Monmouthshire Merlin

CRICKET. ^EKTLEMEN v. PLAYER3 AT LORD'S. folT^°.committee of the M.C.C. have passed the t0 0wing resolution" That no gentleman ought fiel?aIie a Frofit by his services in the cricket Uk an<^ that for the future no cricketer who ■j)e es more than his expenses in any match shall j>J 9aalitied to play for the Gentlemen agaimt the tliffi rs at Lord'8' but tliat any gentleman feel Hjr.Culty in joining in the match without pecu- Y Assistance, he shall not be debarred from pe/ln8 as a gentleman by having his actual ex- obsees defrayed." This rule has been strictiv Of thV6<- tlle since the management ^nds ^naiaces the dub has been in its own

Sllt Wilfrid LAWSON AT AN IRISH g. TEMPERANCE MEETING. Lawson, M.P., addressed a largely 8hd meeting in Belfast on the 1st mst. in the °f the Permissive Bill. The speech o: °n* gentleman was preceded by a somewhat ^Ow°r^dinary scene. Mr. John Ilea, the well- Wt ec°entric Belfast solicitor, entered the Sted aa'n ,ad5ressin" the audience, loudly pro- | by i-v, a??'lutit the meeting being presided over ^?r' Preston. The audi- Jl0-] d received him kindly at first. ^eak'1^ an<^ groaned him, but he continued was thus engaged when the Mayor *Den lr "illi'id Lawson entered. Several gentle- cljjj G(<uested Mr. Rea to sit do^r-n, but he de- ij, to move until ordered to do eo by the ^e^0r- An exciting scene ensued, and the police Sent for, but before they arrived Mr. Nichol » One of tiie agents of the Irish Temperance seized Mr. Rea, and, assisted by some ^er gentiemen, dragged him out of the hall. Sir lj l^rid Lawson and other gentlemen then de- tj efed lengthy addresses, after which a resolu- «. 11 strongly supporting the Permissive Bill was 1I.8Be(t amid applause.

THE INCOME TAX. Th tj aenet amount assessed to income tax in the the- Kingdom in the financial year, ending on of April, 1877, is found to correspond very egfj v.ith the statement, which was partly an tjj 5Qate, on the 20th inland revenue report. In sci year new assessments were made under intA A and 13, and a new valuation list came 1:11 force for the metropolis, but there was a tin Iteration of the law by the exemp- 8t 11 of all incomes not exoeeding £ 150, in- of £ 100, whicn had been the limit di te 1^ £ >3, and by the abatement of the jj °y on £ 120 for incomes under £ 100 a year, in $""I Of the previous abatement of the dutv on £ 80 ^UC0IJies under £ 300- The returns show that 8che!? VGar ^ie net amount assessed under in respect of lands, tenements, etc., Overfc^'l|0iJ2,927, being an increase of £ 7,617,918 tes preceding year. Under schedule B, in OCCIIPation of lands, the amount Cr essed in 1870-77 was £ yt>,17t),472, being a de- of a,?e £ 1>0,590. Under schedule C, in respect ends aiaiiuities, &c., the amount was ^••^8,177, a decrease of £ 1,790,825. Under g^dule D, in respect of professions, trades, tjj Payments, railways, mines, ironworks, etc., ^rii°unt was £ 228,780,512, a decrease of as Bp Ca a_s £ 13,370,008- Under schedule E, in re- °t of public ofiices, the amount was £ 21,320,818, ^aseof £ 3,792,107. The total is £ 490,311,900, aaSg by £ 13,331,(172 than the net amount fjj SSe<i in the preceding financial year 1875-70. D V^niher of persons assessed under Schedule 1&7P ^c^ned from 003,200 in 1875-76 to 437,200 in ^le under schedule C is Partly to diminished payments on ao- Unt of dividends of foreign funds.

A ROYAL DEFENDANT. A ROYAL DEFENDANT. e curious trial now proceeding at Stockholm is ,je^jng gjeat attention in Sweden. Miss llclgu Brache, who alleges that she is the daughter bj. ing Gustave IV., Adolphe, of Sweden, has j,.°ught an action against King Oscar and the Office regarding the payment of an endow- Ver-11 Sranted to the plaintiii in 1861 by the Go- ^70*netlt' but which has been suppressed since t]j The counsel for the plaintiff, Blomquist, at ash sitting handed in a document in which he Fjs .^e court to order that King Oscar and the higCa- °e should, under pain of an execution, pay of ,c/leutthe sum of 27,081 crowns 88 ore on account these suppressed .payments. The defendants posed tlie demand on the ground that, in £ r anf tbe judgment of the Chief tadthmder, Miss de la jfraehe waa not the S,011 ^r6 herself to be, bat was ^ally a Miss Aurora Florontina Maguussen. In mof iTw, a9Sfrti°n ^he Plaintiffs counsel Sh°llld cal1 upon the do- tavvTv- t0^T!mt? Cn?Vt? letter from Gns- ^hiei AdolPhe;, t0 Charle? XIV., Johann, o Olehwaa among the papers left by Osoir T ^sides two reports under which jtfisa ^ache had obtained the endowment—mmPiv report of the Imperial Councillor von KnMi' I860, which was made upon tho Ptesa order of Charles XV., and in consequent Wbich an annuity of 1200 crowns had been grauted to Miss de la Brache since 1861, and a !eport of the Deputies Uhr and Mankell, made J1 1^68 to the then Minister for Foreign Affair?, h°Unt C. Wachtmeister, in consequence of w ich the annuity was increased to 2400 crowns. ing ^scar had, immediately upon taking the rei s of §°vernment into his hands, prohibited the pay- ment of this annuity. The Court, after a short liberation, refused the application, but came to decision upon the main question, adjourning hearing to another sitting, in a fortnight, in j ?r that the plaintiff should have an oppor- tunity to get further evidence on the matter.

Mr. Sydney French, who some years ago edited Ule Weekly Despatch, has died suddenly. JOHN CHINAMAN AS A COMPETITOR IN THE ENGLISH WH«»C? ^KKTS.—The day may yet be distant coa!mi^U C^naman shall be working in our own Hot v and factories or domesticated in Eng- ^«ny of my countrymen would welcome his introduction there is very sufficient evidence already. It has been calculated that, to °Enpfpnd0(i«r £ 1,5^aa the coat of bringing him yeafs?? t a labourer by contract, his five Con UbOUrr0id nply rePay his employer for want^r* f Would supply a growing be mLnv rff &h<mT However this may our countrymen ix, the colonies rely duct of their tn • 81?88l8et»°ce for the con- tort. wffiiT8? a i aV°r d°mestic com- be has st7on« i RQOi grounds ^.recommendation, ft 7^ tron? claims on our notice. Let ns liooe that his persistence in pushing Westward ho'may cite more welcome than apprehension. But let to extorThf^her and h?\Presumin^'°n^power err^i higher wag«s, by placing their °rs r born a of a dilemma, they g0 iust little too far, and induce a combination amone J^eir employers which may result in their work quietly taken out of their hands by the "Pple fingers and more easily contents mind of °°iiu Chinaman.—Frasefe Xagatint.

"••^■xrrvx OF A TOT A c..u:scn. A <-hort tune smce ?o^Ke remarks were mixw ,.v the press regarding the coi.vti:utiou of the To-.vr ")!I Council of Culro-s. one of tL•*> S'irline burghs, v.rM lie nicii -i tired iruo pr-.v;ite It". o G:<tsfi to -V has Lean assigned for tli«,;r rc*tiro- mei.'t, hot :i; c.i_:cre is onlv tho r.o-,rn clock, t' c bo-:t-s. and 'ii.n [."jliceiaavi to attend to, it is u< pe.h.'T! vo oe much regretted. There was uc lawyer i„ a'd rrob-iblv the ct;ui- misbiouers of the burgh con id not ;ore:-ee the complicalion that would ari:-? on t'i; :'ir tirup'e withdrawal from oPr.cc. A,; no nominations for the vacant sc-p,ts. it appears that the little town has now no alternative but to apply 1'V costly proefss to the Court o? Sessions for the ay pointment of special mari'agers c: their aiiaivs —a legal resort which has not occurivd in Scot- land for many years, if ever before.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT. A public meeting of corn merchants, millers, and others interested in the cornrtracie was held on Monday afternoon, in the London Corn Ex- change, for the purpose of considering the steps necessary to comply with the provisions of the Weights and Measures Act, 1378. A resolution was passed that grain of all kinds and the dry products thereof should be sold bv weight only. The following proposition was also carried after considerable That this meeting is of opinion that the cental o? one hundred imperial standard pounds, would be the convenient selling standard, and would be glad to see it be- come a legal denomination for general use." It was decided that a deputation should wait upon the Board of Trade to urge the views embodied in the foregoing resolutions.

THE NEW MATRIMONIAL ACT. Before the Lord Chief Justice and Mr. Justice Meilor, on Saturday, Mr. Harold Browne moved on behalf of Eobert Palmer for a rule calling upon four of the jus- tices of Cambridgeshire and Rebecca Palmer to show cause why an order made by them under the Matrimonial Clauses Act cf last session should not be quashed. By this Act the magis- trates were empowered, on proof of the wife's complaint, to inflict on the husband a fine and imprisonment for a common assauit; and also where the facts warrant it convict him of an ag- c gravated assault, and also order that the wife was no longer hound to cohabit with her husband, and that the latter should pay a weekly allowance for the wife's maintenance. His objection to the order was that the magistrates bad fined the hus- band for a common assault only, but had made the order under the clause of the Act for an aggra- vated assault. The Lord Chief Justice asked to see the conviction, and on reading it said the magistrates had convicted the husband of an aggravated assault, but they had only punished him for a common assault. There was no doubt abundant reasons for their having done so. The punishment might be inadequate, but the convic- tion was good. b The Lord Chief Justice asked: Do vou complain, Mr. Browne, that the gentle- man has had too little to lÎay: ^Xr. H. Browne: No, mv lord. For the gentleman has lost his wife. (LaLilgh-tier.) The Court refused the rule. I

THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER ON SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK. On Saturday, the anniversary was celebrated of the Kochdale Sunday School Teachers' Associa- tion, and the Bishop of Manchester preached at a special service held in the parish church. His Lordship remiudei the teachers at the outset of the solemn and responsible character of their office and of the duties they were attempting to discharge. The services of the teachers as a body were a most important adjunct to the work of the Church, and they had a recognised place amongst the ministrations of the 11 kingdom or God. Sunday schools were not in all cases satisfactory institutions, and it was by no means a matter of course that because a. Sunday school was largely attended and because there might hap- pen to be a large body of voluntary teachers en- gaged in its work it was reallv an instrument of the Church in building up young people in ways of godliness. Large Sunday schools were by no means easy organisations to manage or control. An evil spirit might easily creep into them, which was not always so easily cast out. Jealousies and heartburnings were sometimes caused by the II rival authority of the clergyman and superinten- dent, and although it was a difficult matter to co- ordinate a double authority of that kind, he I thought no clergyman should so far divest himself I of his responsibility in relation to his Sunday school as to devolve that responsibility upon I another. Let the teachers carry with them into the work a chastened temper of mind, and finally let them cultivate the power of realising con- tinually the presence of God in their working.— The Bhshop, speaking afterwards at a public meet- ing, said he was glad to learn that that association was prospering.

THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER ON THE DEPRESSION OF TRADE. Preaching on Sunday morning, at St. Peter's Church, Ashton-under-Lyne, the Bishop of Man- chaster alluded to the present depressed state of trade, and said the people of this country were now passing through a time of trial, and, it might ) be, a period of adversity; but he would ask them to conduct themselves as people who felt that not only were the issues of life and death in the hands of God, but that it was also He who gave them prosperity or adversity in their dealings. Let them ask themselves whether by their action in life they deserved that God should continue their wealth and prosperity. On Saturday he met a gentleman in Rochdale I who, speaking of the great depression in trade, said, I cannot sleep unless it isfromexhaustion. I I know many of my friends who cannot sleep, thev are in such a state of anxiety about the future." Men were in a state of uneasiness and did not know whether or not the wealth they had gained I would take wings and tiv away. Let him ask: Had the people of this country not been in too great a hurry to accumulate wealth ? They had not pursued the smooth way, and actcd on the princi- I ples which influenced their forefathers, but thev had hoped by some stroke of luck to obtain riches, and in some cases it appeared men had not been too scrupulous as to the means by which their I wealth was gathered. A sharp pang passed through his soul when he heard that gentleman talking about the state of affairs in such a sad and solemn way. After leaving that gentleman he proceeded along a quiet road, and reflecting on what had been stated, he was anxious to observe the appearance of the people at such a time. He supposed < he passed several public- houses, but at the very first he observed he heard two fiddlers playing, glasses clinking, and the sounds of merriment, and then ne thought of the old story in Roman history, of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning. He thought that when mills were being stopped, or were only running short time, and when a re- duction of wages was threatened, it was hardly a time to spend so much money upon amusements. and particularly on amusements of that kind. People had been living too fast and spending too much money upon things which were not of real value. Perhaps it was that extravagance was more noticeable among the working classes than among the richer classes, because it was more manifest there, but it appeared that all of them had been living too fast and spending too much money. ° I

Mr. Kenneth Macleay, R.S.A., died at Edinburgh on Sunday, at the age of 76. Mr. Macleay was tne last of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy, 'established in 1826. He was for a long period one of the visitors of the Life School, and likewise an auditor and trustee of the Academy. SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST A GENTLEMAN.—Last week, at the Tadcaster Police Court, a gentle- manly-looking man, who gave the name of Stapleton Archibald David Campbell Burgess, and who was said to be an army officer, was charged with demanding, by threats and menaces, certain money from Hy. Dickinson, farmer, of Hazlewood, near Leeds. The prisoner pleaded not guilty. It appeared from the evidence that a Mrs. Wilson, a married woman, who had pre- viously been acquainted with the prosecutor, had subsequently formed some connection with the prisoner, and the latter had written a threatening letter to the prosecutor, demanding certain monev which he alleged to be due to the lady. The letter read in court was of a very disgraceful character, and accused the prosecutor, who is a respectable farmer, of having been guilty of very immoral practices in Leeds. Mr. Bank, barrister, of Leeds, appeared for the prosecution; and the Bench, nft^r hearing the evidence, committed the prisoner to take bis trial at the present Leeds Assize*.

YVN: TWO MORE FAILURES IN GLASGOW. Two additional failures were announced in Glas- gow on Tuesday—namely, Maclean and Co., whole- sale stationers, and Wilson and Co., who carry on ri'iut works.

THE AFFAIRS F MESSRS. TAUCIIAN AXD NEWHA: At the London Bankruptcy Court, on Tuesday, this case was mentioned lo Mr. Registiar Povys, sitting as chief .judge, upon an application on" lie- half of the trustee against the Yorkshire Ranking Company to compel them to come in and nrove against the separate estate of Mr. Thomas Yanghan. The debtors, who were iron masters and iron founders, of London, Middlesbrough, and Bishop Auckland, failed on the nst August, 1876, fcr up- wards of £ 1,000,000 sterling. Mr. Harvey Linklater, on the part of the trus- tee, now applied to his Honour for an order call- ing upon the lorkshire Banking Company to come in and prove their debt against the separate estate of Mr.\ aughan within 1-1 days, or in default they should be excluded from participating in any of the estate. He stated that it would be in his Honour's recollection that the failure was a very heavy one, and by the exertion of Mr. Dods he was in hopes that the separate estate of Mr. Vaughan would pay at least 2s. in the pound.. The debtors had stated that the value of the property was much more than was sutlicient to pay the joint debt, and a large amount of security was held by creditors against those debts. The excuse that had been made by the Yorkshire Banking Company was, that the securities they held were not realis- able, and therefore they declined to come and prove, and the trustee now asked that an order should be made calling upon the bank to show cause why it should net do so. His Honour granted the motion, and directed the usual notice to be made.

THE AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1879. A meeting of the London Committee was held on Tuesday at the Bank of New South Wales, Old Broad street, London; Sir Daniel Cooper, Bart., in the chair. The regulations for British exhibi- tors were discussed and agreed to. It transpired that a very large number of important manufac- turing tirms exhibiting at Paris had already ap- plied ior space. The French Government, it was reported, had signified its approval of the exhibi- tion, and had appointed a special representative to watch the interests of French exhibitors, and, fur- ther, had intimated that probably a vessel of the French navy would be employed for the transport of exhibits ria Havre. Applications for spacefrom intending British exhibitors meanwhile received at the Offices of the Exhibition, 3, Castle street, Holborn, will be considered at the next meeting of the committee, which is fixed for Friday, the 15th instant.

REFUSING THE HOLY COMMUNION. The Bishop of Lichfield has given his opinion on the question of the recent refusal of the Holy Communion to Mr. Rayson, son of Mr. R. C. Ray- son, of 89, Cecil street, Greenheys, Manchester, by the Rev. T. E. Heygate, vicar of Sheen, near Ashbourne. It may be remembered that the sacrament was refused because early one morning young Ravson went out and pulled a string which hung from the window of a house in which one of the pupil teachers of the village school lived. This string was attached to the girl's foot, and so she was awakened and got up, and, with her mother's consent, she let the young man into the house, and he assisted her with her school lessons. The fun resulted from a challenge as to who could get up the earlier of the two, and the Vioar did not question the innocence of the affair, which he characterised as an act of impropriety." In his letter the Bishop says: 14 It does not appear to me that the case admits of any authoritative decision." His Lordship also says that he does not purpose taking any further steps in the matter, more especially as the press had been appealed to.

THE PRINCESS ALICE DISASTER. The Coroner's inquest regarding the Princess Alice disaster was resumed at Woolwich on Tues- day.—George Showell, master of a steam launch belonging to the Port of London Sanitary Autho- rity, said he had had twenty-two years' experience in navigating the river. He considered that the Bywell Castle, on seeing the Princess Alice, should have stopped her engines and steadied her helm. He should not have crossed the river and exposed the port side of the Princess Alico if he had been on board the steamer. It was usual for passenger vessels coming up to keep the south side, whereas the Princess Alice made for the north side.—Mr. James Ycung, steamboat captain, said he did not know any rules for navi- gating the river.—Captain Fitzgerald, R.N., re- called, pointed out the position of the Princess Alice when the collision occurred, and said she was just in midstream at the time.—Capt Harri- son was also further examined as to the position of the vessels.—The Coroner stated that he in- tended to call Mr. Scott Russell and Mr. Mare, as to the construction of the Princess Alice.—The inquest was then further adjourned until Mouday j next, when the Coroner will sum up.

SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTE ON CHARITABLE ENDOWMENTS. The Chancellor of the Exchequer was on Tues- day present at a conference at Exeter of Poor-law Guardians of the western counties. Mr. Mellcr's bill for the amendment of clause 23 of the Poor- law Amendment Act relating to friendly societies was discussed, and a resolution was passed in favour of it. A discussion followed on the injuri-tj ous effect of lax and indiscriminate administraton of eleemosynary endowments and their effect in fostering pauperism. The Chancellor of the Ex- chequer favoured the view that to get charities properly dispensed they ought to endeavour to ob- tain a better local administration. If local bodies could be really trusted, the Legislature and the county would be more disposed to diminish restric- tions which at present prevented their application in the best way. The Endowed Schools Act gave the commissioners power to divert some 0: these endowments to educational purposes, but he did not think they ought to be spent exclusively or mainly on educational purposes. When they lJttù a good local system and men who knew the wants of the people with whom they had to deal, and whose judgment might be trusted, it would be found that the question of endowments would solve itself.

FATAL GrN ACCIDENT.^—While a man named Green was larking on Tuesday with a gun in tho Greenley Arms, Lichneld; he aimed at a candle, but shot a man dead who was in the line of fire. Four hundred ironworkers are on strike from the Clyde ship building yards in consequence of a reduction in wages. The strike will throw work behind, and the result will probably be a large ad- ditional dismissal of men. THE LCNACY LAWS.—At a public meeting at St. James's Hall, London, on Tuesday, to urge the reform of lunacy laws, two letters were read from Mr. Gladstone stating that he had laid the case of Mrs. Weldon, who had called the meeting, before the Lunacy Commissioners, but that it did not appear that they were able to found upon it any suggestion for an amendment of the lunacy laws. THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.-At the Leeds County Court, on Monday, before Serjeant Tindal Atkinson, Judge, Wm. Tallent, butler at Crofton Hall, near Wakefield, sued Isaac Margerison, storekeeper, of Queen's place, Camp road, Leeds, to recover £18. 14s. lid., the value of certain furniture of the plaintiff's which the defendant bad wrongfully detained. Mr. Granger appeared for the plantiff. Some time back the plaintiff was paying his addresses to the defendant's daughter. The pair arranged to be married, and the plaintiff bought a quantity of furniture. With the permission of his intended wife and her father, I he had the goods sent to the latter's house, there to remain until the consummation of his hopes and plans. The marriage-day was drawing near, when an awkward hiatus gave rise to the present action. A coolness between the plaintiff and his I intended sprang up; eventually the engagement was terminated; and when the plaintiff asked that his new furniture should be given up, the de- fendant acted upon the adage that what is given in love cannot be recovered in law," and re- fused to restore the furniture. The plaintiff protested in vain, and now, in answer to his Honour, said that though he helped to remove the foods to the house, they were placed there in charge of his daughter, who alone was responsible. His Honour said the defendant was master of his own house and everything therein, and ordered that the floods be given up within a week, wit* costs.

DISASTROUS" FIHE"AT"MATNT^OTH COLLEGE. Alarming rumours that a disastrous 5re had destroyed the greater part of the Roman CatLo'ic College at Maynooth, about 15 miles from Dublin, caused the greatest excitement in that city on the 1st inst. At an early hour the fire was dis- covered to have broken out in the ccntral portion or the building, near the roof, and before any effort to control it qould be made, it had spread with great rapidity along the corridors. The whole of the St. Patrick's wing was quickly filled with smoke, and it was with difficulty that many of tl'e students escaped. Several were so stupefied that they had to be conveyed from their rooms, and got off with difficulty. One was iniured by molten lead falling from the roof, and several others only saved themselves by creeping through the corner windows and alongtlae loot at great risk. A line of students was immediately formed, and two small fire engines on the premises were I brought into play. Buckets of water were passed also along the line to the quarry and cast on the fire, but with little effect, and the authorities then telegraphed for the Dublin Fire Brigade. The Lord Mayor, and Captain Ingram, of the Brigade, immediately despatched Inspector Byrne, En- gineer Naddle, and eight men with a steam fire engine and hose. This force left by special train, anving at Maynooth before noon, when the engines were brought into play with two hoses from the quarry. The fire had by this time assumed alarming proportions, and the. total destruction of the college seemed imminent. The roofs and portions of the buildings had fallen in, and the quadrangles were filled with broken and half-burnt furniture, large heaps of valuable books, &c. The smoke and flames were seen at a distance of 15 miles. By four o'clock in the evening the flames were got under, and it was reported by telegram to the Lord Mayor that the principal part of the building was Bafe, although the west wing was destroyed. The portions consumed are St. Mary's wing, from the south-west corner to the fireproof wall of the library, and St. Patrick's wing, from the south-west corner to the central Ctico. The library was saved, though many ks were injured. The burnt portion of the college presents a picture of utter ruin. Much I valuable property has been destroyed, and all the effects of the students residing in the quarter have been consumed. A man named Meade was almost killed by the fall of a ceiling, and three I Dublin firemen were seriously injured. It is stated that the college buildings are largely in- sured in the Sun Office. The fire is supposed to have been caused by the overheating of a boiler for conveying hot air to parts of the central build- ing. The Dublin Evening Telegraph suggested that the Catholics of Ireland should come forward and express their sympathy in some tangible way. Later particulars of the fire state that a cobtly altar and pulpit were saved from the flames. The i oratory in which they were has been completely t demolished. There were four hundred students in the house at the time, and nearly all the rooms have been injured. They will be transferred tc I the other colleges. The wings destroyed were one a hundred and fifty yards in length, and con- tained six stories; and the other one hundred yards in length, and of the same height. This portion of the building was erect-ed in 1848, when the Peel Administration gave a final endowment of £ 26,000 a year, to which was added LSO,000 foi building purposes. The damage done at Maynooth College is esti- mated at £ 10.000, and a public subscription tc repair the building is already spoken of. Many of the books are much injured, but on the whole the library had a wonderful escape, this being due to tho great Keal and activity of the students in removing it from the burning wing. The Dublin fire engine returned to the city on Saturday evening, when the small college eugine was still at work upon the heated walls. The iron rafters and hot water pipes twisted in such a manner as to show how fierce the fire must have been. Seventy yards of the went wing have been destroyed. On Sunday a number of persons visited Maynooth from Dublin to see the damage dOlêe, and fouud the usual business of the college pio- ceeding, the burned out students being lod.,CLi in the iniii mary portion of the edifice. [VBOM THE DAILY NEWS." The fire at Maynooth went near to causing the entire destruction of a building which, if it could not pretend to be a stately architectural mon u- ment, can at least lay claim to a certain historical interest. It lu:" a library of considerable value, and some manuscripts the loss of which would have been irreparable; but the exertions of the students seem to have saved the books, papers, and pictures from destruction. Maynooth was an in- stitution founded by the Parliament in College Green. That Parliament was not inclined to bo particularly generous to Romau Catholic priests and ecclesiastical students; but it established the college because of a conviction that priests educated at home would be less dangerous fellow-citizens than if they had had their edu- cation abroad. The principles tof the French Revolution were then in full flight, and it was feared that for a long time Franco would be the teacher only of infidelity, Republicanism, and the rights of man generally. The Irish Parliament itself was disestablished a. few years after it had founded Maynooth, and England took over the responsibility of doing something for the institution. At oue time the very name oi Maynooth used to bring disturbance and confu- sion into English parties and political life. The English Government found that the college wa- in an almost dilapidated condition for lack of funds, and therefore undertook to make a small grant greater, in a belief, like that of the Irish Parliament, that it would be better for the country generally to have the priests educated at home than abroad. It was when defending his support of the increased grant that Macaulay em- ployed the famous phrase, which not unnatuiallv gave much offence, "the bray of Exeter Hall." More recently Maynooth came to be associated in tho minds of politicians with the late Mr. Spojner, all annual debate in Parliament, and a nearly empty House of Commons. Mr. Gladstone's Irish Church Act put an end to the grant, and gave tne college a large capital sum in commutation. Since then Maynooth has been little heard of in ling land until the accident which threatened the de- struction of the building.

EDISON'S MEGAPHONE FOR THE DEAF. — Mr. Edison writes in a letter published in the British Aleclical Journal, addressed from the Laboratory. Menlo Park:—" I have now two assistants en- gaged at my laboratory in experimenting upon an Menlo Park:—" I have now two assistants en- gaged at my laboratory in experimenting upon an apparatus for the benefit of the deaf. The results so far have been quite satisfactory, audi hope soon to havo a practical apparatus for intro- duction to the public. The only drawback as yet is the large size of the apparatus. I cannot at present say what the cost will be." LAROE CAPE DIAMONDS. — Diamond digging at 19 the Dutoitspan fields has been unusually success- ful of late, and, besides several beautiful stones of 50 carats each, a large diamond, weighing 244 carats, was recently picked up on a claim belong- ing to a Captain Jones. The "water" ofthe stone is not of the first quality, being of a light 44 off-colour," but the gem is free from flaw, and will cut very full. This is the second largest diamond ever found in South Africa, the 44 Spalding" diamond, found in the river diggings | some years ago, and weighing 2881 carats, beim: ¡ the largest. SUOCKINU OCCURRENCE AT A CHAPEL.—A new Wesleyan chapel is now in the course of erection in Broad street, Ludlow, and a number of workmen I were last week on a scaffolding, nearW 30 feet high, removing blocks of stone, some 2 cwt". in weight, when, without any warning, the scaffolding came down with the stone upon it with a great crash. One man was killed and another injured, but not seriously. The remainder of the men had a miraculous escape by hanging on the walls and sides of the building. THE DUKE OF ARGYLL ON THE EASTERN QUES- TION.—It is understood that the Duke of Argyll has written a work on the Eastern question, deal- ing exhaustively with the whole matter, and that after critically examining the policy by which it has been guided throughout he brings a serious indictment against the present Government. The work, which will be published in a few days, will I be entitled, a "Diplomatic History of the East- ern Question, from the Treaty of Paris to the Treaty of Berlin." I Loss or A SAILING VESSEL.—-tThe Press Associa- tion has received from the Marine Department of the Board of Trade the official rpport respecting the loss of the sailing vessel Charlotte Helen ci Barrow, through collision with the steamer Ramble of Glasgow, on Aug. 22nd, off Cape. Finisterre. Three out of a crew of fi ve bauds went down with the Charlotte Helen. Tho ourt returns the certificate of the master of the Ramble, but orders the suspension for five months of the certificate of the mate, Hufh Brabender. A Miss Stewart, oi lit. iiton. Ontario. :c covered 700 dollars damtice:, from a lover, who forsook her after an engagement or SO- year- A little over half a dollar a ^ronth. which is ei.e courting, as lis always too^i tea and supper v.a her. At the Guililfori Tcroygh Police r'^urt. on T'I; dav morning, Sarah Ami h'nm'ton. the head mistress of a lou.ct o h pleaaec gr.ihy vo stealing a tin cf preserve-?. :rie :t fr; m s.:op of Mr. Shillinjj-'OT'd, g: ocer. oi Girdd'ord. che v. as sentenced to one month's ..a; a labour. The Swiss cantons next to Gc-rmanv cemmr.:n that they are overrun w th •.■agal'onds from that country, masterless men seeking work, and Socialist refugees, most of whom, being un- furnished with papers and w-thont visibje means of subsistence, are conducted back to the frontier by the cantonal police. A French bootbiuder living at Rouen recently visited the Paris Exhibition, his expenses bs ing paid out of the Lottery Fund. On his return he was expected to write a r,, port of what be had seen, but his literary burden iav so heavily upon his mind that he lost iiii. appetite, grew morose and sullen, and eventually drowned himself in the Seine. At a meeting of landowners and ethers, held at Addinghamon Satui day, a committee was ap- pointed to wait upon the directors of the Midland and North-Eastern Railway Companies, and urge them jointly to undertake the construction of a line from Ilklev to Skipton. The proposed line would be about 10 miles in length, and pass near to Bolton Abbey. Up to Saturday evening, notwithstanding every effort on the part of the police, the murderer of Sergeant Sewell, at Warrington, In d not been t arrested. He is described as being about 30 years of age, 5ft. Sin. high, dark complexion and whiskers, and at the time of the murder had on a brown overcoat reaching to his knees, a sealskin cap, and a large pnir of clogs. When the officer stopped the assa-siu in the street a passer-by, named James Hodson, heard him say he had come from Liverpool. The murderer was pursued for some distance, and was last seen running down an entry. A man has been arrested at Bootle on suspicion, and the whole of the police in the dis- trict are on the alert. A HEAVY SCHOOL BOARD RATE.—At the meeting of the Wolverhampton SCIKIOI Board last week Mr. Hawksford, the chairman of the Finance Committee, reported that the board's liabilities were increasing fast. The sum of £ r.00r> would be required to wipe off the past year's debts, which was equal to a rate of t'à. in the pound. He sa:d that was "so outrageous and enormous that it was absolutely necessary that the board should begin to practise economy. He opposed the creat- ing of new expeases, and urged that the head teachers of the board schools were paid far toe highly. This announcement took the board by surprise, and the question of expenditure is to be considered by a committee. A MAD DOG IN A SUNDAY SCHooL-On Sunday morning, about eleven o'clock, a panic was caused in the Independent Methodist Sunday School, King street, Oldham, through a mad dog rushing into the place amongst the scholars. The animal rushed about the room, but luckily a number of the teachers succeeded in chasing it into the vestry before it had bitten ai, one, although it attacked several but was beaten off. Having got it into the vestry the door was closed, and the alarm getting abroad a member of the 31st L.R.V. coaps shortly afterwards appeared on the scene, armed with a loaded rifh. The dog was soon despatched, but not before it had made the mcst desperate attempts to escape, biting everything that opposed its egress. Whilst in the street the animal attacked and bit seven or eight dogs and a cat. DEFYING THE LAW.—On Saturday, at the Pres- ton county petty sessions, Ephraim Ash, a wheel- wright, was summoned by Mr. Turner, relieving officer, for not contributing to the maintenance of his wife, now in Fulwood Workhouse. Mr. Turner stated that the defendant had three grown-up sons working for him, and had been doing a good business for 20 years. He applied for an order for 3s. Gd. a week. Defendant said his wife had a good home to go to if she liked; two of his daughteis had offered her a home. The Bench granted the order. Defendant (to the Bench): All right: t' law can't mal-imepay; you may mak t' order; I shan't pay." Mr. Turner: "We'll see about that." Defendant: 41 You'll find your mistake out; I shan't pay nowt." (To Mr. Benson, magistrate): "Thacanmak t' order if tha likes." SUICIDE OF A FORESTERS' SECRETARY—On Satur- day, Superintendent Newnham, of the Eastbourne police, received information that the body of a man found on the beach in front of the Grand Parade at Eastbourne was that of Edward John Bonney, the secretary of a Court of Foresters held at Devonport. From inquiries made, it se-ems that the deceased was much trusted by those who knew him, but that he had lately got into arrears with his accounts, which, on investi- gation, showed very serious defalcations. On the 22nd of October he absconded from Devonport, and nothing more was heard of him until his body was found on the beach. From inquiries insti- tuted, there seems no reason to doubt that the deceased man, finding himself unable to meet the deficit in his accounts, absconded from Devonport and drowned himself in the sea to avoid arrest. THE ELECTRIC LIGHT AT WOOLWICH.—The trial of the electric light in the Roysl Arsenal has en- oouraged the authorities to fix a second lamp in the same workshop as the first, which is that used by the carpenters in the laboratory department. The supply of electricity to the two lamps is pro- vided by separate machines attached to the shaft- í ing, by which the lathes in the main factory are i driven, and the light thus furnished is ample for I the illumination of the whole workship, which is about 100 feet in length by 50 wide. A similar experiment is to be made in the Royal Carriage Department at Woolwich. A large and lofty shed known as the mounting ground, which at pres; nt is very badly lighted with 150 gas jets, is to be furnished with two electric lights, but the area. being much larger than that that of ihe laboratory workshop, it is questionable whether these will be sufficient. If not, a third lamp will probably be added. ELOPEMEXT FROM SELSTON.—A short time ago, no little excitement was caused in Selston by the rapid circulation of a rumour that the wife oi John Gill, a licensed victualler, living at that place, had eloped with a married man named Mural all, taking with them a number of boxes containing clothing, jars of preserves, decanters, a quantity of champagne and other wines, several siiver forks, spoons, Ac., the property of the dis- consolate husband. The two runaways departed on the 28th of August, but Gill's faithless spouse seems to have repented, for she soon afterwards returned to Selston and pleaded with herhusl and for condonation, leaving the boxes and other articles behind her. The husband, however, refused to receive her, and the police were put upon the track of Marshall, who, after wandering from one town to another, was apprehend, d last week at Liverpool, and on being taken before Colonel Coke, J.P., on Saturday, was re- manded until the Mansfield Petty Sessions. SHOCKING DEATH OF A BOY.—Mr. W. J. Harris, coroner for Kent, has held an inquest at Old Brompton, Chatham, on the body of Frederick James Day, a boy aged eleven years, who met his death under the following circumstances:—On I the 31st ultimo the deceased, his two brothers, their mother, and a boy, were at Day's house. They were about having tea, when a younger brother of the deceased took some sugar. The de- ceased struck him, and the two boys had a quarrel. The mother several times told them to be quiet, but without effect. She lost her temper at this, and said, Stop it, will yon ? at the same time throw- ing a table-knife, which she was using to cut bread, I at Frederick. The knife stuck the boy in the left j temple, inflicting a serious wound. After throw- ing the knife the mother went into the shop to } serve a customer, and on returning deceased's brother said, Look what you have done, mother," when she replied, 411 did not mean to do that, but that's what you get by quarrelling." Strapping plaister was applied, but no medical man was called in. However, the deceased got worse, went to bed, and died within two hours of the wound being inflicted. The knife not only went right through the skull, but also the mem- branes of the brain, and a piece of bone was broken away by the force of the blow. The coroner told the jury that upon the evidence they would be perfectly justified in returning a verdict of wilful murder against the mother; but they could also give a verdict for the minor offence.— The jury unanimously returned a verdict of 41 Manslaughter," and the accused was committed to take her trial at the next Kent Assizes, bail being accepted for her appearance. The Truro Cathedral Fund amounts to £ 27,000. Glasgow is abort to have an industrial exhibi- tion. A ro -pel car den is the latest New York religious novelty. it is pro;-cred. to have a new park for North- vrr tcLonaon. Maida vale. I or "on. is to be turned into 3- handsome boulevard. Mcime. Thiers and Halle. Posse have rcturnci to Paris from England. Gold in paying quantities Las been found oa Battle River, Manitoba. The Margate Town Council are talking of bur- ing the local water works. Mr. S. A. Sadler's election expenses at Middles- brough were :t:1:28G. 15s. Cd. I Earl Winterton's Besthorpe manorial estate has been sold in lots for nearly £ 50,000. Socialist societies have been prohibited at Leipsic, Stuttgart. and Brunswick. Half a million salmon eggs have been shipped by steamer from New York for Europe. Mr. Robert Cushing has modelled a colossal bust of Thomas Moore for Brooklyn. Mr. Tenniel has not left Punch. He is only taking a holiday—the first for 27 years. The North Wa'es Miners' Permanent Relief Society has already enrolled 4200 members. Efforts are being made to raise assistance for Mr. J. B. Buckstone, who is in great distress. Six and a half million oranges are sold in Paria every year between the 15th and 31st of Decem- ber. The last census taken in Austria revealed the fact there were 183 men and 229 women above the age of 100 years in that country. A man, named Wm. Taylor, was on Monday, at Wick, fined £ -100, for being in possession of as illicit still. He is, however, a pauper. Five of the Communists in New Caledonia have received free pardons on account of their exertions in suppressing the Canaque rising. The Ge-man Go-ernment propose to raise the duty upon wine and hides, and introduce new duties upon corn and a variety of other articles. A Liverpool policeman, named William Ker- mode, was lined £ 5 and cests on Saturday for assaulting a street passenger without provocation. Emigration from Canada to Manitoba is on the increase. The boats are overcrowded on every tup with the best class of settlers that have gone in this season. Mr. C. M. Campbell, M.P. for North Stafford- shire, has been shot while out shooting with friends at his seat near Ashbourne, but his in- juries are not serious. The statement that Fraulein Margarette von. Rothschild Las expressed her intention to embrace Catholicism previous to her marriage with the Due de Guiche is unfounded. Lord Aberdeen has withdrawn from the contest for the Lord Rectorship of Aberdeen University, and the contest will lie between Lord Roseberv and Mr. Cross, the Home Secretary. No fewer than a million living creatures are on an average sent through the German post-office every year, the majority of the packages contain- ing canary and other birds and bees. The American papers announce the detlth of Bishop Eosencrans, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Columbus, and brother of General Rosencrans. He was appointed to the bishopric in 1868. Mrs. Dickinson, widow of the late Mr. S. S. Dickinson. county chairman of Gloucestershire, has been appointed a member of the Painswick School Board, in the place of her late husband. The death is announced of Karl August Schwerdegcbert, the once celebrated copper plate engraver. He was bora in 1795, and was one of the last of the celebrities of Weimar's classical time. The Duke of Cambridge visited Aldershot on Monday, and witnessed the Infantry battalions perform a new system of field firing with ball ammunition. The practice was considered satis- factory. Professor Huxley delivered the first of a series of science lectures for the people in the Free Trade Hail. Manchester, on Saturday night, the subject being Harvey and his discovery of the circulation of the blood. Since the commencement of the current year about fifty new School Boards have been set up, making a total of 1\100 now in operation in Eng- land and Wales. These cover a population of nearly 14,000,000. Mr. Hobson, postmaster, Glasgow, lecturing on Monday on the Postal Telegraph Service, said the ordinary number of messages passing through the Glasgow Office was about 10,0o0 daily; on the 2nd of October it was 16,000. The last of the sufferers by the railwav colli- sion at Sittingbourne, Mr. Horton, of Rugeley, Mrs. Warden, his companion, and Frederick Mid- dleton, his valet, were able to leave Sittingbourna on Monday by train for Rugeley. At the next anniversary of Shakespeare's birth- day there will be an inaugural festival at the poet's memorial at Stratford-on-Avon. It will last ten days, and will include performances of Shakespeare's best plays, concerts, &-c. DEATH IN THE FOOTBALL FIELD.—A young man, named James Hunt, assistant master at the Port way House School, Bath, was playing foot- ball on Saturday, when he was suddenly seized with a fainting fit, and died in a few minutes. The Xorajt? Vremja learns that new discoveries of gold have been made in Siberia and another Russian paper announces the finding of an ingot of gold, weighing 1171b.. the largest ever dis- covered in Russia, and probably in the world, on the banks of the Upper Tongouska. On Saturday night, Mr. W. Macdonald, a gen- t'eman living at Sunderland, dronped down dead en the platform of the Midland "Railway station rt Leicester. He hurried up to the station to see his daughters off by a train, and was walking with his wife, when he suddenly fell forward on his forehead, and when lifted up was found to be dead. Fox HUNTING IN LEicE?TEBsniEr.—On Monday morning, tbe opening meet of the Atherston'e Hounds, a celebrated pack, under the mastership of Captain Oakeley, took place at ISosworth Park, Leicestershire, a brilliant assemblage of nobility and gentry being present. The hounds were in splendid condition, and a large number of spec- tators attended. Two men named Frost and Smith were found guilty at Chelmsford, on Saturday, of breaking into the premises of a watchmaker at Colchester, and stealing some fGOO worth of jewellery. They were cleverly captured by the police in London, through movements with a black bag which con- tained the booty having excited suspicion. Frost, an old offender, was sentenced to 15 years' penal servitude, and Smith to 12 years. OBSTRUCTING THE THOROUGHFARE AT MANSFIELD. Two men, named john Gayin and James Bn-an, both from Manchester, were taken before Colonel Coke, J.P., on Saturday, and fined 10s. each for obstructing the thoroughfare, at Mansfield on the 1st mst., at the statutes, by placing stalls on the highway for vending their wares.-A costely and practical joke was perpetrated at the statutes the same day. A certain police-officer wes despatched in plain clothes to detect, if pos- sible, the light-fingered fraternity, who were faIrly represented. While thus engaged some one kindly lightened the police-officer's wife's pocket of k5. Joke though it has been termed, it is a serious loss to the officer. RIOT, IN A MUSIC HALL.—On the 1st inst., the complimentary benefit of Mr. J. H. Milburn, the comic vocalist, took pace at the Victoria Music Hall, Grimsby, the place being crowded. After the other artistes had sustained their various parts, Milburn made his appearance, and in the course of his second song made some jocular allusions to a seal that was in a tank on the stage belonging to Mr. Hoffman, the proprietor of the hall. The proprietor, considering them rather offensive, at once dropped the curtain upon the singer. Great disorder followed, intensified bv a few words addressed to the audience by Milburn Heavy stools and bottles were thrown from all parts of the hall at the seal: the tank was smashed, and the valuable chandeliers and glass mirrors broken and a handsome fountain at one end of the hall was completely wrecked Tha proprietor also sustained some in-ulaage.