The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

Dr. Russell's Report. The London press not unnaturally grumbled at not being allowed to have their special reporters on board the Great Eastern. The directors of this great ex- pedition, however, considering the very critical and anxious nature of the work in which they were engaged, had a perfect right not to expose themselves to the inconveniences which might have arisen from the presence of a number of necessarily inquisitive, and possibly, sometimes, intrusive personages, desirous of picking up every detail which could afford the slightest interest to the general public. At the same time, the public, in a matter of such importance, was entitled to some consideration. The directors, it appears, thought so too, for they, not the Times, as was at first suggested, engaged the services of Dr. Russell to jot down the incidents of the enterprise day by day, and the result is one of the most brilliant, graphic, and entertaining narratives it has been our pleasure to read for many a day. We are sorry that our space will not permit us to give the whole of the narrative, but we give such extracts as we think most important.

The First Fault. After telling us how ably the cable was paid, he comes to July 24, when the first defect of insulation was observed, he says :— A feeling of gloom for some time spread over the ship; but the electricians worked away in their dark chamber with unflagging zeal. It was finally resolved by Mr. Canning to cut the cable, having first secured its end to hawsers made fast from the bow, and car- ried round astern, and then to take it in over the bow till the fault was discovered. The operation proved difficult and tedious, and the strain on the wire-rope secured to the cable at times was exceedingly severe; and when the machine began to work the utmost care and nicety were needed to prevent the cable itself being subjected to injury as the ship rose and fell in the sea over the 400 fathoms of iron and copper wire which hung from its bow to the bottom. Meantime Mr.Sanders, oneof the staff of electricians, who devoted much time to the examination of the test currents, arrived at the conviction, conjointly with Mr. Varley, that the injury was not more than ten to eleven miles away. At nine a.m. (of the 25th), when a little more than ten miles of cable had been picked up, to the great joy of the ship, the fault came on board. The cause of all our trouble and anxiety, delay and expense was a piece of iron about two inches long, rather oroobad, and sharp at the end, as if cut off with a nippers from an end of wire, which had been forced right through the coating of the cable and the gutta- percha till it came in contact with the wire. A signal was made to the men-of-war that the fault had been found, and the Terrible signalled back, I congratu- late you.' A disposition to cheer everybody prevailed at breakfast, and preparations for making a splice were at once commenced on deck."

Another Calamity. Passing over a second stoppage, he comes to the 29th of July. On that day he says another calamity befel the expedition:- About ten minutes past one o'clock, ship's time, there was a slight commotion and excitement in the neighbourhood of the testing-room, and soon after- wards, with great quickness, indeed, the engines were stopped, and the ship ceased to move. Up swarmed at the ominous quiet all the lazy life of the floating city and buzzed about the deck, and soon the cause was known. This time no 'fault,' far worse—'dead earth-total and complete destruction to the insulated channel, so that its suburbs current rushed from some gaping wound in the sea, and was lost in the great reservoir, never to be heard of more. At three p.m. the operator in the testing-room, who was watch- ing the passage of a current, saw the light on the index suddenly fly beyond the limits, and the tests up to the very iastant became most satisfactory. The eiewiiiiuL»iiB Troro at once in consultation; but the nature of the injury was so manifest that there could be no doubt as to the only course to be pursued. The apparatus of stoppers, bights, and slips seemed crude and full of dangerous contingencies, but the experi- enced gentlemen on board were more confident than the sailors, and certainly were more sanguine than the uninitiated, who gazed over the stern with wonder and alarm at the feeble-looking black thread at which the Great Eastern seemed tugging with all her giant might at every swell of the sea. Bat at last the Great Eastern began to tug away at the wire rope from the bow, and the excitement of the a<Y wm tuanaforrod to the other end of the ship. To shorten a long story, it may bo at once stated that at 5.40, Greenwich time, owing to great caution and skill in managing the ship and machinery, and. perhaps to a sea of unusual calm, the end of the cable was hauled in over the bow, and the picking-up machinery began to work it back again. This was an exceedingly anxious and trying time. The strain on the cable was indicated at times to be 2t tons; but it came up very easily, whenever the machinery was provided with proper steam-power. About midnight after nearly ten hours of much anxiety and trouble, the cable was re-coiled, and mea- sures were taken to begin paying out with the early dawn. These defects in the cable began to excite grave suspicions, and to disquiet men's minds consider- ably. Slowly, but surely, the defective portion of the cable was reached and cut out. A very painful discovery was then made. An incision was visible in one strand of the hemp covering an external wire, and on unravelling the strands so as to expose the insulated wires, a piece of broken iron wire was found driven through the gutta percha covering, so as to project beyond it on each side to the extent of the diameter of the cable; one end was sharp as if cut with nippers, the other was broken off abruptly, and the diameter on the gauge being applied corresponded with that of wire covering the cable. It was impossible to resist the irritating and sorrowful conviction that such an injury was the work of some hired cable assassin or some purposeless malefactor." And now we come to

The Last and Fatal Disaster. Wednesday, August 2 (says Dr. Russell), a sad and memorable day in the annals of Atlantic tele- graphy. At 5.35 a.m., ship's time, the paddles re- versed, by orders from the electrician's room. In fact, at eight a.m., Greenwich time, or a minute after, whilst the electricians were passing the first of the half. hourly series of currents to the shore, the galvanometer detected a flow of electricity which indicated a serious fault. The testa gave no result as to locality, for the fault was very varying, but it was generally believed to be not far from the stern of the ship. While Mr. Cyruli Field was on watch in the tank, a little before the time of the accident, a grating noise was audible as the cable flew over the coil. One of the experienced hands immediately said, There is a piece of wire,' and called to the look- out man above to pass the information aft; but no notioe appears to have been taken of the circumstance. After the ship had been stopped for a short time, and the remainder of the fluke in which the fault was sup- posed to have occurred had been paid out, a piece of wire was seen projecting out of the cable in the fluke, and on one of the mela taking it in his fingers, and try. ing to bend it down, the wire broke short off. It was nearly three inches long, and evidently of hard ill- tempered metal, which had flown out through the strands of the cable in the tank. The fault in the cable which had gone overboard might obviously have been caused by such a piece of wire, and there could be no doubt that the wire of the outer covering of the cable was capable of inflicting injury on the gutta- porcha it was intended to proteet. As the fault was too serious to be overlooked, and as there was a diffi- culty in detecting its situation, preparations were made to get the picking-up apparatus ready. The picking- up was as usual exceedingly tedious, and one hour and forty-six minutes elapsed before one mile was got on board; then one of the engine's eccentric gear got out of order, so that a man had to stand by with a hand- spike, aided by a wedge of wood with an elastic band, to aid the wretched engine. Next, the supply of steam failed, and when the steam was got up it was found that there was not water enough in the boilers, and so the picking up ceased altogether for some time, dur- ing which the ship forged ahead, and chafed against the cable. Then occurred the great misfortune. Lunch was just over, some had left the table, others were about leaving. The scientific gentlemen had rather cheered us I by stating that they believed the defective part was only i six miles away, and so ere dead nightfall we might hope to have the fault on board, make a new splice, and proceed on our way to Heart's Content, geographi- cally about 600 miles away. Suddenly Mr. Canning appeared in the saloon, and in a manner which caused every one to start in his seat, said, 'It is all over-it is gone!' and then hastened onwards to his cabin. Mr. Field, ere the thrill of surprise and pain occa- sioned by those words had passed away, came from the companion in the saloon, and said, with composure ad. mirable under the circumstances, though his lips quivered and his cheek was blanched, 'The cable has parted, and has gone overboard.' All were on deck in a moment, and there indeed A glance revealed the truth. It is not possible for any words to pourtraythe dismay with which the sight was witnessed and the news heard. It was enough to move to tears; and when a man came aft with the inner end lashed still to the chain, and one saw the tortured strands, torn wires, the lacerated core, it is no exaggeration to say that a strange feeling of pity, as though for some sentient creature, mutilated and dragged asunder by brutal force, passed through the hearts of the spectators. But of what avail was sentimental abstraction when instant strenuous action was demanded? Alas! action! There around spread the placid Atlantic, smiling on the sun, and not a dimple to show where lay so many hopes buried."

Raising the Lost Cable. "After a brief consideration," says Dr. Rsssell, Mr. Canning, whose > presence of mind and self- possession never left him, came to a resolution to make an effort to continue his task (all but egregious folly, as it seemed), and to seek for the cable in the bottom of the Atlantic; to get out his grapnels and drop down on it and pick it up again. The weather was beautiful, and although there were no soundings, and the depth beneath us was matter of conjecture, it was settled that the Great Eastern should steam ten or twelve miles to windward, and eastward of the position in which she was when the cable went down, out with the grapnels and wire rope, and drift down across the track in which the cable was supposed to be lying. And now came forth the grapnels, two five- armed anchors, with flukes, sharply curved and taper- ing to an oblique tooth-like end, the hooks with which the Giant Despair was going to fish from the Great Eastern for a take worth, with all its belongings, more than a million. The ship stood away some thirteen or fourteen miles from the spot where the acoident occurred, and thes lay to in smooth water with the Terrible in company. The grapnels, weighing three c wt., shackled and secured to a length of wire buoy rope, of which there were five miles on board (break- ing strain calculated at ten tons), was brought up to the bows, at 2.30, ship's time, was thrown over, and whistled through' the sea a prey to fortune. At first the iron sank but slowly, but soon the momentum of descent increased so as to lay great stress on the picking-up machinery, now rendered available to lowering the novel messenger we were sending down armed with a warrant of search for the fugitive hidden in mysterious caverns beneath. Length flew after length over cog wheel and drum, till the iron wires, warming with work, heated at last so as to convert the water thrown upon the machinery into clouds of steam. Away new the wire strands length after length. One thousand fathoms fifteen hundred fathoms two thousand fathoms-hundreds again mounting up, till at last the strain was diminished, and at 2,500 fathoms, or 15,000 feet, the grapnel reached the bed of the Atlantie, and set to its task of find- ing and holding the cable. Throughout the night drove the Great Eastern over the Atlantic, drag- ging in her course the grapnels and two miles and a half length of line with which she was fishing for the lost cable. When morning came, and when she was supposed to have gone beyond the track of her prey several miles, the watchers of the line, who had once ere dawn been joyously agitated by the news that the grapnels were holding, and as it proved deceived, prepared to haul in the wire rope and seek their fortune. At 6.40 a.m., Greenwich time, the picking-up machine, reinforced by the capstan, eventu- ally was set to work to haul up the line, which bears a strain of ten tons. At first it came up easily, and the dynamometer showed only a strain of 18 cwt., but the resistance of the rope rapidly increased till it reached a point indicated by 70 cwt. At 7.15 a.m. 100 fathoms had been recovered. At 7.25 200 fathoms, the strain inoraasing to 75 owt. At eight a.m. 300 fathoms were in, and it became evident to all on board that the grapnel was holding on and lifting something' from the bottom. And what could that something be but the cable P The scientific) men calculated the strain and determined it could not be £rom tko tviro Mpa and grapnel solely, and it could only be inferred then that, as the bottom of the Atlantic is free from rocks here, and as the depth at which the rope began to resist agrood with the supposed soundings, it had really grappled the prize. At 8.9 the spur wheel of the picking-up apparatus broke, and the operation of taking in the rope became dangerous as well as difficult, for it flew up at times with such force as to knock down those near it, and one of the most valuable of Mr. Canning's staff received a severe cut on the cheek, and another had an ugly injary inflicted on his face from that cause. The hawser toiled and pulled as if it were a. living thing, and stuck out at a considerable angle from the bows as if it were towed by some giant force underneath and away from the steamer. When 500 fathoms were on board, the most sceptical admitted the cable must be on the iron hooks, and anxiety and suspense rose higher just as the probability of re- covering the cable became less wild. But at 3.20, ship's time, all our fears and hopes were abruptly ended. The drum new round rapidly, the tail of the rope flourished in the air as it now on board, and with a light splash the other end divided into the Atlantic. One of the iron swivels had yielded to the strain. The rope used was divided into lengths of 100 fathoms, each having a shackle at the end with a heavy iron swivel. The head of the bolt of one of these had been drawn right through the iron collar as 900 fathoms had been secured. Not a moment was lost in deciding what measures to pursue. It was rather en- couraging than the reverse to have made the trial so abruptly concluded, for it was demonstrated that the grapnel could pick up the cable in more than 2,000 fathoms, and the only question now was whether the wire rope or the cable itself would bear the purchase and weight of hauling up from such vast depths. There was wire rope enough left to make another attempt to save the cable." Another attempt was made, and then another, with what result our readers are aware.

THE BISKS OF INSURANCE. When the occurrence of fires is carefully tabulated, it is found that, although in each case accidental, the accidents bear a constant relation to the number of dwelling-heuses, manufactories, trading establish- ments, and public buildings standing in the locality in which they occur. Tluire is a general result which enables the actuary to calculate the average risk in* ourred by each householder, and upon that calculation the amount to be paid for a policy of insurance is based, which amount is generally demanded by the existing companies. Many of the new companies now struggling so hard to obtain a position are willing to accept a smaller sum, but of course the security they offer is of very little value and those who take their policies incur the danger of not getting the cash should their policy become a claim. And for this there are many power- ful reasons, one of which lies in the fact, that unless a company can speedily obtain a very large business it incurs the danger that by far the larger proportion of the calculated fires will happen within its area of insurance, and thus that it will have to meet a number of claims, the aggregate amount of which will far ex- ceed its resources. To maka themselves safer such companies should charge the highest instead of the lowest premium; and it is certain that so far as the insuring portion of the public is concerned, its only se- curity when paying a low premium will be found in holding the policy of a company that has a world-wide business, and which insures iihe certainty @f its calcu- lations from the vastness of the area over which its uncertainties are distributed. But even the best and most powerful companies are subject to disappointment, of which fact we have a practical illustration in the report of the Royal for the past year, from which we learn that loss instead of gain has resulted from the year's transactions. The directors very properly call attention to the fact that the fire returns for the year 1864 were disastrous for nearly all the companies—tha number of fires being far above the average. But this painful result, as they observe, furnishes a very apt illustration of the fact that the result of a fire business must not be re- garded by the events of a single year, which is still farther proved by this --that in the previous year the shareholders received the largest percentage of profit they had obtained from that branch of the busi. ness. Keeping that fact in mind, we endorse the view taken by Mr. Dove, the manager, which is, that in the end the very large increase in the number of fires will not affect the average of ten years, and, consequently, that there is no cause for alarm, and no need for rais- ing the rates. There is, however, so far as its insurers are concerned, great cause for thankfulness that the Royal is not only capable of meeting such enormous claims, but also, through the interest received upon reserved funds, of still closing the year with a fire pro- fit. It should, however, be added to this statement of loss that, as regards expansion, the operations of the year have been, in point of fact, more than usually successful. The premium received in the year 1863 was £341,668; the premium of 1864 amounted to £ 406,404; showing an increase of £64,736, the largest advance the company has made in any single year since its establishment. And there is every reason for believing that the rate of increase will be rapidly accelerated. Englishmen, and indeed all men who are engaged in trading operations, very naturally place confidence in those persons and companies that are faithful to their engagements during periods of diffi- culty, so that the failure of the year 1864 is very likely to operate in favour ef largely increasing the dividends of 1866, for it is now generally understood, and as we believe correctly, that none of our large companies are more prompt or liberal than the Royal in their settlements. Turning from the Fire to the Life branch, we enter a region of prosperity and abundance, where, too, judging from experience, it appears highly probable that the future will be still more fruitful than the past. During the year 1864 this company issued 2,048 life policies for sums which in the aggregate exceed one million and fourteen thousand pounds sterling. It appears that in the year 1854 the Life premium income was £25,000, whereas in 1864 it amounted to .£150,000, which, as exhibiting a rate of progress, we believe to be unexampled. Evidently the public appreciates the security it offers, and that appreciation is sure to increase; the result of which will be that the amount of business transacted will soon be doubled, and the profit, with the security, thereby largeJy increased; for seeing that this company has its agents all over the world, with boards of directors in London, Edin- burgh, New York, and in other large cities, its ex- penses would be but slightly increased by the enlarge- ment of its.business. And we should rejoiee to witness such a result, for in that case the insurance system would be equally extended side by side with perfect security to those who take up policies. It is only in that light that the subject interests us. Our great aim in this matter is to induce the public to adopt the system, and in this our suc- cess would have been more marked were it not for the questionable proceedings of many companies. In the candour of the present report we see fresh cause for confidence. There are boards of directors that would have cooked the fire accounts, in order to hide from their shareholders and the public the real fact re- lating to the past year's transactions. The directors of this company, rising superior to such courses, at once state the truth, and, as the almost necessary con- sequence, they will be raised in public esteem, and will gain, as they ought to gain, the unbounded confidence of their policyholders and shareholders. ———————

THE NEWS BUDGET. t Writing from Dictation. — The Rev. W. W. Howard, her Majesty's inspector of church schools in Dorset and part of Devon, mentions in his report, lately issued, that in a school in which the church catechism was taught by repeating it after the teacher, the Creed was written out by a pupil as follows, when the official inspection was held:—"I believe God father almighty make frem and earth and in Jesus christ is only son our lord who was inseaved by the holy gost, and born the ferch in mery surfed under ponished pity was questy fide dad and berdy and after this fashion to the end. The Queen of the Sandwich Islands.-On Tuesday morning, Emma, Dowager Qneen of the Sandwich Islands, was present at Divine service at the parish church of Streatley, near Reading, on the occa- sion of the re-opening of the sacred edifice, after ex- tensive alterations and enlargement. The Lord Bishop of thfl ^Jnnnsn pi"oa.f>>isd a most eloquent sermon. After the servuse luncheon took place at the vicarage and m the afternoon the queen and suite, with the Bishop of Oxford, left by the great Western Railway for town. The number of visitors at the South Kensing- ton Museum during the past week was as follows:- On Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, free days, open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 11,271; on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, students' days, admission to the public, 6d., open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 1,667— total, 12,938. From the opening of the museum, 5,467,773. Marrying Betimes.—There were grand doings at Indore at the end of May in honour of the marriage of one 0f the Holkar s sons. Colonel Meade and other officers were present. The bridegroom is only six years old, and the bride three years old. The head ornaments of one of the elephants was made of pure gold, 2,400 tolas, each tola coat 17 rs. Holkar exhi- bited all his treasures. A salute of 210 guns an. nounced to the people the union of the happy pair. At night there. were grand nautches.- Central India Times. The trial of the Frenchman, Lafouroade, for perjury, which was began on Tuesday, was concluded on Wednesday at the Central Criminal Court, by the jury returning a verdict of guilty, and the recorder sentenced the prisoner to eighteen months' imprison- ment with hard labour. In the course of his summing up the recorder commented in severe terms on the conduct of one of the witnesses for the defence, who had been professionally employed in the civil actions, and the jury in their verdtet also recorded their cen. sure on his conduct. The Road Murder.-The Bath Chronicle says:- We are informed, upon what we believe to be good authority, that Constance Kent while in prison wrote her own history, and addressed it to one of the leading magistrates of the county of Wilts. The MS. is said to have contained the particulars of her previous life, and also an explanation of the mode in which she committed the murder—namely, with an old razor out of one her father's cases, which she ground to a point, and made stiff by hammering the rivet, having, 'ng before taking the child out of bed, gone and opened the doors and windows." Death of Lieutenant-Colonel Edmonstone -We have to reeord the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Neil Edmonstone, late of the Bengal Cavalry, wheedled at Haycock's Lodge, Ayrshire, in his 48th year. The deceased was born September 7, 1818, and entered the Bengal Cavalry as cornet 'in 1837, and obtained the ranks, respectively, of lieu- tenant March 1,1843, and captain Jan. 1,1851. Upon retiring from the service on full pay the deceased ob- tained the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel Feb. 11, 1862.. Two Brothers Drowned at Stockport.—An inquest was recently held in Stockport, on the bodies of two brothers named William and Thomas Hadfield, aged respectively fifteen, and thirteen, who had been drowned while bathing in the river Mersey, near their own homes. Thomas was the first who went into the water, and before his brother was sufficiently un- dressed he began to flounder and call out for help. The other immediately jumped in and seized him by the hand. The next moment both fell backward, and were carried by the eddies beneath some shelving rocks, and were drowned before assistance could ar- rive. Nearly an hour elapsed before both bodies could be recovered. Government Emigration.-The Government emigrant ship, Lady Milton, 902 tons, Captain Houster, belonging to Messrs. Seymour, Peacocke, and Co., London, sailed from Plymouth at six o'clock on the morning of the 16th inst. for Adelaide, South Austra- lia, with 358 Government emigrants, comprising 302t statute adults, under the care of Mr. Henry Rickards, Surgeon Superintendent, assisted by Mrs. Louisa Ash- ton, matron, and Mr. Hugh Lowe, schoolmaster. The Emigration Commissioners have just chartered the Salamanca, 861 tons, belonging to Messrs. Gellatly Hankey, and Co., London, for the conveyance of emi- grants to Adelaide at X12 49. per statute adult. The Salamanca is appointed to receive her passengers at Plymouth on Monday, the 23rd of October next Suicide of a Policeman in Ennishowen —A melancholy occurrence has taken place in the consta- bulary barracks at the cross roads of GleneeW some three or four miles from Ennishowen Sergeant Reilly, the constable in charge of the barracks there, committed suicide by shooting himself through the heart in his own bedroom. Two of the men were in a room below at the time, and, on hearing the report, ran upstairs, but the unhappy man was beyond relief in an instant. The rifle-ball, after penetrating the body, went through both ceiling and roof. The de- ceased was a young; man whose promotion had been very rapid, and whose character and conduct were exemplary, making him a general favourite with all who knew him. Alleged Recovery of the Body of Lord F. Douglas.-We have been favoured (says the North British Mail) with the following extract from a letter just received Chamouni, Foot of Mont Blanc, August 9. Three Scotchmen, named Allen, from Oxford, left Chamouni yesterday, for the purpose of ascending Mont Blanc, and returned safely this morn- ing, after accomplishing their purpose. They were tied together with ropes, and had to dig each step in the ice. Great excitement prevailed here, and the moment they arrived three cannons were fired to announce their safety. The body of Lord F. Douglas, one of the victims of the Matterhorn catastrophe, has been found fearfully mutilated. His head was driven right into the chest, and one leg was off altogether. He fell 8,000 feet." Found Drowned.-An inquiry has been held at St. Martin's Vestry-hall on the body of a respectably dressed man, unknown, found floating in the river Thames off Whitehall. On the body were found three handkerchiefs, one of which was marked R. Hall," a dagger, an old pen-knife, a ring of keys, a boarding- house card, with the address, 37, Maseum-street, Ox- ford-street," and one halfpenny. From inquiries at the lodging-house it was ascertained that a man named Walker had lodged there, but had left some days. They found on searching his luggage which re- mained some letters addressed to the name of Walker and others to the name of Booker. The medical evi- dence went to show that death had been caused by drawing. Tho jary returned a verdict of "Found Drowned." Supposed Child Murder.-Au inquest was held on Friday in Noble-street, St. Martin's-le-Grand, on the body of a male child found in a fish basket in Noble-street on Saturday night. A good deal of in- terest was attached to the case from the statements made by a couple of witnesses, who said that they saw two men walking with the basket, and the police- constable allowed them to go away after the contents had been discovered. It was, however, shown that one of the witnesses was under the influence of drink at the time, and the officer and a watchman declared the basket was picked up in the street. The medical evidence showed that the child had been dead at least a week, and the body was so far advanced in deoom- position that it was impossible to say the cause of death. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony. A Veterinary Surgeon Fatally Inoculated by a Fly.-A melancholy feeling has been created at Stamford, in consequence of the death, under circum- stances of a distressing character, of Mr. Samuel Fisher, a veterinary surgeon in that town. It appears that a short time ago Mr. Fisher went to examine a horse which had just died belonging to Mr. Ward, farmer, of Drayton, Northamptonshire. At the time of this inspection the carcase was covered with. myriads of flies, which were feeding on the remains. Mr. Fisher, in the course of his examination, saw that two of the insects had settled on one of his arms. He took very little notice of the circumstance, but in a few days two minute lumps presented themselves. He felt no pain until about a week after, when he found it advis- able to call in a medical gentleman. The arm con- tinned to swell, and, notwithstanding the greatest attention of the medical man, death occurred on Tues- day. It is said the horse had suffered from a disease similar to that now raging among cattle. Easter Dues at Preston.-A number of per- sons have been summoned before the magistrates at Preston for non-payment of Easter dues to the vicar, amounting in each case to 6id. The defendants were informed that the demand was a legal one, and they were ordered to pay the amount with the costs. One of the defendants, named Gregson, said he was a Roman Catholic, that he had no connection with the vicar, that he never gave him a pennyworth of trouble in his life, and he never did him sixpennyworth of good, and though' they might take from him all they thought proper he should not pay. Copper Ore Sale.-At the last 3 vansea ticket ing the following sales were effected :-CObre, 899 tono ) Borohavon, 43R tons Cape Copper, 202 tons Tuscan ore, 78 tons; Casali, 22 tons; Var, 36 tons; Slag, 6 tons; Precipitate, 5 tons; making a total of 1,683 tons. The averages were as follows on the whole sale:—Produce, 14§- per cent. price per ton of 21 cwt. dry weight, X10 14s.; price per unit of produce, 14s. lid.; standard, < £ 90 9s.; ditto, calculated for 9 per cent. produce, .£97 15s. 6d.; ditto, Cuba ores, .£98 12a. 6d. At the previous sale the average standard was XSS 12s. 4d. Of the total sale no less than 1,242 tons were foreign ores. An Earthquake at Sea.—Captain P. E. Law- son, of the bark Viking, of Sunderland, reports that on the 16th ult., at two p.m., while in lat. 36 18 north, and long. 2 32 west, he experienced a severe shock, as though the ship had taken a shoal of rocks, and so severe was it that the vessel was shaken with great violence, and everything on board was similarly af- fected. This lasted about five minutes, when the shock subsided, and the vessel resumed her course nothing the worse for tke severe shaking she had un- dergone. The weather at the time was beautifully fine, and the water remarkably clear. Captain Joseph Horan, of the barque William Shillito, of Sunderland, who exchanged signals with Captain Lawson shortly afterwards, reports having, experienced a similar shock at the same time. This may, perhaps, be the effect of the earthquake which occurred on the morn- ing of the third day, and which totally destroyed the village of Fondo di Macchia, near Catuia. The Marshal and the Clerk.—The Messager Algerein relates the following anecdote:—" A very few years since a gentleman, simply dressed and of modest mien, entered the registrar's office at the Mairie of Nancy, accompanied by two other gentlemen and a nurse carrying a baby. You must wait a bit,' said the clerk, who, though not particularly engaged, liked to show his authority. The gentleman motioned to his two friends and the nurse to take seats on the benches in the room. After keeping them all waiting a quarter of an hour, during which the child frequently cried, the clark at last said to the gentleman Well what is your name and what names do you mean to give the child ?' The stranger mildly replied, Patrick, son of Patrick de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, Marshal of France, here present,' &c. Tou may ^easily imagine the amazement of the supercilious clerk on thus finding to whom he had been displaying his impertinence." Death from Fright.—A sad occurrence took place at Llandudno. A family from Newark-upon- Trent, named Bradbury, and two friends were staying at the George Hotel. About half-past ten o'clock in the morning the party left the shore in an open boat for the Little Orme, where they remained for an hour and a half. On their return the boat struck upcn a large stone, which drove a part of the bottom in and the vessel then commenced filling with water Mrs Bradbury and her daugher were carried ashore sahly: Mr. Bradbury and the two gentleman in company also landed, and the party walked to their inn, a distance of three-quarters of a mile. Mr. Bradbury on his arrival there complained of a slight pain near the gTf °r a little brandy and went to lie down. Without any more unfavourable symptoms manifesting themselves he died in half an hour. Mr. Bolding, a surgeon, was speedily in attend- ance, but without avail; life was extinct before he arrived. The sad occurrence has caused a very painful sensation. Mr. Bradbury was an ironmonger at Newark, where he is much respected; he was fifty years of age, and has left six children. Queen Anne's Commission-An active move- ment has been set on foot among the beneficed clergy of the diocess of Lincoln in opposition to Queen Anne's Commission, and a petition signed by upwards of 700 clergymen, beneficed under X200 a year, will shortly be presented to the Qaeen, as the successor of the Royal donor of the fund. The petitioners allege that an injustice is done to the incumbents of those It vino's which stand most in need of assistance, being wretch- edly small in value, and with a poor population bv the condition which requires that every ptw the fund shall be met by a benefaction of correspond ing amount. They object to this rule bein? inflexibly acted npon in cases where it is known to be utterly impossible to raise any money from Drivate source/ those being generally the cases in which there exists the strongest claim for relief. They complain that the governors of Queen Anne's Bounty repudiate al- together extreme poverty as a ground of claim, inas- much as in some instances they have refused te make a grant even where a benefaction has been offered because the living has been too small.