The Brecon Reporter and South Wales General Advertiser

PROPOSED ALTERATIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. As the I-lo-LiRe, of Commons in not only busy in re- forming itself, but has at last appointed a select com- mittee to reform the room it sits in, we are tempted to one or two remarks, sufficiently obvious in themselves, out, as a matter of fact, strangely overlooked (says the Pall Mall Gazette.) If in the present room, it is seriously argued, so many speakers are unintelligible, what will they be in a room half as big again? The answer is, that they will be just as unintelligible as »«ey are now, and as they would be if they spoke in a fa? smaller building. The ordinary English orator cannot be understood, simply because he does not speak up, and because he mumbles instead of articu- lating his syllables distinctly. Having got a language overflowing with consonants and feebly sounded Vowels, he intensifies the evil by cultivating a habit of ^ever opening or closing his lips with that decision and completeness without which no lan- guage whatever can be properly spoken. Partly from, mauvaise honte, and partly from that silly conceit which prevents him from taking the Utmost pains to do well whatever he attempts to do, Ordinary English speakers, both in and out of the House, and Kn dish singers, both professional and amateur, seem for the most part bent on supplying a Physical illustration of the old saying, that the use of language is to enable a man to conceal his thoughts. As to the pretence that a room holding conveniently 8ix or seven hundred members would be too large for debating, nobody would repeat it who knows the area jjnd the capacity of the concert rooms of London, jj-here are, however, certain considerations necessary lor making rooms easy for speaking in, which are almost universally overlooked, both by architects as Well as by those who employ them. Amidst a crowd Of suggestions as to the form of a room, one man ad- vocating a square, another a semicircle, another a Parallelogram, a fourth being all for a flat ceiling, another for a coved ceiling, and a sixth for an open '°of, few people remember that after all quite as much depends on the materials of which the walls and ceilings constructed as upon any other condition whatever, plastered walls and ceilings and carpeted floors will deaden the sound in the best of buildings. But or matting being in some shape or other in- dispensable in these comfort-loving days, and legis- lators declining to sit upon uncushioned benches, the floor must be set aside as given up to the ensuring of Personal ease. But this will be of small consequence if only the walls are covered with wood panelling, oak Of course, and though partially gilded, not painted. he roof also should be of oak, treated in the same jvay, and experience proves that an open roof, with 'hat rather flat pitch which is characteristic of the style in which the Houses of Parliament are built, the sides being panelled throughout, makes, in conjunc- tion with the panelling of the walls, an admirable sounding board. With such walls and roof, almost j^y building will be satisfactory, whereas a plaster UUing is ruin to the very best.

WHEAT CROP OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. .The Government Gazette gives the returns of the "heat crop of the harvest of 1866-67. The total produce is 6,410,865 bushels, an increase Ho less than 2,823,065 bushels over the previous harvest, the total quantity of land under wheat being "'>331 acres, an increase of 36,723 over the preceding year. „ The average produce per acre has been 14 bushels m"' as against 8 bushels 441b. in the preceding year. The result is that after allowing 1,020,000 bushels at x bushels per head, for the consumption of our own Population of 170,000, and also 715,000 bushels for seed ^vheat (allowing for a probable increase of 30,000 acres ? the quantity of land just cropped) we have a sur- PiUs for export of 4,675,865 bushels of wheat, or 103,908 was of flour. As yet we have not sent away more nan 30,000 tons. The farmers are sending it in slowly, f is only in very exceptional years that we can °pe to send, wheat to England, but just now there 8 a scarcity in Europe, and a plethora in South Aus- tralia.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES AND GLEBES BILL. The committee of the Congregational Union have Petitioned the House of Commons against Sir Colman 'Loghlen's bill. They state that, while they are desirous that their Roman catholic fellow-subjects enjoy equal civil rights with every other class her Majesty's subjects, and should be relieved from eyery disability of which they can reasonably com- plain, they object to special legislation in favour of ifwh Roman catholics, or of any other religious body." J- hey regard the bill as one involving a dangerous departure from those principles of public policy which have hitherto guided the legislature in determining the jegal tenure by which property shall be held for re- ligious uses," and "would afford undue facilities for the acquisition of land by ecclesiastical persons, and give undue power to Roman Catholic bishops. They specially object to that portion of the bill which, for §!e encouragement of the purchase of glebes for Roman Catholic clergymen in Ireland, and the erec- tion of residences thereon, authorising the Commis- sioners of Public Works in Ireland to lend money to Roman Catholic bishops for the purchase of glebes and the erection of residences thereon. They do not consider it to be within the province of the legisla- ture to encourage the accumulation of landed property by Roman Catholics, or by any other religious com- munity, and deem it to be highly objectionable to em- Pi°y, even by way of loan, public money for Ecclesiastical purposes."

KIDNAPPING IN THE SOUTH SEAS. The Rev. Dr. Turner, in a letter to a friend in Glas- gow, dated Samoa, January 13, says :— At one of the heathen islands on which we have no teacher, the natives were very shy. It turned out that there had been a slaver there only the week before. Forty of the natives went on board. The captain took them into the saloon, and was treating them to biscuits and grog, when a white man, who was living in the island, made his appearance on board. The captain offered this man 700 dollars if he would help him in securing from 50 to 80 or 100 natives. The white man —a Scotchman by the way-talked as if he was going to enter into the project, proposed that the supercargo should go on shore with him, ?nd take a quantity of barter goods, as if for the purchase of pigs, fowls, &c. The captain, a Frenchman, the purchase of pigs, fowls, &c. The captain, a Frenchman, was delighted with the Scotchman's plan, got out a lot of things, and sent the supercargo with them to the shore. M'K-- got the supercargo and the goods into his house and fairly under his power; And now," said he to the super- cargo, the best thing you can do is to write off to the cap- tain to send every one of the natives of this island on shore immediately; for until that is done you remain where you are." The supercargo had no alternative-he was fairly caught—wrote off to the captain to give up the natives, and soon they were all out of the ship and safe on shore. The wily Scotchman then sent off the supercargo in safety to the vessel, and so the affair ended. M'JC could not tell the name of the bark-supposed she was a 300 or 400 ton vessel —showing French colours, and he remembered seeing Bordeaux," on the stern and on the life buoys. The super- cargo said he was from Melbourne, that there were two vessels in the concern," and that they were taking the natives to make cocoa nut oil on an uninhabited island. They had already secured on board about 100 natives from various islands. So you see this horrid kidnapping business is still carried on. We must again appeal to the British Government, and try and get a ship of war to come from the Australian or South American stations to hunt down the rascals.

THE MICE IN THE CABINET. Not long since, so the story goes, A pleasant argument arose, Between a young and aged mouse Who boarded at a country-house, Relating to a Cabinet In which those Wranglers often met. My son," 'twas thus the Senior spoke, Be sure 'tis good old English oak. How firm it stands! What force could break it? An earthquake scarce could move or shake it." You're wrong, dear Dad, 'tis modern deal, A fact which varnish can't conceal. 'Tis highly polished, I admit," (The young Mouse said with gestures fit.) "But touch it lightly, or you may Depend there'll be a split some day." "A mouse convinced against his will, Mus Père replied, Look at the Bill, And that will show, sans other aid, Of what materials 'tis made! -With earnest eyes the Bill they scan (A Bill due to a Working-man). And then Mouse fils, who loves his joke, Cries, Dad, this firm don't deal in oak And if you look at it again The Cabinet has got a grain As rough as any common trap, Which holds of toasted cheese a scrap. But traps are not set there for naught, Let's watch and see who '11 first be caught." MORAL. Trust not alone external show, But cautious learn what lies below, For Cabinets, those polished things, Contain sometimes peculiar springs, Which, though obscure to vulgar sight, Mice can discern, both brown and white. -Punch.

GARDENING OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. (From the Gardeners' Magazine.) Cucumbers must have steady bottom-heat to pro- duce fine fruit. It is a common falacy that when the weather becomes warm the beds may be left to cool down, but it is rarely fine fruit are cut from the frames that are never lined after the first heat is out. Keep a moist atmosphere for cucumbers absorb immensely by their leaves. Lettuce.—This useful salid is too much neglected after the early part of the season, through the tendency of the plants to bolt in hot water. This may be pre- vented by planting in a rich cool soil, and give some amount of shade. Peas.—good autumn crops may be had by sowing now such sorts as Wrinkled Marrow, Hair's Dwarf Mammoth, and Veitch's Perfection. A layer of manure should be put at the bottom of the trench, to draw the roots down, and prevent suffering by drought. Potatoes to be frequently hoed between. A dressing of wood-ashes and guano between the rows of the main crops now considerably increase the paoduce, especially on sandy or chalky soil, where disease rarely appears on moist loams and clays it will be less safe and less necessary. As fast as crops are taken off, trench and manure for broccolis, cauliflowers, and winter greens. Leeks to be planted out in rows nine inches apart every way, in very rich moist soil. Asparagus.—Any more cutting of this crop will ruin the plantations. To many it may seem needless to make this remark, but people are cutting asparagus now, and we must advise them to desist, unless they have made up their minds to the policy of killing the goose, &c. Where the beds have not had much atten- tion, let them be at once pointed in with a fork, all weeds raked off, and the surface covered with a mulch of half-rotten dung. Manure rotted to powder should never be used as a mulch there is no strength in it. Beans to be topped as soon as they show flower, and crops ready for use to be topped back a second time to within a leaf or two of the plumpest of the small pods. Earth up advancing crops. Broccoli must now be got out to furnish a supply during autumn. Manure liberally, and if the planting is done m dry weather, give water as abundantly as possible. Better, however, to get the ground ready and wait for showers, both to save labour and to give the plants a better start, for a free natural growth is especially requisite with broccolis and cauliflowers. Transplant from the seed-bed to a piece of rich light soil the plants from the late sowings. Small clubs just appearing on the roots may generally be removed with the thumb-nail, but where clubs are formidable, from the size of the plants, throw the plants aside and burn them. Cauliflower.-Plant out, and remember that for this crop the soil cannot be too rich; they will actually grow well in dung only, if well rotted. Hoe between those coming forward, but do not earth up the stems except of such as are loose at the collar. Celery requires a heavy watering where the ground is dry. If the fly has attacked the leaves, pick them off and burn up; generally a few leaves only are touched, and they can be spared. But as no crop will bear to be entirely disleafed, where the grub has got the upper hand it will be in vain to expect much pro- f duce. We once lost a long row of Chenopodium atri- plicis by the grub of celery-fly, a plant we never before saw attacked this indicates a partiality for the spinach worts, which is rather a serious matter. Dustings of soot, therefore, so useful to protect celery, may be needed also among beets and spinach. Winter greens to be planted out at every oppor- tunity. It is most important to get out good growths of Brussels sprouts as early as possible. PLOW KIT GARDEN. —Roses that have bloomed freely require to be pruned back, and have a mulch and plenty of water to assist the autumn bloom. Half-ripe shoots of most of the perpetuals may be struck now, with the help of a moderate bottom-heat; but it is full early yet, and better to wait a week or two than waste time in putting in soft shoots. Buds to be entered on bridrs with discretion if either the buds or the shoots to be entered on are in a soft state, they will not take the bark must be firm, or the work cannot be done properly. One night's heavy rain will do more to perfect the stocks and scions than a week of artificial watering. Roses strike from cuttings now with great certainty. The safest way is to make a hot bed at once, and the same day put in cuttings of young wood three or four inches long singly in thumb- pots. Water the cuttings, place them in a cold frame, and shade with mats. There let them remain for a week, by which time the hotbed will be sweet, and the heat steady, and the cuttings will have formed a callus. Place them on the bed, and shut up give air by degrees, and keep them from flagging by frequent sprinklings rather than by heavy waterings. Shoots that have just flowered, or that have flowers on them, will root with certainty Chrysanthemums require liquid manure now, and frequent sprinkling overhead. Tie out as fast as the side-shoots break, for if they once harden out of shape it is no easy matter to restore them to a proper form. Plants recently struck may be planted out in a bed, where they will require less care as to watering than in pots, and may be taken up in dull weather without losing a leaf. It is not too late now to strike a few pompones to flower under glass, to make the house gay in the autumn. Flower Beds need a slight hoeing before the plants meet, and the subjects that require pegging should be kept regular betimes, and especial care to be taken to get plenty of shoots on the north side of every plant, leaving the south side to take care of itself, which it is pretty sure to do. Rhododendrons.—In all cases, unless seed is wanted (and generally it is of no use), the dead trusses should be removed without injury to the young shoots. If seeds are allowed to ripen, the growth is checked, and there will be less bloom next year. As to the young growth, generally speaking, it is best to let it grow in its own way there is no shrub so orderly in its habit as the Rhododendron but where the growth in any one direction is irregular, the knife may be used now to cut it back, and it will be best to cut to the old wood in such a way that it will break and fill up any gap caused by the pruning. Water can scarcely be given in too great a quantity now to Rhododendrons and Kalniias nevertheless in turfy peat and loam sunk below the level (they should never be above the level) it is rarely they require artificial watering. As a rule, the removal of the dead blossoms by a dexte- rous snap of the thumb, easily acquired by practice, is all the attention Rhododendrons require in the open air but we are supposing them to be in beds of good peat, or peat and loam chopped up together if they are in what is called "common garden soil," or stiff clay, it will be a trouble to keep them alive. Old beds may be refreshed by a top-dressing of cow-dung. It should be remembered that American plants thrive best when they get rather thick, as then the roots are screened from the sun. Rhododendrons in pots mostly want a shift now, but it must always be a small one, as too great a shift will be likely to cause the bloom buds to start prematurely, which will result, not in a second bloom, but in a crop of leaves, to the loss of bloom next year.

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. It may, perhaps, not be uninteresting to many of our readers to know that within a fortnight's voyage of London new and most important gold discoveries have been made in the British province of Nova Scotia (says the Westminster Gazette.) Six years since the precious metal was found in the sands of the seashore in many of the bays on the Atlantic side of the pro- vince, and this led to the belief that a minute search on the mainland would prove that the rocks bounding the province, almost the whole length from east to west, were auriferous. After much labour, Professor Campbell, of Halifax, reported to the Provincial Go- vernment that he had found gold at many places he had visited specially for the purpose; and within a few months after the publication of his report nume- rous leases were granted by the Crown, and mines were opened at Oldham, Waverley, Renfrew, Mon- tague, Wine Harbour, Stormont, and many other places. In fact, it turned out that the band of meta- morphic rock extending from Yarmouth to Cape Corse, a distance of more than 300 miles in length, by from ten to forty miles in width, contained gold in greater or lesser quantities. Had these discoveries taken place in any other province but Nova Scotia, there would have been a sudden rush of population to the gold-fields similar to that which occurred in Cali- fornia and Australia. Not so, however, here, for the Nova Scotians are a quiet, plodding people, not easily excited, or tempted to leave their homes, more parti- cularly as the gold was found embedded in the quartz rock, and so widely disseminated therein that nothing short of powerful machinery for crushing the rock and apparatus for amalgamating the gold would be likely to pay for working and as the province had but little capital unemployed, nothing of importance was done in the sbipe- of gold-mining for the first year or two. A few Americans, it is true, began to prospect the different districts, and quietly established themselves in the most advantageous positions for working. Some of them quickly realised ample fortunes. Others, not quite so fortunate, work with much perseverance, and are now making large returns on their capital. Many instances could be quoted showing their profits to range from 30 to 1,000 per cent. on the capital in- vested, and some idea may be formed of the richness of these gold fields when it is known that small grants of land, worked only by labouring men without ma- chinery, have been sold, after a few months' working for from 20,000 dols. to 50,000 dols. One of the latest of these was known as the Ophir Company's grant, at Renfrew, within a few miles of Halifax. This com- pany commenced working last September twelvemonth, and the first year's report states that, after paying the expenses of machinery, crushing mills, houses, and plant, there remained in the banker's hands the large surplus of 137,000 dols., or 27,0001." Had these gold discoveries been made ten or twelve years ago, one-half of the unemployed population of the British Islands would have soon been on the way to the golden land, and millions of English capital would have been subscribed for the development of the mines. The recent monetary panic has, however, effectually damped the ardour for speculation; and gold, the great talisman, lingers in its native beds, until some more fortuitous moment shall awaken the British capitalists to the necessity of unloosening the golden treasures buried in the soil of this wonderful province.

PERSEVERANCE DESERVES SUCCESS! The Philadelphia correspondent of The Times gives the following interesting particulars of the rise and progress of the Public Ledger (a newspaper published in America), which furnishes another illustration that energy, perseverance, and well-directed intelligence can accomplish that, which to the less sanguine and hopeful seemed almost impossible, and showing, too, the onward and successful career of the Cheap Press The Public Ledger is in many ways one of the most remarkable and successful newspapers in America, and was first issued in 1836. It was started by three working printers, who gathered together all the money they had in the world, and found they had barely 5,000 dols. to devote to the enterprize. It was an ex- periment, for they were without influential friends or support, and started their paper as a small sheet for the poorer classes, to be sold for one cent a copy. Swain, Abell, and Simmons, the three printers, issued their first number from a small office in an out-of-the- way place, composing their own type, working their own small hand-press, and personally delivering their little sheet of four 9in. by 12in. pages to subscribers. It had a difficult road before it, as newspapers selling for one cent a copy were then new in America, and the system of cash papers for advertisements and sub- scriptions was also new, and a rigid adherence to it drove away many customers but the Public Ledger gradually won its way to favour, increased wonder- fully in prosperity, and for many years circulated more copies daily than any other newspaper in America. The history of the Public Ledger shows what hard- working men can do in the United States by well- directed enterprise; for when Messrs. Swain and Abell (Mr. Simmons died several years ago) sold their paper to the present proprietor, in December, 1864, they retired with a fortune estimated at 5,000,000 dols. The new owner, Mr. George W. Childs, was a wealthy Philadelphian, who, like his predecessors, was also the architect of his own fortune. He was bom in Balti- more, in 1829, and coming to Philadelphia when 14 years of age, began life as a boy in a bookseller's shop. From this he gradually raised himself into the book- publishing business, and when he purchased the Public Ledger, in 1864, was able to pay an enormous sum of money in cash for the goodwill, machinery, and fix- tures of the establishment. His -newspaper is now one of the most prosperous in America, and is valued at 2,000,000 dols., together with the new buildings just opened for its use, and a large paper manufactory near Philadelphia, at which all the paper used by the estab- lishment is made. Upon this capital the business pays a large and increasing dividend. The Public Ledger of to-day is a newspaper of four very large pages, and is served daily at the residences of subscribers for the trifling- sum of 10 cents currency a week, about 4d. It has a circulation of 70,000 copies, and in this is ex- ceeded bv but one newspaper in the country, the New York Herald,, while its circulation in Philadelphia, where it goes into nine-tenths of the houses, is equal to the aggregate circulation of the 12 other daily papers published here. It has no professed politics, but in- clines towards Conservatism, and is almost the only newspaper in the country that inserts no paid matter in its reading and news columns.

MARTIAL LAW. The following circular despatch to Colonial Governors, bearing the official signature of "Carnarvon," dated 30th January, 1867, on the subject of Martial Law, was issued a few days ago Downing-street, Jan. 30, 1867. Sir,—Although I do not know that there exists in the colony under your Government any law authorising the proclamation of martial law by the Governor, I think it advisable to communicate to you, for your in- formation, and if necessary for your guidance, an extract of a despatch addressed by me to the Governor of Antigua, in which I have stated the views of her Majesty's Government on this subject. Extract of a despatch from the Earl of Carnarvon to the officer administering the government of Antigua, dated Downing-street, 30th January, 1867, No. 40:— An enactment which purports to invest the Execu- tive Government with a permanent power of suspend- ing the ordinary law of the colony, of removing the known safeguards of life and property, and of legalising in advance such measures as may be deemed conducive to the establishment of order by the military officer charged with the suppression of dis- turbances, is, I need hardly say, entirely at variance with the spirit of English law. If its existence can in any case be justified, it can only be because there exists such a state of established insecurity as renders it necessary for the safety and confidence of the well-disposed, that, in times of national emergency, the Government should possess this extraordinary facility for the suppression of armed rebellion. But whatever apprehensions or disturbances may exist in any of her Majesty's colonies, it is certain that no such chronic insecurity prevails in any of them, and in no colony, therefore, should the power given by the pre- sent law to the Governor of Antigua be suffered to continue. I think it therefore necessary to repeat the instruc- tions given by my predecessor to Colonel Hill, and to c request that you will cause to be submitted to the Legislature an Act repealing so much of the law as authorises the proclamation of martial law. I have only to add that in giving you these instruc- tions, her Majesty's Goveonment must not be supposed to convey an absolute prohibition of all recourse to martial law under the stress of great emergencies, and in anticipation of an Act of Indemnity. The justifi- cation, however, of such a step must rest on the pres- sure of the moment, and the Governor cannot by any instructions be relieved from the obligation of deciding for himself, under that pressure, whether the responsi- bility of proclaiming martial law is or is not greater than that of refraining from doing so.

THE BEAU MONDE IN PARIS! The lake of the Bois de Boulogne is the attraction for all the great world of Paris from four to six every afternoon, and specially numerous are the Spanish beauties of high rank who may be seen lounging in their barouches at this hour of the day (says the Paris correspondent of the Morning Star). Among the riders, perhaps the Due de Leste is the most remarkable type of his country. Superbly mounted on a horse of the Andalusian breed, the duke is quite one's beau ideal of Grandaza d'Espagna. A true German is the Duke George of Mecklenburg, who, with his wife, daughter of the spirituelle Grand Duchess Helen, of Russia, may be seen daily in the drive. His talented mother-in- law is expected in a few days-one of the most gifted women in Europe, and still preserving great remains of beauty; her salon at St. Petersburg is the reunion for all the literary, artistic, and diplomatic world of that capital. Among the belles whose equipages excite most attention at the Bois may be cited the Marquise Talvaquinto, the Duchess of Persigny, &c. The re- appearance of the Duchess of Morny in the world has given great pleasure to her numerous friends. Her turn out" at the Bois is simply prefect, and may easily be recognised from her servants, who are still in mourning, wearing powder, a fashion which has not naturalised itself here the horses are black, and rival those of the imperial stables in size and beauty of shape. Princess Metternich's carriage is easily known by the Austrian colours, yellow and black the Marquise de Gallifet's is also yellow, but her liveries differ from those of the Austrian Ambassadress.

A CURIOUS VIOLIN. The Figaro announces the sale of one of the most curious violins the musical world ever possessed. I fantiaci per la musica will find at No. 9, Rue Vivienne, a violin of Paganini's, which on first sight merely pre- sents the appearance of a misshapen wooden shoe. The story thereof is curious. During the winter of 1838, Paganini was living in a maison de sante, called Les Neothermes, Rue de la Victoire, 48. A large box was brought to him by the Normandy diligence, on opening which he found enclosed two inner boxes, and carefully wrapped in several folds of tissue paper a wooden shoe, and a letter stating that the writer, having heard much of his genius, begged as a proof thereof he would perform in public on an instrument made out of this sabot. Paganini felt this to be an impertinent satire, and mentioned the story with some annoyance to his friend the Chevalier de Baride. The latter took the sabot to a violin maker, who, with wondrous ingenuity converted it into a musical instru- ment. The Chevalier insisted on Paganini trying the sabot. He not only did so, but performed on it some of his most exquisite fantasias which fact, in the hand- writing of the great musician, is recorded on a slip of paper now to be seen pasted on the sabot-violin for sale in the Rue Vivienne.

THE NAVAL REVIEW. The following public notice for the information of masters of private steam and other vessels intending to be present at the great naval review off Spithead on the 17th proximo has been issued by Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, Port Admiral and Naval Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth :— By command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Steamers, sailing vessels, and boats are not to attempt to cross the line of the ships of war to be re- viewed on Wednesday, the 17th of July. They are not on any account to pass between the columns, nor to occupy any part of the man-of-war channel between Spithead and St. Helens during the evolutions. Steamers are to keep to leeward of the columns, or ships in order of sailing, as the smoke might prevent signals being quickly noticed, thereby causing acci- dents and vessels are not to pass to windward of the Royal yacht if it can possibly be avoided. As the evolutions of a large number of ships of war require a considerable space, masters of vessels will see the necessity of steering accordingly, and not close in so as to interrupt the evolutions. The ships of war to be reviewed will burn Welsh coal, in order that the view of the evolutions may not be obstructed by smoke, and to obviate the chances of collision. Captains and masters of steam-vessels intending to be present on the occasion are requested to adopt the it same or other necessary precautions to avoid incon- venience from smoke, and they are hereby warned that any vessel causing any such inconvenience vill be liable to be removed to a distance. THOMAS SABINE PASLEY, Admiral, Commander-in-Chief. Victory, in Portsmouth Harbour, June 25.

DANCE THE GAROTTCHA. Stealing a watch, a Purse and a ring, Dance the garottcha- Dance while I sing. Dance to the triangles, dance naughty man, ;j Dance the garottcha as well as you can. Ninefold and knotted r) Stings the sharp thong ? Kobbed and garotted, victims had wrong. Think what they felt as you wriggle and roar, Dance the garottcha—be naughty no more.-Punch.

VERY MYSTERIOUS! A few days ago a mason was eating his dinner near an old pit at Rhymney when some one said to him "You are sitting in a sweet place; can't you smell something?" He got up after having lighted a pipe and went to the mouth of a pit, where he saw some- thing white at the bottom. Two girls passed him, one said it looked like a baby. He went at once and fetched two engineers and a policeman and a pit car- penter went down with a rope round his body. When he got to the bottom he found the object to be the body of a woman named Thomas, who was engaged to be married to one William Prothero, and who had not been seen since she left her brother's house, nearly a week previous. The first inquest has been held, but stands adjourned, the only evidence adduced being that of her sister-in-law, who said she was perfectly sound in mind. The medical gentleman who exa- mined the body, found the head smashed, and both arms and one leg broken, the fall down the pit being sufficient to cause death. Sergeant Marten said her hair was dishevelled, her head dashed to pieces, a red mark on her neck, and the fingers of the left hand clenched. Mrs. Berbow, who laid the body out said the arms were broken, her breast much scratched, there was a hole in her left hand, the right thigh broken and the hips black and blue with bruises. William Prothero, the lover, to whom suspicion at- tached itself, produced a paper showing how his whole time had been employed from the time the woman was missed till her body was found, and the coroner exonerated him from all suspicion. The affair remains a mystery.

THE CZAR NOT RECONCILED! The Berlin correspondent of the Morning Star makes the following remarks on the conduct of the Czar on a recent visit which he paid to Warsaw:- The attempted assassination of the Emperor Alex- ander in Paris appears to have embittered his feelings against the Poles generally-at least, it is difficult to know what other construction can be put on his re- cent temper at Warsaw. In order to give him a hearty reception, the city had erected a triumphal arch at the expense of about 1,0001. Care had been taken to avoid everything that could reopen old wounds, and neither the Polish eagle, the Polish colours, nor any other peculiar emblems of Polish nationality were employed in the decoration of the structure. On the contrary, the Emperor's visit was regarded as an opportunity of conveying to his mind that Warsaw at least now gave up its long-cherished ideas of a separate and independent national existence, and is content to regard itself hence- forth as a province of Russia. I do not mean to say that this feeling was shared by the whole population-far from it but at any rate it was the character of the demonstration. In conformity with an old custom, a deputation of the citizens of Warsaw waited on the Emperor at the railway station to present him their offerings of bread and salt. It consisted of an Imperial Chamberlain, noblemen, bankers, and other persons of a certain social position, all of them personally known to the Emperor but he passed them by without giving them a moment's attention. In the evening the city was magnificently illuminated, but his Majesty did not deign to take the trouble of seeing it, and remained at home. Neither did he visit the theatre on the first evening, as had been expected, but only went in for an hour on the second. These things have produced a good deal of bitterness in Warsaw, and might have been very easily avoided. There is no doubt it is un- pleasant to be shot at. It does not tend to produce a cheerful or serene tone of mind, or to make one take a brighter view of things generally. But the exercise of a little more self-command in the Polish capital might have gained the Emperor many hearts which have now been alienated.

AN EDITOR'S REVENGE! Mr. Dickens in one of his books is very satirical upon American journalists. He represents them as turning every incident into a report with a sen" sation header, so that even when the editor got thrashed for personalties, he at once brought out a special edition with the flaming announcement, The Editor Cowhided Again." 5 It is not, I think, generally known that Mr. Dickens \<»as referring to an actual case, which is tolerably notorious in America, and is told with great glee by the person most deeply in- terested. That person is no other than the notorious James Gordon Bennett, of the New York Herald, and it is thus he tells his story to his friends. The Herald had for some time violently attacked a certain actress. One day the lady's husband, himself an actor, came to the Herald office, walked up into Bennett's room and said, "Are you Mr. Bennett?" "I am," was the reply take a seat." No, sir, I will not take a seat; you have insulted my wife." "Who is your wife?" Name mentioned. "Never heard of her." "But your dramatic critic has insulted her." That is his affair." But I hold you responsible;" and there- upon the angry husband took the proprietor of the Herald from his chair, flung him on the sround, kicked him in the rear, rolled him over, kicked him again, j clutched hold of his throat, and left the office. What did the victim do ? He called up one of his employès, wrote out an account of the affair, caused sensation placards to be struck off-" Fourth Edition.—Atro- cious Assault upon the Editor." Fifth Edition.— Further particulars of the Atrocious and Cowardly Assault upon the Editor; and soon all New York was buying the Herald. "But," said Bennett, "I added a little garnish which was not strictly true. I said: We would have pardoned this unmannerly, cowardly assailant upon an unarmed man, but for one circumstance. This despicable wretch, not content with ferocious violence, had the unspeakable mean- ness to take up a quarter dollar piece which was lying upon our table, and to pocket it." The next day when the actor appeared on the stage he was greeted with cries of "Who stole Bennett's quarter?" and when- ever he appeared the same cry greeted him, until he and his wife were driven off the stage, and ruined. That," adds Bennett, was my revenge."

EXTRADITION OF CRIMINALS. As this subject may probably come before Parlia- ment in consequence'of the Act of last Session, in reference to the authentication of copies of depositions taken in a foreign State, expiring on the first of Sep- tember, unless renewed, it may be of interest to note a judgment just delivered by Mr. Justice Shipman in the Circuit Court of New York, on a writ of habeas corpus in the case of a German, Heinrich, alleged to be a fugitive from justice. The Judge laid it down that by the law of the United States every piece of docu- mentary evidence offered by the agents of the foreign Government in support of the charge of criminality should be accompanied by a certificate of the principal resident diplomatic or consular officer of the United States, stating that it is properly and legally authen- ticated so as to entitle it to be received in evidence in support of the same criminal charge by the tribunals of the foreign country. The Judge further stated that the complaint upon which a warrant of arrest is asked should set forth briefly, but clearly, the substance of the offence charged, so that the Court can see that a crime enumerated in the treaty is alleged to have been committed the complaint need not be drawn with the formal precision of an indictment for final trial, but should set forth the substantial and material features of the offence. In the case before Mr. Justice Ship- man, after hearing argument, he refused to discharge tie prisoner.