1090 
the field. 
Saturday the question was raised before the I resident of 
the Ch if Tribunal, sitting in chambers, whether or not a 
married woman can become a dramatic 
such consent ’.-Madame Roger de 
Doze, of the Theatre Franfais is separa ed f om her lnis 
baud. Some time ago she wrote a piece in one act called 
- EntH Deux Airs," which was accepted by t e 
not alfow the rehearsals to continue. Mine. Roger do Beau- 
voir necordm^ on Saturday applied to a judge m chambers 
for authorisation to continue the rehearsals in spite of her 
husband's opposition. M. Roger do Beauvoir on the con- 
tran donmmied that they should be posit, vely forbidden 
until a full court should decide whether or not ho had the 
power to prevent his wife from becoming a dramatic author. 
The president decided that, os rehearsals are not the same 
thing as a performance, they may be continued, until the 
opinion of the court can be obtained on the mam question. 
— Galignani. . 
PROVINCIAL. 
Football at Winchester College.— On Saturday week 
the annual game of twenty-two of the commoners 
twenty-two of the collegians, took place in the College 
Meads. Some very excellent play was shown on both sides, 
and although the odds were in favour of the collegians, the 
commoners, by their great perseverance, obtained a tie, 
being, When the hour was called, five goala on both sides. 
The sides wore as follows College : 1 hillpotts (captam), 
Edwards, William*, Wickham, sen., Sewell, Hook, Majoudie, 
Piggott, Bourehier, Aldridge, Eaton, Come, Margo, Uoorge, 
Townc, Wickham, jun., Phillpotts, jun., Deane, Williams, 
jun.. Lambert, Harris, sen., Lipscomb, Commoner: Ihchens 
(captain), Theobald. Webster, Norsworthy, Streatfield, Hay- 
ward. Gundry, Wary, Heuty, Russell, Holmes, Harrison, 
sen., Boouy, Pauli, Priestley, Robertson, Park, WUlumiB, 
Burrow, jun., Dawn, Ilellicr, Merrimau, sen. 
SCOTLAND. 
Glasgow University. — The election of Lord Rector of 
Glasgow University took place on Wednesday, the retiring 
Rector being the Earl of Eglintoun. Three candidates were 
proposed— viz,. Mr. Disraeli, M.P., by the Conservatives, Mr. 
Thomas Carlyle by the Liberals, and the Duke of Argyll 
by the Presbyterian section of both parties. The contest 
was conducted with the usual keenness, the [turmoil 
being confided to the boys and lads in the college. Mr. 
Cavlylo was withdrawn at a late hour, when the students 
went to the vote on the two other candidates, and the result 
was, that the Duke of Argyll was elected by a majority in 
all the nations. The state of the vote was as follows : — 
Argyll. 
Disraeli. 
Nntlo Glotliana 
. ... 182 
C2 * 
— Londonliuia 
. ... 2!) 
28 
— Transforlliana 
. ... 47 
13 
ltotlm<yun& ... ... .. 
. ... Cl 
43 
2C0 
117 
A protest was taken against the validity of the Duke's elec- 
tion, on the ground that his Grace is Chancellor or the Uni- 
versity of St. Andrew's, and that it is therefore illegal to 
hold office in two colleges. The office of Lord Rector is 
almost a nominal one. Upon installation he delivers an ad- 
dress, and no more is heard of him. Under present circum- 
stances, it may be found that a member of the Cabinet has 
something else to occupy his time than that of preparing an 
essay for the Glasgow students. 
/orrigu Mrlligtitr?. 
FRANCE. 
( From our or on Correspondent.) 
Paris, Thursday, Nov. 1C. 
The TFnr — Preparation* to continue it on a gigantic scale — 
Movements of Troops — IAterary and Critical Squabbles— J.J . 
and Alexander Dumas — If is rupture mith bis Editors — Invi- 
tation to the Public — Management of the Grand Opera — 
Gambling and Suicide — Remarkable Criminal Trials. 
Tni: employes of the War-office and the commissariat have 
been, for the last week or two, more laboriously occupied 
than for many years past, in correspondence and arrange- 
ments for sending out another army to the assistance of the 
troops in the East. Telegraphic wires communicate from 
these offices with the Palace at St. Cloud, where the Emperor 
is understood to be occupied with Marshal Vaillaut, the 
Minister of War, and other military authorities, for several 
hours every day. Tn the mean time the deepest silence is 
imposed by superior orders upon the personnel of all the 
bureaux connected with the administration, so that no de- 
tails of what is intended finds its way to the public, except 
by the actual movement of troops, which no system of con- 
cealment can hide. Some of the regiments iu the vicinity of 
Paris are already cn route towards the coast, and artillery 
regiments are ordered to be ready to move at twelve hours' 
notice. It is surmised that Lord Palmerston's visit to the 
Emperor is immediately connected with the plans of the 
Allies for the energetic prosecution of the war, which it is 
now the opinion of all military men can only be brought to 
a conclusion by the employment of a most colossal force. 
“Critical’' and theatrical squabbles supply much of the 
chit-chat of the week in Paris. Madame Georges Sand, whose 
reputation, literary and social, is known to all the world, 
lnta just written a drama called Flaminio, composed upon 
two or three of her novels — well written, as every thing she 
does, but worth nothing as a drama. This has been generally 
attacked by the Critics of the press ; not, it is alleged by the 
lady's friends, iu consequence of its proper demerits, but 
because Madame Sand, who is, like all the world here, 
publishing her “ Memoirs,” has, in that work, dealt rather 
sharply with that class of scribblers. Among the rest, the 
well-known J. J. of the Debats has severely criticised the 
play ; upon which, Alexander Dumas indites a slashing 
epistle to J. J. (Jules Janin), accusing him of private malice 
against Madame Sand, and, at the same time, challenging 
him to do his worst against his (Dumas's) multitudinous 
works — consisting — he lets the reader know (for the char 
latan always breaks out) — of 900 volumes of novels, and 50 
plays. It is fair to add, that this formidable mass contains 
a few clever things, hut, for the most part, the veriest trash 
ever consigned by the public to precipitate oblivion. In 
general, I must add, the critical department of the once so 
distinguished Parisian press is in the most miserable state, 
J. J. being .me of the lost remnants of its former galaxy of 
brilliant writers. , 
Dumas is also the hero of another row. As the pro- 
prietor of a journal called Le Mousquctairc, ho lost week had 
a dispute with the principal writers, and conducted himself 
so cavalierly, that these gentlemen, who, it seems, have been 
writing for many months for “ gloire," and very little pay, 
insisted on some explanation. An interview accordingly 
took place, the result of which was communicated to the 
public in the following style :— 
' Dear Header, — I Have sent all the redueteurs of the MoutqutUurt to 
the rlght-al>out— turned the whole gang out ol doors. You may now 
come and gubscrit*e without fear of being bored to death with ennui 
I bhall write the whole journal myself. — Your obliged friend, 
“ ALEXANDRE DUMAS." 
This week has witnessed uuother revolution in spite of the 
2nd of December, which was to have put an end to them in 
Paris for aye. The present one is, however, confined to the 
grand opera; the late dictator, M. Nestor Roqueplau, after 
having boeu despoiled of all authority, and left with barely 
the shadow of the title of director, found the thing would 
not do, and resigned his barren sceptre. The immediate 
reason for this step is not yet known, but that there exists 
some imperative cause there is little doubt ; for our Nestor, 
would be indeed unworthy of his Homeric cognomen, were 
he to give up 25,000 franc3 a year and a residence like n 
palace, to say nothing of the other agremens, without some 
solid reason. However he gave it up, and it was transferred 
nislanUr to M. Crosnier, formerly director of the Porte St. 
Martin, and subsequently of the Opera Coimque, and at 
present member of the Senate. The malicious say the se- 
nator owes this piece of Government favour to his having 
brought out a piece at the Porte St. Martin iu 1831, on the 
subject of Napoleon. This could scarcely be the cause, for 
the affair at the Porte St. Martin — which, by the way, was 
also given at Coveut Garden — was a pale imitation of a drama 
by Alexander Dumas, previously represented at some other 
theatre. The reason will probably be found iu the fact that 
M. Crosnier has the character of an able administrator, and 
that the Minister, having got into a scrape by meddling with 
affairs of which he is profoundly ignorant — an ignorance 
which has not escaped the spiteful perspicacity of the green- 
room has been glad to obtain the aid of a man who pos- 
sesses experience in theatrical affairs, and is popular with 
the profession and also with the press, to put an end to the 
confusion and discord which official arrogance had created, 
ltoqueplan was too well-known a courtier to be of any assis- 
tance in the affair; and has we have seen, lie obligingly re- 
signed ; the quid pro quo we shall see registered iu the 
Moniteur, some of these days, without a doubt. You will 
have seen that La Cruvelli has returned. An emissary was 
despatched to the fail- fugitive in Germany, and his expla- 
nations and persuasions not only induced her to return, but 
led her to consent to the insertion of a paragraph iu the 
journal, half excusing her sudden fflight. Stories afloat, in 
which the name of an eminent functionary is mixed up with 
the lady's abrupt departure, are scandalous inventions, being 
simply the resuscitation of an indecent anecdote told of a 
well-known actress in the days of Louis XVIII. 
You will have seen a startling trial whichtook placethis week 
iu Paris, of a young man for the murder of poor Wahl, the 
Swiss watchmaker, mentioned some little time ago — one of the 
most cold-blooded crimes on record. What occasioned the 
most surprise at his trial, however, was the appearance of the 
murderer — a fair-haired slender lad, with light eyes, and a 
face of prepossessing innocence. Though upwards of twenty, 
no one would have given him above sixteen years of age, and 
altogether —the appearance of the culprit, with the sang-froid 
of his manner in giving details relative to the perpetration of 
the deed — presented a moral contrast, the most frightful that 
cau be imagined. The conduct and remarks of the judge in 
this case — and indeed in most trials here — were very like 
those of a garrulous angry old woman, and presented a singu- 
lar contrast to the dignity and temper of the English bench. 
The papers have been more prolific in crime this week than 
usual, the guilty parties being in most cases — and this is 
worth note in Eugland just now — convicts who had served 
their time at the hulks, and were again let loose on the public. 
In one case, a robber broke into a farmer’s house in the Dor- 
dogne while the family were at church, but was disturbed in 
his operations by the accidental arrival of one of the sons. 
He dispatched the unfortunate youth with a hatchet, and 
carried off all the money and valuables he could find. He 
wits discovered, and it appeared he was manned to a daughter 
of the farmer’s. In his defence he pleaded that a son-in-law 
could uot be tried for robbing his wife’s father, it being, at 
worst, only a mi -appropriation of property ; and as for the 
death of the young man, that, he declared, was no murder at 
all, as he had' been attacked, and killed the deceased in self- 
defence. This strange view of the law satisfied the jury, who 
brought in a verdict of memtre, similar to our “ manslaugh- 
ter,” and acquitted him of robbery ! So much for trial by 
jury in the Department of Dordogne. 
Gambling is at present carried on iu Paris to an extent 
positively frightful. Iu almost every saloon a card table is 
to be found, and lansquenet, rouge-et-noire, and viugt-un, are 
all the vogue. The other evening, at the house of an English 
gentleman iu the Rue de Rivoli, a young Frenchman, M. de 
X : , of , lost £4000 to .Sir W. II . This weighed so 
deeply on his mind, that the next day he committed suicide at 
the well-known restaurant of the Maisou Dored. After eating 
with great apparent enjoyment a cosy little dinner, ns he sat 
reclining in his arm chair, sipping his claret, a loudish report 
was suddenly heard. A gentleman sitting at a neighbouring 
table inquired whether an explosion of the gas had taken 
place. The young man replied, " No ; I have Bhot myself 
— voila tout/" and a pistol fell from his hand. The bullet 
had broken the spin6, and he almost iustantly expired. 
This unfortunate youth belonged to a highly respectable 
family, and a most touching letter was found on the body, 
bidding his mother adieu. This event has created great 
consternation in the English circle in Paris, and gambling 
is, for a time, at least, among the things tabooed at tbe at 
homes of Mr. R G , where the luckless game took 
place which led to this sad catastrophe. 
I'nm Mrlligrurr. 
COURT OF QUEEN’S BENCH.— Nov. 14. 
(Sittings in Banco. — Before Lord Campbell and Justices Coleridge, Wightman 
and Erie.) 
Alcenius v. Nygrin. — Right of action bt an alien. — 
This was an action brought by John Gabriel Alcenius against 
Carl Gustavo Nygrin, for money payable, work done, and on 
account stated for £52. 10s. The defendant pleaded that the 
plaintiff was on alien — that is to say, born in the empire of 
Russia, and was now an enemy of our Sovereign Lady the 
Queen, and was residing ill this kingdom without the license, 
safe conduct, or permission of our Lady the Queen. To this 
plea there was a demurrer. The arguments having been heard 
on both sides.— Lord Campbell said that the action must 
abate and judgment must pass for the defendant. Although 
the plaintiff was entitled before the declaration of war to all 
the privileges enjoyed by British subjects, yet he could 
not maintain his action jlagrante hello .— Judgment for the 
defendant. 
Gross Injustice by a Friendly Society.— The Queen v. 
Jardine, Esq. — Mr. Crompton Hutton moved last week for 
a rule to show cause why a mandamus should not issue to the 
defendant, one of the police magistrates of the Metropolis, to 
command him to hear a dispute relative to a claim on the funds 
of the United Kingdom Friendly Benefit Society, held at 
Castle-3treet, Long-acre, made by the widow of Charles Long, 
who had been one of its members. The following were the facts 
Btated by the learned counsel. The society was established 
in May, 1S89, Long became a member on the 22ud of Febru- 
ary, 1841, and continued bo until the early port of 1854, 
when the society Borne little time before Long’s death, with- 
out any fine, summons, or’uotice of any kind whatever, and 
without giving him any opportunity of explaining or denying 
the charge made against him, seut him a letter to say that he 
had ceased to be a member of the society on account of a 
violation of one of its rules. Long was too ill to attend to 
tho notice, and he shortly afterwards died. After his death 
his widow applied to the society, but Could get no relief, and 
a gentleman, named Milne, an attorney, wrote on her behalf 
to the secretary, expressly stating, that he did not write as an 
attorney, but solely as a friend of the poor woman, whose 
case he had heard, and who, he believed, really had nn honest 
claim against the society. The case was afterwards referred 
to arbitration, under the rules of the society, and the appli- 
cant contended that the award, which was unfavourable to 
her, could not be supported, first, because the resolution of 
expulsion against Long had been passed without his having 
received any notice, as required by the 32nd rule of the 
society, which provides, "that should any member be charged 
with a breach of these articles, for which the penalty is ex- 
clusion, and he be not present, he shall be summoned to at- 
tend to hear and answer such charges, and any accused mem- 
ber neglecting or refusing to attend for two meeting nights, 
after being summoned, (without assigning a satisfactory cause 
for his absence to the committee) be adjudged guilty and 
dealt with accordingly." And, secondly, because the rule 
under which Long was expelled, and which forbade a mem- 
ber while on the sick list from doing any work for profit or 
reward, had not been infringed, inasmuch as the only work 
charged as having been done by Long against the rules of the 
society, was that of wheeling tor about a quarter of a mile a 
wicker barrow, containing 6oine clean linen, which his wife, 
a laundress, had just washed, this being evidently not work 
for profit or reward. The learned counsel went very fully 
into the case, to show that the award was utterly void, and 
that this case ought to be heard before the magistrate. The 
court expressed, but with regret, au opinion that the rule 
must be refused. This certainly was a hard case, but that 
did not alter the rule of law. The application, in fact, 
amounted to an application that the magistrate might re- 
view the award, which could not be done. Whatever might 
be thought of the decision agninst this poor woman, it was 
final. The present application must be refused. This deci- 
sion is of great importance to members of Friendly So- 
cieties, the effect of it being, that however unjust or absurd 
the award of the arbitrators may be, and even although such 
award may be also (as in the above case) in direct violation 
of the rules of the society, no remedy is afforded to the 
unfortunate member, except when it can be proved that the 
award was corruptly and fradulently made, or, in other 
words, that the arbitrators decided in favour of the society, 
knowing and believing that their decision ought to be in 
favour of the member. To obtain such proof is, of course, 
impossible, where the arbitrators act with ordinary prudence, 
and go through the common legal form, retiring to consider 
their award, or appearing to do so, and the consequence is, 
that any member may be victimised with impunity by means 
of weak or unjust arbitrators, actiug under the influence of 
a few of the leading men in the society, whose hostility or 
personal prejudices may, however unworthily, have been ex- 
cited against him, and lead them to endeavour to exclude 
him from the society. The intention of the Legislature in 
allowing no appeal from the decision of the arbitrators, was 
the very laudable one of preventing litigation between the 
society and its members, as well for the protection of the in- 
dividual members as of the society, and supposing impartial 
and independent men, possessed of an ordinary amount of 
common sense, to bo appointed arbitrators, no objection 
could exist to this mode of proceeding, but a full considera- 
tion of the way in which these societies are formed, and the 
arbitrators appointed, -will show, that so far from being inde- 
pendent, they are almost certain to entertain a bias iu favour 
of the society aud to the prejudice of any individual mem- 
ber disputing its authority. It is a well-known fact, that 
these societies are formed in the first instance by a few active 
men, who canvass for and obtain a certain amount of members, 
and start the society; these few men form the managing 
committee, appoint the arbitrators, aud, in fact, are the go- 
verning body of the society, and, practically, the other 
members leave it to these men to make the necessary rules 
and appointments for the government of the society, and 
either never interfere at all, or if they do interfere, are im- 
mediately outvoted by those members who form the tail of 
the committee. Now, as the committee appoint the arbitra- 
tors it is not likely that they should appoint persons un- 
known to themselves, or that such persons, having no inte- 
rest in the society, would, unless acquainted w'ith some of 
the committee, accept such an office. Hence it happens that 
the arbitrators, or the greater port of them, are in general 
personal friends or acquaintances of some or one of the ma- 
naging committee, aud that iu the event of a dispute occur- 
ring between a member aud the society, or rather the com- 
mittee of the society, a strong probability must always exist 
of the matter being talked over, and the arbitrators preju- 
diced against the member, or possibly even of their forming 
a decision adverse to him before tho arbitration takes place. 
We have been led to make these remarks, as it appears to us 
that at present members of a friendly society have not that 
protection against injustice committed on the part of the 
managing committee which they ought to have, and we think 
it deserving of the consideration of Mr. Tidd Pratt, and of 
the gentlemen by whom these Acts of Parliament are framed, 
whether, under ordinary circumstances, it is possible that 
individual members will obtain justice at the hands of arbi- 
trators appointed in the manner which now prevails, and 
whether it may not for the future be desirable that all die • 
