Monmouthshire Merlin

VARIETIES. AN EXTENSIVE EMBRACE.—A New York paper says that the new opera troupe embraces Madame Alboni. 'No pains will be spared,' as tho quack observed when sawing the poor fellow's leg off to cure the rheu- matism. 'I yielded to his earnest persuasions, as the young widow said after angling two years to catch an old bachelor. The girls in Northampton have been sending a bachelor editor bouquets of tansy and wormwood. He says he don't c ire he had rather smell fhem than matrimony. 'What is tho meaning of ex nihilo nihil Jit?' a sked a Celt of a parish schoolmaster. I Weel, Donald,' said the dominie, I dinna mind the literary (literal) translation, but it jist means that ye canna tak' the breeks aff a Hielanman.' PLEASURE.-Lord Eilonborough once said to a bar* rister, upon asking, in the midst of a boring harangue. Is it the pleasure of the court that I should pro- ceed with my statement ?" Pleasure, Mr. has been out of the question for a long time, but you may proceed." THE FOLLY OF INVENTING.—Of all things in life there is nothing more foolish than inventing. Here I work five or more years contriving an engine, and Mr. Moore hears of it, is more eveille, gets three patents at once, publishes himself in the newspapers, hires 2000 men, sets them to work for a whole world in St. George's fields, gets a fortune at once, and prosecutes me for using my own invention.—Letter of James Watt: Muir head's Life of Watt. A JAPANESE JUGGLER.—Here are some of his feats :— No. 1. He took an ordinary boy's top, spun it in the air, caught it on his hand, and then placed it (still spinning) upon the edge of a aword, near the bilt. Then he dropped the sword point a little, and the top moved slowly towards it. Arrived at the very end, the hilt was lowered in turn, and the top brought back. As usual, the sword was dangerously sharp. No. 2 was also per- formed with the top. He spun it in the air, and then threw the end of the string back towards it with such accuracy that it was caught up and wound itself ail ready for a second cast. By the time it had done this it had reached his hand, and was ready for another spin. No. 3 was still performed with the top. There was an up- right pole, upon the top of which was perched a little house, with a very large front door. The top was spun, made to climb the pole, knock open the said front door, and disappear. As well as I remember, the hand end of the string was fastened near the door, so that this was almost a repetition of the self-winding feat. But feat No. 4 was something even more astonishing than all this. He took two paper butterflies, armed himself with the usual paper fan, threw them into the air, and, fanning gently, kept them flying about him as if they had been alive. He can make them alight whenever you wish Try him remarked the Kami (Prince), through the interpreter. Mr. H——requested that one might alight upon each ear of the juggler. No sooner expressed than complied with. Gentle undulations of the fan waved them slowly to the required points, and there left them comfortab'y seated. Now, whether this command over pieces of paper was obtained simply by currents of air or by the power of a concealed magnet Mr. H could not tell or ascertain. One thing, however was ceUiti— the power was there.—Philadelphia, Ledger. LORD BROUGHAM'S EPITAPH ON HIMSELF.—It is we do not know how truly, that Lord Brougham and Vaux, in a playful mood, one evening wrote the follow- ing epitaph on himself :— Here, reader, turn your weeping eyes, My fate a useful moral teaches The hole in Wnich my body lies Could not cootaiu one half my speeches." A HUNTER'S ADVENTURE.—Many years ago, when the white men who had seen the Rocky Mountain might still have been counted, and only very few of the prairie Indians knew the use of fire-arms, Fitzpatrick had one day got separated from his companions, and was pursu- ing his game alone in the wilderness. As ill-luck would have it, he was seeo by a war party of Indians, who immediately preparod to give chase. There was not the smallest chance of escape for him, but the young hunter made a feint of running away, in order, if possible, to gain time. He happened to know that these savages, who as yet were little acquaiuted with the use of fire- arms, had seveTal times, when they had takeu white hunters prisoners, put the muzzle of their rifles close to their breasts, and fired them by way of experiment, to see what would become of it. He therefore thought it prudent to extract the bullet from his, and theu con- tinued his flight. The Indians followed, and very soon overtook him, and then they disarmed him, and tied him to a trre. One of the warriors, who uuderstooa how to null a trigger, then seized the rifle, placed himself a few paces in tront of }he owner of it, took aim at his breast And fired but when the Indians lookt:d eageily through the smoke towards Fitzpatrick, they saw that lie was standing safe and sound in bis place, and he quietly took out of his pocket the bullet he had previously placed there, and tossed it to his enemies, who weru all aiuuze- meut. They declared he had arrested the bullet in its flight, was invulnerable, and a wonderful conjuror, aud what was more, that some great niistoriune would most likely befall the tribe if they did not set him free imme. diately, and they therefore cut his bonds, and made off as fast as possible, leaving Fitzpatrick to go where he pleased.—Diary of a Journey to the I'acijic. Sic TRANSIT" AND HIS PHYSICIAN.—The physician who atten led ate transit has arrived in this city, and taken rooms at the Tremont.—Boston Aiuaeum. The < pugilist nihil Jit has gone to Boston, and hopes to see sic transit in gloria mundi morning.—Springfield Post. He arrived safely, but soon delta blow at sic tram it, and beta hole in his head.-Boston Bee. We understand that nihil fit him and noctes head completely off.—Boston Museum. That must be a mistake, for sic transit was inter se Dr. Digg last evening, and stayed till tecum.- Carpet Bag. bic transit came into our office this morn- ing with a carpet bag." He cum by rail with the carmen.—Hertford Excelsior. Oh, unum sculls! lie didn't either. Sic transit drove a tu. pone tandum temor ver from the eastward. He is visiting his ante, Mrs. Die Terra, in this city, and will stny till oHem. Dr. Dignos, of the 1 err is (Terrace) he likewise ct super with us last evening. He eta beta pi. The pugilist alsi> cum with him, and lambda man badly in the street; he cutis nos off, and noclemflat uma flounder.—Hartford Republican. Can't say ou ve seen tiic tránsit, but havo often metis sister Mare, who is idem fine girl, and sum in all re- spects she is living now with her old par, who keeps the Statu quo and is sed to be mite rich. Oui sent her in fact the following versus a week ego by post, and don't care a aer who noscit-- Mure, mi love for thee is pner, My artis broke by thy bright eyes, 0 es the pain, the anguish cure Of him who for thee ever si'a." Quebec Mercury. A PLEASANT HUSBAND.—At Zarskoe Sèle, the Grand Duke conceived a decided tendresse ( especially of an evening after drinking) for the little hump-backed Princess of Courland. He kept constantly at her side, and would speak to nobody else. At length this affair came to be carried on openly in my own presence and in that of all the rest of the world; and it certainly hurt my vanity and my self-esteem to see this little monster pre- ferred to me. One day, on leaving table, Mme. Vladis- lava told me that everybody was shocked at this hump-backed girl being thus preferred. 1 answered, What can I do ?" The tears started to my eyes, and I went off to bed. I was scarcely asleep when the Grand Duke came to bed also. As he was drunk and did not know what he was about, he began to entertain me with lauding the eminent qualities of his mistress. I pre- tended to be fast asleep in order to silence him but after raising his voice to wake me, and seeing that I still slept on, he gave me twooi three heavy blows in the side, cursed my drowsiness, and then turned round and went to sleep. I wept much that night over the thing itself, the blows he had given me, and my own position, which was in I every respect as disagreeable. as Yexatious.—Autobi- ography of tike Empress Catherine the Second of fiussia.

(flinmtl %cm. MORRIS v. CAPRON.—The trial of this indictment, which will come off at the next sitting of tbo Middlesex Sessions, is looked forward to with great interest, from the nature of the circumstances attending it. The pro- secutor is one of the editors of the Times, and was re- cently married to the sister of Mr. DeUne, who is tho manager of that journal. The indictment has been pre- ferred on account of the repeated assaults made upon the prosecutor by the defendant, who is a member of an enrnent firm of solicitors at the West-eiid, and who is stated to have a most serious cause of complaint against Mr, Morris, who will now have an opportunity of vindi- cating himself from the calumnies with which he has been assililed.-Ibid. HER MAJESTY'S STAG-HOUNDS.—Her Majesty's stag- hounds met on Tuesday at Salt-hill, but in consequence of the fog Mr. Davis sent a whip up to tli,3 meet, to say he should not bring the hounds until twelve o'clock, and that he was fearful even then he should not be able to hunt. When he arrived, however, finding a good mus- ter of the right sort, he was persuaded to have tho deer uncarted, and, as it proved, for a very fine day's sport. The deer started towards Farnham, thence to Stoke and Wi-xham, Geirge-green and Sheddon-green to Iver, skirting Riching's Park to West Drayton, Hardmons- worth, and Longford, on to Hanwell Farm, across Staines Moor to Staines (here nearly the whole were left behind, including Mr. Davis, the hounds having stolen away un- perceived by them six only with the three whips were with them). The deer then made for Feltham, thence to Bedfont through Kempton Park. Here, however, there was a check again for a short time, but the gentle- man was at last found quietly taking his rest under a tree. He then started off quite fresh again, took two or three high park palings, and made for the Thames, which lie crossed about half a mile below Hampton. The three whips, two gentlemen, and the hounds crossed at the ferry, but the fog and darkness so increased that it was deemed prudent to take the hounds off. Mr. Davis is certainly very fortunate in the selection of his deer. Last Friday he turned out the Sepoy, which gave a run of upwards of twenty miles from home; and since then the Comet, an untried deer (but which tried the keepers and whips pretty well, taking three days to catch him in Windsor Park), ran at least twenty-five miles from Salt- hill. He has, besides, the Sarrat hind, and two or three others first-rate. Music, LOYE, AND MURDER.—A case submitted a day or two ago to the Military Tribunal at Algiers, pre- sented a curious example of Arab manners :-It is the custom of itinerant Arab musicians at fetes to introduce, generally in the way of compliment, the names of women in their songs. Oe the 26th of July last, a band of them, headed by one Mahounned, a noted singer, went to the village of Ait Zian, in the circle of Tizi Ouzon, which is occupied by a Kabyle tribe, and as the men of the place are noted for jealousy, the cadi prudently recommended the musicians to abstain altogether from mentioning any woman's name. They promised to f. llow his counsel, and for a time did so; but at last Mahommed began singing the praises of one Fatina, and the burden of his song was, "Fatma, I wish I could possess thee! I would give money to embrace thee!" He was con- tinuing when the report of a firearm was heard and Mohammed staggered and fell dead. A mau named El Hadi stood forth and said, It was I who fired the fatal shot, and I am not sorry for what I have done. Any otherman in my pbce would have done the same! I killed the man because he spoke of the charms of Fatma, my wife, and thereby outraged me in my honour Be was taken into custody, and tried by the Military Tribu- nal. It was stated in his defence that he was a very re- spectable man, but dreadfully jealous, and that he honestly bjlieved himself entitled to kill any man who admired his wife. He was declared guilty with ex- tenuating circumstances, and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. ExTKAOHDiNARt ADVENTCRB. —A St. Petersburg let- ter contains the following:—The coast of the Crimea was lately the scene of a very singular adventure. On the 1st Nov. a smalll boat was driven ashore, about 20 miles from Ialta, on the property of a person named Revoluti. This boat contained four persons, two men and two women, who, when found, scarcely showed any signs of life. One of the females, according to the ac- count she gave of herself when restored to animation, is the wife of an officer of artillery in garrison at Anapa, on the western coast of the Caucasus, Having heard that the Grand Duke Michael was to pass at some distance from the town, she resolved to place herself in his way in order to present a petition to him. For that purpose ohe embarked with a female servant on board a small sailing boat, having two men to manage it, in order to cross over to a spot where she could land and get near the Prince. Instead, however, of effecting the passage in a few hours, the boat was driven out to sea, and tossed about for six days and nights. The sufferings of the four persons from hunger, and from the fear of perishing in their small boat, may be imagined but at length they were driven on shore on the coast of the Crimea, where they were hospitably received. When the wife of the officer had sufficiently recovered the means of returning to Anapa were placed at her disposal, but hearing that the Grand Duke was to pass through Simpheropol, she proceeded thither, but was unfortunate enough to miss him by a few hours, and she was eventually compelled to return to Auapa, without accomplishing the object for which she had undergone such severe suffering. Wilo IS A TRAVELLER?—At last we have gained a clue to this long-agitated and vexed question. We (Era) never had any doubt on the subject; but now that a high legal tribunal has pronounced upon the point, it will set the matter at rest. The decision appears to be in accordance with common sense, and must be regarded as one of slrict justice, as well as equity. It is the case heard in the Court of Common Pleas, of Atkinson v Sellars. This was an appeal from a decision of two jus- tices of the county of Lancaster, convicting the appellant of selling beer to persons, other than travellers or lodgers on a Snuday, between the hours of three and five, n m Air. It. Temple appeared for the appellant, and Mr Welsby for the respondent. It appears that the defen- dant keeps an hotel and tavern at Garston, five and a half miles from Liverpool, and that on a Sunday, between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m., four gentlemen and some ladies, who had driven from Liverpool, and round the country for about ten miles, arrived at Garston, and put up their horses. Before entering the house, the appellant asked them if they were travellers, and they replied they were, and as they were not known by the appellant, and were not residents in Garston, they were served with beer. The defendant was summoned and fined by the justices; and they, desiring to have some definition of a "traveller," within the 18th and 19th Victoria, cap. Hg stated a case for the opinion of the Court, being, how- ever, of opinion that the question was one of fact only The Court, after hearing the arguments, said that the question was one of fact, but that upon the facts disclosed they were of opinion that the conviction ought to be quashed. A traveller was not merely a person who tra- velled for business, but one who went about in pursuit of pleasure. The conviction ought to be quashed without costs. RECKLESS ASSERTION.—The great Duke of Wellington is not yet forgotten, aud most people will be pro°mnt enough to remember that one of his last public acts wa to beseech the attention of the Government and th8 public to the defenceless condition of the country, p by point in his memorable letter to Sir John Buraov he showed how steam had bridged the channel, how tl^ navy could no longer present an insurmountable ban i 10 how our coasts were unfortified, and how our milit establishments had been allowed to decay. r bordering," added that famous soldier, •' upon s-v seven years passed in honour. I hope that the Almfehtv may protect me from being the witness of the tra^e.iv which I cannot persuade my contemporaries to ke measures to avert. it would be strange indeed if impressive words had yet faded from the nublio n a but Mr. Gibson either thinks so, or is vvillin ? ?UI1u chance of the matter, for being in want of to support the Manchester policy of ontH lorlf^ estimates and pooh-poohing the national H ^owa,ttle he actually appealed to the Duke of u U T "During the Duke of Well Gibson, "in 1835, he thought £ 11°,000,000Tr £ l2 000 000 a-year sufficient to defend the country <? ~UUU'UUU tion is enough to rouse the great Srior fSuCVa The Duke not only never thou M t hT/'0.' "f graVe' sufficient votes, but he was the t to Ji V° T" of the country to their insufficient V P f a»entl«?n .nda. Ijwh, ZTtJZ s* XTT strained no longe,, 1,1 a public letter, be urged upon those in power the imperative necessity of takine instant measures for the national defence,Times, AN OFFER OF A WIFE.—A pleasant incident enlivened the usually grave and serious cours of Doctor C- on Friday last, at Paris. When the lecture wa3 finished, the Doctor, instead of making his usual bow and retiring from the estrade, was heard to call out in a loud voice, Let all whose hearts are free stop and listen." In an instant there was a check to the rush which was miking towards the door, and, amid the general astonishment, the Doctor, drawing a letter from his pocket, proceeded to read it with the greatest gravity. It was from a patient in the provinces, requesting him to, look out amongst his band of medical students for a husband for his daughter-" a beautiful girl, with a handsome dot." Of course, one general cry of deprecation rose from the assembly, which Doctor C who has dissected the human heart with even more minuteness than the human body, suffered to subside then, resuming his discourse, he added, that the particulars of the dot would be con- fided to any gentleman applying for them at his house on the morrow. The old satirist needed not to be told the next day that more than two hundred applications had been received by his secretary, in spite of the cry of in- dignation with which his proposition had been received. — Court Journal. HOSPITALITY.—Few people are aware of the r.oble hospitalities dispensed at Belvoir Castle, which are con- ducted on a scale of princely magnificence. We are told that during some sixteen weeks about 4,000 loaves of bread, 25,0001b. of meat, 900 gallons of oil, and one hogshead eight gallons of malt liquor were consumed and there are also about 1,300 tons of coil consumed yearly. The number of persons dining in the castle during the season is estimated at 20,000. DEATlI OF COLONEL PERCEVAI.Colonel Perceval, Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords, died on Thurs- day, at his house in Chester-street, aged 72, after a protracted illness. The office of Sergeant-at-Arms is to attend the person of the Sovereign, to arrest offenders of rank, and to attend on the Lord High Steward of Eng- land when he sits in judgment on traitor", also on the Lord High Chancellor, the Lord Treasurer, and on both Houses of Parliament, and, if need be, on the Lord Mayor of London. Their number was limited to 30 by the 13th of Richard II., cap. 6. In old books they are called tnrga- tories, because they once carried silver rods, gilt, as they now do niaces. During the sitting of Parliament, one is constantly in attendance in each house. SEPARATION IN HIGH LIFE.-It is stated, in circles likely to be well informed on the subject, that an Irish Marquis, whose marriage with a lady nearly thirty veals his junior, and whose antecedents were not of a character to render her a desirable acquisition to the peerage, has already separated from his bride, the old adage of May and December not agreeing, being fully verified.—Era. LADY CLEMENTINA VILLIEHS. — The death of Lady Clerupntina Villiers has been a great shock, not only to a large circle of relatives, but to the whole world of fashion. Much surprise has often been expressed that Lady Clementina never married, and why she did not, will, perhaps, now never be known. We are perfectly well acquainted with the fact that more than one coronet was refused. The Earl of M gave one of the most mag- nificent fetes at his suburban residence that was ever witnessed, and there again renewed an offer which Lady Clementina had previously refused. The noble Earl was in every respect a suitable match, even for a reigning belle, but he was a widower, and b'ad a family by his first marriage, and it was said that this circumstance alone caused the rejection. A young Earl, the heir to a duke- dom, was also, it is well known, an unsuccessful wooer, and the rejection of other perfectly eligible suitors only made the fact of Lady Clementina remaining single still more remarkable. Her elder sister, Lady Sarah, made a brilliant alliance for the family in marrying young Prince Esterhazy, but she went abroad and died some years ago. The marriage of her younger sister, Lady Adda, had not the sanction of the Earl and Comitess, and Lady Clementina was, therefore, the constant companion of her Uiptber, the Countess of Jersey, for some years in all her visits, and her loss will be most acutely felt by both her noble parents.-Court Journal.—We should, perhaps, hardly be justified in placing in our special obituary the name of a lady who has just died, but that such a name acquired a double distinction, and is known to the public. The Lady Clemeutina Villiers was so beautiful that art delighted itself in making presentment of her attrac- tions, and painting and engraving have given that sweel ftce a place in many an English home. Next, at the time when her charms were at the brightest, and it was matter of interest to note who was likely to be made happy as her husband, the entire gang of literary" vermin who published vulgar personalities, and worse, in order to earn their dirty bread, had not been extir- pated, though they were fast on their way to death and putridity. Some of these used to take occasional liberties with the name of the beautiful Lady Clementina (though scandal never breathed in connexion with it), and thus again the name became in some degree public. Perhaps, tu T T6 '■Y0 Jjrounds, we may be pardoned for noting here that Lady Clementina Villiers has died, at the early age ot thirty tour, having remained unmarried. Sit sib'i terra ltvis.Era LORD JOHN RUSSELL AND LITTLE POLLY Mr. Brown, M.P., ia presiding at a concert on Saturday evening, given in connexion with a Working Men's Association in Lancashire, told a story of a little girl ten years of age, who called at his house during the social science week, when Lord Brougham, Lord John Russell, and other distinguished personages were his guests. Polly —for that was the girl's name-asked to see Lord John Russell; and when she was shown into the room to his Lordship, in a modest but frank and winning manner, she told how she had a taste for music, and that she wished to be educated, but that her parents were poor, and could not afford to give her that kind of train- ing which would best develope her musical talent. Lord John was pleased with the child, and with the beauty of her singing—for she sang several songs before the great people -and ultimately Lady Russell declared that she would most willingly contribute towards the expense, if Mr. Brown would see that Polly" was suitably educated. The result was, that she was now at Black- burne House, roceiving as good an education as any gentleman's daughter in the land and they were glad to receive her there without fee or reward. The music- master reported most favourably of her great aptitude for music; and from the formation of her vocal organs, she bade fair to be a famous songstress. LITERARY NOTES. "The Lounger at the Clubs," for the Illustrated Times, is now written by Mr. G. A. SOlla —he who has been Twice round the Clock. '—Mr. Marchmont stated that he had gained as much as £1,200 in one year by literary labour; it is said it was by writing sermons for clergymen, To make the money he did he perhaps had a private lithographic press, or em- ployed a special printer, under pledge of secrecy, and must have had a large connexion amongst the clergy.- Mr. Russell the Times' correspondent, has given offence to the people of Calcutta by the manner in which he writes about them. ".Time, says one journal, 11 will show that he often writes about things that he is incom- petent to judge of."—The Morning Stir has doubled its size this week.—The three judges to award the Burns' prize at 'he Crystal Palace, have not yet been named. s Mr Thomas Carlyle was asked and has declined; he is too' busy with his Frederick."—Mr. Cyrus Redding, we (Athenaum) hear, has ready for the press a life of his old friend Campbell, the poet, 111 one volume.—The rumour (denied at the time) that Mr. Robert Chambers of Edinburgh, was the author of the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, is confirmed by the new British Museum catalogue. Messrs. Routledge & Co 'sfirm noW consists of Me^rs. Routledge, senior aud juniors, and Messrs. W. H. & F. Warued; and the designation is .RouHedge.Warnes & Routledge." The business of the late Mr. Hatchard will in future be carried on under the name of ^hards, by Mrg Hatchard .q partner_ ship with Mr. ^yloi, late principal assistant; and that of the late Mr. under the name of Edward Moxon & Co. -The promised "Feuilleton Chronique," by Nemo, has appeared in the Nord. Nothing in it is particularly remarkab e, except some allusions to Sir Wire, the new Lord Mayor, and Sir Don, the Baronet- aotor. Nf. de PCiie should write better than this.-The Kivg of Wuitemburg has sent to Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, the large g0|d mtdal for science and art" marked Dem Verdieneti." An intimation was at the same time given that his Majesty had intended to have < sent bim the order of « the Wurtemburg Crown," but he was informed that, as a British subject, Dr. Gray would not be allowed to receive or wear it.—Mr. lhomaa Cromplou. the extensive Lancashire paper maker a..d owner of literary property, died recently, and has left, it is said, between four aud five millions sterling almost entirely to his nephew, Mr, Rideout, who is appointed < his residuary legatee, fle has left » widow but no children. j THE EVENING SERVICES AT ST. PAUL'S.—On Sunday last, the third of the special services at St. Paul's took place in the spacious area under the dome. An announce- ment that Dr. Robert Bickersteth, Bishop of R'pon, who obtained great fame as a preacher during the time he held a London incumbency, would preach, contributed to increase the number of persons. There was a full choir of 500 voices, led by Mr. Martin, and the effect of the music generally-Jirected by Mr. John Goss, who pre- sided at the organ, was greater than on either of the previous occasions, all who took part having apparently become better acquainted with the acoustic capabilities of that vast and untried portion of the buiiding in which the special services are performed. Prayers were intoned by the Rev. J. 11. Co vard, M.A., Rector of St. Paul's, Cuief and Minor Canon, and the lessons were re'ld by Dr. Milman, the Dean. The Bishop of llipon then as- oendud the pulpit, and preached from the 3rd St. John's Gospel, verse 16—" God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten & on, that whosoever bL-lieveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." STRANGE ALARM.—A strange affair has occurred at Ternes. A druggist in the Avenue des Ternes went to the police station at the Barriere du Roule, and stated that a young woman with nothing on but her night dress was then in his garden, and would neither state why she was there nor go away. Two officers went and found the woman shivering with cold, and apparently in great terror. They took her into the house, procured gar- ments for her, and commenced an interrogatory. She stated that she was a cook in a family in the next house that in the dead of the night she had been awakened by an unusual noise in the house; that she had heard some one exclaim, "Bring a knife and kill him!" that, con- vinced that thieves and murderers were in the house, she leaped from the window of the first-floor on the wall between the houses, and thence into the garden. The police went to the house in question, and learned that, in fact, there had been some noise there in the night; and that the expression mentioned had been used but the explanation of the matter was this :-One of the occupiers ot the house possessed a goat which had been seized with indisposition, placing his life in danger, and the owner fearing that if left to die a natural death the animal would be of no value, he cried to his wife, "Bring a knife and kill him!" It was this expression which so dreadfully alarmed the young woman. THE COMET A DIPLOMATIC AGENT.—The Graham's Iowa Journal says :—" If we could only work upon the superstitious fears of our Kamr population for good, the appearance of the present luminary might prove politi- cally beneficial to the colony." MUSICAL AND URAMAIIC NOTES. — The Harrison- Pyne season at Drury-Liane terminated on Saturday. The following is an extract of the address circulated by the managers on the occasion :—Mr. B dfc's new opera, which was to have been one of our first productions, is already all but involving, as it does, an outlay of no ordi- nary extent, in scenery, machinery, dresses, and appoint- ments, the whole of which have been made expressly for it, we felt that greater justice could be done to it at Covent Garden, where we are now permanently esta- blished, than by producing it for a few nigh'.s at this establishm.-nt. It will, accordingly, be positively pro- duced on our opening night, in our new home. Of the other novelty that was announced (the opera of Rip Van Winkle," by Mr. George Bristowe, the American composer), we can only say, that it ii also ready, and will be produced at the earliest opportunity, that you, our patrons and supporters, will afford us. Though hitherto debarred, by the continued favour shown to works in our existing repertoire, from producing very many novelties (a state of things we are far, indeed, from regretting), we shall be always happy to receive new works from native composers, and have made our minds up to produce, at least, one Grand English Opera each season it being our ambition to furnish, in every sense ot the word, a permanent home for native talent. We shall, therefore, esteem it a favour if composers, who have operas ready, will send them for approval, promis- ing that they shall have the very best attention, and, if suitable, shall be presented with all care and complete- ness, and at the very earliest opportunity. We have little more to say, except to thank you, most sincerely. -Mr. Harrison and Miss Pyne open at Covent Garden, with Blife's new opera, Salavella, next Monday.—Her Majesty has secured a box for the season.—The per- formances of M. Remusat's French Opera Company are announced as about to commence on the 29th, at St. James's Theatre. The singers announced are Madame Faure, Mdlle. Celine Mathien, M.M. Fougere and Emon. -Rumour asserts that Miss Amy Sedgwick will probably succeed Mr. Charles Kean as the lessee of the Princess's Theatre. In the meanwhile it is understood that she will appear at the Hay market shortly after Curistmas, in a new comedy by Mr. J. Palgrave Simpson. IRISH ANTIQUITIES.—Last week, a curious bronze weapon of the ancient Irish was found below the soil on a farm at Carulea. It is in a good state of preservation, and is about five inches and a halttn length, including a 8 icket, evidently intended for a wooden shaft or handle, and piereed with rivet holes. It is about one inch broad in the blade, double edged, and tapering to a fine point- one side quite smooth, and the other ribbed in the centre. The weapon is curved towards the point-whether so formed, or the result of accident, we cannot say. Within the last few days, a silver coin, evidently English, of very great age, and weighing only seven grains and a half, was found at Skirry; and a Roman bronze coin, clipped, bearing a well-defined bust of Vespasian on one side, and marked with the letters C. S. on the reverse, was dug up near Glenravel. The above relics of antiquity are now in the possession of Mr. William Arthurs, Harryviile, Bally niena.-Bally)i;e)ia Observer. SUPPOSED MURDER.—On Monday afternoon, an ad- journed inquest was held at Waltham Holy-cross, before Mr. C. C. Lewis, the coroner, on the body of a young woman and infant unknown, which were discovered on Sunday morning, the 5ih inst., by a labourer named Samuel Willingale, in a pond by the side of the new road leading from Loughton. At the first inquiry before the coroner, it was ascertained that the woman had ar- rived at the Loughton station OR the previous Thursday in company with anol-ber woman, with whom she ap. peared, to be on intimate terms, by the train which left Fenchuroh-street station at four o'clock p.m. A labourer named William Parish, accompanied the woman in the same carriage, and in the course of tlie journey over- heard a poruon of the conversation of the parties, from which it appeared that the deceased, with her child, had S Vhiand was then about to seek its thwn «,hq ti n re 10 suPPort it. The supposition .• ,ia e unfortnnate woman in a fit of despera- t i°r t"t?1 eie infant and then committed suicide; le xntlulry 011 Monday, it became apparent that 1 .ie deceased had been murdered and afterwards irown into the water, probably to avoid suspicion. A 8urgeon, idr, J. Clegg, who had made a post mortem ex- amination of the bodies, stated that he found an external hruise 011 the left breast of the woman and another on the bend of the right arm, which he considered to have been occasioned after death. He also found another bruise on the forehead extending from the base of the nose upwards and outwards, about an inch and a half in length. On the removal of the scalp he found that the bruise was deep-seated and extended to the skull itself, the membranes of which he found, on further investiga- tion, deeply congested. On the posterior part, corres- ponding with the upper part of the occipital biuie, there was an effusion of blood the blood was in a fluid state, thus leading to the conclusion that the effusion occurred immediately preceding or at the time of death. Some other witnesses were examined, but their evidence did not give further elucidation of the occurrence, and the inquiry was again adjourned. BEARDS AND PLACE-HUNTERS.—A curious change of countenance, says a Washington (United Slates) letter nny be noticed this season among the multitude of office-seekers, who swarm here Lko bees, beleagu) iu-r the White House and infestiug the Departments. The pro- portion of bearded and moustached individuals is much less than last year. The reason is, as it is said, that the resident has expressed his diSgUst at hirsute faceg> He can hardly tolerate a beard, and cannot abide a moustache. Ihecouruers consequently begin to shave. n this judicious conformity to the imperial tastes, they tollow the historical precedents and traditions of their j ass. If I remember rightly, the practice of ghavi in Luiope originated in the desire to please a French mo- oarch, to whom nature had denied a beard. Having ( Decome the fashion, shaving Continued even after the se of its origin had disappeared. Pathetic stories are ifloat here of oftoe-seekers who have made heroic sacri- 1 iices of long-cherished beards and moustaches, in hopes jf melting the Presidential heart, and have found, when a Loo late, that even such immolation did not meet with its I reward, I I THE SADLEIR FRAUDS.—On Wednesday and Thurs- day in last week, the Court of Queen's Bench was occu- pied with a remarkable case arising out of the Sadleir frauds. Mr. Vincent Scully, formerly M.P. for Cork county, was the plaintiff, and Mr. Herbert Ingram, M.P. for Boston, the defendant. The charge was that Mr. Ingram misrepresented himself as a purchaser of the Castle Hyde estate, in Cork county, and by so lending himself to the frauds of John Sadleir, prejudiced the in- terests of Mr. Scullv. Mr. Scully's case was this Sadleir bought the Castle Hyde estate for Scully for j619,425, but entered himself as purchaser in trust for a Mr. Eyre, Scully's uncle, because it was thought a re- sale could be effected on better terws if it appeared that the property had been bought for an E iglishman. At this time Sadleir owed Scully J69000, and the latter wanted to get the money to pay for the estate. Sadleir then represented that he had iound a purchaser, Ingram,-at a profit of £ 600. By this scheme, Ingram would have had to pay the purchase-money, and the zC9000 debt would have stood over. Scully was next induced to stand for Cork he was elected, but, having no property in the county, he desired to recover the Castle Hyde estate. Unable to get any statement from Sadleir, lie went to see Ingra.11, aud, according to his own account, Ingram agreed at first to sell for £ 25,000, but afterwards raised his terms, as Mrs. Ingram had taken a fancy to the „ estate." Scully became disgusted and retired from the field, and had not spoken to Ingram since. In the mean- time Sadleir had mortgaged the estate twice over for very large sums. To convince Scuily that the estate was re- sold he sent him the profit £600, and Scully spent it in his election. The case on the other side was, that Ingram never bought or agreed to buy the estate; but he admitted that Sadleir gave him the option of buying it; and that in his own bouse lie had allowed Scully to draw up a memorandum of terms of sale from himself to Scully. In a letter addressed to "Mr. V. Scully, M.P. Mr. Ingram says distinctly that Mrs. Ingram was disin- clined to part with th? esiate before he saw it. Ingram admitted that he guaranted Sadleir's liabilities as a Di- rector of the Boston Railway, to secure his patronage of it and name, he being then a Lord of the Treasury;" that he was one of tell who became surety to Sadleir for £90,000 and that Sadleir promised him jgaOO for so doing. but only gave him JE300. He would not swear that he had not lent his acceptance for more than £20,000 altogether. After some consultation, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff; damages £300. V E';UVlUS.- \Y è read in a Naples letter that the sides of Vesuvius are cracking in all directions, and the o wer part of the cone is pierced "ith small craters in continual eruption. If this state of affairs continues, it is possible that the great cone, formed by an accumulation of l.va vomited forth by the volcano, may fill to pieces some night or other, and the result would be terrible, not to Naples, laying tranquilly at a respectable distance, but for Rusina and Portici, which are at the foot of the for- midable neighbour. It would be strange to see Vesu- vius aain overwhelm the towns which have been built on the rubbish which buried Herneum. PRIDK REBUKED.— ine Czir, desiring to recompense a great service rendered by a petty functionary, invited him and his wife a short time since to pass a few days at the pulaee of leterhoff. Ihe latter, iu order to appear of a rank she did not possess, pledged her husband's salary for three years to raise a sum to buy rich dresses; she was thus able to appear in a new toilet every morning and evening. The Empress, hearing what she had done, resolved to give her a lesson, and on the day of depar- ture said-" DJ ) ou know, madame, that you are greatly to he pitied for having such a bad dressmaker ? She evidently cannot make a dress to fit you, since you .are obliged to change so often." A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT.—A letter from Venice, Corrierc Mercantile of Genoa, relates the tbtiowiug :— On the night ol the 3rd a violent explosion was heard in the quarter of Sauta Croce. The commissary of police immediately proceeded to the house where it had taken place, and finding that the master was in the country caused the joor to be forced open, when the iragmeutaof a large bomb-sheil were found strewed about, but no in- dication of who had fired the projectile. The master of the house returning in the morning, he was arrested, but nothing was elicited to inculpate him. At length it turned out that the shell was one of those thrown iuto the town in 1849, and that the culprit was a poor car- penter who, having already made some money by selling fragments of shells picked up duriug the siege, had fired this shell with a long pole, in order to make it burst, and sell the pieces. He has been arrested on a charge of having endangered the safety of the quarter, where there are large warehouses of spirits and other inflammable matters. Crinoline catastrophes are now as frequent as railway accidents. The Memorial des Pyrenees mentions the case of a lady who set fire to her dress. The hoops kept the flounces at such an enormous diutance from he; person that her legs remained uninjured in the midst of flames; but when the fire reached her waist she felt herself horribly burnt. Several women, alarmed by her cries, approached but they themselves were all enveloped in yards upon yards of petticoats, and were unable to render any service. The victim in despair rushed to the kitchen, where she found a bucket of water, which she threw over herself so adroitly as to extinguish the flames. At first she fancied she was but slightly injured, but on undress- ing her it was found that she was frightfully burnt all over her body. She now ties in a state of dreadful suffering, and there is very im| 0f saving her life.

THE CHRISTMAS THElfKiCAL NOVELTIES. f°»? gossip is turnin8 chiefly now upon the subjects of the pantomimes, and from what is reported oncerning them tue public seems likely to be quite as we provided with mirth and magnificence as in former years. 13 At COVENT-GAUDEN the Pyne and Harrison manage- ment will produce a pantomime after the opera, entitled Little Red Riding Hood, written by Messrs. Bridgeman and Edwards, and employing the talents of Messrs. W. H. Payne, H. Payne, jun., Fiexmore, Barnes, &c., as pantoinimists and Messrs. Grieve, Telbin, and Cuthbert as the scenic artists; with Mr. Alfred Mellon as the airanger of the music. At DRURY-LANE the pantomime, which will be as usual by Air. E. L. Blanchard, is founded upon the legendary ballad of Robin Jlood and the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest. The principal pantoruimists are Mi- lano, lioleno, and Delavanti. The scenery has for a long time past engaged the attention of Mr William Beverley Dykwynkyn furnishes those remarkable gro- tesque embodiments tor which he is unrivalled; and Mr J. ii Tully composes and arranges the music The HAYMAUKET subject is based by Mr. Buckstone on a familiar German tradition, and the harlequinade Faniifv Th?! talents of the clover Leclerq 1 -n 'p hC SCfner>' wiU be by Mr Fenton. founded oTa^uU^L'r^r C^ow;luil,; clever corps if aUd Supp°"cd b>'ltS USUal M/if ^ChUM: produces a grand classical burlesque, by nn th entitled. Ihe Siege of Troy, and founded e old Homeric Record. Alr. Calicitt is the scenic ar 1st, and the extravaganza will be very strongly cast, ^nc uding Mrs. Keeley, Miss Louisa Keeley, Miss Talbot, Miss Rosina Wright, and all the principal members of the company. A comic pantomimic sketch by the Lauri Family will follow. The NEW ADELPHI will open on boxing night with an introductory sketch, by Messrs. Yates and Harrington^ serving as a vehicle for allusions to the occasion and pic- torial reminiscences of the associations of the old theatre a farce, in which Air. Wright will re-appear; and a pan- tomimeby Messrs. Mark Lemon andB.Webster.oftheold Adelphi school. The OLYMPIC will have a burlesque by M. H. J. Byron, founded on the poem of" Mazeppa," by his celebrated namesake, and in which Mr. liobson will sustain, of course, the hero. The STRAND Christmas piece is by Messrs. Halliday and Lawrence, and is a burlesque of the story of Kenil- worth. The pantomime at SADDLER'S WELLS unites in its story and title the piscatorial exploits of Old Isaac Walton with the local legend of The Seven Sisters *f Tottenham. The SURREY pantomime is contributed by Mr. C. J. .olhns andis connected with the associations of Old lather Ihames. The STANDAIID has secureti the Griinaldi of our day, IIr. Tom Matthews. At all the other theatres great pains and expenditure At j0111* on the Christmas pieces, and the mag- C °«. Preparations may lead us to anticipate pro- pionate results.Era.