The Sun. — London, England, 1870-08-19 00:00:00

E. MOSES and SON, CORNER of MINORIES and ALDGATE, NEW OXFORD-STREET, CORNER . HART-STREXT. CORNER of TOTTENHAM-COURT-RO. 1111 and EUSTON-ROAD. B RADFORD, YORKSHIRE. V MOSES and SON'S PRICE LIST o f V a GENTLE: Frock Coats. Also at other prices, EN'S CLOTHING. D:esi Oxford (i) it 3. Coats. 30s. 21s, 355. 265. 425. 308. 50s. 365. Also at Also at other prices. other prices Camb, Coats. Also at other prices Ll MOSES and SON beg to remind the public • that the cheapness of an article depends entirely on its quality, and they venture to affirm that every article sold by them is considerably cheaper than what can be obtained at any other ho Ise in England. MOSES and SON'S PRICE LIST of 124. GENTLEMEN'S CLOTHING CONTINUED Summer Suits. Also at other prices. ORDERS punctual measure introd guarantee a fat T? Mos: Tourist Suits. Summer Trousers, 10s. Oct. 12s. 6d , Dress Trousers. 15s. 6d les. 6d. 17s. 6d. Also at other prices. Also at other prices. by post are attended to wit sty, and the easy and accurate sy! need by E. MOSES and SON enal titless fit. Also at other price! a care and item of self )les them to S and SON'S PRICE Li: Tof BOYS' CLOTHING : Knickerbocker Suits. Eton Suits. 9s. 6d 13s. 6d. Brighton Harrow I Suits. Suits. 18s. I 18s, 235. 16s. 6d 265, 325, 365. 48s. I 48s. Also at I Also at Also at Also at other prices. other prices. other prices. other prices. i MOSES and SON supply every description of . clothing, ready-made, or made to measure, for all ages, all occasions, and all classes also Hosiery and Drapery, Hats and Caps, Boots and Shoes, and complete outfits for all climates. All Goods marked in Plain Figures. Any article exchanged if not worn or injured. List of Prices, with Rules for Self-measure, Patterns, and Fashion-sheet, gratis and post-fre E. MOSES and SON'S Establishments are closed every Friday evening at sunset till Saturday evening at sunset, when busi ness is resumed until Eleven o'clock. The following are the only addresses of E. MOSES and SON : LONDON. CORNER of MINORIES and ALDGATE. NEW OXFORD-STREET, CORNER OF HART-STREET. CORNER of TOTTENHAM-COURT-ROAD and EUSTON-ROAD, COUNTRY BRANCH. BRADFORD. YORKSHIRE. V.AUDEVILLE THEATRE, STRAND.- Lessees—Messrg. H. J. Montague, D. James, and T. Thorne.—THlS EVENING, at 7 30, CUPBOARD LOVE, by F. Hay. After which, at 8, a new and original Comedy, in Three Acts, entitled TWO ROSES, by James Albery. To conclude with the successful Burlesque, DON CARL( iS ; or, The Infante in Arms. Supported by Messrs. H. J. Montague, H. Irving, G. Honey, W. H. Stephens, and T. Thorne ; Mesdames Welly Power, Amy Fawsitt, T. Lavis, and A. Newton. Doors will be open at 7. Overture at 7.30. N.B.—Mr. David James will shortly appear in a new farce, entitled " Chiselling." EVENING EDITION. RUPTURES-BY ROYAL LETTERS PATENT WHITE'S MOC-MAIN LEVER TRUSS kPerfectnd and Exhibited in the Great Exhibitions of 1851 and 182), is allowed by upwards of Five iHundred Medical men to be the most effective invention in the curative treatment of HERNIA. The use of a steel spring, so often hurtful in its effects, is here avoided—a soft bandage being worn round the body, while the requisite resisting power is supplied by the Moc- Main Pad and Patent Lever, fitting with so much ease and cicse ness that it cannot be detected, and may be worn during sleep. A descriptive circular may be had, and the truss, which can not fail to fit, forwarded by post, on the circumference of the body, two inches below the hips, being Bent to the manu facturer, Mr. JOHN WHITE, 228, Piccadilly, London. A. Single Truss, 165., 215., 265. 6d., and 31s. 6d. Postage, ls. Double Truss, 31s. 6d.,4 , 20., and 525. 6d. Postage, ls. Bd. An Um bilical Truss, 425. and 525. 6d. Postage, ls. 10d. Post-office Orders to be made payable to John White, Pos office, Piccadilly. NEW PATENT ELASTIC STOCKINGS, KNEE-CAPS, &c., for Varicose Veins and all cases of Weakness and Swelling of the Legs, Sprains, &c. They are porous, light in texture, and inexpensive, and are drawn on like an ordinary stocking Price 4s. 6d., 7s. 6d., 10s., and 16s. each Postage, 6d. JOHN WHITE Manufacturer, 228, Piccadilly NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE. AGUA AMARELLA restores the Human Hair to its pristine hue, no matter at what age. JNO. GOSNE LL and CO. have at length, with the aid of one of the most eminent Chemists, succeeded in perfecting this wonder ful liquid. It is now offered to the public in a more concentrated form, and at a. lower price. Sold in bottles, 35 each; also 55., 7s. ed., and 15s. each, nclud. ng brush. Red Bull Wharf, Angel-passage, V. 3, Upper Thames-street, Lon. don, E.C. JOHN GOSNELL and CO.'S CHERRY TOOTH PASTE is greatly superior to any tooth powder; gives the teeth a pearl whiteness, protects the enamel from clecv, and imparts a pleasant fragrance to the breath. Price lb. dd Red Bull Wharf, 93, Upper Thames street, London. rcHORLEY'S HORSE and CATTLE SPICE, 1_ In Penny Pauli ets only, of all Corn Chandlers in London, and Of all Grocers, Druggists, and Corn Dealers in the Country. NATIONAL INSTITUTION for DISEASES of the SKIN, Gray's-inn-road and Mitre-street. Physi cian, Dr. BARR MEADOWS, 49, Dover-street, Piccadilly. Ave rage number Of Patients under treatment, 1,000 weekly. Free letters are available for necessitous applicants. THOMAS ROBINSON, Hon. Sec. HOSPITAL for DISEASES of the THROAT, Golden-square, W. President—the Right Hon. t he Earl of STRAFFORD, F.R.S. This Hospital has relieved upwards of 24,000 patients since its foundation, and is in great NEED of FUNDS to meet the heavy current expenses. EDMUND WYLD, Secretary. WEST LONDON HOSPITAL, Hammersmith, W.—FUNDS are urgently needed, and the Committee earnestly appeal to the benevolent to assist them in carrying on heir useful work. T. ALEXANDER, Sec. and Sup. SSAVIOUR'S HOSPITAL an d R EFUGE, . Alfred-terrace, Upper Holloway, N.—This Institution affords a Refuge for Women seeking to abandon a life of sin, especially those about to become mothers, and provides a Home for the Children of such. FUNDS are very urgently NEEDED. Bankers, ndon and South Western (Holloway Branch). HUGH R. GOUGH, Boa. Sec. THE LATES I EI) ITION of " THE SUN " supplied as soma as published, containing bll the LATEST NEWS Gild SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, by II W. HARRIS, Newspaper Agent, 4, Blackfriars-road London. CIRUFFEL SWILLENDRINKEN ; or, The Reproof of the Brutes. By Alfred Crowquill. Containing sixteen Hand-coloured serio-comic Illustrations, A very amusinz and instructive book on the Temperance Question. Price Is., post free. Loadon--W. TWEEDIE. 337. Strand. W.O. TWEEDIE'S TEMPER./ FACT AND H. ANCE YEAR BOOK OF [ISTORY FOR 1870. ENT3. Ecclesiastical Sayings and Doings. Temperance and Longevity. Hindrances to the Gospel. Temperance Literature. Temperance Societies, London and Provincial. Temperance Associations. Temperance Provident Associa tions. Facts, Legislative and Social. Calendar--Eclipses—Postal Infor mation. Royal Family and other Useful Information usually fount/ iu Almanacs. MIA 337, Strand. CONTJ General Review of the Tempe ranee Movement. Chronicle of the Temperance _ Movement. Teetotalism an Agent in Civi lisation. Researches Respecting Alcohol. The Result of the Personal and Professional Experience of the Benefits of Total Abstinence. Physiology of Drinking. Analysis of Bitter Ale and Beer, Judicial Testimonies. Statistics in Reference to Intoxi cating Drinks. Preeiam.tial. Declarations. London—W. Twx FISHING WITHOUT LIVE BAIT. Price 6d. Written in easy style for boys. Engravings are given of all the British Fresh-water Fish, with Particular Instructions Where, When and llow 0 Fish. . Londo4-•W. TWEEDIE. 337. Strand. OPERAS, THEATRES, AND AMUSEMENTS. PRINCE OF WALES'S—A 7.30. Quite by Accident. M.P. Dearest Mamma. QUEEN'S—At Seven, tily Wife's Dentist. 'Twist Axe and Crown. VAUDEVILLE—Cupboard Love. Two Roses. Don Carlos. CHRISTY MINSTRELS. St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8 ; Wed nesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regent's-park. Open daily (except Sun days). Admission, is. on Mondays, 6d. Children under twelve, 6d. MADAME TUBSAIIIA EXHIBITION, Baker-street, from 11 a.m. till 3.0 p.m., and from 7 till 10 p.m. Admission, Is.; extra 6d. lIIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS DAY. Morning .. .. ...... ..51 after 6 1 Afternoon ........11 after 7 ,tpet, r , ,o'o4lroao )' *l4 - 111 t It LONDON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1870. ACCORDING to a familiar proverb, many a true ' word is spoken in jest; and, according to our obser vation, many a great public grievance has before now been brought more vividly to the popular recog nition, as at the touch of the spear of ITHURIEL, by the pencil, more or less pointed, of some political caricaturist. One of these keen-witted pictorial satarists has but just now pourtrayed the HOME SECRETARY in a profound state of somnolence, and meshed all over during his slumbers with cobwebs spun about and about him by an industrious spider. Almost simultaneously with the production of this cartoon, there emanates from Mr. BRUCE a suggestion, addressed to the Metropolitan Board, that would really in itself be quite enough to justify the carica turist's freak of fancy, and redeem it altogether from the charge of extravagance. Sir JOHN THWAITE 5, the late Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works, very recently expires in the midst of his labours, some of them really Herculean, as, for example, the completion of the Augean drainage of a city as populous as the whole of Scotland—when our do-nothing HOME SECRETARY coolly throws out the proposition to the Board aforesaid, a proposition that they should at once avail themselves of the opportunity by following suit, by emulating himself, by doing nothing ! Mr. BRUCE has in preparation or in mediation among other improve ments—but for that matter what improvements has he not in preparation or in meditation, but not one of them actually commenced ?—a bill that we are sick of hearing of as intended for the better govern ment of the metropolis. As yet the whole scheme is in the air. It is one of the dreams embelishing the slumbers of our HOME SECRETARY. It is one of the chateaux en Espagne floating in the empyrean of his imagination. But until he can give this " airy nothing " a name and a location, Mr. BRUCE coolly proposes, now that Sir JOHN THWAITES is gone, that the Board of Works should appoint to his vacant chair no successor—that the board, in fact, should leave them selves for an indefinite period without any Chairman whatever ! The proposition itself is simply preposterous. It is so preposterous that it at once awakens suspicion. To what end, we ask ourselves, is a notion so outré as this thrown out by the King Log now reigning over the Home Depart ment ? In the midst of the bewilderment not un naturally excited by so singular a suggestion as this, there comes forth what at the first blush appears to be the wildest and most incredible of rumours; and yet a rumour that, if it have any foundation at all, would of itself serve in a very great measure to explain what without something of the kind really seems to be utterly inexplicable. The rumour referred to is as outrageous in its way, even as Mr. BRUCE'S non sensical suggestion. It is nothing less than this— that it is eventually the intention to induct into the chairmanship of the Metropolitan Board of Works as Sir JOHN THWAITES'S successor—Mr. AYRTON ! One whose sole pre-eminence is, that he has achieved for himself the distinction of being incomparably the very worst Chief Commissioner England has ever had. To keep the snug berth open for Mr. AYRTON, so soon as the opportunity can be found for inducting him into it, without outraging public opinion unnecessarily by so doing, may, after all, we cannot help conjecturing to ourselves, account in some measure for this otherwise inexplic able suggestion thrown out to the Board of Works by the HOME SECRETARY. Now, a Chairman the Board of Works must have. Whatever Mr. BRUCE may say about it, everybody but himself must be agreed upon that point. And equally unanimous we cannot but all of us be that anybody would be more popularly acceptable for the post than Mr. AYRTON. Happily, however, the public are not driven to the selection just merely in blind despair of anyone. Iwo candidates there are already for the office, each of them with excellent claims for selection by preference to such a man as our in tolerable Chief Commissioner. Sir WILLIAM FRASER'S claim is this, that five years ago he de monstrated quite clearly and cogently the erroneous system upon which the local authorities were then, and, unhappily, have been ever since, acting. Lord ROBERT MONTAGU'S Claim is Still higher, however, it seems to us, than Sir WILLIAM FRASER'S. It is this—that six years ago he, Lord ROBERT MONTAGU, presided over that Select Committee of the House of Commons which inquired into the all-important question affecting the well-being of the capital and the other large towns of the United Kingdom, to wit, the utilisation • of the sewage of the metropolis and of those large towns for agricultural purposes. The blue-book in which the labours of that Committee of Inquiry are recorded, if thrown into the scale now, will out weigh all competition. Remembering Lord ROBERT MONTAGU'S labours in connection with that select committee, we are disposed to pronounce him un hesitatingly the very man for the chairmanship of the Board of Works. If he will save us from all risk of being saddled with Mr. AYRTON, we are Lord ROBERT'S most grateful and obedient ! WHEN two opposite parties tell two entirely diffe rent stories, there is generally some item of circum stantial evidence which facilitates the work of striking a balance between the adverse accounts. But in th e case of the great battle just fought west of i\letz there is as yet no such aid. Never was contradiction more complete and puzzling. All that we know is that a very great battle, of necessarily serious TEM SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EN ENING, AUGUST 19, 1870. effect, has taken place. Each side, admitting great losses, claims the victory; each declares that its triumph is thorough. The King of PRUSSIA says the field of battle was "victoriously maintained," the French Marshal that " we have passed the night in the positions we have conquered." It would be insulting one party to prefer the account of the other until one of them has found out that it is really beaten; all that can be done now, therefore, is to collate the facts. On Sunday the French fought a battle on the side of Metz remote from Paris, and then retreated across the Moselle. In this case, too, both sides declared themselves triumphant. The French commenced their retreat towards Verdun with the intention of thence falling back to Chalons; the Prussians followed them up. On Monday and Tuesday various engagements took place—it is impossible to say how many or with what result ; but the great battle of the week came off at Doncourt and Vionville, two places about eight miles east of Metz. Heavy masses of troops were brought tip on each hand, and the fight lasted twelve hours. The destruction on both sides was tremendous. One French general was wounded; two Prussian generals were killed, and two wounded. Again and again, say the French, the enemy came up and was repulsed. Notwithstanding the great superiority of the French, say the Germans, they were driven back into Metz. It is in vain that we try to discern any glimmer of light by which these conflicting accounts may be read. If the French have won, thoy must in carried unanimously, representatives of the various trades affected by the delay were appointed to wait upon Mr. Gladstone, so that the Premier, in the recess, must atone as he best can for the deficiencies of the Home Secretary in the session. great measure retrieve the former disasters of the campaign. If the Germans are victorious, the consequences must be decisively serious, for in the Prussian despatch it is affirmed that the French retreating from Metz were cut off by the hostile army, beaten, and driven back into Metz—that is, their army cut in two, and one-half of it shut up in a fortress. The last gleam of hope for the French cause must disappear, if this be the case. TOPICS OF THE DAY. also a serious injury. METROPOLITAN GOSSIP.-TETIRSDAY, If it be true that a man is where his mind is, all London is in France. Since Parliament was prorogued there has been absolutely no English news to engage our attention ; and yet the sale of papers is something extra ordinary. There never has been anything like it. True, the Russian war interested us more deeply, but at that time there were no cheap papers, there was no street sale. The German War - of 1866 saw the penny press firmly established. But that war was so soon over that there was no time to get up the excitement about it which the present campaign has caused. More over, there were not in 1866 the same elements of interest. The conflict between Prussia and Austria was scarcely intelligible to the great bulk of Englishmen. The present conflict is well understood to be a contest for pre-eminence between the two greatest military Powers in the world. Moreover, it is seen well enough that something more is at issue than the victory of this side and the defeat of that. Not only is the territorial in tegrity of France at stake, but the throne of Napoleon, and not only the imperial dynasty, but monarchy itself. I have more than once warned your readers that the re volutionary party have been preparing great events for this year. I need hardly add that the present condition of the continent, especially of Paris and Rome, offers them peculiar facilities for bringing their designs to effect: The arrest of Mazzini is a serious blow for them, and it is remarkable that this arch-conspirator, after having passed through France and Italy again and again unrecognised by the most astute detective police, should, just at this juncture, have been arrested in Sicily. But though, no doubt, he was plan ning a rising in the Papal Provinces, it is not likely that his arrest will put an end to it. The Italian Government clearly apprehends serious events, and it is rapidly increasing its army. This, .we may be sure, is not for the help of France, for that would be Quixotic now, and was, indeed, always impracticable unless Austria departed from her neutrality and allowed the Italian troops to crosit the Brenner Pass and attack the Bavarians. The calling out of troops by the Lanza Ministry is rather for the purpose of dealing with the army of revolution that may shortly be expected to spring up on all sides of the Peninsula. Mean while the (Ecumenical Council is scarcely likely to meet again. It seems to be generally supposed that in the event of a decisive defeat the Bing of Prussia will not treat with Napoleon, and will insist upon the an nexation of Alsace to Prussia. In that event France, which now boasts the highest cathedral, and (since the annexation of Savoy) the highest mountain in Europe, will have to surrender the first distinction. It is th ought by some that Napoleon and his family will take refuge in England. Before the war it was currently reported that he had made very large investments in the English funds, and it is now positively stated that about six weeks ago an eminent London firm of }Rinse agents purchased for the Emperor a very beautiful residential estate near Tunbridge Wells. The Pall Mall Gazette asserted a few days ago that the Emperor's confidential agent, Mr. Smith, had brought over to London the Prince Imperial and the Duke of Brunswick's diamonds. The statement does not seem to have been well founded so far as the Prince was concerned. Mr. G. T. Smith is rather a notable man. He was the confidential agent of the late Duke of Brunswick, and of the Emperor Napoleon at the time that he was living in exile in London. When the Emperor was a prisoner at Ham after his un successful attack upon that very Strasbourg which he has now just lost for the French nation, a treaty, it is said, was drawn up in 1845 between him and the Duke, containing five articles. The object of the treaty was to guarantee to each of the dispossessed sovereigns (as they considered themselves) the help of the other in recovering his dominions. This was set forth by the Ist article. By the 2nd article, whichever of the two recovered his throne first was to supply the other with men, money, and arms. The third article sets forth that each was to aid the other while they remained in exile. The 4th bound each to consent to no abdication without the consent of the other. The sth provided that if either of them entered into treaties the other was to have the right of revising them. The witnesses to this convention were Count Orsi, and the aforesaid G. T. Smith. One of these two high contracting parties died, the other became Emperor of France. I suppose the latter will scarcely consider himself bound to consult the successor of the former before he abdicates. Letters from Paris tell me that the Fete Napoleon was a very gloomy day. Archbishop Darboy gave orders that instead of the usual Te Deum, the psalm Exaudiat (" Hear my cry, oh God, Psalm lxi) should be sung, and that the prayer in time of war should be said. The previous day (Sun day) was to have witnessed the unveiling of the new statue of Voltaire in the Place de Rennes, but the committee (composed chiefly of Free-,hinkers) thought the time unpropitious, and postponed the cere mony to a more happy period. A more significant and ominous event has taken place. For some time past a mouument has b een erecting in the Place de Clichy to commemorate the defence of Paris in 1814 On Sunday there would have been a grand "inauguration," but in con sequence of the critical state of France, nothing was done except to remove the hoarding which surrounded the monument, and passers by noted with disgust the maimed rites, and read with ironical remarks the first words of the inscription " under the reign of Napoleon III." The letters state further, that it is impossible to describe the disgrace into which the late Ministry has fallen. It is now asserted that on the day before the famous 15th July, when war was announced in the Chambers two councils of Ministers were held, the first at the Tuileries, when it was decided to maintain peace, and a message to that effect was drawn up and was to have been read on the following day by 011ivier. But at 11 p.m., 011ivier went to Saint Cloud (whither the Emperor had returned) and in half-an-hour was followed by his colleagues. After consulting with the Emperor for an hour and a half, it was decided to declare for war. It is noticed that neither 011ivier nor any of his colleagues has made the least attempt at a defence, and perhaps this was the wisest course. As for Marshal Le Bceuf there are no words too bitter for him. People remind each other how this imposing militaire—for with his mag nificent moustaches and prompt abrupt speech he seemed the very ideal of a soldier—used to say, "I am not a poli tician ; lam a trooper. I know only military matters, but I know thern well. Don't ask me this or that, nor any thing which is outside my duties. Ask me only if we are ready ; and I will answer, ' Yes. We are ready." We know how far the handsome trooper spoke the truth. We know now, say my correspondents, what it is to be commanded by a General who allows us to be surprised by the enemy, not once only, but over and over again Only in fairness to the Marshal and his comrades should be remembered that to be surprised is quite in ac cordance with French military precedents. In all the great battles of Italy—at Montebello, Magenta, Marignano, and Solferino, the French were surprised by the Aus trians ; but being numerically equal, and the Austrians being even worse led than the French, Marshal Mac Mahon was enabled to save himself by the skin of his teeth. But neither he nor any of his fellow-generals seem to have profited by experience; and it would actually seem as if, in Sunday's battle before Metz, the French army, though it knew it was retreating in the face of a victorious enemy, allowed itself to be surprised when crossing the Moselle. Prince Frederick Charles, in a work which he published some time ago, entitled " How to fight the French," pointed out that they would always be liable to disasters by their want of accurate information about the movements of the enemy. While Ministers are remaining in town or in the neigh bourhood, and are holding frequent conferences between themselves, and with the foreign ambassadors of the vari- ous Powers, in the hope of bringing about the restoration of peace, the Queen has started for her Highland seat, and has placed 600 miles between her and her advisers. The comments upon this proceeding are very severe. It is feared that serious obstacles may interpose in the work of pacification by the delay which must occur in bringing the representations to bear, so far as England is concerned. To travel 1,200 miles in order to consult with a Sovereign who has one of the noblest residences in the world within ,wenty miles of London, to say nothing of her residence n the capital itself, is a work of supererogation that no Sovereign ought to impose upon Ministers so hard- worked as the present Cabinet is. If the Sovereign were content to be merely the ornamental decoration of the State building, her absence just now would not matter. But inasmuch as she expects to be consulted on all important points of foreign policy, her departure to Scotland at such a crisis gives a handle to those persons who say that royalty is not merely a costly luxury, but The Morning Latest News, a London halfpenny paper ecently started, has ceased to exist. People are asking GERMANY AND SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. A letter of some importance, written by the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein has appeared in the Kiel journals. In it the Duke answers the question how Schleswig-Holstein should act with respect to the present war. He thinks that all who have a claim to represent Germany oughtto j oin, to maintain her integ rityagainst a foreign foe. In sucha crisis as the present one all internal questions still disturbing the country should be thrown aside. The document concludes with the following passage : " The . more we Schleswig-Holsteiners regret that in the year 1864 we could take no active part in freeing the Duchies from the Danish yoke, the tnore joyfully shall we now join to defend the German soil against France." MARITIME NEUTRALITY. A correspondence has recently taken place between Baron Gerolt, the Prussian Minister at Washington, and Mr. Hamilton Fish, the American Secretary of State, relative to the subject of maritime neutrality. It will be remembered that soon after the declara tion of war by France, notice was given by Prussia that private property on the high seas would be exempt from seizure by German ships, without re gard to reciprocity. This notice having been placed officially before the American. Government, Mr. Fish took occasion to recall the fact that nearly a century ago a treaty of amity and commerce was entered into between the two nations, whereby it was agreed that, if war should unhappily arise be tween the two contracting parties, all merchant and trading vessels employed in exchanging the products of different places, and thereby rendering the neces saries, conveniences, and comforts of human life more easy to be obtained and more general, should be allowed to pass free and unmolested, and that neither of the contracting Powers should grant or issue any commission to any private armed vessels empowering them to take or destroy such trading vessels or in tercept such commerce. This principle of maritime neutrality has been frequently brought before the European Powers, and so late as 1861 Mr. Seward renewed an offer to give the adherence of the United States to the declaration of the Congress of Paris, if the words " and that the private property of the subjects or citizens of a belligerent on the high seas shall be exempted from seizure by public armed vessels of the other belligerents, unless it be contra band of war," were added. In replying to the Ame rican Secretary's note, Baron Gerolt expresses a hope that the Government of the United States will use its influence to obtain the universal recognition of the principle. NEEDLE-GUNS AND' CHASSEPOTS. Some letters in the Times refer to the interestin g question of war implements. Mr. Bochussen observes that the Chassepot is still a matter of experiment in practical warfare. It has a longer range and greater power of penetration than the Prussian needle-gun, but it has also several points of unfavourable comparison. The mitrailleuse is a variety of the old American Gatling gun. For the general purposes of war its value as against the shell or shrapnel fire of artillery is to be measured as the blunderbuss against the rifle. Another letter from Colonel Maxwell,Superintendent,Cossipore Gun Foun dry, refers to " field artillery," and declares that the French field gun is now known to be the worst in Europe ; it was the first rifled gun made, and other nations have improved on it. He says that the inferiority of the French field gun of 6 cwt. to the Whitworth 10 pounder of 72 cwt. is not due to the metals of which the guns aro made, but to the fact that the former carries a shell weighing 8.9 lb., while the Whitworth 10 pounder carries a shell weighing 10 lb. With respect to the enduring powers of bronze guns, he refers to experiments that have been made at Shoeburyness, which proved that the bronze guns there tried would last upwards of fifty years, and effectually disposed of the prophecies of those who had augured " speedy destruction" for them. THE REVISION OF THE LECTIONARY. Mr. Bruce's supineness seems to have occasioned a good deal of perplexity and trouble in other quarters, if it has left the Home Office to luxuriate in the dolce far niente so congenial to its Secretary. The delay in the promised measure for the revision of the Lectionary has completely paralysed the trades engaged in the production and distribution of Prayer Books and Church Services. A meeting of some of the leading members of the firms interested has been held at Radley's Hotel, at Which it appeared that an application had been made to Mr. Gladstone to give effect to the new table of lessons by a Royal warrant, but that the right hon. gentleman, while intimating his willingness to listen to suggestions from the trades, had replied that the Crown had no power to issue ' such a warrant. After some discussion a resolution was moved by Mr. Eyre to the effect that the meet ing, viewing with dismay the serious consequences to their trades of the delay in the proposed changr s in the Table of Lessons, and the probability of further changes being suggested by the Ritual Commissioners in the rubrics, recommended the formation of a committee. The object of this committee was to be twofold—first, to communicate with the Ritual Commissioners, urging on them the necessity of making .their report at the earliest opportunity ; secondly, to urge on the Government the desira bility of introducing a bill early in the next session to completely settle the Book of Common Prayer, including the table of lessons, and, failing the settle ment of the Prayer Book alterations, to reintroduce the Table of Lessons Bill passed by the House of Lords last session. This resolution having been METEOROLOGY AND METEORS. Meteorological science, though as yet very far in retard of other branches of natural philosophy; is undoubtedly making progress among us, and our authorities are endeavouring to collect what informa tion is available for public service. The report of the meteorological committee of the Royal Society, who now undertake the dnties formerly belonging to Admiral Fitzroy's department, contains some in te a:sting facts. A regular interchange of reports has ' been instituted with Norway, and the drum signal is now hoisted at 106 British stations, every warning message being compared with the subsequent weather experienced. The problem to which atten tion is now being specially directed is the discovery of the probable path of each storm and of its rate of progress. Observations made on board the Atlantic mail steamers show that the wind and the instru ments are much more steady during the homeward than during the outward passage. Captain Toynbee, who has examined the subject, thinks this may be explained by a constant motion in an eastward direction of the atmosphere over the Atlantic, the rate of progress being slightly less than that of a full-powered steamer, and disposed in a series of successive eddies or waves. The outward bound ship passes through several of these systems, while the homeward bound may run with one for days together, and so experience little change in wind or weather. This suggestion, if con firmed, will be of importance to navigators. Mean while, the investigation of the equatorial Atlantic has been continued, and the discussions relative to the Pacific completed and sent to the Admiralty for embodiment in the series of physical charts. It has been decided to publish a quarterly weather report with a current explanatory chronicle. This year we are likely to have some strange things to record. A few nights ago a very brilliant meteor with a tail of about five degrees in length was seen for half an hour at Broughton-in-Furness; and the same night, at Dundee, a remarkable phenomenon was witnessed. A ball of some ten inches diameter, white and blue,. fwas seen in the air, with a tail of three or fouryards, rom which a second tail presently branched off. It lasted for twenty minutes. • HONOUR THE BRAVE. "Historicus" is highly indignant with those Englishmen who have subscribed to the statue of General "Stonewall" Jackson, and especially with Mr. Xeresford Hope, who has acted as treasurer to the fund. He denounces the whole affair as an " international outrage," as an ill-omened enterprise, and declares that it ever there was a cargo of contra band of war which England would do well to prohibit, it would be this fatale. donum in question. He protests against " this wanton insult" being flung in the face of the American people and asks what would be thought if it had been proposed to erect a statue of Captain Semmes before the Customhouse of New York, or to present a model of the Alabama to the Navy Depart ment of the United States. Before "Historians'? had lashed himself into this state of virtuous wrath, it would have been well if he had paused to inquire the estimation in which Stonewall Jackson is held by his fellow-countrymen. Even during the bitterest antagonism excited by the civil war, the men of the North knew how to appreciate the high character, the admirable generalship, and the unsurpassed courage of a soldier who did honour to their Country. Both sides could afford to do full justice to the spirit and the military ability of their adversaries, and when General Jackson fell at Chancellorsville, the North, as well as the South, openly regretted the death of a brave soldier, though they knew their most formid able opponent was laid low. When General Lee surrendered his sword, he was treated with marked rispect, not only by General Grant, but by all the chief men of the Federal States. In erecting a statue to the memory of a man who so nobly repre sented the firmness, the steadiness, and the resource as characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race on both sides of the Atlantic, as on both sides of the great Civil War, Englishmen pay a compliment to the whole collective people of the United States, which they will not fail to appreciate. Englishmen honour the memory of Cavaliers and Roundheads alike, who were high-spirited Englishmen, whatever their individual opinions, and the United States must be richer in great and good men than any of the Old World nations, if they can afford to despise such men as Stonewall Jackson and Robert Lee. A REPENTANT JOKER. A gentleman whose humorous propensities have . eceived a somewhat severe shock, has written to he Times to caution travellers in Ireland, by chewing the rock on which he unfortunately foundered. He states that a few days ago he arrived in Belfast, and as he was pleased with the smartness of the people and particularly with their adaptation for business, he was soon at home. Bursting with the fullness of his discovery the gentleman (who in an exuberance of loyalty signs himself "God Save the Queen ') straightway proceeded to exhibit his friendliness to the Belfast people in general, and to a policeman in particular. Meeting a constable in the street, he addressed him with " Good night, Bobby, I'm a Fenian." Unfortunately for him, however, the appe lation struck the policeman as being too familiar, and he was marched off to the police-station, in spite of his assertions that he was only joking. Twelve hours in the lock-up have evidently made a deep impression upon his mind, and it is to be hoped that the moral tag appended to his letter will not be forgotten. Never joke with these quasi-military police, and never call any of them a "Bobby." MILITARY DISCIPLINE. The necessity for due subordination in the complex organisation of a military force is so obvious that it a mere truism to state that an army in which strict discipline does not prevail is not an army at all. But it ought to be borne in mind that there is a consider able difference between insubordination in its members, and an error of judgment on the part of one of them. A correspondent has drawn attention to the case of a gunner of the Royal Artillery who has just come out of Millbank Penitentiary for writ ing a letter to the authorities on the subject of a previous court-martial in which he had been impli cated, and at which he was sentenced. He under stood that his punishment had been remitted, and, being a married man with good conduct stripes, he was anxious to recover the penny a day, which would otherwise have been forfeited. No doubt the proper course was to petition his commanding officer in the first instance, but that an error of this kind should involve such a heavy punishment as eighty-four days' imprisonment, not to mention the additional penalties attached to the sentence, is surely mare or less than justice.. THE NEW STAMP ACT.—On Wednesday the New Stamp Act, one of the largest of the recent session, was issued. It extends to 17 folio sheets. containing 128 sec tions. and a long schedule of the new duties. It will take effect on the Ist of January next, and penalties trom £lO to £5O are to be enforced for infringing any of the provisions. Many persons for sums from 40s. and up wards, do not take stamp receipts as a rule, but they must now be careful. Both parties are liable to a penalty. DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest holders of whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is r ommended by the medical profession in preference to French brand-. Sup plied in casks and cases for home use or exportation. Quotations on application to Messrs DUNVILLE & Co., Royal Irish Dis tilleries, Belfast ; or at thei London Offices, 4, Beaufort Buildings Strand, V 9 O. what has become of all the special correspondents it pur ported to have at the seat of war. What has become of Sir Colman O'Loghlen ? Before he became Judge Advocate-General he brought forward two or three useful measures, and though he did no teed in passing them, he at least brought the subject of them before the notice of Ilrliament. But he seems to have forgotten them all now that he is installed on the Treasury Bench. Yet there is urgent need of one of his reforms that of the law of libel. The criminal suit against Mr. Leng shews how grossly unfair the existing law is. There is no other offence in which a man may be held criminally liable for the mis deed of another. You cannot punish a man criminally because his employe has taken away the life of another person; why should you be able to do so when, instead of life, character is involved ? Moreover character in the present case was not destroyed. You can't restore a dead man to life, however keen may be the regret inspired by his death, but character may be restored, and was restored in the case of Lady Sefton. In fact, it can hardly be said that it was seriously injured. The libel was too short-lived, was too promptly contradicted, to do much harm. Whether Lord Sefton will altogether escape the imputa tion of vindictiveness I am not prepared to say. Any way, the present law is contrary to the whole spirit and tenor of English justice, and Sir Colman O'Loghlen will do well to reintroduce his bill next session, with clauses added to remedy the present wrong. The Marquis of Hartington has done one good thing this year. He has agreed with the Peninsular and Orien tal Company that they shall start their steamers from Brindisi as soon as the Mont Cenis tunnel is completed. This, as I mentioned in a recent letter, will be in a very few months, and it will then be possible for Indian letters to be answered by the mail of the week in which they arrive, whereas now six days intervene. Since 1857 nine million persons have visited the South Kensington Museum. Last year there were over a million, and no doubt when Mr. Cole has got his promised birds and beasts from Bloomsbury into Albert-land his place of entertainment will draw more than ever. It has cost a pretty considerable sum, remembering how little of beauty there is about it. £306,000 is a large amount to pay for such a structure. But this is a modest figure compared with the cost of management, which in twelve years has been £630,500, or about £l,OOO a week. Who gets alithis money, and what is the work done for it, are questions that I should very much like to see answered. The sad accident which I mentioned in my last has been explained in private letters, which gave the same account as that published in the Times of Monday. It was not on the Mer de Glace, but high up Mont Blanc, that the catastrophe occurred. Search was made for 100 feet down, but no trace of the victims was found. It is questionable if the breaking of the rope caused the loss of the lives, or the saving of one. Miss Wilkinson, the survivor of the three, was within a very few feet of the crevasse. Probably, if the rope had not broken, she, too, would have been dragged in, though it is possible that, had the rope been sound, it might have saved Mrs. Marke and the guide. However that may be, Al pine tourists will learn two lessons from this calamity : that even the most frequented ascents are dangerous, and that Swiss ropes are not to be trusted. Of literary news I have but little to tell you, for this is the very height of the dull season. The lives of the " Senior Wranglers," written by two Camb4dge men, barristers on the Norfolk circuit, will be published next season. Sir John Hay has published as a pamphlet his speech on Mr. Gladstone's statement with respect to the war, delivered in the House of Commons, August 1. Some benevolent bibliophile has discovered a genuine Caxton in the French Protestant Church, St. Martin's-le-Grand. It was gradually being torn up for lighting the fire. The London friends of Mr. Ashbury are exceedingly pleased at the triumph of his yacht, the Cambria, in the race for the cup of the New York Yacht Club, in American waters, on Tuesday. They contend that this victory establishes the genuine superiority of the craft, in which Mr. Ashbury has always placed so much confidence. One of the last of the special correspondents sent out to the war placed under arrest by the French was Mr. Nicholas A. Woods, who writes from the French lines for the Scotsman. When watching at the Metz Railway Station for the arrival of trains with the wounded he was pounced upon by gendarmes and searched. The men having been convinced of Mr. Woods' neutrality and innocence, released him, and he crossed the rails to the platform at the other side of the station. Here he was again seized, and he was obliged to appeal to his first captors before the second batch of gendarmes allowed themselves to understand that he was a correspondent. After the second apprehension Mr. Woods was told that he had better leave Metz, as it was no place then for any one that did not want to serve France. P.S.—There can be little doubt that active negociations of some kind are proceeding between the British Government and the belligerents. Prince Murat had an interview with Earl Granville on Sunday. He returned to Paris, and came back to London yesterday. This morning he again visited Earl Granville at Walmer. This does not look as if the Government were remaining inactive at the present crisis. HER MAJESTY'S VISIT TO SCOTLAND. Her Majesty the Queen arrived at the Aberdeen station, en route for Balmoral, yesterday at 12.57, when a number of ladies and gentlemen were waiting to receive her. Among the number were Lord Kintore, Sheriffs Jamieson arid Thomson, Lord Provost Leslie, Messrs. Duncan, Ferguson, and Buxton. Her Majesty is accompanied to the North by the Princesses Beatrice and Louise and Prince Arthur. Several of the directors of the railway went with the train to Ballater, where Her Majesty was received by a Guard of Honour composed of 50 men of the 93rd Regi ment, under the command of Captain Nightingale. The Royal party thence proceeded in carriages to Balmoral, where they arrived about two o'clock. MAOMAHON'S WHEREABOUTS. There has been much doubt lately as to MacMahon's position. For the last few days he has been lost sight of. Our correspondent in Paris says that he is close upon Witry, about 25 miles from Chalons. Marshal Bazaine is expecting to effect a junction with him, and the two will retire upon Chalons, where another army is being formed. If this junction can be safely effected the chance of the French will be greatly improved. THE BLOCKADE OF GERMAN - PORTS. The following notification of the blockade of the German ports of the North Sea was published as a supplement to the London Gazette last night : "It is hereby notified that the Right Hon. Earl Gran ville, K.G., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has received from Her Majesty's Ambas sador in Paris a copy of the official notification of the blockade of the coast of Prussia and the German States in the North Sea, issued by Vice-Admiral Fourichon, commanding-in-chief the French Fleet, stationed off that coast, which declares as follows :—" That from the 15th of August, 1870, the coast of Prussia and the North German Confederation, extending from the Island of Baltrum to the North of the Eider, with its ports, rivers, havens, roads, and creeks, is kept in a state of effective blockade by the naval forces under our command, and that friendly or neutral vessels will be allowed a delay of ten days to complete their lading and to quit the blockade ports. The geogrs phical limits of the blockaded are :—The meridian of five degrees of east longitude of Paris as far as the parallel of fifty-four degrees five minutes of north lattitude. The parallel as far as the longitude of 5° 45 (five degrees forty-five minutes) of Paris. Theuce the meridian of 5° 45 (five degrees forty five minutes) as far as the parallel of 54° 20 (fifty four degrees twenty minutes) of latitude. And, finally, this last parallel to the coast. Every vessel that shall attempt to violate the said blockade shall be proceeded against in conformity with the Law of Nations and the Treaties in force with neutral Powers.. " On board the Magnanime iron-plated frigate of the Emperor of the French, stationed between the British Island of Heligoland and the Prussian coax " FOURICIION, Vice-Admiral and Commanding- in-Chief. August 12, 1870." THE INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACES. In the race of twenty miles to windward and back, on Wednesday, off Newport Harbour, the Cambria was beaten by the yacht Palmer. MADAME T ITS S AUD'S EXHIBITION, BAKER STREET. On view Portrait Models of the Emperor Napoleon 111., the Empress Eugenie, and Prince Imperial ; King William of Frussia, and Count von Bismarck. Admission, Is.; Children under 10 years of age, 6d. Napoleon Rooms 6d. extra. Open from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m. THE EUROPEAN WAR. THE SUN, which is Published Every Morning at Eight o'clock, with SOME HOURS' LATER NEWS than any other paper, will always give the LATEST N EWS of the WAR, and of all other events. alB, Al i no: oue baw l be r,