thomas Young.—This gentle- man died on the 11th inst., at his residence in Eaton- square at a rather advanced age. Mr. Young had a very general acqaintance among almost all classes of society, by whom he was much esteemed. Being descended from highly respectable parents in a small country town in Scotland he received a good education, which he afterwards greatly improved. He was for some time in the navy, but left that service, and after- wards accompanied the Duke of Devonshire as secret- ary in his embassy to the coronation of the Emperor Nicholas. He was subsequently for several years private secretary to Lord Melbourne, and by his tact and conciliatory manners rendered good service to-his Administration. No man could be more desirous to oblige those in whom he took an interest, or to pror t piote at any cost their views. His death will be very sincerely as well as generally regretted.

SUICIDE THROUGH BREACH OF PRO- MISE OF MARRIAGE. An inquest was held on Friday, by Dr. Lankes- ter, at Middlesex Hospital, relative to the death of Ellen O'Shea, aged 36 years, who died in that institution from the powerful and painful effects of aquafortis, or nitric acid, a large quantity of which she had swallowed. William O'Shea, the brother of the deceased, said he was a bootmaker's clicker, and his sister lodged with him at 88, Berwick-street. She was a single woman, and worked out as a lady's shoe- binder. She kept company with a young man, to whom she was to have been married six months since; but after several excuses which delayed the performance of thepromise, herintended on Sunday last declined altogether to fulfil his .engagement, alleging as a cause that he was unprepared and in a terrible state of mind. The next day the deceased became very dispirited and silent the whole day, and did not go to her work, but stated her inten- tion of calling upon her young man's brother. Witness saw nothing unusual in her manners, for after many disappointments she had behaved in a similar silent manner. She spoke of her young man's ill-treatment. [On the Tuesday morning before breakfast she went out, but returned very shortly. Witness then went to his employment, and on his return to dinner he heard that his sister was in the hospital, she having taken poison. Frederick Swoffer, of 66, Wardour-street, identi- fied the bottle as one brought to him on Tuesday morning by a young woman, who asked for four- pennyworth of aquafortis. He asked her for what purpose she required it, and she replied to be used in soldering. He cautioned her, and told her there was enough in the bottle to kill four or five people. He labelled the bottle. Mr. Charles E. Squarey, house surgeon to the hospital, deposed to the cause of death, and The Jury then returned a verdict of Suicide with aquafortis while in an unsound state of mind."

HIGH RATE OF INTEREST ON INVESTMENTS. The Atlantic and Great Western Railway Company are now issuing second mortgage bonds, payable in London, of 4,000,000 dollars which will fall due in 1883. These are secured by a registered mortgage oh the "income and corporate rights, privileges, lands franchises, plant and property of the Ohio division of the new railway." These bonds are redeemable at par in New York or in London at 4a. 6d. per dollar, and are transferable without stamp or endorsement; interest coupons are attached to the bonds, payable half-yearly at the Consolidated Bank, in London, at the fixed rate of 4s. to the dollar. The bonds are issuedab 66 per cent., at which rate bonds of 1,000 dollars will cost £ 14810s., carrying coupons due January 1st, 1865. The coupons represent .£14 per annum on each bond of 1,000 dollars, or 9J per cent. interest on price of issue. 2 The immense development of the Western States of America, without any increase in the means of transit to the eastern ports, has given the Atlantic and Great Western Railway, as rapidly as the .different sections have been opened, an unexampled success. The whole line is now fully ready for business and thoroughly ballasted, but the demand for rolling stock has been so far in excess of anticipation that adequate provision for it has not been made, and 200 miles of the main line have remained shut up until now. Great efforts have been made to supply locomotives, carriages, and tracks. The company has built extensive works for their construction, and are now turning out one loco- motive complete every four days, and ten freight oars every day. In this way the demand will, in reasonable time, be supplied. The prospectus enters into the full details of riskjand expenditure, and concludes by saying that it is evident that the resources of the road will be far more than equal to meet the charge for interest, even should the rate of exchange rale much higher-than at present. Forms of application for any one wishing to invest on these securities can be obtained at the Consoli- dated Bank, or at the offices of the company, No. 2, Old Broad-street, London, E.C., or of Mr. Satter- thwaite, broker, 38, Throgmorton-street.

A.NOTHER HORRIBLE MURDER NEAR WINDSOR. Another barbarous murder has just been discovered at Sunninghill-park, the seat of Mr. P. H. Crutchley, near Ascot. On Saturday afternoon a oarrier named Kentish called about half-past five o'clock at a lodge near the road leading to Sunninghill, for the purpose of leaving some papers. This lodge was kept by an old woman named Butler, who was about seventy years of age. On Kentish opening the door and entering the lodge he was much surprised and horrified to find the old woman sitting on the floor near the entrance, with her head covered with wounds, and streaming with blood. On the carrier asking her what was the matter, she was just able to utter a few exclamations of pain, and became insensible. Kentish hastened to the adjacent farm for assistance, and Dr. Hewitt, of Winkfield, was immediately sent for, but the poor old woman had expired from the dreadful nature of the injuries she had received. There were three frightful -cuts on the back and two on the top of the head. They had evidently been inflicted with some blunt instru- ment, as the cap which Mrs. Butler wore had not been out through. Sergeant Mansell on receiving notice of the murder at once sent for Inspector Reece and Super- intendent Iremonger of the Berks Constabulary, who immediately proceeded to the lodge, the scene of the murder, and minutely searched the premises in the hope of finding some traces which might lead to the arrest of the old woman's murderer. By the side of the body of the victim was found a bunch of four keys and a seal engraved with the letter G." The poor old woman, who was in the receipt of parochial relief, had a lodger, a labouring man. This man gave a satis- factory account of himself during the day, he in fact being out at work at the time the barbarous deed was perpetrated. As Mrs. Butler was in very poor circum- stances, it is thought the murder had been committed from motives of malice and not of plunder. Inspector Reece and Superintendent Iremonger remained upon the premises during the whole of Saturday night, and from their inquiries suspicion has been thrown upon a tramp, who was seen in the neighbourhood during the day, and who is said to have insulted several persons who refused to give him alms.

EMIGRATION TO QUEENSLAND. The following is extracted from a letter sent to Dundee by an emigrant who left Liverpool in the Bayswater in January last. It gives a very different account from that given by other correspondents. The letter is dated Rockhampton, Queensland, June 5, 1864, and is to this effect:— I believe there never was- a ship that left Britain with passengers in which they were so well treated as we were on board the Bayswater by the doctor, cap- tain, and other officers of the ship; and although we had not one of the quickest passages we had one of the best on record. We had not what you call a gale of wind all the way. I have kept a note of every day's proceedings since I left, and in course of time will send you a full, true, and particular account of the voyage. We weighed anchor on Friday, the 5th February, and cast anchor in Keppel Bay on Monday, 23rd May, at two p.m., making the passage in 108 days. It was on Thursday, the 26th, before we landed in Rockhampton. The ship can only come to within sixty miles of Rockhampton. A steamboat brought us the rest of the way, and when we landed at the quay there were six horses and carts waiting on us and our luggage. We were all taken to the depot and served out with tea and sugar, bread, and beef, and I am still living at the depot, and at the expense of the Queensland Government. I am going to begin work to-morrow at the joiner trade, with a Highlandman for my master, named M'Gregor, and 12s. a day for eight hours, and seven ,on Saturdays. I have also met in with a Mackenzie from Inverness, in business here as a saddler. He has a brother in Inverness a saddler, and one in Mel- bourne). Mackenzie has four men working to him. I do not know how many M'Gregor has, but I got work for, other two men that came out with me with M'Gregor. Shoemakers and tailors will do well here. Tailors 10s. a day, with rations; and shoemakers from £ 3 to J>3 15s. a week, with their rations; labourers, from 18s. to £ 1 5s. a week, with rations and lodgings for himself and wife. Single men, shepherds to go up to the country (say from two to six hundred miles), .£40, £ 45, and £ 50 a year, with rations. All the young men that aune with mo in the steerage (seventy-eight in numbfet) have gone to be shepherds. Most of them know as much about sheep as you do. I was offered £60, with our rations, to go up the country two hundred miles, and would not take it. The single girls are getting 10s., 12s., and 15s. a week. We are only twelve days landed, and most of us have got work. "When I landed we had between us somewhere about 8d., so that none of you need be afraid to come. The Government have to pay me about X6 for duties I performed on the voyage out; but as the ship has to go back to Brisbane with the rest of the passengers, I cannot get my money until then, or until they are landed. If I had been paid I would have sent you the money in this letter; and as this is the first mail since I landed, I thought it was well to send you these few lines to let you know of our safe .arrival in the mean time. "When we landed, the 41b. loaf was Is. 6d., it is down to Is. 2d. since; tea, 2a. 6d.; sugar, 5d. to 6d. per lb. beef, 2d., 3d., and 4d. per lb. mutton, 6d. per lb.; tobacco, 63. per lb.; whisky, brandy, rum, and gin, 8s. per bottle; ale and porter, 23. 6d. per bottle; lemonade, 6d. per bottle. Nothing in a public-house under 6d. Half a glass of whisky, brandy, rum, or gin, 6d. ANDREW FRASER."

THE DAVENPORT FRATERNITY. As to the phenomena themselves, anything so grotes- quely absurd and stupidly meaningless has not yet been produced even in the dreary annals of spirit- ualism. A well-known professional conjuror, who gives his name and address, Mr. Tolaiaque, claims to be able to do the same things, and asserts that it is only a very common trick of charlatanism. Mr. An- derson, the Wizard of the North, goes further, and says that the Brothers Davenport have been brought over by a speculator, Mr. Palmer, formerly in his employ- ment and the thing most remarkable about the whole entertainment seems to be that the Times should have treated it with so much gravity, if not credulity, as to advertise it in this unusual way. The per formances of Houdin, and Frikell, and Anderson, and other masters of the art are infinitely more clever and inexplicable than those of the Davenport fraternity, and are dono in broad gaslight. Put who wants to find out a conjuror? Volumus decipi et decipimur. Yau go to see tricks, not to learn sleight- of-hand. People believed in Cagliostro, who was a very clever fellow; and no doubt there art now plenty of people who will, when the exhibition is open to the public, run to the Davenport Brothers, and gravely wag their heads, and hint that they fully believe in the connection of these rampageous violins and erratic muffin-bells with the awful realities of the spirit-world. Nothing that we care to say will disabuse them. Only let them consider this, that if anything can effectually lower all consoling conceptions of the great and mysterious world of spirits, and completely debase, if not destroy, belief, if not in a future state, at least in the blessed condition of disembodied spirits delivered from the, burden of the flesh-released, as we trust, from the" weaknesses and miseries of this sinful world-it is to take up with spiritualism. For, if we believe in spiritualism, we must believe that spirits-beings infinitely above us in intelligence, happiness, and the fruition of the divine love and the divine knowledge—have nothing better to do, and no holier ministrations to discharge, than to dash cracked violins into people's faces, to pinch their legs in the dark, to float round a room scratching the ceiling with a bit of charcoal, to write execrably bad grammar and portentous nonsense, which they call spirit messages, by fumbling over a child's toy alpha- bet, and last and worst of all, by inspiring such a set of American adventurers as Davenport, Fay, and Co., and Mr. Palmer, the speculator, formerly in the em- ployment of the Wizard of the North .—Saturday Review. —

DESTRUCTION OF THE PIMLICO STEAM WHEEL- WORKS. A most extensive fire broke out in Belgravia on Sunday morning. The scene of this terrible misfortune was a large space of ground, over two acres. There were erected thereon, about twenty-five years ago, spacious brick and stone buildings, with a iofry ihaft towering above the housetops. This factory, I" hen first opened, was used as a large bakery and brandy distillery. The concern, however, turned out a failure, and for some time the premises remained untenanted. But at length Messrs. Smith, Parfrey, and Smith took possession of the plant, which has since then been termed the Pimlico Patent Steam Wheel-Works. The property had a frontage and large entrance-gates in the main road named Belgrave-place, and on one side were the extensive building premises belonging to Messrs. Trollope and Sons, of Parliament-street, West- minster, called the Belgrave Works. Upon the ground and basement floors were the ooal depot, the boiler houses, and engine-rooms; of the latter there were three, and the boilers being charged a great deal of excitement prevailed lest they should explode. Fortunately some of the hands employed at the works rushed into the engine-rooms and relieved the safety valves, which allowed the steam to escape, and, consequently, no explosion occurred. The discovery of the fire was made by Police-constable Harder, who roused a watchman left in charge of the premises. On opening the front gates an immense sheet of flame was seen rolling round the lower floors. By the time the engines arrived the flames had made fearful progress, for the whole of the engineering works, iron stores, and pressing rooms, were enveloped in a broad sheet of fire. The three engine-houses, the boiler-houses, the stock workshops, the spoke-rooms, the tire-houses, were all encircled with flame. The heavy brick and stone walls parted asunder, which allowed the roof to bend in the centre, and then the two fell to the ground with a crash resembling a dis- charge of ordnance. The land steamers were kept at work with the greatest vigour, as well as several others; but still the work of devastation continued, and the fire had actually entered the roof of the Victoria Railway station and was doing great damage to the side walls and the skylights. Fortunately the flames in that direction were soon cut off, but the main body of fire continued to rage in spite of the water thrown upon the flames, and even at six o'clock on Sunday evening the fire was far from being entirely extinguished, although all fear of any further extension of mischief was over. The only thing now to be apprehended is lest the lofty furnace shaft should be shaken by the wind and fall. Inquiry was made during the day to ascertain, if possible, how the fire occurred. The result of the in. vestigation was, that the premises were for a long time -past left in the charge of a watchman, a very steady man, whose duty it was to go over the premises every night at eleven o'clock to see whether they were perfectly safe, and free from fire. This he did at the usual hour on Saturday night, and he states that he then saw nothing wrong, and could not detect the least smell of anything smouldering. It is not known whether the property was insured.

M. du Chaillu in Afri.ca.-A letter dated Fernand-Vaz River, August 20. has been received from M. du Chaillu by Mr. Henry Claudet, who taught the African traveller photography before he left England. M. du Chaillu states that in a few days he intended to start for the interior of the country, and that as he had a long journey before him he probably should not return to England for two years. He speaks hopefully, on the whole, of his prospects of securing a fine collection of African photographs, though he complains that it is terribly hot while shut up in the little box," in which he is obliged to opeiate, and says that he does not feel quiet well sometimes after practising. Captain Semmes' Departure on a New Cruise.—Captain Semmes has again left Liverpool on a cruising expedition. On Sunday last the barque Laurel, 269 tons; left the Mersey ostensibly for Matamoras; but m reality bound for .Havanna, vid Nassau. Her cargo was of a most miscellaneous nature, comprising several heavy guns, a large number of cases of ammunition, chests of clothing, shoes, leather in bulk. and drugs. The Laurel is commanded by Captain J. F. Ramsay, a gentleman not unknown in blockading circles," and Captain Semmes was on board. The Laurel was cleared from the port by Messrs. Lafone and Co., who, since the commencement of hostilities and the blockade of the Southern ports, have been doing a large business in this line. It is stated that a new steamer, which was lying at Maderia on the 3rd inst., would meet the Laurel and receive from the latter vessel her stores, guns, &c. The name of the steamer lying at Madeira is the Ranger, but whether she will continue this name when she hoists the Palmetto flag is doubtful. Captain Semmes took with him eight of the officers of the Alabama, and 100 men, many of whom it is under- stood s&rved with him on board that vessel. It is stated that Mr. Adams, the United States Minister in London, is well aware of the movements of Captain Semmes. • '•*

THE "LONG FIRM" AGAIN: CAUTION TO THE PUBLIC. Captain Cook has written the following letter to the Field as a caution to persons who might he brought in contact with swindlers denominated; the Long Firm: "—Allow me to relate, he says,, my experiences of this gang. Some time ago I, spotted them as being one of the chameleon-like; changes of a notorious quack-doctoring firm which had been exposed, and the members of which had narrowly escaped transportation. I certainly did not anticipate being done by them—one of the firm once nearly cheated me out of a sovereign at; a shooting match, but did not quite succeed. However, I had not heard of them for some time, and was in hopes they had received the reward due to their industry from a grateful country. In an evil hour I advertised in the Field—a somewhat dangerous course, it would seeia-an india-rubber boat. I was answered in a perfectly business-like: way by one George Dickens, the heading of whose ousiness paper bore the stamp of oil-cloth, tar- paulin, and pitch-paper manufacturer, Manchester. He addressed from 36, Turner-street; he agreed to my price, provided I would pay carriage, and advised that the boat should be sent by canal (it would have been detained at the rail, it seems) to save its being damaged. I declined to pay carriage -all men have their soft moments-and thinking canal would be the cheapest method of sending a bulky package, I sent it thus. I confess I was green as grass. I am positively surprised at the depth of my own greenness. I sent it, and without the money; but the day after sending it I chanced to take up Mr. Dickens' letter, and I then noticed that there was some bad spelling in.; it; upon looking further it was evident that that part of his education had been left until the last. An uneasy feeling was created in my mind. Y wrote to Manchester for information as to the said: George Dickens, and his place of business. In; two days the reply came back that 36, Turner-; street was a beer-house, and George Dickens was, a swindler who resorted there. I had already anticipated it, and was not surprised I saw I was robbed, and I saw that I deserved to be. I did not: disturb myself about it, for it was useless to send good money after bad, and I was quite sure that George Dickens would be transported some day without any trouble on my part; for the proclivi- ties of gentlemen of his persuasion lead as irre-: sistibly to the hulks, the grey suit, and the ring; round the leg, as do those of a gudgeon to the hook; and I have no doubt that I shall see him some day working in Portsmouth dockyard. It will be a satisfaction to me, as I shall regard it as a receipt in full for the boat. I trust he may be enabled to look upon it with like complacence.

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE OF A GENTLEMAN. on Monday Mr. William Payne, the coroner for the city of London, held an inquiry at St. Bartholomew's Hospital into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Charles de Ridout, aged sixty-five years, who com- mitted suicide on the premises of the West Ham Gutta Porcha Company, of which he was the manager. Mr. Walter Hancock appeared to watch the case on the part of the company. Wm. Harvey, night watchman at the Gutta Percha Works, West-street, Smithfield; said that Mr. de Ridout was the confidential manager of the works., Witness last saw him alive at a quarter past eleven o'clock on Friday night. He asked witness to fetch half-a-pint of beer, and witness went for it. Witness brought back the beer, but when passing the stable door he heard a noise, apparently from a pistol shot, followed by a groan. Mr. Edward Broughton, clerk at the Gutta Percha Works, said that he knew the deceased for three years. Witness never observed that the deceased's mind was disturbed in any way. The letters produced were in deceased's handwriting. Witness knew that the deceased was involved in pecuniary difficulties. By Mr. Hancock: The deceased was in no way wrong in his accounts with respect to the Gutta Percha Company. Parsons, 232 City police, produced a pocket pistol, which was found in the stable by the side of the de- ceased. It had just been discharged. Mr. Botolph, house surgeon, said that the deceased was brought into the hospital insensible from a bullet wound, and he died near three o'clock on Saturday morning. The bullet was found in the upper part of thebrain. The Coroner read two letters written by deceased; i one written to his wife, and the other To the Coroner and the Jury." The letter addressed to the court was as follows :T— To the Coroner and Jury. Gentlemen,—As the law permits, orasitiseustomaryfor you to, assume the right of not confining your inquiry into the mere fact of death, but extend it into the causes which led to self-slaughter, and as it is possible that I may be branded with the absurd stigma of jelo de te, which was applicable only in a barbarous age, when, amongst our ancestors, men were the property of their lord, I desire-to place at your disposal the best evidence—my own. Throughout my life I enjoyed uninterrupted bodily health, which I thought nothing could break; but utter helpless, hopeless insolvency has overtaken me and weighed me down. It is better for a man to owe £ 100,000 than ,£100 if he is not in a position to pay the latter sum. The sum of £400 would more than make me a free man; but that is not to be got. The deceased then at great length detailed how three years ago he had borrowed a sum of .£500, and how to pay interest on the loan he had sold .£300 worth of property for jE70, but that, nevertheless, all his efforts had left him hopelessly embarrassed and involved. He continued:- It (the loan) answered its purpose at the time, but the end is that I am left without bread at sixty-five. Let no one blame me for living beyond my means—for what were they ? Two hundred a year to support a wife and family. All those that knew me know whether my habits were not proper and sensible. The thought of the children and their gentle mother was the only reward I had for struggling on for years in an occupation I held and an employment I despised. So much for life—now for death. The mind of man depends for its manifestation upon corporeal functions. A blow on the brain with a hammer would have converted a Shakespeare or a Newton into drivelling idiots. Where then would have been their mag- nificent creations or grand thoughts ? "I do not understand" entering into eternity. The phrase involves a contradiction in terms. Eternity is that which has neither beginning nor end. I have thought over all this until my brain has become like that of one that hangs over a precipice! No one has a belief other than fervent hope, earnest desire! We repeat what we have learned from others like parrots—" There is more honesty in frank doubt than in weak belief." Ultimately the jnry returned a verdict of "Suicide while in a state of unsound mind."

Large Apples.—Mr. Rogers, of Helston, writing to the Agricultural Gazette, saysAn apple tree of some ten years' growth has fraited here this season for the first time, and has borne such large fruit that an account of its weight and size may be interesting. The tree was bought for Northern Wonder, and stands in deep loam on a south slope, sheltered. It produced five apples only, the two largest of which weigh to gether 21b. 5oz. avoirdupois; one measures Hi inches in girth, and the other 14 inches. We have suffered generally from drought, as other districts have done, bat these apples have had no artificial aid.