Ylitutllantnito.

The Prince Consort, who is to preside this year at the annual meeting of the British Association—to be held at Aberdeen—will deliver the in- augural address on the evening of Wednesday, the 14th of September. The usual general meetings are to be held in the new music hall of the town.

In order to elucidate some points of obscurity raised by promoters of rifle corps, Mr. Sidney Herbert, as Secretary for War, has addressed the following letter to Lord Vivian-

" Dear Lord Vivian,—The words `insurrection' or 'rebellion' are the words of the Act of Parliament, and they are not held to include riot. It has been thought necessary in Acts of Parliament to use further words if the power is sought to call men out in aid of the civil power. Your friends, therefore, need be under no apprehension of being called away from their ordinary pursuits to put down riots. As regards the eight days in every four months, or twenty-four days in the year, they may be taken together or separately as the convenience of the volunteers may require, provided the term of twenty-four days is reached. As regards days,' the Government are most anxious in this, as in all things, to give every fair latitude which will suit the convenience and facilitate the operations of the volunteers, who can in very few instances devote the mornings to their practice and instruc- tion. The evenings may, therefore, be counted as days, and your Artillery- men will find that two or three hours' work with the great guns constitute a very fair day's work. I hope these explanations will meet with the views of your volunteers, whose patriotism and public spirit deserve the thanks of the Government.-

Shortly after Sir William Armstrong's great discovery was published it became a question how far the smooth bore guns already in use .in thousands could be altered so as to accord with the Armstrong plan. It is stated that Sir William has now succeeded in accomplishing the method of rifling the whole or any requisite number of the guns em- ployed in the service which present a surface at the bore fit to secure and maintain the grooves, and which possess a body of sufficient tensile strength to resist, with safety, the explosive power required to expel the heavy shot now in use.

The examination of students at the several inns of court, who are to be called to the bar in Michaelmas Term, will commence on Saturday the 29th October, and be continued on the Monday and Tuesday follow- ing. The regulations are similar to those of previous terms. The exa- mination is still voluntary, the proposal for rendering it compulsory not having yet been carried into effect.

Victor Hugo has issued from Guernsey a short note stating his inten- tion not to avail himself of the amnesty. He will " share to the last the exile of liberty ; when liberty returns I will return." M. Louis Blanc has published a second letter justifying his refusal to accept the amnesty, but admitting that no stain attaches to those who avail them- selves of it, especially if they have home duties to fulfil.

Lord Brougham is at Tynemouth. The mechanics' institutes on the Tyne contemplate presenting him with addresses.

Captain John Robb, Naval Aide-dc-Camp to her Majesty, appointed in 1857, died at Hampstead on Saturday. The deceased officer had seen much active service. He entered the navy in 1812, and on the 24th of May, 18241 took an active part at the destruction of a 16-gun brig, moored to a position of extraordinary strength under the walls of Bona. In 1827 he. was promoted to be Lieutenant, and commanded a tender at the battle of Navarino. In consideration of his distinguished services on that memorable action he was raised to the rank of Commander in 1829. He was promoted to a Captain in 1841, and commanded the Gladiator frigate for three years, and afterwards the Casar, 90, screw, throughout the late Baltic campaign.

The return to Europe of Mr. Jahn Mitchel—at one time famous as an Irish rebel—is announced in the New York journals, with an intimation that his over-zealous and rather gratuitous championing of slavery has failed to win for him either cash or credit in the southern states, where he re- sided.

The Manchester G,eirdian says— " Canadian loyalty is likely to be gra- tified. Our readers will remember that a short time ago her Majesty was asked to permit one of the young Princes to visit Canada, and it is now stated that the Prince of Wales will, at no distant date, cross the Atlantic for that purpose. Colour is given to this report by the circumstance that several gentlemen closely connected with his Royal Highness left Liverpool for Canada on Wednesday last in the screw steamer North Britain." [The

gentlemen referred to are Mr. Gibbs, late tutor to the Prince, and Sir Henry Holland, physician to the Queen.] His Grace the Duke of Marlborough has placed 1351. to the account of the Oxford Radcliffe Infirmary, being the balance of moneys received from visitors to Blenheim Palace and gardens during this season.

After the funeral of Lord Henry Seymour, says the Globe, which took place early in the morning of last Saturday, at Pere in Chaise, in his mother's vault, only attended by Lord Hertford, Vicomte Dare' and five members of the Jockey Club, his will was opened, and the hospitals of Paris were found to have inherited a rent roll equal to 36,0001. sterling per annum. As all this property came through his mother, the late Mar- chioness, England had no claim on it ; indeed, the testator, born in Paris,. never set foot on British soil in his life. Four favourite horses enjoy an annuity and exemption from saddle-work. Other annuities are named nn- necessary to notice. There will be no lawsuit such as followed the will of the marquis to whom Wilson Croker was executor, inasmuch as the body servants get nothing. The large edifice on the Boulevards, late Café de- Paris, so long the headquarters of gastronomy, will still supply broths aud. restoratives to another class of Parisians, on whom its rental now devolves..

The Archbishop of Canterbury, attended by the Vicar-General, Dr. Travers Twiss, and by the Principal Registrar of the Province, Mr. Francis Hart Dyke, arrived at the Jerusalem Chanther, Westminster, yesterday at about 3 o'clock, when his Grace, having directed the Royal writ to be read, prorogued the Convocation of the Prelates and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury, pursuant to the Royal writ, to Friday, October 28.

The beautiful schooner yacht Alec, nearly new, belonging to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, and the property of W. B. Phillimore, Esq., on her passage from Alderney to Jersey, about 9.45 p.m. on the 18th of August, the weather fine at the time, with a light breeze, appears to have run on a rock and was lost. The crew had barely time to save themselves in the boat before she sank, having knocked her bottom in with the force of the blow and the swell on the rocks. The captain and crew lost everything.

Mr. Ward's system of ocean signals was exhibited at Lloyd's on Saturday.. By five strong lights at night, visible for ten miles, and by five flags in the day time, he obtains combinations to express any series of words. By telegraphing off Cape Race and on to Cape Clear, news from America to England could be sent in five days.

A new light for ships at sea, invented by Mr. Ferdinand Silas, was tried with success at Woolwich on gaturday. It is called the Photophore, and is. reported to be very brilliant. It has the singular quality of lighting on contact with water ; one of the lights was thrown in; it sank for the mo- ment and then lighted upon the surface, with a strong phosphoric glare. It was trailed under the water so as to extinguish the light, but on being dragged up to the surface it shone forth again. It will, it is thought, be most useful as a buoy light.

The Atlantic cable has been lately inspected by Mr. F. C. Webb, who reports the probable existence of a serious fault about 263 miles from Va- lentia. The removal of this fault might render the cable again available for signalling.

Mr. E. J. Lowe, writing from the South Cliff, Scarborough, to the Times, says, on Sunday evening a large solar spot, slightly above the sun's centre, was visible to the naked eye. The solar surface is particularly rich in large spots at the present time.

Extraordinary mineral discoveries have lately been made in Newfound- land, which will become the Cornwall of North America. We have been shown specimens of copper pyrites containing from eight to twelve per cent of metal, taken from a lode fifty feet in breadth; the ore being as valuable for sulphur as for copper. It crops out upon the surface, and thousands of tons can be obtained at a very trifling outlay. Several very rich lodes of lead have also been discovered ; and the telegraph announces that a valuable vein of silver ore has been found.—Quebec Chronicle.

The Mechanics' Magazine, speculating on the use of the Great Eastern as a war-ship, says, without in the least degree detracting from her commercial qualities, or increasing her cost, Mr. Scott Russell has so constructed her that no less than 360 ten-inch guns might be placed on board of her and fought, if the Government should at any time desire to convert her into a ship of war, either temporarily or otherwise. She is already proof to ordi- nary round shells, and her speed will at least be fifteen knots an hour in all probability. Moreover, her bow is both fine and strong enough to secure her against material injury should she encounter aqbe after the fashion of a " ram." She is likewise divided into numerous water-tight compartments. We need take no pains to express what the value of such a ship, armed as we have said, would be to us, as a weapon of either offence or defence.

Some of Mr. Rarey's military pupils exhibited his system at Aldershott on Saturday in the presence of General Scarlett, Colonel Hodge,. and other officers. During the exhibition General Scarlett and the committee asked several pertinent questions, but expressed no opinion, their intention being, we understood, to transmit a report of their inspection to the Commander-in- Chief. Mr. Itarey was present during the whole of the experiments, but he did not in the slightest degree interfere with the riding-masters or rough-riders, both of whom he considers to have exhibited extraordinary aptitude in learning his system.

The distance between London and Cork and the south of Ireland is shortened by ten or twelve hours. The route is via Bristol ; in consequence the London morning papers of Monday were received in Cork at seven o'clock on Tuesday morning, instead of four o'clock in the afternoon of that day, as usual.

Captain Richard Breckon, a member of the Liverpool Mercantile Marine Association, has navigated a steel-built craft, the "Little Lucy," only twenty tons register, from Falmouth to Bahia, in forty-nine days. The distance was too great to steam her, so she had be sailed. Her first cap- tain and crew turned faint-hearted, and gave up the job. Captain Breekon, in the teeth of difficulty, took her through to the railway company who had sent for her. " When the length of the voyage is considered," says the Liverpool Mercury, "the smallness of the vessel in which it was made, the short time in which it was accomplished, and the dangers and risk to be encountered, the voyage of the Little Lucy is an event perhaps without parallel for courage, skill, and daring."

There is nothing, says Once a Week, to prevent the construetion of very fruitful orchards in Cheapside. Where there is no garden, and the leads of the dwelling are flat enough, erect on them a glass house. Stretch over the openings for the free circulation of air, woollen netting, with three- quarter inch meshes to entangle the blacks and keep out slight frosts, and you may grow anything. ' A gentleman livng at Bow, in the midst of the smokiest suburb of London, has in this waI produced abundant crops the rarest fruits for many years." The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's have just made a special appeal to the public for contributions for the enlargement of the organ, so as to render it permanently adapted for special or occasional services under the dome, the expenses of fitting up the cathedral for special services from Advent to Easter having been defrayed. The estimate for such work as is merely in- dispensable is 10001., but for the completion of the whole, so as to render the instrument really effective, 22001. will be required. A subscription list, headed by a donation of 25/. from his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, has been opened.

Some interesting facts are deduced from a review of Criminal Statistics for the last fifteen years. In England, Wales, and Scotland, the year 1848 was the most prolific in committals. Scotland shows a large percentage of committals, especially in 1858 from the fact that the Juvenile Of- fenders' Act and the Criminal Justice Act—giving magistrates power to convict summarily in certain cases—are limited to England and Wales. Crime increases among females in Ireland, but on the whole Ireland exhibits a remarkable decrease in the number of convictions. The administration of justice has impioved, juries give a fairer consideration to the cases before them.

The number of Coolies despatched from the East to the West Indies in the season 1858-9 amounted to 7562. Of these 4282 were men, 1797 women, and 1227 children and infants ; 2926 emigrated to British Guiana, 3718 to Trinidad, 344 to Grenada, and 574 to St. Lucia. Previously to the season 1856-57 the average mortality had been under 2 per cent from Ma- dras, and 5 per cent from Calcutta ; in 1856.57 the mortality rose to 1716 from Calcutta, and 0.98 from Madras ; in 1857-8, 13.22 from Calcutta, and 1.31 from Madras; and in 1858-59, 10.43 from Calcutta, and 1-64 from Madras.

The number of emigrants who sailed from the United Kingdom during the 44 years from 1815 to 1858 inclusive amounted to 4,797,166. Of these 1,180,046 went to the North American colonies; 2,890,403 to the United States; 652,910 to the Australian colonies and New Zealand ; and 73807 to other places. The average annual emigration from the United Kingdom from 1815 to 1858 amounted to 109,026 ; for the ten years ending 1858, 261,865.

At the last election there was a severe contest in East Suffolk between Lord Henniker, M.P., Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., and Colonel Shafto A. Adair. The auditor's return has just been published, from which it appears that the successful Conservative Candidates expended 35371. 10s., while Colonel Adair expended 20531. Neither of the elections was contested or threatened with a contest, and neither agents nor candidates were put to the trouble of making anything like a systematic canvass of the electors.

During the short session of Parliament which has just closed, popular sentiments have been expressed by means of 1929 petitions, having 220,459 signatures attached to them. For shortening the hours of work iu mines, .58,737 signatures have been recorded ; against excluding the Bible from schools in India, 51,118: against certain proposed changes in the Scottish Universities, 22,946; in favour of legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sister, 10,692, and against that measure, 3637; ageinst the Endowed Schools Bill, 8070, and for that measure, 3055 ; for the ballot, 7533 ; for the regulating the measuring of gas, 7453 ; for separating Protestant and Roman Catholic children in schools, 7011; for prohibiting the opium trade, 4789; for altering the law of landlord and tenant in Ireland 3532; for re- peal of Paper Duty, 2898 ; against Church-rate Abolition Bill, 2731; in favour of, 193; against abolishing Church-rates without an equivalent, 2181; for repeal of Maynooth College Act, 1926; against saluting the Host at Malta, 1950; for ameliorating the condition of national school teachers, 1896; for reducing the duty on hops, 1678; and for the removing restrictions from free and grammar schools, 1559. For reform in Parlia- ment there are 127 applicants, and for universal suffrage 1.

The weekly return of the Registrar-General shows the mortality last week to be below the average, and considerably leas than that of the preceding week, which was 1337 ; last week, 1188. since the last of the two hot weeks July 17th-23d the deaths have decreased 400 a week. The Eastern and Southern districts suffir most from diarrhoea. Ten persons died of cholera. The mean temperature of the week, nearly the same as the two previous weeks, was 63-9.