Monmouthshire Merlin

( RUSSIA. BERLIN, SATURDAY, MAY 31. Imperial ukase places the educational establish- es of Russia uuder the Emperor's spccial supcrin- A draught plan, for constituting a Board of Educa- l0lh with the assistance of a committee of learned Ilaewl has been submitted to the Emperor.

| AMERICA. SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 31. r By the United States mail steam-ship Hermann, "aptain Iliggins, which arrived off Cowes at mid-day, route from New York to Bremen with the German, ;french, and English mails, we have dates to the 17th Itst. The screw steamer Edinburgh arrived at Glas- gow on Friday night with the same dates. L T1,ie Herma,m brillSs 310 passengers, the largest fjUmber ever convevcd by a mail steamer from Amc- :*Jca, 8100,000 in specie for London, and the usual j-^rgo. On the 30th inst. the Hermann passed the ftglisn barque Abrota, standing to the northward and 1 _e Hoyal mail steam-ship Asia arrived out on the *°th instant. I A telegraphic despatch from Washington states that the l:,th a message was received from the Presi- £ at, enclosing reports from the Secretary of State, ^rctary of the Navy, and the Attorney-General, in ePiy to a resolution of the Senate in March last, also resolution of the House, adopted May S, both having an<^r(pCe- to routes of transit between the Atlantic lacifie oceans, through the republics of New afF^ .and Nicaragua, and to the condition of our ^rs with Central America. *he message alludes to the established policy of the ^ted States in relation to the recognition of foreign listers. i Generally speaking, the New York papers arc averse J? the step*taken by President Pierce, assertiug that • recognition of General Walker is ill-timed. Other j^rnals affirm th:.t Walker should have been recog- many months since. The New York papers publish the official correspon- dence which has taken place in the affair of the Pa- massacre, including the letters of Capt. Bayly the United States ship St. Mary and the Governor the State. The documents, says the New York th* wholly fail in exculpating t he authorities from charge of having contributed to the disaster. The d £ i Cnts w''ieli they have made arc all flatly contra- il by reliable witnesses, and it now remains with a e, ^-nericau Government to exact that satisfaction u indemnity for the sufferers which the gross mis- °aduct of the officials entitle them to. rpl'he New York money-market was unchanged, the demand was not active, and the supply fully ade- l^ate. Foreign exchanges were quiet, and no large trallsactions were reported for the steamer. Particulars of a terrible accident which occurred on the Panama railroad, by which between 30 and 1-0 Persons were killed, and 70 and 80 wounded, have eeli received. The accident occurred about nine ^iles from Aspinwall. The train was conveying the Passengers by the George Wall, who were on their • California. The second car from the locomotive, £ °m some cause at present inexplicable, ran off the lne, and was followed by eight others, all of which were precipitated into a ravine 30 feet deep. There c?uld not have been less than 500 persons in the car- ies, and it was feared that the above figures are a t^ry small estimate of the loss of life which has taken The New York papers describe the scene as .-rible. As soon as the wounded could be conveyed pack to Aspinwall, owing to the crowded state of the 0spital, application was made to the inhabitants to receive them at their houses, but in nearly every in- stance the white inhabitants, who are principally hotel- keepers, refused, and closed their doors. The unfor- Jittate sufferers were therefore crammed into the capital; where the scene was painful in the extreme. J^me of the unfortunate persons were dreadfully mu dated. About two-thirds of the wounded had one .r both legs fractured, besides being otherwise in- jured, while out of the whole number but one had a lectured arm. One or two had their skulls broken in. Vne whole family, consisting of father, mother, and children, with the exception of one child, was *^led, and some had their heads completely severed from their bodies. LIVERPOOL, SUNDAY EVENING. The Royal Mail steamship America has arrived from Boston and Halifax, with the dates from New *ork to the 20th, and by telegraph to the 22nd ult., •tad 771,692 dollars in specie on freight. The Royal 'Mail steamship Canada, hence, had arrived at Halifax. There is no further definite news upon the subject of the Central American difficulties. The Cabinet were deliberating on Lord Clarendon's despatch. The hew York Herald, writing in reference to the despatch, says We apprehend that this ultimatum of my Lord Cla- rendon, and his late Padre Vijil coup d'etat of our war- like President, will result in a more voluminous diplo- matic correspondenco than all that which has been in- flicted upon us during the last twelve months. After the national democratic presidential nominating convention, however, we are disposed to believe our Pierce's Adminis- tration will be prcparad seriously and honestly to pro- ceed to business in the settlement of our difficulties with England; and this convention, fortunately for the great financial and commercial interests of both countries, meets at Cincinnati on the 2nd of the coming June." In another article upon the same question, it says:— 11 It has come to this—that either Great Britain or the United States must break down upon the question of en- listment. There can no longer be any doubt that we shall dismiss Mr. Crampton. That will be an act offen- sive to the present British Ministry, and it will be met by a refusal of that Government to name his successor. Diplomatic intercourse between the two nations will be suspended but that amounts to little, and is soon dis- posed of. Then, are we to recede or undertake the dis- lodgement of the British authorities in Central America ? That is the question. The President says in his special message, that Central America has become exceedingly important to the Republic, in view of our positions and trade, on the Pacific side of the continent. We have so c stated to the Government over and over again. The Isthmus is important as a highway, as a great channel of trade, and as a bond of union between our extreme west and our extreme east. It is precisely this fact which has made Great Britain so strenuous to govern in Central America, and which will induce the Paimerston Ministry to adhere to its present line of policy. TI1.'y will continue to colonize i:i that region. They will go on enlarging their colonial estates, and they will, if need be, fight for it. It has become a question of might; the diplomatic features of the case are no longer visible. It is now whe- ther we have the means, the courage, and the disposition to prevent England's determination from being carried out. Let Mr. Crampton be dismissed. Let the issue be made. Let the question be tried. Mr. Buchanan, at Baltimore, said we had the largest commercial marine in the world—that our navy was only third or fourth-rate. Mr. Buchanau might have added that we have a vast sea- board, and great trading interests scattered all over the world, and he would have presented the case in a still stonger light had he added that the first and second-rate nnV?k uVCrS were grater than all the others combined. A is ears upon the Central America affair; it touches l0Ii m'Sht. We have good arguments, strong iacing acts. Great Britain has a great navy—strong and powerful means of aggression. We h ive no national pohcy, no traditional ambition. England is anchored to i .i. a8S £ essions and encroachment which have law of her nationality. In this spirit she has determined to attam control ia Central America, and she will relinquish this determination only at the end of a war which shall prove our power on this side of the water to be equal to our pretensions." The 3 cw iork Courier find Enquirer says "England and the United States will not go to war except upon the direst necessity that may nrise, but we cannot believe that it will. We shall see Mr. Crampton leave us with much regret, but with little apprehension." The Washington correspondence of the Tribune re- ports, in reference to the dispute between Mr. Clay- ton and Mr. Crampton, that the later explains the I issue of veracity by saying that Mr. Clayton called on him to examine some old English maps, on which Rutan and Jamaica were designated and coloured in the same way; whereupon Mr. Clayton admitted that both were evidently British possessions. With regard to the new Nicaraguan minister, the same correspond- ence says,— The foreign legations determine not to recognise the Padre Vigil, socially or officially. It also reports that M. Sartiges had endeavoured to effect an arrangement between the the Governments of England and the United States." 0 Information had been laid before Mr. Marcy, show- ing that Commodore Vauderbilt and Joseph L. TV hite's party in New York, had sent a special message out to inform the British commander in the waters of San Juan that the steamer had 500 Filibusters on board, and to invite his interposition to prevent their lauding. In commercial circles a rupture between Great Bri- tain and the United States is looked upon as an ab- surdity, amounting almost to an imposslhility. The writer of the money article of the New Iler(it(I says, while the speculators are predicting all sorts of dangers and damages, the merchants engaged in foreign trade arc quietly and confidently pursuing their legitimate business. The commercial article in the Ncio York Courier and Enquirer endorses this opi- nion, and, relying upon the good sense of the people in both countries, and the honesty and the well- known sentiments of the Cabinets of Washington and of London, has no fear as to a rupture upon the questions now pending. The Jamaica papers profess to have advices from San Juan that Genaral Walker had attempted an attack on Greytown, when the British frigate Eurydice had fired on him, killing 26" of his men. The report is supposed to be an exaggeration of the affair between Captain Tarleton and tne steamer Orizaba. Advices from Kansas report that an engagement was shortly anticipated. Both sides were well armed and had field pieces. There were 300,000 boxes of sugar on hand, and prices a little higher. Molasses were scarce, and held at 5 to 07 reals per keg of 51 gallons. Exchange I was more favourable. 0 13 Freights to Liverpool were easier—namely, for cot- ton 3-lG to 7-32 of a cent. per lb.; flour, 2s. to 2s. 3d. per barrel; grain, 5d. to Gd. per bushel. To London, Hour, 2s. to 2s. 3d. per barrel. To Havre, cotton, 1,c. per lh.; flour, CSe. per barrel. European news was published here yesterday morn- ing, by way of Halifax the steamer Canadian arrived yesterday at Quebec, and the Fulton here. Our cotton market is unchanged; money to-day dull; flour advanced to 2s. (York); wheat advanced 3d.; corn advanced 2d., and active. Advices from Havannah of the ISth announce that the Spanish Government is fitting out two mari- time expeditions, one to assist the Costa Ricans against Walker, the other to blockade Vera Cruz, in order to enforce payment of certain claims. QUECEC, MAY 22.—The Canadian Ministry re- signed. The Assembly voted its confidence in them, but a majority of Upper Canadian members was against them. There are rumours that Colonel Tackc has been sent for.

CHINA. HONGKONG, APRIL 15. The London mail of the 11th of February arrived here on the evening of the 30th of March, per steamer Madras. The news had, however, reached us^that morning from Singapore, per steamer Fiery The telegraphic intelligence of the 26th of January was received here from Calcutta, per steamer Chusan, on the 19th of March. The Madras leaves again to-day with the outward mails. Political news consists merely of rumours regardino- the progress of the insurgents in the interior, and fears are entertained by some, that during the ap- proaching summer they may become more injurious to the trade of the northern ports. The Kwantung province is undisturbed, but we believe the transit to Oonam and Kwangsi is much interrupted. A statement published by the assignees of the in- solvent estate of Messrs. Nye, Brothers, and Co., shows that the affairs of that firm are in a far worse condition than was generally supposed. The liabilities are declared to be about 3,500,000, and the assets are computed at 1,500,000 dollars. No less than 1,700,000 dollars is owing to Chinese, aud it appears not improbable that when the affairs are finally wound up the result may be worse than as above stated.

ACCIDENTS AND CRIMES. I SUDDEN DEATH.-As Mr. Caleb Evans, of Tyddin, Cardiganshhire, was on Wednesday week proceeding to the meeting of the Cardigan Board of Guardians, he fell off his horse quite senseless, and soon after expired. On Saturday his remains were interred in the burying-place at Penygroes Chapel, where he was a member and an oc- casional preacher. The following ministers officiated at the funeral service in the above chapel:—The Herds. James, of Llandilo Owens, of Merthyr; Thomas, of Newport; Evans, of Penygroes Chapel; Davies, of Glandwr; and Caleb Morris, of London. Mr. Evans was much beloved by all who knew him, and his loss will be greatly felt in the neighbourhood. DEATH IN A DITCH.—Early on Wednesday morning last, Robert England, parish clerk of the chapelry of Oldbury-upon-Severn, near Thornbury, was discovered in a dry ditch by the road side leading to the Naite, quite dead. The deceased had been engaged, during the pre- vious day, in digging a grave, and upon the completion of his day's work went to the Ship Inn, which place he left about ten o'clock, it is feared somewhat under the in- fluence of liquor. An inquest was held the same evening before William Gaisford, Esq., coroner, and a verdict of Died from the bursting of a blood vessel in the chest," was returned. Intelligence has just been received of a fearful acci- dent, which occurred on the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, near Devonport, Iowa. The express train from Iowa city ran off the track, while going at a rapid rate, causing terrible destruction; twelve persons were killed and a great many others wounded. The entire I train, consisting of the locomotive, four passenger cars, and a baggage car, was demolished. EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT.—On Monday an opera- r' tion of a very rare description was performed at the Bristol Infirmary, by Dr. Green, on the person "f a young Irishman, who resided in New-street, St. Philip's, named Patrick Ilaggarty. Haggarty, who is a labourer, 23 years of aqc-, was romping on Sunday night with a wo- man, who being by trade a mantua-maker, was in the habit of sticking' needles in the body of her dress. Du- ring their flirtation Ilaggarty drew her closely towards him, and immediately felt a sharp prickling pain over the region of his heart. Little, if any, external mark of iu- jury was discernible, but tho pain continued to increase, and it soou became evident that a needle must have passed into his flesh. He had got so bad by Monday that he was removed to tho Infirmary, where it was found, from the state of his breathing and from other symptoms, that inflammation was setting in about his hear Dr. Green conceiving that the needle must have penetrated the in- tercostal region, resolved to make a search for it, and at mid-day an operation was performed. Ilaving cut down upon the ribs, tho operator succeeded in discovering the needle. The eye had been broken off, but the large end was just visible abovo one of the cavities between the ribs, and operator having succeeded in grasping it with the forceps, was enabled to pull in out. There is no doubt, from the symptoms, that the needle had penetrated the pericardium (or membrane which covers the heart), if not the muscular substance of the heart itself; and that if it had not been so fortunately extracted, death must have ensued. The man is proceeding very favourably. DELIIIEUATE MURDER. Plymouth, Sunday.—The ship Ruancymede, Captain Burrowa, now at anchor in the Sound, bound with 248 male convicts for Swan River was this afternoon, at threa o'clock, the scene of a- ^li- berate murder, committed by the second military offiesr in command, Corporal William Nevan, upon his superior Acting-Serjcant-Major Bingham Robinson, both beldjv' ing to the local pensioners, of whom are 30 in board. Robinson, who was on the poop, sent for Neyan, and ordered him to fetch Private Sullivan for parade. While Sullivan was submitting his firelock for examina- tion Nevan descended to the main deck, and pat a cap on his loaded firelock; he then went part of the way up'the larboard poop ladder, and stooping, fired at the sergeant, who was standing on the starboard side of tho poop. The shot broke tho stock of Sullivan's firelock in two pieces, as he held it in his hands, knocked off two of Robinson's fingers, and then entered his abdomen. Robinson, in falling, cried out Oh God! I am shot; Oh God! I am dead," and in a few minutes expired. ,It appears that recently, when on duty together at the Dartmoor prisons, t. Robinson and Nevan did not agree, Md. that the latter, when in charge of the police, said that Robinson had threatened to have his pension taken from him. The ser- geant leaves a widow aud four children, and the corporal has a wifo and five children. has a wifo and five children. A SHARK.—William.Lewis, a seaman, is in custody, and has been examined before the Thames Police magis- trate, on tho chargc of having endeavoured to incite some of the crew of the merchant ship Stebonheath, of London, Captain Sergeant, to mutiny, and murder the officers and passengers, for the purpose of obtaining possession of the gold with which it was laden, and which amounted to 61,000 ounces, of the value of £244,000. The ship left Melbourne on the 17th of Fecruary. The prisoner had two revolvers in his possession and laudanum, which which he intended to have put into a keg of brandy he had to quiet that portion of the crew that would not assist in his designs. He proposed to dispose of the officers and passengers, except the young women, whom he in- tended to keep until the ship arrived at the coast of Peru, when he intended to land the gold, bury it in the sand, and scuttle the ship with the women on board. The villain's schcmo was divulged by the men he attempted to corrupt. APPREHENSION OF BURGLARS.—On Friday, a gang ol six burglars, whose depredations have recently been car- ried to an alarming extent in the West Riding, were arraigned before the Bradford magistral s on several dis- tinct charges. Their names are Charles Harrison of New Leeds; Henry Carter, of,Swainegreen; Robert I3riggs, of Undercliffe; William Brooke, of New Leeds Joshua Tempest, of Undercliff-; and Samuel Ibbotson' of Frizinghall, all places in the vicinity of Bradford' During the last six months, the inhabitants of Bradford and the villages adjacent havo been almost weekly alarmed by the news of housebreakings and extensive robberies and, a few weeks ago, the borough police ob- tained a clue to the detection of the gang. They held their warrants until Monday se'nnight, and at three o'clock in the morning of that day, Inspector Burniston and de- tective officers Field and Shuttleworth, of the borough f Tee, made a desceut upon the thieves. Briggs, Carter, Brooke, Tempest, and Harrison, were apprehended at their respective homes, where a great quantity of the plunder realized was discovered. At the house of Briggs also were found a dark lantern, pistol, skeleton keys, a centre- bit, and all the usual appliances for burglaries, together with two terrible weapons in the form of life-preservers constructed with strong but pliable handle", and each heavily loaded at one end with a leaden ball. Ibbotson was apprehended on Thursday night. It was conclu. sively proved by the fact that portions of the property stolen from particular promises were found in each of the prisoners' houses that they had acted in concert only too successfully; and, in addition to the ordinary evident the prisoner Carter was admitted approver aeainat hi, accomplices. The tab'e of the courl was quitf covered with the recovered property and the instruments with which the extensive robberies had been perpetrated The magistrates committed the five prisoners for trial at the next York assizes.

THE RUGELEY POISOXGIXG CASE. [TO THE EOTTOTT OF THE TIMES.] SIR,-As secretary of the Coroners' Society, I beg to forward you a copy of a resolution unanimously adopted at the annual general meeting of the society, held on Thursday, the 29th instant, in order to your giving it insertion in your columns, should you think it right to do so. I am, sir, yours obediently, SAMUEL F. LANGHAM, Jun. 10, Bartlett's.buildings, Holborn, May 30. At the annual general meeting of the Coroner's So- ciety of England and Wales, held in the city of London, on Thursday, May 29th, on the motion of Mr. R. Bremridge, coroner for Devonshire, it was unanimously resolved:— That the conduct of Mr. Ward, the coroner for Staffordshire, on the occasion of the holding of the in- quest on the body of John Parsons Cook, as appears by the report of the trial of William Palmer, was discredit- able, and if left unccnsured by this society, will have the effect of lowering the office of coroner in public opinion; and that, regarding this ancient institution as one of the surest safeguards for the security of life and the de- tection of crime, we cannot but lament that Mr. Ward should have acted as ho appears to have done on the late inquiry, and that ho should have laid himself open to the severe censure he received at the hands of the Lord Chief Justice."

MISCELLANEOUS. The will of the Hon. and Right Rev. Hugh Percy, Lord Bishop of Carlisle, has been proved in London un- der £ 90,000 personalty within the province of Canterbury. The total revenue from the fire insurance duty in the United Kingdom during the past year was £1,341,242, being an increase of £28,019 on 1854. The publio library of Melbourne has been opened by the acting governor. It is expected that in the course of a few years this will be the best colonial library in exist- ence. It is supported by grants from the revenue. Lord Forester, it is arranged, will be married to Vis- countess Melbourne about the middle of the ensuing month. The wedding party will be limited to the imme- diate relatives of the contracting parties. The noble lord, we understand, has returned to town from Willey Park, Shropshire. Lord Overstone has written to the mayor of Manchester, requesting his name to be put down as a contributor to the amount of £ 1,000 to the guarantee fund for the con- templated Fine Arts Exhibition, in Manchester, in 1857. On Tuesday, for the first time, two Roman Catholics were raised to the rank of scholarships in Trinity College, Dublin. FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT. — Mr. Charles Garner, zinc-worker, of Queen-street, Cheapside, was killed at the London-bridge terminus of the Brighton and South Coast line. In the unfortunate man's anxiety to get into a carriage for Epsom on the Derby day, he got frightfully crushed between the carriages, and died soon after. Colonel W. II. C. Wellesley, has remitted to Mr. Mitchell, of Bond-street, the sum of £ 70, the proceeds of a dramatic entertainment given at the camp before Sebas- topol, by the officers of the 7th and 23rd Fusiliers and the Rifle Brigade, to be distributed amongst the sufferers by the late fire at Covent Garden Theatre. It is stated that Baron Talleyrand has been selected by the, French Government as their Commissioner to the Danubian Principalities; Baron Kolin, the Austrian Internuncio at Constantinople, is appointed at the Court of Vienna General Fenton de Benagon is appointed on the part of Russia and Sir Henry Lytton Bulwer has been selected as their Commissioner "by the British Government. The special Commission is appointed to proceed to Bucharest. Its duties are to investigate the present position of the Principalities, to settle the bases of their future Government, and to consult on those points with the existing authorities. SHREWSBURY AND HEREFORD RAILWAY COMPANY. A special meeting of this company was held on Saturday, at Shrewsbury, Mr. W. Ormsby Gore, M.P., in the chair. The meeting was called for the purpose of considering two bills now before Parliament; the special objects of one being to enable the company to raise £225,000, new capital, with a mortgaging power of £75,000, and a power of issuing preference shares to the aflkount of £ 50,000 for the purpose of improving the line and of the other to make arrangements between the London and Jsorth-Western, the Severn Valley, and the Shrewsbury and Hereford Companies, for the joint construction of a station, and for other purposes, at Shrewsbury. Resolu- tions in favour of both bills were agreed to. ST. BUIAVELS, HEWELSFIELD, AND THE ROYAL FOREST OP DEAN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. — The May general meeting of this society took place on Wednesday week, when the members sat down to a substantial dinner pro- vided at the Plough Inn, St. Briavels. The chair was occupied by the President, W. H. Peel, Esq., the vice- chairman being Mr. Frederick Bullock. After dinner a variety of business was disposed of, and upwards of thirty new members were admitted. It was decided that the next annual ploughing match should take place on the 11th of October, at the Hojrgins Farm, and the show of stock at the New House Farm. It was unanimously agreed that the name of Hewelsfield, so long held by the club, should not be discontinued. The various spring prizes were next awarded. A cordial vote of thanks tj the chairman terminated the proceedings. THE HOTWELLS MURDER.—A rumour has been cur- rent of a man having been taken by the police, upon his own confession, for the munlor of Melinda Payne, hut we find upon inquiry in tho proper quarter, that although vety widely diffused, the.story is destitute of truth. The police suppose it to have originated in a hoaxing remark made by a sailor to a crowd who followed some prisoners f from a Cork packet, at Cumberland-basin, to the Clifton polvce-stition. A Cork officer, while bringing over a sailor-boy, who had absconded from "and robbed the cap- tain of a vessel at Cardiif, fouad aD ikMS°da man disguis d jn woman's clothes, and whom, suspocting that he might have been implicated in a recent murder in Ireland, he took into custody; a curious crowd, of course, followed Ind"1' seaman hoaxed an anxiously inquisitive old y. Ihe female male turned out to be a deserter. THE SUMMER CIRCUITS OF TIlE JUDGES,-Tbe follow- ing arrangements have been made. Mr. Justice Crowder will remain in town as the vacation judge Norfolk IIon- thc ^>rd Chief Justice of Eng- Himp Circuit™ t,le ^0n" ^r" ^a3tico Coleridge, ™ 0 f'.1'' £ -T!he Lord Chief Baron of thc Exchequer, S r iredenck Pollock> and lhe IIon> Mr_ Justice Midland Circuit—-The Right Hon. the Lord Chief Jus tice of the Pleas Sir J. Jcrvis, and the Hon. Mr. Justice Cresswell Oxford Circuit—The Hon. Mr. Baron Ab erson, and Mr. JusUce Wighlnian> We,lora GirC(jU V Circuit' T?r°TrPiutt' al,J Mr" Barotl Martin. Northern C rcuit__Tho Ii Mr JusUc0 Wi,,C3 nnd each county hWl T no e finally determined upon until the taoat';f„°°Kfs or U,e Eef»™> Club Tho i'1™ amount u,ar, IS' "T'nt o["SoO 0G°a:" £ 96'°0il' c<l»»lto«n annual rent 01 ±*,8U0. Ground rent £ 1,000 and taxes £ 350. Mew :^ePai" are yearly £ 900, whereof kettle tinkering « *uel_iS £ 644, light £ 932. Wash- ing figures ^[ 5 cnitnney sweeps £205, brushes £ 54. Annual breakage of glaso, &c., £ 328 wear of linen £ 363. Ice £ 108, "snutfard toothpicks £ 72," winding clocks £ 45, playing-cards £ 80. The stock of ciears reacb £ 030. The stock of wine is only I £ 0 491 and the profit yearly on sales £ 500. That such a trifling service as cleaning windows should cost ten shillings P<-T week, will give some idea of the heavv costs of a large establishment in the moat insignificant items. Snuff and toothpicks cost about Is. 2d. per mem- ber per annum. Considering that gamblers seldom nlav twice with the same pr.ck of card?, the small amount of £ 80 for cards shows the amount ot gambling is very small in the club. THE CONVICT 1ALMF.II.—A communication has been received at StafforJ Lounty Gaol from the Ilome Office, ordering the execution uf WLUam Palmer to take place on Saturday m°rn.Vlg' Uth June, at eight o'clock. Mr. John Smith, the attorney for Pahn3r, has written a long letter t01tl ,J pai'ers; -He says that he feels he has yet a duty to' P^orm winch is to save the life of the culprit, lie states that the result was most unex- pected, and but for the charge of Lord Campbell might have been very d.^rent; that the jury had no^lternativ, but to return a verdict of guilty," for his lordship left tho question to them as to whether the death of Cock was consistent wun poisoning by strychnine, without putting the alternative as to whether the death of the late J. P. Cook might not be consistent with natural though unknown causes. I he letter is of great length, and is principally a repetition of the statement made by the counsel for the prisoner. YV hilst admitting that Palmer's admitted crimes would require for their expiation a life- time of suffering and repentmce," he concludes by ray- ing that 'he state ot medic il scienco is such that, if Palmer be now executed, after years may develop thc fact that Palmer has been legally murdered." Palmer arrived at Stafford on Tuesday night at half-past twelve o'clock. Our London contemporaries, says the SioffordJiirc ■Advertiser, state that a considerable crowd had assembled to see him, but that is not correct. The passcnsf';rs bv the train were aware of his being in it, and they ail lighted for the purpose of gratifying their curiosity but few, if any, Pe^ons were present. A cab was not in waiting to receive him, as represented but he walked to the ConntrPnwn, attended by a large escort uf police- mon, to one of whom he was chained. At the prison he was placed in the condemned cell," and h« conduct since his return?has been much the same as before his trial. Two of the prison olhcers are constantly with him and when he does enter into conversation with them the purport of his remarks has reference chiiflv to tue r ro- hability of his sentence being remitted." Ho is aq collected and unmoved as ever, and evinces che^ifuloew and serenity. Up to Friday evening none of his friends had applied for permission to see him. REMARKABLE DREAM.—For some weeks a man of the name of Liston has been missing from Blairgowrie. Every exertion was mide to discover the body at the time he went amissing, but without success. It has, however, cast up in rather a singular manner. A ploughman in the neighbourhood dreamt that he saw Liston, and asked him what bad become of him. Liston stated that he had been murdered, and thrown into the Isla, and that his body was lying off a certain point at the Braes of Banchory. Two parties on hearing of the dream went to the spot indicated on Saturday last, and on dragging the river, strange to tell, found the body. — Olasgovc Mail. COAL MINES INSPECTION ACT.—Mr. James Wilcock, a colliery proprietor, was recently summoned by Mr. Charles Morton, Government Inspector of Mines at Halifax, and was fined £ 1 and costs, under each of three distinct informations, for the non-establishment" of special rules, non-publication of general and special rules, and leaving a pit unfcnced.—Mr. Joseph Greenwood was fined S5 and 32s. costs for employing a boy less than ten years old to work in a mine; and was fined 40s. and costs for not having distinct signals for each of two beds of coal, worked from the same shaft. He pleaded guilty to other charges, and was only fined in a nominal fine of Is. and costs, at the inspector's request. The disembodiment of the militia force, consisting of i 2 English, 16 Scotch, and 30 Irish regiments, and mustering in round numbers 60,000 men, has already commenced. The bisbandment of the first regiment of militia took place on the 27th ult., and the disembodiment of the rest will at first go on at the rate of one regiment a-wcek; afterwards, it is probable, with even greater expedition. The disembodiment can only be made°in the counties to which the regiment belong, and in which the men were raised. The men will consequently be dis- missed in the immediate neighbourbood of their own homes, and return at once to their old sources of employ, ment not without funds, for a further sum of 20s. a man, on account of the balance of bounty, will be paid them; and all the better labourers for the military train- ing and discipline they have undergone. They will be bound, moreover, it must be recollected, to serve again a certain number of days every year during the remain kr of the five years for which they were originally enlisted. A RouoE DETECTOR.—It was lately remarked that an exceedingly brilliant auditory, amongst which were many elegantly dressed ladies, attended at Berlin a lecture on chemistry, delivered by one of the most celebrated chemists of the age. After witnessing a number of beautiful experiments, and hearing of the marvels of science, a young lady grew fatigued, and requested her husband to lead her from the hall. My love," said the gentleman, on reaching the landing-place outside, wipe your cheek, there's a large blue spot upon it." /f he lady, much surprised, turned to look at her reflection ia the mirrored window of a shop they were passing, and was almost petrified to observe that the rouge on her cheeks had become blue, in consequence of the chemical decom- t position occasioned by the gas the professor had used in making his experiment. She quickly wiped her face, and stifled her vexation in the thought that she should find herself amply revenged upon the other ladies in the hall. la reality, the lecture closing at this moment, the audience began to disperse, and the gentleman and his wife almost burst with laughter at the sight of chee! 8 ol yellow, blue, black, violet, and other colours, which now made their appearances in the street. Some of the ladies j who had manufactured for themselves ivory complexions, rosy cheeks, coral lips, and ebony eyebrows, were so transformed that they would have excited the envy of a peacock. It is whispered that a lecture from the professor would produce similar effects in other cities besides Berlin. That chemist would be warmly welcomed should ho viait l'aris.—Parti Letters. THE HORSE STRYCHNINE—Our readers are perhaps aware that the now notorious Palmer, of Rugelev, pos- sessed some yean ago, a celebrated race-hors", by whose winnings it is said, he cleared many thousands of pounds, and to which he gave the name of that poisonous drug, since then so fearfully connected with his name— Strycanine. This horse was purchased from Palmer some two or three years ago, by Mr. Allen, of Ricketson, in Pembrokeshire, and is well-known to all lovers oi sport in the district. Had Palmer his deauly deeds in contemplation at the tune he named his horse, or is it only one of those unaccountable coincidences which occasionally happen, baffling all explanation and analysis ? PROPERTY OF MARRIED WOMEN.—On Saturday a numerous meeting took place at 21, Regent-street, to consider the present state of the law affecting the pro- perty of married women, Sir J. Pakicgton. M.P., in the chair. Many ladies were present. Lord Brougham was to have presided, but was prevented from duiug so by a domestic afdiction. A letter was, however, read from ltlC noble lovd, in which he strongly condemned the present state of the laws in regard to the social condition of married women. The chairman stated that the O'I ject of the meeting was to rouse the attention of the public an l the Legislature to the existing defects of the laws re- lating to married women, with a view to procure a re- medy for those effect?. Sir Erskine Perry moved the following resolution :—"That the rules of the common law which give all the personal property of woman on marriage, and all subsequently acquired property and earnings to the husband, are unjust in principle and in- jurious in their operation that the principle of courts of equity, which recognize separate property in a married woman an 1 invest her, with respect to such property, with all the rights of ownership, are in accordance with the rcqtiir -me its of the age and in conformity with the opinions nrd usages of the wealthier and better class of so- ciety that, in the opinion of this meeting, the conflict be- tween law and equity on the subject ought to be terminated by a general law, based on the principle of equity, which should apply to all classes." This resolution was se- conded by Mr. Hill, Q.C., and after speeches ia sup- port of it from Mr. Monckton Milnes, M.P., Lord Den- man, and other gentleman, was carried unanimously. THE NEW CONSERVATIVE CREER.—Here is the new Conservative programme, as propounded by Lord Stanley: -For foreign policy, non-intervention; for colonial policy, emigration for internal policy, financial reform in all its branches, but more especially in respect of the duty on insurances and on paper, the former as being a tax on prudence, the latter as an impediment to the cir- culation of newspapers and the diffusion of political, li- terary, and scientific knowledge among the masses; a sweeping measure of Parliamentary reform-nuthing small and paltry, but root-and-branch work, so soon as the present apathy on the subject will permit such mea- sure to be introduced by a ministry who do not trifle with the question, but are prepared to stand or fall by it; a system of education similar to that proposed by Lord J. Russell, but more carefully and tully chibovAed; army reform on a great scale, consisting in the reduction of our establishments in time of peace to a really efficient nu- cleus for a force to he raised in time of war; officers to be obliged to work hard at their profession, and the system of purchase of commissions to be entirely abo- iisaed; the management and patronago of the army to be taken away from the Crown, and vested in the Mi-I nistry of the day, on the principle that, as the House of | Commons finds the money, it should see to its proper ap- plication. As to Administrative Reform, Lord Stanley advocates the admission of persons into thc civil seivicc by competition only, the promotion of meritorious per- sons from one branch of the civil service to another, and the separation of mechanical from intellectual labour. As to law reform, the Conservative creed requires an abo- lition of the Ecclesiastical Courts, and improvements in the transfer of landed property. Add to these a board to review the wording of Acts of Parliament, and a Mi- nister of Justice to carryon the work of legislation, and we have all tl.at the Conservative mind has for the me- ment to ouer with regard to law reform. On the Sunday question, the principle is broadly avowed that individual conviction should be free, and therefore that the opinions of one man, however strong, afford no ground whatever for interfering with the convictions ot others.—Timet. GLOUCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.—The Festival of the three choirs of Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester," which takes place this year at Gloucester, has just been fixed for the week commencing September Sth. The re- hea-sals will take place on Monday, the 8th, at the Ca- thedral and Shirehall, and the actual festival opens on Tuesday, with a full cathedral service and sermon in aid of the Clergyman's Widows and Orphans' Charity. The first evening concert .will be given on Tuesday, at the Shirehall, and on Friday, the festival will close as usual Shirehall, and on Friday, the festival will close as usual with the ''Messiah," at the Cathedral. The engage- ments of principals are not yet complete, but the ser- vices of that most eminent of all oratorio principals, Madame Clara Novelio, have been secured. We under- stand that the stewards wished, if possible, to effect an engagement with Madame Goldsciimidt (Jenny Lind), but it unfortunately happons that this lady's engagements abroad in the autumn, will prevent her being in Englsnd at the time of the festival. No doubt is entertained of a very successful meeting. COMMISSIONS SIGNED BY LORD LIEUTENANTS.—Royal Gloucestershire Regiment of Hussar Yeomanry Godfrey Charles Morgan, Esq., late Captain in the 17th Lancers, to be Supernumerary Major, without pav Henry Scales Scobell, Esq., late Captain in the Royal North British Dragoon?, to be Lieutenant, vice Bloxsome, resigned; John Charles, Viscount Canterbury, to be Lieutenant, vice Pole resigned; John Rol t, gent., to be Cornet, vice Lord Canterbury, promoted. A New York correspondent of the Independence Beige. gives the following free portrait of General Walker:- Figure to yourself a man five feet high, of a very mean look, his hair almost red, innocent of both whiskers and moustache, with very high and prominent cheek bones, a low forehead, and a sullen-looking eye. So much for the person. For its ornament, sometimes he srears a blue cape, but oftener a blouse of blue flannel; a black pair of trousers, boots, a Kossuth bat, a belt, and a sword. With- out this sword, you would think him the most insignifi- cant fellow in the world—a little grocer, probably, be- longing to the worst parts of New York. It is said that he has tried three professions-the bar, medicine, and divinity and has failed in all. His partisans declare that be speaks French, English, and Spanish, but it is d)ubtful whether he thoroughly knows one of these lan- gnages. His brother who is with him, and who is namel out of a comedy—Norval Walker—is a terrible drunkard, and the greatest braggart in the world." MONSTETI ASPARAGUS.—Last week two gardeners of Evesham, Joseph Grove and John Iluxlev, made a bet of two sovereigns as to which could produce the heaviest hundred of asparagus. The bet was decided on Monday morning last; Grove's weighing 194 lbs., and Huxley, 20ilbs! I1 ATTENING Pios.—\ connoisseur in pig breeding, re- siding in Bucks, has adopted the (dan of boiling the oats he gives to his swine, and observes that they fatten more kindly and in lcs3 time than is customarily the case when peas and other farinaceous food is administered to them. It is said that the Crown has surrendered all claim to Sir John Sadlicr's property, and letters of administration to his estate will be immediately granted, the matter to be placed in the hands of Mr. Xorris, a solicitor of Bed- ford-row, who was well acquainted with all Mr. Sadlier's affairs-that is, his legitimate affiirs; and there is every probability, that between £ '80,000 and £ 100,000 will be realised for the benefit of claimants upon him. THE EMPRESS-DOWAGER OF RUSSIA. — The Times Berlin correspondent narrates the following incident con- nected with the late Emperor Nicholas's courtship of the Princess Charlotte of Prussia :—"As his son Michael is now coming to this court (Berlin), so did the Grand Duke Nicholas, about the year 1816, come to Berlin to see if one of the Prussian Princesses would suit him, and the Princess Charlotte was given to understand by her pa- rents, that if he should take a fancy to her they would hive no objection to her returning the penchant. The time originally fixed for the expiration of the GrandjDuke's stay was come, and he was seated at supper on his last evemDg next to the Princess Charlotte, when he abruptly .d her that he must leave Berlin the next day. He h^ped to surprise her into some demonstration of feeling 0:1 the occasion, but her maidenly pride withheld her from making more than some say-nothing remark in ac- knowledgment. The Grand Duke thereupon soon assumed another plan of operations; knowing that, however little the eyes of the company might be actually fixed on him and his fair neighbour, they were, nevertheless, the object of general 0 observation, he commenced telling her, b it in an apparently unembarrassed manner, and playing with a ring of his the while, that he had devoted himself during his short stay there to making himself acquainted with her character and disposition, &c., and that he had found m her every quality that he be'ieved best ealcu- Iated to make him happy in wedded life, &c.; but, as they, too, were at that moment the object of scrutiny to many present, be would not press her for any reply to his overtures, but if it was aereer.Me to her that he should prulong his stay at her father's c nrt, *lie would, perhaps, have the goodness to take up the ring he had in his hand. This ring he then, apparently whi'e playing with the two objoets, thru it the roll of bread iyi:i» oa the table before him, and v ent on, seeming y in all savo froid. with his supper. With an equal ap^cjarance of unconcern, the iVineess presently put out Ler hand, an l took up the rod, ros if mistaking it for her own bread. aud, unnoticed by the company, withdrew the rin? and put it on her own br.d. The rest requires no narration." The Princess Charlotte of Prussia of thos-j days, on the 21st ult., crossed the Prussian frontier as the Dowagec Empress Alexander, Feodorowr.a of Russia. A CHEAP WAY OF DJSSOLVING BONES.—That bones can be dissolved by diluted sulphuric acid, is a well- known fact; abut in consequence ef the expense, trouble, kc., not one fattmr in a hundred has ever thus effected their so.uiion. Manufadurers have converted hones into super-j bosphf>tc of lime, tinrl, when hone;t'iy.msde, it is a vaiuabio lerti; z tv\ but its price, especially when car- ried far !p t;i toe place of manufacture, will prevent its general use. A lew years ag", it wss asserted that ashes would dissolve 1) vies but they were found to do so cnlv irnp<.rf"c!:y, nnd then only when crushed. Their value, when a lied to clover, wheat, and turnips, to pear trees, garpe vines, and old pasture lands, is such as to render it desirable that they should all be turned to economical ac- count. When getting our manure, a year ago last spring, from my horse barn, I discovered several white, pultacc- ous mosses, which, on examination proved to be bones in a perfectly pulpy state. Their change could only be ac- counted for on the supposition that the horse manure had by some unknown means, nffretci their disintegration. The thought occurred tome that this accidental discovery could be turned to good account. Accordingly, during the ensuing year, all bones from the kitchen were thrown into the mnnure heap constantly accumulating from the horse-stable. L'.st fa!! that manure was removed to my orchard, and the bones w-rc. found in a s ift and pulpous condition. The bones used were all fresh, and hence I know nothing experimentally of the effects of horse manure upon old bones.-O. è. Gibbs, M.J). jV.F. THE FIIENCII ALLIANCE.—When -Napoleon mounted the throne of France by favour of the coup (TJtrrt, he was received with a certain sufferance by Prussia and Austria, WdS distinctly kept at a distance by Russia, and found recognition in ilngland aloncmang the Powers. Amon!; the secondary monarchs, the Pope, by fore of tl1,. French occupation of Ro:re, had become his dependant. These two States constituted his assured allies. All is now changed. At the conference in Paris, the Emperor Napoleon III. unquestionably t'ok the first place: be dictated t::e time, and therefore to a ^reat extent the terms, of pea e and he bee me the ref ree for the differ- ences of other Governments, E lgl n 1 in «-m«» cases standing aloof, but in most comu ii g (X'c'.ly wí:h France. It is interesting, but not le'ssuriog, to observe the relations in which the French p tentate now stands to the other States. Austria evidently re k m upon him for combating the efforts of liberty, and f, r aid in p,itting down the press throughout Europe—a primary object with the Austrian Government. Ru si 1 endeavoured to conciliate ¡:is favour, manifestly reckoning that the deci- sion of the Emperor Napol-on w ju'd determine the fate of Rus.-ia in the cor.f.rence. Prussia, perhaps, looks as much to England as to France, but Prussia is ever a neutral State. The Sardinian G ven.mcnt, winch might have been expect'd to have b-en allied so closely to Eng- land, rests its hopes of assistance on the successors of that monarch who, crowned at Milan with the iron diadem, established the regno d'liali»; and it is in.leed remirkible that Piedmont rests its chief hope of succour on the pa- tronage of that monarch who is the patron of the Pope. So that Austria, Russia, Piedmont, Prussi-\ and the Pope are all looking up to France as the central Power; while England also reposes her f:tith upon the French alliance There nppcar to be some incompatible expectations here! But no one man, however powerful, r. ally sways the des- tinies of fie world. There are other lnti nc-s more powerful than Napoleon. He has, for instance, ownk-i'ei' the commercial passion in Franc, and h f] ,-ls t>at he cannot control it. Other St.tes have begun to yield old exclusive policies to the same power, Russia banning with a spontaneous surrender. The channels 01 inter- course are indefinitely1 multiplied; propl s are made to ee e community of interests; and thus an alliance is prepare^ « ich is less artifici .1 and less precarious, eanw.ii.(, the survey of the political map uo s n>i more an enio, ce'.d. lessons fir England. Our easiest su- premacy H m commerce. Our inherent strength th 're, as we ;:s 1.1 p r.tics, is iu th- ratio of our freedom; and we are supreme m commerce because -.re are first in freedom, ihe mistrusts that crowd the sphere oi* political relations only call upon us to maintain a sharp watch. In propor- tion as we ntain our strength—military, political, and financial, we shall be able to rely upon oan-lv s; and while we are prepared to carry oat that reliance, any neighbour will Y;, u e our friendship, and will not lightly provoke a jast resentment. After all, we hold the key to the best alliances in our own hand*.—Spectator.