THE HEIGHT OF MEANNESS is running in debt for one's holiday presents.  -
'The Hornet'

MR. HENRY DEANE, a local solicitor, has been *****ed coroner for the
Northern Division of Leicestershire.

KARL COWPER having resigned the office of Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
will be succeded by the EARL OF ILCHESTER.

THE PETITION against the return of MR. MILLS for Exeter has been presented.
The seat is not *****ed for SIR EDWARD WATKIN.

CELIBACY AND WEDLOCK. - If single life is bad, then it stands to reason that
double life is twice as bad - 'Punch'

A BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY commenced on Tuesday at the Greenwich Police-court
relative to the ****inion between the Ville du Havre and the Loch.

A SHOPKEEPER was brought before the magistrates of Jarrow-on-Tyne, and was
fined £50 for selling whiskey to boys and £100 for exposing spirits for
sale.

MR. RICHARD CHEARNLEY has been appointed a deputy-lieutenant for the county
of Waterford, in the room of COLONEL VILLIERS STUART, deceased.

THE JUDGES on the rota for the next sessions at the Central Criminal Court,
which will commence on the 12th of January, are Chief Justice COLERIDGE,
Mr. Baron BRAMWELL, and Mr. Justice LUSH.

MAGNANIMOUS MAXIM. - Never give a Christmas-box to any underling who has it
not in his power to spite you, if he chooses by neglecting your business. -
'Punch'

THE SHIP ANCILLA, 715 tons, of Glasgow, went ashore on the South Rock, on
the Irish coast, and is likely to become a total wreck.  The master and crew
were saved and landed.

THE AMERICAN PAPERS announce the death of COLONEL FREDERICK DENT,
father-in-law of PRESIDENT GRANT, at the White House, Washington, on the
15th ult. at the ripe age of 88.

RE-ASSURING. - Criticising Friend (to nervous man on new horse):  "O ! now I
recollect that mare.  *****rn bought her of Crashem last season,, and she
broke a collar-bone for each of them. - 'Punch'

AN INQUEST was held relative to the death of MR. D. MILDRED, of Preston, who
committed suicide by cutting his throat.  The jury could not decide as to
the state of mind of the deceased at the time of the fatal act.

THE CORONER'S INQUIRY into the fatal disaster on the Tyne has resulted in a
verdict that the men were drowned by the sinking of the Gipsy Queen, and
that she was at the time being navigated improperly.

THE BRONZE STATUE of General PHIL KEARNEY, one of New Jersey's contributions
to the National Gallery at Washington, is at present in Trenton, and will be
unveiled at the Capitol during the session of the New Jersey Legislature.

UNITED STATES PAPERS report that marine losses on the lakes in 1873 as
amounting to 3,976,000 dols., or nearly a million more than in 1872.  The
number of vessels of all kinds lost or damaged was 1318, being 573 more than
in 1872.

AN ORDER has been issued from the War Office granting to the children of the
permanent staff of the auxiliary forces in future the privilege granted to
children of the miltia staff of being admitted gratituously to army schools.

HE OUGHT TO BE PITIED. - Clergyman:  "I'm afraid you're tipsy Lachie."
Lachie:  "Ye ******be 'feerd - yer quite reet."
Clergyman:  "I'm sorry for it."    Lachie:  "So am I, fir I got fou far over
****.  The whiskey was gran'  !  !  ! "

IT IS THE PRACTICE at the Greenwich Hospital Schools to employ little boys
to look after the "coppers" in which the tea is made.  The result of this
practice is, that one of the youngsters fell in on Friday, and was scalded
to death.

NEW PRETENSIONS to the throne of Morocco have been made by EL KABER BEN
ABDER HAMAN BEN SHIVAN, who has encamped with an army in the vicinity of
Fex.  All was quiet in that city, but several gates were closed.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY has called a meeting of bishops to be held at
Lambeth Palace, on Tuesday, the 13th  ' to consider ' divers weighty and
important matters connected with the Church."

JUDGE WILLIAM J. ROBERTSON, it is stated, is named as likely to succeed JOHN
F. LEWIS as United States senator from Virginia.  The name of JUDGE BARBOUR
is also mentioned in the same connection.  Another candidate is MR. THOMAS
S. BOCOCK.

A NICE KIND OF BOY TO ASK OUT. - Johnny:  "What ! only had one slice of cake
and an orange !  You must be a muff !  Why, I've had eight slices and four
oranges, and I've got both my pockets full of nuts." - ' Judy '

HER MAJESTY has graciously consented to lend nine pictures by WILKIE - "The
Blindman's Buff,"   "The Penny Wedding,"   "The Siege of ********,"    "The
Guerrillas' Departure,"    "Guerrillas Return,"    "Guerrillas' Council,"
and others, to the Art Instruction Department of the International
Exhibition of 1874.

MR. T. BRASSEY, M.P. has addressed a letter to the supporters of the
Permissive Bill in Hastings, in which, whilst deploring the evils of
drunkenness, he emphatically declines to vote for the bill.  He advocates
the imposition of restrictions upon the granting of new licenses, and the
transfer of the responsibility for granting licenses to municipal bodies.

A YOUNG MAN NAMED COOPER, employed at the Albion Mill, Batley Carr,
Dewsbury, with two factory girls, was playing with the crane.  The young man
took hold of the rope, and the girls set the crane in motion, and in their
fright did not stop it.  The young man was drawn to the top of the factory
and then fell to the ground and was killed.

THE MAN who was just suspected of being concerned in the brutal outrage and
murder at Carling Howe, near Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland, has been
discharged, and three others, named BOWLER,   SHAW,  and  KNIGHT, miners,
all of whom are under twenty years of age, have been apprehended. 


THE MAYOR OF OXFORD, MR. JOHN GALPIN has received from the War Office
authorities a notification that the plans for the barracks and the whole
arrangements in connection with Oxford as a military centre have been
completed and approved.

COL. PASKE, an officer of the Indian army, was brought before the Brantford
magistrates on the charge of assaulting his gardener.  The bench declined to
convict, and the chairman remarked that the charge had not been proved.

IT IS STATED that arrangements are under the consideration of the heads of
the Church and the directors of the leading Church Societies for the
establishment of a Bishopric for North Europe, the seat of which shall be at
Heligoland.

THE ROUMANIAN CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES has passed a resolution in favour of a
speedy amendment of the Penal Code, and a bill to carry out the resolution
is to be immediately introduced.  The former Minister of Public Works has
been appointed Roumanian diplomatic agent in Berlin.

A SERIOUS IMPEDIMENT in the way of supplying fresh meat to the troops on the
Gold Coast has presented itself at Madeira.  The island, unfortunately has
been visited by cattle plague, by which the animals already shipped for Cape
Coast have been affected.

ABRAHAM HOGERTOVEN was charged at Liverpool with embezzling jewellery to the
value of £3000 intrusted to him by MR. A. R. RAPP, diamond merchant, of
London.  The prisoner denied the embezzlement, and declared that he was MR.
RAPP's partner.  He was remanded.

THE 'ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE' understands that the Turkish Government is about
to contract in this country for the building of two steamships, the price of
which is to be about £40,000 each, and it is believed that MESSRS. SAMUDA
BROTHERS' tender for the same will be accepted.

JUNION SUB-INSPECTORS appointed within the last year have just received an
intimation from the Treasury that by an Act passed in 1871, which reduced
their pay from £300 to £200 a-year, they are called upon to pay an
initiatory fee on their appointments of six guineas, and those promoted
since receiving the same, ten guineas.

COPENHAGEN IS NOW SUFFERING from a plague of darkness in consequence of a
strike of gas-stokers, and the inhabitants are experiencing some of the
delights of the "good old days" before gas was invented.  The tyrannical
stokers demand an extra shilling per day all round, and until they get it,
determine to keep the town in darkness.

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES will, it is now definitely arranged, start
for St. Petersburg on the 10th of January, to be present at the wedding of
the DUKE OF EDINBURGH and the PRINCESS MARIE.  The children of the Prince
and Princess of Wales will remain at Sandringham during the absence of their
Royal Highnesses.

SAMUEL TIDMARSH, an ironfounder of Smethwick, and THOMAS SNOW, one of his
employes, were committed for trial at Birmingham for conspiring to defraud
MESSRS. PHILLIPS AND SONS, bedstead makers.  Three of the TIDMARSH's
employes were sent out by him to America, but were arrested, and gave
evidence for the prosecution.

MR. WINTERBOTHAM's FUNERAL. - The remains of the late MR. WINTERBOTHAM have
been interred in the Protestant burial place outside the walls of Rome.
Among the mourners were the three brothers of the deceased, MR. BLAND
(Speaker of the House of Commons),  SIR AUGUSTUS PAGET (the British
Minister), and MR. BAXTER.

EASTER MONDAY REVIEW. - Hopes are confidently entertained that the Easter
Monday Volunteer Review which was permitted to lapse last year, will be
revived in 1874, not at Brighton, but in all probability at Portsmouth.  A
general falling off in the number of recruits during 1873 is attributed to
the fact that there was no review in that year.

SENTENCE OF DEATH. - Sentence of death was passed by MR. JUSTICE HONYMAN at
the Aylesbury Assizes on THOMAS WARD NICHOLLS, shoemaker, who cut his wife's
throat at Olney on the 22nd of September last.  The woman, who bore a bad
character in the village, was drunk and quarrelsome on the forenoon of the
murder.  The jury appended to their verdict a strong recommendation to
mercy.

A SCHEME is said to be under consideration for the amalgamation of the three
great educational trusts of the city of Manchester, namely, Hulme's Trust,
the Free Grammar School Trust,  and the Cheetham Hospital Trust, with a view
to the promotion of secondary education for boys and girls in the city of
Manchester.  MR. FEARON, the assistant commissioner of the Endowed Schools
Commission, has been in Manchester during the past week holding a conference
with each separate body of trustees.



A HAMPSHIRE AGRICULTURAL PAPER (American of course), which has been keeping
a record of prize roots, announces that at last, "the beet that beat the
beet the other beet is now beaten by a beet that beats all the beets,
whether it be the original beet, the beet that beat the beet, or the beet
that beat the beet that beat the beet."

Perhaps somebody will try to beat that. .................Judy.


OCEAN PATHWAYS. - In view of the Ville du Havre disaster, the New York
Chamber of Commerce passed a memorial on December 17, to be presented to
Congress, asking that body to take measures for the appointment of an
International Committee, to be composed of delegates from the maritime
nations of Europe and America, whose duty it should be to draw up a map upon
which the pathways of inward and outward bound ships and steamers shall be
marked out so clearly that there shall be no possibility of a collision.

THE RUMOURED DEATH of ROCHEFORT has been semi-officially denied.

THE VENETIAN JOURNALS announce the death of a man 100 years old, at
Montecchio-Maggiore (Vicenza).  He leaves a wife aged 94.

GENERAL FRIEDBACH, who has hitherto been commandant of the Polish gendarmes,
is to be the new Governor-General of Siberia.

LORD H. G. LENNOX, who has been staying in the south of France, has returned
to England in a greatly improved state of health.

THE DEATH is reported of LIEUT-GENERAL ARTHUR JOSEPH TAYLOR, late
inspector-general of the Royal Artillery, and for some years equerry to her
late MAJESTY THE QUEEN DOWAGER.

THE KING OF ITALY has honoured MR. GABRIELLE, the contractor of the Chatham
Dockyard extension, by conferring on him the order of the Crown of Italy.

IN MADRID it is rumoured that the Spanish Government still insists on
demanding the return of the Virginius and the payment of an indemnity by the
United States.

THREE CHILDREN of an engine driver, named HADLEY, have been shot in various
parts of the body, at Twickenham, through the carelessness of a gentleman
who was firing at a bird.

LIEUTENANT JOHN RAMSAY, R.N., has been appointed equerry to the DUKE OF
EDINBURGH, in the room of the HON. E. C. YORKE, now an extra equerry to HIS
ROYAL HIGHNESS.

GALIGNANI states that MARSHAL MACMAHON's Christmas tree cost 2500f. (£100).
The President entertained this week a number of his young nephews and
nieces.

THE UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT, according to the "Broad Arrow', has given
additional orders to COLT's Company for fifty Gatling guns, of light weight
and short barrels, calibre 50.100.

IT IS STATED that MR. JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE, M.A., has consented to be
nominated as President of the Birmingham and Midland Institute for the
coming year.

THE 'SCOTSMAN' understands that the Woman's Suffrage party intend to open
the winter campaign with a great Conference at Birmingham, and that the
meeting will be held in the latter part of the month of January.

FOLLOWING UP THEIR DISMISSAL of DR. HAYMAN, the Governing Body of Rugby
School have advertised that on the 7th of April next they will proceed to
the appointment of a headmaster of the school.

AN INQUEST appointed to be held at Dulwich on the body of JANE COLLYER,
which was found in a ditch there, had to be adjourned till Monday, in
consequence of only ten jurymen answering the summons.  The three
deafulaters were fined £5 each.


 
-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message