The Admiralty Commissioners, on Thursday afternoon, took con- tracts for
the supply of the Navy with beef and pork for the ensuing year. The quantity required by the Commissioners was 8,500 Navy tierces of pork, and 6,500 Navy tierces of beef. A good deal of come petition existed to obtain the contract ; and many offers were sent in to the Board on behalf of the influential persons in the trade. The Coro. missionets having considered all the offers, declared that they had accepted the terms of Messrs. Bell, Brothers, of London, Messrs. M'Donnell and Co., of Limerick, and other parties' the contractors, at an average price for beef and pork not exceeding 102s. per tierce, oz equal to a price of 22s. per cwt, for the raw material. The prices at which the contract was taken excited much surprise. The last contract taken by the Commissioners for the use of the Navy was at 51. Gs. to 51. 13s. per tierce for pork, and at 6/. 12s. to 61. 14s. per tierce for beef. The contrust of last September amounted to 19,000 tierces, of which 10,000 tierces were of beef.
Among the current gossip of the City, a curious circumstance is mentioned connected with Don Carlos, which, if correct, would make our Secretary for Foreign Affairs in some measure responsible for the escape of the Spanish Pretender, and his being enabled to reach his faithful adherents on the Northern frontier. On the arrival of Don Carlos in England, it is said a difference of opinion took place be- tween Prince Talleyrand and Lord Palmerston relative to the disposal of him. The altercation produced a quarrel, and they were many days without seeing each other, during which time Don Carlos started. lit order to effect his escape, he feigned an inflammation of the face, and one of his servants was placed in his bed to represent him and his coin- plaint. Lord Palmerston, however, was made acquainted with his dia.. appearance a few hours after his departure, but did not send any notice of it to Prince Talleyrand until it was too late to catch the fugitive.-. Tunes. (According to another account furnished by the Times cor- respondent at Paris from the Carlist papers, the passport with which Don Carlos quitted London, and travelled through France to the Py- renees unmolested, under the name of "Augustus Saez," was furnished by Talleyrand himself.] It has been said that, in consequence of the great interest felt by the house of Rothschild and M. Aguado in the maintenance of the value of that portion of Spanish stock of which the majority of the Spanish Finance Committee has recommended the rejection, those two capitalists have agreed on paying the dividends next due out of theiz own pockets, though in the name of the Spanish Government, of course. The dividends will amount to about 4,000,000 francs (160,0000 ; and such a sum may, it is conceived by the schemers, be well ventured, when a chance exists, amounting to almost a certainty, that it would enable them to get out of stock without any material loss, which they could not do without a heavy sacrifice, were the dividends to remain unpaid. It is thought, however, that the Spanish Government might object to the liberty taken by any one in thus interfering with its own affairs.- Times Correspondent.' The Spanish Minister Toreno is said to have been refused a loan of 30,000 francs (1200/0 some years since by Messrs. Rothschild ; and to meditate revenge by destroying or seeking to injure them by ren- dering the seventy or eighty millions of francs' worth of Spanish Se. entities held by them valueless. -Herald.
A Madrid correspondent of the Morning Chronicle gives the follow- ing description of the ladies who are in the habit of attending the de- bates in the Chamber of the Procuradores.
" We have hare a set of ladies, who are constant in their attendance at the private galleries. They are all of them violent politicians; and their partiali- ties, with few exceptions, indeed, are inlisted on the side of the Opposition- Do not believe that they are ugly or old, or of the lower orders of society, such as the famous tricoteures de Robespierre in France. No; the beauty of some of them, the gracefulness of all, would extort approbation from the most fasti- dious critics. Madame Segundo, a pretty creature, and a niece of the famous Urquijo, Minister of Joseph Bonaparte, stands at the head of this band. She is of small size, as Spanish ladies generally are ; and her dark eyes might entitle her to a place among the Houris ; while her French education enables her to add the grave. of list hider) coquetry ( I make use of the word in its hest sense) to the vivacity and euergy of our southern climates The sister of the unfor• tunate Torriioa sits generally by her side in the gallery. The presence of all . these fair makes the tribune reservada very lively ; yet a few indignant patriots • disapprove of their coining there, to call away the attention of the listener to the debates. Under the late Cortes, women were forbidden to attend the sit- . tings; yet they eluded the prohibition, by coming to the galleries iu ineu's clothes, or, for decency's sake, dressed in the gowns worn by the Roman Catho- lic clergy. The appearance of those fair priests always created a great deal of mirth and fun."
From the same letter, we extract a rather marvellous account of a new method of teaching the art of reading-
" I was present last night (the 12th instant), at an interesting experiment. Don Jose Mariano Vallejo has invented a new method of teaching persons to read ; and is most especially patronized by the Queen, who appears sincerely anxious to ameliorate the condition of her people. She has herself witnessed the first essays of the system ; and has -ordered, in accordance with its prin. ci les, that a school shall be opened in Madrid, for the purpose of teaching the soldiers to read. I accornparols1 my friend Colonel Downie, a most active and 'intelligent officer (who commanded a regiment of cavalry in the Spanish ser- vice, and is brother to the late gallant Sir John Downie, of Stirlingslore, N.B.), to the new establishment, lie bad several men who did not know one letter . from another ; and, strange as the phenomenon may appear, in one hour and a half, they could not only distinguish letters but syllables. The method appears particularly applicable to the Spanish language ; but Senhor Vallejo informed me that he was endeavouring to adapt it to English. Schools of primary in- struction for boys are also in rapid progress, and every exertion is making to en- lighten the rising generation."
Mr. Turnbull, the Madrid correspondent of the Times, has deemed it necessary to his honour to fight a duel with Mr. Maberly. The meet- ing took place at Madrid on the 17th. The difference sprung out of the transactions connected with forwarding the Times packet with the Queen's speech by the courier of the Morning Chronicle. The sub- joined is the account given of the affair by the Chronicle's correspon. dent.
" The quarrel originated in some expressions from Mr. Maberly strongly re- flecting on Mr. Turnbull's veracity. Mr. Middleton, the Secretary to the American Legation, acted as second to Mr. Turnbull ; and Mr. Maberly was attended by M. Cabanis, a French gentleman. After firing two shots, Mr. Bliddleton declared, on the part of Mr. Turnbull, that he was satisfied. Upon this, Mr. Maberly observed that lie had nothing to say, but that he still main- tained his opinion respecting the point which had brought on the pending af- fair, and was willing and ready to remain on the spot the whole day. Mr. Turnbull asked whether that was meant to insult him? Mr. Maberly said he would add nothing to what had fallen from him ; and repeated, he was willing to stay where he was. Upon this Mr. Turnbull did not insist, and the patties left the ground. You may rely upon the correctness of this statement, as I have read, and nearly copied, a paper signed by the two seconds."
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