The Illustrated Usk Observer and Raglan Herald

THE VALENTIN FEB JURY CASE. At the sitting of the Central Criminal Court OR Friday, Madame Valentin, who was on the previous day convicted of perjury, was brought up for judgment. The prisoner through M. Albert, the interpreter of the court, said: My lord, I beg for a few minutes in- dulgence. The verdict against me yesterday was wrong. I am not guilty. I did not tell any one that I was going to leave the country. I never meant to go away. I never told the girls so. I said. I should go to Scotland, but I should not have been out of England, and should have been able to come back. I did nurse one of Lafourcarde's girls for eight weeks after her confinement. I paid for her confine- ment, for her maintenance, for her rent, and for the doctor, and for the interment of the child when it died. I gave her 500 francs to set her up as laundress. I came to this country upon the 25th of September, 1863, having in my possession .£5,000 sterling. I have been twice before an English jury, once at Westminster, and once at this court, and both times the trial was for me. My solicitors have squandered my money and destroyed my honour.—The recorder, in passing sentence, said he could not alter the verdict of the jury, but should attend to their recommendation to mercy. The case of the man who was a witness against her yesterday was different. He had oom- mitted perjury for some purpose. The sentence of the court was that she be committed to prison for nine months, with hard labour. m

DESTRUCTION OF FARM PRODUCE BY FIRE. At Bromyard, Herefordshire, on Thursday, an Irish hop-picker, named Margaret Moore, was charged before the magistrates with setting a number of ricks on fire on the farm of Mr. Hill, of Cradley-hall, on the borders of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon, the 14th inst., in Mr. Hill's stackyard, and immediately after it was discovered that all the ricks in the yard were in flames. The distance of the place from any town where fire- engines were available prevented any successful efforts to extinguish the flames, and the damage done was very considerables-four wheat ricks, two bean ricks, two hay ricks, a bag of beans, a bag of oats, and the whole of the farming implements, including a threshing machine, being destroyed. The fire, in fact, was not completely extinguished until Saturday even- in< It appeared that the prisoner had been dis- satisfied with her treatment by Mr. Hill, and had made use of threatening language, such as Oh, never mind him; I'll put him enough to do before I leave." She was discharged on the Thursday, and was seen off the premises at half-past three o'clock, but she was traced back again to _a, fireplace used by the hop- nickers for cooking, about sixty yards from the rick ard, and the fire broke out at four o'clock the same evening. She was committed for trial. StacK-burning has also suddenly become rife in the noxtherncountiea. On Wednesday an extensive fire broke out at lhrocisiey South Farm, on the Tyne, and upwards of thirty stacks of wheat and other gram and hay were ae- stroyed. A haystack belonging to Mr. Stephenson, superintendent of the county constabulary at Hexham, has also been fired; some wheat stacks have also been destroyed at Winlaton-on-the-Tyne, and at Marbottle Tofts, lying close upon one of the offshoots of tne Cheviot range of hills, 58 stacks of corn, the produce of the farms, were destroyed by fire on Tuesday night. None of these fires, however, have been traced to in- cendiarism except that at Hexham.

THE WIRTZ TRIAL, "The trial of Captain Wirtz," writes the corres- pondent of the Times at Washington, for treating the Federal prisoners at Andersonville with great and almost unexampled cruelty, is the most important event of the hour. It is not only important as showing how far the bitter feeling which has been excited in the North by stories of barbarity practised in Southern prisons is founded OR sense, reason, and indisputable evidence, but it is of consequence in its bearing upon the probable future action of the general Government towards the Southern leaders. The trial of Wirtz is incidentally bringing out proof of the fact which, when I stated it, with the strongest evidence before me, was peremptorily and instantly denied- the fact, namely, that the Confederate Government knew of the misery and death which reigned supreme at Andersonville. That Wirtz was less guilty than some of his superiors is, I think, proved, and I hope it will be borne in mind when judgment is pronounced upon him. He is a sallow, fearful, anxious-looking man, who naturally tries to escape the gaze of a crowded court as much as possible, and seems as much shocked at some of the evidence as his judges. I believe that the answer of his counsel to the accu- sations against him will be that he obeyed orders, and thus they will heap further condemnation upon the Confederate Government. But, whatever the result of the trial may be as regards Wirtz, it is as clear as noonday that awful atrocities were committed against the unhappy Northern soldiers at Andersonvide.

Answers to Correspondents. PIFFLES. If your happiness depends upon it you may tell the girl of your heart that the first celery cried in the streets is a head that is bawled early. But if she doesn't laugh, don t you cry. t A NOUS-KEEPER.—Your butcher had no business to call you an old cockney for leaving off beef, though you did drop your aitch (bone).. ANGELINA tells us she is "just married (we are glad she just managed it; it must have been a near shave), and wants a few household receipts to begin housekeeping. As beef is not certain she had better pot a few geraniums instead. They will be nice with bread and butter for lunch. In making pies she should remember that flattery is never thrown away, and batter the dish, or they may not turn out well. When she happens to forget, to order in any dinner she had better roast her husband till he looks done quite brown. In order to see whether sausages are made of pork or of kittens, get a string, tie a wisp of paper to the end, and drag it about near the sausage. If the sausage runs after it it is not fit to eat. If it does not, it may or may not be, accor- ding to circumstances.

THE CQUBT. THE Court may be said to be held AT Balmoral, but the Q.Ù sojou," in Sootland is distinguished for the absence of everything approaching to ostentation or parade. Her Majesty is frequently seon walkm^ by illSe of the river, accompanied by one of the Prin- cesses or aLady in Waiting, attended oxuy by a footman, and all the special to single J0^ney ^er M8jesty sta When tte S" «d her Majesty p.i her ^n charges; when by sea, the expenses are paid by the country through the Admiralty department. HER MAJESTY, with the younger members of the Royal Family, is expected to, remain at Balmoral ti about the first week in November, when the Court will. be removed to Windsor.. WE extract the following account of a visit to the Earl of Dalhousie from a local contemporary-Shortly after ten o'clock, her Majesty, aeoompanxeaL by her Eoval Highness the Princess Helena, Lady Churchill, and General Grey, left Balmoral Castle l or Invermark. The nartv drove by the fine wooded toll-road^ on the south side of the Dee towards the. Bridge or Muick. On arriving at the Bridge of Muick the Eoyal party together with their few attendants, left the carriages, and were supplied with pomes for the rest of the journey, which lay by the Moss of the Pallock to Corrievranch. This w an old rtun of a, farmhouse, scarcely now perceptible, but situated amongst romantic mountain scenery on the side of the river Tanar, at the head of the extensive deer-forest of that name. Here a baltwas made, and the party partook of luncheon, served out among the heather. A guide, sent forward by the Earl of Dalhousie, here foTned the Eoyal party. After luncheon her Majesty took her place at this gentleman's side, and kept on the way with him engaged in conversation; and during the whole of the journey the Queen appeared remark- ably cheerful. The road now layover Mount Keen, onwards for five miles beyond the Corrievranch. A little above the forester s house at Glenmark, the Eoyal party was met by the Earl of Dalhousie and Lady Christian Maule, also on ponies, and were con- ducted by them to the" Prince's Well." This beauti- ful well, as most of our readers are aware, was erected on the property of the Earl of Dalhousie as a memorial of a former Royal visit, and was named the "Prince's Well" by express desire of her Majesty. The well bears the following inscription Best, traveller, on this lovely green. And drink and pray for Scotland s Queen. Together with another to this effect: Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort visited this well, and drank of its refreshing waters, on 20th September, 1861, the year of her great sorrow. The well is situated in a valley surrounded by stupendous rocks, except on one side (which is a long, level strath), and the scene at this place is most beautiful. In the valley was erected a neat, plain tent for the accommodation of the illustrious strangers, the floor of which was laid with the skins of the deer killed in the forests of Glenmark in bygone years. Tea was here provided by the Earl of Dalhousie for his Royal guests, and this was laid out in the tent, but the Queen good-humouredly preferred to drink hers in the open air, so that she might enjoy a view of the scenery Ground. The chairs were accordingly set at the entrance of the tent, and the party partook of tea al fresco. After tea, the ponies were again mounted, and the journey resumed. The route was first taken along the side of the river Mark, then round by the manse of Loohlee, in order to get a view of the loch from the east end. The weather was highly favourable, and, after enjoying this view, the party crossed the old bridge of Invermark, and passed the Castle of Invermark, built by the Lindsays, the former lords of Edzell, the ruins of which are all that now remain. The party arrived at Invermark Lodge in the evening, after a good long ride. Here her Majesty, the Princess Helena, the Earl of Dalhousie, Lady Christian Maule, Lady Churchill, and General Grey, sat down to dinner, and the Eoyal party stayed overnight in his lordship's hospitable mansion. Her Majesty left Invermark Lodge about noon on Wednes- day! to return to Balmoral by the same route. Previous to the journey, her Majesty had expressed a wish that the visit should be kept as private as possible, and Earl Dalhousie made this known to the people of the Glen, who showed their respect for her Majesty by remaining in their homes; and we believe the only persons who met the Eoyal party on tne road were travellers, who were unaware of the contemplated visit.

POLITIC AL"Q-OSBIF. IT is said that Lord Bloomfield denies the existence of a letter from Lord Russell to Prussia and Austria on the Gastein Convention. Still says contem- porary, it remains uncontradicted by any official ta- rn ™kf and all the best English and French papers accept it as true, or, if not true, ben trova^o, and it will answer the purpose of conveying the sentiments of the nation, and doubtless those which Government would express if inclined to do so, and they have not. THE dissolution of Parliament has given general satisfaction to the Italians. They are now preparing for the elections. The electors are all male subjects, twenty-five years of age, who pay at least forty francs of direct taxation, those who have taken a University degree, and those who fill a public office. The number of electors in the kingdom is 394,306, a much smaller proportion than in England, although the Italian franchise is far lower than the English. The number of deDuties is 443. There are 55 inhabitants to every elector, and 49,158 to every deputy. THE Charivari publishes an amnsmg article, in which it compares the Davenport Brothers to M. de Bismarck, the latter boasting of being able to perform quite as clever tricks provided he is left in the dark. He invites France, England, and the other European nations to be present at his performance, and then blows the candles out; whereupon England complains of having received a slap on the eheeK and a kick. France can't make out where they come from; the other nations think it very clever; and all jom in re- cognising that the tricks are admirably performed. Poor Denmark is entirely stripped of its garments, which are found on the back of Prussia. England comes out with « Shocking!" at the sight of the per- fect nudity of Denmark. The only difference between Bismarck and the brethren is, that the former nas not been made to refund money, as the Davenports were LORD DERBY S intended visiu to ^E Mayor Liverpool, which was fixed for Monday, the 25th ot September had to be postponed on account of his lordship's illness. It is said that his lordship s periodi- cal attacks are becoming annually more severe. THE Emperor Francis Joseph has issued a decree ^nnvokinsr the provincial Diets of the Austrian Empire ofrd November. The Hungarian Diet is alone excepted from ° he operation ol tto decree bat that body will also, it is said, meet on the 10th December. To those who rave against English red-tapeism and fancy things are constantly done better m France, the following will be instructiveThree years since a Ti-vnnri fltor of an estate situated on the borders of the sea thinking that in the growing dearth of the dear ovster it would be a profitab e speculation to himself -nd a blessing to man if he increased the number of in the world, asked permission to erect on his EfLd^nSjeeftoSt^e repcrtf Ho wonder that oysters are dear. THE family of the Bourbons (says a con^empora y, as if commenting upon their probable rise to powerj at present consists of seventy-three persons, who 9 descendants direct or collateral from Kin<* of Franee. Of these no less than fifty-fonr are in ex'le —1. The Bourbons of Naples, consisting or King Francis, five brothers and four sisters; total, ten. The uncles of Francis—viz., the Prince of Capua and two children, the Count d'Aquila and two children, the Count di Trapani and five children; twelve, The aunts of Francis viz, the Queen Maria Amalia, widow of Louis Philippe, the Duchess de Berry, and the Duchess of Salerno; and, finally, a cousin-german, the Duchess d'Aumale; four. 2. The Spanish Bour- the Infante Don Juan and two children; three. Th'p French Bourbons: the Count Chambord and four children of the Grand Duchess of Parma; five. 4 The Orleans branch of the French Bourbons: viz., tba Count of Paris, the Duke de Chartres, the Duke S%eS?nrs and four children the Prino. Jomrf e and two children, the Duke d Aumale and two end- dren the Duke de Montpensier and six children; twenty- The branches of the family not exiled are r- 1. The Eoyal Family of Spam, numbering in all six- teen 2. The Empress of Brazil (nee Princess of Naples); 3. The Duchess Augusta of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (nie Princess of Orleans); and 4. III. of Parma, who abdicated; total not m exile, EiAccoKDiNG to rumour the 14th of October next is to be a memorable day in France; decrees making important liberal concessions are to be issued, and a manifesto launched against the ouurageou Prussia in the Duchies question, which will be the more significant as the 14th of October is the anniversary of the battle of Jena.. „ WE never knew such a number of accounts of the cost of elections made public as on the present occasion. Some secrecy has always been maintained, perhaps from the idea that the item in many cases would be suggestive. The four candidates at Edin- burgh appear to have each spent about the same amount at the late elections. The contest cost Mr. Black and the Lord Advocate together .£1,663, and Messrs. M'Laren and Miller together Al,654.

Stanzas to an Intoxicated Fly. It's a singular fact that, whenever I order My goblet of Guinness or bumper of Bass, Out of ten or a dozen that sport round the border Some fly turns a summersault into my glass. Oh it's not that I grudge him the liquor he's tasted (Supposing him partial to bitter or stout), But consider the time irretrievably wasted In trying to fish the small animal out! Ali i believe me, fond fly, 'tis excessively sinful, This habit which knocks even bluebottles up; Just remember what Cassio, on getting a skinful, Observed about ev'ry inordinate cup! Reflect on that proverb, diminutive being, Which tells us Enough is as good as a feast; And, mark me, there's nothing more painful than seein £ i. vi i An insect behaving so much like a beast. Nay, in vain would you seek to escape while I'm talking, And shake from your pinions the fast-clinging drops, It is only too clear, from your efforts at walking, That after your malt you intend to take hops. Pray, where is your home P and oh! how shall you get there ? And what will your wife and your family think ? Pray, how shall you venture to show the whole set there That Paterfamilias is given to drink ? I have known, silly fly, the delight beyond measure- The blissful sensation, prolohged and intense- The rapturous, wild, and ineffable pleasure, Of drinking at somebody else's expense. But I own-and it's not without pride that I own it— Whenever some friend in his generous way Bids me drink without paying, I simply postpone it, And pay for it amply the following day!

Automatica. I gxR,—You may have read in the Times of the 2nd inst. the following account of the mechanical con- trivances invented by Mr. Appold, and applied to practical uses in his own house:— The doors opened as you approached them, and closed after you had entered; water came unbidden into the basins: when the gas was lighted the shutters closed: a self-acting thermometer prevented the temperature rising or falling above or below certain fixed points; and the air supplied for ventilation was both washed to cool and screened to cleanse it from blacks. Even the gates of his stableyard opened of themselves as he drove through, and closed again without slamming. Stimulated by his example, I intend to set to work to invent the following arrangements for my own do- mestic use :— .3i. 1. A fire that will go out every night and return punctually by nine the next morning. 2. A kettle that will boil with rage whenever I am insulted. t 3. A paying-out machine for the especial benefit OE dunning creditors. 4. A clock that is always running itself down. 5. A golden hunter that will wear wheat." 6. A hair-trigger which will do its own hair. 7. A hat that will take itself off, goodness only knows where. „ T More of this when my inventions are perfected. In the meantime, I am yours, E. CHIMEDE S. the meantime, I am yours, R. CHIMEDES.

THE LAST NEW THING IN HATS.—An impecunious friend of ours says he wants a new hat like eld boots." We have heard of an animal that had a foot like a warming-pan, and a body like the keel of a ship. but a chapeau resembling an antiquated pair of Wellingtons is scarcely to be imagined. POOR FELLOW!-An acquaintance who has been eating and drinking anyhow for some years, is reduced to such a state that the coats of his stomach are all out at the elbows. THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN.—3 £ AMMA: "You're a very bad boy, indeed, for hitting your little sister, and (threatening to box his ears) I've half a mind-" you got half a mind, mamma dear? Hem well, that's not so bad for a woman! -r EARLY PIETy.-Matilda Jane (catching the pastor after Sunday-school), "Oh, sir, please what would you charge to christen my doll ? NOTHING NEW.—Absent Old Gentleman: "Oh! Ha' Postman, eh? My name is-er-is-er- Rural Postman All right, sir! Mr. Robinson. No letter for you, this morning, sir I" Absent Old Gen- tleman Deeear me! Do you think there will be one -this afternoon ?" YORKSHIRE CAUTION. "Why, my dear fellow, how is it you are not at the St. Leger ? I thought you lived at Doncaster ?" said a friend, unexpectedly meeting another on the promenade at Filey Bay. "Yes and so I do," was the reply, but the "fact is, I am at present a forlorn melancholy exile. It's true I rent a drawing-room floor by the year in Doncaster; but there is a clause in the agreement that I am always to turn out during the racing week. During that week the people ef the house make nearly as much as I pay them during the remainder of the year. That is why you see me here. This is the fourth day of my banishment, and if you have any charity in your soul you will invite me home to dinner, and comfort me in the best way you can." "HAVE You READ HIS SPEECH.The Bishop of Oxford may, if ho likes, allege the cattle disease to be a punishment on the English because they have not subscribed sufficiently to the memorial to the late Prince Consort; but foreign cattle are also diseased, and even the unefcue-us Samuel will hardly say that Continental Europe was bound to aid in erecting that monument. We fear that he must discover another crime, if he is resolved to go beyond natural causes. Meantime it is clear that if oil-cake will do our beasts any good, we know where to go for any amount of oiliness. FROM BOULOGNE TO FOLKSTONE—At uoulogne- sur-Mer a statue to Dr. Jenner has recently been erected. There was some question as to the inscrip- tion. "VThat motto," said the Maire, shall we give to this Jenner-al benefactor?" An English nobleman, residing at Boulogne for the season, readily answered, "Jenner sais pas."

GUISEPPE MAZZINI. M. Mazzini is probably the most maligned man in Christendom. He has been persistently traduced by those who have not taken the trouble to make them- selves acquainted with the principles of which he is the apostle; and has had the misfortune more than once to be misinterpreted even by those who incline to favour his cause. His career has been vicissitudinous in the highest degree. He began life, at an early age, as a man of letters, and it is to literature, we believe, he chiefly devotes himself now. But between the year 1828, in which, full of high hopes, he established the Indicatore Genovese, and the present time, when he confesses his soul to ba dead to happiness, and withered by sorrows, delusions, and ingratitude, he has more than most men experienced sundry and manifold changes of fortune. Driven from his native land on account of his opinions, he takes up his abode at Mar- seilles ordered to quit French territory, he seeks and finds refuge in Switzerland; returning thence into Italy, he is thrown into prison; escaping, he is agaia at Marseilles; then in London; then, upon the out- burst of the last French Revolution, in Paris; then once more in Italy; then, a second time, obliged to fly to Switzerland. At length, Rome having declared her- self a Republic, we find him in the Eternal City- triumvir, ruler, dictator; organising the army of the State; re-arranging its finances; establishing its foreign relations, and seeking to settle its disordered domestic affairs. His season of power was of short duration. After ninety days the city was crushed by the cannon cl a foreign nation, and he is once more an exile. During the whole of this time, however—sorely tried as he must have been in the furnace of affliction -Mazzini is not known to have misdemeaned himself. According to the testimony of those most competent to speak, he has remained pure-minded, unselfish, faithful, truthful in the highest degree.-The Reader.

Mr. Langham, coroner for Westminster, held an inquiry Thursday evening relative to the death from suicide of Mrs. Rachel Nash, aged 60 years. Mr. Charles Murray, of Kennington-oval, brother-in-law of the deceased, said she had resided at No. 9, Lisle- street, Soho. She was the widow of an army con- tractor's packer, who died in the early part of the year, and since that time she gave way to grief and became intemperate in her habits. She had a legacy left her, and was in comfortable circumstances. Mr. George Davis, jun., landlord of the deceased, said that she passed him in the passage on Saturday evening, and she kissed his hand. He saw no more of her until Monday, when he became alarmed, and called in the police. Her door was forced open, and she was found hanging by means of a scarf to a hook in the ceiling. She was quite dead. A razor was lying on the table close to her side. Near the razor was found the following letter :— Dear Mrs. Wilson,-I am in a state of madness, and I hope God will forgive me for my death. I have offered up a prayer to my God. I can bear it no longer. It is all through Mrs. I mean those people who live near. I was very excited yesterday. I went down on my knees to ask their forgiveness for what I said, but they refused to grant it. This has so preyed upon my mind that I have been led to com- mit this act. Send my niece to her father, and tell him to come at once. God forgive and bless all. "RACHEL NASH. Mr. J. H. Clarke, of Gerard-street, surgeon, who was called in to the deceased, said she had been hanging in her room for the space of about thirty-six hours her feet were only about ten inches from the ground. The unfortunate woman had frequently re- marked that she would destrey her life, for she felt so miserable. Verdict, Saicide while in a state of unsound mind."

OUR MISCELLANY. The Bould Faynian Bey.— Hooray The bould Faynians is rowlin' along It's meself, Mick Mulrooney, has writ thim a song. The Saxon may turn up his nose at the Micks," But thim same '11 come down like a thousand of bricks. What a foine time there '11 be whin Ameriky's ours! Which '11 be in a. year or two more, be the powers And for Prisident thin we are bound to put in A thrue-born discindent of Brian O'Lynn. Thin a. million bould Faynians will straightway imbark, For the ould airt', and go on a bit of a lark; And the dirthy Taymes river, bedad, shall run red, With the blood of the Saxons by Faynians shed. Thin no man need'nt work, that is willin' to fight, An' the boys shall dhrink whisky from mornin' till night; An' meself, Mick Mulrooney, in the Phaynix will drive, Whin pace comes and there's left not a Saxon alive. A Musician's Revenge.- Verdi, when his fame was just rising, was at Milan, and the Austrian com- mander, delighted with his music, sent for him and asked him to write a march for the Austrian army, Verdi replied coldly, "I can only write a retreat for it," which so incensed the white-coat, that he replied, "I asked you as a favour to write a march; I now command you to do so. Do you understand ?" "Per- fectly," replied the composer. And you consent p" There is no ohoice left me, and you shall have the march this evening." That evening the march was delivered, and two days after it was played by all the bands, to the intense joy of the Milanese, who recog- nised in it a skilfully interwoven air known as Fuori i barbari" (" Away with the barbarians!") Of course Verdi had prudently made himself scarce, or he might have got score for score. Signs of Pain.-I remember seeing a horse led along the street, I suppose to the knacker's yard. The poor beast had been horribly wounded, and went limping on, slowly and painfully; but, of course, with no cry of pain. I would have given all I had in my pocket—which was very little-to have helped the creature to translate a little of his agony into sound, to throw a little of the heat of pain through his mouth and nostrils into the open air. Indeed, I wish he had had a Balaam on his back, to larrup him kindly into speech. Any cry at all would have relieved his feel- ings at all events, would have relieved mine. When a pig bas his throat cut, many causes combine to harden the heart of the spectator. 'Tis true, an animal is suffering and a life is ebbing fast; but by way of counterpoise, comes the consideration, almost tne smell of ham and sausages. Moreover, your pity, were it possible, were superfluous. What sympathy is due to a martyr so noisy and reluctant? His nervous energy is exhausting itself over an enormous area; is filling a hemisphere of surrounding air. The sense of pain must be numbed under that canopy of shrill sound. Yoa would pity him intensely if he went through the operation with a. repressive silence. You would beg and entreat of him to squeak.— Way side Thoughts, by D'Arcy W. Thompson. N The Beer we Drink.—Messrs. Guinness and Co. employ in their brewery about 300 men, through whose hands no less than 500,000 gallons of water, either in its crude form or manufactured state, pass daily. Thirty tons of coal per day is the averaare con- sumption of fuel, and this with the water is used to ex- tract the virtue from, in round numbers, 1,500 cwt. of grain per day. The "pieces" in which the manufac- tured article is stored number 65, besides 20 others in course of erection, and these contain from 1.500 to 2,000 hogsheads of 52 gallons each. The consumption of beer by the workmen-each man's allowance be:r>? two pints-amounts to 75 gallons per day. Tie first mashing was performed in the year 1780, and, not- withstanding that the brewery suffered no inoonBiaer- able damage during the O'Connell riots, the property continued to prosper and amass for its enterprising owner a princely fortune. The present head of the firm, Mr. Benjamin Lee Gainness, will be reiiiembered. for many generations to come as one of the most, charitable among the rich traders of the present day. The last instance of his munificence was the restora- tion of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, irom big vri- vate purse, at a cost, it is said, exceeding ^810u,J00. Brevier's Journal. A Returned Soldier's Letter to Ms STarse —" Dear Miss T I set down to tell you thau 1 ve arove hum, an wish I was sum whar else, A ve got bully boys an they are helpin me about getting the garden sass into the groun but they haint got no mother an' I've a house and a kow and I thort yona be kinder handy to take care of um if youd stoop so much. Ive thort of you ever sense I com from hospittle and how kinder jimmy you used to_wsaK up andldown them wards. Yon had the best gate lev,^ se an my 1st wife stepped off jest so and she paid her way I tell you. I like to work and the boys like te work anlkno you do and so Ide like to jine if yonync objections an how Ive made so bold to rite sich bu J was kinder pushed on by my feelins an so I hope you] excuse it an rite soon. I shant be mad if you say DOSB, its no harm to ask an as I sa I cant help ritin an the boys names are Zeberlon Shadrac and Peter they wanu o see you as does your respectful friend which oe~ 1 present health to you. JOSEPH V « Court Witticism.-When Lord Stair was amoas- sador in Holland he gave frequent entertainments, to which the foreign ministers were constantly inviuea, not excepting the ambassador of France, with w^ose nation we were then on the point of breading, In return, the Abbe de Ville, the French ambassador, as constantly invited the English and Austrian ambassa- dors upon the like occasion. The abbé was a man of- vivacity, and fond of panning. Agceeably to tMs humour, he one day proposed a health in these terms; —" The rising sun, my master," alluding to the device and motto of Louis XY., which was pledged by the whole company. It came then to the iteron a.e Eeisbach's turn to give a toast, and he, to counten- ance the abbe, proposed "The moon," m compliment to the Empress Queen, which was greatly applautlea. The turn then came to the Earl of Stair, on whom all eyes were fastened; but that nobleman, whose presence of mind never forsook him, drank his master King William by the name of Joshua the son o. Hi1! who made the sun and moon stand still.

THE SUSPECTED POISONING OF A YOUNG LADY AT SALISBURY. The coroner's inquiry into the circumstances atwnd- ing the death of Miss Emily Sophia. Blake, aged nine- teen, who was alleged to have been poisoned^ by William John Storer, a surgeon, and late assistant to the father of the deceased, was resumed on Thursday at the Town-hall, Salisbury. The prisoner was not present at the inquiry, but he was repree.antedby Mr. Kelsey, and Mr. Whatman appeared for the friends of the deceased. Superintendent Caldow said I went to Falmouth on. Thursday, the 7th of September, to apprehendWilli.am John Storer. I did not meet with him there, but wer-1 on the 8th to Exeter, and from thence to lopsham. I found him there. I informed him that I was come to apprehend him, and read the warrant which ± had. I searched his person in Mr. Salter's house. On Saturday, the 9th of Sept., I telegraphed to Mr. Jab an, the superintendent of the Falmouth police, to take possession of a brown paper parcel that was sent to Mr. Storer on the night that Miss Blake died, and to take possession of his luggage. On bunaayT the 10th, I examined his portmanteau, and found several Botes, which I produce. On the loth ins*, I went to Falmouth, not having heard from Mr. Jalj ar and feeling anxious about the prisoner s luggage. 1 found that Mr. Storer had been lodging with his sister, Mrs. Coplin. I went with Mr. July an to Mrs. Coplin) and got the key of the house, in which we found the two boxes belonging to the prisoner. Mrs. Copiin had left the house four or five days before. I found one box which contained the medicine chest and a dress. ing-case. The box had been broken open at the back, and the dressing-case had also been opened. I then went to Miss Eliza Ann Storer, and asked her if she had received a parcel directed to her brother. She said she had received a parcel on the 7th September, which she had opened. She had at that time given it to Superintendent Julyan. She said she had given to him, all that it had contained, viz., letters, two hair-ping, one ring, and Storer's likeness. That parcel was re- ceived by me last Saturday, and I have opened it. The two boxes I found opened at Falmouth I examined at, Salisbury on Sunday morning last. They contained a. quantity of wearing apparel and about 400 or 500 letters. In the smaller box of the two I found a dressing-case and small medicine chest. The aress- ing-case was broken open, but the medicine chest was not. They were both locked. In the medicine-chest there was a variety of drugs which I have showed to Mr. Martin Coates and Dr. Blackmore. There were also some drugs in the dressing-case. I took one packet of drugs out of the medicine chest to Professo Taylor on Monday last. The pink paper produced contains six grains, and the professor has taken five grains out of it. It has en it a portion of a label, of which the letters trye only remain. Six letters were then read, which clearly showea that the person to whom they were addressed had been intimate with her; and that abe was in dread of discovery of the fact by her parents. She urgently reauested that something might be given to her to prevent a discovery, and refers to pills and powders which she had already taken, and which had not had the desired effect. Mr. Leech (a juror): I should like to know wbetafcr* Mrs. Blake had any suspicion of improper intercourse between Mr. Storer and the deceased. Mrs. Blake recalled, in reply to the coroner, said she had not, before Mr. Storer left, any cause to imagine that there had been any improper intercourse between Mr. Storer and her step. daughter, nor had she any reason to suspect it. She might once have made inquiry of her as to her irregularity of health. The Coroner: These letters state that you had threatened to have her examined by her father. Have you ever threatened that there should be a strict examination of her by her father ? The witness: I have not. The Coroner": I think the letters are quite sufficient to show that there had been a considerable degree oi intimacy between the parties. Other letters that had been found in Mr. Storer s boxes were produced and read by the coroner, but as they did not bear on the case, they were not entered upon the depositions. Dr. Alfred Swaine Taylor, at the close of avery long- examination,, said: The conclusions which I draw from my analysis are-firstly, that the pills contained strychnia. in a quantity sufficient to cause death. according to the number taken; secondly, that there were traces of strychnia in the contents of the stomach: thirdly, that there was no strychnia in the liver, spleeDj and blood. > The Coroner: Assuming that three pilla had been taken shortly before the death of the deceased, that they contained a similar amount o? strychnine to that which you examined, would you have expected to find greater and more distinct traces of strychnine in the stomach of the deceased than you did ? Dr. Taylor: No; I should not, the dose was very small. I should tell you that the longer a person lives after taking poison the less trace we filla, as it becomes absorbed into the'system. Mr. Martin Coates, surgeon, recalled: l^ere was not any evidence of virginity when I ma-uezneposs* morItem examination. Fanny Bevan, servant to Mr. Blake, ldcntinea medicine chest as Mr. Storer's. The night Miss iSiake was taken ill the deceased was in the kitchen in her usual health and cheerfulness. ilr. storer s going- away did not seem to have any depressing efeee^ on Miss Blake's spirits or manners. The Coroner directed the jury, m his summing up,, that if the pills containing strychnia were given by an unqualified man through ignorance and death re- spited, they (the jury) should return a vercliot of man- slaughter, but if that medicine was administered with malice, then it would be in the eye of the law murder. The jury retired at half-past five, and, after &H absence of half-an-hour, returned the following ver- dict:—"We find that the deceased, Emily Sophia Blake, died from the effects of strychnia taken by ner in three pills, given to her by William John Storer, im\ we find a verdict, of xa&iislaugtter against blw- id William John Storer."