ItilErtIlantnus.

• The Yorkshire Agricultural Society held its annual meeting and exhibi- tion at Pontefract on Wednesday, with more than its usual success. Twenty-three reaping machines were shown by seventeen exhibitors ; out of the successful production of the reaping machine has come a mo- dification for harvesting hay crops. Burgess and Key's grass mower perform most admirably. Cranston's new Wood's mower, cheaper and lighter than Burgess and Key's, also worked beautifully, and as the la- bour for horses is least in Cranston's, the judges awarded him the prize, thereby reversing the decision at Canterbury.

Cambridge is to be honoured by the presence of the Prince of Wales at the commencement of the ensuing Lent Term, which begins on the 13th of January next. Arrangements for his reception are in progress, and it is tiaid that Madingly Hall, the seat of the Cotton family, situate about three miles from Cambridge, has been engaged, there being no available place within the limits of the University capable of accommo- dating the Prince and his numerous suite.

The Court Journal reports that the Prince of Wales has by patent, received the powers of a viceroy. His Royal Highness will thus have the same right of conferring the honour of knighthood that is possessed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, which is by simply giving the acco- lade. Honours of a higher rank, and which are hereditary, require a patent, and therefore the Crown will act in those cases through the Se- cretary of State, as usnaL

The Moorish Ambassador and suite arrived at Portsmouth from Lon- don on Monday, and was received with a salute from the battery on the king's bastion. On Wednesday, his Excellency embarked on board his Majesty's ship Melpomene, on return to Morocco.

Lord John Russell has appointed Lord Dufferin to proceed to Syria as British Commissioner. Lord Dufferin returned from a prolonged visit to Egypt and Syria only last year.

A long-required step in the steam communications of the Mediter- ranean has been taken by the Anglo-Ionian Steam Shipping Company, whereby the beautiful Ionian Islands are now brought into direct steam communication with Malta, Gibraltar, and London. The fast and beau- tiful vessels of the line leave London on the 10th of each month, thus enabling tourists and others to visit these hitherto comparatively un- known but classically interesting and fertile lands, within the period of six weeks, if desired, at the very moderate tariff of the company.

On and after the 1st of August, an express train will be despatched every day between Paris and Vienna. It will leave the latter place at seven o'clock in the morning, to arrive at the former at a quarter to nine on the following evening. The train from Paris starts at the same time, but does the dis- tance in about twenty minutes less. After the completion of the bridge at Kehl, the distance—about 650 English miles—will be shortened by from one to two hours. In the autumn—probably on the 25th of October—another line of direct railway communication will be open between Paris and Trieste, the Trieste Nabresma line being expected to be ready for traffic by that date.

The Gardener's Chronicle reports that on the night of Wednesday the 25th, the thermometer of the Horticultural Society at Chiswick sank to 34 degrees Fahrenheit, a radiating barometer to 30 degrees. And this in the dog-days of 1860!

-Mr. W. Hobson, travelling on Saturday last from Leeds to Scarborough, and within ten miles of the latter place, saw "several fields covered with snow. There was no mistake about it—it lay almost ankle deep in some parts, the banks of the railway were covered, and, if the driver had pulled up, the passengers might easily have turned out and indulged to their hearts' content m snowballing each other."

The creditors of Mr. Thomas Mortimore, of Andover, a tanner, met on Tuesday, and were presented with a balance-sheet, showing liabilities, 95,754/. 9s. 3d. ; assets, 56,356/. 148. 7d. A composition of Ils, in the pound, extending over eighteen months, was agreed to.

Mr. A. Waring, hide, skin, and glue merchant, assembled his creditors on Tuesday, and presented a statement of affaus, showing liabilities, 56,361/. 58. 11d. ; assets, 19,366/. 48. 8d. Messrs. Streatfeild and Co. were the largest creditors, their claims being 45,000/. An offer of 6s. 6d. in the pound was accepted by a majority of the creditors.

Messrs. Murdock and Sons, the great tanners of Perth, have stopped pay- ment, in consequence of great losses in the leather trade : they make a pro- posal to pay in full if time be panted.

The creditors of Mr. John Morris, tanner- in Bermondsey, have resolved to accept a secured composition of 9s. in the pound. The liabilities are 83351.; estimated assets 4665/.

Mr. J. Herbert Smith, another tanner in Bermondsey, was adjudicated a bankrupt on Monday.

The liquidators of the Western Bank of Scotland announce that they are now ready to pay off all the deposits and debts due by the bank, and that after the 31st of August they will not allow any interest. This will com- plete the payment of upwards of 6,000,000/. due by this unfortunate con- cern,

In consequence of the many suicides which have lately occurred among the soldiers, Marshal Magnan has issued an order of the day, repeating an opinion of Napoleon I., who compared the soldier who took his own life to a man deserting his post on the day of battle.

The great diamond robbery, from the shop of Fontane, the jeweller of the Palais Royal, has ended in the conviction of a Scotehman named Allen, and his condemnation to ten years' hard labour.

Mr. Butt, QC., M.P. was specially retained, and came over from London for the defence of John Holden, his fee being one hundred guineas. Before leaving this town the learned gentleman chivalrously handed to the prisoner's wife a fifty pound note, being nearly one-half ot his not over- liberal retainer.—Tyrone Constitution.

Mr. HammilL the Police Magistratel died on Monday evening; he was a good magistrate and a kind-hearted gentleman.

The deaths in London last week were 976; the average number in the corresponding week of the last ten years, taking increase of population into account, was 1206; a decrease of 271. The births of the week were 917 boys and 868 girls, in all 1786. In the ten corresponding weeks, the average births were 1534, showing an increase of 251.

In the first six months of the present year the registered imports into this country of gold and silver bullion and specie amounted to 10,975,056/., and the exports to 10,800,886/., or nearly the same sum. Of the export no less than 6,144,527/. went to Egypt, in transit to India and China, those dry and thirsty lands which absorb so much treasure. France also took from us 1,832,145/. more than we received from her. The supply, which came from Australia, America, and the West Indies, amounted to g,926,410/., and little or none flowed out.

di•

Mr. Story "the Northumberland Poet," died lately at his residence in Harley Street, Battersea, as noticed in our Obituary at the time. We are favoured by a correspondent with the following lines to a young lady on her birthday last May, the last he ever wrote :— To Miss 5**** " When May returns to deck the bower, Full many a flower brings she ; But May produced her sweetest flower,

When she produced us Thee.

"Lon may thy bloom delight our eyes ! Late, late be its decay ! Around thee be but sunny skies, And all thy life be May !"