311.isttllaurnas.

It is understood that the vacant Blue Ribfurd will be bestowed upon the Earl of Aberdeen.—Glebe.

One of the most gallant comrades of Wellington, General Sir Andrew Barnard, has followed his chief. He died on Wednesday morning at his residence in Chelsea Hospital, where he had some time been Governor. Andrew Barnard entered the Army in 1794; he served in St. Domingo, in the West Indies, in Holland, and throughout the Peninsular campaigns, conspicuous in all the great actions. He was wounded more than once, in the Peninsula, and slightly at Waterloo. He was eighty-one years of age.

The capture of the Russian frigates Aurora and Dwina has been re, ported from Calcutta; purporting to have been derived from an American captain who had recently left China. The story wants confirmation.

We learn from a respectable source that the Government is about to organize a baggage and transport corps. The officers will be selected from the East India Company's army. They will rank with officers of her Majesty's service. Colonel McMurdo is to have the command' and he, with some other officers and men selected from the Metropolitan police, will sail next week for Constantinople. The Policemen will form the nucleus of the corps; which will then be completed at Constantinople by Turkish reeruits.—.Daily News.

The War Office authorities have applied to the Directors of the St. Eatherine's Dock Company for 400 men to be sent out to Baleklava and engaged in unloading vessels upon their arrival at that crowded port.

A clerk has recently been appointed in the Dockyard establishment at Portsmouth whose duty it will be to register and take charge of all par- cels for officers and men serving in the East. Parcels, Fsc., therefore, must in future be sent direct to this deposit store at the Admiral Super- intendent's office: carriage paid to the office.

Eleven Companies of the Royal Artillery, each 280 :strong, • are now under orders to proceed from Woolwich to the Crimea.

The Court of Directors of the East India Company have appointed Sir James Stephen to be Professor of History and Political Economy at Haileybury College. The appointment is announced in yesterday's papers as "a temporary measure."

The last return of the Registrar-General indicates a high rate of mor- tality in the Metropolis. In the preceding week the deaths were 1404; last week they had risen to 1466. The corrected average gives 1323 as the number of deaths that might be expected at this season ; present ex- cess of mortality, 143.

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

Zymotic Diseases 345.8 .••• 300 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat . 48.4 .... 63 Tubercular Diseases 187.6 .••• 207 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 132.3 .... 137 Diseases of the Heart and Blood-veasals 60.0 .... 60 Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other Organs of Respiration 287.5 .... 373 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 61.8 .... 75

Diseases.! the Kidneys, 8sc.

14.0

13

Childbirth, diseases a the Uterus, Sc.

10.6

..... 7 Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones. Joints, Se. 10.4

11 Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tisane, Sc. 2.6 .... 2 Malformations. 4.2 .•.. 7 Premature Birth 24.8 .... $7 Atrophy 19.4 ...• 47 Age 01.6 .... 71 Sudden 6.8

3 Violence,Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 23.2 • •••

29

Total (including unspecified causes) 1,202.8

1,1.66

The French Minister for Foreign Affairs gave agrand dinner on the 10th. Among the gaests were Lord John Russell, Marshal Nugent, Baron de Hubner, the Austrian Minister, Sir W. Temple, British Minister at Naples, the Duke and Duchess de Fernan-Nunez, the Duke and Duchess de Camba- ceres, and Count and Countess de Persigny.

Lord and Lady John Russell left Paris at the beginning of the week ; the health of Lady Harriet Elliott, Lady John Russell's sister, haring much Un- proved.

Prince Napoleon is expected to arrive in France from the East on the 25th instant. He suffers from a disease of the spine.

When the Emperor of the French recently visited the hospital of "Sainte Eugenie," now in the course of construction in the Faubourg St. Antoine, the denizens of that quarter assembled in great numbers and loudly cheered him.

Chief Baron Pigott is staying at Malaga for the benefit of his health, but as yet it has not improved. The Judge's place at the Irish Spring Assizes will be filled by a deputy.

The venerable Countess of Carlisle is dangerously ill. All her ;family are assembled at Castle Howard.

The greatest war-ship ever built, the screw three-decker Marlborough, now completing at Portsmouth, is to have her name changed to "La France" ; and there is a rumour that the Empress of the French will christen the vessel when she is launched, in March next.

The Queen's new state steam-yacht, Victoria and Albert, was launched at Pembroke on Tnesday. She is nearly as long as the great Himalaya. These are her dimensions,extreme length, 336 feet; extreme breadth, 40 feet ; depth of hold, 24 feet; horse-power of engines, 600; burden, 2342 tons. Lady Milford christened the vessel, and an immense concourse of people witnessed the launch.

On the 15th December, Messrs. Newell and Co., of Gateshead, received an order from Government, by telegraph, to make an electric telegraph cable for submersion between Varna and Balaklava--400 miles long. On Saturday last the cable complete was placed on board a new screw-steamer. It is hoped that by the middle of next month the work of submerging the cable in the Runt' te will be in progress. Apparatus will be sent out for extending the wires to any part of the Crimea whither our army may move. "The telegraphic apparatus to be employed has been made for the occasion by Messrs. Siemens and Halske, of Berlin. It is founded on Morse's American telegraph. The messages which it transmits it writes on a paper riband, about the breadth of a broad tape ; every letter of the alphabet and every figure being formed by a combination of dots and strokes, impressed by a style as the paper moves onward between two cylinders. The dots or marks very much resemble the raised character used in books for the blind—only more simple—and are read by the telegraph clerk as easily as ordinary types. The operator, having command of the electric current, can make it act at in- tervals, the duration of which he can lengthen or shorten at pleasure ; and just in proportion to the length of these intervals is the length of the marks impressed upon the moving riband by the pencil which obeys the magnet. The message, as it issues from the apparatus, can be read off, and arrives as rapidly as a clerk can copy it on paper in an abbreviated hand. Practically, however, an experienced clerk is independent of the record ; for as at the station receiving the despatch, the armature of the electro-magnet moves simultaneously with the transmitting key, at each of its motions towards the magnet it produces a distinctly audible click, and the ear interprets the mes- sage before it meets the eye."

The Queen has granted to private Andrew Anderson, of the Sappers and Miners' leave to accept and wear the order: of the Medjidie conferred on him by the Sultan, for his distinguished bravery and good conduct at the pas- sage of the Danube on the 7th July 1854, and subsequently in rescuing the body of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Burke, after he had fallen : and her Majesty commands that the honour shall be registered in the College of Arms.

To show the rise of men from the ranks to high places in the Army is not SO rare as is sometimes represented, the following hat of men who rose from the ranks of the West Suffolk Militia within the memory of living persons has been published. If'Dermot, to be Colonel in the Army; C. Wayth, to be Major • C. Reynolds, to be Major ; J. Ginger, to be Captain ; John Leech, to be Capiain ; llattley, to be Lieutenant ; Philip Faoy, to be Quarter- master ; Richard Marshall, to be Quartermaster; John Battley, to be Adjus taut; Thomas Howe, to be Adjutant ; G. Griggs, to be Quartermaster. Of

Ten Weeks Week

of 1815 ,56. of 1655. the above eleven officers, raised from the ranks for good conduct, no fewer than eight were Bury men.—ipswicji Express.

The soldiers in the Crimea are to have their coffee ready roasted—by and by : fifty casks are now in preparation for that purpose at Plymouth.

The Nix and Salamander gun-boats have been received at Plymouth from the Prussian authorities, in exchange for the frigate Thetis.

When Captain Excelmans left Southampton in the Reine Hortense he took charge of a bag of tobacco, 200 pounds in weight, with this note—

"Some Some ladies of Southampton and its neighbourhood have done themselves the great pleasure of sending to the kind care of General Rosquet a case of tobacco, as a 'Christmas-box, for the use of his men ; begging it may be re- garded as a alight remembrance of the high esteem in which the valour of Isis troops on the 6th November is held by all in this country."

The following jeu-d'espiit of the venerable Nestor of European diploma- tints, Prince Metternich, is related amongst our latest chit-chat. On the

Prince being asked his opinion of the present state of affairs with reference to the conferences and negotiations for peace, he gave the following oracular replv " My instinct inclines me to believe in peace; my reason to believe in war.."—Daily News Vienna Correspondent.

Among the articles brought from the Black Sea by the Sampson pson war- steamer, s a young Circassian bear, named "Nicholas,' and an oil-painting representing his namesake the Czar, which was captured at Yalta.

On Saturday, the New-Year's Day of the Russian calendar, Russians and Greeks met in the Russian chapel at Paris; but when the Czar was to be prayed for, the Greeks declined to join in the orisons for " the Scythian," and left the chapel.

The Board of Inland Revenue is of opinion that there is no necesssity for the use of stamps in receipts given for subscriptions for charitable purposes, if the payer will derive no advantage from his subscription : at the same time, the law makes no sueh exemption.

The arrivals of bullion last week were not worth reporting, but the ex- port was more than 1,000,000/.

Last month there was another falling-off of 1,300,000/. in the stock of bullion held by the Bank of France.

More mercantile failures continue to he reported. On Wednesday two were announced in the Qty. Messrs. Lonergan and Co., a Spanish and West India house, have failed for 130,0001.: their assets consist of debts due abroad. Messrs. Rogers and Co., warehousemen of Watling Street, have stopped with liabilities amounting to 150,0001.: the disaster 36 attributable to losses in Australia and at the Cape.

Among the list of articles exported from Switzerland, appears the item " snails " of which 925 quintals were sold for foreign consumption during the months of October and November last.

The generally mild weather we have had has advanced vegetation so much. that sharp frosts will cause some danger.

Mr. Oliveira, the Member for Pontefract, has been actively engaged at Cadiz and the surrounding districts in his wine inquiries, preparatory to Parliamentary action against the present duties.

Bread is now three times the ordinary price in Egypt, in consequence of the European demand for grain.

Forty-seven Irish horses have been landed at Lisbon for the service of the Portuguese Post-office, which is about to establish a line of diligence& be- tween the capital and Coimbra.

Mr. Thomas M. Sweet suggests a new mail-route to Australis, to replace the steam-vessels which will soon be withdrawn. He proposes that letters and passengers proceed by the overland line to Suez ; a steamer to convey them thence to Aden; and between that port and Melbourne there should be a line of clipper ships, as the expense of steamers is very great. By this route we could communicate with Port Phillip in from fifty to fifty-five days.

A person writes from New York to caution poor people not to 'continue their reckless migration across the Atlantic. Of late all affairs in the Union have been far from prosperous, and there is a lack of employment for the shoals of immigrants who pour in from Europe. At the present moment there are 20,0)J immigrants in New York who cannot obtain employment, and a large proportion are in the direst distress, while others are supported as paupers by me funds of the city.

The Athealen Court has become gracious towards the barbarous Gauls : Admiral Barbier de Timm and the chief officers of the French corps of occu- pation have been invited to dine with the King and Queen. But the Greek canaille are not quite so civil : fifteen ruffians have maltreated three French soldiers close to the gates of Athens. Redress was readily promised by the authorities.

The Spanish Government have removed nineteen Jesuits who remained in the convent of Loyola, to the island of Majorca.

The English Protestant church at Alexandria was opened for divine ser- vice on Christmas Day. The building is complete except the tower, for which funds are lacking.

The French Empress having seen some rude specimens of sculpture by a bandsman in the army at Helfaut, has provided funds for the young man to buy his discharge and pursue the career of an artist.

William Rees died lately at Blaine in South Wales, at the great age of a hundred and four. He had been a "bailer" at an iron-manufactory, an occupation which involves the heaviest work. He was remarkable for his moderate living. Till within a few weeks of his death he could dress him- self without assistance.

John Bartley has died at Finite/ in Ireland, in his hundred-and-third year. Be was active as a Royalist in the Rebellion of 1798.

There has been very extensive land-slips at Ebbw Vale iron-works in Wales; large portions of the surface of a mountain, with great trees grow- ing upon it, having slid down to the base. A large oak now stands erect An the garden of Mr. Roger Newell, at the foot of the mountain, which for- merly grew at the summit ; and Mr. Newell's house is in peril from the debris heaped up in its rear.

Wild cats are still numerous in the mountains of Laggan in Scotland; they are ferocious and bold, and arrant robbers of hen-roosts.

Damage estimated at 20001. has resulted from a collision between two lug- gage-trains at Bannockburn station, during a fog. The people in charge of the trains seem to have escaped without serious hurt.

The Dundee parochial authorities have advertised for the heirs of a beggar, who was buried by the parish—John M'Cay, a travelling mendicant, on Whose person were found bank deposit-receipts for 700/. The last reported exploit of Lola Mentes in California was the horsewhip- ping of the editor of the Grass Valley Telegraph, for writing of the "late Mantes-like insolence and effrontery. of the Queen of Spain." According to lola's account, she .parried a Mow aimed at her by the Yaukee, and made "st eating impresuou " an his eye with her 1st, which was Adorned wiak. nags.