Monmouthshire Merlin

EARTHQUAKE IN IRELAND. On Saturday severe shocks of earthquake, followed by a loud rumbling noise, were felt at two places near Mallow, in Cork county. It is stated that houses were much shaken, furniture was broken, and the oc- cupants of the houses were greatly terrified. At the time the shocks were felt it was blowing a hurricane. A despatch states that, although the effects of the ex- traordinary phenomenon were not felt in the imme- diate vicinity of Cork, the alarm created by the in- telligence which reached that city on Saturday after- noon was intense. The first shock was felt at a place called Newtown, within a few miles of Mallow. Some gentlemen who were hunting near the place at the time have confirmed the report. They state that the shock was followed by a load rumbling noise and an oscillation of the earth. In other places between Mallow and Ranturk, a distinct shock of earthquake was also felt. Houses were shaken from their foun- dations, and in some instances the furniture was thrown down and broken. The shock passed from north to south. Reports from other quarters confirm the above particulars.

SERIOUS RAILWAY COLLISION On Saturday night, a serious collision occurred at Kortbenden Junction, on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Section of the Great Northern Line between a passenger train from Stockport and a goods train from Warrington. The lines at this point cross each other, and it is stated that the high wind which had prevailed during the evening had extinguished the signal lights. Neither train is timed to stop be- tween the places of arrival and departure, and at the moment of collision each was going at full speed. The engine of the passenger train struck the middle of the goods train with terrific force, shattering to pieces several of the waggons, which were laden with palm oil and cotton, and the engine and some of the wag- gons were precipitated over the embankment. Eleven of the more seriously injuriel of the passengers were oonveyed to the residence of Sir E. W. Watkins, M.P. near the scene of the disaster. The driver, James Sharp, and the guard, Samuel White, were ba lly hurt; they were conveyed to the Liverpool Infirmary on Sunday morning. It is feared that the injuries sustained by the guard will terminate fatally.

Her Majesty has sent to Mrs. William Roy, New- street, Dairy, Scotland, the sum of RS in considera- tion of her having been recently confined of three children at a birth. President Haven strongly advises the admission as students, into the Michigan University, of women on the same conditions as men. He likewise contends that, in the medical department, the professors should be chosen for their scientific acquirements, irrespec- tive of whether they are allopathic or homoeopathic. SERIOUS COLLISION IN THE MERSEY.-On Satur- day a collision of a very serious character occured in the Mersey. The steamers Trojan and the Demetrius, on coming up the river, the one from Patras and the other from Alexandria, collided. The Demetrius ttruck the Trojan on the foreward port bow, knock- ing in all the bulkhead compartments and flooding the ship. Steam was at once generated, and at about six: o' clock a.m. the Demetrius was moored alongside the Princess' Dock Gut, with her head down and stem high above water. The Trojan was cut amidships, and the pilot in charge was compelled to beach her at Sea comce, where she now lies. The cause of the collision is attributed to the thick fog which prevailed on Satur- day morning on the Mersey, but no doubt a judicial in- vestigation will clear up the matter. A SINGULAR APPLICATION.—A lady, apparently about 30 years of age, entered the witness-bo-: at Marylebone Police Court, on Saturday, and, address- ing Mr. Mansfield, said I have come to ask yon to grant a summons against a hairdresser in the neigh- bourhood of Camden Town for cutting off my hair. I went to his shop last week to have my hair dressed, and on my return home my servant discovered that a portion of the hair on the right side had been cut off. On Wednesday last I went to the shop again, and had my hair dressed by the assistant. Yesterday, when my servant came to do my hair, she found a piece had been cut off the other side. Mr. Mansfield said It is the most extraordinary application I ever heard. If you think you have sustained any injury or loss you had better go to the County Court.—Ap- plicant No—it is stealing. You see, sir, these hair- dressers take a piece of hair off one lady's head, and a piece off another, and these they make up into curls and sell them. (Laughter.)—Mr. Mansneld Go to the County Court, and take out a plaint against either the master or assistant, laving your damages at say £ 10.—Applicant retired. DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN AT DRIFFIELD.— On Saturday an inquest was held at Driffield, on the body of Ann Scaife, who had died on the previous day. The deceased was the widow of the late John Scaife, of Driffield, well sinker, who was killed in a shocking manner about 40 years ago. He was sinking a well at Weaverthorpe, and had laid a train to blast the rock at the bottom of the well. The explosion did not take place as soon as he expected, and he was proceeding to the bottom of the well to see what was the matter, when the charge went off and blew his body into fragments. The deceased was reputed to be the oldest inhabitant in Driffield, and was said to be over 100 years of age, and that number was on her coffin, but it was said at the inquest that she was only in her 98th year. She was a hale and robust woman and was a native of Stalybridge, and about the beginding of the present century was engaged as cook at Scarborough, and afterwards went to the Red Lion Hotel, at Driffield, in the same capacity, from whence she was married. She was strong and square built, and had the appearance oi a native of the Shetland Islands. To the last she went abont with activity. She lived in a small tenement by her- self but had relief from the Union. On Friday morn- ing she was observed by a neighbour standing at her door asking for the person who looked after her, and partly turned round and fell backwards. She was taken up and laid on her bed, when she exclaimed the Lord have mercy on me." She died about nine o'clock the same evening. Mr. Scotchburn, surgeon, attributed her death to the shock the system had re- eeived from the fall. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from the injury sustained bv the fall." ADDRESS OF THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHE- QUER.-The Chancellor of the Exchequer has issued his address to his constituents, soliciting re-election. The right hon. gentleman observes :Since the last occasion of my addressing you, the question of how to deal with the ecclesiastical settlement of Ire- land has assumed a prominent importance. The pro- position which has been made to disestablish and dis- endow the Church in that part of the united kingdom appears tome to be a rash and violent expedient, uu- ^vjust to the members of that communion, and not likely ,to be accepted as a final settlement by the Roman Catholic population of that country. I am strongly opposed to such a solution of the difficulty. To leave any part of the kingdom without any provision for the maintenance of public worship would be, to my mind, a grave dereliction of duty on the part of the State, and a proclamation of its indifference to the religious interests of the people. I see in the pro-. posal a step towards the entire disruption of the con- nection between Church and State, which I consider an essential part of the constitution of the kingdom. Since my entrance upon public life in 1852 I have always declared my willingness to entertain the ques- tion of an extension of the franchise, and I trust that the measures for the amendment of the representa- tion of the people in Parliament which have passed under the auspices of the present Government will be considered by all moderate men as both liberal and sound, and calculated to prevent further agita- tion upon the subject. I shall be much disappointed if the corruption which has so long degraded the ex- ercise of the franchise in many of our boroughs is not considerably diminished by the operation of the act passed in the last session with that object. The de- pression of trade, and the want of confidence which has been for some time felt in commercial enterprise have made the administration of the finances of the country a task of more than usual anxiety. I feel assured, however, that the darkest hour has already passed away, and that we may now look forward to the future with confidence and hope. It has been the endeavour of Her Majesty's Government to keep down the expenditure of the country to the lowest limit compatible with the efficiency of the public ser- vice, and such endeavours will be persevered in. To squander public money upon objects of secondary im- portance is, in my opinion, much to be reprehended while, on the other hand, to decline the responsibi lity of sanctioning expenditure proved to be neces- ] sary for the highest purposes of State is to exhibit a J moral cowardice deserving of grave reprobation. J -•■ Since my accession to my present office I have devo- j ted much of my time to a scheme for placing in the hands of _the_ Postmaster General the telegraphic communication of the country, which will, I am per- suaded. be of enduring advantage to the community."

LOSS OF A VESSEL AND SIXTEEN LIVES. News has been received of the total wreck off the Land's End of one of Her Majesty's vessels, with the loss of idxteen of those on board. The Devon, a lighter which fur some years has been constantly engaged in the conveyance of stores between the various govern- ment dockyards, left Devonport on Wednesday with stores for Pembroke and Oueenstown. She put in at Falmouth, and left for Pembroke on Thursday even- ing, having on board a general cargo of dock stores and a few She passed the Longshins Lighthouse, Land's End, at one o'clock on Friday moraine, the wind being fresh from the north-weqt, the night dark, with occasional squalls of rain. The captain, Mr. Helson, then gave the course N.N.E., which was followed, when very suddenly, at fourteen minutes after two o'clock, the vessel struck on the Brissons, very dangerous rocks, half a mile from the lanll, off St. ust. A considerable sea was running, which speedily beat the ill-fated vessel to pieces. Some of the crew were washed on to the rocks, to which they clung, exposed to the weather and to the danger of being washed off, throughout the night. In the morning the wreck was perceived, and mes- sengers were sent to Sennen, some five miles distant, for the lifeboat there stationed, which was speedily got under way and pulled to the Brissons. To ob- tain access to the rocks was a task of no little difficn lty and danger, but the lifeboat crew behaved with great gallantry, and succeeded in rescuing those who still survived. How many were rescued is Dot certain. Among the sixteen drowned are Richad Helson, the master, William Helford, Thomas Gibbs, James Vosper, two men, one woman, and two child- ren. The number of the crew drowned was ten.

SERIOUS GALES AND LOSS OF LIFE. Heavy gales occurred in various parts of the United Kingdom on Saturday, and caused serious interruo- tions to the working of the telegraph lines in nearly every part of the country. In Newfoundland a very heavy fall of snow took place, which interrupted for a considerable time the business on the laud lines connected with the Atlantic cables. The telegraphic communication between London and Bristol and other parts of the West of England, and also between Leeds and the midland counties was also broken in conse- quence of the very severe gales. The north-west wind which set in suddenly on Friday was succeeded by a violent gale from the south-west on the coast of Ire- land, where, as at Penzance, the sea was reported to be very high. The two o'clock report stated that the decrease in the barometrical pressure had been very serious, amounting to All much as O'l per hour at several stations. The gale prevailed at every station except London and Nairn. The warnings issued at all the coast stations on Friday were repeated on Satur- day. A Cork correspondent states that chimney-stacks were blown down, and much damage was done. In some parts the barometer showed a fall of more than half an inch betweenFriday night and Saturday at noon. There was a considerable rise in temperature in the south of Ireland, but a fall was reported on the east coast.! At Bill Quay, Gateshead, on Saturday night, a chapel and house were blown down, a man, named Brown, his wife, and their child, and a girl, named West- j garth, were killed. Four other persons were seriously if not fatally, injured. A fatal accident happened tit Chesterfield during the gale on Saturday night. In Burlington street, Messrs. Inde, Coope, and Co., brewers, have newly erected offices, and on the top was a large sign, which was exposed to the weather. A furnaceman, named Thomas Willis and his wife were passing these offices on their way from their home at Whittington to the Chesterfield market, when the sign gave way and fell with a large portion of the stone cornice and brickwork upon them. The debris having been removed, Willis was found quite dead, his back having been broken. His wife sus- tained a severe contusion on the head. About live o'clock on Saturday afternoon, during the prevalence of a storm of wind and rain, the wall of a cottage fell at Sowerby Bridge, killing a mother and her. child. The name of the woman was Jane Stark, 21 years of age, and the child John Henry Stark, one year and ten months. The family had been away from thf house a short time, and the mother and child were returning, the former being in the act of unlocking the door, when the building end fell upon them. There was a severe storm at Bradford on Saturday. Rain fell heavily during the whole day, and in the evening, when the rain had ceased, a severe hurricane arose alli II continued for many hours. During this time great damage was done throughout the district. Walls and chimneys were blown down in all directions. A stack of chimneys connected with the warehouse of Mr. Waddincrton, iu Back Lane, Westgate, fell upon the rouf of Messrs. Worrell and Co., cheese and butter factors, Westgate, and carried down to the ground floor a large portion of a glass roof and other parts of the building. Mr. Pickles, cashier, had a very nar- row escape with his life, and was slightly injured by some of the stones which fell. A large portion of the wall and palisade at Westbrook House, in Great: I Horton Road, was blown down. A large coping stone was blown from the block of lofty warehouses of Messrs. John Foster and Son, in Hall Ings. The set stones upon which it fell were forced a considerable depth into the ground. A portion of a mill chimney i at Holmetield Mill, in the occupation of Mr. Ed war-1 Tonham, in Thornton Road, was blown down, and considerable damage done to the building and ma- chinery in which it fell.

Prince Napoleon has returned to Paris from Italy, and is now at Meudon. The Morning Advertiser has reason to know that the 1 Prince of Wales contemplates a visit to Egypt and I Constantinople. The Sultan has undertaken to place. one of his splendid palaces at his disposal. ] The Army and Navy Gazette believes that the; authorities apprehend some rough work for the mili- tary during the ensuing election in Ireland, and the officers are to be ready to rejoin if necessary. THE EAR THQUAKE IN PERU.-At a meeting of the Court of Common Council at Guildhall a few days ago it was unanimously resolved, on the motion of Mr. Henry A. Isaacs, that the sum of £ 500 be contri- buted from the city's cash towards the fund now being raised in the citv for the relief of the sufferers by the recent earthquakes in Peru and Ecuador. EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE ON THE METROPOLI- TAN RAn.w A Y.-On Friday Dr. Lankester held an in- quest at the Bank of England Tavern, on the body of James Howe, a painter, aged 45, who committed sui- cide by jumping in front of a train at the Edgware road Station of the Metropolitan Railway whilst it was entering the station. The case was rendered somewhat remarkable from the fact that the deceased, before dying of his injuries, repeatedly as- serted that lie was pushed down in the rush of the crowd at the station, and fell between the carriages and the platform, and just before he expired, when reminded of his approaching death, he repeated his statement, and said, "It is true, so help me God It was clearly shown, however, that nothing of the kind occurred. The jury retnrued a verdict of Suicide whilst of unsound mind." A SCHOONER RUN DOWN BY A SCREW STEAMER. -On Friday night, late, the screw steamer James M. Strachan, for London, in ballast, arrived in the Tyne having on board John Laren, mate, and Griffan Thomas, seaman, belonging to the schooner Speed- well, of Swansea, which had been in collision off the Humber. The mate reported that on Thursday afternoon the Speedwell left Stockton with a cargo for Swansea, and all went well until about half-past three o'clock on Friday morning, when the smoke of a screw steamer was Been right a head bearing down upon them, and before they could clear the bow of the steamer, which proved to be the J. M. Strachan, and her castle struck the steamer a crushing blow on the port bow, and in a moment cut her down to the water's edge. The mate and seaman aboard jumped from the sinking vessel, and though nearly drowned by the suction of the sinking ship were fortunately rescued by the crew of the J. M. Strachan, which had manned one of her boats. The master, Capt. Wm. Rees, and the boy John Bennett, were carried down in the schooner, and were never afterwards seen alive, though the Strachan hovered about for some time. The Speedwell was a coasting schooner, of 69 tons burden, and partly belonged to Captain Rees. The boy Bennett belonged to Dinas, Pembrokeshire, and had only been five months at sea. The J. M. Strachan is a powerful screw steamer, belonging to Newcastle, and is engaged in the coal trade. THE EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM THE HULL GOAL.—A CAREER OF CRIME.—At the Hull sessions, on Saturday, John Simpson, seaman, wascharged with aiding one Bernard Hopkinson in escaping from the borough goal on the 18th ult. It appeared from the statement of the governor of the goal that the key- hole of the cell door was on the outside, and could not be touched from the inside. The prisoner made akey out of a spoon handle, a piece of wood being fixed on the metal crosswise to assist in turning it. A needle and thread were passed over the top of the door, carry- ing after them some twine; and when the needle reached the floor it was drawn into the cell by a piece of wood, the doorstep being slightly worn away. The key W3j9 then fastened to the twine and worked into lock, and, by menus of the leverage obtained by the wooden crosspiece to which the twine was attached the lock was turned.—The prisoner was found guilty. —The Recorder, (Mr. S. Warren, Q.C.) said that in 1842 the prisoner was convicted of a breach of the peace; in the same he was imprisoned for assault- ing his father in 1850 he was imprisoned for an assault on a woman in 1843, as also in 1853 or 1855, he was imprisoned for neglecting to maintain a child in 1856 he was sentenced to six years' penal servitude for housebreaking and subsequently, at Exeter, he was sentenced to a similar term for breaking out of Dartmouth prison; in Surrey, in 1865, he was con- I vioted of attempting to commit felony; and at Hull in October, 18G6, he was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for housebreaking. When he com- minted the offence now charged against him, he was under remand on another charge.—In answer to a j question, the Governor said the prisoner's conduct in | | goal had been most violent. He had smashed the windows of his cell, and broken a pair of handcuffs.' —The prwon»r wm sentenced to tea years penal Mr- ritude.

COLLISION AND SHIPWRECK AT THE NORE. On Friday evening, the night remarkably fine and clear, with bright moonlight, a full-rigged ship, the Leichhardt, outward bound from London for New Zealand, with passengers and a general cargo, was run down at the entrance of the Thames, about two miles below the Nore, by the Northern Star screw steamer, under somewhat extraordinary circumstan- ces. The Leichhardt left the docks on Wednesday, and brought up below the Nore on Friday morning, in order to make everything secure and the ship in trim for starting on the voyage the next morning. At sunset the masthead light was hoisted, and also a light placed over her chains forward to show, in ac- cordance with the rules, that the ship was anchored. Shortly after six o'clock a large steamer was seen coming out of the river. She was then several miles distant, and did not attract any particular attention till nearly three quarters of an hour afterwards. The chief mato of the Leichhardt was with some of the crew on the forecastle, and perceiving that the steamer must run the ship down if she con- tinued her course, they hailed her several times, the remainder of the crew and passengers joining in the shout, but no notice was taken of their cries. The steamer came on full speed, and with tremendous force struck the ship on the port side, the whole of which was forced in with forecastle and deck, as far as her windlass, and cut down below her water line. The Leichhardt, it should be observed, was lying with her head towards the north shore. By the force of the concussion she heeled over; the steamer forced her completely round, when she got clear, and went some distance before she brought up. The steamer was the North Star, 720 tons register, bound for Nor- way. On rallying his crew to get the lif eboat out Captain Phillips, of the Leichhardt, found that his chief mate and most of the men had got on board the North Star, leaving him in a fearfnl position. He called ail the passengers, and implored them to work at the pumps with all their strength, which they did cheerfully. Finding the North Star showed no symp- toms of rendering help, he ordered the signal guns to be fired, as also rockets and blue lights, and in the meanwhile, with the assistance of the few hands, he managed to launch the lifeboat safely. Collecting the women and children together, he at once got them into the boat, and despatched it directly to theNorth Star. At this moment the Spanish steamer Beatrice passed between the ship and North Star. The pilot, hearing the shrieks and screams from the Leichhardt, We are sinking, for God's sake save us," instantly put his helm down and brought the steamer close up, and also put out two of his boats, which, with two boats from the North Star, pulled with all speed to the rescue of the passengers and crew. The ship was going down fast, and those on board had barely time to get into the boats before she foundered. The North Star did not sustain the least injury by the collision. The explanation given by Captain Wallace of the North Star, as to the collision was this, that the steamer was in charge of his chief officer, Mr. Henry, who is also a pilot. Captain Wallace says he saw the ship at anchor some ten minutes before the collision, and the course of the steamer then would have taken her clear to the starboard of the ship. He then went into his cabin to consult his charts, and while so engaged heard a commotion on deck. On getting there he found that the course had been al- tered, and instantly the collision occurred.

An action has been commenced against the London and North-Western Railway Company, in one of the Irish courts, for the recovery of the value of the para- fin oil lost on the occasion of the Abergele catas- trophe. In all the riots and collisions between blacks and whites in the Southern States, growing out of politics, two facts are conspicuous; first, the whites always seem to be thoroughly prepared for a fight, and, second, none but blacks are ever killed. Do not these circumstances show pretty clearly which side is res- ponsible for these collisions ?—New York Times. DEATH OF THE QUEEN'S SURGEON AT WINDSOR. —We regret to have to record the death of Dr. Henry Brown, late surgeon to Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle, which occurred at his residence, Sheet-street, Windsor, at an early hour on Saturday morning. Dr. Brown, in his official capacity, had at- tended Her Majesty, the Prince Consort, and the Royal children for many years. Owing to failing health he was compelled to resign his office a year or two back, and was succeeded by Dr. Fair Lank. He, however, from time to time attended the Queen aud Royal family. Dr. Brown was about 66 years of age at the time of his decease, which was more immedia- tely brought about by dropsy and a diseased heart Dr. Brown leaves a widow and two children to lamen his loss. MR. W. E. GLADSTONE AND THE FARMERS. -The following reply to the address presented to Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Grenfell by a number of non- electors of South-west Lancashire has recently been received by Mr. R. Palmer, of Newton-le-Willbws :— Hawarden, October 19, 1868.-Sir,-In the name of my frieud Mr. Grenfell, as well as in my own, I offer our best thanks to the working men of Newton for the address which they have presented to us. We have done our best to impress upon the Reform Act of 1867 a satisfactory character, under the disadvan- tage arising from its being in the hands of those who conceded reform not from equity but from necessity, and resisted on very many occasions, and on some of them successfully, our attempts to improve its pro- visions. We regret that the county franchise is by so wide an interval separated from that of the boroughs. We believe ourselves to be as loyal to the agricultural as to the trading interests of the country. The measures of the so-called farmers' friends kept him in continual uncertainty, in frequent distress, and in the odious position of living in part at the ex- pense of his fellow-countrymen. No legislation can do for this or any other class all that we could desire but the measures of those who were decried as the farmers' enemies have given him on the whole in- creased profits, greater steadiness of business, and exemption from a reproach the more painful because it was true.-I remain, sir, your faithful servant,— W. E. GLADSTONE. IMPORTANT TO LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH.— There were proceedings before the Bucks magistrates, in special sessions, at Slough, on Saturday afternoon, of considerable importance to local boards of health. The magistrates present were Colonel R. Howard Ayse, Captain Rudyerd, Captain W. F. Farrer, the Rev. H. H. Way, and E. C. S. Tompson. Five resi- dents of Slough, formerly members of the Slough Local Government Board-Mr. 0. Holmes, surgeon, Mr. W. W. Buee, surgeon, Mr. E. A. Layton, coal merchant, Mr. J. H. Tilly, jun., corn merchant, and Mr. J. R. Fussell-were summoned to show cause why warrants should not issue to enforce payment of £319 Is 7d surcharged against them by Mr. G. Barnes, the district auditor. Mr..1. Michael, instructed by Mr. A. Barnes, appeared for the relator Mr. G. Lathom Brown was counsel for one of the defendants, and Mr. F. Charsley, solicitor, appeared for another. The Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy, the Home Secretary, was present, having been subpoenaed by Mr. Char- sley. In the spring of 1866 the Slough Local Govern- ment Board opposed the Bill of the Slough Gas Company in Parliament, and the opposition was unsuccessful, except as to one or two alterations in the Bill, which passed. In the following June the five members of the board whose names are given above signed checks for the payment of £319 Is. 7d., the costs of the opposition. The legality of these pay- ments was challenged by certain of the ratepayers, and on audit there were four grounds of objection -viz., 1, that it was an illegal expenditure by the local board of the money of the ratepayers as costs of opposing the eras company's Bill 2, that some of the members of the local board voting the money, and voting for a resolution in favour of opposing t;lIe gas company's Bill, were members of a company of a like nature (an opposition gas company that had a Bill in Parliament), and were therefore disqualified from voting 3, that no such item of JE319 Is. 7d. ap- peared in the estimate of the rate out of which such payment was made and 4, that the resolution to oppose such Bill was not made and passed in accor- dance with the bye-laws of the Local Board of Health. The auditor held that a local board has not any legal authority, direct or implied, to charge general dis- trict rates with the costs of opposition to a gas Bill in the Parliament; and that a local board, having a six months' retrospective power vested in it by the Legislature to meet unexpected contingencies, could have no justification whatever to pay bills in June out of the proceeds of a rate made in the previous Janu- ary, in the estimate for which they had not been in- cluded. The auditor accordingly disallowed the items which formed the E319 Is. 7d.' and surcharged that amount upon the five members of the board who had signed the chocks. An appeal was made to the Secre- tary of State and Mr. Charsley, the former clerk to the Local Government Board; but the appeal was dismissed by Mr. Gathorne Hardy, and the surcharge was confirmed. In a subsequent application to the Home Secretary for a remission of the surcharge, a local inquiry was held before Mr. Arnold Taylor, and upon that gentleman's report the Home Secretary re- lused to remit. The proceedings before the magis- trates were taken under the 31st and 22ad Victoria, chap 98, sec. 60. Counsel for the defendants raised a number of technical objections, and attempted to re- open the whole case but Mr. Michael contended that the duty of the magistrates was simply ministerial, on the various formalities required by the statute having been proved and the magistrates refused to take a course which would appear in the nature of an appeal from a decision of the Home Secretary. Mr. Charsley on hearing this asked for. an adjournment, so as to enable some further facts to be laid before the Home Secretary. Mr. Gathorne Hardy thereupon rose and warmly protested against the wanton insult that had been offered him, wasting the time of the country also, in compelling his attendance at Slough to hear an application for adjournment. He con- sidered it one of the most wanton insults ever offered to an officer of the State. Mr. Charsley explained that he had acted on the advice of counsel. The magis- trates directed the issue of a warrant to recover the money at the expiration of a month, so that the de- fendants might, if to advised, Appeal to the Court oi Queers B^nch. ,.t,). r.¡,

THE REVOLUTION IN SPAIN. LISBON, Oct. 24th, 11.45 p.m.—It is stated on Tin- doubted authority that Don Ferdinand of Portugal has never been offered the Spanish Crown, and that he is resolutely determined to decline it under any circumstances. MAI-BID, Oct. 23.—The juntas throughout the coun- try are dissolved. Senor Rios Rosas has tendered his resignation as Vice President of the Council of State. MADRID, Oct. 24.-Senor Sagosta, the minister of justice, has issued a decree promulgating the absolute liberty of the press, abolishing the office of special jn^ge for press trials, and placing all press offences within the jurisdiction of the ordinarv penal code. The decree also suppresses the censorship on literary and dramatic productions. An orrler has been issued stopping the annual pen- ssion of 9,000 dollars paid to Archbishop Claret. The subscriptions to the municipal loan, with that promised bv the Rank, now reach the amount re- quire 1, namely, 10,000,000 reals. MADRID, Sunday.—The "Impartial" says that Trance, England, and Portugal have recognised the Provisional Government, and promised also to recog- nise the Government which may ultimately be established. The French Ambassador and also the English and Portuguese Ministers had an audience yesterday evening of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The recognition of the Provisional Government by Italy is expected shortly. MANIFESTO OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERN- MENT. PARIS, Oct. 26.-The Monitevr publishes the follow- ing news from Barcelona, bearing date the 23rd in- stant The Junta, which has hitherto refused to dissolve, has despatched two of its members to treat with the provisional government thereupon. It may safely be predicted that an amicable settlement of the dif- ficulty will be arrived at, which otherwise might have resulted in prolonged resistance of the Junta. The Novedades demands that proceedings should be taken against the Count de Cheste, the late Com- mander of the Royal Forces in Catalonia, for having insulted the nation. 0 The Junta of Seville, upon its dissolution, issued a manifesto to the people, which concluded with the following words Down with the dynasty and its lineage, both direct and indirect." MADRID, October 26th.-The expected manifesto of the provisional government to the nation was is- sued to-day. After detailing the events which led to the establishment of the present administration, it says The revolution has decreed universal suf- frage as the evident and palpable demonstration of the sovereignty of the people. Having proclaimed the fundamental principles of our future regime, which are based upon the most complete liberty, and have been recognised by all the juntas, the provi- sional government is about to bring together in one single body the teaching of these manifestations of the public mind the most important of all the essen- tial modifications which have been introduced into the organisation of Spain is the establishment of re" ligious liberty." The manifesto insists upon the great necessity of this reform, demonstrating that it will not injure the Catholic Church, but, on the contrary, will fortify it by the opposition which it will encounter. It also states that the government hastened to proclaim liberty of printing, without which the triumphs of the revolution remain vain and illusionarv formulas, and liberty of public meet- ing and reaceful asssociations, which are the constant sources of activity and progress, adding that these reforms are recognised as the fundamental dogmas of the revolution. Spain would be able to advance with a sure step in the path of progress as soon as these measures should come into operation, and when ad- ministrative centralisation, au instrument of coAup- tion and tyranny, should cease to weigh upon the countrj. The concluding portion of the manifesto proclaims decentralisation and the establishment of public liberties as essential, and states that the colo- nieswill enjoy the benefits of the revolution on thebasis of freedom and credit. It adds: "Spain can quietly proceed to finally choose a form of government, with- out pretending to prejudice such serious and compli- cated questions. The provisional government notices as very significant the silence maintained by the jnntas respecting monarchical institutions, yet elo- nuent and authoritative voices have been raised in defence of the republican system, but, however im- portant may have been the opinions they have ex- pressed, they are not so important as the universal reserve of the juntas on this delicate question. Never- theless, if the provisional government be mistaken, if the popular decision should be against a monarchy, the provisional government will respect the will of the nation." In conclusion, the manifesto appeals to the country to maintain order and have confidence in the government, which will render an account of its administration to the Cortes. MADRID, Tuesday.—The Minister of Finance has issued a deeree announcing the law relati ng to the employes of the civil service, and authorising their e more rapid promotion until the meeting of the Cortes, when a new bill will be submitted. A decree of the Minister for Foreign Affairs re- lieves the Snanish Minister at the Court of the King of Holland of his functions. A decree of Senor Ortez, minister of justice, dis- solves the royal commissions on communal affairs, and re-establishes the judiciary districts which had been suppressed or modified by some provisional juntas. the people burned to-day a scaffold on the public square where executious have hitherto taken place, as a demonstration against capital punishments. The Minister of War has issued a decree, in which he authorises the demolition of the city walls, the citadel, and other fortifications of Barcelona, in con- semience of the increase of the population. Marshal Serrano has addressed a letter to Senor Agnirre, thanking him for the dissolution of the Junta of Madrid, and praising the patriotic sentiments by which that body was inspired. The municipalities of Bejar anrl Santanda have sent telegraphic messages of congratulation to the junta of Madrid upon its dissolution. The special correspondent of the Times at Madrid writes on the 22nd :— The evil consequences of the uncertainty in which the men at present in power continue to keep the country are everywhere apparent. A descendant of Don Carlos, styling himself Duke of Madrid, and aspiring to become King Charles VII. is already in the field. He is said to have made his appearance at Hendaye, the last French station on the Pyrenean frontier, and it is added, absurdly enough, that the Emperor of the French, bent on defeating the aspira- tions of the Duke of Montpensier and of all the House of Orleans at any cost, has evinced some disposition to favour the pretensions of this young representative of the Carlist branch of the Spanish Bourbon. Sub- scription lists in support of his claims have, it is re- ported, been opened in various parts of Spain, es- pecially in the northern provinces, in which the par- tisans of "legitimism" have survived the whole stormy period of Isabella's reign. The clerical papers, availing themselves of the unlimited freedom of the press against which the Pope has pronounced his arathema, have all rallied round the Carlist candi- date. They contend, and not without reason, that so long as the succession to the throne is expected to spring from the unbiassed suffrage of the nation, every man has an equal right to solicit that snffrage and when met by the objection that the Pretender's father, Don Juan, made a full renunciation of his own claims, no less than of those of his family, and that such claims "cannot, like the phosnix, spring up from their ashes," they retort that the people's power knows no boundaries, and that it can over- rule and rescind the Act of Don Juan's resignation by a declaration analogous to that by which the States of Schleswig-Holstein rehabilitated Prince Frederick of Augustenburg as heir to the duchies, in spite of his father's abdication and of his own signature appen- ded to it. On the other hand, so long as there is no king over Spain, no wonder If the Republican party begin to argue that it must be ns practicable to dis- pense with royalty hereafter and for ever as it is now. A friend, writing from Barcelona on the 18th instant assures me that on the first outbreak of the move- ment the Catalans, almost to a man, were in favour of a federative republic, not only owing to deeply- rooted Democratic propensities, but also to a wish to manage their own affairs independently of the rest of the country, their sympathies with the Spaniards never having been very earnest or vehement." My correspondent adds that more moderate counsels are now beginning to prevail, and that a constitutional monarchy may be accepted, but only on such condi- tions of democracy and decentralisation as will en- sure the Catalans an almost absolute independence. Agreeably to reports current in Barcelona, Carlist bands, headed by priests, were in arms in the pro- vinces of Huesca and Lerida, but as yet very little uneasiness was felt with respect to them. More im- portance seems to have been attached to the Commu- nist movement in Andalusia, to which allusion oc- curred in one of my letters. It was not only in Utri- que, but in several other villages also, that the peasan- try began to allot public and private property to them- selves on agrarian principles. A force of 200 men, headed by two members of the Cadiz Junta, had gone forth to bring these riotous men to order but symp- toms of agitation, unconnected, however, with com- munistic views, were already manifesting themselves in Cadiz itself, while at Seville and at Malaga the public peace was threatened by incipient strikes among the workmen. Decidedly there is nothing very serious in all this. The Provisional Government may rely on almost unbounded submissiveness on the part of the people, and in extreme cases it can always fall back on its compact military force. But it is, to say the least, great improvidence to neglect such preventive acts g as might preclude even the remotest necessity for repressive measures. Had the Government spoken out, or were it even now to speak out, a great deal of that conjecture which may lead to combination, a good deal of that conjecture which may become substance, would either have risen or would be speedily dispelled. But hitherto the Government makes no sign at all. We have not gone one step beyond what is called the Cadiz programme," a manifesto which not only left everything, undecided, but which professedly re- ferred the t<> (fcipttyiMnt Assembly.,

> T — 7 FOREIGN MISCELLANY. An official report returns 54,000 deaths in Ecualor from the late earthquake. The Pall Mall Gazette says :-We are informed by loiter from our correspondent at Constantinople Ili-,it the Sultan's health has much improved. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius," says the Na- ,:ir¡np of Florence, appears to have subsided for the ;TP'-ei't. The flow of lava has ceased, and the crater now only emits, from time to time, a small cloud of white smoke." A tidegram from Vienna says :—The Reichsrath will be prorogued from the 8th of November to the loth of December. The delegations of the empire will be opened on the 12th of November and closed on the 9th of December. The Hungarian Diet will be closed on the 10th December. The sittings in plenum of the Reichsrath will be on the 15th of December. The constitutional crisis relative to Galicia is averted. A GENEROUS NEWSPAPER PROPRIETOR. — Mr. George Childs of the l'ublic Ledger, who has won by many good actions, the name of being one of the most benevolent, as he is also one of the most enterprising and sagacious of Philadelphia business men, not long ago presented to persons employed in responsible positions ill the Ledger office life insurance policies amounting in the aggregate to 40,000 dols. perannum for ten years, at the expiration of which time, the polices become, by their terms, self-paying. Mr. Childs goes to Europe next month, with his wife, on a tour in search of rest and health.-Sunday Despatch. PORTRAIT OF MARIE DE MEDIClS.-An interest- ing discovery has just been made at Paris of a por- trait of Marie de Medicis, of the date of 1602, when the Queen was twenty-eight years of age. Her Majesty is renre^ented in the florid style of Rubens, with a iar?e collar of guipure on her neck, half covering a necklace of white pearls, to which is attached a cross of bright steel over a dark silk moire dress, with a band set with precious stones round the waist. The blond hair is crisped and rolled round the head, and surmounted with a small black cap. The eyes, of a blneish grey, are full of life and imnart great ani- mation to the picture. The treatment of the acces- sories and the execution of the work leave no doubt that it is the production of the younger Porbus. TrrE CROWN OF SPAIN.—A decendant of Don Carlos, styling himself Duke of Madrid, and aspiring to become King Charles VII., is already in the field. He is said to have made his appearance at Hendaye, the last French station on the Pyrenean frontier, and it is added, absurdly enough, that the Emneror of the French, bent ou defeating the aspirations of the Duke of Montpensier and of all the House of Orleans at any cost, has evinced some disposition to favour the pre- tensions of this young representative of the Carlist branch of the Spanish Bourbon. Subscription lists in support of his claims have, it is reported, been opened in various parts of Spain, especially in the northern provinces, in which the partizans of "legi- timism" have survived the whole stormy period of Isabella's reign. EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN PARIS.—An official report lately published in Paris gives some interest- ing facts relative to the price of female labour in that city. The number of women earning wages in Paris is 106,310. They are divided into three sec- tions. The first consists of 17,203 women who get from 50c. to If. 25c. a day; the second of 88,340, who earn from If. 50, to 4f. a day and the third of 767 only, earning from 4f. 50c. to lOf. a day. In the first section there are a great many girls under 16 years of age, most of whom get besides their wages lodg- ing, food, and washing free. The real representa- tives of the female working class in Paris are, there- fore, the 88,340 women of the second section. Of these 24,810 earn 2f. a day, and 39,164 more than 2f. a day, and their average daily wage is 2f. 14c. 1 Writing on September 29, the Calcutta correspon- dent of the Times savs :—"On the edge of the great Indian desert, between the Aravulli Mountains and the Indus, embracing the half of Rajoootana, the fa- mine threatens to be very severe. Wheat is now sel- ling at seven pound a shilling in Joudpore, and there rhe nrice is kept down in the usual native style. Cat- tle dying, roads crowded with emigrants, villages abandoned, tanks dry—such is the sad picture. The Jats and Rajpoots are too proud to beg, and the Mhairs whom we have civilised are no less self-reliant. Such is the oppression of the Maharajah and his myrmidons that the bands of starving emigrants are plundered of the little money they possess as the only means of subsistence till they reach happier lands. The famine tract in Rajpootana and Central India seems to be north of latitude 24 deg. 30 min. or 25 deg. north. The political officers are doing their best to help, by es- tablishing public works." AN INCIDENT OF THE CiVILWAR.—The Madrid cor- respondent of the Daily News relates the following incident which occurred at the battle of Alcolea:- A young man was in one of the advanced battalions, which were earliest engaged, and for some minutes his regiment and one of the royalist army were ex- changing shots at a very short distance, so short, in- deed that they could easily discern the countenances of their antagonists. Soon after the firing commence 1, so soon indeed that the smoke had not obscured their vision, the soldier on his left hand file, a young man like himself, noticed that he was being covered by a ri fie of one of the enemy, and looking at his foe im- mediately perceived that it was his own brother. For a moment he seemed petrified witii horror at the idea that he might be slain under such circumstances, and then throwing up his arms, he exclaimed in Spanish, Oh, Frank, donot fire The royalist was naturally astonished at hearing his name thus shouted out in the middle of battle, but he was not slow to recognise ml his brother, and the two lads, forgetting all about Queen or revolution, rushed into each other's arms, and embraced between the lines of the hostile armies. But unfortunately, a bullet intended for some one else passed through the head of the royalist, and he was saved from the curse of fratricide only to expire in hisbrother's arms." SERIOUS DISASTER.—A terrible catastrophe hap- pened at Smyrna on the 5th instant. On that day the Ottoman steamer Terabulus Gaib, which had come in some days before from Tripoli and landed a number of soldiers who had served their time, was on the point of sailing again with 680 other troops to replace them, which last she had transhipped from a Constantinople steamer. She had just got under weigh, when two terrible explosions were heard, and immediately afterwards the ship was enveloped in a thick cioud of smoke and steam, loud cries of persons suffering being at the same time heard on board the neighbouring vessels and on shore. Boats promptly put off from all points, and on their reaching the un- fortunate ship it was found that her boilers had burst. Some of the sufferers were at once taken to the French Hospital close ashore, and the others to the various other hospitals of the town. In the relief thus rendered, all the boats of the French frigate Themis, which had only entered the bay that morning, contributed their share with admirable promptitude aud great zeal. By seven o'clock about fifteen of the victims, who had been frightfully burned and otherwise injured, and whose sufferings were terrible, had received surgical attention from the hospital and other doctors. Two stokers were pulled out dead, and two others died the next day. Those who went aboard first describe the scene as frightful, the decks being blown up, and the dead, wounded, aud few untouched—half-dead with fear— lying pell-mell amongst the wreck. The total num- ber of the injured is said to be about 70, of whom seven were dead, and several others were not ex- pected to survive. The immediate cause of the dis- aster is unknown, but it doubtless arose from the state of the vessel's boilers. The Pasha has since formally thanked the French admiral, through Count Bentivogli, for the services rendered on the occasion by the boats of the Themis. ADVENTURE IN THE DESERT.—The Levant Herald publishes the following letter :—"Hamah, Sept. 14. —The commission of Engineers which, under the di- rection of Hassan Bey (Colonel O'Reilly,) had pre- viously completed the plans and sections of a line of railway from Tripoli to Homs, having been refused by the local authorities an escort across the desert to the Euphrates, enrolled men on their own account and started about six weeks ago. The well-knowo. Sheikh Medjuel, of the Mezrab tribe, and more fa- mous as the husband of Mrs. Digby, who has made a small fortune out of travellers to Palmyra, having broken his engagements with Hassan J;6 ^tter entered into an alliance with Suleiman Ibn Mercliid, the great chief of the Is^aa Beiiouius. ihe latter happened to be on bad terms with the iurkxsh autho- rities, and refused to go to the Euphrates till he had tried a little moral—and metallic—persuasion with some fractions of his tribe which had so far forgotten, their Arab immunities as to pay tribute to the Turks, Being in the desert, of course O'Reilly was in honour bound to obey desert law and help his friend. The result was some fighting, in which Sheikh Suleiman, aided by the Bey—they say O'Reilly's travelling equipment included an ample supply of breech-load- ers and four guns—soon chastised his apostate clans- men, and levied a fine, in camels, for their weak re- cognition of any sovereignty of his own. The latter did not take their beating kindly, but appealed to the governor of Homs, who, with his colleague of Hamah, mustered a force of Arabs and other irregulars to attack Suleiman Ibn Merchid and Hassau. Fear of the latter's Sniders and howitzers, however, kept these from approaching the Sheikh's encampment till reinforced by several hundred horsemen and eight field-pieces, sent by the governor of Damascus. Thus strengthened, they attacked Suleiman's camp during the night, when only about a hundred men were in the tents—the rest being absent with the Sheikh himself on an excursion elsewhere. O'Reilly, too, had in the meantime disbanded most of his escort, and offered only as much resistance to the assaiiants as sufficed to obtain favourable terms of surrender. But these were speedily violated by the chiefs of the attacking force, and the Bey, his European com- panions, and the few Arabs in the camp were made close prisoners and sent in hither to Ham&h. Here most of the Redonines were released, but O'Reilly and his friends are kept in rough durance, and are to be sent on to-morrow to Damascus, for an iavwtiua- tion of the charge against them."

J LITERARY SELECTIONS. Prosperity is a blessing to the good, but a Otirse W the evil. The value of a possession is in the use that is mads of it.—Bovll. Small and steady gains give competency, and with tranquillity of mind. INTELLECTUAL CULTURE.-No uncultivated per* son can be tolerant and reasonable under every cir* cumstance, and to everybody. LOVE.—Without this transcendant sympathy, riches and rank, and even power and fame, are at best but jewels set in a coronet of lead. Prejudice lurks isrhidcien corners of all minds over which knowledge has not shed its penetrating light, and prejudice is the natural foe of magnanimity. SYMPATHY.—He that sympathizes in all the happi- ness of others, perhaps himself enjoys the safest happi- ness, and lie that is warned by all the folly of others has perhaps attained the soundest wisdom. He that does good works for praise or secular ends, sells an inestimable jewel for a trifle, and that which would purchase heaven for him, he parts with for the breath of the people, which at the best is but air, and that not often wholesome. CONCEIT.—There is one thing worse than ignorance and that is conceit. Of all intractable fools, an over- wise man is the worst. You may cause even idiots to y 8 philosophise—you may ooax donkeys to forego thistles -but don't think of ever driving common sense into the head of a conceited person. OCCUPATION.—What a glorious thing it is for th9 human heart. Those who work hard seldom yield to fancied or real sorrow. When grief sits down, folds its hands, and mournfully feeds upon its own tears, weaving the dim shadows, that a little exertion might sweep away into a funeral pall, the strong spirit was shorn of its might, and sorrow becomes our master. When troubles flow upon you dark and heavy, toil not with the waves, and wrestle not with the torrent, rather seek by occupation to divert the dark waters that threaten to overwhelm you into a thousand chaD. nels which the duties of life always present. Befora you dream of it, those waters will fertilize the present and give birth to fresh flowers that will become pure and holy in the sunshine which penetrates to the path of duty in spite of every obstacle. Grief, after all, is but a selfish feeling, and most selfish is the man who yields himself to the indulgence of any passion which brings no joy to his fellow men. LONDON PALACES.—Even palaces have their day. The tide of London rolling westward, with no return- ing flow, has left high and dry upon its former beel some half-a-dozen old palaces. One of these is now a prison, another a dininghall, while of others even the very site is doubtful. Grand warehouses and depots of railway iron are the only monuments of these once proud homes of the Tudors and Plantagenets sacks of corn now sway heavily down from the upper stories in waterside streets where Charles V. once paced in cloth of gold at the head of his Spanish and Flemish nobility; besmeared printers' boys play at the Thames sides, where Wat .Tyler's men once drew their bows at the loonholes of the palace of John of Gaunt. Such are the harlequin changes that time is always producing in our ancient city. The modern palaces are novi homines, mere parvenus, and having no his- tory before the "wee German laird ie" (Juuky fellow!) left his Hanoverian kale-yard for his new property- If we want to meet the red hoods or the mailed knight of Crecy and Agincourt, we must go to Blackfriars or the Savoy; if we wish to rouse memories of Vandyke's gentlemen or Lely's ladies, we must make a pilgrim- age to the statue of James II. at Whitehall. LADIES IN PARLIAMENT.-Gordon in his Anti- ouities of Parliament," says, "the ladies of birth and quality sat in council with the Saxon witas." "The Abbess Hilda," says Bede, presided in an ecclesiasti- cal synod." In Weighfred's great council at Beccon- feld, A.D. 694, the abbesses sat and deliberated; an! five of them signed decrees of that council alo g with the king, the bishops, and nobles. King Eigar's charter to the Abbey of Crowland, A.D. 961, was with the consent of the nobles and abbesses who signed the charter. In Henry III.'s and Edward L's time four abbesses were summoned to Parliament— namely, of Shaftesbury, Berking, St. Mary of Win- chester, and of Wilton. In the 35th of Edward Ill- were summoned by writ to Parliament, to appear there by their proxies, namely, Mary Countess of Norfolk; Alienor Countess of Ormond; Anna Dis- pedser; Philippa Countess of March; Johanna Fitz* water; Agnetta Countess of Pembroke Mary de St. Paul: MarydeRoos; Matilda Countess of OXFORD; and Catherine Countess of Athol. These ladies were called "ad colloqniam tracta.tum" by their proxies, a privilege peculiar to the peerage, to appear and act by proxy. Things not Generally Known," by John Timbs. RALEIGH'S LAST WORDS.—The executioner then kneeled to him for the forgiveness of his office. Raleigh placed both his hands on the man's shoulders, and assured him that he forgave him with all hi* heart. Show me the axe," he then aided. He ba I to reneat the request before the man obeyed it. Touching its eflsre with his finger, to feel its keen- ness, and then kissing the blade, he said "This gives me no fear. It is a sharp an 1 fair me licine to cure me of all my diseases." And presently he added When I stretch forth my hands, despatch me." Once more he turned to the" rhht and to the left of the scaffold, with a partingralutation, and said again Give me heartily your prayers." At this moment the executioner cast down his own cloak (w;th which he had concealed the a\e), so that the vie im mi") t kneel on that after taking off his own velvet n be. Then Raleigh krelt finally, for his paring Prayer, and awaited the death-stroke that was to follow it. There was something, it seems, i n the scene that moved the headsman beyond the wont of his craft. When Raleigh extended his hands the man forbore to strike. He stretched them forth once again. The man Ftill hesitated. What dost thou fear;" then said Ra 'eizh "Strike, man, strike!" So he spake; but it wafl noticed that his prostrate borly remained as motion- less as a statnp. His lips were seen to move in prayer. And then the head fell. There were two blows, but the first was mortal. The head was then shown to the people on both sides of the scaffold. The crowd had long stood in breathless silence. And its great shudder was perceptible. One man in the throng was heard to say, almost instantly. "We have not such another head to be cut off." Another re- joined "I wish such an one on Master Secretary's shoulders,"—alluding to Buckingham's poor tool Naunton, who was well known not to have owed his place to his brains. The head was then put into a red bag, and with the body (wrapped in the robe which it had worn upon the scaffold) was carried to Lady Raleigh. What it was which then caused her to alter her first intention, for the burial at Beddin'gton. is unknown. There is no evidence that her request was refused. But she interred her husband's body near the altar in the chancel of St. Margaret's church, in sight of which he died. She caused the head to be embalmed, and never parted with it whilst she survived. Bishop Goodman tells us, in his "Memoirs," that during Lady Raleigh's life he had many times kissed it. Nor did their only son, it is said, permit its burial, until he himself was carried to his own grave beside his father. There is a tradition that at length the head was interred at West Horsley Church, in Surrey. But the fact is more than doubtful. Th* Life of Sir Walter Raleigh. THE SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD.—Colonel Os- borne was a bachelor, with no burdens but those im- posed upon him hy his position asa ^emoer or Parlia- ment,—a man of fortune to whom the world has been, easy. It was not therefore said so decidedly of him as of Sir Marmadnke that he was a middle-aged man, although he had probably already lived more than two-thirds of his lifo- And he was a good look. ing man of his age, bald indeed at the top of his head and with a considerable sprinkling of grey hair through his bushy beard but upright in his carriage, active, and onick in his step, who dressed well, and was clearly determined to make the most he could of what remained to him of the advantages of youth. Colonel Osborne was always so dressed that no one everobserverl the natnre of his garments, being no i aware that no man after twenty-five can anord to call special attention to his coat, his hat, his cravat, or his trousers, but nevertheless the matter Was one to which he paid much attention, and he was by no means lax in ascertaining what his tailor did for him. He always rode a pretty horse, and mounted his groom on one at any rate as pretty. He was known to have an excellent stnd down in the shires, and he had the reputation of going well with the hounds. But poor Sir Marmaduke could not have ridden a hunt to save either his Government or his credit. When, therefore, Mrs. Trevelyan declared to her sister that Colonel Osborne was a man whom she was entitled to regard with semi-parental feelings of veneration because he was older than her father, she made a comparison which was more true in the letter than in the spirit. And when she asserted that Colonel Osborne had known her since she was a baby, she fell again into the same mistake. Colonel Os. borne had indeed known her when she was a baby, and had in old days been the very intimate friend of her father; but of herself he had seen little or no- thing since those baby days, till he had met her just as she was about to become Mrs. Trevelyan; and though it was natural that so old a friend should come to her and congratulate her and renew his friendship, nevertheless it was not true that he made his ap. pearance at her husband's house in the guise of the useful old family friend, who gives silver cuns to the children and kisses the little girls for the sake of the old affection which he has borne for the parents. We all know the appearance of that old gentleman, how1 pleasant and dear a fellow he is, how welcome is his face within the gate, how free he makes with our wine, generally abusing it, how he tells our eldest daughter to light his candle for him, how he gave silver cups when the girls were born, and now bestow* tea services as they get married,—amostusefnl, safe, and charming fellow, not a year younger-looking o more nimble than ourselves, without whom life won be very blank. We all know that man; but such. man was not Colonel Osborne in the house or ff Trevelyan's young bride.—" 3« knew ht tea* » by Anthony Troilope^ (.: A).