fillfsttliantous.

It is reported that the Queen and Prince Albert have sought the protec- tion of the Chancery Courts against an artistic piracy. The Queen and the Prince are known to have practised the art of etching, exercising it on sketches of domestic scenes drawn by themselves: they had received regu- lar instruction in the art from Mr. Thomas Landseer, the engraver. A press was erected in the Palace, from which impressions of the Royal handi- work were taken, for distribution to especial friends. Some months since, a publisher of Paternoster Row advertised the publishing of a book to be called the "Royal Victoria and Albert Gallery of Etchings," with an ac- companying catalogue describing the etchings in these terms-

" There are among them several portraits of the Princess Royal, taken from life by her Majesty previously to her being weaned; and up to a more mature period, representing her Royal Highness in the arms of her nurse, playing and rolling on the carpet with her doll and other toys, amusing herself with the Prince of Wales, and portraying other domestic and interesting scenes in the Royal nursery." It now appears that these works of Royal art had been abstracted from the private rooms of the Palace by some improper means; and that their publication would be a gross violation of family privacy. Prince Albei! has made an affidavit that the works have been "surreptitiously obtained, and their publication undertaken without the sanction of her Majesty or himself; and he has obtained an injunction prohibiting the publisher from taking any further steps in the business.

The Houses of Parliament—that is to say, their officers and clerks— met on Thursday, for the purpose of being reprorogned by Royal Com- mission. The Lord Chancellor and the other Commissioners were the only Members of either House present, and but few strangers attended. The Lord Chancellor declared that the present Parliament stood further pro- rogued until Tuesday the 19th day of December next.

The General Board of Health has appointed Mr. G. T. Clark, Mr. E. Cresy, Mr. R. Rawlinson, and Mr. W. Ranger, to be Superintending In- spectors under the Public Health Act.

We stated last week that the Admiralty had called on the authorities at the ports to suggest what course may be adopted to save the great expenses of surveying the compasses of her Majesty's ships. We have since heard that the duties are henceforth to be performed by the Masters of the flag- ships.—United Service Gazette.

A Post-office notice informs the public, that "postage-stamps of the value of tenpence are about to be issued for the purpose of postage, in ad- dition to those now in use. The new stamps will be sold to the public at the rate of tenpence each, whatever may be the number purchased." For the present, they will be issued only from the general office and the four chief branch offices in London, the general offices in Edinburgh and Dublin, and the chief offices in 108 principal English, Scotch, and Irish towns.

It is understood that the conference between the representatives of the three great lines of railway, the London and North-western, the Great Western, and the South-western, has resulted in an agreement by the three companies to apply to Parliament for an Act authorizing their amal- gamation.

The Times has announced, on authority, "with regard to the increase of duties on woollen and silk goods recently imposed by the Zolverein," that the States of that Union have consented to admit British goods free from the additional duties, on receiving certificates of their origin. "The Prus- sian Government has also intimated an intention of reimbursing the addi- tional duties already paid on British merchandise imported with proper cer- tificates, and of inviting the other States of the Zolverein to adopt the same course."

A reciprocal arrangement has been made between France and Russia, whereby the vessels of both nations will be allowed the privileges of na- tionality at the respective ports of these countries. French goods imported into Russia in French bottoms will be admitted without the necessity of the usual certificate of origin.

A correspondent in Stromness informs us, that on Saturday evening the ships Lcad Gambier of Hull, with seven fish, and the Pacific of Aberdeen, with three fish, anchored in Stromness harbour; where they are still de- tained by contrary winds. Mr. Hill, of the Lord Gambier, saw Sir James Ross on the 25th July, at the Thumb, Davis's Straits; where the gallant captain and his crew were in health and in good spirits, ardently pursuing their benevolent enterprise to discover Sir John Franklin. The whalers left the ice on the 1st October.—Witness.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has given 2001. towards the funds of the National Society.

The Archbishop of Dublin has received from Jenny Lind, for charitable purposes, the munificent donation of 400/.; one half being from herself, and the other from Mr. Lumley.

The subscription fend for the erection of a statue to the memory of the late learned Lord Chief Justice Tindal has reached the sum of 5001.— Standard.

Lord Clarendon, we are informed, has contributed an additional 1,0001. to the Royal Agricultural Society's funds, with a view of increasing the number of practical instructors in the science of agriculture.—Globe.

Lord Clarendon derives his descent from Oliver Cromwell, through his mother, Theresa Parker, who was the great-great-grand-daughter of Frances Cromwell, the Protector's youngest child. Tracing the line downwards, it may be stated thus—Frances Cromwell married Sir John _Russell, of Chippenham, Cambridge- shire. Their daughter Elizabeth married Sir Thomas Frankland. Frances Frankland married Thomas Worsley, of Hovingham; and had a daughter Frances, who became the wife of Sir Thomas Robinson, afterwards Lord Grantham. Of his Lordship's children, Theresa married John Parker, afterwards Lord Boring. don; whose daughter Theresa married George Villiers of the noble house of Jersey. And their eldest son, George William Frederick, succeeded his late nnele as Earl of Clarendon, and Baron Hyde, of Hindon, in the county of Wilts. —Globe.

In January last, Mrs. Horsfall, the wife of the Mayor of Liverpool, gave birth to a daughter: it was an ancient custom on the occasion of an increase to the Mayor's family during his year of office, for the Corporation to present to the Mayoress a silver cradle. The burgesses of Liverpool have carried out the usage; and on Saturday last the cradle was presented to the lady. The Liverpool Albion gives this description of it. "The cradle is a fairy-like model, of the value of 1201.; and is a beautiful work of art, placed under a glass shade, forming a magnificent ornament for the drawingroom. The general form of the body is that of the nautilus shell, which was chosen as being appropriate to a seaport town; on one side of which is chased, in high relief, a group of figures, repre- senting a mother placing in the arms of its father their new-born child. Sup- porting the medallion on which the figures are placed, are two angels, with ex- panded wings; and issuing from beneath them, and under the medallion, are ,beautiful scrolls of poppies and lilies, emblems of Sleep and Peace. On the top of the scroll or apex site the genius of Liverpool; and at the foot stands the Liver, the ancient bearing in the arms of the town. The cot rests at each end on axles, so as to allow it to rock backwards and forwards. These are passed through the steins of two large sea-weeds or lavers. At the bottom of their stems are two sea-fish, resting on a richly chased ground or shore, strewed over with shells, coralines, fiichi, and other marine plants and objects; and at the base of the whole, which is of an oval and indented form, on one side is written the following-

" YE SPIRIT OF YE LEOENDE.

" Gif Leverpooles good maior ad everre be Made fatherre inns hys yere off maiorattee, Thenne sal be giften, bye ye tovrnmenne free, Are silverre cradle too hys fair ladye.' "

On the other side is a prose explanation of the circumstances under which the gift was presented.

Some very interesting and important experiments were exhibited on Monday in the great room of the Hanover Square ROOM'S to prove the power and effi- cacy of electric light, for which Mr. W. E. Smite, the inventor, has taken out a Patent The light is not a flame, but an incandescent light: it resembles a spark of the most brilliant and vivid fire, about the size or rather less than the burner of a common argand lamp. There is no combustion, nor will the light produce combustion by coming in contact with combustible substances. The power is immense; resembling day or sun light, and obscuring the light of candles in the Manner that rays of daylight obscure them. The great room was illuminated by the operation. The light is generated or produced by a battery of 44 plates, of

the dimension of square yard. It is understood to be self-regulating, and to

be so cheap that any person can afford tund413. Jay for it—a rough calculation is that it

supplies a light equal to that of a h candles, for an hour, at one penny.

The Cambrian gives a picturesque description of a " grove " of water-spouts that were witnessed on the morning of the 19th October, in the Bristol Channel, "thirty-five miles Westward of the Lundy." "The morning had been fine, with a light variable wind, principally from the Southward. Between the hours of ten and eleven, dark clouds were perceived gathering in the North-west, and assum- ing the form of an arch, the rest of the heavens being beautifully clear. In a very short time two water-spouts began to form; and in the course of ten minutes one of them dropped, and began to suck up the water, and in another ten minutes the second spout did so likewise. By this time two-thirds of the sky were dark- ened, and in half an hour afterwards no less than nine other perfect spouts de- scended. Three or four were playing around the cutter at shoat the distance of half a mile; the remainder appeared to be some two miles off. The water was first drawn in a heap, and became greatly agitated, like a boiling pot, or a cloud of spray of a whitish grey colour. It was then distinctly seen to ascend in a co- lumn, presenting the appearance of light smoke palming up through a glass tube. They continued their operations for two hours, when they vanished, and the wind fell suddenly calm; which continued until six p.m., when a breeze sprung up from the North-east. During the phainomenon, which was most grand and imposing, the cutter was taken aback, the wind light and veering all round the compass."

The late heavy and continued rain has flooded the low-lying parts in all direc- tions. The Thames overflowed its banks at Windsor, and the communication between the town and Datchet was cut off, so that the omnibuses from the railway could no longer run: the company hired a small steamer to carry the passenger" forward. Notices have been posted in Lambeth warning the inhabitants on the river-bank to prepare as far as possible for floods from high tides and the amn. mutations of rain-water.

Mr. Attwater, of Bodenhani, near Sherborne, has a mare which had been for some time grazing in the New Forest, and which some five or six months ago gave birth to an animal half deer and half horse! The animal is alive and well. 1t4 head resembles that of a deer; its legs are slender, bat the hoofs are not divided; the mane is very curious, and almost baffles description; the colour is a bright fawn; the hind-quarters are like those of a horse, but the tail is of the deer tribe. The animal, on the whole, is one of great curiosity, and one that chews the cud. We have just been favoured with a sight of a beautiful drawing of this extraordi- nary animal, from the pencil of Mr. J. 0. C. Grant, of this city.—Sherberne Journal.

A few days since, a fine whale was caught in the Humber. This monster of the deep was first seen on the 12th October, a little above Resale; and on the ebbing of the tide it had floated about a mile below Barton, and was seen lying on the far shore opposite Mr. Eddie's farm. It was despatched with all possible speed; and on being measured it was found to be 30 feet in length and 18 in girth.—HuIl Packet.

The inquest on the young woman found in a ditch near Rochester was resumed on Monday. A surgeon expressed an opinion that it was far more probable that the deceased bad been suffocated before her body was placed in the ditch, than that she died in that position: no water from the ditch had been swallowed by deceased. Most part of the body had not been under water at all. Maria Weill, the wife of a fisherman living hard by, had been taken into custody, as the deceased seems to have been seen alive for the last time in her garden: her answers to questions about the young woman thus seen were very suspicions. Nothing decisive, how- ever, came out at this sitting of the Jury; and they adjourned for a fortnight.

Whitford, a drunkard of Braley in Herefordshire, having been locked up in his house by his wife to prevent his getting more drink, seized a heavy piece of wood and beat out the poor woman's brains. The ruffian was secured next day.

John Higgins, a young boy of very bad character, was sentenced at the Thames Police Court, on Tuesday, to be imprisoned for three months for stealing a coat. He was placed in a cell adjacent to the court. Some time afterwards he was found hanging by a handkerchief to wire-work over the door, quite insensible; but by surgical aid his life was saved.

An explosion of fire-damp in a coal-pit at Cleaton Moor, near Whitehaven, on Saturday last, destroyed thirty persons who were at work in the mine.

A woman has been killed at Moorcroft, near Lesley, by the fall of part of the floor of a house: it threw her into an old coal-pit over which the building had been erected; and she perished, not from the fall, but from the foal air in the pit.

A man fell into the Medway at Maidstone on Friday, and was carried by the flooded stream out of his depth. He sank more than once, and was evidently drowning. At a moment when only his arm was above the water, a bargeman in a distant boat threw a rope so deftly that its end fell into the open hand of the drowning man; who instinctively clutched the aid which he felt but could not see, and was drawn ashore. Nearly at the same minute another singular accident occurred. A boy standing in a boat took hold of a slack towing-rope, just at the moment that the horse attached to it made a sudden start. The rope tightened with such a jerk that the boy was twirled out of the boat as if he had been a piece of light weed, and was thrown with a summersault into the water. H escaped by swimming.

A collier of Llangafelach has "mixed the billet-douxes " with a vengeance. He carried with him to his labour two tin pots, one containing tea, and the other gun- powder; when he was about to make his meal, he put the wrung pot—that con- taining the powder—on the fire; presently there was a violent explosion, and the miner, a boy, and five other people, were much burnt, though not fatally.

The Cork Reporter says," It is a curious fact, and most creditable to the offi- cers of our Lunatic Asylum, that out of nearly four hundred patients, there was on Saturday last not one person under restraint" From this it would seem, that Paddy only ceases to require restraint when he becomes lunatic.—Afornino Poet.