r nuitrial.

Government does not appear to aid the Volunteer Movement with any headlong zeal. The Rifle corps at Bristol, one of the most efficient in the country, complain that they do not yet know the demand which may eventually be made upon their time ; that the model code of rules the Government promised two months since is not forthcoming ; and that, in consequence, the work of their body is.tili to be of a provisional character. They are, however, in good heart, and talk of establishing an Artillery Company. On Saturday nearly the whole five hundred of the corps, fully armed and accoutred, won the compliments of Colonel Bush, their com- manding officer, who put them through their evolutions.

At Falmouth, on Monday, the proposition for raising two companies of a hundred men each, one artillery and the other rifle, met with the countenance of the mayor and other local dignities. Subscriptions were liberally commenced. At Witham a corps is projected. The Marquis of Lothian presided at the Aylsham corps last week, when they elected their officers. The services of one of the companies formed at Great Yarmouth have been accepted as en Artillery corps by the Government. At Harleston, in Norfolk, thirty members have been enrolled ; at King's Lynn thirty-six members—" The Committee have determined not to re- commend any gentlemen as officers who have not seen service." The Devon Volunteer Artillery Corps, numbering sixty men, received from Government on Thursday, last week, two new guns for field or battery. An old Peninsula officer has provided twelve men of this corps, at his own expense, with clothing and accoutrements.

Four corps have been formed in Birkenhead, and are enrolled at the War Office as the four first companies of Cheshire Rifles. The first muster of the Brentwood corps, in Essex, has taken place, and volunteers are freely entering. The Royal Havering Volunteer Rifles, Romford, meet for drill thrice a week.

At Callington and Padstow in Cornwall, rifle corps are in the course of active formation.

The last of the heroes of Lucknow arrived at Dover on Saturday evening. They were met by the elite of the place and by thousands of their countrymen, who gave them an enthusiastic welcome. They passed in procession through the principal streets of the town to the military quarters at the Western Heights, preceded by a banner bearing the inscription, " Welcome home, heroes of Lucknow ! " -

" Some of the poor fellows seemed touched with the ovation, and when, on reaching their quarters, the depot saluted the colours of the regiment, for the honour of which so much had been sacrificed and imperilled, the scene was very affecting. The head-quarters are about 300 strong, and with the depot, which is in an admirable state of discipline, the entire strength of the regiment is about 1100."

At a banquet at Ashburton, given recently to Mr. Palk and Mr. S. T. Kekewich, the two Conservative Members for South Devon, there was some talk of the intended tactics of the party next session. Mr. Palk, M.P.-

" I am told that the Ministry of the present day, far from having a ma- jority in the House of Commons, is a Ministry on sufferance, and is sup- ported only by a minority of the people. How long do you think that this wretched Government is going to stand ? Do you think that they are the men to bring in a Reform Bill that would be satisfactory to you and to the people of this country ? Do you think that the man who sacrificed your in- terests and your honour at the behests of France is the man to maintain your interests and your honour? Well, then, what is the duty of the great Conservative party ? It is—and let there be no mistake about it—as soon as Parliament meets, to bring this question to an issue, and by a vote of want of confidence, which I hope and trust I shall see moved, to drive from power that Government which for years and years have maintained themselves in office by the greatest bribery and corruption, which has only just been found out, but to which the country is becoming alive. For wherever a fresh election takes place, although the Conservative candidate may not in every place be successful, you will find that the Conservative candidate has had the greatest number of bands held up in his favour ; and, therefore, if the Conservative cause rested on universal suffrage, the Conservative and not the Whig would have been elected." Mr. Kekewich,ILP , agreed in mistrusting the Government, because its Membera are at issue with each other on principle ; but he somewhat demurred to Mr. Palk's advice- " Let us, if we have a majority, have a fair stand-up fight ; let us fight with confidence and courage, and try which is the strongest man. But do not resort to factious votes in trying to turn out the present Administration. If we determine to turn them out, let us do it in an honest and straight- forward way."

According to ancient custom, the members of the Carlisle corporation entertained their Mavor at King Garth, on Wednesday last week. The present Mayor, Mr. /lobed Ferguson, is much esteemed locally, and is author of some repute, both in prose and verse. In proposing the town and trade of Carlisle, Mr. P. IL Howard, of Corby Castle, made a very fitting and opportune allusion to the prospect of an European peace.

"I trust that though prepared for war, we shall be enabled to extend and strengthen our commercial relations with our nearest neighbour, France; for there is nothing tends so much to bind nation and nation together as commercial ties. (Hear, hear !) Those of diplomacy may be fleeting in their character, but the bonds of commerce are enduring. I trust that as an earnest, perhaps my friend, if I may use the term, Lord Palmerston, will be able to reduce the duty on French wines—on an article of their cominerco which in no way interferes with any branch of English industry ; and though it may not do everything, it will be a pledge to our neighbours of good will and commercial harmony." (Cheers.)

The annual report of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce calls at- tention to some points of general as well as of commercial interest.

The Chamber had under their consideration the law relating to collisions at sea, in consequence of the case which had arisen upon the collision of the Tuscarora with the Andrew Foster, in which one American vessel ran over another. The matter came before the law courts, and it was decided that the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act restricting the liability of shipowners to the wreck and accruing freight did not apply to foreigners, so twat the owners of the American vessel were liable not only for the wreck and freight, but for the whole amount of the damage. The report ex- presses an opinion that this is "an injustice and an anomaly," and re- commends that the restriction which now applies to British shipping should be extended to foreign shipping, which would probably insure a similar return from foreign Powers, particularly France and America, which had similar laws. Another question which occupied the Chamber was the repeal of a great number of import duties which now "burden the tariff, con- tribute very little to the revenue, but do a great deal in restricting the trade of the country." The Chancellor of the Exchequer had expressed his intention of bringing before the House in the next session the revision of our taxation and expenditure, and it is hoped that the Chamber will stir itself to ask for the repeal of the duties levied upon 439 articles, which pro- duced in the aggregate only 750,0001. per annum, leaving the remaining twenty-one articles to contribute upwards of 23,000,0001. "The whole of these 439 articles might be swept away from the tariff, and a great advan- tage would result to the trade of the country, which would be benefited to a far greater extent than the revenue could suffer." It is stated that the exports from Liverpool are now fully one-half of the whole exports from the United Kingdom. The tonnage, also, is only second in amount to that of London, being thirty-one per cent of the whole tonnage of the 'United Kingdom.

The third annual meeting of " The National Association for the Pro- motion of Social Science," will be held at Bradford on Monday, the 10th of October. As Permanent President of the Council, Lord Brougham will deliver an address, reviewing the progress of the Association, and the leading questions of social interest that have arisen during the past year.

The Liverpool Courier announced a projected banquet to be given at Liverpool to Lord Derby and several of his late colleagues—as a sort of vote of confidence in him and them.

On Wednesday, the anniversary of an old-established charity called the Bear Club was held in Devizes, when, as usual, the Members for the county were present. Mr. Long, M.P., presided, and in his speech dwelt at some length on the necessity of getting rid of periodical invasion panics, and said that in his opinion every man ought to serve in the Militia or find a sub- stitute. There need then be no fear of invasion. Captain Gladstone, M.P., expressed a hope that whatever Government was in power they would main- tam a powerful fleet. He thought the majority of the people should be trained to the use of arms, and remarked on the fact that the Army was at this moment 10,000 men below the numbers voted by Parliament ; but he congratulated his hearers on the Government having taken measures to secure a reserve of 2,5,000 seamen. -Mr. Sotheron Esteourt addressed the meeting in a similar strain, and called attention to the fact that the Wilt- shire regiment of Militia was short of its required complement of men, and he appealed to the company to join the Yeomanry.

The Cornish fishermen complain greatly of the ravages committed by the dog-fish, which actually attack the nets when they are alongside the boats.

The hop-growers at Farnham, in Surrey, and the principal inhabitants of Reading, are making efforts to establish a hop fair in the latter town.

An explosion took place on board a tug-steamboat on the Tyne on Friday, last week, killing the engineman, and injuring two of the crew.

Patrick Tierney, a private in the 64th depot at Canterbury, on the 4th of August last stabbed Colour-Sergeant William Brady in the right breast with his bayonet, while Brady was on parade. A. general court-martial tried Tierney on Tuesday and Wednesday, and as two previous convictions were proved against him—of breaking out of a guard-room, and of being riotous and drunk—the case was submitted to the Horse Guards. The pri- soner threw himself upon the mercy of the Court, on the ground that he was in a state of delirium from drinking when he made the attack, and that no man in his senses, contemplating murder, would have chosen such a time and place as those which he selected.

Stephen Billington, William Payne, and Ralph Adams were examined at York Castle on Friday, last week, on a charge of waylaying Mr. Edward Farrer—a farmer living at Lingwell Gate, near Wakefield, as he was riding home on the 10th of March last—and of brutally beating him with hedge- stakes, and robbing him of 1451. and everything of value upon him. The victim had been indulging, on his way home, in " half-a-dozen glasses of whiskey." From the effects of the attack he was confined to his bed for six weeks. The whole affair was brought to light through an accomplice, Holdsworth, the prisoners " splitting " upon each other. They were com- mitted for trial.

At Steeple Ashton, Wilts, a few days ago, in a fit of passion, George Cox struck his sister, Hannah Cox, several times on the head, and she has since died. They had been quarrelling about a watch belonging to their brother now in Australia. Cox has been committed on a charge of manslaughter.

A verdict of "Wilful murder" has been returned by the Coroner's Jury against Dr. Pownall for cutting the throat of Louisa Cooke, a servant girl, only fifteen years of age, at Lydney, a small town between Gloucester and Chepstow. At six o'clock on Tuesday morning Dr. Pownall, who has been staying for the last three weeks at the house of Mr. Leete, a surgeon, at Lydney, knocked at the bedroom door of the servants and called them up. Louisa Cooke, in answer to his summons, dressed herself quickly and went out. In a minute or two a faint cry of "Murder" was heard, and imme- diately afterwards she rushed into Mr. Leete's bedroom with her throat cut, exclaiming, "Master, he has murdered me ; I must die," having repeated which two or three times she fell down dead. Dr. Pownall, who did not attempt to deny the charge, said, when brought before the coroner, "I can tell you ' • I unfortunately did it. I can hardly assign any motive. I felt I was bound to do something, and I could not resist it." Dr. Pownall had been an inmate for some time of Northwood's asylum, near Bristol, but bad been recently discharged as cured, with a certificate to that effect from Dr. Davy, the medical superintendent; and until this shocking occurrence had afforded by his conduct no grounds to doubt that his reason had been restored.