31liottllautatts.

The death of Mr. William Weir, the Editor of the Daily News, is a public loss. He died on Wednesday last, after a short illness of only four days' duration ; its fatal conclusion created little surprise, as many had noticed the effect of wear-and-tear in his aspect, and previous illnesses had been sharp and not unfrequent. Born in 1802, Mr. Weir, we believe, was originally educated at one of the Scottish universities ; at Gottingen, with the prosecution of his classic studies he laid the foundation of his knowledge of German and its literature ; afterwards extending his studies to the languages and literature of France and Italy. He was destined to the bar, and, with a rare industry he had made progress in the law, with excellent prospects ; for to his other qualifications he added those of a fluent and eloquent speaker. But his course of life was changed by an infirmity which attacked him early— a deafness that increased with his years ; and he transferred his great abilities and multiplied attainments from the bar to the journal. He obtained a distinguished position as editor of the Glasgow Argus, a journal set up by the Whig party with a view of conciliating the sup- port of the Liberals in general. Mr. Weir succeeded admirably in that object, but at the expense of "going further" than the Whigs ; and in 1839, in the thirty-seventh year of his age, he resigned his post, and came up to London. For some years he was a valued contributor to our own journal; he was, we believe, amongst the earliest to be engaged on the Daily News, and on the death of Mr. F. Knight Hunt, Mr. Weir accepted the Editorship. He brought to his office an extraordinary array of qualifications, for on many branches of law, history, geography, literature, biography, and bibliography, his active and retentive memory served him like a cyelopasdia. Our readers scarcely need to be reminded of the manner in which he conducted his journal as the most independent of the daily press in the guardianship of popular rights, needful reforms, and social improvement. Weir was tt man of strong personal sympathies, but his mind was essentially above party politics, and the most constant aim of his life was to recover for mankind what others had given up to party. Of late he had applied his influence to the difficult task of considering how to rescue the Liberal party from its complications of inertia, and how to reconstruct it for re- newed and healthy action. We had hoped that the weight of his au- thority, and the influence of his well known and spotless integrity/ might have contributed to the success of that needful but troublous wort. The task remains for other hands ; but, in common with all the best in- tenets of the country, it has received services from William Weir, of which the useful influence will long survive. A great artist has said, that even the transient performer aids in developing the resources and spirit of art, and thus the perishing executant survives in an immortal service : how well may this rule be applied to a man who, master of what intellect had done for the world thus far, contributed so powerfullY to keep other minds right, and confirm the lasting encouragements of patriotic action.

The memorial brought by Mr. Morris from Canada, asking for the loan of the Prince of Wales to open the Toronto Exhibition, has been submitted by Sir Edward Lytton to the Queen. Her Majesty declines the request that the Prince of Wales or some other member of the Rorl holey should proceed to Canada with the view of opening the Crystal palace at Toronto. Her Majesty it is also understood, highly appre- ciates the loyalty to the Crown and the attachment to her person and y which prompted the wishes of the petitioners, and expresses her siuce1egood wishes for the success of the proposed Exhibition, and a hope that it will produce important and useful results to Canada.

Rear.assmiral Sartorions has published a letter written by him during the Russian war recommending the construction of a new instrument of destruction. He proposes that iron cased screw steam ships, with sharp prows, should be built, for the purpose of running down and sinking an enemy's ship or ships. He would have them carry a few heavy guns capable of throwing shot or shell, and he calculates that they might be used to destroy shipping in dockyards, transport troops at sea, or an enemy's fleet. They would, he believes, form an invincible protection to our coasts. The Emperor Napoleon has given orders for the construc- tion of one of the engines at Cherbourg. The French call it a vaisseau ; the Admiral a steam ram."

The Atlantic cable remains inarticulate. The defect, whatever it may be, has not been removed. The electric current appears incapable of transmitting intelligible words either from or to Newfoundland. Mr. Edward Bright, Professor Thomson, and Mr. Varley have been engaged night and day in watching the signs of the instruments, and in trying to ascertain where the defect is. They estimate that the lose of insulation has occurred about 270 miles from Valentia. An agent will sail on Tuesday for Newfoundland to make inquiries there.

We have received a copy of the Twelfth Report issued by the Asso- ciated Institution for Improving and Enforcing the Laws for the Pro- tection of Women. The committee report on two bills which they have in hand. The object of one was to remove that anomalous distinction by which the debauching of a girl under twelve is a penal offence, but not after that age. The bill passed the Upper House, with the con- currence of the Law Lords ; but in the other house, Mr. Craufurd ob- served that a girl is legally marriageable at twelve ; and the lawyers in the House saw so many difficulties, that Mr. Deedes, who had the bill in charge, declined to go on with it. The other bill would transfer the cost of prosecuting houses of illfame from the parish to the county ; a measure to which the Home Secretary, Mr. Walpole, has promised his attention. The report states some horrid facts—the existence of a reci- procal import of. young French girls into England, of English girls into France • some I-rightful cases of violation, in which the criminal law failed, through the distinction that Mr. Deedes's bill would have abolish- ed; and the existence of certain ruffians "banded together" for the purpose of assaulting women criminally. The committee express thanks for the support already received, but call for more. The total receipts during the past year, ending in March, 1858, were 10971. ; the expen- diture left a balance of 771.

The Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of the store and clothing depots at Weedon, Woolwich, and the Tower, will re- sume their investigations on Tuesday next, September 21, in No. 11, Committee-room, at the House of Commons. All persons desirous of giving evidence or of aiding the inquiry, are requested to communicate with the secretary, Mr. E. L. Dew, 13, Curzon Street, Mayfair.

The Mayor of Melbourne has supplied us with a tabular statement showing the growth of the city of Melbourne. It is a remarkable array of figures, such as few towns could show. In 1843, there were in Mel- bourne 1095 buildings, assessed at 66,847/., and yielding 1521/., at a rate of 6d. in the pound. In 1848, the figures stood—buildings, 2928; assessed value, 75,4931. ; amount of le rate, 37741. In 1853, they were —buildings, 4980 ; assessed value, 638,834/. ; amount of Is. rate, 31,9411. In 1858, (the city having lost two wards formed into separate munici- palities,) the figures stand—buildings, 11,153; assessed value, 995,945/. ; amount of Is. rate, 49,7971.

Prince Alfred has joined his sister, the Princess Frederick William, at Babelsberg.

The Duke of Cambridge is now on a visit to the Grand Duchess of Meek- lenberg Schwerin.

Lord Stratford de Radcliffe embarked at Marseilles on the 9th, in the Curacoa, for Constantinople. The Marquis of Dalhousie, accompanied by Lady Sarah Ramsay and Co- lonel Ramsay, has arrived at Dalhousie Castle, his seat in Scotland, from Malvern Wells.

Lord Palmerston has now returned from his trip to Paris. A Paris let- ter in the Nord of Brussels states that—" Lord Palmerston, during the last days of his residence at Paris, saw more than once Lord Stratford de

Reddiffe, Lord Cowley, Lord Howden, Baron de Rothschild, and Thiers. Thiers came up from his retreat at'Franconville, where he is completing

the last two volumes of his History of the Empire, to see the ex-Minister. At one of their meetings at the Hotel Bristol, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe was present, and the) conversation having turned on the state of Turkey,

Thiers asked Lord Palmerston if he thought the 'sick man' was about to die ? The English statesman replied, according to his custom, by pleasan- try : 'I was one day walking in the streets of London,' said he, when a person told me that my packet-handkerchief was hanging out of my pocket, and that I should lose it. Thank you, Sir, I answered, but I believe that Tees some one pulls it out it will not fall ! Well, Turkey is in the same position ; if she be not thrown down she will, I am convinced, maintain herself perfectly !' " The budget of news from Germany mention the arrival at the Isle of Rugen of Mr. Carlyle, who is travelling over the battle fields of Frederick the Great, to collect materials for a history of that monarch. Mademoiselle Piecolomini will take leave of the English public at a fare- !ell concert to be given at the Crystal Palace, on Tuesday, the 28th instant. She will sail on the 29th, from Southampton, for a lengthened tour in the United States.

_ The chess contest between Mr. Morphy and Herr Harrwitz is continued ; Tour games have been already played, and each of the rivals has won two. The first who wins seven games is to be the conqueror.

The King of the Belgians, who has gone to visit his daughter, the Arch- duchess Charlotte, reached the Lake of Como on the 9th instant. The Duke of Calabria is to be married to the Princess Mary of Bavaria, the youngest sister of the Austrian Empress. Rumour says the King of Naples will grant an amnesty on the occasion. Count de Remy has been to Biarritz, following Count Walewski. M. Fould has gone to Tarbes, whence he will visit his master.

The Moniteur records one act of imperial " munificence." The Emperor, it seems, has not only given to Count Walewski a large tract of marsh in the

Landes, undertook to drain them at his own expense before handing them over. He has now began to do so.

We understand that the late French Ambassador to St. James's is et pre- sent on a visit to Scotland, and is staying with Count Flahault at his seat of Tulliallan, near Alloa.—Seetsman.

It is said that Colonel Charras, who received the honourable distinction of arrest on the night of the coup d'etat, is about to marry an heiress, the daughter of M. Kestner, a manufacturer at Alsace, who employs 4000 workmen. The marriage is to take place at Bale.

M. Henri de Pane, the contributor to the Paris Figaro, who was so dan- gerously wounded by Lieutenant Hyenne in the duel near Versailles about four months ago, has taken up the pen again, and writes a letter to the Brussels journal, Le Hord, from the baths of Nauheim in Germany. M. de Pane states that he has completely recovered from his wounds, and is now restored to perfect health.

The 300th anniversary of the Sena University has just gone off with great eclat. The young Royal couple of Prussia presented three marble busts of Hegel, Fichte, and Sehelling. The Grand Duke Constantine presented to the library a splendidly-bound copy of Lavater's Letters to the Empress Maria Feodorovna. It seems that the Emperor Paul once made a tour in Switzerland with his wife, incog., under the name of the Comte Du Nord, and there became acquainted with the phyisgonomist. At the com- memoration there tottered in an old student from Holstein, aged ninety., leaning on his son, aged sixty ; he took his degree in 1792, and could find no co-disciple living among the assembly.—Xedical Times.

According to the Inverness Courier Sir Roderick Murchison having coin- pleted his investigations has gone on a visit to the Duke of Richmond at Gordon Castle. We believe that Sir Roderick has quite confirmed, in his late visits to the north, his former impressions of the order of superposition of our Scotish geological formations ; but that he has now been able to put down several broad tracts of quartzose and gneiss country as of very different ages. He was much struck, we learn, while visiting the quarry on the es- tate of Avoch, in the Black Isle, whence the old red sandstone of the Fort- rose Cathedral was taken, to find the rock standing so perpendicular, and such universal proofs in the district of a great outbreak of irruptive fel- spathic rock, after the deposition of the old red sandstone, which it has altered, hardened, and tilted over in every possible or imaginable way.

The vacant judgeship in the Ionian Islands has been bestowed on Mr. Patrick Colquhoun. The essential requisites for that appointment are an intimate knowledge of the Greek language and of Roman law ; and Mr. Colquhoun is not only a preeminent scholar in ancient Greek, but speaks the modern language with the facility of a native, while he is the author of the most learned and authoritative recent work upon Roman civil law.— Times.

We understand that Captain Huish is about to retire from the position which he has so long occupied with the London and North-Western Rail- way Company, and that the Board of Directors, on receiving his resignation, have unanimously passed a resolution recording " their sense of his great ability, integrity, unwearied industry, and steady devotion to the interests of this company during the lengthened period of eighteen years, as well as the expression of their personal regard and esteem."—Daily papers.

Death has deprived the sporting world of " the British Nimrod " Mr. Thomas Assheton Smith, " the greatest sportsman and most daring rider in England," for many years master of the Quorn and Burton Hunts. He was also a great builder of yachts. Out of the sporting world Mr. Smith was the proprietor of the rich slate quarries at Llanberis, and formerly a Tory member of Parliament.

A new speculation solicits our attention. A company, limited, has been formed, styled the Hornsey Freehold Estate Tontine Company, capital 15,0001. in 3000 51. shares. This company proposes to buy an estate at Hornsey, and lay it out for villas. The frontages are to be ret on building leases for ninety-nine years ; and the ground rents are to be paid to the ex- isting shareholders as dividends. From and after 1879, that is to say, twenty years hence, the lessees will have the opportunity of purchasing their ground rents, and converting their leasehold tenures into freeholds. As lives drop in, the dividends on the remaining shares will be increased, and when the number of lives is reduced to fifty, the whole of the property of the company is to be disposed of by public auction, and the proceeds divided among them in proportion to the number of shares they hold, but should not the number of lives be reduced to fifty before the 25th March 1879, then the property to be absolutely sold and 'divided among the sur- viving shareholders or representatives.

Sir Edward Lytton has made arrangements for opening a bank at Van- couver's Island, and ultimately in British Columbia. He has also sug- gested a plan for uniting a fortnightly postal communication to New Zea- land and South Australia via Panama, with a postal service by the same route to Vancouver. Mr. Brew of the Irish constabulary, who served with great distinction in the Crimea, has been appointed to organize a constabu- lary police in British Columbia. Two chaplains are sent to the colony by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.

A copy of a report on the evidence of Sir C. Trevelyan before the Commis- sion appointed to inquire into the purchase and sale of commissions in the Army was published on Tuesday. The Committee appointed by the War Office discussed Sir Charles's recommendations or suggestions seriatim. Having given definite answers to certain questions of detail specifically put to them, the Committee proceed to show their bearing generally upon Sir C. Trevelyan's statement. Sir Charles, they remark, has estimated that a net reduction of 81,8661. a year, as compared with the present expense of the purchasing portions of the Army, would result from his propositions ; but the Committee, differing from him in the important item of the expense of full-pay retirements, estimate that an increase of about 220,0001 a year would be thrown on the public, plus the cost of compensating officers who have bought their commissions or obtained by service a claim to selL And there are circumstances which might not improbably add still more to this increased expenditure, arising out of the proposed discontinuance of widows' pensions. The inquiry of the Committee was confined exclusively to the financial bearing of Sir C. Trevelyan's proposition. The calculations of the Committee areendorsed, as correct, by an able actuary, Mr. Charles Gallicoe, vice-president of the Honourable Institute of Actuaries.

Last week the Duke of Cambridge reviewed the 100th Regiment at Shorn- cliffs. He addressed the men, praised their discipline, and the loyalty of the colony whence they came. [Won't the Queen give the gallant Cana- dians their colours ?] Nearly a hundred men of the local Canadian militia, artillery and ca- valry, went to New York to take part in the " cable celebration." They

were received with honours by the New York Militia, and entertained with great hospitality.

A small Prussian squadron, perfectly armed and fitted out, and composed of the frigates Gefion, 48 guns, and Thetis, 38, and the corvette Grille, of 6 guns, has left the new Prussian port at the mouth of the Jande for Brest. Admiral Prince Adalbert hoisted his flag on board the Gefion, and is to coin- mend the squadron during its cruise in the Mediterranean. There is a great talk about new docks that are to be built at GraVesend, on the site of the Rosherville Gardens ; not without foundation. It has been affirmed and denied that the Government have a hand in the matter, nub road.

• Branksea Castle and estate late the property of Colonel Waugh were vainly offered for sale by public auction on Tuesday ; no one bid rose to the upset price of 50,0001. demanded. A "Sufferer," dating his exclamatory lamentations from Kensington, September 14, tells the Times that • Colonel Waugh is in London ! The writer saw him in a cab, on Sunday, near Hyde Park. My friends are sufferers by the Eastern Bank, having lost all they possess: Why should this wholesale plunderer be at large while they are starving ? Pray use your influence by giving publicity to this, that he may be apprehended and be compelled to disgorge some of his ill-gotten wealth. You will have the thanks of the widow, the orphan, and the ruined soldier." . LAB odd way to

get a man apprehended ! Would it not have beenmore effective to con- sulted the police ?) Mr. Thomas Allsop, once supposed to have been implicated in the plot of the 14th January, returned to Londonlast week.

London is now healthy..- The Registrar-General reports that the deaths last week, .1060,, were 543 -below the -corrected average. Death from

diarrhma has greatly declined. -

The Manchester E rambler publishes a letter, stating that a person is in custeaf at' Gibraltar, charged, on his own confession, with having been em- ployed by the'murdeter Rush to shoot the Jermy family. He states, so it is affirmed, that he, and he only; fired the fatal shots.

- y Mr. James Lord, a Liverpool timber-merchant, has been crushed on a railroad in America. Mr. Thomas Hunt, a cricketer well-known in the north of England, has been killed on a railway near Rochdale. In accord- Mice with a bad habit of the neighbourhood, he was walking from a cricket- ground home along a railway. A train overtook him, he lost presence of mind, and was killed.

A telegraphic despatch from Hamburgh, dated September 16, gives this shocking piece of news. " The magazine of the steamboat Hammonia, which sailed yesterday for New York, blew up at sea. Out of 293 passengers of all nations who were on board only five have been wounded."

Several children have recently died in Yorkshire from the effects of the Iruit-ef- deadly nightshade, and of the mountain ash-. Of course the poor creatures did not know that the berries poison. . .

There has been a serious emesste of the convicts in Portland prison, but it has been suppressed by the firmness and skill of the Director and Governor. In a semi-official explanation it is stated, that "-the present outbreak is at- tributed to the men sentenced to penal seri'itudeunder the Act of 1853 feel- ing it unjust that they should be required to serve out the whole of their sentences, while all convicts previous to -18.53, and under the Act of 1857, are eligible for a proportionate remission for good conduct."

DONCASTER 4-ACES.

The great nothern gathering for the celebration of the rites of the turf has been this year well-attended, and satisfactory. The races began on -Tuesday. The. Doncaster Plate was won by Mr. Singleton's Hegira, (W'ithington) againstten competitors. The Great Yorkshire Handicap was the- rize of Mr. Ten 'Broeck's American filly Prioress, (Fprdham.) She

defeated eleven Britishers. . .

The Great St. Leger was contended for on Wednesday, when Lord Derby was again disappointed—Toxophilite the favourite running fourth.

The St. Leger Stakes of 25 sous. each, for three-year-olds—colts, 8st 71b ; fillies, 8st 21b ; the second to receive 100 soya. out of the stakes. St. Leger Course, 1 mile 6 fur. 132 yds. 138 subs. Mr. J. Merry's Sunbeam, by Chanticleer, 8st 21b Mr. J. Merry's Blanche of Middlebie, 8st 21b 1)

. (Withington 3 (L. Snowden)) 1

Mr. T. Dawson's The Hadji, 8st 71 (Aldcroft 2

Lord Derby's Toxophilite, 8st 71b (S. Rogers 4

Betting at starting-2 to 1 agst Toxophilite, 7 to 1 agst East Langton, 8 to 1 agst The Hadji, 12 to 1 each agst Volta, Longrange, and Knight of Kars, 100 to 7 agst Governess, 15 to 1 agst Blanche of Middlebie, 100 to 6 agat Eclipse, 20 to 1 agst Sunbeam, 25 to 1 agst Brother to Bud-on-the- Wing and Gildermire.

The Race.—Eighteen started. There were two failures, but at the third attempt they quitted the post in compact order. Blanche of Middlebie was first to show in advance, and, directly in her wake were Gildermire, Sun- beam, Prince of Denmark, The Midi', East Langton, Mentmore, Toxophi- lite, Longrange, and Volta, as nearly as we could make out, in the order named. Soon after settling on to their legs the running was taken up by Gil- dermire, but she shortly after gave way to Prince of Denmark,'Sunbeam, and Blanche of Middlebie nearly side by side next, and just behind them were Toxophilite and The Hadji, the extreme rear being brought up by Faimer's Son and Knight of Kars. At the top of the hill The Courier drew into the 'fourth place, and no material change was made until reaching the wood, when the front rank showed several alterations. At the bend Prince of Denmark dropped away beaten, and the Hadji and Toxophilite joined Gil- dermire, who disappeared from the front in the next few stride's, and Sun- beam, The Hadji, Toxophilite, and Blanche, only were left in the race, Go- vermess and The Courier heading the beaten lot. On entering the straight Sunbeam came to the fore, Toxophilite compounding at every stride. At the distance Blanche of Middlebie joined The Hadji and Sunbeam, and the three ran a most exciting race home, Sunbeam winning cleverly, by half a length, the second beating the third by a neck itwo lengths off, Toxophilite was fourth ; Longrange fifth ; Brother to Bird-on-the-Wing sixth ; and Volta seventh, finished together, clear of Lord Derby's horse. Governess, East Langton, (who never got through his horses,)' Mentmore, and Gilder- mire were next. Courier, Farmer's Sob, Prince of Denmark; and Eclipse formed the last lot, Mr. Howard's horse being "absolutely " last. ' Mr. 'Merry declared to win with Blanche onliddlebie.

The Portland Plate called twenty-eight horses to the post. It was

easily won by Mr. Saxon's ancient Briton. (L-: Snowden.) - Thursday was not conspicuous for any great event, but the racing seems to have been very. good.

The great race on Friday was for the Doncaster cup. Only seven -horses went to the post. The winner was Lord Zetland's Vedette, (J. Osborne.)