Vnutinriat.
There was-a public dinner in the Worcester Guildhall on Wednesday, to present a testimonial to Sir John Pakington, for his services to the county. It is very honourable to him. Men of all parties joined it. Lord Lyttelton occupied the chair; Lord Ward, Lord Beauchamp, six Members of Parliament, Mr. Lygon, Mr. Foley, Mr. Knight, Mr. Ri- cardo, Sir Thomas Winnington, and Mr. Weethcad, were present. The testimonial is a handsome silver-gilt shield, covered with figures, illus- trating Education, Justice, the Navy, and the Colonies.
In the course of his speech, Sir John Pakington made some frank and happy allusions to his own career.
"I hope that you will not think that I am guilty of presumption or egotism, if -I venture to touch for a moment on those principles of action to which I mainly attribute the honour which on this occasion it has been my fortune to receive. Have I attained those honours through the exercise of any great or transcendent talents ? Certainly not. Have I gained them as the reward of extensive and varied acquirements? Certainly not. But, if it has been my good fortune to merit in any degree that favour which I have received from my most gracious Sovereign ; if I have deserved any portion of that kindness which I have received in this my native county ; if I have been able to administer those various departments of the State which have been intrusted to me, and which my noble friend in the chair has al- luded to in such flattering terms—if I have been able to administer them without disadvantage to the public service, and without discredit to myself, I firmly believe that I am indebted to the exercise of qualities and the adop- tion of rules which are equally in the power and compass of those who hear me, and of any man who is desirous to take part in the public affairs of the country. (" Hear, hear !" and applause.) I am indebted for whatever measure of success I have attained in my public life to a com- bination of moderate abilities with honesty of intention, firmness of purpose, and steadiness of conduct. If I were to (fan' advice to any young man anxious to make himself useful in public life, I would sum up the results of my experience in three short rules—rules so simple that any man may un- derstand them, and so easy that any man may act upon them. My first rule would be—leave it to others to judge of what duties you are capable and for what position you are fitted, but never refuse to give your services in what- ever capacity it may be the opinion of others who are competent to judge that you may benefit your neighbours or our country. My second rule is—when you agree to undertake public duties,, concentrate every energy and faculty in your possession with the determination to discharge those duties to the best of your ability, (Cheers.) Lastly—I would counsel you that, in de- ciding on the line which you will take in public affairs, you should be guided in your decision by that which, after mature deliberation, you be- lieve to be right, and not by that which, in the passing hour, may happen to be fashionable or popular. (Renewed cheers.) Fashion has its uses, and is all very well when applied to the light and trivial things to which it re- lates; but fashion in public affairs is out of place. Popularity in the lowest and most common sense is not worth the haviug. Do your duty to the best of your power. Win the approbation of your own conscience, and popu- larity in its best and highest sense is sure to follow. ("Hear, hear," and cheers.) Mr. Aspinal Turner has submitted some samples of cotton and cotton yarn, just received from Dr. Livingstone, to the Cotton Supply Aasoeia- tion. It was grown in the valley of the Shire, and is pronounced "ex- cellent." It is fortunate that the river navigation is open into this valley. A little enterprise will enable our manufacturers to draw great supplies from this fertile region. The Government, it is said, will pro-
vide a new steamer for Dr. Livingstone, and send an erpedition under Captain Spoke to explore the great lakes.
At a school examination which took place a day or two ago at Nor- wich, one of the Government Inspectors put a series of questions to the pupils as to the most remarkable productions, &e., of different places. At length he asked, "What is Norwich famous for?" One of the boys instantly replied, "For bribery and corruption."—Daily News.
The question "what is a quarter at school ?" has been debated in the Wakefield County Court, but not answered poaitively. A Mr. Hall gave notice at Christmas to the master of a grammar-school that he should take his sons away at the end of the quarter. One boy stayed to the 5th of April, the other to the 21st. The schoolmaster, contending that his quarter ended on the 25th of March, summoned Mr. Hall for the second quarter's tuition. It appeared that the schoolmaster made no deductions if a boy came after quarter-day, and no deductions for short quarters. The Judge held that the plaintiff had not made out his case, and dismissed the stunmons.
Mr. James Trafford, silk-manufacturer, of Leek, straying through ignet ranee of his way into a street at Leeds inhabited by the criminal classes, srels severely beaten and robbed. Several persons, men and women, are in cus- tody, and have been committed for trial.
A- confectioner at Clifton, desiring to produce Bath buns which should appear to be unusually good, bought a quantity of chrome yellow, chromate of lead, and used it in making the buns, in the proportion of six grains per bun. The consequence was that numbers of persons who ate the buns bee came sick unto death, though happily none died. It turned out, however, on analysis, that it was not chrome yellow he had bought, but a most deadly slow poison, yellow sulphide of arsenic ! The " chemist " who sold it, ha labelled this fatal poison " chrome yellow."
An old man, James Williams, living near Worcester, on proceeding home one night last week, was knocked down by a man who jumped out of a hedge, and when prostrate was stabbed severely in the neck. Not killed, he crept to a house, and received assistance. Suspicion fell upon his nephew, a good-for-nothing fellow, and the police going to his house, found him in bed, but there were marks of blood on his knife and his clothes. The motive for the attempt was revenge. Old Williams had instigated a a prosecution for bigamy against his nephew.
An unhappy riot has occurred in the permanent barrack at Aldershot, be- tween a Regular and a Militia Regiment, resulting in homicide. The troops stationed at Aldershot are lodged partly in huts, and partly in permanent barracks. In a certain block of the latter establishments were quartered sol- diers of two different regiments. The fabric in question consists of two build- buildings of three stories each, facing eaclaother, and connected at the top by a glees roof, under cover of which the troops can be paraded in bad weather. As far as the accommodation of a single battalion is concerned nothing could be more ingenious than this arrangement, but unfortunately the capacity of the building is such that whereas it is too large for one regiment is not large enough for two. Accordingly, the 2d Battalion of the 24th Foot, which oc- cupied the barrack, was reinforced by a company of the Tower Hamlets Militia to fill up the room, and this company tenanted the upper story of one of the buildings; so that the men of the 24th were lodged under the Militia- men on the lower stories of that building, and opposite to them in the build- ing on the other side. On Christmas Day each of these regiments partook of a seasonable dinner, provided by their respective officers, and after the me past had termumted the Militiamen repaired to the canteen, or liquor-shop, of the 24th, where an argument was raised as to which of the two corps had enjoyed the better dinner. As a matter of course the soldiers of each regiment stood up for the superiority of their own entertainment, and the discussion was continued until it acquired considerable acrimony. Upon the closing of the canteen, between seven and eight p.m., when the troops retired to their quarters the men of the 2I1h followed the Militiamen up to their rooms in the top
quarters, of the barrack, and there resumed the battle of the dinners, until from words the disputants came to blows, using brooms, stones, coal ; and at length the soldiers of the 24th actually actually crossed to their lodg- ings in the building opposite, loaded their rifles with ball cartaidge, and'in this precious cause poured a volley across the court into the Militia quarters on the other side. By this time, however, the officers were summoned from the messhouse, close by, and the riot was quelled, but not before four men of the Militia had been wounded, of whom one, who had nothing to do with the fray, expired on the following morning. Both regiments were disarmed. It was found that the shots had been fired entirely by the 24th, and thirty or forty men of this regiment were placed under arrest. The regiment itself was moved to another part of the camp. Of course there will be a strict inquiry.
A Coroner's jury began an inquiry at Aldershot, on Thursday, into the circumstances that led to the death of James King, a private in the Tower Hamlets Militia, killed in the riot. Ring was standing with his face to the fire, taking no part in the quarrel, when a bullet, coming through the win- dow, shot him in the back, and passed through him. The account of the af-
fray given by the witnesses coroboratesthat given above, with the exception that two nom commissioned officers of the 24th declare that more than one shot was fired by the Militia. The rifles of three men of the 24th, Hatton, Williams, and King, were found to have been loaded and fired, and much of their ammunition was missing. The inquiry is not concluded.
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