... A few days ago Ihad the good fortune (Writes a correspondent of the BBouk.seler) to spend a delightful hour vlth the most charming and refined of French contemporary writers. M. Alphonse Daudet lives in The heart of the Fau- bourn St. Germain, No. 31, Rue de Bellechasse, in which street two retired Presidents of the Republic-MacAlahon and Grevy-each possess a town residence. I must own that I ...

... | I _ I ?? El;UlW'5 AGSomi RUMOURED CAPTURE OF EMIN AND STANLEY.1 CAmo, Dse. 14. u The letter received by General Grenfell from Oimais Digna scontains details of the surrender to the Madists of the Equatoria Province and the capture of Emin Palsh and a whit travellerh atd lnclmndswaeSOal0Y of a letter addressed to Ehalifa by the dervish leader at Ldo, giving the date, of the .drreder rAA ...

... (SEASIDE LODGING ROUSES &AN 11I THE Ho usEDTY. o DEPUTATION TO MUt. GbsCIa r An important deputation. inclading rer I tires from most of the large .vatine plF,, 4i a 1on the Chancerior of the £:claturer a. % I 'et of Commons ilst evening, Lord EdWa * dish. Mr. Bowen Rowinnos, the joe. GC ca- Sir Tindall Robertson, Mr. M *s-e. SIr F r It mere, Mr. Seals Hayne, Mr. Appg Gardr tL- aother members ...

... I CABNiAflVNOXSL-^MrL W- AL Darbshbire hasl iss ued au address for the Liandwrog and GLynnog, I)istrict. -oaisxmin-Mr. U Tomlnto, j.P.. of Qintr&i Latbonm. has Condeaod to b' a candidate for thia divisionL A deontatiom waited upo LE d Sir Jobn¶L~bbOek yesterday to sk t1-X to heeo candidates for the jpepentadua of the City of London in the CountyCounl. Bth genleme consented to stand. . ...

... ITHE GREEN SIDE OF CHRISTMAS, I .- _. I There is no more pleasing feature in our Chtistines celebrations than the timehboouiredE custom of decorating our churches and houses with holly, mistletoe, and other enrgreean. Dame Nature has of late years robbed as of that carpet of sndw which uted to throw such a spirit of poetry and glamour of romance over the season, bit we still fortunately cling, ...

... TERRIBLE EXPLOSION IN LIVERPOOL A WOMAN &ILLED6 A ?? of gas occnured Iast night, in Liverpool, whioa unfortunaey resulted in t death of a woman, and the total destruction of Meser. Boddinuton's beerhouse, 16, Eldon-street, Vaunahil-road, occuned by Mr. Gardner and his wife. The premises in question stand among a lot of old property-on one side cottage houses, and on the other a court, It ...

... - 3 THE MOORE CHARTERS OF LIVERPOOL Sir ltames A. Ficton has prepared a report with sall Bid 'regzard so, the Moore charters and documents re- soy lating: to Liverp-col, and the first part was issued DUS yesterday, the Finance sad Estate Committee of to the Corporation having ordered it to be printed 11c alnd sent to the members of the3 City Council and an, to the learned societies in ...

... COUN1TY COUNILS. NoaRTr'WAtTOKI tiB intended-,to putrforward: ?? andldatointe intersatof the ratepavers in this disrict in opposition to Mr. Deean. Arrangements have been made-with a well-known gentleman by in tential bodyof residents, and thanewcsndida saddres will be publisbed in, the course of a day ortwo. DsNmsHsIHe-A meeting was held on Satur- day night at Burtou H%1l in support of the ...

... TO THE EDITORS OF THE TLTVtIWOOL 3MERCtRY, Gentlemen,-3our :nonymone correspondents, Lodge-lane and Lark lane, are evilently asham;ed or do not believe in the truth of their statemsets, otherwise they would not hide themselves behind a satl to throw mud, in the hope that some of it will stick. I will answer these gentlemen. as also the offensive letter of A. .Sparrow. who wishes tn knouv ...

... CONSERVATIVE -mEETG AT WAVERTREY SPMECHES BY M& A. 13. FOBWOODP, AND 3f ROYD, ?LP A meeting of Ccnsorvativa was held last n1hLb, under the auspices of the Wavetree O MnUervative YWorking Men's Club, in their pe , igh. street, NWavertree Mr. P. IL J. eeryk S(pre. sicdeut) occupied thechair, and among those pro. . sent were Mr. A. B. Forwood, MP. (Seetary to the Admiralty); Ar. T. B. Royden. M.P ...

... a MANCHESTER, LIVERPOOL, AND lY LANCASHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY )e The annual meeting of the members of this 6ociety was held yesterday, at the Lion Hotel, Warrington. The -ion. A. Egerton presided, and 16 amongst the gentlemen also present were the .Y AMayor of Wigvan, Captain Withington (Calcheth), le and Messrs. W. F. Brockholes, IL Darlington f. (Wiran), JoseDh Rawstone tPreston), B. ...

... I A CHINESE PUNERAL. I An interesting account is given in New York papers of a Chinese funeral which took pia lately in that city. The deceased, Li Ju l1oo, had been a general in the Tasping insurrection, had attained the 33rd grade in Ohinese Free- asonry, and was Grand Master of the Order in America; He had flourishing business estab- lishments at Boston and Philadelphia, as well as New York ...