MONDAY, AUGUST 5TH.

ON Saturday morning the country learned that the death of Lord Herbert, which had been feared as an impending, but not im- mediately impending, event, had, in fact, taken place. lie died on Friday, the 2nd August, at Wilton. He was the sou of the Earl of Pembroke, by his second wife, and his eldest son, a boy of eleven years of age, is heir-presumptive to the Earl of Pem- broke and Montgomery, who was the son of the first marriage, and Lord Herbert's half-brother. He was educated at Harrow, and Oriel College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1831. He entered political life as a follower of the late Sir Robert Peel, and retained throughout it many of the typical qualities of that small but distinguished band—administrative skill and activity, Conserva- tive sentiment, a yielding superficial manner, and a strong bias in favour of peace. In 1811, Sir Robert Peel made him Secretary to the Admiralty, an office which he retained till 1845. He then became Secretary at War till July, 1846. He voted with Sir Robert Peel for the abolition of the Corn-laws. In 1852 he became, under Lord Aberdeen, again Secretary at War, and retained the office till, at the crisis of the Crimean war, it was abolished towards the end of the administration, when he accepted the Colonial Secretaryship for the few remaining weeks of Lord Aberdeen's Government. When the Liberals returned to power, in 1859, Mr. Sidney Herbert accepted the responsible post of Minister at War, and worked at the onerous duties it involved with an assiduity that undermined his health. He recognized and supported heartily the Volunteer movement ; carried successfully in the Cabinet the scheme of national defences, which other members of the Government were very loth to accept, and urged on the substitution of rifled cannons for the old weapons. At the beginning of the present session be accepted a peerage, in order to relieve his failing health without completely abandoning his work. The measure came too late; and the public hind scarcely expressed their astonishment at the appointment of his successor, when they heard of his death. His name will long be held in respect as one of our most faithful and conscientious statesmen.

Mr. Augustus Denham writes to the Times from Chesley Rectory, near Lancaster, describing the fall of what Ile believes to be the largest aerolite on record. While driving near his on-u house, he was alarmed by what lie describes as "a rushing sound, which gra- dually increased in intensity, until at last, with a roar and a scream which still seem to ring in iny ears, a ft:oiling mass plunged itself into the road at the distance of a few yards from my .pony's head." Some labourers, who were on the spot, set to work to dig it up, and found that it had penetrated six feet into the ground, and was still red-hot. Its shape was an irregular ellipse, ii inches by a inches, and its weight 83ilb. The sky at the time it fell was cloud.- less, and a strong smell of sulphur accompanied its descent, some crystals of that element also being found in the interstices of the aerolite after its disinterment. Mr. Denham offers, if the aerolite is really the largest on record, to present it to the museum deemed most appropriate ; if otherwise, to the Mechanics' Institute at Lan- caster.

— George Smith, who was sentenced to death last week for the murder of his father, at Ilkerton, has confessed to the crime. It will be recollected, throughout the trial, and even after sentence on him had been pronounced, he persisted, in the face of conclusive evidence of his guilt, in asserting that his father committed suicide. On Friday, however, he was induced by the chaplain of the gaol and the High Sheriff to draw up and sign a full confession, from which it appears that the circumstances :attendant on the commission of the crime were faithfully represented by the witnesses on whose evidence the conviction was founded. He shot his father from behind for giving him good advice. — Some further experiments have been made at St. Mary's Creek, Chatham, during the course of the past week, with a view to testing the floating powers of the pontoons recently invented by Captain F. Fowke. The pontoons now in general use throughout the service, and known as General Blanshard's, are cylindrical, and made of either tin or zinc, and owing to the size, extremely convenient for trans- ports. Those invented by the late General Sir Thomas Pasley are of copper and boat-shaped, and were rejected for general use on account of their unsteadiness when formed into a bridge. This fault has, however, been since remedied by improvements in the construction of the staging which unites the pontoons. The result. of the trials proved, that even with the benefit of the improvement in question, General Pasley's pontoons were considerably inferior in floating power to those of Captain Fowke, while General Blanshard's were lower in order of merit than the former. The floating power of a separate pontoon of each kind was, Fowke's 14,2821b.

Pasley's 12,500lb. Blanshard's 12,3801b.

— The subjoined tables, giving the financial statistics of the several Joint-Stock Banks in London, as presented to their respective meet- ings for the past half-year, have been published. The total amount of current accounts and deposits in the seven establishments is 45,315,3561., or an increase of 5,407,772/. on the corresponding period of last year. Towards this increase, the London and West- minster contributes the largest proportion-2,902,079/., 500,000/. of which, however, arises from its absorption of the Commercial Bank in February last. The London Joint-Stock exhibits an increase of 1,591,5311.; and the remainder of the total increase is distributed in smaller proportions among the rest:

Metropolitan Joint-Stock Banks, June 30, 186L

Year Founded.

Capital.

Subscribed. Paid-up.

Landon and Westminster. 1834 5,000,000 1,000,000 London Joint-Stock, . 1836 3,000,000 600,000 Union Bank of London. 1839 3,000,000 600,000 London and County. . 1839 1,250,000 500,000

City.

1855 600,000 300,000 Bank of London . . 1855 600,000 300,000 Unity 1855 300,000 141,015

£13,750,000 £3,441,015 Banks.

Current and Deposit Accounts.

Liabilities, in- eluding Paid- up Capital.

Assets, Cash, and Securities.

£ £ £ London and Westminster . . 14,821,650 15,821,650 16,174,309 London Joint-Stock . . . . 11,425,037 12,025,037 12,366,208 Union Bank of London . . . 10,415,020 11,135,020 11,168,289 London and Comity . . . 5,973,348 6,473,348 6,661,452 City 2,840,346 3,140,346 3,218,381 Rank of London . . . 1,684,129 1,984,129 2,054,405 Unity 155,826 296,841 268,267

£47,315,356 £50,876,371 £51,911,311

Amount of Rate of Divi- Banks.

Net Profits

Dividend and dend and

for Half-Year, Bonus for Bonus per

June 30,1861. Half-Year. Annum.

£ £ Per Cent.

London and Westminster . . 131,592 100,000 20 Andon Joint-Stock . . . . 84,006 75,000 25 Jnion Bank of London . . . 95,616 36,000 10 ..ondon and County . . . 40,744 25,000 10

Dity *

22,196 13,500 9 lank of London . . . 17,305 7,500 5 Unity 1,812 1,824 12s.6d.per A.

1.393,271 £258,824

— The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the causes by which the Peers are debarred from the use of the robing-room at Westminster, have reported that Mr. Herbert, to whom the fresco- painting of the walls of that chamber has been entrusted, is unwilling to agree to any use whatever of it during the progress of his work. The Committee abstain from making any specific recommendation on the subject, but express a hope that during the recess some arrange- ment will be come to with Mr. Herbert and the Fine Arts Commis-

sion, by which the Lords may be relieved from the "grievous incon- venience" to which they have been subjected by continued exclusion from the robing-room. — At the last of the two aristocratic fan at Cremorne, Mr. Lyth. goe, the celebrated aeronaut, made his ninety-fifth balloon ascent, ac-

companied by two gentlemen, who were desirous of the excitement of a

balloon voyage. The balloon was the Royal Normandie, constructed for Mr. Simpson at a cost of 600/. On being cast loose, at eleven at night, the balloon rose rapidly, and then was carried by a strong wind for many miles in the same direction. The velocity at which they were travelling rendered it a very difficult matter for the aeronauts to effect a landing, and one effort made by Mr. Lytligoe to arrest their progress by means of the grappling-iron, having failed through the snapping of the rope to which it was attached, the only course open to him was to dash the balloon against a tree or other obstacle, which would have the effect of bursting it. and releasing the gas. This was accordingly attempted, but only resulted in the loss of Mr. Anderson, one of the voyagers, and a great quantity of ballast. Mr. Anderson found himself, after performing a somersault in the air, in a bean-field at High Ending, a village in Essex, about thirty

miles from London. Meanwhile' the balloon, being relieved of 250 pounds of weight, rose with fearful rapidity to the height of three miles and a quarter. After travelling for some distance at this almost incredible height, the two remaining travellers began slowly to descend, and before long heard the dull murmur of the ocean, which they shortly afterwards caught sight of through a break in the clouds. Fortunately, however, they found the balloon was taking an inland course, and immediately on coming over the land, Mr. Lyth- goe let the gas out rapidly, and they came to the ground with a severe shock. The gas, however, had not all escaped, and for two miles the balloon was carried along the surface of the earth, the two voyagers hanging on by ropes. At length they both loosed their hold at the same moment, and fell unhurt on the marshy ground, which turned out to be near Lowestoft, in Suffolk. The hour was two in the morning, and the distance traversed at least 114 miles, giving average speed of 38 miles an hour' not reckoning the delay occasioned by their descent and reascent at High Roding. The balloon, though not secured at the time of the final descent, has since been found. Mr. Lythgoe's skill and presence of mind are said to have been ad- ntirable.

— The remains of the late Duchess of Kent were privately re- moved, on Thursday, from St. George's Chapel, Windsor, to the mausoleum at Frogmore. — The Baron de Vidil, who, bail having been. refused, is still in Newgate, where he must remain until his trial, is said to give the following version of the facts of the occurrence which led to his ap- prehension. He states that, on their return from visiting the Comte de Paris, his son and himself were on perfectly good terms with each other, until the former annoyed him by a persistent and unaccount- able refusal to dine with him at Hampton. Shortly afterwards, he felt himself struck sharply, whether by accident or design, by his son's riding,-whip, and, under the influence of the irritation caused by his son's obstinacy, returned the blow twice with the butt-end of his own riding-whip, but without the least idea of inflicting any serious injury. He believes that his son, on applying for a warrant against him, had no idea whatever of charging him with a felonious assault, but simply wished to avail himself of the protection of the law against any further violence. The baron also states that his journey to Paris was entirely unconnected with the affair, of which he had hardly even thought previously to the intimation which reached him in Paris, that his son had brought a charge against him. He was not, however, aware of the capital nature of the charge until he arrived in London. Such (together with the fact that the pecuniary interest of the baron in the death of his son is limited to 10,0004 and that only in case of the latter dying intestate) will, it is said, be the line of defence adopted by the Baron de Vidil at his approachin„e trial, which will take. place at the session of the Central Criminal Court, which commences on the 19th inst. As the son still refuses to give evidence, and the grand jury will have no power to compel him to do so, it is not improbable that the matter may come to an end by their ignoring the bill.

TITESDAY, AUGUST 6TH.

— Martha Bradish, a married woman of forty-two, was tried at Croydon, on the 5th instant, before Mr. Justice Blackburn, for the murder of her sister. The accused is the wife of a sergeant belong- ing to the 3rd Surrey Militia, and lived in barracks at Kingston, and her sister was staying with them for a few days. On the morning of the 26th March, the sergeant went out on duty, leaving his wife in bed, and her sister also in bed in the next room. Immediately after the husband's departure, Mrs. Bradish rose, took her husband's razor, went to her sister's bedside, and cut her throat while still sleeping. The victim rose, staggered a few steps, and fell down dead. There was not the slightest reason for the murder of any kind, and it was proved that Mrs. Bradish belonged to a family in which insanity was common, had been in India, and " warned of her head," and had reached a period of life when a sudden access of mania is not infrequent. She was acquitted on this ground, although there was not a trace of insanity visible before or after the occurrence. The jury, in fact, held the absence of motive proof presumptive of insanity.

— The Presbyterian organ of Ulster is highly pleased with the appointment of Sir Robert Peel, which, indeed, may be said to have been received with satisfactinn by every section of the Irish people. The want of official reticence, which strikes Englishmen so painfully in Sir Robert's career, is regarded in Ireland as a merit, and there

exists among all classes a kindly recollection of his father, which will tend greatly to smooth his path at the Lodge.

— A valuable discovery has been made with reference to gas-light. By placing near the flame of ordinary burners a vessel containing °Oaf naphtha, the brilliancy of the flame is much increased. The ex- periment has been tried with twelve burners, six filled in the ordinary way, and six with the new invention, the expenditure of gas in the latter case being just one-half. The inspector pronounced the lights equal in power, but the secretary to the company which has patented the invention reckons the difference at five to three in favour of the carbureted gas. The process will, therefore, save for street lamps one pound each burner.

— The completed returns show that the population found in the United Kingdom at the recent census, not reckoning army, navy, or merchant seamen who were abroad, amounted to 29,031,298, an in- crease of 61 per cent. in 50 years, notwithstanding that we have been planting nations by a vast emigration. The census found here 14,077:189 males, and 11,954,109 females—an excess of females over males of 876,920. The overplus of women and aids in England would fill all Liverpool and Leeds ; in Scotland all Edinburgh ; in Ireland, all Belfast, Waterford, and Wexford. There are 16 towns in the United Kingdom with a population exceeding 100,000, and 6 parishes in the outskirts of London with such a population—one of them (St. Pancras) with very nearly 200,000 (198,882). The num- ber of inhabited houses in the United Kingdom is 5,154,985, which allows a house to every 5.6 persons.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7TH.

— The Bishop of Durham has suffered a relapse, which leaves but faint hopes of his recovery. His brother, the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers, and his sister, Lady Teresa Lewis, have both left town for Auckland Castle.

— The Tories of South Lancashire rallied round their candidate in the Royal Amphitheatre, at Liverpool, yesterday, The chairman, Mr. Francis Shand, a leading. Tory in the borough, set forth Mr. Turner's qualifications for the representation of the county, and spoke of Mr. Chatham as a "stop-gap," who had tacked himself on to Mr. Gladstone's greatness. He then called upon the candidate, Mr. Turner, who, in a speech of some length, expressed his opinions. He was attached to the union of Church and State, differed from Mr. Bright, his rival's great friend, on points of vital importance, and looked to India for cotton. A resolution approving his candi- dature was carried unanimously, and the meeting, which was numerous and respectable, then separated.

— Colonel Mauleverer, 30th Regiment, writes to Mr. Bold, of Liverpool, from Toronto, giving his opinion of the Great Eastern, in which he had crossed the Atlantic, as a passenger ship. He says that (speaking as a passenger) it is not possible to find any fault with the vessel. "She made, I believe, the shortest passage on record to Quebec, with an amount of ease and comfort to all on board, nothing approaching to which I have ever experienced during twenty- seven years' service in many parts of the world." — On Sunday evening, Robert Pattison, an assistant inspector of

or at Glasgow, gave himself up at the Northern police-office, but being too drunk to explain on what charge, he was locked up to wait till he became sober. During the night, intelligence of a bar- barous murder committed by a father on his child arrived at the police-office. Upon inquiry, suspicion fell upon Pattison, and he was accordingly examined, when marks of blood were found on his shirt- breast. The house where the murder took place was then visited again, and it appeared that the prisoner, who, since the death of his wife, about three weeks ago, has taken to drinking hard, had cut the throat of his infant child, nearly severing her head from her body with a razor, which was found on the ground, covered with blood. The sister of the victim, a little girl of three or four years old, dis- tinctly stated that she had seen her father with a "knife, cutting Maglin (Magdalen) on the bed." The prisoner, when sober, denied all knowledge of the affair.

— Statistics relative to the effect of the American civil war on the stock of cotton in Liverpool show that while there is a slight decrease in the aggregate stock when compared with the stock of the corre- sponding period of last year, that of nearly all other descriptions besides American has largely increased. The following figures show the weekly fluctuations of the stock since the commencement of April, as compared with the corresponding period of 1860:

1861. Bales. 1860. Bales. 1861. Bales. 1860. Bales.

April 5 ... 942,330 ... 906,040 June 7 ... 1,148,650 ... 1,358,630 12 ... 884,860 ... 955,640

14 ... 1,131,080 ... 1,335,040 19 ... 874,330 ... 1,015,880

21 ... 1,116,860 ... 1,307,835 26 ... 952,740 ... 1,027,290

28 ... 1,124,070 ... 1,333,820 May 3 ... 990,690 ... 1,016,630 July 5 ... 1,108,300 ... 1,298,490 10 ... 976,810 ... 1,027,130

12 ... 1,102,600 ... 1,229,990 17 ... 1,049,590 ... 1,111,260

19 ... 1,053,710 ... 1,287,520 24 ... 1,111,510 .— 1,200,730

26 ... 1,001,090 ... 1,282,230 31 ... 1,151,010 ... 1,295,570 Aug. 2 ... 1,019,990 ... 1,241,370 The principal feature of these returns, next to the decrease of Ame- rican, is the increase of the Surat description. This will be seen on reference to the annexed subdivision of the stocks in hand April 5 and August 2: — A special meeting of the Municipal Council of Dublin was held on Monday, for the purpose of considering the terms of the address to be presented to her Majesty on her arrival in Dublin. A communication had been received from the Lord-Lieutenant, stating that as the Queen's visit would be strictly private, her Majesty could not receive the address in state on the throne, as an address from the Corporation of Dublin was entitled to be received, but it might

either be sent to the Chief Secretary, or presented to her Majesty by the Lord Mayor in person. A committee were appointed to draw up the address, and it was resolved that it be an instruction to the committee to insert a clause petitioning her Majesty for the renewal of the Galway subsidy.

Stock, April 5. Stock, Aug. 2. Bales. Bales.

American . . . 790,570 . . 738,000 Surat . . . . 95,040 . . . 211,390 Brazil . . . . 16,590 . . 30,970 Eoptian . . . . $7,600 . . 38,730 West Indian, &c. . . 2,530 . . 900

The quantities of cotton at sea for this country exhibit the same contrast still more strongly marked. It was estimated, at the close of last week, that 3200 bales of American and 275,976 bales of Surat were on their way to England, as compared with 19,345 bales of American and 172,949 bales of Surat at the corresponding date of 1860. This week, however, there is not supposed to-be a single bale of American en route for this country. While, however, the imports have fallen off from 2,573,222 bales between January and August, 1860, to 2,310,201 bales in the same period of 1861, the quantity exported has increased from 309,436 bales last year to 367,911 bales in 1861, and the total quantity taken for home consumption has also advanced from 1,461,600 bales in 1860 to 1,468,900 bales in 1861, so that while the supply has diminished 263,021 bales, the demand has increased 62,778 bales.

— Colonel Peard, so much talked of during the Italian campaign as " Garibaldi's Englishman," was entertainer at a banquet at Tyd- warden, in Cornwall, on Monday. One hundred and eighty-five persons sat down to dinner, and the chairman, Mr. W. Kendall, M.P., having proposed the health of their guest, whom he had known since he was "little Johnny Peard," Colonel Peard returned thanks in a long and spirited speech. He recapitulated the principal triumphs of Garibaldi, and narrated several instances of Neapolitan misgo- vernment and tyranny. The House of Bourbon exercised the most abominable tyranny. With one exception—the Pope's Government of Rome—they were the worst governors in the world. They would be shocked if he were to tell them of the horrible barbarities which they practised. At Palermo they had iron caps and screws with which they tortured. People were bound in iron chains, and pans of heated charcoal were put to their feet ! (Expressions of' horror.) This was to extort confession. One act of torture was specially savage. It was performed by Maniscalchi, the head of the police at Palermo. He wanted to get some information with regard to the males of the family. He took the mother and a child, put one on one side of the room and the other on the other side of the room, and then told the mother that if she would not confess she should see the child die be- fore her eyes. This is the way justice was administered under the Bour- bon rule : "In Southern Italy, in the greater part of Italy, in every part of Italy except Sardinia, there was no law, there was no freedom. What did they think the salaries of the judges in Southern Italy wore? (Hear.) The judges of the second class—lie didn't know what they would call them—mot 36/. a year. (Great laughter.) They only got 36/. a year. (" Of!") But it was paid quarterly. He didn't know, it might be paid monthly. (Great laughter.) Could they expect a judge to support himself and his family as he ought ? (it laugh.) But he (the judge) kept his carriage and horses. (" Oh !") He lived as a judge ought to do, (" Ohl") Could lie do it out of 361. a year ? No, he did it by taking bribes from his clients. He went to the district where he was appointed. Be called on the butcher and said, Very glad to see you. (A laugh.) I am come here as judge.' (" Ohl") He says, Signor, I am very happy to sec you." You may be engaged in some quarrel with those who deal with you.' Yes,' says the butcher, very probable, Signor Judge." Well,' says Signor the Judge, I shall deal with you (a laugh)—I shall have my meat of you.' (Laughter.) A very high honour, Signor Judge,' replies the butcher. The judge walks away and pays nothing for his meat, but lie always gives his decision in favour of the butcher. So he (Signor the Judge) goes through every department of trade." He expressed his conviction that an intimate alliance with the king- dom of Italy would result in a great increase of English trade. Italian produce of all kinds was required in this country, and a fresh market for all our manufactures would be opened. "He didn't know any produce of Italy that wouldn't be of use to us. (Hear.) Did they want hemp for their cordage and sails for their ships ? Italy would supply them with it, and that of finer quality than Russia. He had seen it seven or eight feet high." After enumerating other articles, he said, "Did they want silk ? They had hundreds of square miles planted with the mulberry-tree for the silkworm. Did they want cotton ? In South Italy they might grow any amount they wanted. At pre- sent there was quite a little family quarrel going on on the other side of the Atlantic. (Laughter, and "Hear, hear.") It might be found rather unpleasant to us in getting our supply of cotton. (Hear.) But if they turned to Italy, he thoullit that with three or four years' cultivation they would get as much as they wanted. It was said to be a short fibre cotton ; but that was nothing, as, doubtless, it could be improved as we wanted it. Did we want timber for ship-build- ing? Well, we could not get finer oak anywhere. It was the oak which was most valiied in ship-building. (Cheers.) Did they want corn ? Under the beautiful sky of Italy the husbandman could cul- tivate his fields, and depend upon the weather. He could look for- ward to three months' fine weather, with the exception of an occa- sional thunder shower or storm. They could .get corn, oats, barley. As to wines, the wines of Italy equalled, and in some instances sur- passed, those of France, and it was not much farther than France to bring them." The gallant colonel resumed his seat amid great ap- plause.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8TH.

— Dr. Hooker, the superintendent of Kew Gardens, writes to the Times on the subject of the trade between India and Thibet, vii Sikkim. Central Asia, from Thibet to Siberia inclusive, and the Asiatic possessions of Russia, together forming the greatest tea- consuming area in the world, do not produce a single leaf of tea, but derive all their supplies of that article from China. As India will, in all probability, become eventually the greatest tea-producing country, and only sixty miles intervene between Thibet and the British tea plantations in Sikkim, while the tea districts in China are Apo miles to the eastward of that country, and separated from .it 133.r numerous and lofty mountain chains, it is evident that the .opening of the British frontiers by a route through Sikkim would result in a large increase of trade between India and Thibet. During his travels in the latter country, Dr. Hooker was a witness of the eagerness of the natives to obtain tea of any kind, good or even bad, and also to barter the natural productions of their country, which include shawl wool, salt, amber, turquois, copper, sheep, and ponies of superior breed, for English wares and Bengal produce. The diffi- culties of the passes on this route appear to be geatly exaggerated, as besides numerous articles, every bit of wood for housebuilding in Thibet crosses the Himalaya. The natives of the country through which this route lies are either under British government or pro- tection, and are peaceable, honest, fond of trading, and on good terms with both English and Thibetans. What seems to be wanted is the establishment of a fair in Sikkim, in which the Chinese traders could meet the representatives of the tea planters, who at present are afraid to enter the territory.

— The trial of Johann Charles Franz, for the murder of the house- keeper at Kingswood, took place oii Tuesday and Wednesday. The evidence for the prosecution was principally that which was given before the bench of magistrates. Mr. Denman, Q.C., who appeared for the defence, contended that, though the facts which were brought forward might all be consistent with the guilt of the prisoner, they were certainly not inconsistent with his innocence. There was nothing whatever to show that the prisoner had been either in the house where the murder was committed, or even near it, except the pocket-book ard the papers contained in it, and there were many facts m the case which corroborated the prisoner's statement, that he had been robbed of that pocket-book. Mr. Justice Blackburn, in sum- ming up, especially directed the jury to consider whether the very material point, that the prisoner was one of the men seen near the spot on the day of the murder, had been satisfactorily established. After about an hour's deliberation the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, though it was said that when they retired ten of them were resolved upon a verdict of guilty. — The report of the Inspector of Reformatory Schools presents the following curious result : "The number of young offenders under the age of 16 committed to prison in England and Wales for the year ending September 29, 1860, was 8029, being nearly nine hundred less than for the year preceding, in which it was 8913. The number of offenders also above 16 for the same period diminished from 98,159 to 92,611. A similar decrease appeared also in Scot- land." At the same time, the number of inmates actually detained in the reformatories increased from 3222 to 3712, one-fourth of whom were under 12 years old. The decrease of committals is, it is be- lieved, the direct consequence of the increase of inmates in the refor- matories.

— The following is the Times' analysis of the Bankruptcy Act for the use of the City :

"Non-traders are to be liable to the bankruptcy laws in respect of future debts. The seizure and sale of the goods of a debtor under an execution for a debt above 501. will be an act of bankruptcy, and all such sales must be by public auction, duly advertised. Per-centages are no longer to be taken from bankrupts' estates, and the official assignees and messengers are to be greatly reduced in number, and paid by fixed salaries. At the first meeting under a bankraptcy, the creditors may remove the proceedings to any county court, or, if they think fit, determine to wind up the estate under a private arrangement, and also decide whether the bankrupt shall have any and what allowance for support. The official assignee is to collect the debts not exceeding 101., and the court is to order in whose custody the books and papers belonging to the estate shall be deposited. The creditors are to determine whether the estate shall be realized by an official assignee or assignees chosen by themselves, and in the latter case may allow them the assistance of a paid manager. All moneys received by the assignees are to be forthwith paid into the Bank of England to the account of the accountant in bankruptcy, and in country districts where there shall be no branch of the Bank of England, then into such other bank as the court shall direct. The creditors' assignee must every three months submit a statement of his accounts, with vouchers, to the official assignee for examination, and after such accounts have been passed the official assignee is to send a printed copy thereof, or a statement showing the nature and result of the transactions and accounts of the assignee, to every creditor who has proved under the bankruptcy. The proof of debts may be made by sending to the assignee through the general post a statement of such debt and of the account, if any, between the creditor and the bankrupt, together with a declaration signed by the creditor that such statement is a full, true, and complete statement of account between them. False declaration is to be a misdemeanour. All statements of account are to be compared with the books and papers of the bankrupt by the assignees. The classification of certificates is abolished, and the bankrupt after the passing of his last examination is to be entitled to an order of discharge. Very stringent penal clauses are provided, and for a variety of ofknces the court may sum- marily order imprisonment for any period not exceeding one year, or may refuse or suspend the order of discharge, or attach conditions thereto as to future property. For offences made misdemeanours under the Act bankrupts may be tried in the court, with or without a jury, at the option of the bankrupt, and on conviction may be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, and be liable to any greater punishment attached to the offence by any existing statute. The court may direct the creditors assignee, official assignee, or any creditor In act as pro- secutor, and the costs of such prosecution will be borne in the same manner as the expenses of prosecutions for felonies are now borne ; and other costs in- curred by such prosecutor not so defrayed are to be paid out of the Accountant.. General's Fund. Most important facilities are afforded to enable a debtor and his creditors to effect private arrangements under trust or composition deeds. A majority of creditors in number, including three-fourths in value, may, on exe- cution of a deed of arrangement, and registering it in the court, bind a minority, and are to have the use of the court in all cases in which they shall require ha assistance to decide questions as to disputed claims, or any differences that may arise between them."

— At the annual meeting of the proprietors of the Royal In- surance Company, Liverpool, held on Friday last, it was stated that "it is found that the fire premiums of the year 1860 equal the total fire premiums collected for the seven years from 1815 to 1851 inclu- sive ; that the life premiums of the same year (1860) exceed the entire life premiums of the eight years to 1852, inclusive ; whilst the amount received for the purchase of annuities in that same year alone is largely in excess of the total collection on that branch of business for the first ten years of the company's operations." The immense increase in fire business is a curious comment on the alleged. necessity of raising fire rates on merchandise.

— A meeting of the ratepayers of the parish of St. Martin was held yesterday, at Exeter Hall, to consider the plans proposed by the Board of Works for embanking the Thames. The meeting. passed the following resolution, directly condemning the plan of the Board of Works : "That this meeting cannot but regard with the greatest repugnance the proposal to pump Iv the contents of a low- level north sewer, or elongated cesspool, and to propel the volume so pumped up, in its most noxious form, at all hours of the day, in a tunnel through the heart of the city, from Queenhithe or elsewhere to West Ham; and deprecates in the strongest manner the formation on each side of the river of open tanks, or reservoirs, from which the sewage, having been a second time pumped up, shall, at ebb tide, be discharged into the river ; considering that the specific gravity of sea-water greatly exceeds that of sewage, the inevitable result must be, that the latter will never commingle with the former, but will continually ebb and flow on the surface, while the silt and other settlement matters not lifted by the pumps will necessarily accumu- late at the bottom : and that, there being no longer the ancient direct outfalls into the river, the sewer itself along the foreshore, being nearly on a dead level, may soon become inconveniently, if not in places entirely, choked up; a result the consequences of which would be of a malignant character too horrible to describe."

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9TH.

— Mr. Bernal Osborne, M.P. for Liskeard, addressed his consti- tuents on Wednesday evening. The first topic he touched upon was the civil war in America, which he believed to be more attributable to the tariff question than anything connected with slavery, and he quoted_ a passage written by Cobbett thirty years ago, in confirmation of this opinion. In the Political Register of 1833, Cobbett wrote : "This is a contest between the exporting and non-exporting interests of America; all these Southern States are, commercially speaking, closely connected with Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, and Leeds, and they have no such connexion with the Northern States, and there is no tie to bind them together except that of a mere poli- tical nature. Here is a natural division of interests. The heavy import duties imposed on British-manufactured goods are neither more nor less than so many millions a year taken from the Southern States and given to their Northern competitor." And he goes on to say, "there must one day, therefore, be a rupture between the South and the North." Our only course was strict non-intervention. After alluding to the Bankruptcy Bill, the Abolition of Church Rates, the Ballot, and Reform, Mr. Osborne reviewed at length the financial history of the year. He had voted for the repeal of the paper duty, not because he was favourable to the repeal of that particular item, but on particular grounds, because a collision had arisen between the two Houses on a constitutional question, and the sooner they as- serted the right of the Lower House to deal with questions of finance the more smoothly the machinery would work. He also supported it for another reason; he saw there was a great set made by the Opposition against Mr. Gladstone, and that an attempt was being made to drive him out of the Cabinet, which he considered would be a national loss, for lie believed Mr. Gladstone understood better than any other man on that side of the House how finance could be made a subject in- teresting to every one. He wished to say a few words on this im- portant subject. The public expenditure of this country was really becoming most alarming. (Hear.) He found the public expenditure for the years 1861-2 was not less than 76,000,0001., and by the Par- liamentary papers, which were confessedly incomplete, it was ascer- tained that the local taxation amounted to 15,000,0001., making a total of 91,000,000/. That was a most alarming sum, and year by year the expenditure had been increasing. The honourable member quoted a remarkable opinion expressed upon this subject in 1859 by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in his place in Parliament, so that it was not an expression of opinion by an independent member, but by a Government official. The Chancellor said, "Expenditure had been conceded with a facility which he did not hesitate to say would, if continued for five or ten years longer, bring the finances of this country into a state of absolute confusion." That was said at a time when the national expenditure was not 76,000,0001., but less than 69,000,0001. What was the state of the finances now? Why, he found that in seven years the expenditure had increased 20,000,0001.! Apply such a state of things to any mercantile con- cern, and what but bankruptcy could be expected to result from it?' Mr. Osborne next condemned the wasteful expenditure on the. Houses of Parliament, the Fine Arts Commission, Aldershott. &c. &c., the votes for all of which he had opposed in Parliament. As to foreign affairs, he especially deprecated what he termed " hoamting on" the country against the Emperor of the French, whom he believed to wish well to England. Be then reviewed "the prospects of what was called the Liberal party." His opinion was that the Liberal party was a set of con. Ermed invalids. (Cheers and laughter.) To be sure, invalids some- times lasted longer than healthy men (laughter), but he thought change of air would do them good, and that if they were on the other side of the Speaker's chair there would be a better prospect of renovating their principles and refreshing their creed. (Renewed laughter.) But what was the cause of this? In 1859 the Whigs, it would be remembered, were reconciled, and the Ministry was formed, Messrs. Villiers and Gibson, who represented the more advanced party, being admitted, like poor relations, to seats at the lower end of the Cabinet table. (Laughter.) Then it was said by this great Whig party that there were no outside men who were fit for office. If it were true, the reason was to be found in the exclusiveness of the party, whose system had always been to admit none but near rela- tions and connexions within the charmed circle. Whiggery had now become at a discount, and by breeding in and in had become effete, so that if they were now to advertise for a pure thorough-bred young Whig they would have as much difficulty in finding one and rearing him as they would with an infant gorilla. (Much laughter.) The Whigs, like certain Eastern potentates, having no issue of their own, had adopted the Peelites (laughter), and the children of their adop- tion would, no doubt, supersede the original race. He was sure of one thing—that Mr. Gladstone would be the Grand Vizier of the party, and that he would stand no rivalry on the floor of the House, because he was a statesman worthy to lead the reform of our expendi- ture, which he (the hon. member) was certain he would do if he were only backed up by the country. (Hear, hear.) The speaker next referred to the recent Ministerial changes and appointments. The death of Lord Herbert, and the elevation of Lord John Russell to the Upper House, had necessitated the reconstruction of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister came under the appellation of a "wonderful man," and had a wonderfully youthful turn of mind, as was evidenced by his extravagance and the money lie laid out in fire- arms, fortifications, guns, and shows; all these were the errors of youth. (Laughter.) He was, then, a most able man, but a most expensive Minister, and would, no doubt, go on spending money as long as the public were content to allow him. The reconstruction had been a sort of hocus-pocus. The Cabinet was formed on a • narrow and exclusive basis; but that was the original sin of Whig- gery, and, true to his policy of annexation, Lord Palmerston had filled the vacancies with persons who were not supporters of the Government. After censuring in turn all the recent changes in the Ministry made by Lord Palmerston, Mr. Osborne concluded by say- ing that he did not despair of the Liberal cause. (Hear, hear.) He thought yet the old Liberal banner which in Lord Grey's time was inscribed with the words "Peace, Retrenchment, and Reform," would be once more unfurled. He should be found at his post, and he trusted that, when the time arrived, they would again send him to do his duty in the Commons' House of Parliament as their representa- tive. (Applause). — Martin Doyle, a tramp, was tried at the Chester Assizes, on the 8th August, for wounding Jane Brogine, the woman with whom he lived. It was proved that Doyle and the woman, on the 30th May, were lying down by the side of the road, the woman sleeping with her head on his lap. She felt him press his hand on her head, and told him to take it away, when he took up a great stone, and knocked her down with it. He then jumped on her breast, and tried to strangle her, and then began beating in her head with a great flint. She begged for mercy, but he returned again and again to the attack, and finally left her for dead, with twenty-one terrible wounds. The woman's face was beaten to pieces, and while giving her evi- dence she fainted with pain. She had quitted her husband to live with the prisoner, and his only defence was that she had a disease which she had communicated to her husband. He had told the 'police that his reason for killing the woman was that she threatened if he did not get work at Newcastle she would return. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and the judge sentenced the prisoner to death. Such a sentence is unusual, but the crime would have been murder but for an accident.

— The Warrior made her first voyage yesterday from Blaekwall to Givenhithe. The trip was most successful, the engines working with perfect ease, and the number of revolutions suggesting the idea that her speed would reach fifteen miles an hour, a mile an hoar more than any fighting ship afloat. The tenders are out for three more steamers of the same class, but 20 feet longer, and tenders for three more will be issued immediately.

— A great sale of jewels belonging to the late Sultan is going on in London, and the proceeds of the first day's sale (Thursday) reached 8500/.

— A parliamentary return has been issued showing the distribution of the income tax levied under schedules D and E upon incomes of various amounts. It would appear from this return that the profits of mercantile and other professional pursuits must be greatly exaggerated, as while in England, Scotland, and Wales, little more than 25,000 persons who are engaged in occupations coming under the above heads return their incomes at 500/. a year or up- wards, 128,570 support themselves and families on incomes of be- tween 100/. and 1501. a year • and 41,687, on more than 150/., but less than 20W.; 36,535 confess to 2001. and less Oita 3001., and 16,608 to another 1001.