aliffulluttruno.

Tan House of Lords, sitting as a Committee of Privileges,. decided, onTuesday, against the claim of Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle, to a seat in the House of Peers as Baron of Berkeley. Sir Maurice- claimed to sit by tenure, citing. precedents in ancient times to show that former Barons of Berkeley had sat by tenure. But the Lords held that the- ancient right to sit by tenure, "if it ever existed;" as Lord St. Leonards remarked, has been super- seded by personal dignity. It was pointed out that great confusion would arise if-the-claim were admitted; because the possessor might sell the tenure and continue to sit himself by virtue of the writ of summons. The whole of the Lords present, the 'Lord Chancellor, Lord Cranworth, Lord St. Leonards, Lord Chelinsford, Lord Redesdale, con- curred, and thus it was decided. "the. claimant had not made out his claim."

The Lord Mayor, on Saturday, gave a fall account of the distri- bution of the funds subscribed for the relief of the City poor during the,frost. The whole sum was 1925/. Out of this money relief was given to 3248 persons, 6451. was-distributed among various societies, and a small balance remained in the poor-box. Among the contri- butors were M. Ernest Desmarest and M. Henri Pion, who had col- lected 10/. in Paris, and who forwarded it to the Mansion House with a letter full of generous feeling. Before this money came, the Lord Mayor had received from British. sources all that the emergency required, but he gave 20/. to the French Societe de Bienfaisance, and 20/. he appliedas desired. by. the. donors. The Lord Mayor, in the course of his remarks, praised the police for their efficient co-opera- tion.

The second iron-clad ship, the Black Prince, was successfully launched on Wednesday from Mr. Napier's yard in. the Clyde. She is of the same dimensions and make- as the Warrior, but will only carry forty guns.

The Queen has appointed Colonel George Everest, on the Bengal Retired List, formerly Surveyor-General of India, and Superintendent of the Great Trigo- nometncal Survey of that country, to be an-Ordinary Member of the Civil Divi- sion of the Third Class, or Companions, of the Bath. The appointment of Mr. Laurence Oliphant,. to be Secretary of Legation at Japan, has been officially announced.

The Queen has appointed the Lord Mayor of the City of London; Major. General SirJoshuaJebb ; Mr. John 'flivraites, Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works ; Captain Douglas Gaon, of the Royal Engineers; Commander Edward Burstal, in her Majesty's Navy, Secretary of the River Thames Conservancy Board; Mr. Henry Arthur Hunt, Surveyor of her Majesty's Works and Public Buildings; and Mr. John Robinson M‘Lean, to be her Majesty's Commissioners to examine into plans for embanking the River Thames within the metropolis. The Grocers' Company have given the freedom of the company to Sir John, Inglis and Sir Leopold M'Clintock, and have entertained them at dinner.

The King of Prussia has conferred the order of the Red Eagle of the first class upon Prince Murat, the Austrian Field-Marshal von Schmerling, the Sar-, dinian General Della Marmora, and the Sicilian Lieutenant-General Couut d'Aragona. Lord Napier, the English Minister at the Russian Court, who has been in, • Berlin for some days, has now proceeded to the Russian capital, accompanied by Lady Napier.

It is stated that the Queen, having recently ordered a design for a lace &mice from the students of the Female School, was so well pleased with it, that her Majesty has commissioned Miss Gann, the superintendent, to obtain a second. This, if successful, is to be publicly exhibited on the occasion of the exhibition and bazaar to be heldin aid of the building fund of the school, in the month of June.

The Emperor of the French has contributed 10,000 franca towards a prize which the Academy of Sciences propose offering for the best essay on the ques- tion of the "Reproduction of bone when broken, or crushed by accidents," ,gsc. The Emperor of Austria has just conferred the great gold medal for Science and Art upon M. Pallor, a gentleman well known and highly esteemed in the musical world.

The Dresden Journal announces the death of the well-known sculptor Rietschel which event took place on the eve of the day when he was to have exhibited his last work—a car, with four horses, destined for Brunswick, and the models of the statues of Luther and of Wickliffe, for the monument of the Reformation at Worms.

One of the oldest clergymen in England, the Rev. Peter William Jollifil, per- petual curate of St. James's, Poole, Dorset, in the diocese of Salisbury, has just died at Parkstone, near that town, at the advanced age of ninety-five. Mr. Jolliffe was instituted to the living of St. James's, Poole (stated in the Clergy List to be worth about 3001. per annum) in the year 1791. He has, therefore, discharged the duties of his sacred calling in that particular parish for a period. of seventy years. The body of Captain Boyd, of the Ajax, who was drowned in the late tempest, while rescuing shipwrecked seamen in Dublin Bay, has at length been found by a diver, and duly identified.

It is reported that the Government has decided upon dividing the Channel fleet into two portions ; one to be denominated the Portsmouth division, and the other portion the Plymouth division. Each division, it is expected, will be com- manded by a junior admiral, and a commander-in-chief will be unnecessary.

The Emperor of Austria has been present at some extensive artillery experi- ments in the vicinity of the capital. Amongst other matters which engaged the attention of his Majesty was gun cotton, with which several guns were fired, and it is said that all the inconveniences arising from the use of this material. have been successfully overcome. Dr. Seamann, commissioned by the British Government to explore the Fiji Island; arrived at Sydney on the 11th December, on his return from a visit of inspection. His opinion of the capabilities of these islands is very favourable, and there seems every probability that they will be added to the possessions of the British Crown.—Australian and New Zealand Gavotte.

An instance of good faith, which we trust is not rare, though such instances are rarely recorded, is reported by the Leeds Mercury. The late Mr. Johnson, of the Cyclops Works, Sheffield, expressed a wish that a certain sum should be divided at his death among his workpeople; but he makes no legal provision to that end. But the executors, one of whom was his brother, determined that it should be paid, though from various circumstances they could not carry out their intention for a considerable time. At length, however, they obtained from- the Court of Chancery the necessary authorization ; and on Thursday last the workpeople, numbering 180, were convened, and, to their great joy, received. same varying from 21. to 1001., according to length of service, &c., the total, amount distributed being about 30001.

A very painful case came under the notice of the Worship-street magistrate on Wednesday. A girl, only fourteen years old, was charged with an attempt to commit snicale. It apappears, from the statement, that a man, apparently re- spectable, engaged the girl as a companion to his daughter. When she came to his house the daughter was sent away, and the respectable man, fining his way into the defenceless girl's bedroom, committed an office but recently capital. The girl fled the next day, and, in despair, tried to poison herself. The "re- spectable clerk in the City" bad been committed to tale his trial for the felony; but the girl made another effort to kill herself, and hence she was arrested. Mr. Leigh committed her to the special care of the chaplain of the House of Deten- tion.

The Manchester police made a sudden raid into the low haunts of the desperate gangs of thieves who infest that city, and arrested fifty notorious scoundrels. What a pity that they could. not be held fast when caught- Nearly all had to be liberated, because nothing could be legally proved against them.

One Howard, doing duty as a clown at a French circus in Stamboul, was re- turning to his home on the 12th, when he met three maskers. A verbal contest arose between them, one of the masks beginning the attack. The Englishman's repartees told, for one of the dominoes approached and stabbed him. The- assassins got away. They are supposed to be Italians. Howard died during the night.

Two men have been committed for trial on a charge of attempting to break into Lord Elcho's house, in St. James's-place. Lord Elcho went home at eight on Saturday, and, directed by Lady Ekho, discovered two men in the balcony. He cleverly surrounded the back of the house with servants, and, sending for policemen, captured the disappointed burglars. James Tatten, an ex-policeman of thlision, is in custody on a charge of robbery and arson. A lamentable accident has occurred at Sheffield through carelessness. Two railway stations are connected by a short tunnel running under the side of Spittal hill. The foundations of some buildings were carried too near the crown of the arch, and being insecure, the walls resting upon them, gave way. Seven work- men, to avoid the wall, jumped on the tunnel, and that breaking in, biz were, killed, and the seventh mortally injured.

Gustavo Modena, a celebrated dramatic artist of Italy, has just died at Milan. His body was conveyed on the 22nd to Turin to be interred, and the funeral pro- cession was headed by several distinguished persons of the extreme party, in-

chiding Generals Cosenz, Medici, Bizio, Tarr, M. Brofferio, and a vast number of students.

The reform in the passport system continues to make progress in Prussia The Chamber of Deputies has had a proposition brought before it, to have the position of foreigners in the country regulated by law, with a complete suppres- sion of passports. The Assembly of the Burgesses of Hamburg have now under consideration a proposition relative to the creation of a single central government, and a parlia- ment for the whole of Germany. The last census of the several provinces gives the following results for the kingdom of Italy: Piedmont, 8,815,637 inhabitants; Sardinia, 573,115; Lom- bardy, 2,771,647; Modena, 609,188; Parma, 508,784; Tuscany, 1,779,338; ex-States of the Church. 1,960,360; Naples, 6,843,355; Sicily, 2,231,020; total, 21,092,020 inhabitants.