MAIL ITEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 4053, 22 February 1876, Page 3

MAIL ITEMS.

PAUL MORPHY, THE CELEBRATED CHESSPLAYER. Our readers will leam with deep regret that this great player, whose brilliant conceptions in his published games have been the admiration of every lover of chess, has sunk into hopeless idiocy. A melancholy light is thus thrown on his unaccountable conduct in retiring, like Cincmnatus, to his plough, after having conquered the chess world, and persistently refusing to emergefrom his self-imposed obscurity. We think there can now be little doubt that the great strain on his faculties of the numerous matches played during his visit to Europe, and their concentration for so long a period on a single subject, operating on a weak and highly strung physique, produced a reaction which upset hismental equilibrium. This view receives support from a narrative of his visit published at the time, from which we find that his health was very indifferent, and that he actually played the first game of the match with Anderson in bed. It is well known that in incipient insanity the patient frequently exhibits a violent antipathy to- ■ wards the object of his former strongest attachment, so that his feeling, which the writer mistakes for the cause, was in reality but a symptom of the malady. It is plain that the symptoms commenced to appeal* shortly after his return from Europe, as he seems never to have made an effort to direct his faculties to any other pursuit, but in the words of the writer, “lived in a secluded and morbid existence,” attached to his mother’s apron strings. The present aberration of intellect must therefore be regarded as the result of causes which have been operating for years, and for that reason, we fear, must be of a hopeless character. The moral to be derived from this painful history is the danger of allowing the mind to dwell too exclu- ' sively on any one subject, and of permitting a mere pastime to absorb the attention which should be devoted to more important pursuits. Another journal says:—“ When a mere child he showed extraordinary powers m games of skill, and especially in chess. He was trained to the law, receiving a careful education, his family being in affluent circumstances, but, though he gave no prominence to his "chess studies, it was soon apparent that no player in this country could contest his superiority at the game. In 1828, he visited Europe, and easily conquered the players in England and, on the Continent. His remarkable powers of playing from memory blindfolded created great astonishment. At Paris he played blindfolded simultaneously with eight of the ablest players in Europe, won six of the games, the seventh being a draw, and losing only the eighth. His quiet style of playing, re* fined courtesy of manner, and unassuming modesty under his triumphs only made a most favorable impression in European circles. On his return to this country he was naturally a good deal of a hero, but, modestly declining to be lionised, he returned to New Orleans, his native city, to enter upon the practice of his profession and the real work of life, which he did not consider chess to be. The wealth of the Morphy family was destroyed by the rebellion, and since then Paul has been thrown upon his professional earnings for his support. His success has not been great as a awyer, and doubtless his failure to retrieve his broken fortune Las had an unfavorable effect upon his already clouded reason.” EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT OF A PRIEST.

An inquest has been held by Mr F. Prince, the Manchester district coroner, on the body of Mary Connely, aged 25 years, the wife of Andrew Connely, laborer, lodging in Whittaker street, Gorton Lane, who died on Wednesday morning. It seemed from the evidence given that the deceased woman was pregnant, and had been attended several times by a surgeon from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. When she got up on Wednesday morning, last she complained of being unwell, but as sh6 was known to be suffering from dropsy her husband did not anticipate anything serious, and he went to his work. She became much worse, and died between eight and nine o’clock. From information supplied to the coroner by the police, it seemed that the Rev. Mr Brendon, one of the priests at the monastery, Gorton, hearing that the woman was on the point of being confined,, requested Mr Frank Holmes, surgeon, of Gorton Lane, to perform an operation upon her with the object of obtaining the child from her alive, in order that it might be baptised and reared. Mr Holmes complied with the request, but failed to produce the child. When these facts came to the know ledge of Mr Price, the coroner, he ordered Mr G. Brebner, surgeon, Ashton Road, Openshaw, to make an examination of the deceased woman’s body. This was done on Friday afternoon, when it was found that there were no marks of external injury, and that the body was moderately well nourished. There had been an incision along the whole length of the abdomen, made after death. The operation appeared to have been performed in an unskilful manner. On reopening the abdomen, Mr Brebner found that the bladder had been opened and enlarged. The deceased had been suffering from chronic inflammation of the bladder and peritonitis. He found a foetus of about four months, which was quite healthy. The cause of death was inflammation of the bladder and a weak dilated heart. There was no appearance of any attempt to procure abortion. The police afterwards applied to Mr Holmes for the certificate of the woman’s death, but be refused to give one, and also said he would not supply any information of the case whatever. The Rev. Mr Brendon did not deny that he had requested Mr Holmes to perform the operation upon the deceased, and stated that he did so because he had heard from neighbors of the deceased that she was near the time of labor. After hearing the evidence the coroner, in addressing the jury, pointed out that the Rev. Mr Brendon had no authority to order the surgical examination of the deceasedl, such powers being alone vested in friends of deceased persons, coroners, and the Home Secretary. The jury, in returning a verdict of “ Sudden death from natural causes,” unanimously expressed their disapprobation of the conduct of the Rev. Mr Brendon and of Mr Holmes. MOBILISATION OF THE BRITISH ARMY.

_ Next to the way to the East, the “mobilisation of the British army ” has been the prime public question in Britain of late. The scheme may be briefly summed thus -Of the eight array corps which, under it, we are to have, the first is composed only of regular troops. The second of two-thirds of- regulars, and onc-third of militia; the remainder of a nucleus of regulars supported by militia and assisted by yeomanry. There will thus be placed at our immediate disposal 290,000 men for the protection of England, and 40,900 for foreign service. Each corps consisting of the troops quartered within a given geographical area,

each integral portion of it will, when wanted, fall into its proper place, with no necessity for removal beyond the limits of its own district. In addition to these qorps there is to be a garrison army, largely composed of Volunteer*. Provision is made for an increase in tho number of skilled officers and trained men, who are to act as the nucleus of local ajrmies. Coming to numbers, there will in each corps be 36,228 men, 10,585 horses, 1,410 can iages, and 90 guns. Each division will be composed of two brigades, and will muster 9,743 of all ranks, 1,805 horses, and 18 guns. Thus we are preparing for peace.