faistellantous.

A Cabinet Council was held on Wednesday at the Foreign Office, and sat upwards of two hours.

— A deputation from Lancashire and Yorkshire, headed by the Mayor of Manchester and Mr. Bayly the President of the Chamber of Commerce, had an interview, on Wednesday, with Lord John Russell and the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer, on the subject of the Tea-duties. An hour was 'occupied in representing the various ways in which the present high rate of duty injures commerce, interferes with the comfort of the people, and with the general productiveness of the revenue. The Ministers listened; but their answer is not reported. A letter from Lord John Russell to Mr. Cardwell, however, has been published, and makes known, what might have been assumed, that finan- cial reasons prevent Ministers from meddling with the Tea-dudes.

Preparations are going forward at Chatham to add five additional com- panies, of 107 men each, to the Sappers and Miners: hitherto this branch of the Ordnance has comprised only eighteen companies.

The fading interest of the Hampden controversy has been in some de- gree revived by the publication of a tract from the pen of Dr. Whately, Archbishop of Dublin, written at the desire of some of his clergy, who ap- plied to him for instruction on the subject, as having peculiar means of forming a correct judgment. Dr. Whately gives his opinion without re- serve, in favour of Dr. Hampden's appointment—against the opposition, both in its spirit and form; and he declares that the Ministers would have incurred disgrace if they had retracted.

The University censure, he maintains, was entitled to no respect; because it MS known to be illegal, it had been virtually rescinded, and it was unjust—in fact, it was no censure. Dr. Hampden's heterodoxy was a mere pretext: that which really incensed so many members of the University against him was his pamphlet on Dissent, in which he advocated the placing of Oxford University on the same footing with that of Dublin. Why delay the censure until he was ap- pointed Regius Professor?—Becanse, it was said, be had in the interval occupied no situation of responsibility within the walls. But that plea is utterly at vari- ance with facts: he was, in the interval, successively Public Examiner for De- grees in Arts, Principal of St. Mary's Hall, and Professor of Moral Philosophy. If the accusation against his doctrines had been well founded, there was a course open to those who condemned: he might have been statutably suspended from preaching in the University, as Dr. Pasey was. The censure was voted by a ma- jority of nonresidents, who were misled by "elucidations" of Dr. Hampden's writings—that is, by misrepresentations, unfair extracts, and shameless garbling.

Dr. Hampden's general qualifications are proved by his having earned almost every academical distinction, and by his appointment to the highest and most ins portant offices in the University. His theological soundness has been proved by the very persecution which, as it were, tried his works in the fire. For eleven years he has been demanding a fair trial, and demanding investigation; but his accusers shrank from that.

Adverting to the discredit and danger which the movement has brought upon ' the Church, Dr. Whately says—" Better by far would it be, that the constitution of our Church should be changed avowedly and regularly, and placed upon a de- mocratic footing, than that such irregular encroachments should be encouraged— that the power nominally vested in the constituted authorities should be virtually and in practice exercised by any who should combine to overawe them." The hostility to Dr. Hampden originated with a small but active minority in the Church; others who did not agree with that party unconsciously aiding its game. " Mistakes of this kind, as to the relative numerical strength of parties, and as to what is really the public opinion on each point, are, as has been above re- marked, the more likely to prevail, and to lead to the subjection of the many to a few, and those the least worthy to bear rule, in proportion as any society is in a disorganized condition, and under no settled and steadily-administered go- vernment. It is on this account, chiefly, that I have an long and so earnestly ad- vocated a Church-government; not a government independent of the State, or claiming control over temporal causes and properties, but in due subordination to the State, and in its own legitimate province; not (what some seem to understand by Church-government) a government by the clergy, but, as in the American Episcopal Church, by the clergy and laity conjointly; only by those exclusively who are members of the Church."

Alluding to an imputation recently put forth in an influential journal by a brother-in-law of Mr. Newman, that Dr. Hampden adopted his views from Mr. Blanco White, the Archbishop remarks, that all who know Dr. Hampden must have perceived his independent and original mind; and that the reverse was more likely. But the looseness of the charge is shown by the writer's including the late Dr. Arnold in the same circle, though he knew Dr. Hampden but slightly, and had not even a visiting acquaintance with Mr. Blanco White. The tract closes with an exhortation—" Be it your business and mine to ap- peal with single-hearted desire of truth, to Scripture and to sound reason. May we be enabled, through Divine help, to find the truth and to agree in it; or if in any point differences of opinion arise, may we have grace to differ without bitter hos- tility, and without disturbance of the peace of the Christian world! And may ite be enabled to pat in practice the Apostle's precept, to 'Study to be quiet (piXoTisialcrear iiaexagare), and to mind our own business '—the instruction and the guidance, by good example as well as by precept, of those committed to our charge!"

Several letters from survivors of the wrecked Avenger have found their way into the newspapers. They add nothing to the main facts of the case; but the subjoined account, by Mr. Larcom, the gunner, fills up the nar- rative.

Her Majesty's ship Ceylon, Malta, Tan. 4, 1898.

Dear Sir—I have not the least doubt that you have heard of the fate of the unlucky Avenger; which was lost on the Sorelli Rocks, about twelve miles to the South-west of Gaati, on Monday, at ten p m.; going at the rate of eight or nine knots, under double-reefed topsails and reefed foresaiL At the time she struck I was in my bed; but being awakened by the shock, I jumped out and felt for my clothes: a heavy sea, however, striking the ship at the time, I ran on the deck in my shirt; where I found Lieutenant Hooke pressing the men to clear away the cutters. Seeing the state the ship was in, I ran down to my cabin and got my trousers on. By this time the ship was on her beam-ends, with her deck exposed to the sea. Lieutenant Rooke failing (in the confusion) to get the cut- ters cleared away, desired me to assist him; which I immediately did. The stir goon, second master, master's assistant, captain's steward, a stoker, and a second- class boy, got into the boat before it was lowered; when, Lieutenant Hooke lower- ing the foremost fall and myself the after one, we got down the falls ourselves, and shoved off from the ship with the intention of saving any one that might be washed off from the wreck. Before we shoved off from the ship, they commenced lowering the other cutter; but, unfortunately, she was dashed against the ship's side and was stoved, and the gig astern was washed from the davits. "We had not shoved off five minutes before the mainmast went over the side, taking with it the mizentopmast and the funnel; about a minute or two after that the foremast went, taking with it the bowsprit; and in less than a quarter of an hour after she struck she was a perfect wreck, leaving no chance of ever coming off again, and all hopes of saving the ship's company were lost. "The wind and sea increasing all this time and our boat's crew being nearly worn out, we held a consultation among ourselves as to what was best to be done; when it was agreed that we should run to leeward of the island of Guilts, and wait there till daylight, and try to get assistance to send to our ill-fated com- panions. But when we got to leeward of the island, the wind suddenly shifted to the NE., blowing, if possible, harder than before; which caused a heavy cross sea, and baffled all our hopes of getting assistance, if any could have been obtained, in the island of Galita. The ouly thing we had then to do was to retrace our steps beck to the place where we came from, as the wind was blowing directly from the opposite point from which it was blowing before: and we then passed over a reef on which I shall always think our ill-fated ship struck.

"The wind kept veering about, as God Almighty would have it: if it had not been so we should have had to beach the boat in the night, and we all must have been lost. As it was, daylight came, and we saw the land about twenty miles off: the boat at the same time was standing right for it; and when we got nearly in for the shore, there was such an awful sea that I thought every moment would be our last. As it happened, we got into a little bay; and in one place, for about fifty yards, we saw it was a sandy beach, and we thought we should be able to land in safety there. But it was not to be so; for, when about a hundred yards from the beach, the rollers lifted the boat nearly perpendicular, and her stern taking the ground, and all power of the steering-oar being lost thereby, she swung broadside on a roller coming in directly after, and was swamped; when, I am sorry to say, four out of our little party—namely, Mr. Steele, doctor, Mr. Betts, second waster, Mr. Ayling, master's assistant, and John Owen, stoker—sunk to rise no more; and three only besides myself reached the shore—namely, Lieu. tenant Hooke, William Hill, captain's steward, and James Morley, boy.

"When we reached the land, we fell exhausted on the beach, and nearly blind from the sand getting in our eyes as we struggled to the shore. Having some- what recovered ourselves, we all got up and walked along the shore, not knowing at the time where we were going, as we hardly had any senses in us; when we fell in with an Arab, who kindly took us into his hut, and gave us some warm milk, which greatly revived us. We dried our clothes, and contented ourselves there for the night; having made the Arab understand that we wished to go where there was some British Consul, and to which place we understood he would guide us the next day. In the morning we were determined to set out as early as possible: but neither of us having any shoes, Lieutenant Hooke cut the legs of his hoots off, and I made of them a pair of slippers for myself and a pair for the steward; the boy at the same time took the sleeves off his jacket, and adapted them to the same purposes. Having walked about thirty miles that day, we put up at an Arab hut, and remained there for the night; having been given to understand that we should have horses in the morning to take us on our journey; which we commenced again as soon as daylight, and arrived at a place called Biserta. Here was a Vice-Consul; and he gave us refreshments and shoes, and handker- chiefs to tie round our heads, for we had lost our hats in getting ashore: bet there not being a vessel of any sort in this place that we could send to our ship, Lieutenant Hooke determined to push on for Tunis, that being the next port Accordingly, we got a boat, and arrived there in it at midnight; and, not being allowed to enter the town, we remained on board until the morning; when Lieu- tenant Hooke went to the Consul-General, Sir T. Reade, who immediately sent to Malta to give intelligence of what had happened, at the same time sending two schooners to the place where our poor ship was wrecked; we ourselves going there in a large pulling-boat, for fear that the schooners should be becalmed out- side. The Bey of Tunis also sent the whole of his squadron to see if they could recover any of the vessel or of her crew. But, I am sorry to say, neither they nor we could find either, the ship having disappeared. There cannot be the least doubt that everybody perished except ourselves; for the wind having shifted, and such a heavy sea rising at the same time, she mast have been washed off the rocks and have sank in deep water.

"We are now at Malta, waiting a passage to England; where I hope I shall reach by the latter end of this month; when we shall be able to describe all the particulars. So no more from "Your humble and obedient servant,

"JOHN LARCOM, Gunner,

"Late of her ldajesty s ship Avenger."

The King of Denmark has been suffering severely from influenza. He had somewhat recovered; but on the 12th instant he was again dangerously ill, with violent fever.

Vienna letters, of the 10th instant, state that the health of Prince Metternich is again seriously deranged.

The gunshot wound which Earl Powis accidentally received at the hands of his son, on the 7th instant, has terminated fatally. At the time, the wound, though serious, was not considered dangerous; but on the 14th mortification set in, and death ensued in a few hours.

The deceased nobleman was born in the spring of 1785, and was consequently in his sixty-third year. His education was completed at St. John's College' Cam- bridge; and he took his Master's degree in 1806. As the nominee of his father, he represented the borough of Ludlow in nine Parliatnents; having only suc- ceeded to the Earldom in 1839. Lord Fowls married, in 1818, the third daugh- ter of the third Duke of Montrose: the issue of the marriage was five sons and three daughters. The late Earl was grandson to the celebrated Lord Clive. He was not remarkable for the possession of brilliant talents, but was eminently distinguished by a sound practical understanding, which secured him considerable influence. He was a Conservative and Protectionist in politics; and though he seldom took part in the debates, his connexion with two recent public events made him prominent : the successful opposition which he lead against the separa- tion of the see of St. Asaph and Bangor, and subsequently his contest with the Prince Albert, the Queens husband, for the Chancellorship of Cambridge Uni- versity, were the last, as they were the leading points in his career.

By the death of Earl Powis a vacancy occurs in the Order of the Garter. The title, and the estates, which are all in Shropshire and Montgomeryshire, together with the patronage of eight livings, descend to the eldest son, Lord Clive, Mem- ber for North Shropshire.

The Earl of Moray died of influenza, on Wednesday sennight, at Darnaway

Castle. The deceased was Baron Donne, Baron St. n and Baron Stuart of Castle Stuart, in dm Peerage of Great Britain, and Lor-Lieutenant of Elgin- shire. He was born in 1771; was twice married, first in 1795. secondly in 1801; and had issue by both marriages. The title descends to the eldest son, Franeis Lord Donne.

The country has just lost one of its most popular writers, Mr. Isaac D'Israeli, author of the Curiosities of Literature, and father of the Member for Bucking- hamshire. Mr. Disraeli was the son of a Venetian merchant settled in this country; he was born in May 1766, and was educated in Holland. He very early exhibited great talent for acquiring languages and other literary attainments; and being possessed of an independent property, he was able to follow his favourite pursuits without hinderance. He successively published, besides several minor nieces, the book already mentioned, (his best and most popular work,) the Quer- ;eLv of Authors, Calamities of Authors, Illustrations of the Literary Character, alul the Amenities of Literature his latest publication. His five volumes of Commentaries on the Life and Reign of Charles the First, published at inter- vals, procured him the honorary degree of D.C.L., accorded by the University of Oxford, in the words of the Public Orator, "optimi regis optimo defensori." In 1839, Mr. D'Israeli was stricken with blindness; last spring he lost his wife, with whom he had lived for forty years; and on Wednesday last his still robust consti- tution sank under an attack of influenza. He died at Brandenburg House, his residence in Buckinghamshire.

Letters from Hanover, of the 15th instant, announce the death of Miss Fre- aeries Herschel], sister to the celebrated astronomer, Frederick William Herschel'. Miss lierschell was herself an accomplished astronomer; she is perhaps most po- pularly knosvu in England as the constructor of the selenic globe preserved in reenwich Observatory.

Professor Finn Magnusen, the Iceland philosopher, died at Copenhagen on i

Christmas Eve. He was born at Skalholt, n 1783. In early life he studied and practised the law at Rejkjavik; but in 1812 he removed to Copenhagen, in order to devote himself to the study of Northern literature and science. His profound learning and personal worth led, in 1815, to his obtaining the Professorship of Northern literature in the University of Copenhagen; in 1829 he was appointed Keeper of the State Archives; he was successively Secretary, Vice-President, and President of the Icelandic Literary Society, and Vice-President of the Royal So- ciety of Northern Antiquaries. Professor Magnusen's chief published works are The Theory of the Edda and its Origin, and Runamo og Runerne on the paleo- graphy of the North. As one of the editors of Scemunds Edda, he compiled the mythological lexicon which forms the chief portion of the third volume.

The sum of 1,5001. a year, retiring pension, reverts to the Crown by the death of Mr. James Corry. In the Irish Haase of Commons he filled the offices of Se- cretary to the Board of Ways and Means and Clerk of the Journals; and was subsequently Secretary to the Linen Board, Commissioners of Fisheries, &c.- Globe.

Erroneous reports having got abroad respecting the will of the late Lord Reay, we are requested to insert a statement on the subject. Although Lord Reay sold the family estate-called from its extent the "Rosy Country "-to the Duke of Sutherland, for 314,0001., he has not left any productive estate, nor any fund for the purchase of an estate for his family nor provision by annuity or otherwise for any of his nearest relations. The Lords of the Admiralty have presented Mr. Pullen, master of the Betsy, with a splendid gold medal, for having saved the lives of ninety-four passengers on hoard the Gninuile steamer, destroyed by fire on her way from Drogheda to Liver Pullen and his crew have had other more substantial rewards for their umane intrepidity, from their fellow citizens.

The Conservateur, a Ministerial journal of Paris, announces that the Duke de Montpensier has lately purchased a splendid palace at Madrid, as the future resi- dence of himself and the Infanta Datcheas. Artists have already left Paris for Madrid, to complete its internal decorations with extraordinary magnificence.

A communication received from the British Minister at Berlin announces the secession of the states named below to the International Copyright Convention- the Grand Datchies of Saxe Weimar and Saxe Altenberg, and the Principalities of Rees Schleiz, Gerard Lobenstein Ebersdorf, Schwankourg Rudolstadt, and Schwarsbourg Sondershansen.

Advices from St. Petersburg mention the stoppage of Mr. J. C. Plitt, a Ger- man merchant of immense business and great respectability. The liabilities are estimated at 330,0001. The loss is expected to fall heavily on Frankfort, and to some extent on Manchester.

Other failures have taken place in Germany, consequent on the suspension of Messrs. Maring and Co. of Offenbach. At Friinkfort, Messrs. Baert and Heidel- burg have failed. The Vienna firm of Arnatein and Eskeles have issued a circular stating that, though they are creditors of Haber to the amount of 900,000 florins, their busi- ness will not be affected by it, their balance-sheet showing an excess in their favour of 6,000,000 florins.

According to the accounts published in the German papers, the fair at Leipsic this year has not passed off so satisfactorily as usual. The best business trans- acted, it appears, was chiefly in cotton and woollen manufactures.

A letter kora Leipsic, of the 14th, says-" The owner of some spinning-mills at Berlin has lately brought into the market a new species of flaxen thread, which is extremely long and silky, white in colour, and spun and dyed with extraordi- nary facility. This primary material, which possesses, even in a superior degree, all use qualities of silk, is likely to compete with it from its simple and rapid fabrication, and from its price being very low as compared with that of silk. The appearance of this new article of commerce has caused a great sensation among the dealers at the fair at Leipsic; and an Englishman has offered the inventor 20,0001. for his secret; but this was refused, as the owner intends to reserve to himself all the benefits of his discovery."

The number of vessels which arrived at Hamburg by the Elbe last year was 3,756. During the previous year the number was 4,476. The falling off is to be ascribed to the competition resulting from the opening of -the railway.

About 21,536 vessels made the passage of the Sound last year. Of the gross number of vessels, 10,674 came from the Northern, and 10,862 from the Baltic Seas. Daring the last ten years the returns furnish no equal number for a simi- lar period. Of the vessels that passed the Great Belt, 771 were laden with wheat.

The quantity of port wine shipped from Oporto during the past year amounted to 30,62-4 pipes: of which there were shipped to Great Britain, 23,351 'Apes; to Brazil, 2,762 pipes; United States, 2,118 pipes; and to other parts, 2,390 pipes.

According to the statement by a physician of Madrid, in one of the journals of that capital, about 60,000 persons in Madrid were, a fortnight ago, suffering from the influenza. At Seville, a third of the population, and at Murcia great numbers, were suffering severely from the same malady.

The Negro population of St. Bartholomew, in the West Indies, have forwarded an address of thanks to the King of Sweden, for their liberation from slavery on the promulgation of the decree of October last.

The Civil Tribunal of the Seine has confirmed the right of Mademoiselle de Lazy to an annuity of 3,000 francs bequeathed to her by the late Duke de Choi- seul Praslin, and to several articles of clothing, furniture, &c., which she had left in the Duke's house. Mademoiselle de Luzy also claimed a sum of 5,000 francs which she had left in the Duke's keeping, without retaining any acknowledgment: Marshal Sebastiani, guardian of the Duke's children, admitted that 4,000 francs had been deposited, but denied the larger sum: the Court ordered the payment of the 4,000 francs.

A correspondent states that the Irish estates of the Duke of Buckingham are about to be sold. They are of considerable extent, comprising no less than 25,000 statute acres, and are situate in the counties of Westmeath, Clare, Longford, and the Queen's County. They will be brought to the hammer in April next, in Dublin.-Morning Chroluck.

The schooner Industrious, of Whitstable, has been wrecked at the mouth ol the Tay, on the Abertay Sands, with the loss of all hands, eight in number. A life-boat put off to render assistance; but, though the people managed to get so near as to hear the cries of the perishing mariners, the breakers prevented them reaching the ship.

Lutton, a joiner of Cardiff, has performed an extraordinary voyage down the Bristol Channel. He was at work at midnight on the stern of a ship, when the plank on which he stood gave way' and he fell into the water; he managed to get hold of the plank, a piece of wood about eighteen feet long, and sat astride ofit. His cries had been heard by the mate of the ship, and a boat put off after him. Guided by his shoats for help, the tboat followed Lutton for two hours and a quarter; he was then overtaken and rescued. He had floated about fourteen miles on his plank, in very boisterous weather.

Two boys at Cheltenham have been aping their elders by fighting a duel. They discharged pistols at each other by a running fire; and one received a nuin- her of shots in his shoulder and thigh. They were both arrested.

A would-be burglar at Bethnal Green has met with a dreadful punishment in the pursuit of his criminal object. Three men had ascended the roof of a whole- sale grocer's premises by means of a ladder, and they appear to have attempted in vain to force open a trap-door; a neighbour heard them, opened his window, and shouted; two of the men descended the ladder; but the third, in his fright, missed his footing, and fell to the pavement, sustaining hurts that will cripple him foe life.

Mr. Thomas Drewery, the druggist of Hull, who had been wrongfully convicted on a charge of stealing a horse and gig, has received from the Home Office et "free pardon."

On the 28th October last, a man named Morel, employed in the iron-works of St. Paul de Janet, (Loire,) was condemned to six days' imprisonment for a petty theft upon a M. Tardy, who gave evidence against him; and in consequence if this and other misconduct he was not allowed to return to his employment he revenge for this, Morel obtained a double-barrelled gun, which he carried about with him, openly declaring that with one of the barrels he would shoot M. Tardy, and with the other kill himself. In the evening of the 6th, seeing M. Tardy seated in his own house, Morel fired at him through the window, struck him in the face, and, believing he was killed, went hurriedly home, where he placed the muzzle of the other barrel under his chin, and blew out his brains. Fortunately, the wound received by M. Tardy is not dangerous.-Paris Paper.

Results of the Registrar-General's return of mortality in the Metropolisfor the week ending on Saturday last-

Number of Winter deaths. average.

ymotic Diseases repay, Cancer, and other diseases of uncertain or variable seat 3613 51 .. .

- - • 184 50

181 .... 161 Ise.ases of the Brain, Spinal Marrow, Nerves, and Senses lactase, of the Heart and Blood-vessels .

175 39 [teases of the Lungs, under the other Organs of Respiration 346 .... 2211 Weans of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs of Digestion 65 • • • •

et

names of the Kill:tem en 13 .... 9

hildbirth, diseasea of the -Uterus, de.

12 • • • . IS Rheumatism, diseases of the Bones, Joints, dm. 10 • • • • 11 iseases of the Skin, Cellular Tissue, fic.

. 1 inience, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 92 • • • • St dden 9 • • • . IS Malformations 2 ..• • 3 remature Birth 27 • • . • 23 trophy 19 • • • • 15 id age 68 • . • 70

-

- Total (including unspecified causes) 1457

1107

The temperature of the thermometer ranged from 51.0° in the sun to 23.0° in the shade; the mean temperature by day being warmer than the average mean temperature by 0.5°. The general direction of the wind for the week was North.