Arastillaneous.

"Her Majesty," says the Morning Post, "will take up her abode at the Castle for the winter at a much earlier period than was expected, certainly before the pheasant-shooting season commences, in order that the Prince may enjoy the cover-shooting." And some extensive changes are described—

"Daring the absence of the Court from Windsor, nearly the whole suite of rooms in the Castle occupied by her Majesty and the Royal Family have under- gone extensive alterations and embellishments. The red and green dravringrooms have been newly painted, and the carved work regilded. A new flooring of pol- ished oak has been laid down in his Royal Highness Prince Albert's room, after the German fashion, from designs of his Royal Highness. The ornamental work in the corridor has also been under extensive repair, and much of it is regilt. The whole of the workmen have received orders from the Master of the House- ' hold to bring their labours to a close and clear out by the end of the week."

We are happy to state that it is her Majesty's intention to abolish the office of State Housekeeper at Windsor Castle, by granting compensation to the lady who at present holds the office, and thereby getting rid of the un- popular tax upon the public in the shape of housekeeper's fees for showing the state-apartments at Windsor; which will in future be placed under the custody of the Lord Chamberlain. We feel truly grateful for this con- cession to public opinion, and sincerely hope that this excellent example will be followed in all public places where fees have been hitherto exacted.— Times.

The Dutchess of Kent left Gotha on the 8th instant, for Frankfort; where she will stay three days, and then proceed to Brussels.

A feeling has prevailed at Cologne that the sum which Queen Victoria gave towards the completion of the cathedral (3,500 thalers, or about 5601.) was too little; and the Frankfort Journal reports that some turbu- lent persons had got up a meeting at Cologne, on the 2d instant, for the purpose of passing a resolution not to accept the present; requesting her to give it to the poor Irish, or the Anglican Church. A Commissary of Po- lice, however, accompanied by some gendarmes, entered the place of meet- ing, and ordered the persons present to disperse, before any resolution was come to on the subject under discussion. The injunction was obeyed. Some of the German papers remark, in excuse for the smallness of the S11123, that Queen Victoria is not like absolute sovereigns who have the national finances under their control; and that the sum exceeds what it is customary for the British Sovereign to give for such purposes.

Prince Albert has just sent 700 thalers, about 1001., towards the en- largement of the Protestant church at Bonn. It seems that the number of Protestants has so much increased in that town, that last Good Friday there was not room enough in the church even for those who were desirous to partake of the Lord's Supper. The liberality of the illustrious Prince was therefore well-timed, and will hasten the completion of a work the want of which had been felt even at the time of his Royal Highness's residence at the University of that town.—Morning Herald.

The Queen recently signified an intention to present a set of colours to the Athol( Highlanders who acted as the Royal Guard during the sojourn of the Court at Blair Castle last year. The ceremony of presentation acoordingly took place on Wednesday week, at Blair; Lord Glenlyon acting

as her Majesty's representative on the occasion. Prince George of Cam- bridge and Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar were also present.

The accounts of the corn-crops continue to be of the most favourable kind.

The number of Irish reapers who passed through Glasgow during last week cannot, it is said, have been less than 15,000.

The reports that the potato-crop is a failure, in some countries of the Continent as well as in this country, are daily confirmed. A correspondent of the Times makes these remarks on the disease which has attacked the plant this year— "Among the potatoes introduced into the London markets, a great proportion have proved to be affected by the prevalent disease. The roots so attacked give out no peculiar appearance to the eye by which the presence of disease may be in- dicated; but in boiling it is at once perceptible, from the dark mass which they present in the interior. The dealers are aware of this; and in many of the poorer districts of the Metropolis potatoes were sold on Saturday at four pounds and six pounds for 2d. Whatever may have been the cause, it is certain that externally the disease indicates itself by a fungus or moss, producing a decomposition of the farinaceous interior. It therefore resembles in many respects the ergot attacking grain and grasses; which it was proved, at the last meeting of the British Asso- ciation at Cambridge, had greatly increased the last two or three years, being probably owing to the great additional increase of animal manures. It may be remarked, that in the Isle of Wight, where the disease has occurred in its most virulent form, we lately had the opportunity of observing in many instances that it was most prevalent in those crops which had been planted on wheat-land which had previously been manured with guano. The use of these diseased potatoes for domestic purposes cannot be too much condemned." Mr. Herapath, the eminent chemist of Bristol, has addressed a letter on the subject to the Bristol Mercury, in which he suggests a mode not altogether unknown of making the diseased roots useful- " My attention has been given to the disease which has shown itself so exten- sively among the growing potatoes. I find, in almost every instance, that the epidermis of the stalk below the surface of the ground is more or less in a state of decay, often disintegrated, and completely rotten; the leaves and branches accord with the state of that part of the stalk below the ground. The tuber, beneath the outer skin, is first spotted brown (like a bruised apple); these spots extend and penetrate towards the centre, quite changing the nature of the potato. Those near the surface are most injured; in some cases the lowest on the root are not at all affected, while the upper ones are useless. I should therefore expect that the longer the crop remains in the land the greater the injury will be. It seems, from the microscopic appearances, that the starch escapes injury for a long time after the skin and cellular parts are gone; and as the whole of the nutritive powers of the potato reside in the starch, I should recommend that wherever the disease has shown itself to any extent, the crop should be dug whether ripe or not, and the starch extracted by the following simple process.

" After washing the roots, let them be rasped tine and thrown into a large tub or other vessel; pour a considerable quantity of water, and well agitate and rub . the pulp with the bands; all the starch or fecula will, from its great weight fall to the bottom, while the skin and fibrous matter will be carried away by the water; wash the starch with one or two more waters, allowing it to fall after each wash- ing; spread it upon cloths in a warm room to dry. In this way, about twenty pounds or twenty-one pounds will be obtained from every hundred pounds of potatoes, and it contains as much nourishment as the original roots: it will keep any length of time, and might be used with flour to make bread, pies, puddings, &c., as well as farinaceous spoon-meat. " This is much better than throwing away the diseased roots, and will furnish food for tens of thousands who might otherwise want it." Belgium is said to be expecting a supply of potatoes from Scotland, some having already arrived at Bruges.

The Earl of Winchilsea has resigned his offices as Deputy-Lieutenant and Jus- tice of the Peace for the counties of Northampton, Kent, and Lincoln. In the four letters of resignation, to the Lords-Lieutenants of those counties and to the Lord Chancellor, he says—" Regarding as I do the conduct of her Majesty's Ministers in their late dismissal of Mr. Watson to be of a most arbitrary and un- just character, I cannot subject myself to a similar treatment in the course which I may deem it my duty to pursue in advocating those, great Protestant principles which are in my estimation beyond all earthly value.'

At a Court of East India Directors, on Wednesday, Mr. Malcolm Lewin was appointed a Provisional Member of Council for Madras.

We learn that an impression prevails in India that there will be no invasion of the Punjaub by our troops, but that a cession of the states belonging to the Seika upon our side of the Sutlej will be required for some equivalent; but that this bargain will be forced upon them, backed by a strong army. If a treaty to this effect is made, another question will arise, as to whether the Seik army will per- mit their Government to keep it

A proposal having been made that a great meeting 'of Evangelical Christians, of different churches and countries, should be held in London, for the purpose of " associating and concentrating the strength of an enlightened Protestantism against the encroachment of Popery and Paseyism, and to promote the interests of a Scriptural Christianity," it has been thought desirable that a preliminary meeting of the various denominations in Great Britain and Ireland should be held; and it has accordingly been decided that this preliminary conference shall take place, at Liverpool, on the 1st October. It is expected that two hundred ministers will be present, and that the proceedings will occupy three days.— Manchester Guardian.

A new body has been formed under the title of the English Homceopathie Association, to promote inquiry into the claims of homeopathy. Its President is Lord Robert Grosvenor, and its Treasurer Mr. Marshall the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England; Mr. Leaf, Mr. Under-Sheriff Ashur t, and Mr. M. B. Sampson, appear on the Committee, along with Dr. Curie and other leading practitioners of the new system. The Association already numbers between two and three hun- dred members.

The Morning Chronicle publishes an analysis of the decisions given in the Court of Common Pleas upon appeals from the Revising Barristers under the statute of 6 Viet. c. 18, commonly called the Registration Act. Though it has only been in operation two years, the act has given rise to several very important judgments, which will serve as guides and precedents for the future. We extract the most substantial parts of the analysis.

" COUNTIES.

" A lessee of several houses, all situated within a borough, for the residue of a term of not less than sixty years, is entitled to a vote for the county, though one of the houses is of sufficient value to confer a vote for the borough, (101. per an- num,) provided the other houses are each of less than that value. " The owner of shares of sufficient value in a mill, vested in trustees for the benefit of all the partners, was held entitled to vote, though the deed contained a proviso that the mill, &c., should be considered as in the nature of personal estate and part of the stock in trade; for the agreement between the parties could not alter the nature of the property.

" The inmate of a hospital or alms-house, appointed during good behaviour, has in law a freehold for life, and is also entitled to vote. But the inmates uch an establishment wheals removeable at the pleasure of the trustees have no such right.

" Premises held under different landlords cannot be joined together to make op the requisite qualification.

" BOROUGHS.

'"' House—A building, part of the ground-floor of which was used.as s cow- house, and the other part was occupied as a dwelling-place, was decided to con- ,atitute a house' within the same section. So with regard to a building con- structed and calculated for a dwelling-house, but afterwards occupied partly as st warehouse and partly as a workshop. "' Other Building:—A stable or cowhouse is a building' within the same section, sufficient to confer the franchise. So is a room in a factory, the factory 'being let out to a number of persons for cotton-spinning, each tenant having the exclusive use of his room, and having his own machine for spinning, worked by steam-power supplied by an engine belonging to the landlord, and each-room hav- ing a separate entrance. " The occupier of rooms in a common dwelling-house is also entitled to vote, where the landlord of the house does not reside in or occupy any part of it; and ouch rooms may be described on the register as apartments.' But where the `landlord does reside in or occupy part of the house, the whole of it is considered as under his dominion; and the occupier of rooms in it is a mere lodger, and is not entitled to vote. " Two separate buildings cannot be joined together so as to make up the requi- aite value.

"Residence.—The residence required by the 27th section of the Reform Act must be either the actual occupation of a place of residence for some part of the six months by the party himself, or an occupation by his family or servants, there -being an intention of returning on his part. And therefore,. where a freeman of a borough resided with his wife and family, and carried on his business of wine- merchant at a town more than seven miles distant from the borough, and he paid ninepence a week for the use of a furnished bedroom and a dark closet in a friend's house in the borough, and kept the key of the closet, and had wine- 'samples in it, and be slept in the bedroom about twelve times between January .ancl.July, it was held that he had not a residence in the borough. "Payment of Rates.—Where it is part of the original contract that the land- lord shall pay all the rates, and the rent is higher in consideration of this, such payment by the landlord is valid as a payment by the tenant. " Claim to be Rated.—A claim to be rated is only operative for the current -rate; and therefore, if not complied with by the overseers, the party must renew his claim to be put upon the next rate. "Notice of Objection.—A notice of objection must be signed by the objector himself; as must also the duplicate, where the notice is sent by the post. "Register.—Where the qualification of a party in a borough consists in the suc- cessive occupation of several premises, (under the 28th section of the Reform Act,) he ought to be registered in respect of all such premises. And an omission in this respect cannot be rectified by the Revising Barrister, under the 40th section of the Registration Act. But it is not necessary to state the joint occupation by several parties of the same premises."

This scrap of gossip about the recent marriage of Sir Thomas Wilde and Made- moiselle D'Lste is going " the round of the press." " The church in which the marriage was celebrated was that of St. Alphage, London Wall. The only per- ;sons .present, besides the happy pair, were the Right Honourable Sir Stephen ILushmgton, who gave the bade away, the Reverend Mr. Hutchins, who per- -formed the ceremony, and the parish-clerk. The bride arrived quite privately from Tunbridge Wells; and was elegantly attired, and wore a profusion of dia- monds. The ceremony. was performed by special licence. The bride, who looked _.exceedingly well and in excellent spirits, possessing a very commanding appear- ance, has just entered her fiftieth year. Sir Thomas Wilde, who is a widower of admit sixty years of age, is reputed to be extremely wealthy. Lady Wilde has hitherto derived her income from allowances made by the Crown. During the past year her Majesty granted to her an annual pension of 5001., charged upon the Civil List revenues. It may be observed, that in the tabular form of the cer- tificate of marriage, wherein the name of the father of the bride is required to be inserted, the Duke of Sussex' is simply placed opposite to the daughter's name, without any honorary addition (such as his Royal Highness') declaring him to have been of the blood royal."

Dwarkanauth Tajore, his secretary, and three other gentlemen, arrived at Derry- mane Abbey on Saturday, on a visit to Mr. O'Connell. Next day the party proceeded on their tour in Ireland, The personal estate left by the late Mr. William Masterman, the City banker, amounts to 160,0001 Sefior De Balmaseda, one of the principal Spanish refugees of the Carlist party, who has long been resident at Chagny, (Saone-et-Loire,) died there a few days ago.

Among the passengers by the West Indian mail-steamer, was General Flores, President of the State of the Equator; who has come to Europe for two years of voluntary exile. General Flores has succeeded in suppressing a protracted war waged by insurgents against the Government; but being not a native born, and anxious to avoid being an occasion of jealousy or renewed dissention, he has volun- tarily withdrawn from office, and left his countrymen, under a provisional govern- ment, to readjust their constitution among themselves; his private fortune, rank, and property, and the safety of his family, being guaranteed to him by the state. We regret to hear that Mr. Thomas Wakley, 51.P., has had an attack of apo- Vey, accompanied by paralysis, daring his sojourn in the Isle of Skye Medical

Six sisters of the Order of Mercy sailed from Kingstown on Monday, for Liver- pool, thence to proceed with the Reverend Dr. Brady, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Western Australia, to exercise their pious vocation in that colony.

Beading an account of Mr. M'Kenzie, the French "Railway King," which we copied from another paper, a correspondent assures us that its marvels are not accurate; and he sends us seine particulars in correction. "Mr. 31'Kenzie is a native of the North bank of the Forth; and commenced his career South of the Tweed, in the em- ployment of the late Mr. M'Intosh, (the great public works contractor, who was originally a' navie,') in the capacity of a clerk: and in this firm he rose to that of an agent or chief manager of works; great reliance being placed upon his integrity and judgment. Ultimately, lie commenced contracting for works upon his own account; in which he has been eminently successful. His carry- ing the canal through under the town of Manchester, the Midland Railway from Derby to Nottingham and over the Trent locks, (a work of great difficulty,) the greater part of the Ayr and Glasgow Railway, and his last great undertaking, when Brassy (not Daily) joined him in making the railway from Rouen to Paris— are works any or all of which do him great credit. Mr. lil'Kenzie is possessed of ,great perception; a ready judgment seldom ening, good practical knowledge; all of which give him a kind of intuitive knowledge of engineering far superior .to that possessed by the mass of our trained civil engineers. It is easy for an engineer to say that a railway shall pass through hills and over rivers in rapid atuccession, as many of them do; but the contractor produces the greatest amount .of originality and invention in methods to carry out the projector's wishes. As (for the story of his being entirely uneducated and illiterate, I am persuaded, bad he had to contest Sanderlaed as a 'Railway King' did lately, he would have made corneas creditable a display as the new M.P. did. Mr...M`Kenzie belongs to Abe -class that prod iced a Telford audaReanie,&c.. and hie mind is not eery dicdwilar from theirs." The -Parliamentary -expensesof the Direct Northern Railway Company during the last _session amounted to 30s. a share. The shareholders have agreed to-re- organize their company and again to appear before Parliament. ldr.r, tfie new engineer, "imposes a railway which will he ten miles shorter than the London and Yak. The capital of the new company is to'be 4,000,000L

The ,Grand Junction have very judiciouslydetermined, that after thel5th of this month a compartment of a first-class carnage-will be reserved for ladies travel-

ling ,alone. We feel confident other companies not be tardy in followiegJO good an example.—.Railway Chronicle.

A portion of the colossal Wellington statue by Mr. Wyatt was cast on Sa- turday afternoon. It consisted of the fore-part of the horse, and seventeen tons of metal were used. "'The immense body of metal," says the -Observer, " was occasionally seen through the iron door of a large furnace;-it was intensely brilliant, and perfectly fluid. A deep run 'led from the door of the furnace, and conveyed the liquid -metal to a large pit wherein the model was deposited. At-a given signal an aperture in the Tent of the furnace was opened, and a-hollow noise like that from a volcano was heard. The .metal then, in a complete state, f fusion, glided forth like a stream of lava, hissing and spitting as it went slang .to the model-pit. A thick whitish smoke, like that from burning arsenic, .and nearly as mephitic entirely filled the atelier to the roof, making it dark—a dark-. ness which might be felt below, while the red burning river of metal continued to send forth an almost insupportable heat. In about half-an-hour the wholeosven- teen tons had run into the pit in a continuous even flow, giving indication -that all was right below." The mass will take five weeks to cool.

The Congress of Italian silvans, which is to assemble at Naples this year, will open their sittings on the 20th instant. The meetings -will take _place in the Zoological Hall, and are to terminate on the 6th of the ensuing month. The Palace of Villa Franca has been taken by the Government for the balls and fetes which are to be given on the occasion. IlieBrinee of Caninolias already arrived at Naples.

A crowd was collected in the Place Vendome, at 'Paris, one evening lately,to witness the evolutions of a French gentleman upon skates. Each skate, as 'far as could be observed, (for he was rather chary of showing his invention,) instead of the usual plate of steel, was furnished with two small wheels placed at about two-and-a-half inches apart. His performances are described as surprising: he cut " the outside" and " inside edge," the "spread eagle," and a number Mother manoeuvres well known;to _skaters; and-he seemed to do so with the greatest ease and security.

Accounts have been received at Lloyd's of the discovery of mines at Davie's Straits containing plumbago or black-lead. The Eagle,-which las arrived in Leith Roads.from that place, has about one hundred tons on board; and would have had a full cargo, but that the people on board ran abort of powder for blasting. The Magnet, of 'Peterhead, was left there loading, with -thirty or 'forty tons•tro board; and the Comet and Venus, of Leith, had just begun to load.

A turnip weighing ten-and-a-half pounds, and measuring twenty-six-and.a- half inches in circumference, was found last week in a wheat-field of Mr. N.

Roberts, of Newton St. Gyres, by the reapers. It must 'have been sown acci- dentally; but no one knew how or when. When cut in two, for the purpose of dressing, it was found to be solid to the core.— Western Luminary.

The Pembroke Herald says that a shark four feet long has been caught at Marloes, in that county: it had been seen prowling about neara young lady whilst she was bathing, but she got out of -the water in time to escape. Its jaw became the property of a person in the place who had once lost a leg in an-encounter with a shark.

A shark about seven feet in length has been caught in some stake-sets near the North Esk. The fishermen Eiliad it, but 'not before -it .hadoonsiderably damaged their nets.

A man was killed on the Ediolnergh„endielamow Railway one night last week, in consequence of his own heedlessness. Be had only recently been employed as a guard, and had charge of a luggage-train. A truck was to be left at the Linlithgow station: it seems, for no one saw the accident, and the accounts Of it are not clear, that he got on the hatters of one of the trucks, to save timeor trouble, and fell upon the rail; thetrain passed over him, and he died in a quarter of an hour.

The Augsburg Gazette contains a letter from Stockholm, stating that the Krng had rejected the appeal of the painter Nelson against the judgment of thehu- preme Court sentencing him to banishment for having changed from the P.re- testant to the Catholic religion.

The worst battues are not those where the slaughter is confined to deer; the shooting of a serf or two, employed to chase the game, is often an inevitable acci- dent. A royal or ducal chase took place, not many years since, not very far from that described in our journal of last week [at Reinhardtsbrunn.) A Prince of the North was the personage in whose honour it was got up; hut his Highness was so very impatient with his gun, that his shot took effect not on the deer, -but on their two-legged drivers. The noble host accordingly gave an eouyer to his illus- trious visiter who took care to put no ball in his gun. The great personage ma- in consequence much mortified at Lading that he hit nothing, and the battues were afterwards discontinued during the remainder of his visit Morning Chronicle.

A quarrel between two persons at Newmarket has had a fatal termination. Archer, a solicitor's clerk, and Thom, a master hatter, having had a dispute, _they happened to meet in the street late at night on Saturday; words.arose, and Archer twice struck the other in the face; Thom fell upon the stones, and he died in a few hours, from concussion of thetrain. Archer absconded, but afterwards, gave himself up. A Coroner's Jury has returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against him.

A letter from Brunswick, of the let inetant, gives an account of the almost miraculous escape from death of an innocent girl, who had been condemned to death by the tribunal of Vechelde, in the absence of the prisoner, on a charge of having wilfully set fire to a farm belonging to her master. Thepoor ,girl, after having in vain asserted that she was innocent, was Logged by an officer of police until the pain became so severe that to obtain relief she confessed that she was guilty. According to the law in Brunswick, the trial took place in secret, and upon documentary evidence only. Whilst the clergyman of the prison was pre- paring her for execution, two men were arrested, and confessed that they were the perpetrators of the crime for which the girl had been condemned to die. Her execution was therefore postponed; and it being found that-the men in question were the real criminals, the was set at liberty. An application-was then anadeto the Government for a pecuniary indemnity for the sufferings that the girl had undergone; but the application was rejected, and all that was done was tesuspend from office for a fortnight the person who had inflicted the torture. The writer of the letter bestows great censure on the Government for rejecting the application for indemnity: but the same reproach would apply to most other countries. Indeed, we do not know one in which an indemnity is given to any :person whose innocenee has been recognized after having undergone the horrors of imprisonment, and oven condemnation.—Galignenis Messenger.

The King of the French has just given the decoration of the Legion of Honour to H. Nolembeski, a monconimissiened officer of Polish extraction, who aarived in France with King Stanislaus. Upon the death of that ,Prinoe, -in 1766, 'lie 'entered the French aervioe. liolembeski is ADeduzndred and one years,old: bas passed .tluetigli seseaby-iiise :years .11 .active aersicen And been.ee.gaied in swentysnine-cam ; -among -which were-those of America, Spain, Italy,Ger aney,,Portugal, Russia, and France. He is the oldest soldier in theFreneh army. .0n the 23d Aegustsan aged Highlander, almost worthy, in respect of years, of ,being classed among the patriarchs of old, departed this life in the parish of Itass.shire. This veteran, named Donald Ross, had attained to the vast age of one hundred and fifteen years. Ames the memorabilia of Donald's life was his beieg. sent as a special messenger with a letter from Lochbroom to Dingwall at the dime of the rebellion in 1745. The old man retained possession of his faculties, and enjoyed uninterrupted good health till within a few days of his death.— Inverness Courier.