garttlauttats.

Lord John Russell has addressed a spirited letter to the Mayor of New- castle in reply to a memorial on the Turkish question adopted at the meeting held in Newcastle on 29th of last month. After stating that he is happy to find that the meeting concurred with him in the opinion that "this country ought to be anxious to maintain the independence of Turkey," Lord John proceeds-

" That independence could not be subverted without a great change in the territorial circumscription of Europe, a derangement of the distribution of power sanctioned by treaties, and more especially. a violation of the engagements contracted by the Great Powers in 1841. That independence could not be sub- verted without a danger of the aggrandizement of states already sufficiently formidable, and a disturbance of the balance of power in Europe. That in- dependence could not be subverted without a great diminution of British commerce, now fostered by the moderate tariff of the Turkish empire. You

may rely upon the constant vigilance of her Majesty's Government being employed to prevent such misfortunes ; upon the sense of justice and good faith which animates the principal states of Europe ; and upon the weight of the British Parliament, which will be ever ready to defend the rights and the independence of her Majesty's allies."

The Board of Trade has issued a minute stating the intentions of the Board as to the distribution of the Parliamentary grant in aid of local schools of art for the current year. The grant was promised for three years, on condition that an equivalent sum were raised in the locality, wader the expectation that at the end of that time no further assistance would be required. Those expectations have not only not been fulfilled, but an increased reliance on Government aid has been encouraged. While, therefore, it is not proposed to withdraw the grants from places now receiving them, the Board desires "to introduce a system of greater efficiency and economy, by which the independence of the local bodies may be increased, and the objects of the Parliamentary vote more adequately attained. My Lords desire to relieve the localities altogether from the obli- gation to raise a sum equivalent to the Parliamentary vote, and instead to leave the whole general management, and the control of the cost of it, en- tirely to the Local Committees. In future, the Local Committees will not be required to return to this Board any account of their local expenditure, or of any receipts from subscriptions or donations; each Local Committee will, therefore, determine for itself what premises shall be used—subject, of course, to their being considered by my Lords as suitable for the purposes of instruction—what rent shall be paid, what furniture provided, what mana- ging officers, servants, &c., shall be engaged, and what shall be the cost of general management."

The Parliamentary grants will be confined to the promotion of instruction, under Parliamentary control. But 'their Lordships would view it as the highest mark of the progress and success of art education, in any locality, to find that the Committee preferred independence of the Government grant altogether." The minute specifies how the grant will be expended ; and notifies that an equitable portion of students' fees must be applied towards instruc- tion.

Queen Victoria has presented a magnificent silver dressing-case to the Duke of Brabant, King Leopold's son, on his coming of age.

The consecration of Dr. Jackson, Bishop Elect of Lincoln, is appointed to take place at Lambeth on the 5th May.

Mrs. Harriette Beecher Stowe, and Mr. Justice Halliburton, author of Sam Sleek, arrived at Liverpool in the Canada on Monday.

By the last mail from America we are informed of the decease of Mrs. Fillmore and Mrs. Cass.

Letters for officers, seamen, and marines, serving in the Arctic ships, will be in time for her Majesty's ship Pheenix if sent to the Admiralty before the 29th instant.

A letter from Tehran, dated the 26th February, states as certain, that Colonel Shell was about to quit that city, on leave of absence but that he would take the whole of the personnel of his legation with him. The cause was unknown.

_ Result of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week ending on Saturday last. Ten 'Weeks Week of 1813-52. of 1853. Zyrnotic Diseases 1,911 .... 253 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable .est 438 .... 51 Tubercular 1)1seases 1,914 .... 244 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 1,176 .... 158 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels .... Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 1,720 .... Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 600 .... Diseases of the Kidneys, &e .... Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, &cc 86 .... Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, Ac 68 .... Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, Ac 13 .... Malformations 29 .... Premature Birth 200 . • .. Atrophy 178 .... Age 493 .... Sudden 66 .... Violence,Privation,Cold, and Intemperance 205 .... 21 — Total (including unspecified causes) 9,606 1,340

A letter dated Munich, April 10th, tells the following story. "Liebig was last night giving a lecture on chemistry at the Palace, before Queen Maria, the ex-King Louis, and his Queen Theresa, and the younger branches of the Royal Family, when a bottle of oxygen gas being improperly handed to him by his assistant, who mistook it for another bottle, an explosion took place, and the bottle flew into a thousand pieces. Fortunately, the explosion occurred in an inner room, the door of which was open. Still some frag- ments of the glass passed through the door, and slightly wounded some members of the Royal party who were sitting in the front rank. Queen The- resa was cut in the cheek, and the blood flowed in abundance ; Prince Leo- pold was slightly wounded in the forehead, Countess Luxburg in the chin, and Countess Sandizell in the head. None of these wounds will be of any consequence. The professor was also slightly injured, having escaped with his life by a sort of a miracle."

Several terrier dogs having gone amissing near Monedie, search was made for them in a covered drain in the locality ; when three were found near each other, being apparently unable to return, owing partly to the oblique di- rection of the drain, and partly to the narrowness of its bore. All of them were alive, and one which had been shut up in its subterranean prison for thirteen days, of course without tasting a morsel of food, showed scarcely any symptom of suffering or discomfort.—North British Daily Mail.

There has been a great increase in the exportation of beer and ale on ac- count of shipments to India and Australia. In the two months ended the 5th March, there were 65,174 barrels exported, the declared value of which was 198,2911.

Mr. Bowden, a revenue-officer of Kendal, has discovered a most ingenious cave between Ambleside and Coniston fitted up for illioit distillation. It was excavated in a precipitous bank far away from a public road, and the roof Was supported by flags and posts ; rain was kept out, but a little stream of water could be turned into the cave whenever required. Access was obtained from a hole in the roof. There was a complete apparatus and materials for distillation. No one was found in the cave, which is situated among the fields forming the farm of Mr. Sloe.

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