The Sun. — London, England, 1869-04-30 00:00:00

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GUARDIAN. GLENI E, of the SPORTING LIBRARY, k_A . 4, Conuauglit-terrace, Hyde-park, London, W., begs to iurern his customers, and the Licensed Victuallers in general, that he has been appointed Agent to the above-named paper in addition to his agency for the Sporting Edition of "THE SUN," and can supply the soma on Friday evening, if requited, in town or country. G. R. I} to inform the Trade that he is Agent for the LATE sT EDITION of " THE SUN," and can supply it earlier than auy otacr men in London or Country the evening of publl cation. No connection with any other pereons. Badly's, Ruff's, Wright's. awl M•Call's Guides. All the Daily Papers, Magazines, and Perh.licals as soon as published. Agent for the Joint-Stock Coal Company. Orders by post attended to: ONN CTOSNTLL and Ci;.'S (71.1 Er:2:l - Tot tII PAS Tr, is groatly superior to any tooth I ; ortior ; gees the teeth a pearl whitmess, protects the enamel from decay, and imparts a pleasant fragrance to the breath. Price Is. 6d.—Red Bull Wharf, 03, Upper be meg- street, London. - NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE. A GUA. AMARELIAA restores the Haman Hair to ifs pristine hue, no matter at what age. .3 NO. GOSN ELL and CO. have at length, with the aid of one of the most eminent Chemists, succeeded in perfect ing this wonderful liquid. It is now offered to the public in a more concentrated form, and at a lower price. Sold in bottles, 3s. each ; also 55., 7s. 6d., and 15s. each. including brush. Red Bull Wharf, Angel-passage, 93, Upper Thames street London. E.C. AGENTS WANTED EVERYWHERE to introduce commodities valuable to every householder high and low. This offers a highly remunerative Commission to Tradesmen, Travellers, Gentlemen's Servants, &c. Apply with two stamps to R. MARRISON, Great Orford-street, Norwich. T HE EAST GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAIL WAY COMPANY. Incorporated by 27th and 28th Pict., cap. `:B5, 29th July, 1864. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that an EXTRA ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING of the Proprietors will be held on FRIDAY, the 14th day of May next, at 12 o'clock at noon precisely, at N 0.4. Old Palace-yard, West minster, pursuant to the "Railway (Extension of Time) Act, 1868," for the purpose of obtaining their ass,mt to, or dissent from, an application to the Board of Trade for the following purposes, that is to say:— To extend the time for the purchase of land, and the construction of works for the railways, authorised by " The East Gloucestershire Railway Act, 1864, and "The East Gloucestershire Railway Act, 1866," except the whole of railway No. 4, and that portion of railway No. 1, which lies between a certain turnpike road is the parish of Fair ford, in Gloucestershire, leading from Fairford to Lech lade, and numbered 102 on the deposited plans for the said railway No. 1, and referred to by the East Gloucestershire Railway Act, 1861, and the proposed junction of railway No. l, with the said railway No. 4 at its commencement, in the parish of Lechlade, for two years from the time limited by "The East Gloucestershire Railway Act, 1867," for those purposes. By order, GEO. BROOM, Jun:, Secretary. Secretary's Office, 80, Coleman-street, - Loudon, 27th April, 1869. THE RAILWAYS (EXTENSION OF TIME) ACT 1868. PPE SWANSEA VALE AND NEATH AND BRECON JUNG PION RAILWAY COMPANY. 1, Westminster Chambers, Victoria-street, London, S.W., April 23, 1869. NOTICE IS HEREBY 'GIVEN, That in accordance with the Railways (Extension of Time) Act, 1868, an Extraordinary Meeting of the Shareholders of this Com pany will be held at their Offices, as above, on MONDAY, the 10th day of May next, at Three o'Clock in the after noon, for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, approving of an application being made to the Board of Trade, parsuant to the said Act, for an extension of time granted by the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junc tion Railway Act, 1864 (which expires on the 28th of July next), for the completion of the Railway therein de cribed as follows, viz. A Railway commencing in the parish of Cilvbebill, in the County of Glamorgan, by a junction with the Swan sea Vale Railway, at the north end of the platform of the Ynys-y-Geinon Station of that Railway, and terminating in the hamlet of Colbren, in the parish of Ystrad,,ynlais, in the county of Brecon, by a junction with the authorised line of the Neath and Brecon Rail way, at a point in the field numbered 42, on the plan of tl.e la- t m ntioned Railway; and also for an Extension of the time granted by the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway Act, 18(15 (which expires on the sth of July, 1870), for the completion of the Railway therein described, as follows, viz : - A Railway, commencing in the parish of Ystradgynlais, by a junction with the authorized line of the Swansea Vale and Neath and Brecon Junction Railway, at a point in an enclosure, numbered 165 on the plan deposited in respect of that Railway with the Clerk of the Peace for the County of Brecon in the month of November, 1863, and terminating in the same parish, at or near to the bridge carrying the tramway or trarnroad belonging to the Aberciare Colliery and works over the river Taws. D. HOWELL MORGAN, Secretary. ABOLITION OF THE DUTY ON FIRE INSURANCES. ?TIFIE Directors of the ROYAL INSURANCE ' OMPANY, in antic pation of th ,, above, beg to intimate that on all new I surances now effected there will only be payable (provisionally) the proportion of Duty for the time between the date of the Order and Midsummer Day next. ROYAL INSURANCE COMPANY. HEAD OFFICES: Royal Insurance Buildings, Liverpool, and Lombard-street, London. CAPITAL, TWO MILLIONS STERLING. Important Announcement. Increased Share of Life Profits. ALL NEW INSITRANC XS, with Participation, EFFECTED AFTER IST JANUARY, 1868, will become entitled to an INCREASED SHARE OF THE PROFITS, in accordance with the Resolution passed at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. JOHN H. MeLAREN, Manager. JOHN B. JOHNSTON, Secretary in London. MUTUAL ASSURANCE without MUTUAL LIABILITY. NON-FORT num , : POLICIES by a LIMITED NUMB R of PAYMENTI. PROFITS may be APPLIED so as to make POLICIES PAYABLE in LIFETI E p RITISH EQUITABLE COMPANY. 4, Queen-street-place, Southwark Bridge, E.G . , NEW POLICIES ISSUED. New Policies issued, In Weeks. . 3 , ASSURANCE 86 -t14,250 108 - 18,481 Fxec.s 22 £4.231 In 52 wnks ending' April 7th, 1.61) ... 3.105 —.£539.442 In EATR ROYAL. HA YMAR KE T. F , o'n Lessee. Mr. Tlneks:one. THIS EVENING, EASY SHAVING: Messrs. Ro7ers. Clark, Cordon, White, &c.: Miss Fanny Wright and Miss F Gwynn. After which, HOME: Messrs. Sothern. Chippendale, Comp len. A stley, &c,: Mesdames Cavendish, Burke. Bill, &e. Followed by THE CAPTAIN OF TEI 1., WATCH : Messrs Sothcrn, Chippendale, Vincent, &c. ; Mesdames Cavendish, 11111, ke. Concluding with MAKE YOUR WILLS : Joseph Brag, Mr Buckstone. Box-office cpen daily. Commence at Seven, rip lIEATRE ROYAL, AI)ELPHI Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. P. WEB.STER. Directress. Mrs. Alfred Mellon. T TITS EVENING. at 7. DID YOU EVER SEND TOUR WIFE TO (AMBERWELL: Mr G. Belmere, 15lto 8, 28th time, BLACK AND WHITE. 11'r Pechter Miss Carlotta Leclercq, Mr Arthur Stirling, Mr R. Phillips, Mr Atkins, Mr Stuart, Mrs. L. Murray. Miss Lennox Grey, &c. To conclude with WHITE.B tIT AT GREENWICH. Mr Atkins and Mrs Leigh Murray ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining THIS EVENING. TWICE KILLED. After which, Dion Boucicaules Great Drama, entitled AFTER DARK: a Tale of London Life Mr Walter Lacy, Mr Dominick Thuyay, Mr D. Leeson ; Miss Emma Barnett, and Miss Rose Leclermi. Concluding with THE SECRET. N.B.—Aortly will be produced, a New Drama, by Dion Don eicault. Doors open at half-past 6, commence at 7. Box-office open daily from 10 till 5. THEATRE-ROY A L , HOLBORN. BARRY SULLIVAN, Sole Lessee and Manager. TIM OAY NEXT, At 7.20, THE MISTREt 4 B OF THE MILL. O, At 8 o'clock, Lord Lytton's Grea.t Play, entitled MONEY, supported by the following celebrated Artistes, viz.: Parry Sul livan, J. C. Cowper, I ;eorge Honey, W. H. Stephens. Charles Coglan, A. Bernard, W. Arthur and E. Dvas: Mrs. Hermann Vezin, Miss Louisa Thorne, and Mrs. Charles Horsman. Principal Scenic Artists—Mr. W•lliam Calcott and Mr. Albert Calcott. Acting Manager—Mr. Harry Sulii,aa, D OYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs swanborough. THIS EVENING. at 7, A rIDOW HUNT. Messrs. '2ll,rke. Belford, Joyce; Mesdames Button and Maitland. After which. JOAN OF ARC: Messrs Thorne. .Tames, Fen ton, Turner, Chamberlaine; Mesdames Buf ton, L. Maitland, &e. To conclude with HUE AND DYE. LOBE THEATRE-ROYAL. kJ! Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Sefton Parry. At 7, H. J. Byron's new and original Drama. MINNIE or, Leonard's Love: Miss Lydia. Foote, Mrs Stephens, and Miss Brennan ; Messrs David Fisher, Vernon, Marshall, and J, Clarke. At 9, A BREACH OF PROMISE. To conclude with BROWN AND THE BRAHMINS: Messrs Marshall, David fisher, Andrews. Hurlston, and J. Clarke; Mesdames Lydia Foote, L. Morgan, Brennan, Fountain. Hughes, and Stephens. riill E SUN" NEWSPAPER.-G. GLENIE 1 deliN 3r3 the LA TE EDITION at Chelsea, 7.40; Kilburn, 8 ; Starch-green, 8; Woolwich, 7.30; Uxbridge, 9.20; Watford, 9.45. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " J. HJLMES begs to inform his friends and the puh'ie gene rally that he sniplies the LATEST EDITION of " THE BON " as soon as published.—No.lo, Hampstead-road N.W. THE "SUN" NE WSPAPER.--G. R. GLEN lE, Sporting Library. 4, Connaught-terrace, Edgeware-road. lelivers the LATE EDITION of "THE SUN " at the earliest possible moment after leaving the press. Ile is able to deliver ,opies in Town, the Suburbs, and in many parts of the country at a comparatively early hour the same evening, say 40 reties by 9.45 o'clock 'o,lers by pog punetnally ILttenrloli to TTi.7". TIMID EDITION OF ,‘ TNT', SUN," giring. all the SPORTI. , NEWS of the thy, may be seen it ;TEM YMt N TO 'S house, "The Swan and 11.,r,,e Shoe," Little Britain, City, E.C. 1 7t,T n O'S GRAINGER? LICENSED Vzatrensas' TOBACCONIST, SHEPHERD'S-BUSH. ; 1 he SPOnTL\ G EDITION of "'FUN SUN " can be seen et UR UNGER'S Establishment, as above, every evening by Eight J'elack. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " I supplied, as soon as published. Every Evening, by W ALEXA' DV:It (late Brooks), Newspaper Agent, No. 4, Old Cavendish street, Oxford-street lIHE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN " at J. SMITH'S. 39. Bow-street, Covent-garden. THE LA - FE EDITION of " THE SUN" at W. SMITH'S Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden town. T HE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN' at I JAMES SPEEDY'S, "The Wellington," Wellington-street, Strand. LONDON. TILBURY, AND SOUTHEND RAILWAY.—SOUTHEND and BACK for 2s. 6d., from Fenchtrch-street and • tepney Stations. on Snndars, at 8.7 and 10.40 a.m.; on Mondays. at 7.40 and 10 52 a.m. Fares—let Class, Se. 6d.; 2d Class. 2s. 61. The Tickets are available only on the day of issue, to return from Southend, on Sundays, at 6.40, and on Mondays at 6.15 p.m., and not by any other Train. J. LOUTEI, Manager. Fenehurch-street Station, April 28, 1869. E , MUSES and SON. EXCELLENCE WITH CHEAPNESS• I_, - 1 VERY ARTICLE of CLOTHIN G, READY-MADE or MADE to MEASURE, FOR ALL CLASSES. PRICES BASED ON. READY-MONEY SYSTEM AN UNEQUALLED STOCK In EVERY DEPARTMENT. A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT for BOY'S CLOTHING. OVERCOATS IN EVERY STYLE AND MATERIAL. OVERCOATS from 19s. to .£5. BOOTS and SHOES. HOSIERY and DRAPERY. AND HATS and CAPS, IN GREAT VARIETY. BUCKSKIN OVAL CRICKETING BOOTS, 9,. ca. COMPLETE OUTFI rs for ALL CLIMATES. A LL GOODS MARKED in PLAIN FIGURES A RTICLES NOT APPROVED OF EX CHANGED or the MONEY RETURNED. A N easy and neenrate System of Self-measure, introduced by E. OSES and Son, has served to extend their connection to all parts of the kingdom, ORDERS by POST promptly and carefully attended to. IST of PRICES. with Rules of Self-measure, 11. J Patterns and Fashion-sheet, gratis and post-free. • arnS..Eq and SON'S ESTARFHM e CLOSED every Friday Evening L at sunset ENTS till Saturday Evening at sunset, when business is resumed until 11 o'clock. MOSES ands SON, Retidy-rnade and Bespoke J. Tailors, Habit Makers, Woollen Drapers, Hatters, Hosiers. Boot and Shoe Manufacturers, and General Outfitters for all Classes. The following are the London addresses of E. MOSES and iON.— CITY ESTABLISHMENT. 15.5, MINORTES 156, MINORIES 157, 11 INORIES 83, A LDGATE 84, ALDOATE 85, ALDOATE 86, ALDGATE 7, ALDOATE 88. ALDGATE 89, ALDOATE OXFORD-STREET BRANCH. NEW OXFORD-STREET 507, NEW OXFORD-STREET , 08, NEW OXFORD-STREET 1, HART-STREET 2, HART-STREET 3, HART-STREET TOTTENHAM-COURT-ROAD BRANCH. 137. TOTTENHAM-COURT-ROAD IIS, TOTTENHAM-COURT-ROAD 283, EUSTON-ROAD. Country Branch : 19, BRIDGE-STREET, BRADFORD, YORKS. 20, BRIDGE-STREET, BRADFORD, YORKS. SPECIAL NOTICE.—In consequence of frequent misrepre entations, E. MOSES and SON find it necessary to state that they do not employ any travellers or agents, and that their nly Establishments arc the above-mentioned. THE LATES I EDITION of "TINE SUN" ttl , p!led n son as onbl;slied, rertatning all the LATEST SEWS and SPORTING INTEL:J(4LN by 11 W HARRIS. s"P%%',vaperA,7ent, 4, Blacfriara-rea (1, London, S. — I I'o G. —I 011 Ni BOBERTS supplies the is7Z T O.S i' )N " SUN" as sopa as pub is od.-4, Bath-street, City-road, E.C. 'FITE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN" to 1 be !teen Every Erentng by 810 Ct Mr. ROBERT MsicOCK's, Britannic.. Reuse' New-town THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET, 'fnxs EVENING, EASY SHAVING: Messrs. Rogers Clark, Gordon. White; Mis 4 Fanny Wright, &c. Afier which. HOME: Messrs. Sothern, Chippendale, &c.; Mesdames Cavendish, Hill, &c Followed by THE CAPTAIN OF THE WATCH. • r othern. Concluding with MAtiE YOUR WILLS: Mr Buck stone. COmmeneA at 7. PRINCESS S TIIEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining. This EVENING, at 7, TWICE KILLED. At 8, AFTER DARK: Mr Walter Lacy, Mr D. Leeson, Miss Rose Leclercq, &c. And THE SECRET. THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI. THIS EVENING. at 7, DID YOU EVER SEND YOUR WIFE TO C A MBERWELL: Mr. G. Belmure, Mrs. L. Murray At 15 to S, BLA' K A'l3 WHITE: Messrs. Fechter, A. Stirling ; R. Phillips. Stuart; Cazlotta Leclerech Miss Lennox Grey, &c.' And WHITEBAIT AT GRP: , NWICH : Mr Atkins. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanborongh. MS EVENING. at 7.30, THE mr - mt)W HUNT. Messrs. Bel ford, Clarke Miss Burton. JOAN OF ARC: 'Messrs. Thorne, James. Fenton: esdames Goodall, Lydia Maitland, Bufton. To enneludA with HUE AND DYE GLOBE THEATRE-ROYAL. Trim FVENING, at 7. 3IINIsIE, or, Leonard's Love. At 9, A BREACH OF PROMISE. After which. BROWN AND THE BRAHMINS. Messrs. Marshall, David Fisher, Andrews. Hurl stone. J. Clarke; Mesdames Lydia Foote, Brennen, Berend, Hughes, Fountain ; and Stephens. ROYALTY THEATRE. Under the Management of Miss M Oliver. Tins EVENING, at 7.30, IN FOR A HoLID Followed by CLAUDE DUVAL: Mr. Dewar. Mr. Danvers, INliss M. Oliver. &c. To conclude with THE BOARDING SCHOOL. PRINCE OF WALES'S ROYAL THEATRE. Under the Management of Miss Marie Wilton THIS EVENING, SCHOOL: Messrs. Hare, H. J. Montagne, Addison, Glover. and Bancroft: Mrs. Buckingham White, Miss C. Addison, and Miss Marie Wilton. Afterwhich, A WINNING HAZARD. And A LAME EXCUSE. ell RISTY MINSTRELS, St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8 Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round. ST. GEORGE'S THEATRE, REGENT STREET. Tuts EVENING, at 8, THE ROYAL ORIGINAL CHRISTY'S MINSTRELS' Ethiopian Entertainment: and the Burlesque Extravag%uza, THE VERY GRAND DUTCH_S ROAL ALIT AMB RA PALA THREE LET i Prom Y enade Concert. Band of 60. CE. BALLETS Begin at 8. le. Box-offict open from 11 to 4. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regert's-pack,ys, 6d. Children OPEN daily (ex cept Sundays). Admission, is.; on Mondays, under twelve, 6d. 2 , 4 1 17_ • -\-mt LOADON, FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 1869. Constitu►ional Government was a few years ago raid to be on its trial—r:nd the dictum was that Of no less Mast ions a Personage than the Consort of the reigning Sovereign. Imperialism, ever since it was revived is France, by NAPOLEON 111., is, off and on, declared to be on its Trial among our neigh hours. Nay, for that matter, from the time when, upwards of a score of years since, France placed her destinies within the grasp of the heir of the First NAPOLEON—that heir of the Great Fm- PEROR has been regarded by his implacable enemies as in a manner standing perpetually arraigned at the bar of Public Opinion. From his first advent to power he has been treated by them as though he were a criminal ingrained. Long before the coup (Mat it was thus that he was reviled—namely, as a heinous political offender. It was as though he were tainted by a sort of political Original Sin—and a political Original Sin that nothing could wash out. It was, as one might say, in the blood of the BON:11'401ES. , TEE SUN, LONDON, PRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 30, 1869. rant in h;s, blood especially, as the li , . ieg chief f the race of the I;O7APARTIZS. The memory of Strasburg, and t'ee memory of Boulogne, enhanced his guilt, but the guilt was there long pre viothly, ever since the death of his two elder bro thers. And yet, in point of fact, the fault commit ted by ilia Prince Louis NAPOLEON, first of all at Strasburg, and afterwards at Boulogne, was only the fault of being a very few years too soon. France showed that, afterwards, directly the younger branch of the BOURBONS ceased to reign. No sooner was a Republic established amidst the ruins of Louis PHILIPPE'S Government, than the electors of France in half-a-dozen different directions returned the exiled Prince as the representative of so many distinct de partments. The Provisional Government was jealous of him ; and, for a while, in obedience to the dictates of a really noble sense of civism the Prince ab stained from accepting the trust conferred upon him by the electors. Those electors, however, insisted upon returning hire again, and upon the second occasion he decided—that time with the assent of the Provisional Government —upon taking his seat in the National Assembly. A brief interval, as we all know elapsed after that time, when, with the ballot-box held in the safe keeping of his enemies, beaded by his prin cipal and most formidable rival the then Republican Dictator of France, General CAVAIGNAC—Louis NAPOLEON was returned by nearly 6,000,000 votes as President. Even after this, he was said to be on his trial. And the Legislature of two or three years later, came to regard him as so heinous an . offender _ against the laws that the national representatives were upon the eve of transferring him summarily from the Elys6e to Vincennes, when, with ! an astuteness and courage, for which his foes evi dently gave him little credit, ho anticipated their coup d'e'tat by a coup d'e'tat of his own—making them prisoners instead of allowing them to make him one, and at the same moment gathering up firmly within his own grasp the whole reins of the Government. The PRINCE PRESIDENT, as he was then called, admitted I himself, on the morrow of the coup ardat, that he was then undeniably upon his trial. lie openly ap pealed to the country to pronounce him Guilty or Innocent. The appeal was answered. The verdict given in his favour—again by Universal Suffrage, again through the ballot box—being cne subscribed by not merely 6,000,000, but by very nearly 7,000,000 votes. Afterwards came the triumphal progress of the PRESIDENT through the French provinces—during the course of which he was hailed everywhere with shouts of Vire L'Empereur. Again—in answer to those acclamations—he appealed to France, and was pro claimed EMPEROR, under the title of NAPOLEON 111., by not merely 7,000,000 but by very nearly 8,000,000 votes. Still, throughout all this protracted interval, during all these twenty years and more of power, hi s enemies declare him to be distinctly and recognisably upon his trial. Those enemies are consistent td the last. They say he is on his trial now. His Legi,la- I tura has been dissolve 1 by reason of the tim e of its existence having run out. There is consequently to be a new appeal to the constituencies. And—as the result—the world is soon to see what it shall see ! Meaning that the EMPEROR'S person is doomed. It is a very old story, and one that has been already, as we have recalled to remem-. brance, conspicuously and even flagrantly falsified Our conviction is that it will be falsified again— as it has been hitherto, whenever NAPOLEON 111. has appealed, either directly or indirectly, to the Public Opinion of France. PossEsslNG that simplicity which is allowed to be the perfection of genius, the work of Mr. BENJAMIN lIIGGS must be deemed eminently artistic in its way. Like all great men he reduced his operations to one uniform rule, and conduct el his swindling on the broadest of general principles. The inquiry into the affairs of the Central Gas Company has not yet revealed all that it is desirable to know, but enough has been told to illustrate lIIGGs's power of generalisation, and to furnish another instructive exan pie of the style in which the business of com panies is managed by directors. The system of accounts at the Central Gas Company was originally quite unexceptional, and if conducted properly, a sufficient safeguard against fraud. The sums due from the company's customers were gathered in by collectors, who received their account books from the accountant and his subordi nates. As money was paid to the collectors it was handed over to the bankers, never going through the office of the accountants at all. Nothing could be more secure than such a system. The clerks knew how much was due, for they supplied I I the accounts to the collectors. They knew how • much had been received, for a list of sums paid was furnished to the accountant's office by each collector. The balance that ought to stand to the company's credit at the bank could thus be seen at! a glance. But in 1802 lIIGGS, who was a clerk in the accountant's office, managed to alter this system, at least so far as he was concerned. Whilst the accounts and the cash were dealt with by different parties all was safe ; the genius of Mr. HIGGs blushed unseen. But he I persuaded the collectors—we have yet to learn how he succeeded—to pay the money to him, and "lie would pay the money into the bank." Whether the collectors had any inducement to do this, or whether their confiding simplicity alone led them to such an act of folly, is as yet an open question. Certain it is that they consented, and for years Mr. lIIGGS was in the habit of receiving the lists of sums collected and the cash itself at the same time. He abstracted any sum he thought proper, paid the balance into the bank, and " arranged" the lists so as to conceal his peculations. He continued these frauds from 1862 to 1869, robbing the company to an average extent of £B,OOO a year. Of course there was one defect in his system : the sums originally due from the customers were largely in excess of the total collected. The item of "arrears" rolled up to an alarming extent. But in this respect the books of the company were ill-kept; it was impossible to tell whether any one customer had paid for all the gas he had consumed. The arrears were put down in a lump sum. It is true that this sum at length reached the total of £60,000, but such a trifle—one-sixth of the company's capital— passed unnoticed. People do get into debt, and nobody cared to inquire why the company's cm. tomers were so exceptionally bad. It is with a feeling of relief that the world at last learns the grand total of these robberies-271,214. The business of the company was so supervised that it might have been twice as much. It remains for the directors to convince the shareholders that this long series of frauds was so skilfully managed that it might reasonably have escaped their detection. With every desire to be charitable, we fear that the task will be a hard might wnotria directors knew that the company's s l c c i e e e r a s e p s t i N i :7: h l e l l l el e y ai t rl h e e s h a r u i u g ssp i l e l l : c l ; s a ' arrears t cl t u e suspicion—that enormousthey ahc deficit et madeet col lectors caitt paid their receipts to lIIGGS instead of to the clue to tap h w olt e . e eat r io e l yairnoeeciux bankers—they were utterly ignorant until the great discovery was made. The natural inference is that their acquaintance with the mode of conducting the com pany's business was not remarkably intimate. Of course it is possible that the very simplicity of HlGGs's contrivance secured him against detec tion. A more complicated fraud would have broken down with its own weight, but this impudently plain expedient flourished unchecked. Unfortunately for the directors, it was matter of notoriety that limos, an ordinary clerk, lived like a lord. He had a large house and grounds at Teddingtou, kept nume roux sorvants, indulged himself with such a luxury as a " model farm," ' his table was liberal, his parties numerous, and he gave private concerts at which first-class singers appeared. Had he hoarded his gains, the directors might have found a more hopeful plea, but it is impossible to get over the fact that the stolen money was openly lavished in riotous living. The slightest attention to the company's business would have shewn that HIGGS had changed the system of accounts, and very little further inquiry would have been needed to discover the origin of the yearly deficit. The only conclusion is that the business was allowed to take care of itself. 1. - ;tllp t i fi -a Cupil ‘Y .- :,.--:.;-,- m a u l/ la I 4 , ; ....---__.- HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, April 29. Her Majesty, accompanied by Princess Christian and Princess Beatrice, drove out yesterday after noon. The Queen, attended by the Marchioness of Ely, walked out i❑ the grounds his morning. The other members of the Royal Family also went out. LATEST INTELL LGEN GE (REU - "ER'S TELEGRAMS.) THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. The following telegram has been received by the steamer La Plata, from Lisbon, dated April 28 : " Count d'Eu, General-in-Chief of the Allied Army, bad left Rio for Paraguay. His appointment to that post was cordially greeted by the Allied Governments. " Lop; z was at Ascurra, in the mountains, within reach of the Allies ; he was to be attacked in the beginning of April." " Navigation and commerce of the rivers Para guay and Parana thoroughly free. "'The defeat of Brazilians on the Luque Railway by Paraguayan forces completely false." COURESFONDENCE FROM P&IUS. (nor OUR OWN cor.r.EsroiMENT.) PARIS. THURSDAY, April 29. There is some probability that the coming elections will be conducted more fairly than any of tha preceding general contests. But previous appeals to the country have been such utter shams that the Government may introduce a good deal of. improvement, and yet fall far short of perfect impartiality. For instance, the directors of the Post Office, on an appli cation from M. Dejouve-Denuncques, a candidate for the fourth circumscription of the Euro, has replied that voting-tickets may be sent as a single packet with election circulars,. if placed under one band with the address of the person for whom they are destined. The charge will be fixed according to the weight of the packet. But though this " concession " is made, the official candidates can distribute their propaganda wholesale at no cost for postage whatever. The postage tells very heavily upon the unfortunate aspirant to the Left of the Corps L6gislatif, but the candidate who will take his seat on the Tight may declare his obedience to Imperial decrees by circular, record his servility in print, and distribute it to all the world, without incurring any debt to the postal department. Again, M. de Forcade la Roquette, Minister of the Interior, has issued a circular recommending the use of ballot-boxes, shutting up with a lock and key. This is a much-needed change, for previously the voting-papers have been thrown into an open receptacle called an urn, but much more like a small cauldron, and in consequence there has been no real secresy. Unfortunately the change is not compulsory. The Minister of the Interior recom mends, not enjoins, the use of proper boxes. The 7,500 communes are not obliged to change the existing soup. pot, and in all probability they will not. It is amusing to note the change which has come over the policy of the Constitutionnel. As I noted in my last, this semi-official paper has commenced to teach the Government its duty. Its editor has been changed with the understanding that it was to cease semi-officialism and start constitutional opposition. But it scarcely seems to have done this. It preserves its semi-official smack. It contains to-day some information which none Lu' an Imperialist organ could readily obtain. At the same time it is strongly recommending the independent dynastic candidates to the favour of the Government. It is proud to state that in the Pas-de- Calais an independent candidate is likely to beat the offi cial representative. At Boulogne another inde• pendent is fiercely combatted by the Government ; but the Constitutionnel is able to inform the public that the efforts of the Administration will be of no avail, the chances are heavily in favour of the Independent. This is certainly a curious way of doing semi-official busi ness, and excites the wonder, not to say the admiration, of everybody here. It seems to confirm the advancing impression that the Emperor is feeling his way to a change of policy. Meanwhile the prospects of the Left become more gloomy. An attempt has been made to settle the difference between the Liberte and the Steele by a jury of honour. But nobody can be found to serve on Cais jury. Hence the differences remain unhealed, and M. Emile de Girardin announces that he will only support two of the Paris candidates. This is not the way to win. It is not often that one meets with a man of the calibre of Count de Waldeck, the artist. Although no less than 103 years of age, he has sent to the Paris Fine Arts Exhi bition, which will open on Saturday, a picture representing not fewer than 255 persons. The veteran artist enjoys excellent health, and takes strong waking exercise every day. He is married to an Engiidh lady of 40, and has a son aged 13. Blessed is the man who bath his quiver full ; but twice blessed is he who can commence refilling it at the age of 65. Dr. Epstein is nearly out of danger. The state of industrial affairs in the Netherlands seems to get worse. The Avenir Nationale publishes a vague telegram stating that a workmen's riot had broken out on the island of Waleheren, and that five men wero killed and several wounded. Nothing is said as to the cause of this affair, but it may be set down as a continuation of the industrial outbreaks which are spreading throughout Poland and Belgium. The strike of colliers in the Borinage, the district round Mons, has now lasted ten days, and there are no signs of a speedy termination. So extensive is this strike that even in this short period of time it has cost the workmen the sum in wages of £15,000. The International Society of Workmen, to whom the turn-out is owing, may congratulate itself upon having at least achieved some. thing. It cannot increase the wages of its adherents, but it is very likely to end their troubles by starving them outright. The ball given on behalf of the British Charitable Fund has proved very successful. A sum of nearly £560 has been cleared for the benefit of the Fund. FRANCE. BOURSE, April 9 9.—Three o'clock—The market closed as follows :- 41 per Cent. End of month._ Ital'an Fives 56 60 3 per Cent End of mouth 7l 67i Mexican Loan 25 25 Credit Mobilier End of month... 255 -- Spanish Threes Credit Foncier ...1542 ri")0 Home Debt End of month._ Deferred RAILWAYS. Cash. Orleans ... 915 Northern Lyons and llie , literrauean Southern..... 6l3i Western Eastern Sardinian Austrian Lombard North of Spain Saragossa. Roman. 72 52 POLICE IA TELL! GENCE.-7 kis Day. MARLBOROUGH-STREET. ASSALIT.—Robert Nunn, an elderly man, was charged before Mr. Knox with being drunk, and tssaulting Police-constable William Alexander, 154 C. 'lhe constable said that, seeing the prisoner lying against the railings in Park-lane last night in a state of intoxication, he requested him to go away. The prisoner declined to go, said he was a Fenian, and did not care for all the police in London, and struck him across the nose with his stick, making his nose bleed. The prisoner said the constable came up to him and said, "Daddy, get up, and let us see if you can walk," and then shoved him down. He told the constable he was unwell, and asked him to see him home, but he would not do so, and he thought it very unkind of him. Mr. Knox said the prisoner had no righc to strike the constable, and lined bin' 20s. or 14 days. TIIAMES. UNREWARDED SERVICES.—WiIIiam Dewberry, a poor man, of No. 34, North-street, Limehouse- fields, came before Mr. Paget, and said that at half-past one o'clock in the morning of Wednesday last he was on his nay home, and in passing a fish shop in Stepney, in the immediate vicinity of that court, he discovered that the place was on fire, and flamfs and smoke were issuing from the shop. He knocked loudly at the door and shutters and alarmed the inmates of the house, five is inumber, whom he assisted in extinguishing the fire, which was con fined to the place where it broke out. He asked the inmates for some compensation for his trouble and the interest he bad taken in saving their lives and property, but they refused to give ban anything, and said he had no right to interfere that they were in sured, and he had better go to the fire insurance office. He thought this was very strange treat ment, but as the people knew the value of their own lives and property best he went to the insur ance official and related what be had done. The clerks in the office told him they could not enter tain the application. Mr. Paget thought the inmates of the house ought to have rewarded the applicant for the trouble he had taken, and that he had done a very meritorious act in saving life and property. He could not interfere. The Applicaut—Can't you compel the insurauce office to reward me ? Mr. Paget—No ; I have no power whatever to compel a fire insurance to give you compensation. I don't think you have any remedy. The Applicant--Thank you, sir. He then departed. DARING HIGHWAY ROBBERY.—John Turner, aged 17, was brought up on remand before Mr. Paget, charged with stealing a purse containing £1 108. Gd. in money from Mrs. Jane John son Bourke, a lady residing at No. 5, College terrace, Tredegar-square, Alile-end. A few days since the prosecutrix was passing along the Mile end-road with two small parcels and a purse con taining 30s. Gd. in her hands, when the prisoner impudently demanded the purse, and on its being refused he snatched it from the lady. She seized bias an struggled with him as well as she was able, but he managed to break away from her, and ran along Lon gfellow-road, running parallel with the Regent's Canal. There was no thoroughfare at the bottom of the road, and the prisoner was compelled to turn back, and was run down by an officer of Volunteers on horseback, who captured him and gave him over to the police. Tne purse and money were not recovered. The robbery was effected at half-past 5 o'clock in the day time, in a public and much-frequented road. Several witnesses, who saw the robbery and out rage committed, gave evidence, and said the lady made a determined but ineffectual attempt to pre vent the prisoner going away with her purse and MOD ey. Mr. Paget committed the prisoner for trial. WESTMINSTER. SINGULAR ROBBERY.—A very young man, giving the name of Alfred Lusty, was placed at the bar charged with robbing a gentleman of his watch. Mr. Samuel C. Hall, civil engineer, sail that at one this morning he was in Winchester-s reet, Pimlico, when the prisoner and two other men came up and asked him to treat them to beer. lie toll them he should not, and expostulated with them upon the demand. Iu about a minute or so they all three hurried away taking different directions. Immediately after this prosecutor found hio watch had been detached from his Albert guard. Pri soner had been close to him. A pursuit was made and pri.i.oner was taken in Sussex-street, and near the same spot the watch was subsequently discovered in the portico of a house there. Prisoner denied the robb2ry, and said he was re spectable. He and prosecutor and the other had all been " larking" together. Prisoner was remanded. CUBA. The Pall ilia Gaze:le publishes the following information from a correstoudent at Havanna]) Cated April 10 : " Affairs it Cuba are very confused. I fancy that the insur gents will make no immediate head without eternal aid; but it is not to be denied that the total t-uppression is not yet over; and Ws is c spec:ally true es regards the ear.tern di. trict of the h,land. The idea hero is that for the last three weeks the insurrection has not made progress. Dulce is a well-meaning, vulgar, ignorant Spaniard, with a creole wife and the possessor of 1,2(:0 slaves. Dulce's dukedom, and his wife's slaveholding pro clivities, do not make either of them more popular with any class in tLis place." FIRE IN A CARTRIDGE FACTORY. An explosion took place at Turin a few days back in a cartridge factory. In one of the workshops seven teen women were occupied round three tables, on which a quantity of loose gunpowder was lying, when one of them let a pair of scissors fall, and a spark, by some accident, was elicited. In an instant her clothes caught fire and her companions were speedily involved in the disaster. Several of them jumped out of window into a canal which runs close by, whilst the burning dresses of the others were extinguished by persons who hastened to their assistance. They were all more or less burned, but only two are considered in danger. The exertions of the fire men were successful in confining the conflagration to the room in which it originated. GOLD IN AUSTRALIA. The month of February, 1869, has been memorable in the colony of Victoria from the discovery of the largest nugget ever yet found in Australia. When cleaned it contained not less than 2,268 oz. of pure gold, its value being computed at £9,53-1. Strange to say, it was found within two Liches of the surface by two fortunate Cornish miners, who named it the " Welcome stranger." The nugget next in size was the " Welcome," valued at £8,376, which was exhumed from a depth of 180 feet in 1858. The total amount of gold exported from Victoria this year is some 125,000 ounces less than in the corresponding period last year. The drought has probably something to do with this, for it seems that in Queensland the Gympie goldfield had suffered from it. It is again reported that gold has been found in Tasmania, and in New Zealand the search for gold is being actively prosecuted. The Government of Otago has offered a re ward for further discoveries. On the West Coast of New Zealand a nugget weighing 92 ounces was lately found. It is stated that the rescue of the miners at Brierley Hill cost the Earl of Dudley £25,000. His Royal Highness the Field-Marshal Command ing-in-Chief will hold a levce at one o'clock on Monday, the 3d of May. There was a further prosecution of Denaby Main minors at Doncaster on Wednesday, five men being charged with conspiracy and assault. The case against one man, whose wife lay dead, was withdrawn, the bench dismissed the case against a second, and the others were find 20s. and costs for the assault. An accident occurred at Scarborough on Wednesday whereby one man was killed and four others very seriously hurt. The men were engaged in some alterations Wing made to a house, when most of the scaffolding on which they were working gave way, precipitating them to the area below, a depth of o 0 or 40 feet. Ono man died soon after reaching the infirmary. Ho has left a widow and family. The others were s,vaely cut about the head. It is reported that the council of the Evangelical li.:nce is agitate?, and the very existence of the alliance endangered, by a controversy which has arisen upon the doctrine of " uu;versal restoration." The Rev. T. B. Birks, in ono of his latest works, expresses his bend that the language of holy scripture warrants a hope that the whole human race may be restored, and this has been resented by some of Mr. Birks's colleagues in the management of the Allian o. Mr. Birks was second wrangler in 1834. The Conservatives of Leamington some time since sent a memorial to the Bishop of Worcester requesting him to authorise the clergy in his diocese "to pray to Almighty God during the morning and evening services on behalf of the branch of the United Church of England and Ireland, at present in deep affliction." The Bishop rA,. plied: " Although I value and respect the feeling which has prompted the memorial, I have no poVier to authorise the introduction of any additional prayer into tho order pre raikofl by the Act o a f Vn4c.ratity." 211'LL'AirS GALLIMY, 11'1E11 The gems of art which at present adorn the splendid gallery of pictures now on view at Mr. M‘Lean's, in the Haymarket," has been rendered still more rich by the addition of Mr. Church's last grand picture, entitled " Damascus." As a work it is perhaps one of the most extraordinary efforts ever accomplished by any artist, and an inspection of it will certainly delight and enchant every true lover of painting. The spectator, with his back to the setting sun, stands upon the rocky slope of a spur of Anti Lebanon. At the left is a gorge in which—but not visible—lies the Diligence road to Damas cus from Beyrout. Through the same ravine flows the river Barada—the ancient Abana— also invisible—although just I. efore the gorge opens into the valley, a portion of the water of the river may be seen diverted into an artificial channel for the purposes of irrigation. This canal perforates the rocky slope of the left hand mountain, flowing through a tunnel of ancient construction. On the sunlit portion of this mountain stands a wely or tomb, which is the celebrated stand-point chosen by travellers for viewing the valley and city. The mountains sweep down to the valley, their barren flacks contrasting strongly with the rich verdure of the plan, which is bountifully watered by thousands of little canals, distributing the waters of the Barada in all directions. The city lies in the midst of this verdure, and catches the last rays of the setting sun. It would be superfluous to add another word in praise in aid of the great work, beyond saying how deeply indebted the public are to Mr. M'Lean for his exertions in procuring for their delight and pleasurable inspection the most celebrated pictures ever painted by the hand of man. There is another very in teresting addition, viz., the perfected chromo copies of Bierstadt's extraordinary pictures, " The Rocky Mountains" and " The Storm in the Reeky Mountains," which we must pronounce as the finest specimens of colour printing yet produced. The announcement that these splendid chromos are ready for delivery to subscribers will be received with great pleasure by a very large number of persons. LI FE PEERS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. the year 1830, a pamphlet upon this subject was printed for private circulation, bearing the title of a " Letter to the Duke of Wellington, on the Propriety and Legality of Creating Peers for Life, with Precedi.nts." A copy of it was for warded to the Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine, who reviewed it at length. See vol. 100, part 2, p.p. 100-112. The anonymous author argued in favour of the propriety and legality of the measure, in order " that the House of Lords may profit by individual talent, and in particular be supplied with those various deßcriptians of legal talents and acquirements which it so much requires." The edi tor high'y favoured the proposition, and observed that " the commencement of a new reign is a proper era for its adoption ;" but it seems to have been re served for Earl Russell in the evening of his useful life to be the chief instrument in actually causing this desirable improvement in the Upper Chamber to be adopted. I am, Sir, yours obediently, CIIR. COOKE. London, April 00, 180. .STATE OF TRADE. - MANCHESTEn, Thursday, April 29.—Beyond the fact that buyers have rather more choice in both cloth and yarn than they had a few days since, no alteration in the market has taken place since Tues day. A few inquiries have been made for India and China skirtings, but in order to sell producers have had to submit to prices which they declined a week since. BIRMINGHAM, Thursday.—The reports brought to Birmingham to-day from the various ironworks were even less satisfactory than those of last week. On most hands the proprietors of mills and forges are getting short of orders in nearly every depart ment. The foreign trade has not yet revived, and sales on home account are for small lots. Masters are rca.ly to accept orders at prices lower than they have quoted for many years, but makers will not be s im - ulated. In the pig iron department, where old contracts have run out, .vendors experience diffi culty in inducing consumers to give fresh orders. There were some very trifling saks to-day. Alike at the ironworks and the collieries there is a supe: - abundance of labour. Hardwares arc unchanged. Most of the railway works have enough to di , and some of the tin-plate workers and jai. antlers are fairly off ; but at the great foundries, and at the bridge and girder making establishments, there is hardly anything doing, except in the machinery departments, which are moderately engaged. BRADFORD, Thursday. —The wool market con tinues very quiet. The purchases made are mostly in the better classes of lustre wool, for which staplers are able to command full rates. The busi ness done in middle and inferior sorts is about as meagre as it has been forsometimepast, and it is only where a concession in price is yielded that sales can be effected. Ihe present genial weather promising to accelerate the time of clip bas also the effect in some measure of creating apathy on the part of con sumers. There is little change in yarns. A steady business continues to be done on home account. The foreign trade remains stagnant. The change in fashion on the continent, and the introduc tion there of yarns spun from German wool have greatly interfered with the bulk of the trade hitherto done for that quarter in this mar ket, and especially in 30's single. The business now doing in twofold yarns is very unimportant. Genappe yarns are also exceedingly quiet, and carded yarns are not in much request. Stocks in the bands of some spinners are on the increase, especially in middle sorts and 30's single. In the piece market, several foreign buyers have been pre sent, and have occasionally placed orders for the autumn trade. The home merchants are satis fying their requirements by picking up from stock odd lots of light fancy and plain goods suitable for the season, but they do not place any important orders for the autumn trade. The continental business continues small. Few orders are placed for America. On the whole, a better feeling prevails, and manufacturers might in many cases get orders, if they were in a position to accept the low offers made by merchants. Busi ness, though only small, is healthy. Prices iu both yarns and pieces are not much changed. SHIPPLVG INTELLIGENCE, GItAVESENt, Friday Morning. Arrived, April 29—Trentje, from Groningen. Sailed, April 30—Seine, steamer, for Boulogne; Velo city, steamer, for Calais ; Lord John Russell, steamer, for Dunkirk; Lazereff, steamer, for Odessa DEAL, Friday Morning. Passed, April 2 9.—Isabella Ridley, for Hongkong ; Martlett, for the Cape of Good Hope ; Queen of the Clippers, for Bathutst—all from London. Passed, April 30.—Sarah Prineep (of Dartmouth), from the north for the nest; Lazareff, screw steamer, from London, for Constantinople. ASYLUM FOR IDIOTS.—The annual general meet ing of the subscribers and friends of tho Asylum for Idiots wee held yesterday at the London Tavern, when the report fcr the year was presented, and thirty-five candidates elected to tLe iastitution. The present number of inmates is 478. In the cases of twenty-one of w horn the term of five roars, for which they were elected, has expired, so that by yesterday's elections the number was raised to 492. Satisfactory progress has been made in the erection of the new . building, the need for which is proved by tho fact that about 200 aro seeking admission to the asylum. .Ab.mt £12,000 is btill needed to conip!ete the plan projected, and it is hoped that this will, ere long, be supplied. LUXURIANT AND BEAUTIFUL lIAIfI.—MRS. S. A ALLEN'S Woann's HAIR RESTORER oft DRESSING never fails to quickly restore Grey or Faded Hair to its youthful colour an, beauty, and with the first application a beautiful gloss and de lightful fragrance is given to the Hair. It stops the Hair from falling off. It prevents baldness. It promotes luxuriant growth; it causes the Hair to grow thick and strong. It removes all landruff. It contains neither oil nor dye. In large Bottles Price Six Shillings. Sold by most Chemists and Perfumers Depot 266, High Holborn THE MAY IVEETINGS. -4 ° - ' A list is published of the May meetings, so many which have been held out of the month which has Pr ° them their general name. The following are some of the Societe principal :—On the I s t o f M a y the Mendicity soe will meet at Red Lion-square, Earl Grosvenor presiding. On the 3rd the Archbishop of Canterbury will pre ach at St. Paul's on behalf of th e B r iti s h and Foreign Bible Society ; the National Temperance League, the We!: leyan Missionary Society, and the Home and Colonial School Society will h o ld mee ti ngs . On the 4th the, United Kingdom Alliance, the Aged Pilgrims Friends Society, the Sunday School Union, and the Wesleyan Mission will meet. On the sth the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Book Society, the Liberation Societiti and the Ragged Church and Chapel Union Society meet. On the Gth the Sunday Schcol Union, the Lond e° City Mission, the Church Home Mission, and the Church Pastoral Aid Society will meet. On the 7th the Gover• nesses Benevolent Institution and th e Religious 'Trac t Society will meet. On the 15th th e B r itish and For e ig n , School, under Lord Russell's pre s id e ncy, will be held at the Borough-road Schools ; and the Ragged School Union, under Earl Shaftesbury, at Exeter Hall. On the 1 1 t h the Irish Church Missionary Society will meet, under the Bishop of Ripon, at St. James's Hall. On the 12th the various meetings will be held on behalf of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. On the 13th the Royal A.sY i ll ei the of St. Anne's will meet, under the presidency of Archbishop of Canterbury. On the 18th the United e Kingdom Band of Hope and the Tract Society meet, n,, the 20th the Sailors' Home and Destitute Sailors' Asylum meetings are held at the Sailors' Home, Wells-street ( nee, the Tower of London.) On the 25th the Children° Refuges and Chichester Ship Society is held at Exeter Hall, under Lord Shaftesbury ; and the Field -lane Refuge will be held at the institution, under the sam e noble lord, on the 26th. The British A s yl u m for Deaf and Dumb Females meet on June 2, at Clapton. under the Bishop of London. EXPEI?IME.NTS WITH PE.RCUS.SIOY CAPS. The railway and other carrying companies, including steam-packet companies, have recently raised objections to the conveyance of percussion caps. Several cases ha le occurred lately in which the transmitters of these articles have been summoned before the magistrates at Birreleg . ham and elsewhere for the purpose of enforcing penalti es ' In consequence of this, the Chamber of Comraerf e at Birmingham took the matter up, with t ae view to bring about some public test as t° the explosive or non-explosive character of th ese e ' materials if struck in bulk. Accordingly, it was arrang ed that there should be a series of tests at the A m munitl ell . Works of Messrs. E. and A. Ludlow, in B e lmont-row , 1 , 11 that town. To witness them there were present Capta in Sherard Osboree, as representative of some of the Pa l l departments ; the secretary of the Underwriters Association at Liverpool ; the London and No rth. Western, Great Western, Midland, Alancliest er a i Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, and other Prie ci r t railways were also represented ; there were also present about 100 other persons variously interested. The 61.° experiment made was that o f pl ac i ng a ti n b ox containing, 250 caps in an ordinary fire, it remaining until all the charges in the caps we r e b urn t ou t. Th e resu lt was that - all the caps gradually bur n t, w ith ou t so muc h as the 1 1 of the boxes being blow n o ff, a lth oug h th e lid s were w ell nigh melted. The second experiment was that of plaeleil a half cwt. of caps in a red-hot muffle ; the result was a kind of fizzing at intervals, Lot there was 11 : explosion. In th e thi r d ex p er i men t, 50,000 caps were P l ' into a packing case in the ordinary way for transit ; these. were placed in a furnace ; gradually the wood burnt area/' but not the slightest explosion occurred ; the caps re• mained stacked in py ra midi ca l f orm exac tl y as they had been fixed. A fourth experiment was that of plac il l within an iron p o t, 10i n , i n di ame t er an d 10i n . cleeP'_. - , lump of red-hot i ron , we i g hi ng 21b., on thi s 20 , 000 l o ose eal'; were poured, and the pot was filled up with cotton wool? gradually the caps exploded, and the cotton wool bea n° , charred, but no flame whatever arose. A Lucifer match 0 ; put to the wool, which i gn it e d i ns t an tl y . I n th e fifth a ,..m a u sixth experiments, brown paper parcels containing 5,1 7 caps were struck by a mass of iron weighing one ew l ".; and falling from a height of 12ft. ; in one of these thel )c ; was surrounded by cotton wool, but no explosion oceurr e : In another instance an almost needless experiment W 7 made, gunpowder being sub s tit u t e d f or th e co tton We ° , 4 , and, as might have been e x p ec t e d, an ex pl os i on o ccurre a ' but the mere dropping of the weight on gunpowder alo ne did not cause an explosion. In the s even th test a parcel containing 5,000 caps was placed in a bc° with a quantity of cotton wool. This was struck by block of iron, weighing 15cwt., falling from a height e 4ft. ; the caps were crushed up, but again there was no O : plosion. Anoth e r ex p er i men t was th a t o f pl ac i ng 410 ca rt ridges for Bennington guns in a box, gunpowder 'Val placed within the box, and a fuse applied to one of °e cartridges ; it alone exploded, th e o th ers i n th e b ox remained m perfect. The scene of th e ex p er i men t was t h en c h an ged "- the London and North-Western Railway, whither the CO lll , i patty adjourned. A bag containing 20,000 caps was Pla ce r on a rail ; one or two wheels of a locomotive passed ovef the bag without causing any explosion, at the passage the third wheel th ere was a sma ll ex pl os i on , but Oa" occurred only to the few caps which were absolutely crushe d ' Here, again, there was no e x pl os i on i n b u lk. I n the Dia l ' b , and last special experiment two wooden packing cases O a r taming 50,000 caps each, put up i n th e or di na ry waY f° transit, were submitted for concussion by attaching then the buffer (not a spring buffer) of an engine ; in this to s there were employed an engin e a nd th ree t ruc k s with t ivt, , break vans and thre e t ruc k s ; th e eng i ne an d tenc le) weighed 40 tons. When the boxes were struck the engine was travelling at the rate of twelve miles an hour; tl boxes were, of course, crushed, and the pieces flea' about, but it was in isolat e d i ns t ances on l y th a t the cap exploded. The result o f th e ser i es o f exper i m ents W . ' , ; regarded as dem ons t ra ti ng com pl e t e l y th e non - e xPleal f • • tendency of percussion caps if struck in bulk. The death of Robert Scott Lauder, R.S.A., °llO of the best-known Scotch painters, is announced. A French paper asks the following riddle " Why is the Prince of Wales like fifteen shillings Because he wants a crown to make him a sovereign." Three velocipedists were on Monday brought 115 before the magistrates at Ashton-under-Lyne, charg e with having obstructed the public f oo tp a th by runv in, ~; velocipedes upon it. The ca se was p rove d, an d it t a e also shewn that the road h a d b een cu t up b y th e action of the popular new vehicles, but as it was th e fi rs t case, the defendants were only ordered to p a y cos t s . L over s of hP bycycle will, however, do well to take warning from tm case. THE BEWDLEY ELECTION PETITION.—The ecru' tiny was resumed at Bewdley on Th urs d a y morning. r Cunliffe started with a minority of four, succeeded in striking off ten votes from Major Auson's poll, and thu; placed himself in a maj or ity o f s i x . M a j or Anson then proceeded to strike off votes f ro m th e C onserva tive Po ll with such effect th a t i n a s h or t ti me th e s i tt i ng menlbel, abandoned the case, at a Major Anson was declared di lbr elected. At th e p o lli ng i n N ovem b er the Tory major ity was 100 ; in M arc h i t was 14; and the result of the /30°',,d petition is that a Lib,ral member has been seated. MR. CHARLES DICKENS. —The public will lear n 4 with satisfaction that Mr. Charles Dickens has alrea u „A ' profited by cessation from work during the brief P eriv- a which has elap se d s i nce hi s arr i val in town. It is W t l "- understand th e causes w hi c h h ad led to his indispos itit Ever since his return from America he has i n cessant taxed his pow ers o f b o th b o d y an d m i n d i n the delnall-h made upon him, especi a lly byhi s " rea di ngs, " till a t leng th he became fairly p ros t ra t e d a t P res t on . Th e arrival n' Mr. F. Carr Beard, his medical attendant, at Prest° ll ' s i few hours before his reading there in the evening, was n' t° , opportune. Mr. Dickens was qu it e un fit t o go throeg; the fatigue of a public reading, whi c h m i g ht h a ve b e li e ( followed by grave consequence s , cons id er i ng that complained of much giddiness ; but his desire to meet t- t i wishes of the public would no doubt have induced hill' : 0 attempt it had not Mr. Bea r d h app il y arr i ved i n time l ' forbid the effort. Mr. Dickens h as an a d m i ra ble C °l l l stitution, and has always taken care of it. He has no, settled down to his usual country l i fe and some o f literary pursuits, and will no doubt be rapidly restored 7 1 health ; but we underst an d t h at S i r Thomas Watso n Mr. Beard have deem e d it necessary that for some 133°11v to come he should ceas e f rom hi s heavier literary labetl-4, 1 Perhaps it will be n ecessary for him to avoid the fatigti , of railway journeys for some time longer.- 711c Lancet. ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SoCIETY'S MEDAL. of the Ugliest honours which it is in the power of the Royal Geographical Society to bestow is about to fal l t r the share of a l a d y . M rs. Somerville, whose wo ri f, " Physical G eograp h y " i s st i ll b y far the best b o ok have on the subject, will have awarded to her, at these ? ", versary meeting o f th e society on the 24th instan t, Victoria Gold Medal. Two medals are yearly g iven D i :, the Crown, and are a dj u d ge d b y t h e R oya l GeograPl i i. 4 ic Society to t wo persons w h o h ave b een di s tingtlis' by their promotion of the interests of geographical seienclil Of these two, th e F oun d ers ' M e d a l ran k s fi rs t, t Victoria Medal ne x t. Thi s y ear th e F oun ders' Med al i 4 be given to Al. Nordenskiiild, for his ex plorations .i.i Arctic regions, p ar ti cu l ar l y i n S p i tz b ergen ; and t il e. Victoria Medal is to be given to Mrs. Somerville e k l it cially for h er " Ph ys i ca l G eograp h y. " L a dY Fran tbi some years ag o rece i ve d one o f th e medals of ,„ Geographical S oc i e ty on aocoun t o f her husb and; travels ; but M r s. S omerv ill e i s th e fi rs t lady to who m honour has been accQrde4 for w 4 Ic.doue by berself,~ Queen, Ni o COM Cons& c 9 New T! £l,OOO, 2 7 preen India ditto 5 pi Cent., 0 5 per Ce In the Cents. at II to 29 are also at 14i F 55 1 56. The firm at The II .In the lower, G Metropoi British The qu Great A' Great N cashire, Extensiol 65 t 6 ; I North AV South Ea United Bonds, 7, to 731, s t receded 4 There terday. La Pla 'with brought The Bo Crease of circuLatioi £693,320, A teleg posted in Figuezola, the most reports cc the count July coup At the Plantatiol port was a It is uu between Austrian to work tl the extre► extends is about 250 lino from perty of ; under as comrnunic Sea. The fol and bills c the Week Thu Frid Eatu Mon Tuei Wed Mr. E. Man of di( Mr. W official licp pang (Liu Mr. lan New Z.:a; has annou vith the tioned by plate, aad bulancei d The ilui Bonds and appear to policy pro( evident tilt are quite a " wires be a rise or Wishes of t cora pro Luis those who a comparal to wait a r, there will Mexican /nand for ounce. Ba has te m p o! tenders for The fi gu Past month been antioi, all branche shire. Th, increase of the corresp Per Cent. or The lett( to the 23d are Batista( had reaches since the A. bill ha holders of restrain th l'ecommenc ber l ast , discovered e° ll lpany profit fron Paid on the The retu Week ender results tvlac Rest P utlio " dep . Ol Other depot (31 :1 thet oth Itoyernment Other secur Notes unern The amour bei ng a de b ullion in b • decrease preceding Subjoine of the tu n ; and Freud 14 t year Bullion Reserv e /Totes inC Rate of dig Consols Preach Newo for fr 1; , nuz. D eP 4 P O I) ( le n e : 3i(cl) i° ;! : tt ( . 234 i t 0 C 60 ( •') Per z wok, Do (Red S ea ut.. openii • , Penn 3 per I ' O . 4 p K - Do. Uortiti O. Enfac( P, ° • Si per D 0 Per