31,115tritannins.

Pseudonymous letters were sent to the late Duke of Wellington, as Commander-in-chief, with the view of destroying the character of Colo- nel Hall M.P. The Colonel suspected that Major-General the Honour- able Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish was the writer. The matter was brought before the present Commander-in-chief by General Caven- dish: Lord Hiudinge considered that a court-martial could not take cog- nizance of the subject ; but, with consent of both parties, a "court of in- quiry" was appointed. It consisted of Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lord athcart, and Sir George Berkeley. This was their verdict— "After an investigation of an extremely difficult and embarrassing nature, anomalous in its character and unsatisfactvy in regard to proof, inasmuch as the conflicting and nearly balanced evidence before us was not upon oaths and was in other respects such as to be inadmissible in the courts of West- minster Hall, we submit to your Lordship, in obedience to your Lordship's desire, our opinion, subject to the above observations ; viz.-1. That Major- General Cavendish was not the writer of a certain letter or letters marked A and B, addressed or sent in the years 1847 and 1848 to the late Commander- in-chief, the Duke of Wellington. 2. That Major-General Cavendish was not cognizant of their being written or sent to his Grace."

A copy of this was sent, through Viscount Hardinge's military secretary, Colonel Airey, to General Cavendish, with the Commander-in-chief's warm congratulations on the issue of the inquiry. Lord Hardinge re- minds General Cavendish that both he and Colonel Hall had promised to abide by the decision of the court of inquiry as final.

The King of the Belgians and the Duke of Brabant, after a short stay at Berlin, left it on Tuesday, for Vienna.

The Earl of Ellesmere sailed for New York on Monday, in the Leander frigate, as one of the Commissioners to the Industrial Exhibition in that city.

The journals record the death of Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Ra- leigh Gilbert, Grand Cross of the Bath, and Member of the Council of India, at the age of sixty-eight. He entered the Bengal Army in 1800, and served with great distinction at the battle of Coel, when Perron was defeated ; at the siege of Allygimr, at the battle of Delhi, the storming of Agra, the battles of Laswaree and Dieg, and the assaults on Bhurtpore. Subsequently, he came into public notice in the Sutlej campaigns ; and was at Moodkee, Sobraon, Chillianwallah, and Goojemt. Lord Gough spoke of Sir Walter Gilbert in the warmest terms, and his conduct made Sir Robert Peel express an "envy of the profession of a soldier." Another distinguished Peninsular officer, Sir Robert Arbuthnot, has just departed this life. He was present at Busaeo, Albuera, Badajoz, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, and Toulouse. His death leaves vacant the Colonelcy of the Seventy-sixth Foot.

A meeting of merchants and bankers is to be held at the London Tavern next week to promote the establishment of a Mercantile and Mari- time College with a Museum of Trade.

The Postmaster-General is taking measures for establishing a money- order system between this country and the Colonies. So far as relates to the receipt and payment of money in the Colonies and to its transmission to and from the United Kingdom, he intends to avail himself of the agency of ordinary banks, except in any case where the Colonial postal arrangements are not under his direction, and where the authorities of the colony may prefer to undertake this business themselves. The receipt and payment of money in the Mother-country will form a branch of the money-order system already existing.

The Post-office authorities notify, that the contract with the Australian Royal Mail Company having ceased, provision will be made for the con- veyance of mails to Australia early in the months of June, August, Oc- tober, and December, of the present year, respectively ; and due notice will be given of the days appointed for the departure of such mails. In the alternate months of May, July, September, and November, mails for Australia will continue to be forwarded by the route of Singapore, ac- cording to the present arrangements, on the 4th of the month via South- ampton, and on the 8th via Marseilles ; or when those dates fall on a Sunday, on the 3d via Southampton, and on the 9th via Marseilles.

• Cardinal Wiseman made himself useful at Manchester, lately, by de- livering a capital lecture, in the Corn Exchange, on the arts of design. The Cardinal, highly approving of the efforts made by the Department of Practical Art, showed that it is not enough simply to furnish models of all that is most elegant and beautiful in design and workmanship. By an ingenious illustration he showed that the ancient works of art—Etrus- can vases, jars, medals, statues, utensils—which are valued so much, were the common furniture of Roman houses for the common purposes of life. He held that it is necessary to bring art back to that state in which the arts of design and production cannot be separated from each other. But to do this, the artist and the artisan must be one. Art-edu- cation must tend higher and higher ; and what we should fear is the pos- sibility of creating a lower class of artists, who would degrade the higher department, instead of so blending and harmonizing every department that a distinction between high and low art should cease to exist in the minds of men.

In consequence of the resignation of the Reverend J. Cleobury, the perpetual curacy of Piddington, Oxon, is vacant. The presentation rests with the inhabitant householders of the village. The living is worth 3001. a year, in addition to the residence. There are no fewer than one hundred candidates for the office, and but eighty voters. The election is to take place at the church on the 23d June. Active canvasses are making, and to give the inhabitants an opportunity of judging of the ability of the aspirants, there are three services on each Sunday, at each of which a fresh clergyman officiates and preaches a sermon. The un- usual occurrence has put the place into activity and commotion.

The Earl of Derby, Mr. Disraeli, and Mr. Shaw Lefevre, having renounced the executorship of the late Duke of Wellington's will, letters of adminis- tration have been granted to the present Duke. The will had been hurriedly written by the late Duke himself, at Paris, on the 17th February 1818, in consequence of an attempt to assassinate him on the 10th, which might "ho repeated with success." The Duke directs that an annuity of 1000/. shall be paid to his second son, Lord Charles Wellesley, who, however, has the op- tion of claiming a sum of 20,0001. as an equivalent. Apsley House and the furniture therein, money invested in the Funds and Exchequer Bills, are thus to be disposed of—The money is directed to be laid out in the purchase of an estate, which, together with Apsley House and its contents, are given to the present Duke for life, with remainder over to his issue, and in de- fault of issue to Lord Charles Wellesley and his issue in like manner. In case of the death of both the present Duke and Lord Charles Wellesley without heirs male, the property passes over to the descendants of the brothers of the late Duke. Certain personal estate, which his Grace designates as "money given me by the nation," or any estates which may be purchased with such money, are directed to pass under trusts very similar to those of the foregoing property; Apsley House first going to the children of the Duke, and on their deaths, leaving no issue, to the children of his brothers. The wording of the will is very involved ; and the residue, which owing to the lapse of time must have greatly accumulated, is undisposed of.

Result of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolis for the week ending on Saturday last.

of Ten Weeks 1543-52.

'Week of 1853.

ZymotIc Diseases 1,798 .... 917 Dropsy, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat,. 446 .... 64 Tubercular Diseases 1,875 .... 203 Diseases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses 1,143 .... 125 Diseases of the Heart and illood-vessels 362 .... So Diseases of the Lungs, and of the other, Orgium of Respiration 1,491 224 Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 696 80 Diseases of the Kidneys, dtc 59 5 Childbirth, diseases of the Uterus, 61c 130 9 Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, So 95

3

Diseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, ific 12

3

Malformations 30 7 Premature Birth 209 37 Atrophy 201 25 Age 424 35 Sudden 79 11 Violence,Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 192 42

.--- — Total (including unspecified causes) 9,179 1,159

Part of the Spanish pictures of Louis Philippe were sold at Christie and Man- son's on Friday and Saturday last. A Murillo, "St. Joseph and the Infant Christ," though much damaged, brought 4401.; "The Conception," life- size, ,deprived in many places of its glazings, 810!.; and "The Virgin and Child" 1550/. The inference drawn from the produce of the two days' sale is, "that the pictures of the Spanish school do not meet with much favour in England."

At a sale of rare books at Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson's last week, where many fetched high prices, one sold for no less than 91/.—Caxton's " Mirrour of the World," 1481, a fine copy.

A very small screw-steamer, built by Mr. Laird of Birkenhead, for the Maule river, South America, safely arrived at Valparaiso on the 15th Novem- ber. The Fosforo is only 43 tons register, 40 horse power, depth of hold 6 feet, length over all 105 feet. The crew consisted of the master and twelve men. The Fosforo is the smallest steamer that ever performed so long a voyage.

An officer of the First Royal Regiment, stationed at Monmouth, has walked fifty-six miles within twelve hours—he had four minutes to spare. The wager was 100/. The pedestrian is only eighteen years old.

"An African potentate on the Gold Coast" is about to receive a magnifi- cent present from Mr. John Wood, a Bristol merchant,—a hip and shower bath, made of silver, of costly workmanship, and fitted up in a gorgeous manner. The silver weighs 1330 ounces, and the cost of the article com- plete was nearly 1000/. It was despatched by the ship Hope last week.

The fall of snow at Holmfirth on Monday was something quite wonder- ful for the 9th of May—it was eighteen inches deep in the town, and on parts of the hills four feet. Railway-trains were delayed for hours, and carts and pedestrians had great difficulty in making their way along the roads.

The weather has been very inclement : both in London and the country the second week in May was ushered in with a wintry temperature and falls of rain, hail, and snow. At Liverpool, on Monday morning, the snow was several inches deep. At Nottingham, there was "a heavy storm of snow" on Saturday.

The Glasgow Citizen mentions that a young man is on a visit to Glasgow to pass his " holyday " from the Australian gold-diggings. After working

at the diggings during the slimmer months, he went to Melbourne for a holyday, intending to stay there for a considerable time and then return to the diggings. He found the cost of living in the town was excessive; and on making a calculation he concluded that he could voyage to Scotland, stay a month with his friends, and return to Melbourne, at no greater expense than his proposed sojourn at that city would entail : so he forthwith set out for the Old Country.

Twelve vessels left London for Australia last week, with a tonnage of no less than 6023.

From 1797 to 1852 the total of legacy-duty paid in the United Kingdom was 48,882,782!.; duty on probates, &c., 39,395,8701. Last year, there was paid for legacy-duty in England and Wales 1,225,2121.; on probates, 996,9951.

According to Lloyd's books, during the five years ending the 5th January last, the number of vessels wrecked or lost on the coast of Ireland was 447. In 1848 the number was 93; in 1849, 89; in 1860, 107; in 1851, 56; and in 1852, 102.

A bear belonging to the officers of the Thirty-eighth Regiment hail killed a little boy at Portsmouth. It was kept at Hogg's Yard, Nicholas Street. George Curley, son of a publican in Nicholas Street, was in the habit of feeding it with bits of bun; one day, while the boy, as it is supposed, was teasing the bear, it seized him by the back of the neck, and George was found dead. By order of the officers, the bear was destroyed with poison.

BIRTHS.

On the 4th May, in Hamilton Terrace, St. John's Wood, the Lady of Colonel M. E. Baguold, of a son', stillborn. On the 7th, at Potter Hanworth Rectory, Lincoln, the Wife of the Rev. A. IL Anson, of a son.

On the 8th, at Henbury Court, Gloucestershire, the Wife of the Rev. George But- terworth, of a daughter. On the 5th, the Wife of the Rev. J. E. Cox, M.A., F.S.A., Vicar of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, of a daughter. On the 9th, at WesUeton Grange, Suffolk, the Wife of the Rev. Thomas Mayhew, Vicar of Darsham, of a son.

On the 13th, in Carlton House Terrace, the Lady Londesborough, of a daughter.

MARRIAGES.

On the 21st April, at New York, by the Rev. Dr. Potts, T. L. Kane, Esq., of Phila- delphia, to Elizabeth Dennistoun, second daughter of William Wood, Esq., formerly of Liverpool.

On the 5th May, at the parish-church, Whickham. Durham, by the Rev. H. B. Carr, Rector, James Paterson Smart, Esq., of her Majesty's Customs. London, to

On the 10th, at Buxhall, Suffolk, William Edward Sorters, Esq., D.C.L., bar- ister-at-law, to Caroline, widow of Lieutenant-General Sir Stephen Remnant Chap- '

Joan, C.B. K.C.H. On the 10th, at St. Matthew's Church, Brixton, the Rev. Edward Lamb, on ofs the late Dean of Bristol, and Domestic Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Portland, to Rosa Harriett, youngest daughter of the late Benjamin Peed, Esq., of Ilacton, Essex.

On the 10th, at St. George's Hanover Square, the Rev. Godfrey Faussett, B.D., Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, second son of the Rev. Godfrey Faussett, D. I)., of Heppington, Kent, Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, to Jeminia Anne Amy, only daughter of the late Rev. Thomas Edward Bridges, D.D., President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

On the 12th, at Clapham Church, Edgar Alfred Bowring, Esq., fourth son of Dr. Bowing, late H. M. Plenipotentiary in China, to Sophia, third daughter of Thomas Cubitt, Esq.. of Clapham Park, and Denbies.

On the 12th, at St. George's, Hanover Square, Hugh Francis Lethbridge, second son of Sir Francis Dugdale Astley, Bart., to Augusta Ellen, second daughter of the late James Cockburn, Esq., and granddaughter of the Dean of York.

DEATHS.

On the 1st May, at Naples, Louisa, Viscountess Fading; in her 24th year.

On the 1st, at Chart Place, near Maidstone, Eleanor, relict of the late Rev. James Edward Gambier, Rector of Langley, Kent, and St. Mary-le-Strand; in her 95th year. On the 3d, at Hadleigh, Suffolk, Elizabeth, last surviving daughter of the late Richard Whishaw, Esq.; in her 94th year. On the 4th, at Battle Abbey, Sussex, Sir Godfrey Webster, Bart., Commander RN.; in his 38th year.

On the 6th, at Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Arbuth- not, K.C.B. and K.T.S., Colonel of the Seventy-sixth Regiment.

On the 8th, Major-General Vincent Edward Eyre; in his 82d year.

On the 8th, at Weston-super-Mare, John Monson Carrow, Esq., Judge of the County Court of Somersetshire, Recorder of the city of Wells, and a Magistrate and Deputy-Lieutenant for the county of Somerset; in his 45th year. On the 9th, in Grosvenor Place, the Hon. Susan Hall Cornwall, widow of the late John Cornwall, Esq., of Hendon, Middlesex, and daughter of Admiral Alan Lord Gardner; in her 80th year. On the 10th, at Stevens's Hotel, Bond Street, Lieutenant-General Sir Walter Raleigh Gilbert, Bart., G.C.B. ; in his 68th year. On the 12th, in Cadogan Place, the Lady Riversdale ; in her 79th year. Lately, at the Rectory-house, Newton Toney, the Rev. Hugh Price, M.A., late Fel- low of Queen's College, Cambridge, and forty-three years Rector of Newton Toney; in his 77th year.