The Aberdare Times

TENANT FARMERS ON THE TENURE OF LAND. At the recently held Lwgt.-n Root Show speeches were made by two of the largest tenant farmers iu Eiut Sussex. Mr. W. Mannington (chairman) said: We are a> customed at certain seasons of the year to Lave long homibfes re.vl to us by the landowners who tell us that the capabilities of the soil are not developed as they ought to be, and they seem to entertain lit: le doubt that the tenant is to blame. Bat there are two sides to every question, and I am not prepared to say that the responsibility of the producing power of the land not being properly developed rests with the tenai-t. (Hear.) I think quite as much responsibility at- tiuhas t ) the owner as t) the cultivator of the soil. I (Applause.) Landowners may be divided into dif- ferent classes, all of whom have a separate syfctem of letting land. One. class enteitdna a dislike to grantÏig leases to the tenan s, they desire—and are quite at liberty to do so if they choose—to maintain tneir rights over the land, and to have the power <_f taking it into their own hands again at an early period. They depend on the good feeling existing bet ween them- selves and their tenants, and of course it is only right that good feeling should be cultivated. (Cheers.) My opinion goes to this, that estates tnus managed must be periodically surveyed, and the consequence is that the tenant who has done the best gets the worst of it. (Hear.) The valuer is sent round, and the first'farm he takes is that held by Mr. A; now in this instance the tenant has expended a good deal of capital, and has vastly improved the land. The valuer says to him, "You have a very cheap holding, and must pay more rent." He tfcen goes on to the other farms, say there are 26 on the estate, and at last he comps to the holding of Z that tenant, so far from making any improvements, hss so impoverished the farm that the valuer cannot raise the rent! Now, I will ask, is that a system calculated to develop the capabilities of the land? (No, no.) Then, again, we have noblemen and gentlemen who grant leases, to some extent with liberal clauses, but too often whh arbitrary restneuona the tenant is not allowtd to use his own judgment, a certain system islatd down for him, and he ia not allowed to depart therefrom. Another class of landlords are those who undertake to stock your lands for you (much laughter); but I must say that I have a great dislike to sea other people s stock: on my lar.d; I think it ia injurious to one's credit. (Re. newed applauue.) I do not think that either of these systems tend to develop the producing capabilities of the soil. (Loud cheers,) The fourth class of land. lords are those who, having accumulated a large amount of mmey in commercial pursuits, come down and buy land, because they find it is the only way of aequiriog status in the country. These gentlemen have been ajc«8tomed to high per centages on commercial trans- actions, tmd they think the land must pa as much. Perhaps they are reminded that the holding is not worth the rent they ask for it, and the answer is. Oh, I can get a tenant that will give it." But he will ruin your land." "Ohno, he wont, I shall have a lease drawn up." He forgets that the most stringent leaee in the world will not turn a bad farmer into a good one, and the estate consequently goes to ruin, simply because the rent demanded was too high to in- dues good tenants to take the holdings (hear, hear). I think that a man who hires land and spends his money upon improving it should be able to recover the value of all unexhausted improvements, -and that until that principle is adopted agriculture will not occupy the position it should do (loud cheers). Events of every day occurrence lead us to no other cOIiclu8ion (renewed applause). Later in the proceedings, and in response to a toast, Mr. Charles Ellis, of Beddingham, Baid-I was very glud to hear the remarks of our friend Mr. Manning- ton. 1 only wish that on such occasions as this, when awnera of land and farmers assembled together, sub- jects connected with the land were more generally talked about. (Hear, bear.) I know it is just possible that a tenant farmer may propound sentiments that are not exactly palatable (laughter), and that he nuy b« black balled by a c-a-taiu class in consequence but it should be rememb-red that the tenant farmer has a duty to perform towards himself as well us towards the landlord who owns broad acres. (Loud applause.) I hope the time will come when, while the rights of property art- fally regarded, the occupier of tae land will btj 1ll a posiriou 1:.0 ¡J,) his best. to: increase the, produce of the boil, but unless he has a vested lllterest JD the land he cannot do it (hear, hear). We know perfectly well that when the period arrives fJr revaluing the tarms that the man who has done most to improve the land by a large outlay of capital is certain to have his rent raised (cheers). I do not wish to make any pointed remarks, but we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that, owing to high rents and bad farming, landlords cannot find tenants for their far na, and are obliged to use the land them- selves. But when the land is let at an equitable rate farmers will always be found to come forward to devote their talents and capital energetically to its cultivation, and thereby benefit the country at large (applause). It is a common thing to hear that so and-so farms badly, but not always with reason, because the land is sometimes let with all sorts of impracticable conditions, and the farmer is so hampered that he can do nothing to improve either his own position or the laud he cul tivates. But if laud be let fairly and equitably we should see what it can be made to produce (applause). I am proud to acknowledge the Speaker as my land- lord. Hi.) agreements are eutfi.-iently protective of the interests of the landlord, but are not embarrassing tc the tenant. I think they are models of what an agree- ment between landlord and tenant should be (applause), I believe that the right Lon. gentleman desires to see his tenants thrive upon the land, and when his example is followed by other proprietors of land I think a state of things will be brought about upon which we may congratulate both ourselves and the country (loud applause).

EARL GREY ON THE ASHANTEE WAR. Earl Grey's second letter on the A»hantee war|flHe djnearly three column* of Saturdays 2 lines He examlnea in the evidence afforded by the papers laid before Parliament of the undecided character of the policy pursued by her Majesty's Ministers on the Coast of Africa, and effects, and thm concludes :— The nation would have been disgraced for ever if we had allowed the tribes we professed to protect: to e destroyed by the Ashantees. The Government was obliged to put forth its power, and we learn from the newspapers that measures have been taken for carrying on the wai. upon a very large scale. The information open to the public does not afford the means of judging whether the wisdom of these measures is equal to their energy, or whether her Majesty's Ministers may not be trying to ms>ke up for their past supineness and want of foresight by the superfluous vigour they are now displaying. From so me symptoms which may be ob- served, it is difficult altogether to resist the suspicion that the latter may be the more correct explanation ot their conduct. I trusbt it may be otherwise, and that no more ia being now .(Jone than pru- dence demands. But if the costly exertions now being, made are really necessary, it does indeed afford a striking proof of the want of wifcdom displayed in the petty economy that prevented the adoption of measures which, if steadily pursued during the last ten years, would have rendered these exertions need- less. For the pennies saved by that econ >rr.y we must now ba spending pounds at least; and, unfortunately, the waste of money U not the worst consequence of the mistakes that have been made. The lives of many thousands of human beings will have been sacrificed in battle, by savage butchery, and by disease, before the war cm be brought to a close, and, however complete our success in it may be, it cannot leave behind it a btate of things so favourable to a judicious attempt to raise the inhabitants of Western Africa to a higher social condition than that which existed when it began.

MR. GLADSTONE AND THE FENIAN PRISONERS. The 1011oo\'iGg comsponaersee lit-a passed b"tw<n Mf Cunningham, secretary to the Greenwich Irish Election Com- mittee, and Mr. Gladstone;- 47, Netherwood-road, West Kensington-park, Oc- tober 30, lS73.-The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M. P. &c.—Sir,—I have the honour to inclose you a copy of 1esolu ions unanimously passed at a public meeting of your constituents of the borough of Greenwich, held at Blaokbeathon Sunday, ihe 26th inst., also The Times' report of tbe same. It was computed that there were upwards of 10 000 persons present, and I venture to state without fear of contradiction, that the language and demeanour of the meeting were loyal and respect- ful in every way. The chairman, in the course of his remarks stated that a favour in an especial manner was due'to your Irish supporters in this borough for the cordial and unanimous manner they voted for you. I had the privilege of being secretary to your election committee on the occasion, and I am, therefore, in a position, to affim the truth < f this. The Irish people over the whole British Empire were pleased at your accession to power, because ID un- nurpas-<ed eloquence, you depicted the evils which b'-ohfced and curtftd their country. You nobly in- augurated a policy of conciliation, and you have achieved great results; but in this partial amnesty you hfloVH halted on the road. Your promise to the late G. H. Moore, in the House of Commons remains still un- fulfilled, and it is much to be lamented that a statesman of such dear political prevision should persevere in so antiquated and ignoble a policy. We, therefore, res- pectfully approach you, in union with the hundreds of thousands of our countrymen in Ireland who have petitioned for the same object, to request that you would be pleased to advise Her Majesty's clemency, aud throw open the prison doors to the political prison- ers still detained- -an act which I am convinced would be hailed with profound satisfaction by every loyal Rubject in these realms. I have the honour to be Sir, your most obedient humble servant, M. J. CUNNINGHAM." "10, Downing-street, Whitehall, Nov. 5, 1873.— M. J. Cunningham, Esq.—Sir,—Mr. Gladstone desires me to acknowledge the receipt of year letter of the 27th ult., enclosing a copy of the resolutions passed at a meeting held at Blackheath in favour of the release of the Fenian prisoners. In reply I am directed to assure you that Mr. Gladstone fully appreciates the motives as well as the language and demeanour of those who attended this meeting, and that Her Majesty's Go- vernment entirely sympathize with the desire that in this and every instance punishment may be limited to thtt extent the public safety requires. But Mr. Glad stone is unable to agree in the opinion that tnese pri- soners are entitled to share in the same measure of indulgence as is properly accorded to those who are drawn by the passion of the moment into the tide of proceedings which partake, even though in a remote degree, of the nature of civil war; while it must be borne ia mind that the first duty of a Government is the first defence of the lives of innocent persons, and certainly not least of those who are ministers of I he law, acting on behalf of the public, according to the duties of their offices. Of the whole number of these prisoners, which is 20. 16 are soldiers, and Mr. Glad- stone hardly thinks that it will be held that a soldier who conspires against the Queen commits no other or greater dIence than an ordinary member of the com- munity. These cases, then, as they have been, so will continue to be considered on their merits; but Mr. Gladstone begs that he may not be understood a3 con- veying any pledge as to the retult of the consideration which Her Majesty's advisers may had it their duty to give to the tubject.— I am, Sir, ycur obedient servant, J. A. GODLEY."

THE DARK SIDE OF ENGLISH LIFE. The New York Tribune publishes a report of a lecture de- livered at Steinw.y H al, New York by Mr Edward Jei,kin. author of "Ginx's B iby/' on The Eugland ol lo-day. the course of his hctdre, Mr. Jciikt JS sal The amazing vitality and wealth of England transfix the foreigner with astonishment. The endless streets of noble mansions in Belgravia and May r air, the magnificence of the merchants, the shipping on the rivers, give the spectator ideaa of fabulous wealth, among which it would seem impossible for poverty to have a place. But there exists a poverty and degradation so terrible that it is a greater marvel than the splendour which covers it. I stood the other day gazing at tbe magnificent pile of buildings in London erected on the plans of England's greatest architects. Where all these now stand, I used eight years ago to visit week after week the population of the artisan and labouring classes. Here were alleys with rude tene- ments occupied by families each occupying one room. The population was so decae that in one equare mile were 4,500 people. There was an innumerable quantity of gin sh >ps, which could not be diminished by prayef- meedngs or churcbe* ot Bibb p. What use was it to •ne,ich temperance and morality where the circum- )ances made them not merely self-denial, but martyr- dom ? But the Government walked in and shoved out the e people. Where were they to go? They had to Hvló uv&r their work. The i-iuglo ones /got qu .r;e red on fam lies, occupying a share ot the room and a ninth of the bed. Tne families got into cellars er encroached on other families got into holes like spiders. Intolerable are the conditions of Jife of a population packedlike that. Healthissimply a name for modified disease. All they care for is a night's lodging. Most of them li v e in the streets all day. You look at a huge animal cruelly striking the thin creature which strives to guide him homeward. You see boyi of ten or twelve with old, hard faces and cunning eyes, taking their brandy and cigars. Con- sidering how they all live, what is left to them but to seek nepenthe in suicide or intoxication ? In England I have heard men deny these things, which existed around the corner. This picture, you say, is that of a philanthropist. It is true < f almost every district in Londac where the poor congregate. It is true not only of London, but of hundroosJlWd thousands of other places. It is reported that there are 26,000 houses in Liverpool occupied by families in single rooms; that at least one-third of the population of that city were living in that condition. What are their rooms likf ? In rooms 12ft. by 13ft. and 7!ft. high lived eight persons, paying a rent of 4s. per week. Some of the rooms are occupied by relays of human animals. Prrsona attending at the theatres at night let them out to market people who begin their work when the others cease. We can even give worse examples than that. Sir James Simpson visited a man living at the top of a house in whose room was an enormous pig. He asked the man, How did this pig get up here?" "Sure," said he, he never was down." Let us hasten to breathe the purer air of the country, There, amid clipped hedges, the fields of wheat, where the meanest dwellings are covered with running vines; there, at all events, you say, we shall find health and happiness. You talk with the old, bent man, who is still toiling with the spade, and he takes you to his garret, where he has slept with seven or eight others for fifteen or twenty years. Or if you are a novelist, you may have stories told you of the very depth of wickedness of this fair country. Earning two or three dollars per week, the families regularly fall back in the winter upon the poor rates. Such in many a county of England is the lot of those who till the soil. Now when you consider these facts you may begin to think of the problem that English reformers have to face. I can only say this: If you were to go out into the street and think that every seventh man was receiving help from your pocket, or one man in every twenty of those you would meet in the country, you may imagine it. The perils of English society now are four in number. First, the relationship of the working men with politics second, the mass of pauperism which lives upon our rates; thirJ, the terrible, unparalleled power of degradation which is wielded by strong drink fourth, the de- ficency of incitements, moral and material, to thrift and ambition amoag the working classes.

A DISEASE-DESTROYING TREE. M. G imbert, who has long been engaged in collecting evidence concerning the Australian tree ^Eucalyptus globulus," tbe growth of which is surprisingly rapid. attaining besides gigantic dimensions, has addressed an interesting communication to the Academy of Sciences. This plant, it now appears, possesses an extraordinary power of destroying miasmatic influ- ence in fever stricken districts. It has the singular property of absorbing ten times its weight of water from the soil, and of emitting antiseptic camphorous effluvia. When sown in marshy ground it will dry it up in a very short time. The English were the first to try it at the Cape, and within two or three years they complexly changed the climatic condition of the unhealthy parts of ttle colony. A few years later its plantation was undertaken on a large scale in various parts of Algeria. At Pardock, twenty miles from Algiers, a farm situated on the banks of the HamJze was noted for its extremely pestilential air. In the spring of 1867 about 13,000 of the eucalyptus were planted there. In July of the same year—the time when the fever season used to set in—not a single case oecurred yet the trees were not more than nine teet high. Since then complete immunity from fever has been maintained. In the neighbourhood of Constantino the farm of Ben Macliydlin w.s equally in bad repute. It was covered with marshes blth in winter and summer. In five years the whole ground was dried up by 14,000 of these trees, and farmers and children enjoy excellent health. At the factory of the Gue de Constantine, in three years a plantation of eucalyptus has transformed twelve acres of marshy soil into a magnificent park, whence fover has completely disap- peared. In the island of Cuba this and all other paludal diseases are fast disappearing from all the uu. htalthy districts where this tree has been introduced. A station-bouse at one of the ends of a railway viaduct in the Pepartmentcf the Var was so pestilential that the officials c <uld not be kept there longer tban a year. Forty of these trfEli were planted, and it is now as healthy as any other place on the line. We have no in- formation as to whether this beneficent tree will grow in other than hit climates. We hope that experiments will be made to determine this point. It would be a good thing to introduce it on the West Coast of Africa. —Medical Times and Gazette.

The Liverpool branch cf the National Lifeboat In atitution met on Saturday, in the Mayor's Parlour, Llver- r.m>i his Worship presiding to present a handsomely Framed testimonial to Mr. Fothcrgijl, of Low-hill, Liverpool, for hi* efforts In assisting to save the Uvea of th, crew ot a Imsck nlined the Hero, which was wrecked off Douglas, Isle nt Man on the Uto Sapteaiber. In making tln< presenta- Hon the Mayor expressed his regret that the National Life- boat Institution bad not received the support as the liaiids of the Liverpool public to which it was thtuied.

DEATH OF ABD-EL-KADER Several of the Paris journals announce the death, at Mecca, of tha Emir Abd-el Kader, aged 66. This great African chieftain, who fur many years checked and beat back the progress of French conquest in Algeria- bat when benten and overthrown became in tune the firm and attached friend of his generous captors—was the third son of a Marabout chief named Sidi-el-Iladj L- Meheddin, and wa& born in the, environs of Mascara, in 1807. When Charles X of France undertook the Algerine expedition, Abd-el. Kader, who, though young, was famoui for hia powers of mind and body, was elected their chief by some of the tribes in the neighbourhood of that city, in the hope that he would deliver thsir country from anarchy. He was shortly afterwards proclaimed Emir of Mascara, and de- clared a religious war against the French, who, finding that it was more convenient to have the Emir as a friend than as a foe, concluded with him a treaty, which constituted him sovereign of the province of Oran, with a right of the m 'nopoly of the commerce of the entire country similar to that exercised by Mehemet Ali in Egypt. However, desiring to extend his dominions, he soon found himself again at issue with the French, who attacked him, but with doubtful success, though they forced him to evacuate Mascara. For more than ten years he continued in arms against the French invaders, whose generals he baffled in a desultory warefare, until, Dec. 23, 1843, when he was defeated by Marshal Bugeaud, to whom he capitulated on the faith of a promise that he should ba allowed to retire to Alexandria or to St. Jean d'Acre. Instead, however, of fulfilling this promise, the French authorities imprisoned him in the Castle of Pau, whence he was transferred, in 1848, to the Chateau d'Amboise, near Blois. Here he remained until after the proclamation of the Empire in 1852, when he was released by the late Emperor Napoleon III., and swore upon the Koran never again to molest the French rule in Africa. A liberal pen- sion was at the tame time granted to him. With the sanction of the French government he went to Boarsa, where he designed to take up his permanent residence, but the town was destroyed by an earth- quake shortly after his arrival, and he proceeded thence to Constantinople, finally settling in Damascus. In 1863 he paid a visit to the Sum Canal and Egypt, and made the pilgrimage to Mecca. He scrupulously ob- served his promise to the late Emperor of the French, and never again directly or indirectly troubled French ruie in Algeria. During bis residence in the East he was always the steady friend of the Christians, and rendered great service to humanity during the Syrian massacres of 1860. For his services on that occasion he received a decoration from Napoleon HI.

A SAD CALAMITY IN SPAIN. We (Pall Mall Gazette) have received the following letter T. m the British Vict-Contu ate, S.oitander, with the date ol the 3rd Inst :— It ia with sorrow that I communicate -the death by drowning of seven brave Englishmen, who fell a sac i- fice to their self-devotion in trying to save the crew of the Spanish schooner Union, wrecked yesterday at the ^ntrance of this port. Their names are: George xreeman, aged thirty-four, Master of the British steamer Mino, of Liverpool; William Smith. aged thirty-two, master oftheattamer Woo18ington, cf New- castle; J. M. Reed, aged twenty, able serman, Mino; John Parkfcs, aged nineteen, Mino; H. Thomas, aged twenty-t wo, TV oolaington and Messrs. Webb and Brooks, divers, employed on the wreck of the Spanish steamer Gid. These heroes—for heroes they were as much as any holder of the Victoria CroBs or Albert Medal—manned the Mind's lifeboat on hearing that a vesbel was in dis- tress, and proceeded to the rescue. It was blowing a fearful gale from the west, and li heavy set. kept rolling in from the Atlantic 1.1p:m the doomed baique, which, still afloat, but in the midst of -the breakers, clung des- perately to ber moorings. She was going to pieces, and the craw were perishing, as the devotenl band of brave Englishmen approached in their frail craft. They paused a minute on the edge of the surf, and then, taking advantage of a momentary lull, dashed in to save, but alas, all perished. The weight and strength of the sea was too great a huge wave threw the boat against the wreck, and nothing more was seen vessel, boat, and men disappeared, and as yet not a single body has baen recovered. Be they found or not—although the former is more probable— a monument raised to their memory in the British cemetery here, inscribed- with a brief relation of the act of heroism which cost their lives, would be a just tribute of respect and admiration from their fellow- couatrymen. As it will be quite out of my power to collect sufficient funds for that purpose here, I have written the above in the hope that your readers who sympathise with gallant deeds will generously assist in the realisation of my project; and I daresay you will kindly receive subscriptions to that effect at the office of the Pall Mall Gazette.—I am, LEOPOLD MARCH.

GREAT TREASURE TROVE. A case of long standing has just been decided by the Tribunal of the Seine. In 1867, as some repairs were going on at the Lyc<5e Henri 1V„ behind the f antheon, a woikman discovered a large number ot Koman coma in a sewer. The law awards, in such cases, one half of the value to the finder, and the other half to the pro- prietor of the ground, in this instance the city. The contractor, in whose employ the workman was, stepped in claiming his share: but he has now been non-suited, and the Municipality have paid the finder the sum of 18,292 francs for his half of the treasure which is now deposited at the Mus £ e Carnavalet. ^hia estab- lishment, founded by the city in the old hotel of Madame de Sevigne, has thus come 1inot'1nPO8.8fS810ln a ready-made collection of upwards of 800 gold medals, all of the size which numismatic antiquaries call the i aureus, answering to our 20-franc piece, but of a value one-third higher. They form a series to the history of Lutetia from the rei*n or Claudius to that of Septimius Severus with a very few interrup- tions it comprises all the emperors and empresses of that period—viz., within the years 41 and 193 of our era. They are all in perfect preservation those nearest the time at which the collection was buried look as if they had just come from the nnnt, such as those of Commodus, Pertinax, and especiaby Hep- timius Severus. The most brilliant period or the mone- tary art. that of the Antonines, is amply represented the two Faustinas are frequently repeated. There are more than 50 Vespasians; of Titus there are fewer, but there is one, with the exergue Dims htus on the obverse, and the sella curulis on the reverse with the thunderbolt, which is extremely valuable. I here is a Julia Domna, mother of Caracalla, an .i.E,lus Cæ3ar, two or three Plotinfe, which are exttemejy rare, an aureus of Antoninus Pius, with tne exergue Qon- cordice cenernce on the reverse, his treasure must have been hid about the year 19«J; there evi- dently were at that time collectors of old medala as there are now.

THE SCHOOL OF COOKERY. (From the Standard.) The School of Cookery has not only been in a certain sense the most success ml department of thy later- national Exhibition, but it may fairiy be aaid to have be-n one of the most P0P»1^ Mr kTI lng the London season. On Fr y • ekmaster completed what may alT tlr« f- CU ^u task of lecturing twice and CV w™!3-a day for six months in this modern School of Culinary Science. From tbe very first his lectures attracted much public attention, and to the end maintained their interest. In- deed, as the time drew near for J^elrTchOI"jla«oa their popularity seemed to inereaae. Ihe itcture.room has been well filled^ during the, whole of the course, but during the l«t U* thert ,be?a hardly sitting rofm, and all available spacsbenmd the dresser and gas-cooking apparatus has frequently been filled by ladies and gentlemen anxious t^(l and see something of an art which, as 5^' 'is of so much importance to the health and comfort of domestic life and the physical weibbeing a na .on." No kps than 360 lecturcs have which the making of 32 kinds of soup, 112 made dishes, and innu- merable forms of omelettes, has been Practically illus- trated. No less than 60,000 persons have paid for admis- sion, and very many of tnem tor the privilege of tasting the various comesubles produced by the staff of cooks, who have inductedntheirop6rat1ona aa the lectures proceeded. Tibe p P y of the lectures need no other testimony than the never ibailing attend- ance, especially when we remember that Mr. Buck- master was in the habit of devoting no alight part of his remarks to soundly rating his audience for the ignorance and waste which, unhiappjily, are the dis- tinguishing features of and of which both rich and poor are alike guilty. But the successful real^ation of a hap thought of the Royal Commissioners in establishing these lectures, and the immense popular^ they attained through the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Buckmaster and Mr. E. J. Craigie, the secretary to that department of the Exhibition, are of less impo tance than the practical results which have been already, and are likely to be still further effected, by the temporary Sohool of Cookery. A vast amount of intelligent interest in the important subject of tasteful and economic cookery has been awakened among all c asses, especially in the metropolis, and a very appreciable amount of .knowledge of a most practical character has been disseminated. Of the 60,000 persons who have attended these lectures it may be assumed that by far the greater part have been present, not merely to gratify their curiosity, but to learn some- thing which they could turn to good acoount. Ladies, and especially mistresses of households in London, of various grades of society have attended from time to time, and as patient learners have gone through a regular course of instruction. Tbey have thus in turn been enabled to give instruction to their servants at home, and many have sent their servants to take lessons themselves. Tnus a practical knowledge of the first principles of good and economic cookery has been widely spread. Those who have taken the trourle to ascertain whether any definite and appreciable result has attended these lectures have found that in a large number of English households a revolution in cooking has already taken place. It has been said with no little reason that a good cook may be known by her power to broil H. chop, boil a potato, and make melted butter, to which might be added to manfacture an omelette. That the great majority of English cooks are miserable failures in one orfmore of these particulars, and, indeed, in a multitude of other simple culinary matters, is an undeniable fact; bat it must be admitted that the number of such ignorant seivants has been diminished by the Instruction they have received at South Kensington, or from their mistresses who have gained it there. Still, the lectures of Mr. Buckmaster can hardly be said to have effected a general reform in our kitchens, :<8, after all, it can only be one here and there among our tens of thousands of households which have re- ceived instruction at South Kensington. A general reform must be a work of time and perhaps the good already dene would soon pass away unless it is supple- mented and enlarged by some permanent school of cookery, which shall take advantage of the interest al- ready excited on the subject, and systematically carry on the work so successfully inaugurated at the Exhibition of 1873. That such is likely to be the case, or per- haps we, may say wiil be the case, is a matter for con- gratulation. It will be remembered that in July last an influential meeting was held at the Marquis of Westminster's, attended by two Royal Princesses and a large number of ladies and gentlemen of rank, with a view to establish such a permanent school of cookery, with its headquarters in London and affiliated branches throughout the country. A committee was then appointed, and, we are glad to say, matters have so far progressed that shortly the public will be put in possession of the details of the scheme. Thus to the School of Cookery at the Exhibition may be attributed the permanent esta- blishment of an institution, which, if efficiently ad- ministered. must be the means of extending a branch of knowledge by which the material resources of our food supply will be husbanded, and so practically in- creased, and at the same time the health and comfort of the population widely improved. We are not a >vare whether Mr. Buckmaster will be connected with the new and permanent institution, but we are glad to hea-r that Mr.E. J. Craigie will take an active part in its development and management. There is a still further good result flowing from the lectures on cookery. They have called attention to the different apparatuses for cooking, especially those in which gas is employed, and to the economic use of fueL A great part of the cookery carried on in the School of Cookery was by means of gas, against the use of which there is still an unreasonable amount af prejudice. If the public were aware that almost all the cooking at first-class hotels and restaurants was done by gas they might be induced to give it a trial. Notwithstanding the increase in its price, an immense saving of fuel expenditure may be effected by its use in cooking. In organising the School of Cookery the Royal Com- missioners have certainly created an interest in a sub- ject well worthy of having more attention paid to it than is ordinarily the case; and if the recent tem- porary experiment issues, as doubtless it will, in a permanent establishment devoted to this useful art, they will be entitled to the hearty thanks of the com- munity.

THE POTATOE DISEASE. (From the Gardener's Magazine.) Among the many matters that demand consideration in connexion with this subject, one at least should have attention now, for the longer it is delayed the less sat- isfactorily will it be disposed of. It ia quite certain that the same stock grown on the same land for several years in succession does considerably deteriorate, and M the vigour of the plant declines it becomes more and more r u ceptible to the influence^of mnkind weather. It will generally be found that in a year of disease the torts regarded by the cultivator with interest as novelties turn out the beet; while tho^e that have been grown on the same spot for several years suffer most severely. It will be observed that the novelties usually come from a distance, and, irrespective of their intrinsic merits as varieties, they have this peculiar advantage—that they were raised on a different soil, and to seme slight extent in a different climate, from that they are next to depend on for subsistence. At th!s season of the year culti. vators can better find time to settle the little matters that arise out of these considerations than is possible in the busy days of spring. In many cases exchanges might be made If parcels of seed between persons re- siding ia districts remote from each other, and on soils distinctly differing in constitution. Generally speaking, the best seed for strong soils is that raised on peat and bog lands, and seed of excellent quality may be obtained from dry calcareous soils and newly-broken sandy pastures. It is very much the practice of traders, who have to provide largely of seed potatoes for their customers, to send certain sorts to growers occupying such lands, in ordeato se- cure vigorous stocks for cultivation the next season en strong productive lands. The setd 80 obtained pro- ducts a cleaner crop ia a bad Reason and a heavier crop in a good season, than setd of the same sorts tbat has not enjoyed a change of soil for many yearp, Hevice purchased seed is, as a rule, b. tte.r than thst of the same sorts home-grown an l hence, to secure the pame advantage at tLe least possible cost, Wd advise growers to make exchanges, as the writing of a few letters and the cost of railway carriage for the parcels would in most cases comprise all the trouble and expense of the .operation.

EMIGRATION OF CATHOLIC WOMEN. A re-union, especially intended for women, has been held in Liverpool, in counecttnu with the Catholic Total Abstinence League. The Rev. James Nugent, founder of the League, presided. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the night, the vast building was thronged by an immense gathering of women, young and old, some comfortably clad, and not a few bareheaded and Bhoeless (remarks the Liverpool Albion). The motley assemblage appeared to be homo- geneous only in the expression of a common sympathy which lit up every countenance during the kindly and genial addresses of the Chairman and other speakers, and in the evident satisfaction derived from the songs and other amusements provided for the entertainment of the meetirg. The Chairman, in the course of some remarks, said he believed the vast majority of those present were Catholics and children of the Irish race. (Applause.) He wished them to show that they were Catholics not by their words but by their acts, and that they prac- tised the principles of their sacred religion in self-denial and self-restraint. (Applause.) He asked them as Catholic and Irish girls to promise that for the future they would not darken the doors of a public-house. He would give -them a reason. On Thursday last he pre-ented bis annual report, as Catholic chaplain at the gaol, to the borough justices. In that report it was stated that out of 6,673 women committed to prison, 4,742 were Catholics. (Cries of "Shame, shame.") Was not that a disgrace to their sex ? They might be sure that it was drink which in nine cases out of ten had brought those women to the prison. He was about to introduce to them Miss Fletcher, who had taken out 141 girls, who had become teetotallers, to Canada, in conformity with the emigration scheme undertaken in connection with the League, for the purpose of assisting deserving girls, who found it difficult to get bread in Liverpool, to croas the ocean, where there were plenty of opportunities for them. (Ap- plause). There were hundreds of thousands of girls who were plunged in the midst of temptation through the difficulty of obtaining occupation in town, Such were those who, from an early to a late hour, were forced to frequent the streets and doors of the theatres selling oranges, Anyone who stretched out a hand to help them would do a Christian act. (Applause.) If there was a home wherein poor struggling girls of that kind could lodge, instead of being forced to take refuge in the lower parts of the town in houses which might be called dens of infamy, many a girl would be thus saved from destruc- tion. He hoped that the temperance movement would not only lead to self-restraint amongst its members, but be the means of saviDg many girls from a dangerous path, (Applause.) Mies Fletcher, having given an account of her trip, and of her pleasant reception in Canada, where, ten hours affcr their arrival, every girl was bespoken, said—I l;cxt crossed the Lake Ontario to the States, to a city well kcown to many of my hearers by name, the city of Rochester. My arrival once known I was soon laid siege to by a hostof people who had been sent out during the past three years by Father Nugent, who were anxious to testify through metheir gratitude to him. All who were indebted to him for the cost of their journey across the ocean gave an instalment, and those who had already discharged their debt, gave me a thankoffering somethicg towards helping others to emigrate; this I assure you was not the least pleasing episode in my travels. At Rochester I became acquainted with Mother Hieronymo, superior of the Home of Industry, in whom I may truly say all the girls sent out by Father Nugent have found a true mother. Her kind- ness to myself I can never forget. At Buffalo I was received well by the Bishop, and Miss Nardin, a lady ever active in promoting any good and charitable work, received me into her own house. Here I was assured that, should I visit or consign any eligible girls to them, everything would be done to pbce them ad. vantageously. From what I saw in America and the way the girls have succeeded there, who have been helped out by Father Nugent, I can conscientiously recommend industrious, sober, and well-disposed girls to go there. So, now, girls, begin and prepare for the New World, where there is a field for your labour, where women are wanted, and where you can begin a new life, and Qod will help your resolutions. There is one point upon which there must be no mistake. Whilst meeting with the most cordial offers of assistance in America and Canada, I was plainly told that none but girls of honest character and industrious and tem- perate habits would be received. The reason will be obvious when I tell you thatof a considerable number of women sent out under other auspices a large portion of them were brought before the magistrates for some crime or offence against the law. In many instances their con- duct was so bad that the local authorities were forced to send them back to England. I therefore can hold out no hope for those who have fallen into crime or who are too idle at home to work for their bread. Girls, however, of good character, who are industriously disposed but perhaps very inexperienced in domestic work will not be rejected, as I hope soon to ses established in this town a Home of Industry where the most ignorant may be trained to household woik.

John C. Heenan, the antagonist of Sayers in the memorable international prize fight, died on October 26 in a town on the Pacific Railway, by way of which he was pro- ceeding to California for the benefit of his health, whfbh hall been Impaired ever since hia aght with King,

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS. „ An Indiana jury recently returned a verdict of ijlode to pieces by a biler buitination." An American paper quite in a tiff says :—" Ther*- rJl0 eni1 to tho number of planets in the soUr tjstem. Five new ones were discovered last year." an umbrella which he had dHy'< a"d* morning paper sent a reporter to extraw-dTnary^nmn^ 8 the Pabllc all the nointll aoout the extrAordinary man.. contemporary mentions that a near- sighted hen which mistook sawdust for Indian meal stri ate heartily thereof, then laid a nest fuU of wo^en burean nintubte aBd lntnree Weeks hatched a set of parlow fii "Is this seat engaged?" said a gentleman to a young lady at a concert the other evening. "Yea," was the onick repJy; "and so am I, thaiik you" He was equj to the occa- sion, and huramtd into her ear, "Nobody aaked you mist he said." An Indiana paper thus politely expresses an opinion of a judge:—"He knows just about i1.S much of law 8S a mule does of mineralogy—the chances being in favour of the mule." A mart wrote to the editor of a horticultural paper, askiug, What are the most advantageous additions to dried grasses for winter ornament ?" The editor replied briefly, Sir—Aerocllnium roseum, A. alba, Gomphrena globosa. and G. globosa earnea—Yours truly—The EDITOK." The querist auswered, in aipasiiot", thtit he had never been so much in- sulted in his life by the use of bad language. During the teamination ef witnesses in a recent ilquor prosecution at Montpelter, Vermont, before the Grand Jury, a former well known landlord of an hotel was inter. rogated kg follows :—" Do you know of any liquor being sold In Montpelier, ot your own pergonal knowledge?" "Yes," bluffly responded the ex landlord; "I have sold liquor to eight of that jury that si's before you." The prosecution considered him a "too willing witness, and told him he could RO, although he was ready to answer further on the subject. AMERICAN STYLE OF ADVEHTI&ING.—One of the sweetest au<1 most fctfecting of old Kuglisti ballads is that of Ben Bolt., and a verse that strikes a con mon cord in the hearts of all of us, is that in which the memory of the long- past school days is so touchingly invoked. But how wonder- fully greater will be the pleasure of the old Doys when they learn tha". by the new reiu, invented by Messrs. ,fohn and Stephel, of Ward-street, no hors j can bolt. AXOTHEB HEN STORI\—The mos. mysterious, ex- traordinary, and astounding hen story yet! A staid and respectable female fowl in Pulaski, Tenn., has for years—the story says fourteen—laid and incubated with admirable suc- cess, Now she has indeed suffered a change. She is growing to look exactly like a rooster. Her comb has become greater and brighter, tier tall feathers are growing out with a brilliant luxuriance She struts about with all the import- ance of a juvenile rooster, and although she has not yet fouud voice and crowed a shrill clarion, such a demonstration is expected by everybody every morning. Is this one of the results of the agitation of the Woman Qaestion? -=-

SPUTTERING5 FROM "JUDY'S" PEN. HEARING that the coals were coming down again, a father of a family went down into the cellar and stood under the trap. He was buried on Friday. LEGAL CON —Why is the site of the New Law Courts like misers' wealth?—Because it is a mass of "hoardings." WHO are "waiting for the turn of the TIED?"—Why, the Divorce Court Judges and lawyers. A WATER-SPOUT— A teetotal lecture. Tis said that France raised all her money for payment of the German war indemnity by piece (peace) work. MINISTERS of the Interior—The cook and the doctor. WE have sometimes heard of coal-pit proprietors going on Mindly: they've got their rise, though, now, with a ven- geance. "An Inquiring Mind" wants to know if lamp-black comes from gas-jets. We have had his head shaved. A FINE Man—A Magistrate. A BAD Book-marker—A dirty thumb. THERE were four horses lately ran at Liverpool, and we naturally supposed the one that came in first would have won, but it seems that the third was the last but one. FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.—Ladles, this winter, will wear the same things they wore last year—if they can't buy others. NEW PROVERB.—Train up an engine in the way It should go, and when the proper time comes it will run into another. —Judy.

EPITOME OF NEWS. BRITISH AND FOREIGN- Beth the Midland and Lancashire and Yorkshire engine drivers are agitating for au advance of 3s. per week. A la.'iy passenger on board the French brig Myrtle, which b'-s ar. ived at Queenstown, shot herself on the voyage and Was buried at, sea. A telegram received in Liverpool announces that the Cunard steamer Abyssinian, on ihe 3rd of November, when iu lat 45 ro, and long. t3, discovered the American vessel R. Robinson, laden, with cotton and grain, without a crew. A crew wa* put on board the derelict vessel, and she was taken safely into Halifax. Strorg reprobation is expressed in America against the Spanish authorities who ordered the summary execution of General Ryan and other revolutionary Cubans captured on board the blockade runner Virginius. No diplomatic action will be taken, however, until fuller ialormation is forth- coming. There was a large increase in the importation of both unmanufactured and manufactured tobacco and snuff this year compared with 1872. This year the declared value of manufactured tobacco waa £2,392,596, against £1,2M,883 last ye?t. In 1872 the value of manufactured tobacco and lJiútf was £917,511, and this year £1,182,299, Mr. Pim, one of the members for Dublin, haa re- fused to sign the Home-rule requisition, but he l^s written a letter, in which he says the movement is not to be ridi- culed, and statesmen must deal with the complaint that Itl&h affairs are neglected in the Imperial Parliament. On the 5th of November nearly ten thousand words were "wired'' from the Lewis post-office, recording the doiugs in the town on that day. Two days aftei a large limb fell from a tree und r which the wires pass, and direct com- inuulcitlon was cut off for some time, and waiting its repair II part u1 the Cistance is d ;ne by cable. A Naples correspondent writes that" some interest- I log discoveries have beeu lately made at Pompeii. A shop, supposed to be a tanner's, has been excavated, and a number ot tools used in the manipulation of leather found. It 111 somewhat singular to remark the strong resemblance these tools bear to thole used at the present day. A young actress at the Casino of Marseilles, named Mdlle, Chabauier, aged 21, has just lost her Ilfe under patnful circumstances. She had entered her room to prepare for the evening s performance, when a piece ot burning paper which she had thrown on the ground after lighting the gas, set fire to her clothes. The ttlim61 were extinguished after a time by persons whom her screams had brought to her aid, but she had received such fearful injuries that she expired a few houri later. At the Custom House, Jersey, on Saturday, a pre- sentation of stiver medals, forwarded by the NorwEgian Government, was made te Mr. Charles Blampled and Mr. Ellas Whitley, 01 St. Mir tin's parish, for gallant conduct in saving the lives ot the captain and men of the Norwegian barque Isabella Northcote, wrecked some months ago on the Bcrehos Rocks, on the north east coast of Jersey. The sum otjB5 was also given to John Boucbier, Mr. Blampied's ser- vant. The long-projected conference of the members of the Society ol Friends was opened on Tuesday morning at Devon- shire House, Blshopsgate street, London, to take into con. sideration and to deliberate on ttie condition of the body, and in particular, toicquire into the causes which are re- tarding its increase and producing a marked diminution In the attendance at many ot the meetings." There was a very large attendance. The deliberations were conducted in pri- vate. The Civil Service Commissioners have given notice tbas an open competitive examination for the appointment of assistant schoolmaster in her Majesty's Dockyard at Slreerness will be held in London on Mouday, the 15th of December, and following days. The regulations under which the examination will be held are those that were published in the London Gazette on the 24th November, 1871. The Peruvian Amazon exploring commission have made a report on their work. Diseases prevailed largely among the natives, both adults and children, through an extraordinary tendency to yield to a desire to eat uarth. 11 was common also to tind children cf three years smoking-, and not averse to native rum. In view of the forthcoming collection in aid of the Roman Catholic University, a pastoral from Cardinal Cullen was read on Sunday in all the Catholic churches in the diocese of Dublin. In thü document the Card1.na! ItrongJy enforces the n >ncEslty of upholding religious education and depre- cated the growing indifference to religion which was man I- fest: d, more especially in the columns of a "licentious press," According to the New Free Press of Vienna the slaughter of horses for food in July last amounted to 208, in August to 184 and in September to 22L In the entire quarter, therefore, no less than 6 '8 horses were converted Into food. The forequarters' are quoted at from 12 to 14 ktuetzars per 111.. the" hiudquarters" lit from 14 to 16, the ribs and loins at from 16 to 18. Fat sells at from 18 to 26 florins the cwt., and bones at 1 lorin and 30 kreutzars. Eight or ten well-armed brigands stopped the train from Lisbon to Madrid, at nine o'clock on Saturday cliht, close to the little station of Ciuadas, near Cludad Real, and robbed every passenger, first, second, and third class, of everything on their persons. Mr. RobbinB, a Queen's mes- senger, lost his watch and chaln,- and over £20 in money. The lnggage on the train was not broken open, nor was any perllonal violence offered. A French journalist gives an amusing account of the actions of railway travellers in France. Ee oays that when the train is ready a rush ensues the first tenant of a carriage endeavours to prevent any ons else sharicg it with him: the second tenant, who has perhaps only got a seat by virtue of superior strength, joins with his former antagonist to pre- vent a third from entering; and so on. All of which goes to prove that there Is a great deal ot human nature anions mankind, in France, as well as elsewhere, The meeting of the Local Executive ot the British Association was held on Monday at Bradford, and the financial account, which was submitted, showed the total expenses ot the late meating iu that WWIl to amount to about £3 0(0. The Guarantee Fund subscribed amounted to JM200 A call of 60 per cent. upon (his sum was maiea short time ago, and it was resolved to mike a further call of 1?. 6d. lu ihe pound to meet the deficiency subsequently to the nest meeting of the Executive, and the payment ot tbe few outstanding accounts. The balance-theets will bo printed and forwarded to sach subset iber. We sea that HarnuDt is still not happy about bal- looning, and thinks it can be arranged yet to cross and recross the Atlantic. We beg to offer the foJlcwW as a classical" solution of his difficulty .-—Alexander the Great wished to visit the firmament, sc. lie yoked two griffins to a basket" then wfth a portion of meat on the e:.d of a staff, he tsia it above their blils, and so they constantly rose sno rüee en- deavouring to reach the temptation. By reverting the pro- cess he was able to descend.Qcan journal. According to the report of the Commissioner of Patents, just putbshed, the stamp duties in lieu ot" lees last year amounted to £ 185,769 Bs. I0d, n also anDeari fr,.™ the report, that last >ear the iees paid to the Attorn** General (Sir J. D. Coleridge) on patents amounted to £ 5 B?a 15s. His clerk had a fee of 5s. on 1,96^, on provision7i Complete specifications, amounting to £ 491 10s No fees have been paid to the Solicitor-General on patents since November, 1871 Tt is understood that the fees wlll not be payable to the new Attorney-General. be r TheWesleyans are erecting: a new chapel at Green Lanes, Highbury New Park, London, on a site presented by Sir l iaicis Lycett; cost, £7,250, This is the fifth chapel ereCtHGSiCCal856 In the district known as the "Highbury circuit," each chapel being arranged to &a«v>mmo3ate 1,000 worshippers. Within the sam^ period day schools, with an atterdance of 5\1.. children, have b. en provided at Highbury. These structures represent an outlay of oyer £ a0,0u0. A sixth chapel is to be built forthwith oh a site near the Finsbury Park gates, at a cast cf £6,50a. A gang of sharpers last week induced a simple-faced countryman, who was apparently lost at a London railway terminus, to accompany them and bave tome agreeab e, choice, and extensive refreshments. At the end thereof they wanted to show the countryman bow to »ake care or nis money, then to play at cards, then at skittles, all of which the rustic 'rj lneJ. Thereat they were rude and over- bearing, aad demanded bis card. He gave it-Sergeant 0 -(detective), &c., &c. The French war indemnity was, the Epargne Prancaise says, paid In tae following manner :-I. cash 760 millions taken from ° Franco, and 1,600 millions drawn from the <*rcu'ation of the country and replaced by bank-uotes. 2_ In Gtrman coins 760 mil. flons Which the German armies had spent In France 8 th°ce«3on of the Eastern railways 325 millions. T By toe export of goods from France to Germany 775 million, k By the sale of foreign «to& 800 millions, mnUona. 6. The "Bath chair has been introduoed 'into Shang- hai, and a company formed to manufacture them. The Leeds overseers have increased the noor-rate 4d. In the pound. The rate. is now Is. 8d. It is rumourrd that a well-known firm of picture, dealers has offered LfoO,006 for the artistic contents of the lal e Sir Edwin Laudseer's studio. The importation of eggs increases. According to the offical table, just issued, the declared value imported ia the last ten m-mths was £ 2,1^5 631. assainst £ 1,645 931 In the prececing year, B,Lid £1,083,391 in 1871. Since the death of Sir Edwin Landseer several of his most celebrated pictures, including "Dignity and Impu- dence" and Diogenes and Alexander," have been placed in the X..tional Gallery. A bachelor at n ounquut in Newcastle gave the fo!!a-!ng toa-.t: — '■ Th; ,7omV:. an co»l of Durham v—O <' h'f v,vui..1 ;h: V,» without I: ¡. 'its .doii. Admiral Howard, of Castle Howard, Ma.tjju, has besn raised to the peerage: by the title of Baron Luoi.. r.ou, taken from the Naworth estate, belong- ing to the lixwards, In the north of Eaglaad. The long-pending claims'of the late Lord Dun- donaid upon the Brazilian Government have now been eAtisfied by the arbitrators, v. ho have awarded to his lord- representatives a sum amounting altogether to about i.40,000. „ tbiruy-secoud birthday of the Prince of Wales t1 celehrated At Windsor on Monday, where the wa3 dl'Played upon the Guildhall, salutes of T?"?"e,8uns being fired from the guns In the Lone Walk, Water an^ Royal Adelaide frigate at Virginia in London has been largely dis- i -i VI Vh subscriptions to a loan of 10,000,000f norPalTower andan/^0«f«he rKe8tor*«™ *f the Pole's'tem- poral pow er, and ot the Bourbons in Spain and France. The monster requisition in favour of a Home Rule confcrenwe in D ablin has now received soma 20,000 signatures, including those of the Archbishop of Taam, the Bishoo of Ross, and between twenty-five and thirty members of Parlia- ment. A telegram to the Hour from Berlin Bays that Dr HeBSel, wilolwas ta! <ely accused of the Coram-street mtfrder" has returned from Brazil, where the climate did not agree with his wife, and has settled at Heldelburg as University Teacher of modern languages. Dr. Hancok, in his tenth annual report on the judicial statistics of Ireland, states that between 1864 and 1872 there wae a diminution in the yearly aggregates of in- dictable offences from 10,885 to 7,716 cases. Against this, however, he has to place an increase in the number oi riots ¿.nd of crimes against human life. Denmark has now, the German papers announce, fulfilled its part of the Treaty of Prague, by delivering up to Germany the archives of the duchies ot Sleswick and Hol. rtem. These archives are so bulky as to fill eighty-seven packing-cases, and they constitute the entire cargo of a ship whica has just arrived at Sleswick. At a meeting ot railway servants held in Edinburgh on Saturday, a proposal was made on the part of the employes to have a bill introduced into Parliament tor the purpose of reitrictlng the hours of labour of railway servants to ten per day. Mr. M'Laren, M.P., and Mr. J. Muler, M.P., who were present by invitation, promised to give such a measure their support, and Expressed thetr conviction that a large number of accidents were caused by the overwork and exhaustion from which railway officials in many cases suffered. Application for a writ of summons against the South-Eastern and London, Chatham, and Dover Railways, to show cause why an injuuction should not be granted to compel them to cease giving preferential faculties of traffic to Ramsgate, Margate, Deal, and other towns, to the prejudice find disadvantage of Dover, was made on Monday by the Corporation of that town, under certain clauses of the Rail- way an;l Canal Traffic Act of last session. The Railway Commission, to whom the application was made, decided on granting it. At the Glasgow Sheriff's Court, on Saturday, Wil. liam and Marian Swan sued the North British Railway Com- pany for payment of ten guineas each, as solatium and recompense for injuries sustained by them on the 6th of September latt, through having been thrown to the ground with great violence, and cut about the head, face, and other parts, by being obliged to leap from the compartment of a carriage which was on fire, en route from Helensburgh to Glasgow. For the defence, It was contended that the fire originated from no negligence on the part of the company and that, had the plaintiff* stood upon the footboard of the carriage, instead of jumping out rashly, they would have suf- fered no Injury whatever. The court, however, considered the plaintiffs' case established, and ordered the company to pay the amount claimed. Among the appointments that were thrown open to public competition by Mr. Lowe, shortly after his transfer from the Exchequer to the Home Office, was that of in. epector of coal mines. The regulations under which persons mn be allowed to compete for these appointments have now been published, and last Friday's London Gazette contains a notice, stating that a competitive examination fer two situations as Inspectors of ccal mines will be held In London shortly. This competition will be open to all persons be- tweeu the ages of 23 and 35, who, within the last five years, have been employed for two years underground In a coal mine. The subjects of examination include "a theoretical atid practical acqualBtance with coal mines and mining," and a knowledge of metalliferous mines," as well as elementary tubjeeu-such as rending, writing, and arithmetic. Saturday was a great day at Turin. The monument erected to the memory of Count Cavour was unveiled In presence of King Victor Emmanuel, .the Princes of the lloyal family, the members of the Cabinet, deputations from t te Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the members of the Diplomatic Body, the civil and military authorities of Turin, and deputations from the Municipal Councils. TJae King, on hii arrival, was received with enthutlastlc Queer- ing. The weather was extremely unfavourable, and the Il- lumination had to be postponed. At the banquet given in the evening by the municipality to 600 guests, the British Minister, Sir Augustus Paget, assured ths Italians of the sympathy of England with the Italian &ause and Its high admiration of the great statesman who insured its success* Sir Augustus went on (says a telegram to The Times) with a touching allusion to his predecesser, Sir James Hudson the otd friend of Cavour, who had always admired loved,'and supported him throughout his glorious career Sir Augustus concluded by a cry of Vive l'ltalie which roused a loud response of "Vtva Jngbilterra The enthusiasm raised by the British Minister's speech was immense.

THF7 MARKETS. MARK —MuNiuf. The grain trade at Mark-lane to-dr, has been in a quiet state. A. moderate supply of wneiit has ou 0 .lher" a thm Wance of millers, and busi- ness throughout has bseu r^trlcted. Prices, however, have betn unaltered. With tuivigu wheat the market has been n«avily supplied. Sa.i$a have progressed quietly, at about lata r*tes. A moderate *iippiy ot b&rley has been on sale. Malting proaucenasi h,'tit steady in value, with a fair inquiry. Other fcorts have been dull and drooping. Malt has been disposed 01 on previous terms. Tne supply of oats has been only moderate. There has been a healthy iuquiry, at late quota- tions. Maize has been dealt In to a moderate extent at steady prices Beans have been quiet and unaltered. For peas the inquiry has been limited on former terms. In the tontrfu«etratesSaCtlOM have been only to a moderate ëx. tent at late rates. ME TROPOLI TAN CATTLE MARKET.—MONDAY. consisted'of^r^a h H°reign "took lnto I^ndon last week 11,6*59 head in the corrsSDoiiditiff laat year we received 8,633 In 1871, 21 630 to 1870 lTrso 18*9,11,021; and lu 18e8, 6,1%'hi^° Tnerl h4s befn'^n ThiCc«6 °\ ar'w ?ortant feature In the cattle trade to-day The supplies have been about an average, but, as usual prime stock hss been scarce. From our own gr^C disteiSf the receipt of beasts have been moderate. choice breeds however, being scarce for prime breeds, the market has been firm, and 6s. 4d. per Sto has been paid- otherwise, the trade has been dull, and prices have had a drooping tendency. From Lincolnshire Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, we have received about 1,750; from other parts of England about 600; ar U from Ireland about 250 head. On the foreign side of the market there have been about 1,900 Tonnlng and alx^t JAA Dutch. The trade has bean dull, and Inferior broecta have been lower to sell. English sheep have been scarce, and the value of such has been firm, although the demand for them has not been active, the btst Downs and lialf-breds making 6s. 8d. to 6s. lOd. per 81b. Forefgn breeds, ot which a fait supply ha* been on offer, have been dull at d lower to selL Calves have changed hands quietly, at about previous quo- tations Pigs have sold at kite rates. Per 81b. to tink the offal: Coarse and inilertot beasts, 4s. 4d. to 4s. 10d.; second quality ditto, 6s. to 5s. 4d.;prime large oxen, 6s. 10dL to 6s. prima Scots. <fec., 6s. 2d. to 6s. 4d.; coarse and in- furlcr snjep, 4s. 4d. to 4s. IOd. second quality ditto, 6s. 4d. to prime coante woolled, 6s. 4d. to 6s. 6d.; prime Southdowns, es, 8d. to 6s. 10d.; large coarse calves, 4s. 2d. Iu *nia1' ditto. 6s. Od. to 5s. 4d.; large hogs, pJr £ Vsmal1 porkers. 6s. to 6s. 4d. Total Supply V eS and 18,400; calves, 265; and pigs, 60. Foreign; Beasts, 2,200 sheep and lambs. 10 870 and calves, 215. METROPOLITAN MEAT MARKET.— MONDAY. There were fair average supplies of both town and country killed meat on offer to-day. trade was very slow, bat no further decline occurred in the prices of the better descrip- tions. Per 81b. by the carcase Inferior mutton, 3s. to 3s. 81.; middling ditto, 4s. to 4s. 6d. prime ditto, 41 6d. to 6., large pork, 4s. to 4s. 6d.; small ditto, 's. ad. to 6s 4d.: in- ferior beef, 3s. to 3s. 8d middling ditto, 3s. 8d. to 4s.: prime large ditto, 4s. 6d. to 5s.; prime small ditto, 5s. 2d. to 5s. 811., veal, 4s. to 4s. 8d. PROVISIONS. LoNDON, Nov. 10 ~The arrivals last week from Irlahd were 635 firkins butter and 4,262 bales bacon, and from foreign porte, 30,440 packages butier, 1,288 bales and 312 boxes bacon. In the Irish butter market there was no change to notloe last w<ek. Foreign in good supply. Ba*t Dutch declined to 130s. to 136s. In other descriptions little alteration. Buyers purchased sparingly. The bacon market ruled slow, without change in value; Best Waterford sizeable charged 78a. on board for orders. PRICES. Butter, per cwt.: L a. Cheese, per cwt.: s. • Dorset. 00 to 150 Cheshire. 68 to 84 Frlesland 00 00 Dble. Glouc., new 72 82 Jersey 116 184 Cheddar 82 92 Eng. Fresh, per doz. 00 17 American 60 72 Bacon, per cwt. Hams: York. 00 120 Wiltshire, dried 00 77 Cumberland. 00 00 Id.ah.green.t.o.b 76 80 Irish 00 114 TALLOW. LONDON, Monday, Nov. 10.—The Tallow trade is dull, and St. Petersburg Y.C quoted at 40s. 6d. per cwt. Town Tallow 39i. 9d. net cash. Rough tat Is. lid per 8ibs. s. d g d Town Tallow, per cwt. 42 0 Rough Stuff, per c wt 15 a' Rough Fat, per 81bs.. Ill Graves 19 0 Melted Stuff, per cwt. 30 6 liood Dregs 6 0 T £ E?,st!M' Y\e,w 40s< 6d- P« cwt Ditto Ditto old Qs. Od Au trallau Mutton Tallow 42s 6(i Ditto Beet IVIUQ 39g, od. T>l 1 v FISH. ronin 3,:Ji, to 3"8 red ditto, 128. 61. to 22s.; b?nn!r 1 ,reStl ditt°' 16«- to P« bMTOl •' K i" > 3s- 9 bloater, ditto, 2s. 4d. to 4s. 5,5 V' sm°ked haddock, 20a. to 30s. per barrel; trawl v..i o, co 19s.; cttto plaice, 18s. to 23s. ditto whiting, 12i1 tc 18., pll: basket; soles, Is, 3d. to ,8s6d. per pair; turbot, 8s. to 12s. 6,J.. brill, 2s. to is. SM. cod, 6s, to 8s. each; mtcker.s». 6d. to 3s. lobsters, 12s. to 26s.; crabs, 12s. to 2Cs. pot dozen; native oysters, JE10 10s.; pearl ditto, e3 3.. oommii) ditto, 18s. to per bushel. HAY. LONDON, Saturday, Nov. 8.—A large supply of hay and clover haa been on sale here to-day straw, however, has beeu sc&rce. Trade has been, steady at the following rates Prime c'over, 80s. to 102s. 61.; inferior, 60s. to 70s. Prime me adow hay, 80s. to 84B. Inferior, 60s. to 70s.; and straw, 33s. to 42s. per load. SEED. LONDON, Monday, November 10. English Cloverseed of th.s year's growth comes out very slowly fine dark samples are held higher than buyers lib# to ei™ and few transactions were entered Into. Nsw American is offered, of good quality, at 463. per cwt arrival, white Cloverseed was rather dear«r J' °? fample*. Tae bast Trefoil was held ftrmlv at White Mustard seed was sold slowly wlthi^it =«'nil prlIces, change in vaiue. There was rather more irlmn™ f y Tlotab,e brown, and 1 igher prices were tren^rtiiv 'or tlne new Winter Tares were in good snrini^ such, could be bought lower the b?st 8amP'es over Cinaryseed was quit? Jrf for sowing them Ming Da, CS'U"Srs3i,'r'ds N" i b H0PS* growth transaction, if not extensive, Ye&riinffii »«/} an(* the quotations-tend upwards, oeait i>, olds are £ rm, though somewhat lets readily j ^ootiuental markets generally are fairly active, ,tnd prices exhibit much strength:-East Rent Goldiugs, •T? to £ 9 9s. Mid Kents, £ 3 16s. to £ 9 Weald of Kents, 10 4. to £ 7 7s. Sussex. £ 4 to £ 6 16s.; Worcesters, £ 6 to £ 7 10i. Farnhams and Country, Z6 to Z8 8s. Yearlings, £4 to jee: Bavarians, jM to £ 7; Alsace, 96 to j67. POTATOES. The trade for potatoes of all descrtpttons is still very steady and prices show no material vaiiatlon from this day week. The supplies of both English and foreign are moderate. Regents, 100s. to 120s.; rocks, Ms. to 80s.; Jddneys, 1008. to 190L flukes and Victorias, 110.. to 130s. per ton.

THE YOUNG HIPPOPOTAMUS. Mr. Frank Backland writes in Land and Water;- Wednesday last, the 5th of November, being the first birthday cf little Guy Fawkes, the young hippo- otamus, 1 have c»l!ed at the Zoological Gardens to wish the'pretty little fe'low 'muny happy returns of the day.' After he ha/# ficishedhis breakfast, Prescott, I. keeper, enticed Guy Fawkea and his mother out of ri vater. The litfl-i one is as tame, playful, and i-i* «a a"kitten. We mads him out to be about six i Mr lot? and two feet ten at the shoulders. ;a slaty black colour, but his cheeks, chest, His fif a lovely pink salmon colour. We and legs ar vQ neariy 0ne ton, and his ca.cuUted his £ weigh about three little mother *°uld deeps well, and besides his hippos. He eat consist of chaff, bran, natural nourishment. hw mewa aud B r< macg''ld-wurzel He has already He « very «fd,of head out between learnt to beg for food a p bis little ears the bars, opens hisjnoutb aod pr cks up when be wants to b<„ rhegapeofMsmoUt aoõ tlw t,ks begin to project cut of. hiS pllJk KUmi>. Hi8 Ï;} yery watcb.ful over If šh"thir¡ks anyone is aD('út W q.ietu!b her SS8gS#S<i«S3 and wet htj and hi" mother are .et out mto the bath úulsidb' .hen it is dry alJd frosty they are teot fa'tto lS»a, » frost woukl crack: "■ parch their delicate skln¡1, When » his mornmg bath he is very playful and plungea abo.^t like & por poise. The pair of hippos sleep on the straw all 2'«h but they spead a great portion of the day in their bath in the house in a sort of semi-sleep. They noat up to breathe apparently without an effort, like caraa rising to the surface. When under w&ter they keep their .eyes wide open after the manner of crocodiles. When the moyth of the young one is wide open, it will be seen that the tongue ia arched directly upwards 80 a3 10 foim a eompact valve, which prevents the water going <town the gullet. The old father in thA Next den talks to his wife and child by means of sonorous gruntings, and tbey answer him. The father's face ia much longer and sharper than that of his wife, and his eyf R and nose are much more prominent. I under- staud 'rom Mr. ji:irt)ect, whJ kindly allowed me a private interview with the hippos, that another buby is expected about next April, and that Barnum is most anxious to obtain it. I doubt if he will ht him go and catch a wild baby hippo for himself. The exeel- lent heaUh and condition of the three hippos does Mr. Bartlett, and Preecott, theit personal valet, the greatest credit. I forgot when writing the above to mention that Guy Fawkes turns out after all to be a young lady hippo; she is more delicately featured than her father, and is very like her y.,j*-er in feee. Let us all wish her many happy returns of the day.

"THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE TENANT FARMER." Oa Saturday afcemoon the Dune of St. Albans presided at a meeting of the Notts Chamber of Agriculture, and read a paper on The PreBent Prospects and Position of the Tenant Farmer." His Grace said that the farmer must not expect the larger profits wnich accrued to those who were engaged in a less healthy and moreriEky trade. Hescarcely thought the rents of those who held farm3 in Notts could fairly be expected to be lowered. he would point out to English farmers that rents in Scotland were immensely greater than in England. He thought that English "farmers were not behind their Scotch neigh- bours. England was equally prominent in agricultute, and the p oo,f u; i,h.t Wa-J ihat foreign c ountries came to us to Luy their stock. Referring to the labour question, his grace said he agreed that it was to the in- ;erest of landlords to attach the labourers to the occupation by buildL-g them good houses. It was, however, he need scarcely say, ruinous work building them, nor did he see why the farmer should be ex- pected to house his man well whilst no such moral claim attached to the manufacturer. They must not disguise from tbemfcelves why succesf-ive Governments seem to favour commercial interests, it was because thoy represented greater wealth in a larger population and more perfect combination. He believed there was another reason, namely, that Hiere was a general feeling that the landed, andnot the agricultural interest, was represented in Parliament. There was plenty of room in the House of Commons for more tenant farmers. The noble duke went on to say that he had always felt strongly opposed to the repeal of the malt tax he was informed that the abolition of that tax would come to about twopence per gallon on beer. Who \'88 hkely to gain by that ? He did not think the consumer would get his glass cheaper, and he doubted very much if the farmer would get any more for his barley.