_Miscellaneous.

The Ministerial "white bait dinner" took place at Greenwich on Sa- Imrday last. Lord john Russell, Lord Palmerston, Mr. Charles Wood, -and other heads of departments were present; also a strong muster of subordinates.

The Dublin Evening Freeman professes to have received intelligence that the Irish Colleges Bill has been decisively condemned by the Court of Rome. " We can state, upon the best authority, that the College of Car- dinals, having all the documents before them, unhesitatingly, unanimously, and decisively, pronounced their condemnation of the Government mea- sure."

A rumour is prevalent that Mr. Morgan John O'Connell is appointed a Poor-law Commissioner, in the room of Mr. Twisleton, transferred to Somerset House. The change is stated to be in consequence of the An- dover Committee of Inquiry.—Dublin Evening Post.

Sir Charles Grey has been appointed Governor of Jamaica.

A correspondent of the Morning Post gives a sad account of the state of the potato crop in Wiltshire. In almost every direction the plant has more or less failed; in some places as much as three-fourths of the roots are diseased. After the potatoes have been dug up a few days, many turn rotten that had appeared sound at first. Turnips and other edible roots have also suffered. The prospect for the poor labourers, who depended much on their potato-grounds, is represented as very bad indeed. The Liverpool Times reports— "Hopes were entertained by many parties that new varieties of the potato might be raised from foreign seed, which would be free from this disease; but we learn from Mr. Skirving, that of twenty-five foreign varieties grown by him in his -nursery-grounds at Walton, not one has escaped. The sorts tried by Mr. Skirving were brought from every part of Europe and America; and after so entire a fail- ure, in the hands of so skilful a cultivator as he is universally allowed to be, we fear that the prospect of renewing the crop from foreign seed is very slight."

The accounts from Scotland are similar. A correspondent of the Times, who has just made a tour through the most fertile districts of the North of Scotland, says- " I may say, without exaggeration, that I have hardly seen one single field of sound potatoes along the entire line of my route, by Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Montrose, Aberdeen, Peterhead, Frasersbnrgh, Banff Elgin, Inverness, Cromarty, and Tam, to Wick; and every traveller from the more inland districts that I have met with describes the same state of things as prevalent in those parts."

Among the notabilia of her Majesty's visit to Guernsey on Monday are the following. While the Queen and Prince Albert were on shore, the little Prince of Wales caught a great eel; but being unable to haul it on board, he shouted for the assistance of one of the crew. The Queen, on learning the exploit, ordered the eel to be dressed for dinner. During the Royal progress to the citadel, Mr. Draper, one of the special constables, fell, and the hind-wheel of her Majesty's carriage over his body: Mr. Draper, however, proved elastic in the Royal service, Etsrteelgot up again without experiencing any material inconvenience.

Lord John Russell has taken a residence for the season near Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire; which is now being prepared for the reception of his Lordship and family.—Times. A French paper announces, that " on the 16th instant, thegreat composer Ros- sini was united in the bonds of wedlock, at Bologna, to a Mademoiselle Olympe Pelissier." The lady had lived for sixteen years with the maestro.

The remains of the late Baron Dedei, Minister of the Netherlands to the Eng-

lish Court, were placed on board the Dutch steam, r Bai avier, on S tturday, to be conveyed to Holland, for interment near the village of Lcorduyen, in the vicinity of the Hague.

Cliptain John Gordon, brother of the Earl of Aberdeen, was tried by Court- martial on Wednesday, for sailing from Valparaiso to England with the America 50-gun frigate, in disobedience of the orders of Rear-Admiral Sir George Francis Seymour, the Commander-in-chief. The Court was held on board the Victory, at Portsmouth, under the Presidency of Admiral Sir Charles Ogle. Captain Gordon was assisted in his defence by Mr. Hoskins, solicitor. Disobedience of orders was admitted, but the pressing nature of the case was pleaded. Upwards of 2,000,000 dollars had been shipped on board the America at Mazatlan and other places, to be conveyed to Valparaiso, there to be tranship pM into another vessel of war and conveyed to England. The merchants addressed a strong representation to the British Consul at Tepic, requesting him to use his influence with the Commander- in-chief to induce him to allow the America to complete the voyage to England, to avoid the risk of having so large an amount of specie placed on board a small vessel: it was urged also, that as the insurance was effected on the America, a transfer of the risk to a smaller vessel might lead to difficulty in settling losses, should any occur. Owing to the length of time it would take to get an answer from the Commander-in-chief, Captain Gordon, after consulting with his senior Lieutenant and another officer of the civil branch, resolved to proceed to England. Mr. Hoskin' s repudiated the idea of his client's being actuated by any pecuniary motive; stating that he had directed his agents to pay the freight-money over to the captain by whose vessel the specie would have been brought to this country in regular course. Mr. Hoskins admitted that Captain Gordon had acted under an error in judgment. The officers consulted by him previously to sailing were examined; and their statement was, that at each station they had visited the usual naval force was present.

The Court found the charge of disobedience to orders proved, but acquitted Captain Gordon of being actuated by motives of a pecuniary character. The sen- tence was, that he be severely reprimanded.

A question of much importance to life assurance companies has lately been de- cided by the Judges in the Exchequer Chamber, on a bill of exceptions in an action brought by the representatives of Schwabe against the Argus Life As- surance Company. The Judges have determined that a party assured, holding his policy in his own hands, who may commit suicide, forfeits his policy, and that the office is not bound to pay the amount. This decision settles the law on a point upon which doubts had heretofore existed. The Argus Company, who, be- fore trial, had offered to return all premiums paid with interest, on the opinion of

i the Judges in their favour being declared, immediately renewed their offer; and have now repaid to Schwabe's representatives the whole of the premiums received, with interest at four per cent, amounting to 9692 8s. 7d. The Company have at the same time resolved in future to return to the representatives of any party assured in their office who may commit suicide the gross amount of premiums paid on the assurance.—Times.

At a meeting of shareholders of the Metropolitan Joint Stock Conveyance Com- pany held on Monday, Major Hume explained that the object is to secure a cheap, expeditions, and punctual conveyance by omnibus through all parts of London an its suburbs; the rate of charge to be two miles for twopence, and so on.

The wires of the electric telegraph connected with the Munich and Augsburg railroad have been covered with a coating invented by Professor Stenheil, of Munich, which possesses the virtue of protecting them from lightning; thereby greatly tending to prevent accidents.

The Rhine and the Danube, and consequently the Black Sea and German Ocean, are now united by a canal just completed, called the " Ludwigs Kauai," after its creator the King of Bavaria; who has thus realized, in our day, one of the vast conceptions nurtured eight hundred years ago in the brain of Charle- magne. A vessel of small burden, now sailing from Rotterdam or from London, may carry its cargo through Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, and Wallachia, even to Trebizond and Constantinople; or if she be of large burden, may discharge her cargo at the mouth of the Rhine, and have it transhipped into smaller vessels at little expense.--Morning Herald.

Many indignant correspondents are complaining to the Times of the indelicate i manner in which bathing is conducted at Ramsgate: ladies frolic about in the sea as if entirely removed from the gaze of the male sex; who, on the contrary, crowd the beach. Gentlemen bathers, too, from the arrangement of the bathing- machines, can hardly avoid offending any one with modeat feelings. The Leading Journal remarks, that the authorities of the town should interfere to preserve decency. The authorities, not only of Ramsgate, but of Dover, Folkston, and re other places of the kind, should interfe, not to prevent bathing, but to enforce sufficient police regulations on the subject of proper bathing-dresses.

An earthquake, producing destructive effects on property and life, occurred on the 14th instant in several parts of Tuscany. At Leghorn, the first shock was felt at fifty minutes past noon, and lasted from seven to eight seconds. House- hold furniture was displaced and thrown down, and the church-bells were vio- lently agitated. The terrified inhabitants ran to the street, evincing the greatest terror. During the night several shocks were felt; and little more would com- plete the ruin of the town. Under a feeling of alarm, many of the inhabitants have gone to the country; others pass the night under tents in public places; and others take to boats. The palace occupied by M. de la Rochefoucanit, the French Minister, has been much damaged. 'A stone from the ceiling fell on the chair Madame de la Rochefoucault had left a few minutes before the earthquake. Whole villages had been thrown down—Lorenzana, Orciano, and Casciano, the centre of the oscillating motion, and at about five leagues from Leghorn. At Volterra, a Government prison fell, burying several prisoners. The number of persons killed is stated to be, in all the districts, 38, and 140 wounded; 68 of the latter seriously. The effects of the shock extended to Pisa. The vaulted roof of the old church of St. Michael fell at the first shock. The congregation lied just left the building after divine service. The houses of the town were shaken; but the shock, being less than at Leghorn, did not cause so much damage. Several natural phreno- mena occurred. Spouts of muddy and boiling water sprung out of the earth. A like has been formed in a sunken space of land.

Results of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week ending on Saturday last—

Number of Summer Annual deaths. average. average.

Zymotle (or Epidemic, Endemic. and Contagious) Diseases 258 ... 201 ... 1811

Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseasesof uncertain or variable seat 103 ... 99 ... 104

Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves' and Senses 125 ... 155 ... 167 • Diseases of the Lung., and of the other Organs of Itesplration 208 ... 227 ... 294

Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 26 ,.. 23 ... 27

Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 99 ... 87 ... 72 Diseases of the Kidneys Se

Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, .te Rheumatism, disesaes of the Bones, Joints, •c Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, Se.

Old Age 33 ... 62 ... 67

Violence, PriraUon, Cold, and Intemperance 29 ... 28 ... 26 — — Total (including unspecified causes) 902 ... 898 ... 968

The temperature of the thermometer ranged from 87.90 in the sun to 48.4° in the shade; the mean temperature by day being colder than the average mean temperature by 0.8°. The mean direction of the wind for the first five days was South-west, and for the remainder of the week North.