LONDON AND EUROPEAN GOSSIP.

By his intended marriage with Mdlle. Sophie Eaffalovich, Mr. William O'Brien, M.P., curiously enough, will become closely related to an important Russian' official and to an English poet. Mdlle. Raffalovich, who is the daughter of one of the wealthiest merchants of Odessa, has two brothers — M. Arthur Raffalovich and M. Andre Raffalovich. The former, who, though a Russian by birth, has been educated in France, was some tenor twelve years ago private secretary to Count I bchouvaloff , the then Russian Ambassador in London, and now represents in Paris the Russian Ministry of Commerce. He is, ' besides, an eminent writer on political economy, commerce, and finance, and has contributed many articles on these subjects to various French periodicals and to a leading Paris journal of which he is the financial editor. M. Andre Raffalovich is, like bis brother, a Russian subject, but has chosen to make London his home. He has devoted much of his time to the study of English literature, and to such good purpose that be has written a volume of poetry denoting literary ability of no mean order. Mademoiselle Raffalovich herself has translated a number of English works into French, especially books on political and social economy. At Taunton, the other day, a coroner kindly invited the jnry to taste the poison by which the deceased had committed suicide. The pleasures of crowner's quest are evidently endless. \ It is in England that most salt is produced. The whole world's produce per annum is 7,300,000 tons. Of this quantity 5,280,000 tonß are produced in Europe ; and of the latter total Great Britain turns out 2,235, 000 tons. The dissolution, often rumoured and at length authentically announced, of the partnership between Sir A. Sullivan and Mr. W. S. Gilbert will not fail to cause sincere regret to the play-going public, who had long derived hearty enjoyment from tbat brilliant collaboration. It is understood that Mr. Gilbert is also seceding from association with Mr. DOyly Carte. A coroner's jury empanelled to ascertain the cause of the death of a notorious drunkard brought in a verdict of " Accidental death while unpacking glass." An American girl who wants to "mail" a kiss in the States presses her notepaper to her lips, and leaves ''a crinkled place down at the corner of the sheet, such as a damp spot might have left." An enterprising New York stationer has just brought out a paper "already kissed" for the use of amorous correspondents. The new romedy for consumption is surgical, and not medicinal. A German surgeon has just cured a patient of consumption by cutting away tbe diseased half of his left lung. The man is now perfectly well, and should the disease reappear tbe surgeon is ready to remove the rest of the lung. The price of cut diamonds to the public does not appear to vary in accordance with the market for the raw material — meaning diamonds in the rough. A fall of nearly j 20 per cent, lately iook place in the price of rough diamonds, but as tbe cut diamonds remain without quoted reduction, it may be assumed that the middlemen get great advantage from the said fall.