The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

r -1 TOVTN r-T BY OUR SPECIAL COTi-RESPONDENT. j our readers will understand that we do not hold ourselves ncpon- I siblefor our able Correspondent s opinions. I THOUGH a public corresposderst is supposed to [ "be a sore if ubiquitous person, not only like Sir j Boyle Ecache's bird, in two places at once, but in j several places at the game time, and exactly where I he should be on each occasion; and though the j aforesaid correspondent is practically an irieapon- i sible person, sayisg whatsoever he pleases, pro- viding he does not too much tax the reader's pa- tienee by profae displays of dulness; yet are limits beyond which no writer may not pass in I the selection of topics, and which I, for one, would I not pass. These limits would, I should say, ex- clude John Brown." I would not originate li-ollu Brown gossip, or scandal, or whatever it may be; and why I allude to it now is to ask why it is done —so far as I may do this without making the story worse. I am not going to imitate a certain daily paper, which, whenever it scents a scandal, or a vile police case, is at once seized with contortions of moral loathing and distressing straggles of purity; but the readers always know that these manifestations are but the prelude to an article far more painful and. often revolting than all the police reports put together. John Brown, not he of Ossawatamie, the forlorn hero of Harper's Ferry, but one Balmoral Brown, has become the subject of frequent allusion. The moat con- spicuous is one in Punch, who affects to ridicule the objection of the critics that Sir Edwin Land- seer's picture of the Queen, in which dogs and horse, trees, Bky, and dress of. her Majesty are all dark. "How can the picture be all black," asks the hunchback of Fleet-street, seeing that so much of it is brown?" The "gillie," or Highland servant, who waits upon her Majesty, and who holds the horse, in the picture of Sir Edwin, is one John Brown. Why should he be a subject of unpleasant allusion ? The person in question is possibly some favourite servant of his late master, and he may be therefore a favoured attendant. It is conceivable thatcourtiers may be annoyed that a plebeian person should be distinguished by permission of Royal service. This would be mere courtly snobbishness, and should have no countenance. Per SOBS in humble condition of life, yet of personal merit, have been, in all ages, distinguished by Royal notice. If anything else is intended to be insinu- ated, one does not expect Punch to be the vehicle of it. The vocation of Barnard Gregory needs not to be revived. All the John Brown allusions seem to me warranted in being set down to snob- bishness or scandal-one despicable, the other hateful. THE late Mr. Bennet, the artist,' died compara- tively poor. It appears that his life was not in- sured. This fact l stated, coupled with the explanation that no office would take an insurance upon his life, owing to physical causes. No imputation, therefore, lies against Mr. Bennet's prudence and the staff of Punch, who, to their honour, give an amateur theatrical performance for the benefit of his family, state in their adver- tisement this creditable fact, that Mr. Bennefc left no debt." Before he died he paid every- body. Out of wbat money he had he discharged every obligation he was under, and went through the portal of the grave solvent. I have never seen this stated of any artist before. That such a fact has prominence given to it is an evidence ef the growth of private morality and pecuniary honour. It was notable in Ebenezer Elliott, the famous anti-corn law rhymer, who was proprietor of an iron warehouse, that be was the first poet known who kept accounts, and kept them well, and who made verses and money. He made verses to some purpose, too, for his rhymes were as true as his steel. A DEGREE of attention is being paifl to the working class such as was never paid before. A Working Men's Excursion Committee meet at 151, Strand, to promote the means whereby work- ing men can visit Paris during the great Interna- tional Exhibition. One of the active promoters of this scheme is Mr. Somerset Beaumont, whose absence from the House of Commons this Parlia- ment, Mr. Gladstone, in one of his speeches, said was to be regretted. This committee take a work- man to Paris and bring him back and lodge I him a week when he is there for thirty shillings The thing seems incredible. The object of the committee, to which Mr. Goschen, Mr. Layard, and other well-known members of Parliament belong, is to enable working men to acquire international tastes, and understaud the habits and sestimeofcs of continental nations. The Paris Exhibition is better worth seeing than any exhibition which has ever been held. England has subscribed money to it very freely and fairly, but the tone of the press about it has not been fair or so friendly as it should be to its chief contriver. The Emperor of the French by promoting such an exhibition renders great service to inter- national progress. It will be long before such another exhibition is held in the world, and it will be a memorable thing to see this; and too much credit cannot be given to a committee of gentle- men who make it possible to working men to do this. A RETURN has been published by the English Parliament, containing a list of all the friendly societies which have deposited their rules with the Registrars of Friendly Societies, so far as they relate to Scotland. The same thing was done last year with regard to England. Every Scotch society may see in this return the pecuniary facts connected with it; and such an official record of its existence is a sort of guarantee that it will bear official light and is a reliable society. A VERY curious and interesting report of the condition of., Christians in Turkey has also ap- peared within a few days. Vice-Consul Barker writes from Prevesa to Lord Lyons a letter of remarkable information and humility. Mr. Barker wag a Consul so long back as 1828, and he alludes ingeniously, and almost abjectly, to his humble and subaltern position." One who has been a Consul at critical and onerous stations nearly forty years should hardly be left in a "humble and subaltern position." It appears that the native Christians of Servia are badly treated, their evi. dence rejected in courts of law, and that they have to pay Turks to give evidence for them. A large portion of the statements made relate to the posi- tion of rayahs," but no definition of such person Ii. is given; indeed, a glossary of Turkish terms is needed to enable English readers to well appro- ciate the information given. Reports intended for I English politicians should not pre-suppose an acquaintance with Turkish vernacular. We are not Turks in Great Britain, and the Foreign-office should make their papers intelligible to the per- sons for whose use they are intended. I PEOPLE are gradually finding out that the gallows is not such afille invention after all. I Public opinion has demanded a respite for Burke, the Fenian sentenced to death. The scaffold is not to be erected for political offences in England., 1 the reason being that an execution would do more harm than good, and surely lead to more fighting-, and thus legal murder begets murder. The j I reputation of the gallows is going down. The 1 sooner the deplorable old thing is burned the better. The hangman has been employed to burn many things in his time. He will do well to end by burning the gallows and lighting the fire with the cord. Z.

A WIFE'S PRIVILEGES. In the Exchequer Chamber, on Saturday, an appeal case, the Queen v. Mary Robinson and others, was de- cided before Chief Baron Kelly and four other judges. Certain prisoners were indicted for embezzling and com- spiring to embezzle certain goods the property of Mary Robinson, a bankrupt, with intent to defraud the creditors of Mary Robinson. Upon the trial before I Mr. Justice Smith it was shown that Mary Robinson was a married woman, and that her husband was living abroad. It was therefore submitted that she wasinot subject to the bankrupt laws, and that the goods were the property of her husband, and thaf the examination of a witness in the bankruptcy had been admitted without his having been cautioned not to criminate himself, which it was urged ought not to have been admitted. The prisoners were convicted, but the points were reserved for the opinion of this court.' The case argued a short time since by Mr. Campbell Foster for was the prisoners, and Mr. Harvey and Mr. Coleman for the prosecution, and the court then took time to con- sider its judgment. This inoiting the court met, and the Lord Chief Baron, in delivering his judgment, said that in his opinion the goods were the property of the husband, who might at any moment come forward and exercise his marital right. He was also of opinion that the adjudication of Mary Robinson as a bankrupt was void, otherwise any married woman in England might file a petition in bankruptcy against herself, and transfer the whole of her husband's personal estate to assignees, and if she acquiesced in the bankruptcy for two months the- husband might be indicted for embezzlement. The indictment could not be supported and must be quashed. Mr. Baron Martin was of the same opinion. The whole superstratum of. the indictmeut failed when it was proved that Mary Robinson was a married woman. The charge was that she had embezzled part of her own property, but it was the property of her husband. Mr. Justice Byles agreed .that the prisoners were en- titled to their discharge. He-expressed no opinion whether a married woman could be made a bankrupt, or upon the other points, as the ground upon which he rested his judgment was that the property was the husband's, and that at the time of the bankruptycy the husband was in actual possession by reason of the possession of the wife. Mr. Justice Keating confirmed his judgment on the ground stated by Mr. Justice Byles. Mr. Justice Shee agreed in the judgment that the conviction could not be supported. Robinson was charged with embezzling her own property, and it was necessary to prove that it was her property, whereas it was shown to be the property of her husband. Conviction quashed.

THE TAILORS' STRIKE: CHARGES OF I TNTTMTT) ATION. Joseph Rearden, a tailor, was charged before Mr. Knox, at the Marlborough-street Police-court, on Wednesday, on a warrant, with, by threats, intimidation, and molestation, endeavouring to force certain workmen to leave their employment, hiring, and work. It appeared that the accused applied for work at Messrs. Oliver and Brown's tailoring estab- lishment, in Sackville-street, that he was at once employed, and placed among the men already at work on the premises, and that, after calling them dungs," he promised to smash some of their noses, and then made off with himself. After the production of a good deal of evidence, the case was adjourned. Bail was refused. William Connelly was next charged with being con- cerned with another in conspiring, to prevent Joseph Hope from working for his employer, Mr. Bowaters, of Hanover-street, and with violently assaulting him. Mr. Sleigh said this assault was a violent one, and as the other man charged had absconded, he must ask for substantial bail, as an adjournment was required.—Mr. Knox fixed the bail at two sureties in X100 each.

A MONTH WITHOUT A p j?FX Moox. A curious circumstance occurred th 'ar, which has, only now led to some discussion. Last uary was a month in which no full moon occurred. A w journalists in Italy got hold of the fact, and at once q,. mouueed it to be an exceedingly rare occurrence. Some said it could only happen about once in 25,000 centuries others, more moderate, simply adverted to the fact that there was no mention of such a thing in Genesis. After much dispute in the columns of the daily papers, the question at length caught the eye of the well-known astronomer of Milan, M. Schiaparelli, who has now disposed of it very summarily, showing that in 1847 the very same thing took place, there being full moons on the 31st of January, at six; minutes past nine a.m., and on the 2nd of March I following, at 45 minutes past three a.m. In 1828 there was a similar occurrence at Washington. I In consequence of the Reduction in Duty, Horniman's Teas are supplied by the Agents EIGHTPRNCE per lb. cheapen Benuine Paekebt gzi signed Horniman & Cc., LondWI

REPORTED EXECUTION OF THE EMPEROR I MAXIMILIAN. (BY ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.) NEW YORK, June 1. The New York journals publish advices from Mexico, partially confirming reports that the Emperor Maxi- milian and his officers have been shot. VIENNA, May 29. Intelligence received here from Washington states that the Austrian Minister in that city had received a telegram announcing the capture of the Emperor Maximilian. On the other hand, information has been received at the Mexican embassy in Vienna stating that the republicans before Queretaro had been completely defeated. Austria has taken immediate steps to procure the release of. the Emperor in case the first news is true. -f' -¡-i'

FRANCE. 1 PARIS, May 29. The Prince Imperial came this morning to the Tui- leries, where he walked in the garden with the Emperor, the Empress, and the Ministers. He returned imme- diately afterwards to St. Cloud. The Journal de Paris states that the Minister of War has ordered the artillery regiments of the French army to be reduced to a peace footing. The Patrie says We have reason to believe that the French military mission to B ucharest will leaveforthat town at the beginning of June," The same paper quotes a note from the Roumanian Moniteur denying the truth of the rumour that disturbances had broken out in Moldavia, and that the Government had placed restrictions on the religious liberty of the Jews in that country. The Patrie adds that no accusation of this nature had been made against the Roumanian Government, but only against the Minister who had issued the circular against the Jews. The circular, it says, has now been withdrawn, for the honour of the Moldo-Wallachian Government. The Paris journals publish a letter from M. Cremieux, confirming the reports of the persecution of the Jews. The fete last night at the Austrian Embassy was splendid. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Crown Princess of Prussia, and the Duke of Leuch- tenberg were present.

THE EASTERN QUESTION. PARIS, June 2. The Etendard of this evening says :—" The guaran- teeing powers have agreed upon the terms of a note to be addressed to Constantinople with reference to Candia. This note, it is said, will insist anew upon the absolute necessity of the adoption by the Porte of radical and efficacious measures calculated to put an end to the present crisis in Candia. It will also point out the danger of the disturbances in that island extending to other provinces of the Turkish empire should the present state of things be prolonged, and it will advise a solu- tion which shall satisfy the desires of the Cretan Christians."

INDIA. CALCUTTA May 9. Telegraphic communication has..been interrupted and the messages delayed by a hurricane near Mirzapore. A famine is feared in Upper Birmah. Reports Arom, the famine districts in Orissa continue favourable. A tele- gram received here from Pondicherry of the 3r& inst. states that the lighthouse in that port was on fire. A licence tax defence fund has been formed in Calcutta for the "purpose' of resisting illegal ,assessments. The extra fortnightly mail between Bombay'and Suez'has been discontinued during the ensuing monsoon. Several raids have taken place on the southern frontier of the district of Silhet. BOMBAY, May 14. Mr. Dickson, of the Bank of Bengal, is in Bombay, and has had several interviews with the directors of the Bank of Bombay. He awaits instructions from Calcutta regarding the suggested alterations in the terms of amalgamation first offered by the Bank of, Bengal. A deputation of the shareholders of the Bank of Bombay have had an interview with the governor. His Excel- lency; expressed objections to the State being a sharer holder in a public company, but would give an tarly reply on the subject of the support which the new Bank of Bombay might expect from the Government. The leading natives of Bombay have presented an address to the Hon. Mr. Erskine, on his retirement from the Indian civil service. Uninterrupted railway communication between Cal- uctta and Jubbulpore, and between the latter'place and Bombay there is onlyorie break. v The weather is warmer, than it has beenfr several years. The public health is satisfactory, and 'cholera in .the north and west is rapidly subsiding. -,f„

FEVER IN THE MAURITIUS. The Globe has, from a private source, intelligence from the Mauritius to the 6th April, to the effect that a malignant fever was raging there, paralysing commerce, impeding agriculture, and resulting in a mortality exceeding that of 1854, which carried off 7,650 inhabi- tants.- In the last six weeks the deaths in the whole colony had numbered 7,494. The fever has not been confined to the lower classes, but has penetrated the merchants' offices, the Govern- ment department, shops, &c. Nearly all the troops that were in Port Louis have been sent to Flat Island. Owing to the precautions taken, there has been but very little fever among the military. The fever, however, is of a nature that with proper precautions, and prompt and judicious remedies, does not preclude the chance of recovery. The official statement of the mortality to the 31st March showed that in Port Louis 3,025 persons had died Of fever Pamplemousses, 1,078 Riviere du Rempart, 318 Flacy, 77; Grand Port, 60; Savanna, 44; Black River, 665 Plaines Wilhems, 202 Moka, 172.

FEMALE MEDICAL SOOIETY. The third annual meeting of this society was held a few days ago at the Hanover-square Rooms, London, under the presidency of the Earl of.Shaftesbury. The room was densely crowded with an audience, con- sisting principally of ladies. This society does not ad- vocate woman's rights," or the indiscriminate medical practice of women, or the admission of ladies to medical classes which are attended by young men. The report was read by the honorary secretary, Dr. Edmunds, of which the following are extracts :— Your committee have met with abundant encourage- ment during the past year. A strong current of en- lightened public opinion has of late been rapidly de- veloping itself in favour of instructing ladies in those various branches of medical science which refer to practice among women and children. The great organs of the press have not only given increased consideration to the society's operations, but, almost without excep- tion, have each devoted one or more leading articles in unmitigated commendation of the society and its objects. Much of the hostility and misrepresentation with which the society had at first to contend has subsided, while a considerable and increasing number of eminent members of the medical profession are now prepared to co-operate with those who from the first have been in its favour." The supplementary report of the society's auxiliary college shows that- "The third annual session- of-the society's teaching operations has closed with', results that are both satis- factory and promising. Fifty ladies have entered as students, of whom twelve5 entered during the first session, nine during the second, and twenty-nine during the third. Of these ladies, ten were widowed, fifteen married, and twenty-five single. Some were amateur students who attended the lectures merely as a means of personal education, nine were midwives previously in practice, one the matron of a maternity hospital, ten were sisters, daughters, or wives of medical men, one was prepared as medical missionary, to act in connection with the Delhi Mission of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, a considerable number were or would have I been governesses, and some were of .no occupation. I Many other gentlewomen would gladly have availed: themselves of the college, but were prevented by want of pecuniary means. It is hoped that the foundation of scholarships will shortly extend the advantages of the college as an honorarium to gentlewomen of limited means, who,. being of suitable personal character, pass a satisfactory preliminary examination. Probably there is no object upon which benevolent and discriminating persons could more judiciously bestow a few hundred pounds than by giving their names to a permanent scholarship in connection with the infancy of this im- portant public institution." The supplementary report of the college was prepared in order to present the examination papers and other details which do not require general publicity. It may, however, be 'stated here that the reports of the lecturers and the lady-secretary show that the students have, by their regular attendance, propriety of demeanour, and general attendance, given a satisfactory earnest of future public usefulness and professional success. At the voluntary examinations with which the last session closed, no less than twenty-three essays were sent in from the obstetric class, and Professor Murphy states that in all his experience in the same chair at University College, he never received so large a number of essays from any class of gentlemen, and that many of the papers from these ladies were marked by distinguished ability. The accounts for three years to April 30, 1867, show receipts, £ 1,259 17s. 4d.; disbursements, £ 1,397 2s. 3d. leaving a debt of X140 to the treasurer. Although this debt is less than that standing against the. society at the last annual meeting, while the scope and efficiency of the society's operations have been greatly increased, yet the existence of a balance on the wrong side of the account seriously hampers and dis- courages the committee, and it throws upon the honorary officers of the^society a burdensome amount of personal effort and anxiety. The principal resolutions passed at this meeting were- 1st. That properly-educated midwives would prevent much-loss of life and physical injury which now occurs for want of skilled attendance during confinements, and that in the practice of midwifery and the treatment of diseases peculiar to women the option of employing skilled ladies would save many sensitive persons from an unnecessary, injurious, and painful ordeal, while at the same time this option would benefit medical men, by shutting out accusations from which the most odious professional scandals are now continually arising. 2nd. That a select number of noblemen, ladies, and gentlemen be requested to give their names to a General Committee for the purpose of promoting the develop- ment of the Ladies' Medical College on a sound public basis, and that the office-bearers of the Female Medical Society act provisionally as a working executive, with power to add to the number. The addresses of lady-midwives and all particulars may be obtained of the lady-secretary, at the society's temporary offices, 4, Fitzroy-square, W.

-111 THE TAILORS' STRIKE. The seventh week of the strike was entered upon on the 3rd of June, without any prospect of its early ter- mination, both parties remaining firm in their respective positions. The men express themselves as highly pleased and gratified at the liberal way in which remit- tances are being sent to them from all parts of the country and they attribute this in a great measure to the avowed determifiation of the masters to break up their union if possible, and also to their refusal of arbi- tration, as it is well known many of the trades' unions have from the above cause contributed much larger sums than they would have done if it had been merely ir-, support of the strike. The committee on Saturday, although the number on the funds .had been increased from the previous week, owing to the strike of the military tailors, were again enabled to pay the full strike allowance to every man and Nyomen entitled to receive it. The picketing system is carried on as actively as ever, and as fast as the masters succeed in obtaining the services of non-unionists from the country, the great majority of them are drawn out again by the union. On Saturday out of a dozen men obtained by a leading member of the masters' association, no less than eight were drawn out, enrolled in the union, and placed upon picket over other shops and this is being repeated day after day. It is stated that another attempt to bring the committees of the masters and men together, with the view to a settlement, is about to be made in an influential quarter. A project is also in contemplation by several gentlemen who take an interest in co-operative movements, to subscribe £ 500 each for the purpose of selecting a number of the best workmen on strike, and opening several co-operative tailoring establishments in the metropolis.

MEETING OF THE OPERATIVE TAILORS. A .large meeting of the operative tailors was held on Wednesday at the Alhambra Palace, Leicester-square. The meeting was convened by the committee of the London Tailors' Protective Association, with the object of affording the men an opportunity of refuting the state- ments made at,the meeting of the master tailors, held on Saturday last. The meeting,, which was densely crowded, was composed of in and out-door workers, unionists and non-unionists. A large number of females- were present. Mr. Druitt, President of the Tailors' Association, oc- cupied the chair. He opened the proceedings by read- ing a circular issued by the London Working Men's Association calling a delegate meeting of the London trades in support of the strike. He after- wards read a letter from the Manchester Typo- graphical Society, which stated that they had subscribed £50 in support of the tailors' strike. After alluding to the number'present, he observed that there were two causes for the meeting not being so. large as that held on Easter Monday, namely, a large number of men on strike had gone into the country to work, and those men employed in shops not on strike had been recommended to continue their work, and pay the money as an extra levy on Saturday next. Mr. Neal moved the following resolution: That this meeting, having read with surprise the statements of the master tailors at their meeting on Saturday last at the Hanover-square Rooms, that the men were forced out against their will by the terrorism of the executive, here- by express their indignation at the same, and utterly repudiate the charges made against the executive of the Operative Tailors' Association." The resolution, having been seconded by Mr. Nichel- son, was carried with acclamation. The following resolutions were also severally put and carried unanimously "That the question of a time log' having been first, raised by the masters themselves, and the operative tailors of the United Kingdom feeling the necessity of the same, this meeting pledges itself to use all legitimate means to bring about the equitable adjustment of a question involving the interests of the trade at large." That the master tailors have broken faith with the representatives of the men, and violated their engage- ments, on the question of the time log, have now declared their intention to be the destruction of the union,' by one formed among themselves. This meeting therefore pledges itself to give their executive all the moral and the pecuniary assistance in its power, that every possible effort may be made to defeat an object so unworthy and malignant; and it also expresses its entire confidence in the executive appointed by the members of the association for the purpose of carrying out the resolutions passed in this hall on the 22nd of April last." A; cordial vote of thanks to the chairman elided the business. r ■"

THE CATTLE SHOW of the Royal Agricultural Society for Ireland will be held this year in St. Stephen's- green, in the month of August. The Farmers' Club are making the necessary arrangements. PC AAA PIANO b'OETES, by C. HAMPTON, attest the worth of this maker's principle of construction. The new Illustrated Catalogue, shewing re- cent improvements, fiee. 74, Charlotte-st., Fitzroy-sq" W. jobn Go.upt¡ mii<1 «. o. > 4 It.-ir) 'I 00110 I'lwie pricfii lii. v. Deoidedl g th* beet preparation for oUanaing and preserving the teeth Bold bjr ill p«rfamer( ftnd ebamitte-88. Upper Thames-street London One of Dr. Locock's Pulmonic Wafers, taken two or three times a day, gives instant relief and rapidly curea aathma, consumption, coughs, and all disorders of the breath tnd lungs. They have a pleasant taste. Sold by all druggists.