Zion Nunn

The Gazette of Tuesday contained the Queen's proclamation further proroguing Parliament to the 31st of January; and summoning it then to to meet "for the despatch of divers urgent and important affairs."

Early in the week, a paragraph went the round of the papers asserting that news had been received from the Cape of Good Hope of Sir Harry Smith's illness. The report turns out to be unfounded by the last ac- counts Sir Harry was so well as to take his long rides without fatigue.

We understand that the Peace Society and Aborigines Protection So- ciety intend to take up the subject of Sir James Brooke's recent pro- ceedings in the Eastern Archipelago. A public meeting is to be held in the City of London just before the opening of Parliament, where not only the Bornean question, but the whole system of head-money as now prat- tised by the Government of this country, will be brought under review.— .Dally News.

=The appointment of Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Connell on Education, vacant by the resignation of Six James Kay Shuttleworth, Bart., is conferred by her Majesty in Council on Ralph B W. Lingen, Esq., who has been performing the duties of Acting .Assistant Secretary to the Committee.—Times.

The progress of the new arrangements at the General Post-office bets accomplished a great practical diminution of Sunday work even in the London district ; and the following order, issued this week by the Post- master-General, regulates with still stricter limitations the amount of Sunday attendance and service throughout England- " On and after Sunday the 13th instant, all post-offices in Fitekuid and Wales will be closed to the public on Sunday, from ten a.m., for the re- mainder of the day ; except in those cases where the delivery commences between nine and ten a.m., when the office must continue open for one hour after the letter-carriers are despatched; and except also in those cases where the delivery commences later than ten a.m. when the office having been closed at ten a.m., must be reopened for one 'hour after the despatch of the letter-carriers. On and after the same date, no inland letters will be received on the Sunday, except such as are prepaid by stamps or unpaid, for the deposit of which the letter-box will be open as usual throughout the day. Until the closing of the office at ten a.m., or during the subsequent hour after the despatch of the letter-carriers, foreign letters may be prepaid, postage-stamps may be obtained, and letters may be registered on payment of the usual registration-fee; strangers, renters of private boxes, and those who reside beyond the limits of the letter-carriers' deliveries, may alai, while the office is open, obtain their letters at the office-window. 'Except at the times above-mentioned, no letters or newspapers can be delivered from the office on the Sunday."

A bill for the more effectual suppression of brothels has just been pre- pared, under the direction of the Committee of the Associate Institution, and arrangements are in progress for its being submitted to Parliament as early as possible in the approaching session.

From a report published by the Committee of the "Society for the ',Pro- motion of Colonization" it appears, that the total receipts of the society during the past year have been 5,0521., and that a balance of 133L re- mains in the hands of the treasurer. Among the expenses were—emi- grants' passage-money paid to Commissioners, 3,7141., and cash paid to Cononieeioners for Emigrants, 2291. 15s.

At a special general meeting of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Rail- way Company, a compromise of the matters in difference between the Com- pany and Mr. Hudson was sanctioned by the shareholders. Mr. Hudson has agreed to pay 50,000/., on condition that the bills filed in Chancery be abandoned ; and further, to pay 26,0371. in respect of the 2,346 shares in the Sunderland docks which he took in the name of the Committee without their consent—those shares to be transferred to him.

What is a century ?—Can't say. To count a hundred, it seems, is not so very easy a process; and what is more, there are philosophers who cannot carry out the process even when they have begun right! A correspondent of the Times still stands up for the original but abandoned assertion of that distinguished journal, that the half-century terminated on the 31st December mast; but the way in which he makes it out is most surprising. "A century is a period of 100 years, half a century, 01 50 years, and a year is a pe- riod of 12 months. When, therefore, we have completed 50 periods of 12 months we have closed the first half of a century. Let us begin ab indio. At the creation of the world, until a period of 12 months had elapsed it was in its first year ; when 12 months had expired it became a year old ; or, in other words, that which consti- tutes a year—viz, a period of 12 months, was completed; it then entered on its se- cond year, and so remained until a second period of 12 months had elapsed, when it became two years old, and was consequently called two ; and so, when 50 periods of 12 months had elapsed, it had arrived at the year 50, had finished the year 49, had completed 50 periods of 12 months, and consequently had closed the first half of a century." The man actually begins right, and gets as far as " three " aithout a stum- ble, and yet when he ventures to abandon the counting of his fingers he goes astray: he thinks that fifty periods of twelve months have been completed when forty-nine have.! let him 'go back to one, two, three, again, and count steadily on till he passes forty-eight, and then he will preserve his faculty of distinguishing-between forty-nine and fifty. But the most curious incident is, that the Leading Journal should think it necessary to publish this apology for its abandoned error,—this retrospective and transparent apology for a blunder venial even in the Thunderer. Jove himself olten made blunders in ealculation,—as when he miscalculated the chances of being found out with lo —and why not then the Jove of the newspaper Olympus? How much better to stick to the emendation, than to creep under the shield of any "B." Or does the Leading Journal, after all, share the lurking delusion of its correspondent ? The Examiner has learned better, and pleasantly avowed its enlightenment. Decidedly we must permit that clever pupil to " take down" its big brother in class.

A letter brought by the Hibernia from Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, states that her Majesty's ship Herald arrived at that port on the 13th November, with news from the exploring ship Plover, at Beh- ring's Straits. The Plover had penetrated to 73 degrees 10 minutes lati- tude, and had gone along "a vast extent of the coast of North America, extending from Behring's Straits to the mouth of the Mackenzie River, the scene of Sir John Richardson's exit into the Northern Seas during his late expedition." No trace of Sir John Franklin's expedition had been seen. The Plover's boats had been accompanied in their explora- tions by the private schooner yacht Nancy Dawson, under Mr. Robert Shedden ; a gentleman of fortune, who left England two years ago on a tour round the world, with the intention to jiin in the search for Sir John Franklin at the end of his second year out. Mr. Shedden joined the Plover and Herald just as they were leaving Kotzebue Sound, ren- dered great assistance to them, "and afforded much kindness to the boat expedition to the Mackenzie." On two occasions his yacht was nearly lost. One learns with pain that so energetic a philanthropist has met an early death. He was ill on the passage to Mazatlan, and died three days after he arrived there. His funeral was attended by the naval officers at Mazatlan. His yacht will be brought home by an officer of the Herald.

The Enterprise and Investigator started on Wednesday from Wool- wich, on their voyage of further search after Sir John Franklin's expe- dition: on Thursday they staid at Greenhithe to have their com- passes adjusted ; yesterday they departed with the intention of stopping at no port on their way to the Arctic regions. The Monkey and African steam-vessels towed them out through the Downs, and the Niger war- steamer accompanied them as far as Devonport offing.

The sudden death of Lieutenant Waghorn will be learnt by most Eng- lishmen with regret. The daily papers publish the following notice. "Mr. Waghorn had returned only on Christmas Day from Malta ; where he had been residing a short time for the benefit of his health, which had been considerably impaired by anxiety of mind, arising chiefly from pecu- niary engagements, contracted in his prosecution of the Trieste experiments in 1846, and which liabilities the devotion of all his means and the sacrifice of his entire property were inadequate to liquidate. Independent of the main incidents of his history in connexion with the Indian overland enter- rise, which has immortalized his name as one of the greatest practical

efactors of the age, his career had been a most extraordinary one, full of the strangest vicissitudes, and abounding in evidences of character in every way worthy of enduring commemoration. Of the pension lately awarded him by Government he lived to receive only one quarter's payment ; but we make no doubt that the same considerate feeling which originally prompted that grant to so eminent a public servant will suggest the propriety of its continuance to his widow; whose now straitened circumstances are prin- cipally attributable to her husband's highminded endeavours to discharge, in his private capacity, obligations incurred on the faith of what he believed to be a permanent retention of his services by the Executive and on behalf of the community. His death was occasioned not so much by any specific disorder as by the general break-up of the system, though the wreck of his iron constitution, and his irrepressible energy, offered so great a resistance to the inroads of debility that it was thought to the last he would rally ; and his dissolution was attended with great pain and suffering."

Results of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week ending on Saturday last : the first column of figures gives the ag- gregate number of deaths in the corresponding weeks of the ten previous years—.

Ten Weeks of 1839-49.

2ymotic Disease* 2279 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable scat 622 Tubercular Diseases 1744 ....

..... Week. of 1850.

179

6

113

Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow-, Nerves, and Senses

1381 • • • • 146 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 360 .... 42 Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration • • • • 2282 • . • • 232 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion . . •

615

• • • • 63 Diseases of the Kidneys, fie Childbirth, diseases of the Utenui, dm

ao

103 .... .

i:

Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, dm 81 .... 10 Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, fie.. 16 .... 1 Malformations 23 • • • • 4 Premature Birth 233 • • • • 31 Atrophy 131 • • • • 17 Age

705

ea

Sudden

213 • • " .... 22 Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 438 • • • • 49

—

— Total (including unspecified causes) 11306

1133

"In the week ending last Saturday, 1,133 deaths were registered in the Metropolitan districts. In the first week of ten previous years (1840-9) they ranged from 869 to 1,510; and the average of the ten corresponding weeks, raised according to increase of population, which is estimated at 1.55 per cent annually, is 1,252. As compared with deaths registered weekly in last December, the present return exhibits an increase of nearly 100. The mor- tality from bronchitis has increased in two weeks from 78 deaths to 103, while that from pnemonia has increased from 69 to 95; the averages of the two diseases in the same week of ten previous years are 57 and 104. From phthisis there were 129 deaths, which is slightly under the corrected average. From smallpox there were only 8: in the ten corresponding weeks of 1840-9, this epidemic ranged from 5 to 86. Ilooping-cough, which was fatal to 23 children, is also under the usual number. Measles, scarlatina, and typhus, produce nearly the ordinary amount of mortality ; but all the five epidemics, with the exception of measles, are now much less fatal than in the same week of last year. The daughter of a labourer, aged six years, died at Scott's Cottages, Shepherd's Bush, on the 31st December, of marasmus after cho- lera,'.e.' .r an illness of sax months' duration. From diarrhoea there were only eight deaths ; but six, which is rather more than usual, occurred front dysentery ; 125 deaths were registered last week as having occurred in the workhouses of London, and 94 in hospitals. Seven old penaioners, whose ages ranged from sixty-two to eighty-two years, died at Greenwich, between the 28th December and 1st January inclusive."

I .11

"The daily mean reading of the barometer at Greenwich was above thirty inches on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The mean of the week was 29.867 inches. The mean tempezature was lower than the average of seven years on every day except Thursday and Friday on the latter it rose seventy degrees above the average of that day. The mean temperature, which was forty-three degrees on Friday, fell to thirty-four degrees on Saturday. The mean of the week was thirty-five degrees.'

By the return of the frost at the end of last week, the ice on the waters in the lparks was sufficiently strengthened to tempt thousands of sliders and skaters. The ice broke repeatedly, and many persona were immersed. On the Serpentine one was drowned. At mid-day, a young man was skating on the South side, near the aqueduct, when the ice broke, and he was plunged into twelve feet of water. Two of the Humane Society men immediately hastened to his aid ; but the ice was so rotten that it broke repeatedly before they could reach the sufferer with their implements, and one of the men with great difficulty extricated himself. Four minutes elapsed before the body of the skater was got out : life was quite extinct. His name was Drayton, and he was in the employment of Messrs. Cludton and East, tea-dealers at Charing Cross. He had been warned by an iceman not to venture on the part of the ice where he perished—the rash young man instantly glided into the very centre of the dangerous spot.

A respectably-dressed woman committed suicide at Bluish:jars Bridge on Tuesday evening She mounted one of the seats, and deliberately leaped into the river. Her body could not be found : the water was low, and it is supposed that she was instantly killed by her head striking the bed of the river.

The whole of the quarantine established for many years in Milford Haven was abolished on Saturday.

The Western Times reports that the Judicial Committee of the Privy Coun- cil will give judgment on the appeal of Mr. Gorham against Bishop Phill- potts on Tuesday next, the 15th Instant. "Lord Langdale, Lord Campbell, Judge Parke, and Dr. Lushington, are for Mr. Gorham; and Sir Knight Bruce and the Right Honourable Pemberton Leigh are for the Bishop. The three- Spiritual Lords unite for Mr. Gorham."

The Committee appointed to conduct the case of the Reverend James Shore, on the prosecution of the Bishop of Exeter, have brought their labours to a close. The total amount placed at their dismissal by the public was 6141. 2.9. 7d.; of this amount, 5261. 16s. 10d. (including 310/. 163. 4d., paid to the Bishop of Exeter, the cost of the proceedings in the Court of ,&rehes) has been expended, and the balance 88/. 8s. 9d. handed over to Mr. Shore.

The Mends of Viscount Seaham will be gratified to learn that his Lord- ship's sad accident has not interfered with his general health. The inflam- matory action in the vessels of the eye is subsiding; and, although his Lord- ship suffers much pain and uneasiness, he bears up with the utmost patience and fortitude against his sad calamity.—Standard.

Mr. Lumley, of Her Majesty's Theatre, who had the misfortune to break one of the bones of his left arm by a fall at Brussels, had so far recovered as to be able to proceed to Paris, where he was on the 8th.

Letters from klagenfurt announce the serious illness of General Arthur Cagey-

Clara Novelle, who quitted the stage on her marriage with the Count Gigliucci, of Fermo, has returned to her profession : she is engaged as prima donna at Rome, under the name of "Madame Clara Novelle."

The Horning Herald indignantly asks, "Why don't the Irish grow »lad- der ?" Why, were this permitted, we should have more need of protection than even—Punch.

During the last year' 937 miles of railway were opened for traffic in the- United

Kingdom-270 miles less than the total of new rails opened in 1848. Of the 937 miles, 750 were in England, 114 in Ireland, and 73* in Scotland.

Mr. Lassell the astatinomer wrote to the Times stating—"An immense spot, plainly visible to the naked eye, is today upon the face of the sun. It caught my eye by an accidental glance, without any previews knowledge of its existence, while the sun's brightness was conveniently reduced by the fog. It is situated a little above the centre of the disc. On viewing the sun afterwards with a telescope, I found a crowd of small spots near the principal one, which doubtleskadded to the impression made upon the unas- !fisted eye."

A villain named Aymet has poisoned a number of persona at Paris. On New Year's Day, he sent packets of pastry and bon-bons to two women ; employing boys he found in the street to deliver them. The recipients did not know who had sent the articles, and which were eaten by many persons. All were soon after attacked with the symptoms of poisoning, and suffered much ; an officer of the National Guard. and a girl died. Aymet had for- merly. seduced one of the females to whom he sent the confectionery, had been Imprisoned, and had vowed vengeance. Suspicion fell on him from an anonymous letter which accompanied one of the packets ; he was arrested ; and then a number of circumstances fixing guilt upon him came out. Even- tually, he avowed himself as the assassin.

Two boys were playing near Warrington' one got possession of a gun, and not knowing it was loaded, pointed it at his companion, and snapped off a percussion-cap on the nipple. The gun exploded, and the head of the other boy was shattered to pieces.

A boy has died at Mottram, near Staleybridge, after suffering frightful agony, from the bite of a mad dog, inflicted thirteen weeks before. The boy had constantly expressed a fear that he should die from the wound.

Sl113811 Garth, an old woman, descended from the author of "The Dis- pensary," on her return from Darlington to her house at Ingleton, was found lying against a hedge, q.uite stiff and cold : she was not dead ; the warmth of a fire and other restoratives revived her a little ; but she died next day. She had been to receive a pension; she was fond of drink; a bottle with brandy in it was lying near her; and she appeared to have spent a good deal of money.

The accounts of the Bank of England for the week ending the 5th Ja- nuary exhibit, when compared with those of the preceding week, the fol- lowing results—

Beaman Darwinism. Increase. Decrease

Best 616,837 — Public Deposits — £238,078 Other Deposits 871,163 — Seven-day and other Bills 63,218 Government Securities, including Dead-weight 24,801 Other Securities 212,962 —

Notes unissued — 575

Actual Circulation 29,740 — Issue Depaentaier.

Notes issued 29,165 .... —

Bullion 4,317 .... —

This *seek. Last week.

Total Bullion in both Departments 17,020,480 .., . 17,016,163 Actual Circulation 18,256,500 .... 18,226,700