MAIL NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3096, 20 January 1879, Page 1

MAIL NEWS.

A painful affair has just occurred at Odessa, in whicktheprincipal.tptor was a Nihilist, though it cannot be said thai; the act charged against him was one of peculiarly Nihilist character. Two brothers belonging to a family of small landed proprietors, Enkouratoff bj name, were so;much attached to one another, that they could not lire apart. For this reason, perhaps, when the elder of the two, Pimen, joined a Nihilist idciety the younger, Domed, did the same. The EnkoTatoffa belongecLto-th* nobility f but that did not prevent Pimen from marry* ing a peasant girl. This act, so strikingly democratic in character, gained for him the high approbation of his fellow Nihilists. Pimen, however, had married the young girl hot for the sake of Nihilism; but from true affection; and the devotion which he had shown to her before marriage did not cease with the honeymoon; aft& tp the astonishment, if not indignation; of his Nihilist friends, seemed likely to endure for an indefinite time. Unhappily; 'Dbnjeti, the younger brother, sympathised io entirely with Pimen, the elder,' thfrt he conceived,.* violent passion for the iatter!s wife, and showed so. much'pertinacity in his attentions to his »i»ter-in r law that it became necessary to speak to him seriously on the subject. The involuntary, cause of all this trouble was devoted to her husband, who' naturally should have turned his brother out of the house. Pimen, however, still allowed Domett to live, with him,: and to assuage his jealousy consented even to liveapart from his wife, and to " treat her," as the report of the trial put it, "like a sister." One night Pimen was wakened by hi. wife running into his room and crying out that Dometi, armed with a razor, was about to attack him. She was followed by the infuriated Dometi, armed with a razor; and Pimen in self-defence took np 1 a-revolver which every Nihilist seems to have at hand, and shot his brother through the heart. The jury decided that Pimen actia :lin selfdefence, and at once acquitted him. German newspapers state that Prince "William of Prussia, the Crbiirti jPrince's eldest son,' 'jtijjfa acquired similar skill in playing the vio)^—" the queen of all musical instruments, as it has been called —to that which distinguishes one of his uncles. Patriotic Prussians attribute the gift to descent on the father's side, and call to mind the fact that the Great Frederick was a most talented musician. Prince William's talent for music has lain dormant many years,; and has indeed only recently shown itself, to the surprise of his parents, who, while, being very fond of good music—of the old sort that is, for it.is added that the Crown Prince has not much fondnessfor " Wagnerian music of the future"—never suspected their son of being favored by the muses. It appears, that the Prince acquired his present skill at playing by taking lessons in private, without his father's knowledge, at Bonn, where he is a student. The Coblenzer Zeitung relates an incident in the private life of the Crown Prince and his family, which happened a very short time ago. The Crown Prince, being partial to popular tunes, ordered the Hungarian Band, ndw staying at Berlin, to play at one of his family gatherings; In a pause between the .music Prince Willia^ ■ aslted the first violin player to-lend him his violin for a moment, and walking up quietly to behind the Crown Princess, who was engaged in conversation with some ladies, struck up one of Strauss' waltzes. The Crown Princess turned round to see where the music' came from, and was equally surprised and delighted to find that it was her son playing, playing so nicely, too, that she and. all the ladies applauded. He went through a variety of times, .waltzes, students' songs, and quadrilles, and on leaving off and making his bow was rewarded not only with the hearty applause'from the Princesses and ladies present, but by words of commendation from the bandmaster tind the Crown Prince. Modestly disclaiming any merit for himself, he returned the violin to its owner with the words, " Your violin plays well." .

Mr Jamrach, the animal dealer, of St. George's street East,, writes Mr Frank Buckland, in Land and Water, that he had just received a valuable and interesting mummy from Peru. "The box containing the Peruvian was in an attic; when the lid was suddenly taken off the box I confess for a moment that the sight gave, as they say, a bit of a turn. The body was covered with cry stalsithat shone like mica scales, and gave it a peculiar ghastly appearance. The history of this specimen is as follows. It was discovered in a nitre mine at Iquique, in Peru, and is supposed to be of very great antiquity. It is the body of a female; ; the lady must have bad. very long and beautiful hair, she <wore it in plaits hanging over her shoulder* ffcrid down her back. One of the plaits still bears traces of a rude ornament. The skiio of the face is dried up, and bears maris upon it as though it had once been ' enveloped in a cloth. The arms are laid by-the side, one knee is crossed over the •other. On making a more careful inspeci twinjE (ascertained from, the appearance of : •<&», ends of the • bones that. this was a mummy of a foraalo about fourteen years old. The ejes are staring wide open, che tongue adherent to the roof of the mouth. I do not know whether (this Peruvian £irl had been : buried,, or whether she Iliad by accident fallen down into the retro mine, or if the nitre had fallen down upon her from above and so caused her death. It is, of course, impossible to state the date of this mummy, I; see that in the country adjacent the Pacific, Peru, saltpetre is abundant, and that great quantities are exported by English vessels. This mineral is not a nitrate of potash, but a nitrate of. soda. Nitrate of soda was one of the substances used by - the ancient Egyptian priests'in making their mummies." •■;:■'. , . Continued in page 4.