The Aberystwyth Times Cardiganshire Chronicle and Merionethshire News

Facts and Fancies. A BLU-.iDER-BUSS. -Kissing the wrong girl.-Punch. For an example to its readers, a North Carolina paper announces that the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives has been sober all the session." Two pickpockets, who were caught plying their trade on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, were taken from the train by the passengers and hung to a tree.—New York Times. A Topeka (Kansas) court has announced two new rules of evidence: that the lawyer shall stand up when question- ing a witness; and that if too drunk to stand he cannot practise. The Princess Bacciochi, who has just died, and who is officially described as aunt of the Emperor of the French, though she did not stand in that degree of relationship to him, was a singular character. When resident at Rome some years ago, she discarded the use of bells and of the voice in summoning domestics, but fired pistols to bring them to her-one pistol-shot for her footman, two for her maid, three for the coachman, and so on. A CAT OX THE PREMISES.—An attorney's bill sub- mitted for taxation in the Bristol District Bankruptcy Court last week, contained the following novel item :— "Attending messenger who informed me that a cat was locked up in the bankrupt's premises; attending same, and releasing cat, 6s. 8d." At first this unique charge was taxed off by the registrar, but on the explanation that the stock on the premises was a valuable one, and might suffer considerable damage if the cat were allowed to remain in undisputed possession, the item was restored. -Grocer. HOW TO SUPPRESS BOTTLE-NOSED WHALES.. May I venture to allude to the suppression of porpoises and bottle-noses in England? The plan adopted on the Mediterranean, where porpoises-or feroni, as the natives call them-abound, is simple and inexpensive enough. Engage a priest, row him out to sea, and there let him curse the fish. I have known it done often and seen it done several times, but I cannot certainly guarantee the results. Whether Mr Bright or his correspondent will be disposed to try the experiment is perhaps more than doubtful; at all events, it would require no Parliamentary grant.-Naples Correspondent of the Times. CURIOUS ELECTION ACCOUNTS.—In connection with the late Carlisle election some of the items in Mr Slater's accounts are remarkable. For example: J. Hargrave's expenses to Moffat and back, when he warned Ernest Jones of the folly of helping the Whigs, after spending his life in exposing and denouncing the cruelty and villany of that party, &c., lls.; expenses incurred through Whig violence and brutality—glazing windows, repairing shut- ters and door, and paid for table broken by Whig rioters at Rigg-street meeting, October 6, kl 12s.; paid for special peace officer to keep Whig rowdies in order at the Athenaeum meeting, November 5 and 11, S7 9s. 4d.; paid city police for the like duty, 12s. 6d.; the Demo- cratic candidate and his friends being threatened with serious personal injury if they appeared on the hustings at the nomination, paid for an escort of special peace officers, JE7 14s. 6d.; refreshment for said officers 8s. 6d." ANECDOTE OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL (CROWN PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA.)-When the Princess Victoria was a child little was known about her more than that she was met, even on cold and windy days, dressed and in exercise in good pedestrian style—crossing a heath perhaps, with her young companions, in thick shoes and stout duffle cloak- and that she was reared with as much honesty and care about money matters as any citizen's child. It became known at Tunbridge Wells that the princess had been un- able to buy a box at a bazaar, because she had spent her money. At this bazaar she had bought presents for almost all her relations, and had laid out her last shilling, when she remembered one cousin more, and saw a box, priced half-a-crown, which would suit him. The shop people of course placed the box with the other purchases, but the little lady's governess admonished them by saying, "No; you perceive the princess has not got the money, and therefore, of course, she cannot buy the box." This being perceived, the next offer was to lay by the box till it could be purchased, and the answer was, Oh, well, if you will be so good as do that— and the thing was done. On quarter day, before seven in the morning, the princess appeared on her donkey to claim her purchase- jJIiss Martineau.

Ecclesiastical. Candles were distributed to the worshippers at Mr Pur- chas's chapel, Brighton, on the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. It is stated that at a meeting of Irish Protestant bishops just held at Dublin a resolution was come to ex- pressive of confidence in the devotion of the laity to the church, and declaring an intention to convene a general meeting of prelates, clergy, and laity, to take counsel as to the best means of dealing with the pre- sent crisis in the history of the state establishment in Ireland. The Bishop of Ripon does not dread the consequences of the Church being disestablished. At a meeting at Leeds, he remarked, that "the Church as an establish- ment may be-if her enemies have their wish, will be- overthrown;" but, come what will, the Church cannot have to encounter greater trials and difficulties than it has already triumphantly surmounted, and, therefore, he is not in the slightest degree disposed to join in the cry of "danger." A memorial to the Rev F. W. Robertson, whose ser- mons are of world-wide celebrity, is about to be placed in Trinity Chapel, Brighton. It is proposed that a painted window, in medallions representing Scripture incidents re- ferred to in Mr Robertson's discourses, be placed over the communion table, with a brass at the foot bearing this in- scription To the glory of God, and in memory of Frederick W. Robertson, who preached in this chapel from 1847 to 1853." The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Nord says that the question of the union of the Anglican and Greek churches has lately made considerable progress. For the second time in the course of the year a petition has been sent from the English Church to the Sacred Synod of St. Petersburg in favour of this union, and a translation of the petition is now being published in the newspapers of the Russian capital. An important meeting of the Dublin Protestant De- fence Society was held on the 3rd instant at the Rotundo the Earl of Bandon in the chair. His lordship asserted that their greatest danger as Protestants was that they might be tempted to make some miserable compromise. The resolutions denounced the disestablishment and disen- dowment of the Irish Church, and pledged the Association to energetic measures of defence. The English Churchman does not believe in Dr Norman Macleod, or the "Presbyterian Magazine," edited by that Chaplain Royal and popular divine. "It is reported," says the Churchman, "that the Bishop of Oxford is to re- ceive £ 1,000 for the papers which he is now writing for Good Words,' and the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol is said to have refused 9500 to write in the same periodical. We wish that the Bishop of Oxford and the other distin- guished personages concerned had followed Bishop Elli- cott's example of refusing to have their names paraded in a Presbyterian magazine." On Sunday week, in the course of his sermon, the Rev. W. Bradbury, vicar of Skerton, Lancaster, made the fol- lowing proposal to his congregation:—" If fifty of you men are willing to sign the pledge after this service, I am willing, if you wish it, to do the same. It is a simple pledge—' I promise, by Divine assistance, to abstain from all intoxicating drinks as a beverage and if fifty of you women agree to do so, my wife, Mrs Bradbury, and my brother minister (the curate) will do the same." Nearly fifty persons of both sexes signed the pledge that night. A meeting of members of the S. P. C.K. was held last week at St. James's Hall, under the presidency of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Of the standing committee seven members retire by rotation, but six offered them- selves for re-election, and a seventh retiring member not standing, the committee recommended one in his place. It was understood that the Ritualistic party would at- tempt to place some of their body on the committee, and five gentlemen were nominated in opposition. On the votes being taken the lowest of the anti-Ritualistic seven was 123 above the highest of the other five. The six old members, therefore, were re-elected, together with the one proposed by the standing committee. The Ritualists have an opportunity of avenging them- selves upon the Low Church party, A London paper publishes a letter from a correspondent, who dates from the head-quarters of the legal profession, The Temple," pointing out that the ceremony of enthronization of the Archbishop of Canterbury, performed last week, is neither prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer nor in any way countenanced by the Acts of Uniformity. He submits that the Church Association ought to prosecute the Dean of Canterbury for unlawful ritual practices, because "if the inferior clergy are to be tied and bound with the iron chains of the Acts of Uniformity, and forcibly kept within the four corners of the Prayer-book, surely deans and arch- bishops ought not to be allowed to go altogether un- fettered. A correspondent writes to a daily contemporary:—" The annual meeting of the church of the Metropolital Tabernacle, under the pastoral care of the Rev. C. H; Spurgeon, was held last evening, when reports of the various branches of work were read. These show that during the past year the weekly offerings in the boxes at the doors, for the sup- port of the pastors' college for educating young men for the ministry, amounted to £ 2,000, or nearly £ 40 per week, a large proportion of which has always been in pence. For the same object donations have been received to the extent of £ 4,300 more. For the relief of poor members 70we, contributed at the communion table and a sum of £ 6,600 expended for the erection of almshouses for the aged. For Sunday and ragged schools, tract and other societies, collections made produced nearly 91,000 and a sum of 21,760 was lent to other churches for the erection of chapels in which to worship. Contributions for Stockwell Orphanage, about 27,000. All these amounts are in addition to the rents received for the seats, and are therefore purely the result of the voluntary principle, and make in all the noble sum of upwards of £ 20,000." The bishops of the Irish Church have memorialised her Majesty to convoke the Irish Convocation. The bishops plead that it is only just that in the present crisis of affairs they should be able, "in a regular and constitutional manner," to express their judgment. "We are further persuaded," they continue, "that in the event of serious changes being made in the outward conditions of our Church, the consequences would be most disastrous if there were no such body already in existence able to con- sult and advise the whole Church with authority in a crisis which, at the best, must be full of difficulty and danger." The Home Secretary briefly replies "that her Majesty's Government, after mature consideration of the memorial, do not feel justified in advising her Majesty to accede to its prayer." The Irish bishops thereupon have passed a series of resolutions. The purport of the resolu- tions is that as the bishops do not possess authority to enter into negotiations on behalf of the Church in respect of arrangements which can only follow on legislative changes which they have no right to regard as inevitable, and which they are bound to protest against and resist, the counsel and co-operation of both clergy and laity snould be earnestly invited. Against these resolutions the Bishop of Down and Connor has entered a protest. He be- lieves that the interests of the Church would be seriously imperilled by a premature pledge to protest against and resist changes and he holds that, without forfeiting prin- ciple, the bishops might confer with Mr Gladstone, "whose attachment to the doctrines of the Church no one can doubt," with the view of procuring some modification of the proposed BilL

Agricultural. DISEASE IN YEARLING LAMBS. Last year vast numbers of yearling lambs died from a cause then unknown to most farmers, but which some parties have since allowed to be phthisis, created by a threadworm in the windpipe. Mr Joseph Challinor, of the Beeston Castle- side farm, and many others throughout the county, lost numbers of their yearling lambs in this way. Mr Challinor hit on an effectual preventive and speedy cure. He drenched all the yearlings he had left living, affected or not affected, since which he has not had another loss. Others to whom he has communicated his remedy have adopted it with the same beneficial results. As there are at this time many who are similarly losing their yearlings, Mr Challinor has thought it only right to make known for the good of the public his antidotal mixture. It is as follows:—Spirits of turpentine and Epsom salts, the pro- portions b-.ing 1 lb. of salts with three quarts of water (or for a smaller flock 5 lb. with three pints.) For a dose for one sheep, of an ordinary egg-cup full of the liquid salts, adding therein 2 tea-spoonfuls of turpentine. Repeated once a week for several weeks. This is alike suitable for prevention and cure. STEAM CULTIVATION. The fifth annual meeting of the Midland Farmers' Club was held at Nock's Royal Hotel, Birmingham, last week. Mr J. Ford, the president, was in the chair, and amongst those present were Messrs G. A. May, W. B. Mapplebeck, J. King, W. Fowler, jun., T. B. Wright, J. Lowe, J. Fowler, W. Jones, T. Negus, T. Ryland, S. Stokes, G. Wise, T. Hyde, G. Strongitharm, H. Holland (Mayor), E. Kendrick, J. Dormer, Sebastian Evans, Brewster, E. Lythall, Davis, Keep, and J. B. Lythall (secretary). Dinner was served at three o'clock, after which the members proceeded to the transaction of business. Mr G. A. May was appointed president, and Mr Brewster vice-president for the ensuing year Mr J. Lowe was re- appointed treasurer; the trustees and committee were elected; and Mr J. B. Lythall was continued in the office of secretary. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Ford, the retiring president, for his services during the year. report and statement of accounts, which showed a sum 01 £ 11 2s. due to the treasurer, was adopted unani- u1*?ai 'L™ agreed that a meeting of the club be held the last Thursday in September, instead of the first Thursday m October, the reason assigned for the change being that pheasant shooting interfered with the atten- dance of members. The usual formal resolution, directing that all papers read before the club, with the discussion thereon, should be published, was passed nem. con. The subject of Steam Cultivation" then came on for discussion, the question being introduced by Mr JAMES HOWARD, M. P., of Bedford. The interest in steam culti- vation, he said, had grown year by year. Nearly all doubts as to the profitable employment of steam power in tillage had been removed, and the great question with the public now was, which of the various systems was the right one ? The two great questions to be solved were, how to apply the power of the engine to the best advantage ? and the best form of implement to yoke to that power ? At the commencement there were not only many difficulties of a mechanical nature to be overcome, but there was a vast amount of prejudice to contend with. Farmers had become so accustomed to have their land turned over in neat re- gular slices-that the idea of a rude, rough, deep smash- ing" was regarded as a retrograde movement. At the same time, the public mind had been so much impressed with the idea of rotatory cultivation, which notion had been greatly fostered by the genius and interesting writings of Mr Wren Hoskyns, that for many years all attempts at steam tillage by any other mode was regarded with com- parative indifference, and it was not until vast sums of money had been spent in proving the thorough inutility and impracticability of engines moving over the surface of the soil, that many of their engineers, as well as the. public, settled down to the conviction that haulage by a wire rope was the true solution of the problem. At the com- luouwuiem, 01 T;ne speaker s experience in steam-ploughing he was greatly disheartened by the early failure of the first rope, and but for the introduction of steel wire instead of iron in their manufacture, he believed thev would have been as far off as ever in solving the probWof the econo- mical tillage of the soil. Each of the different systems had its disadvantages as well as its advantages, and no one of them was applicable to the varied requirements and circumstances of the farmer. The cost of the largest ap- paratus, having two engines drawing two implements simultaneously, was about £1,800, complete, and the daily expenses, calculated upon 200 working days, k4 2s. 6d. Taking forty acres as a day's work, the cost would be 2s. Id. per acre but it must be remembered that these figures were based upon the engines being at work daily throughout two-thirds of the year, besides which he had not allowed for the depreciation in the value of machinery. He believed that if a farmer had a moderate-sized occupation of-say from 500 to 600 acres-and it lay tolerably well to- gether, so that he had not long distances to move his apparatus, he would do better to purchase one of the various stationary engine apparatus before the public, than to invest in a more costly form of machinery—parti- cularly if it was his intention to cultivate only his land. Judging from the application of steam power to other pur- poses, mechanics and others were naturally led to believe that a rotatary motion was the correct principle on which to construct an implement for dealing with the comminu- tion of the soil, and the idea was strengthened by the writings of the author of "Talpa." Whenever steam power was introduced upon a farm, deeper tillage is, or at all events ought, invariably to be the result. If the soil be inverted by the plough, the farmer had to contend with a much larger crop of weeds than if broken up by the cul- tivator. The fact was, the cultivator let down the seeds of the annuals deeper into the soil, whilst the ploughing in inverting the deeply-moved soil brought the seeds to the surface, and thus caused them to germinate. The land upon the Britannia Farms (Mr Howard's property), con- sisting of about 600 acres, was thus described in the Royal Agricultural Society's Report:—"The extent of the arable is 44 acres, all heavy land. The Hoo Farm pre- sents a deep staple, lOin. to 14in. in thickness upon homo- geneous clay, yet before steam culture was practised there, there were but a few inches of staple soil, the difference in digging in a field and upon the headland edge, where the deep work was not reached, being remarkable, the raw, tenacious, gaulty clay having been obviously changed by cultivation into a brown unctuous earth, at once percepti- bly better to the feel Although the old high backed lands have been everywhere levelled over a four-feet deep drain- age, the whole of the fields are declared to drain well in the wettest seasons and we found nothing like sloppiness or sponginess", although we entered almost every field in wretchedly wet weather." Many of the fields, he might add, were very hilly, and although he had no open furrows or water gutters, he had never seen any water stand up on the surface. If such land were broken up deep enough and furrows were avoided, the water would sink into the ground where it fell, and not run down and flood the lower por- tion. In June or July he broke up the clover or grass lays, making a bastard fallow of them. That was no new practice. It had been pursued by the best farmers of strong land in the county of Bedford for very many years. In addition to the advantage of clearing the land, it was es- timated that it added at least eight bushels an acre to the produce. When the field was cleared at harvest, Mr Howard kept the steam cultivator going everyday, weather permitting, until the whole of the stubble was broken up, and any that then required crossing was next dealt with. After that, the tackle was packed up until the spring, for he believed that in short days and wet weather, apart from the unfitness of the soil for tillage operations, the employ- ment of steam ceases to be economical. The land intended for roots is, after wheat seeding, trenched up into ridges or bouts, 27in. wide. This was done by horses. A "pair or three horses" ridging about three acres a day he found was more economical than employing steam power. An ob- jection had been raised to the plan on the ground that the treading of the horses was injurious; but Mr Howard held that treading a deeply-mowed tilth was a very differ- ent matter to putting three or four horses in a line up a furrow. With such a team. something like 200,000 or 300,000 hoof tracks per acre battered down the hard sub- soil and rendered it all but impervious. In the case of ridging, the horses walked upon a tilth, and the winter frosts obliberated any injurious effects. If the treading of a tilth were so injurious as some would represent, woe be to the farmer whose fields joined, as many of the speaker's did, a favourite fox covert. In some seasons when, from wet weather, he had been late with his work, instead of using the cultivator, he had used a combined ridging and sub-soil plough, the ridging plough throwing up the soil 9 inches deep, in bouts of 27 inches wide and the sub-soil tine penetrating and loosening the open furrow some six or seven inches deeper. That was a capital operation, and he preferred the work to that made either by the cultivator or plough, if it had to be done late in the year. One of the chief, if not the greatest, advantage of the application of steam power to the cultivation of the soil, was the increased depth of til- lage.. Many persons who had gone to the expense of pur- chasing a steam cultivator, from overlooking that fact, had not only tailed to derive any advantage from its use, but had lowered steam tillage in the estimation of their neigh- bours, their chief object being to get over a great breadth. lo increase the fertility, especially of strong soils, the cul- tivation must not only be deep, but the owner of the steam power must not be content with one deep turning—it must be continuous. The effect of continuous deep tillage in Mr Howard's own case, had been to increase the produce fully one-third. In farming, as well as in other pursuits, "time was money," and those who would in cultivation obtain the greatest results with the utmost certainty, and at the least cost, must avail themselves of the "iron sinews of the never-tiring steam engine. On the motion of Mr KING, seconded by Mr LOWE, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Howard for his 8 paper. The seconder insisted that before fanners could be expected to invest their capital in expensive and im- proved machinery they must be given a more permanent holding of the land which they tilled and referring to the fact that Mr Howard had recently been elected a member of Parliament, he complained that the agri- cultural interest had not yet had a fair representation in the House of Commons. He advocated the establish- ment of a Department of Agriculture.—It was pointed out by Mr PERKINS that one great difficulty in the way of the general adoption of steam cultivation was the immense expense of the apparatus and the getting of it into operation; and whilst approving the system for many of the reasons put forth by Mr Howard, he said that lie had not yet experienced from it any great increase in yield of his crop of roots and grain.—Mr MAY commended steam cultiva- tion for strong lands, and said that although he had now adopted the system for about six years, he could not say with Mr Howard that the result had been an additional yield of eight bushels to the acre. The roundabout tackle he considered to be incompatible with expeditious working of the preliminary arrangements, and as to deep cultiva- tion, he advised a plan of gradual operation.-It was argued by the CHAIRMAN, upon the strength of his own experience, that for holdings of a moderate size, the roundabout tackle was the best; but upon the general question as to the merits of steam cultivators, his convic- tion was very decidedly that" smashing" was the right a system. He maintained that if agriculture was to pro. gress, steam must be the order of the day; and he stated that the result of the use of the cultivator upon his own farm had been a profit of considerably more than eight bushels to the acre. —In closing the discussion, Mr HowAari remarked that as they could not extend the width of the land in England they must look to depth for an increase of the produce of the soil. He was free to admit that he thought in those localities where the farms were small, steam cultivation, by means of hired machinery would not pay; but it was his opinion that persons with large holdings, and with sufficient capital, should have a cultivator of their own, just as they would a plough or a harrow. The discussion then closed.

Tipyn o Bob Peth. It cost Mr Sartoris 94,296 to gain his seat for Car- marthenshire. Lord Powis has been distributing coal amongst the poor of Chirbury. Mr Richard spent only 2512 in winning his seat for Merthyr; Mr Fothergill spent 23,058. A National School was opened at Llanfihansel-e-lvn. myfer on the 27th. ult. s syu The Hereford, Hay, and Brecon Railway Bill has com- plied with standing orders. Bethesda Chapel, Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant, Denbigh- shire, has been licensed for the solemnization of mar- riages. Owing to the wet and unseasonable weather the sheep have been dying by hundreds in the neighbourhood of Beddgelert. The Chester Amateur Christy Minstrels gave an enter- tainment to the inmates of the county lunatic asylum the other night. Mr James Ashbury spent £ 2,305 10s. 6d. in his attempt to obtain a parliamentary seat at Brighton. The expenses of the successful candidates were, C523 for Mr White, and C410, Mr Fawcett. Sir John Hanmer has presented a new bell to Caerwys Church, in the place of a cracked one. The worthy scribe who records this act of liberality on the part of Sir John talks about the sacred admiration of the ringing of church bells existing universally in our land." Carnarvon must be the paradise of Guardians. At the last meeting of the Board the master of the Workhouse reported that he had lodged no tramps during the week. Three had, indeed, applied, but the bath frightened them" and they went away. A meeting was held at Llanidloes, on the 3rd instant, under the presidency of Mr Edmund Cleaton, to pass a vote of condolence with Mrs Ernest Jones on the death of her husband. An address was agreed to, and a committee was appointed to collect subscriptions for Mrs Jones and her family. An extraordinary rabbit-shooting "sweep" took place at Worleston a few days back. Bunny was placed under a. trap" in the shape of an overcoat, and secured by a cord about 100 yards long to prevent her escape Three shots were fired at the first animal, but without effect. The second was almost caught by a passing dog, but pulled up by the gentleman who held the cord. At the close of the sport" the shots dined together. Our yachting readers will, we are sure, be well pleased to learn that Mr Ashbury, the owner of the famous Cambria, has accepted a challenge from Mr. William Douglas, of New York, who became the owner of the Sappho schooner on her return from England last No. vember. A child traveling with its parents in a railway car- riage, when near Oakengates, leaned against the car- riage door. By some means or other the door had not been properly fastened, and the child fell out upon the line, the train traveling at a rapid rate. The little one was picked up by a platelayer, but it died almost imme- diately. At a vestry meeting held at Newport (Salop) on Friday, to consider the question of a substitute for compulsory church rates, the only resolution arrived at was, that a committee should be appointed to advise with the church- wardens concerning the best mode of raising funds for defraying the expenses of the church. It did not cost Mr Hanbury Tracy much to re-enter Parliament in November. The total amount published in the official abstract of expenses is only 2101 17s. 7d., made up of the following items :-Professional agents, S62 8s.; advertising, 25 5s.; returning officer, 932 6s. 7 d. miscellaneous. £ 118s.. Although the election was uncon- tested, the cost is unusually small. Mr Jones-Parry's expenses in contesting Carnarvon- shire were also unusually small, considering the length and severity of the contest. The total is £2,371 6s. 3d., of which 2730 Os. 6d.—comparatively a very small item—is for legal agents, canvassers, and check clerks; R606 15s. lid. for rents of committee-rooms, clerks, postages, &c.; and 9360 13s. 3d. for the conveyance of electors. A conference and public meeting have been held in Chester to promote the views of the Systematic Beneficence Society, which seeks to induce people to set aside a certain portion of their income for religious and charitable pur- poses. Dr Cather, the deputation, said Chester had been selected for the meeting, for one reason, because it was on the borders of Wales, and the Welsh churches, it was hoped, would assist the movement. If the excellent principle of this society were generally adopted religious and charitable begging would cease. Can we hope for- that before" the millenium ?" A singular affair is reported from Munslow. A wo- man, named Dolphin, was being interred, and whilst the burial service was being read the sexton bailed the water- out of the grave. Before the poor woman died she had made her husband promise that he would have her- buried in a dry spot; and, in consequence of this promise, the husband disinterred the remains in a day or two after- wards himself, and removed them to another and a drier grave A case of some importance to horse dealers and Others came before the Wellington County Court last week An action was brought on the warranty of a horse. The. animal was purchased by the plaintiff, but on being put to work, it was discovered that the horse was nearly blind, and had "side bones" on its fore legs. Plaintiff ad. mitted that he did not examine the horse when he bought it, and defendant denied the warranty. The Judge held that the imperfections must be at once patent to a casual observer," and that the fact of defendant's saying it was a "good horse constituted a warranty in the eye of the law. Judgment was therefore given for the amount claimed. At the annual meeting of the agents and engineers in connection with the Canal Association, Mr Leader Williams, engineer to the Severn Navigation Commis- sioners, alluded to Mr Bateman's project for supplying London with what he called "the surplus water of the Severn." Mr Williams said that the abstraction of any considerable portion of the flooded water from the higher portion of the Severn would so raise the bed of the river as to prevent the low-lying lands in the neighbour- hood of Gloucester from being drained as they now are by the river, which is the main drain of the whole valley, comprising a water shed of 6,000 square miles. In the month of July last year, owing to the dry season, there was not sufficient water to supply the pumping mains of Worcester waterworks and the lockage of theCommissioners' locks at Diglis. On Wednesday week a miller named Lewis Morris, who- works at the mills of Messrs. Frost, which are situated at the canal side, Chester, had his attention called to a woman who was struggling in the water and calling for help. He at once rendered her assistance, got her out, ana restored her to her friends. She gave her name as Ann Nelson, wife of Thomas Nelson, living at 88 Ren- shaw-Ettreet, Manchester, and had come over to Chester in consequence of the difficulties of her brother, Mr. Davies, a pluinber, who had that day been committed for trial at the quarter sessions on a charge of receiving lead, knowing it to nave been stolen. Mrs. Nelson did not know how she got into the water; but it is probable that she fell in accidentally, and did not attempt to commit suicide on account of the committal of her brother, as was at first reported. When rescued she was in a most exhausted state, and had lost a gold watch, silk umbrella, and shawl. A gross case of cruelty by parents has just come to light at Hereford, and has occasioned great excitement. In consequence of the rumours which prevailed, a man named John Nott, a painter, and his wife Frances, were appre- hended, and were brought before the Magistrates for final examination on the 4th. They were charged with having cruelly ill-treated and neglected William Nott, aged twelve, a child of the male prisoner by a former wife. The evidence showed that the boy was systematically neglected and ill-treated, more particularly by his step- mother. He had only a small flock bed to sleep on, and no bed clothes, his sole covering being an old dress, not long enough to protect his legs and feet. To escape from his stepmother's violence he sometimes passed the night in the pigstye. The woman's own children were clean and well-cared for, and she had more than once been heard to say of this poor boy, "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see him dead, and rotting in a ditch." When taken in charge by the police the boy was in a terribly filthy and emaciated condition, and almost famish- ed. He then weighed only 42 lbs., whereas the proper weight of a boy of his age should be nearly 801bs. All the neighbours agreed in their evidence of the neglect and ill- usage. The Magistrates sent both prisoners to gaol for- six months, with hard labour, and regretted they could not award six years. The Registrar General s return for the quarter ending December enables us to contrast the sanitary condition of some of the towns, or rather districts, in Shropshire and North Wales. Oswestry and Newtown, we see, contain almost the same number of inhabitants, the former 23,817,. and the latter 23,732. In 1866 the number that died in Oswestry District was 114; in Newtown, 86 in 1867 the numbers were 119 and 157; in 1868, 155 and 119., It thus appears that in 1867 Newtown occupied just the same unfavourable position in comparison with Oswestry as Oswestry occupied in 1868 in comparison with New- town. Both districts have deteriorated in health since 1866 while Wellington, which has just tha same popu- lation, has improved, from 131 in 1866 to 109 in 1868. The most striking improvement of all is to be found at Car- narvon, where great sanitary improvements have recently taken place. Carnarvon contains 32,425 inhabitants, of whom 323 died in 1866, 194 in 1867, and 175 in 1868. Llanfyllin and Machynlleth show a higher rate of mor- tality in 1868; in the former district the deaths were 128, against 86 in 1866; in the latter, 77 against 55. Wem has increased from 43 to 56: Wrexham from 276 to 368; Bala from 27 to 52 (how is this?). Whitchurch has decreased from 69 to 49 Montgomery from 87 to 68; Corwen from 81 to 65; Dolgelley from 67 to 61. The mortality'returns from no other place in our district pre- sent any noticeable features. It is worthy of note that in 1866 the births at Oswestry doubled the deaths, and the same remark may be applied to Ellesmere in 1868. At Bala, strangest of all, the births in 1868 fell below the deaths, the former being 50 and the latter 52 In Os- westry, in 1868, there were 205 births to 155 deaths. Of course we have been referring in each case only to the last quarter of the year.

Foreign. A proposal to annex the republics of Hayti and St. Domingo to the United States has been rejected by the American House of Representatives. The Pope has forbidden two Spanish bishops-the Arch- bishop of Santiago and the Bishop of Jaen—to take their seats as members of the Cortes, they having been returned as deputies at the recent election. M. de Archiac, whose disappearance has caused a con- siderable sensation in Paris, and whose body was rumoured to have been found in the St. Martin's Canal, is now said to have entered the monastery of La Trappe. French juries seem disposed to make an example of seducers. A young woman, who had been betrayed and abandoned, determined upon revenge, disguised herself as a man, and deliberately shot her seducer. She confessed her crime but the jury, with more pity for the girl-she was an orphan- -than respect for the law, absolutely acquit- ted her. On Tuesday week an engagement took place between the French troops and the hostile natives in Algeria. The French force consisted of 1,200 men, and the Algerian of 3,000 horsemen and 800 foot. The latter were completely defeated, and left 70 dead on the field of battle. The French loss was trifling. The rebellion has been subdued. The Secretary of State for India has received telegrams from the Viceroy, dated Calcutta, Feb. 2, 1869, announc- ing that rain had fallen in various districts, and that much good had been done to all growing crops and forage. A very sufficient fall of rain in the most distressed portion of the North-Western Provinces occurred during the week ending January 30; prices have already fallen, crops are everywhere brightened and refreshed, canals replenished, and prospects altogether more cheering. The Brazilian mail brings the intelligence of more des- perate fighting between the Paraguayans and the allies. Lopez had posted his troops on the Lomas Valentinas Hills, about seven miles from Villeta, and it was only after seven days' fighting that the allies drove them from their position. Lopez then retreated with his followers into the woods in the rear of the hills. The allies declare their intention of carrying on the war until Lopez is cap- tured or driven from Paraguay. The death of M. de Moustier, who has so long been seriously ill, is announced. M. de Moustier held the port- folio of Foreign Affairs in the French ministry, it will be remembered, until the middle of last December, when he was replaced by M. de la Valette, and elevated to the rank of senator. He was, however, very ill at the time when the change was made, and he has never thoroughly rallied since. For some weeks, indeed, he could not be re- moved from his official apartments in the Foreign Office. The Italian papers publish a letter from the Duke of Sutherland and his traveling companions expressive of their satisfaction with the accommodation of the Italian steamer the Principe Tommasso, in which they performed the voyage from Brindisi to Alexandria, and with the skill and attention of her captain. Notwithstanding the fact that the weather was exceedingly bad, the passage was accomplished with remarkable rapidity-namely, in eighty-six hours. The writers of the letter say, in conclu- sion, they are confident that by the co-operation and judicious assistance of the English and Italian govern- ments, the route to India by Brindisi will be developed in such a manner as to obtain the large share of the traffic to which it is entitled by the excellence of its means of com- munication. An extraordinary murder has just been committed near Digne, France, by a lad named Borel, 17, on a boy named Morard, of 14, both of whom were shepherds. While minding their flocks together they were accustomed to play at chuckpenny, and on the day in question the younger had won 50 centimes. The other paid the money, but a quarrel having arisen shortly afterwards about a previous debt of two sous, Borel left the spot greatly irri- tated, and shortly afterwards crept stealthily behind Morard, and stunned him by a blow on the head with a large stone, and then beat out his brains with the same, and afterwards carried the body a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile to throw it into a reservoir. The young criminal then washed the blood from his hands and face, and returning home with his sheep, ate his supper as usual. The corpse was found on the following day, and Borel, who had been arrested in consequence of informa- tion of the quarrel given by another shepherd, afterwards confessed his guilt. The details of the assassination of the Governor of Bur- gos have been received, and they fully bear out the first brief report that the murder was committed with dis- gusting ferocity. The cry of "Thieves" uttered by the archbishop, and taken up by the priests, was the signal for the attack by the mob admitted into the cathedral, no doubt for that purpose. The governor was knocked down by a blow on the head with a hatchet, and was dragged into the street, where his nose was cut off and his eyes put out while he was still alive. He was at length killed by his head being severed from his body, and the inhuman wretches who had committed this hideous crime were about to drag the corpse of their victim through the streets, with shouts of exultation, when a cavalry officer appeared on the scene, and, striking right and left with his sword, put the cowardly murderers to flight. As usual with such deeds of violence as this, it has had the opposite effect to that sought to be produced by its promoters. It has produced a general feeling of reprobation and horror throughout Spain, and the Government has received from all parts of the country requests to punish the authors of the crime without respect of persons. The Ministers have granted the widow of the murdered governor a pension of 1,500 crowns per annum.

The death of the well-known actor, Mr Robert Keeley, took place last week. Mr Keeley retired from the stage about five years ago. He was in his 75th year. The Cambridge University Challenge was received at Oxford last week, and accepted by the Boat Club. The race is to be rowed on Saturday, March 20. Mr Peter Rylands, Liberal, was declared duly elected for Warrington on the 4th; Sir Arthur Guinness, Con. servative, unseated for Dublin City on the 5th, and Mr Phipps, Conservative, unseated for Westbury on the same day. On the 6th, Mr Stanley Vickers (Con- servative) was declared duly elected for Wallingford. An extraordinary case of assault and conspiracy was commenced last week in the Court of Queen's Bench. The plaintiff, a Sister of Mercy, sues the superiors of the convent at Hull for having beaten and imprisoned her, taken her watch, wearing apparel, books, ana papers, sub- jected her to various indignities, persecutions, and annoy- ances, deprived her of food, published a libel upon her, and finally caused her, without any just reason, to be ex- pelled from the sisterhood. The plaintiff lays her damages at £ 5,000. The defendants have paid jS5 into court, plead not guilty to the various counts in the declaration, and allege that the plaintiff was not a member of the order. It is expected that the hearing, which still continues, will occupy several days more.

Accidents and Offences. The landlady of a public-house near Durham was buried tlive in her beer-cellar the other night. Whilst engaged in the cellar the roof and walls fell in, and the poor woman was suffocated before she could be extricated. A salutary lesson will be taught the lower class of bet- ting men by the conviction of three members of the fraternity at Manchester. Oddly enough, however, their offence consisted not in the betting, but in having a place" at which bets were received—this "place" con- sisting of a temporary sort of box in which there was a desk. The magistrate fined the men JE50 a-piece, and, as they could not pay, sent them to gaol for three months. The experiences of a passenger named Robertson, from London to Edinburgh, will make people cautious about accepting the hospitality of unknown fellow-travelers. At Newcastle, a gentlemanly-dressed man, supposed to be a German, offered Robertson a glass of beer, soon after drinking which he became unconscious for awhile, and on reaching Edinburgh found that he had been robbed of 9180. His companion has not been traced. An incident which occurred at a Scotch church on Sun- day week shows that the heating apparatus may become a serious source of danger. The minister of Restalrig was in the midst of his sermon, when one of the pipes of the heating apparatus burst, and poured forth a cloud of scald- ing steam upon those who were nearest the place of frac- ture. One or two persons were seriously hurt, and some damage was done to the church; while the minister, cut short in his sermon, made his exit through a window con- veniently near the pulpit. The Theatre Royal at Hull has been destroyed by fire. The danger appears to have been discovered soon after the Friday night's performances, which lasted until near mid- night. The flames made rapid and irresistible progress; the edifice was entirely destroyed, including all the scenery and the other contents, not excepting the instru- ments of the orchestra. The edifice, which was one of large size and of considerable architectural pretensions, was erected in the spring of 1860, after a fire which destroyed the old Theatre Royal. No mishap affecting life or limb attended the conflagration. A mysterious case of drowning has been investigated by the coroner at Hackney. Two men, named Russell and Grakett, with their wives, had been out on Saturday night week, marketing, and had finished up at a public- house. A little after midnight, the taverns being closed, they stood talking at the end of a street, when five men came up and assaulted them. A scuffle ensued, and Russell ran away with the five men after him; Grakett followed to assist his friend. Their course lay along the canal bank, and Grakett was eventually found in the water, drowned. A young woman, named Marshall, affirmed that the five men threw him into the canal. They, however, escaped without being identified. The inquiry was adjourned. An extraordinary accident happened at a marriage fes- tival at Leeds. The gentleman in honour of whose marriage the festivities took place, is one of the proprietors of the Bank Foundry, and some of the workmen, for the purpose of producing a loud report, filled a large nut used at the works with a quantity of powder, and placed upon the top a heavy weight. The powder was fired, but un- happily the weight was not sufficient to retain the nut in its place, and the consequence was, that it flew off and struck a man, named Francis Bushell, upon the head, tearing off the skull. He was conveyed to the infirmary, where he died. Police-constable Joseph Gelks, one of the new Oxford police force, met with his death the other night under extraordinary circumstances. Being in the Friars, where there was a crowd assembled, he endeavoured to clear the pathway, and was assailed by a married woman named Cox, wife of a tailor, who struck him a heavy blow on the back part of the head with a platter, thereby inflicting a severe wound and rendering him senseless. He fell down and was then struck by several persons. Upon getting up, partly insensible, he ran away, the crowd following him, and as it was dark (a quarter-past eight o'clock) he could not see where he was going, and rushed into the Isis, which runs at the bottom of the Friars, and was drowned. A woman named Agnes Morgan gave birth to an ille- gitimate female child while serving on the farm of Corse- walloch, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in June, 1867. About three weeks after that she went away on the pre- tence of going to Gatehouse to give the child to its reputed father, who, she said, was in Gatehouse. But instead of going there she went to Glenluce, and from that to the moss on the farm of Kilheron, in the vicinity of Newluce, where she bjiried the child alive. She then left the locality, and recently committed a theft in the neighbour- hood of Dumfries, for which she was incarcerated in Dum- fries prison. She there made a confession of having buried the child as above related. An application having been made to the Home Secretary to remove the woman from the prison of Dumfries to Wigtownshire, with the view of discovering the body of the child by her assistance, the body was found. The remains of the child, after being examined by the medical gentlemen, were interred in the Glenluce churchyard. A shocking disaster befell a hunting party near Ripon on the 4th. Several gentlemen, including Sir Charles Slingsby, Scriven Park, Knaresborough, were crossing the river Ure in a ferry-boat, when the boat upset, and the whole of its occupants were precipitated into the swollen stream. Six of the ill-fated party were drowned. Sir Charles Slingsby, of Scriven Park, Knaresborough; Messrs Lloyd and Robinson, of York; Mr Orvis, the whip; and two boatmen, named Warrener, father and son. Sir Charles Slingsby who was 45 years of age, was the tenth baronet, and leaves no son. The river Ure, which was much swollen by the rains, is stated to have been seventy yards wide and very deep, and on the fox taking to the fiver, Sir Charles Slingsby, who was master and huntsman, entered the ferry Doat, which was worked with a windlass and chain. When about midway one of the horses began to plunge, and the others becoming restive the equilibrium of the boat was destroyed, and it was turned bottom up- wards. Sir George Wombwell, Captain Vyner, and two other gentlemen, were saved by clinging to the bottom of the boat. Several horses were drowned. It appears that the ferry was a private one belong to Newby Hall, the residence of Lady Mary Vyner; that the two men in charge of the boat were the gardener and his son belonging to that establishment; and that it was only calculated to accommodate half the number of persons who crowded into it. Viscount Lascelles, eldest son of the Earl of Harewood, Viscount Downe, an Irish peer, and others, for whom there was no room, remained on the bank, and did their best, when the boat was upset, to rescue those whose lives were in jeopardy.

INCIDENTS OF A WRECK. GRAPHIC NARRATIVE. It has already been stated that the Choice, of Shields, was wrecked off the Cornish coast. A Plymouth paper supplies some interesting details of the calamity. After the vessel had been overtaken by the gale off the Cornish coast on Saturday night, the mate, Mr Anderson, of Dundee the second mate, Mr William Smy, of London; and the rest of the crew, cut away the topmast. Seeing the barque in the trough of the sea, Captain Wilson wore her round on the starboard tack, and ordered the foremast to be cut away. The narrative continues—We then let go our port anchor, but it fell among the wreck of the fore- mast, and the chain went out very slowly, so that we drifted into broken water. In a quarter of an hour the chain parted forward of the windlass, and the starboard anchor was let go, but by this time a heavy sea struck us and swept our decks. Our bulwarks were stove, and our water casks carried away. She came head to wind, and it was then we let go the other anchor. It dragged, and in another quarter of an hour she struck first with her keel A heavy sea canted her broadside on. Tremendous break- ers now broke over us every minute and away went our house, boats, companion, galley, and everything movable. The mate and Allan Menzies (ordered to do so by the cap- tain, and they were his last commands) tried to get out the jollyboat, but as soon as the lashings were cast adrift she was carried off. The longboat was turned bottom up and the jollyboat stove, so we gave it up. The mate said we must try to save ourselves. We burnt tar barrels long before we struck-indeed, when we let go the first anchor —and we were answered by bright lights ashore. A heavy sea now did worse damage than ever, for it swept the cap- tain right off the deck between two stanchions and under the rail. He had just said—" 0 Lord, have mercy on us; grab hold of anything you can, so that some one may get ashore and tell the tale but when he was actually carried away he made no exclamation, and we never saw him more. That wave also carried overboard the second mate, Mr Smy, as he stood on the taffrail, with our only lifebuoy over his head. We never saw him either. Indeed, the sea round us was like a boiling pot. Our captain was married, and leaves two children, and a third expected. Mr Smy was single, and about 26. The same fatal wave also caused the death of William Jones, of Bristol, aged 23 (single). He and Menzies were clinging to the stoved long boat. Not much of it was left, and Jones called out to Menzies something about swimming ashore as their only chance. He had stripped off all to his drawers and cap, but what it was Menzies could not distinctly make out. They were his last words. Menzies said, No, Bill; stick by her as long as she'll hold together. I'm for the rigging." The sea overwhelmed them. When it parsed, Jones had disappeared. Menzies took to the maintop. The others were all aft. He sang out, "Is there any one on deck," and was answered Yes." The others then de- clined to go to the rigging, except Robert Armstrong, whose ribs had been broken by the wreck on deck. All the rest held on first to the grating abaft the wheel, for this was the most sheltered place. The barque had slewed head to the land. We saw lights ashore. It was now midnight, and very dark. All hands, seeing it could be done with safety, got together in the forecastle, and heard a rocket. We ran out and saw that the line went to lee- ward. A second rocket was fired, but in the meantime we burnt some oil and pitch in a pitch kettle to let them know ashore that we understood the efforts they were making. The third line fell right over the mainyard, but a bight hung amidships, which we immediately clutched, hauled a hawser on board, and fastened it well up in the main- stay. Our boy, James Foster, aged 15, of Scarborough, his third voyage, was the first in the breeches. He passed down the line very well, and was then dragged through the seas and reached land safe, but nearly exhausted Robert Armstrong, with broken ribs, was sent next; then John William Wilson, apprentice, and first cousin of the cap- tain-one of Hartlepool; then Menzies, in order to say that we had more lives on board, and would call out when ou ready to be hauled off; then the cook, and when he reached the land it was with difficulty his hands could be unclasped from the rope. He remained ill. He was so alarmed that he had to be shoved up from the forecastle and placed in the breeches. Popplewell was the next saved, then the mate, with a bad arm, jammed in getting the anchors out. We were washed away from them a dozen times, and unable to get into the breeches without aid; and last, Joseph Brown, who stayed to help the mate. We were treated with every kindness ashore, and we desire to offer our warmest thanks to those unknown friends who helped to save our lives, and to all who have behaved so well to us.

The Law Tima says that Mr Gladstone's scheme for the disestablishment and disendowment of the Protestant Church in Ireland is completed in its outline, and only re- quires to be embodied in the shape of a Bill or Bills. At the Wolverhampton police-court, a middle-aged woman was called to give evidence. In reply to the sti- pendiary she said that she did not know what was the day of the month, nor what month they were then in. She did not know whether it was the first or second month. She thought there were twelve months in the year, but was unaware of the names of the months and the number of days in the month; "she had never taken that much notice. THOUSANDS OF PRESENTS TO SUIT EVERY PURPOSE TASTE, AND POCKET, AT PARKINS AND GOTTO'S.—Portrait albums, despatch boxes, writing cases, dressing-cases, travelling bags, envelope cases, blotting books, ink stands, desks, stationery cabinets, book slides, work boxes, tea caddies hand bags, reticules, card cases, purses, scent bottles' cigar cases, card trays, pocket-books, electro-gilt and elegantly-mounted goods; ornamental articles for mantel-shelf, drawing and library tables. Bibles, prayer books, and church services in every type. Small articles carefully selected and sent post-paid upon prepayment.— Illustrated catalogues sent post free.- PARKINS & GOTTO 24, 25, 27, and 28, Oxford-street, London. LUXURIANT AND BEAUTIFUL HAIR.—Mrs S. A. ALLEN'S WORLD'S HAIR RESTORER or DRESSING never fails to quickly restore Gray or Faded. Hair to its youthful colour and beauty and with the first application a beautiful gloss and fragrance is given to the Hair. It stops the Hair from falling off. It prevents baldness. It promotes luxuriant growth: it causes the Hair to grow thick and strong. It removes all dandriff. It contains neither oil nor dye. In large Bottles-Price Six Shillings. ZYLO- BALSAMUM (Mrs S. A. ALLEN'S) far excels any Pomade or Hair oil. To those whose Hair is naturally dry, requir- ing frequent dressing, its cheapness and great value will be proved. Its early use on Children's hair will insure an abundant and bountiful supply from Youth to Old Age. In larwp "Bottles—Price Three Shillings. Sold by most Chemists and Perfumers. Depot, 226, Holborn, London. Sold by W. H. TURNER, Chemist, Church-street, Os- WDISSENTING MINISTERS IN TOWN COUNCILS.—In the Court of Queen's Bench, last week, application was made for a rule calling upon a Mr Oldham to show cause why he holds the office of town councillor of Wallingford, when he was at the time of the election a regular minis- ter of a Dissenting congregation," and so disqualified under the Municipal Corporations Act. It was contended on behalf of Mr Oldham, who is a deacon of a Dissenting congregation, that, though he had been in the habit of preaching in villages, and had for some time preached every Sunday in a chapel at Pangbourne, he had never been elected a regular minister of the congregation. Mr Justice Blackburne observed that it was a question of degree. No one could say that Oliver Cromwell was a Dissenting preacher, and yet he had undoubtedly often ministered to Dissenting congregations. On the other hand, no one could deny that John Bunyan was a Dis- senting minister, although he carried on business as a cobbler. He thought that the question was whether the person had been de facto in the position of a regular minis- ter-answering as far as possible to the case of a beneficed clergyman in the Established Church. If it had appeared that Mr Oldham had been really in that position, even for a short period, and especially if he had received any salary, however small, he would have been disqualified. But upon the facts it appeared to be otherwise, and there was no reason to disturb the election. Mr Justice Mellor and Mr Justice Hayes concurred, and the rule was refused. -to I" ,]