greater number of the works having been bought by Baron Taylor, in 1835, at the time of the suppression of the Spanish monasteries. The principal masters, whose works gave value to the collection, were Zurburan, Velasquez, and Murillo. Of Zurburan, four companion pictures, of sacred subjects, were bought by the Duke of Montpensier for 1700 guineas; the same Prince purchased also the "Virgen de la Faya," by Murillo, for 1500 guineas, and some other esteemed pictures, which will therefore be restored to Spain. The chief attraction of the sale was the "Nativity," by Velasquez, which was bought for 2050 guineas for our National Gallery. Some fine portraits by Velasquez brought from 250 to 300 guineas; a "Conception," by Murillo, 830 guineas; a "Magdalen," 840 guineas; a portrait of Andrea Andrade, the state verger of the Cathedral of Seville, by the same great artist, 1020 guineas; "Balaam and the Angel," by Alonzo Cano, 240 guineas. The entire gallery, which was disposed of in four portions, consisted of 528 pictures, and produced about 27,000l. SALE OF THE 66 STANDISH GALLERY" OF KING LOUIS PHILIPPE.The collection of pictures belong ing to the ex-King, known as the "Standish Gallery," have also been sold. Some interest attaches to this collection. It was formed by the late Mr. Standish, an English gentleman, long resident in Spain. During Lord Melbourne's administration, Mr. Standish offered to present his collection to the nation, hinting at the restoration of an ancient baronetcy in his family. The Minister refused to "barter the honours of the Crown." Of 66 bequeathed his gallery to the King fended by this refusal, Mr. Standish of the French. By the course of revolution, it now came back to be sold in the country of the offended contained some pictures of merit, collector. The "Standish Gallery" and these brought high prices. the Infante Don Carlos," by VelasThe principal was a Portrait of Murillo," by himself, 330 guineas. quez, 1600 guineas. Portrait of figures representing actors of the A landscape by Watteau, with large sum of 700 guineas. The Comedie Italienne, brought the entire collection produced 10,000 guineas. 66 property of the unfortunate House The dispersion of the family Even the pictures of the Duchess of Orleans has been complete. ceased husband, have been sold at of Orleans, collected by her deParis, and for a comparatively small sum. RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.-An accident occurred on the 5th of May, the York and North Midland Railnear the Hambleton Station of way. Milford Junction behind time, and An express train left the endeavoured to regain the loss by extra speed. In consequence, the into a field, but as the couplingengine and tender ran off the line iron broke, the carriages went off on to the down line, but remained fixtures, and no one of the passengers was hurt. While the carriages were in this position, a goods train was observed approaching. There was no time to pull up, and it therefore ran into the wreck, doing further damage. The driver and stoker of the express train neath their engine. were found crushed to death be It was the opinion of the coro ner's jury, who inquired into the cause of the disaster, that it arose from the defective state of the engine and the line; they therefore returned a verdict-novel, in this country-against the Directors of the Company for manslaughter. This unusual verdict was followed up by another. A porter at the Farnham Station of the South Western Railway was crushed between a newly-erected wall and an unexpected train, which conveyed the Hon. Francis Scott, the Chairman, and Mr. Beattie, locomotive superintendent of the Company, on official business. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of Manslaughter" against Mr. Scott and Mr. Beattie. The accident, however, so palpably arose from carelessness on the part of the deceased, and with no possibility of avoidance by the accused, that the indictment was instantly ignored. 66 An accident of a novel and dis. tressing character has occurred on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. A passenger-train had stopped at Lea Gate Station; persons wishing to leave the carriages there have to cross another line of rail to get to the platform. Some people being about to descend-an express train was in sight-a guard cried out, "Don't get out!" or "Don't get out on that side!" The exclamation was not understood, or understood in an opposite sense, and the express-train whistle being heard, the passengers thought a collision was imminent they rushed out of the carriages and tried to get across the rails; some succeeded, but two were struck down by the express and literally cut to pieces. Numerous other accidents, involving death to the railway ser VOL. XCV. vants and injury to the passengers, occurred during the month. CRIMINAL RETURNS FOR ENGLAND AND WALES.-Some returns relating to crimes and offences have been laid before Parliament, which afford a favourable view of the condition of society. Thus the total number of commitments in the year 1852 was 27,510, being considerably below the average, and 3899 fewer than in 1842. Of offences of the first-class offences against the person-the totals continue nearly the same, there being an increase in murders and attempts to murder, and in concealment of births; but a great decrease in stabbing, wounding, &c. In the second-class of offences against property with violencethere is a decrease, chiefly on burglary and house-breaking. In the third-class-offences against property without violence-there is a slight decrease. In the fourthclass-malicious offences against property-a decrease. In the fifthclass-forgery and offences against the currency-an increase. In the sixth-all offences not comprised within the previous classes-an increase of 22.9 per cent., chiefly arising from commitments for perjury under the new law, which makes parties to a cause witnesses. As regards punishment, the chief matter for remark is the great diminution of sentences to transportation-a difference not arising from a decrease of transportable crimes, but from the alteration of the law in respect to the infliction of that punishment. Of the crimes which still remain capital-now reduced to eight, of which high treason afford no recent example-the following are the convictions in the last ten years :-F In the 61 capital convictions in 1852, judgment of death was recorded in 42 cases, so that the sentence of death was actually passed upon 19 persons only; and of this number, nine-seven males and two females-were executed. When the great facility and rapidity of communication in the present day, the general publicity of all occurrences, and the excellent organization of the police, are taken into account, these returns seem to be very satisfactory. rationality of the farce; the divine and the pious claimed it for a power of the Creator, or solemnly imputed it to the workings of the Devil; the general laity, especially the women, beheld, wondered, and believed, and rejected every explanation that did not admit the fact as presumptuous self-sufficiency. The faith in question is termed "Table - Moving." The public gravely believed that if a number of persons stood round a table— no matter what its material, form, or size, or its isolation or nonisolation-each pressing the tips of the fingers of the hands on the surface, while the little-fingers were interlaced into those of his neighbour's so as to form a continuous chain, there would, after an inter THE TABLE-MOVING MANIA. It is as wholesome-perhaps more so-to record the follies of mankind as their crimes, errors, and misfortunes; for while the latter may and frequently do arise from unconnected causes, or from unavoidable chance, the former must'val of uncertain duration, be origialways be due to weakness or unreasoning. The record, therefore, which would convey no warning to the criminal, may shame the weak or awaken the inert. A credulity, one of the most simple that has befooled society, has been turning the heads of a large portion of the community. The wise contributed no small numbers to the simpletons; the scientific gravely expounded the nated a mysterious power or force, which would gradually set the table in a rotatory movement, continually increasing in speed, and hurrying along with it the adventurous experimentalists, until, terrified and exhausted, one of them should drop off and thus break the chain. As the marvellous power thus discovered was not originated by any artificial compound or philosophical apparatus, but was inhe rent in all, or nearly all, persons, and not only in all tables, but in all other materials capable of being moved and especially hats-the experiment was successfully performed in the lecture rooms of provincial societies, in public rooms, and even at private parties; and received the faith of incredible numbers. Many persons of presumed scientific acquirements wrote treatises explanatory of the principles of the new science, attributing it to electricity, magnetism, attraction, mesmerism, or to some new unrecognised physical power able to affect inanimate bodies, giving it a systematic scientific dignity. Clergymen preached or lectured upon it, and the advertising columns of the newspapers teemed with essays and pamphlets treating the subject in its religious bearings. So singularly did the subject take possession of the public mind, that Professor Faraday did not deem it beneath his dignity to publish an address to expose the delusion, on the simple principles of inductive science. Mr. Faraday declared himself "greatly startled by the revelation which this purely physical subject has made of the condition of the public mind," and administered the severe rebuke that the system of education that could leave the mental condition of the public body in the state in which this subject had found it, must have been greatly deficient in some very important principle. According to this acknowledged philosopher, the phenomenon is due to nothing more than the preponderance or resultant of physical force in one direction, given by a quasi-involuntary muscular action of the experimentalists, when their minds have been deadened by long waiting in vacancy, and the sense of touch in the fingers is benumbed Several by continued pressure. simple and conclusive experiments showed most clearly that the movement resulted from the will of the operators, and that the supposed miracle was nothing more than pushing the table round. When an indicator was placed upon the table, concealed from the experimentalists, the index wavered about as though under the influence of contending forces, until it finally took a decided direction, and the phenomenon occurred in the usual manner; when, however, the apparatus was kept in sight, it proved to possess a corrective power over the mind of the table-turner-the instant each perceives that he is pressing obliquely instead of directly downwards, as he supposes, the power is gone; and this only because the parties are made conscious of what they are really doing mechanically, and so are unable unwittingly to deceive themselves. By this explanation, so scientifically exact and popularly intelligible, the delusion was dispelled. The imposture passed into the hands of mesmerists, clairvoyants, and conjurors, and degenerated into "table rappings" of the ordinary vulgar class; and though some parties who ought to have known better declared themselves duped, the experiments became matter of holiday amusement. THE WEATHER - The spring quarter has been singularly cold and ungenial. From the 20th of April to the 15th of May, a period of bitterly cold weather was experienced. The temperature was frequently 8°, 9°, and 10° below the average; on two days the defect was 13° and 14°. Snow fell frequently in April, and very heavily in the first two weeks of May. In the neighbourhood of Sheffield the lines of railway were shut up by snow. Several trains were imbedded in snow-drifts, and the passengers endured much danger and privation. The untoward character of the spring weather produced very evil consequences to the corn crops, and contributed much to the deficiency and inferior quality of the harvest of this year. JUNE. SALE OF ENGRAVINGS. A very fine collection of etchings and engravings has been sold by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson, some of the specimens in which brought unprecedented prices. A "Bag-piper," by Berghem, 35l. 10s.; "Adam and Eve," by Albert Durer, 261. 5s.; "St. Hubert," esteemed the masterpiece of that artist, 287. 10s.; The Resurrection of Lazarus," by Lucas van Leyden, the finest impression known, 50l. 108.; the "Passion of our Lord," the rarest of that artist, 761.; Christ presented to the People," 771.; "Interior with Peasants Drinking," Ostade, 391.; "Queen Elizabeth," Crispin Passe, 271. 58.; "St. Cecilia," Raimondi, 44.; Christ Healing the Sick," by Rembrandt, known as "the guilder print," 50l.; Portrait of Old Haaring," Rembrandt, 581.; "The Burgomaster Six," Rembrandt, 801.; "St. James Fighting the Saracens," Schoengauen, 42l. 10s. " 66 66 2. DREADFUL STEAM-BOAT EXPLOSION.-A dreadful accident occurred to the Times, a screwsteamer plying between Dublin and Liverpool, by which 12 persons lost their lives. The vessel left the North Wall, Dublin, hav ing on board 308 deck passengers, seven cabin passengers, and some cattle. When off the Pigeon House (a fort in Dublin Harbour), one of her boilers exploded, or rent, and the vessel was instantly enveloped in scalding steam. The unfortunate passengers, who were crowded chiefly in the waist, were injured in the most shocking manner by the jets cf scalding water and still hotter steam, and uttered the most piercing shrieks and cries; and the cattle, exposed to the same injuries, bellowed in agony and became furious. When the alarm had in some degree subsided, the unfortunate passengers were landed, and it was found that 33 persons were injured, some of them very severely, and that a boy and girl were dead. Ten of the wounded died in the hospital. 5. GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY ROAD. A terrible fire, by which property valued at 100,000l. was consumed, occurred in the City Road, about 10 o'clock A.M. The premises in which it broke out were those of the Patent Gutta Percha Company, situate at the edge of the Wenlock Basin, City Road. Adjoining the Gutta Percha Company's works on one side, was an extensive factory for making Edwards's fire-lighters, belonging Mr. W. Gorton. In the yard of these works stood a pile of wood, containing 140 fathoms, or about one ship-load and a half. From the fact of the Wenlockbasin, which was 100 feet wide, being behind, and filled with water, not the least fears were entertained of the flames being able to attack the wharfs and warehouses on the opposite side; but, unfortunately, such was the extraordinary progress of the fire, that |