311Iorr1Irtutring.

Negotiations for peace are not arresting preparations for war, if we may judge from the fact that a committee of Cabinet Ministers—consisting of Lord Palmerston, Sir George Grey, Lord Pamuure, Earl Granville, and Sir Charles Wood--met on Tuesday at the office of the War Minister. Besides the Ministers, there were present the Duke of Cambridge, Lord Hardinge, Sir Edmund Lyons, Sir Harry Jones, Admiral Dundas, and Sir Richard Airey. The sitting lasted four hours.

The Committee of the Nightingale Fund forward to us a circular beg- ging its insertion. Want of room, and tho lateness of the hour at which the missive reaches us, forbid a perfectly literal compliance. The circular contains a letter from Miss Nightingale, dated Scutari, January 6, accepting the offer of the fund now in progress to found a Training School for Nurses, and naming a Council, as requested by the Committee, to cooperate with her. In her letter to Mr. Sidney Herbert, one of the Honorary Secretaries of the Committee, Miss Nightingale says— • It is impossible to me to express what I have felt in regard to the sym- pathy and the confidence shown to me by. the originators and supporters of this scheme. Exposed as I sin to be misinterpreted and misunderstood, in a field of action in which the work is new, complicated, distant from many who sit in judgment upon it,—it is indeed an abiding support to have such sympathy and such appreciation brought home to me in the midst of labour and difficulties all but overpowering. I must add, however, that my pre- sent work is such as I would never desert for any other, so long as I see room to believe that what I may do here is unfinished. May I, then, beg you to express to the Committee, that I accept their proposal, provided I may do so on their understanding of this great uncertainty, as to when it will be possible to me to carry it out."

She names as her Council—Mr. Sidney Herbert, Mr. Braccbridge, Lord Ellesmere, Colonel .7febb, Sir James Clark, Mr. Bowman, the Dean of Hereford, Sir John M'Neill, Dr. Bence Jones. In another letter—a private one, we presume—Miss Nightingale says, that, situated as she is at Scutari, when she cannot look forward to a month, much less a year, to "furnish a cut and dried prospectus" of her plans is what she would not if she could, and could not if she would- " I would not if I could, because everything which succeeds is not the production of a scheme of rules and regulations made beforehand, but of a mind observing and adapting itself to wants and events. I could not if I would, because it is simply impossible to find time in the midst of one over- powering work to digest and concoct another ; and if it could be done it would be simply bad, and to be hereafter altered or destroyed."

Atnintssiorr Cime.—A reporter of the Times has given the latest ac- count of the state of this camp. There are now about 12,000 men there; of whom 8000 belong to Militia regiments, the remainder to regiments of the Line and one regiment of German light troops. The Militia occupy the South, the Regulars the North camp. There are also in the camp one hundred Sappers and Miners, and fifty men of the Land Transport Corps. There is neither a cavalry nor an artillery force. The duties of the men are confined to marches, twice a week, ordinary parades, and recently the construction of field-works. But the muddy nature of the badly- drained grotind renders extensive operations in the field impossible. There are also in the camp schools, churches, post and parcel offices, commissariat stores, and prisons. At the canteens the sale of spirits is prohibited, but beer and groceries are sold at a price regulated by the authorities. The canteen men pay no rent, in order that they may sell at the lowest possible figure : this is an innovation. There is "very little drunkenness in the camp." "The health of the men is satisfactory." On the whole, the writer is of opinion that "in point of discipline and drill, and in giving to raw levies within the shortest practicable space of time soldierlike habits and bearing, the camp appears to answer satisfactorily one of the great objects for which it was formed. It seems also to be successful in developing the usefulness of the Militia as a nursery of re- cruits for the Army ; but as a school for the instruction of our troops in the thousand-and-one exigencies of field-service, as an apprenticeship for campaigning, and as a great trial-ground for testing improvements in equipment and materiel, it has still its character to make, and the lavish outlay of public money upon it to justify."

COLONEL Tenn.—A telegraphic despatch from Vienna, dated Wed- nesday, states that "the Emperor, as a mark of consideration for his ally Queen Victoria, has granted a pardon to Colonel Turr." It may be recollected that the Colonel, when serving with the Austrian army in Italy, deserted and took refuge in Sardinia. He subsequently en- gaged in several revolutionary attempts made by Mazzini's party, and, escaping to England, when the war broke out took service in the British Commissariat. While engaged in his duties on the Danube he impru- dently crossed into Wallachia, and was arrested by General Coronini as a deserter.

DEATIf or MR. Jons Latoit.—Mr. Lalor, formerly one of the chief writers in the Morning Chronicle, and a contributor to the Quarterly Re- views, died on Sunday, at Hampstead. When Sir John Easthope disposed of the Chronicle, Mr. Lalor retired from the daily press, his health shat- tered from over-work. His writings, as the .Daily News in a friendly no- tice remarks, "were singularly pleasing and popular, and throughout a cri- tical period his counsels exercised considerable influence upon passing events. His style was clear and agreeable ; and his information both co- pious and varied. To the general public he will be best known by an Essay' on Education, and by his last work, entitled Money and Morals.' There are few men whose conversation possessed more charms, or whose tempera- ment was more winning than that which distinguished our deceased C011s- borateur ; and so highly was he valued for his intellectual endowments, that during a long and trying illness, his companionship was sought by several of the most eminent of our writers, as well as by not a few of our leading politicians."

THE PUBLIC ITEALTIL—The health of London is now in st more satis- factory state than it has been usually at this period of the year. In the week that ended on Saturday, 1029 deaths, of which 500 were those of males and 529 those of females, were registered. In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1846-'55, the average number was 1165; which if raised in pro- portion to increase of population becomes 1282. The deaths in the present return are less than the corrected average by 253.-1legistrar-Generars Report.

The usual political dinners were given on Wednesday, the eve of the opening of Parliament. Earl Granville received the mover and seconder of the Address in the Lords and a party of Peers ; Lord Palmerston the mover and seconder in the Commons and a number of Members of the Lower House. Lord Derby and Mr. Disraeli also entertained their friends of both Houses.

Viscount Hardinge entertained at dinner, on Monday, General La Mar- more ; along with the Duke of Cambridge the Sardinian Minister, Sc Harry Jones, Sir John Burgoyne, and Captain Peel, R.N. Lord Adolphus Eitzclarence is recovering—fiaihis recenrdangerous attack of gout.

Some of the inhabitants of Odessa have presented to General Osten-Sacken a silver bomb, with scenes connected with the bombardment of Sebastopol engraved on it.

A pension of 501. has been granted from the Civil List to Miss Thomasina Ross, known for her long connexion with literature, and her translatioas from the French, German, and Spanish. Captain Francis Pettal Smith has received a pension of 2001. in consider- ation of the services he had rendered his country as the first proposer and fitter of the screw to the mercantile marine and Royal fleet of Great Britain.

The steamer Belgique, the first of the new line between Antwerp, South- ampton, and New York, has egregiously failed : she has been compelled to put back to Southampton, after being out eighteen days having shown, it is said, that she was quite unfitted for Atlantic navigation. She was very leaky; the passengers had to work at the pumps, and when these became choked had to bale the water out with buckets : at length crew and passen- gers refused to work any more-the master was obliged to put back to an aglish port. When the ship was examined at Southampton, it was found that the seams and crevices of the iron .plates had been "payed" with lead ; this had worked out, and it is surprising that the vessel did not founder. The poorer passengers suffered great distress.

The new English iron screw-steamer Royal Charter has also been obliged to return; she left Liverpool on the 18th, and put back to Plymouth on the 26th. She had too much ballast, and was too deep forward, so that she skipped much water ; she encountered a hurricane off the coast of Portugal, and it was resolved to seek an English port. The excessive lading prevented the screw from being raised clear of the water when required. The only fault seems to have been the too great burden placed in the ship, arising from extraordinary demands for freight after 600 tons of ballast had been stowed in the hold.

In 1827 the steamer America was "snagged" in the Mississippi, and sunk iii deep water ; in the course of years an island formed over the wreck, and for eight years crops of Indian corn were raised upon it : now the changeful Father of Waters has attacked the isle, swept away the soil, and exposed the America's hull, from which it is expected a cargo of lead will be re- covered.

A great snow-storm prevailed along the Atlantic coasts from Virginia to Halifax on the 5th January : it lasted for eighteen hours, and was followed by an intense frost. The New York railways had to suspend their traffic. Many wrecks occurred off the American shores.

A return has just been issued showing the income and expenditure of the United Kingdom for three years, ended the 31st of March 1855. In the year ended the 5th January 1853, the income was 57,755,5711., and the ex penditure 55,229,3671. In the year ended the 5th January 1854, the income was 58,962,5121., and the expenditure 55,769,252/. Thus far there was an exeess of income over expenditure; but in the year ended the 31st March 1855, the former amounted to 64,091,6711., and the latter to 70,236,8171. ; leaving a deficiency of 6,145,2461.

According to a statement issued at New York, the Panama Railway pays well; after dividing 6 per cent among the shareholders there was estimated to be a surplus at the end of 1855 equal to another 3 per cent on the capital.

In a carriage case before the Court of Queen's Bench, recently, Mr. Haw- kins had frequently to advert to that description of vehicle called a "Brough- am" which he pronounced in proper dissyllabic form. Lord Campbell sug- gested that the word was as frequently contracted to "broom" which was just as well known. and the use of which would save a syllable. Hence- forward Mr. Hawkins called it "broom." Presently the argument turned upon omnibuses, and Lord Campbell frequently used the word "omnibus," to which he gave its due length. "I beg your Lordship's pardon," retorted Mr. Hawkins, "but if your Lordship will call it bus' you will save two syllables, and make it much more intelligible to the witnesses." Lord Campbell assented to the proposed abbreviation.

"In the name of the Prophet-figs !" A peripatetic vendor of potatoes in London has this inscription on a brass plate affixed to it tin can-" Kossuth for ever ! Hot baked potatoes."

The unhap y people of Poland are suffering from a new scourge, probably the effect of boil or insufficient food-typhus, which has broken out with great virulence, and is sweeping away large numbers of the population.

According to a statement made before the French Academy of Sciences, by M. Guerin-Meneville, a cure for hydrophobia has been discovered in Russia. It consists of a powder formed by pounding a little insect, the golden cetonides' found on rose-trees : it is administered internally, pro- duces a long and profound sleep, and in many eases is followed by a cure.

A Russian report says that such vast supplies of biscuit had been collected in the Government stores at Odessa and Simpheropol that 35,000 tchetwerts have been sold to the public.

The TVisconsin Mirror is printed actually "in the woods," on the banks of the Wisconsin. The projectors are look-ahead, as well as go-ahead people -the paper is started in the expectation that are long the "office" will be surrounded by "a large village-yea, a city " ; the expected subscribers having already begun to attack the forest.

The forests and mountains of the Eiffel, in the province of Treves, in Prussia, have for some time past been infested by a band of brigands who robbed travellers and vehicles ; they even stripped poor foot-passengers of their clothes, and some of these passengers were in consequence frozen to death. The authorities have just sent detachments of cavalry and infantry to hunt out these brigands. Heretofore brigandage has been very rare in Prussia.-Ga/ignoni.