The Sun. — London, England, 1870-01-04 00:00:00

THE REVOLUTION IN CUBA; The Times publishes a telegram from Cuba, received in London from Habana, which contains some very impor tant news. It is dated " Habana,' Jan. 2 " (Sunday). It reads as follow? :—" Cespedes has left the island. The Revolutionary New York Junta publishes a manifesto urging the insurgents to lay down their arms. One thousand five hundred surrendered at Tunas." SUGAR FROM BEETROOT. The annual value of the raw sugar made from beetroot in France now, according to the Chamber of Agriculture Journal, exceeds five millions sterling. The total number of beetroot sugar factories on the Continent now amounts to more than eighteen -hundred, turning out the enormous quantity of 611,000 tons of sugar per season. In the year ending 1867 no less than 55,000 tons of beetroot were imported into tho United Kingdom; or, in other words, we paid continental makers £1,601,000 for a commodity which, it is now believed, we could just as well have produced our selves. Beetroot sugar is successfully competing with cane sugar in the London and other English maricets,and probably a remission of the Customs and Excise duties would have no ether effect than to increase the consmnptionof beetroot sugar, and render its neinufacture more profitable than it already is. It is also said that the quality of the produce from the Lavenham Works is so satisfactory that Mr. Duncan will enlarge the' scale of his operations there. SERMON BY DR. TEMPLE. About 3,000 people assembled in the Exeter Cathedral on Sunday afternoon, it having been announced that Bishop Temple was to occupy the pulpit. The sacred edi fice was literally crammed, and a large number of persons could not obtain admission. The bishop selected for his discourse verse 2, chap. iii., Frst Epistle general of St. John : " Beloved, now we are the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall }le ; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." He commenced by pointing out that the home influence upon children had a much greater effect upon them than any influence which might be brought to bear in after life, either at school or at church. This, He said, was the same with man. The inevitable consequence of men being associated together was that whatever was in the spirit and souls of some passed into j the spirits and souls of o th ers, an d so th ere was, as it were, a community of life and of feeling. He went on to shew that if Christians wanted to live in Christ, they must study His life, character, tenderness, love, and his Sacrament, remembering His sufferings. In the latter part of his sermon, he pointed out that the operations of the minister were quite independent of his personal character in his Church, inasmuch as he was the represen tative of the Church and nothing more. He was a part of the organisation of the Church. If a child was bap tised by a minister who had not really been touched by the power of the Lord, such baptism will be held valid in the sight of God, because the minister acted simply as the instrument of the whole body of the Church. The sermon was listened to throughout with marked attention. THE LATEST IRISH OUTRAGE. There seems to be very little doubt that the attempted assassination of the two policemen at Askeaton was the work of Fenians, the victims of the outrage, Sub-con stables Doyle and bi•Conaghy, having, bytheir zeal and activity, made themselves obnoxious to that party. It appears that, at a late hour on Thursday evening, the po licemen were on duty; but, not anticipating that the quiet of the locality would be disturbed, were unprovided with firearms. At seven o'clock they went into a butcher's stall and remained chatting with some people there. About twenty minutes after they had entered the shop, two or three men were observed to pass and repass, evidently casting inquiring glances towards the police. No notice was taken of the matter; but after a few minutes one of the men stopped before the stall, and, drawing a pistol from his coat pocket, fired at one, and then at the other of the constables. An accomplice also fired, and both of the policemen fell severely wounded. Several shots were subsequently fired in different directions by accomplices, it is supposed, to help the escape of the assassins. It appears that a horse-pistol or blunderbus was used by one of the miscreants ; for Ccnstable Doyle was found to have been wounded by three slugs, which, entering from the back, are supposed to have lodged in his lungs. One account states that he died in the course of the night, but in any case it is believed his wounds aro mortal. 111`Conaghy received a bullet in his arm, and was removed to Limerick. ROBBERY BY A RtiRAL LETTER CARRIER. At the Hertford County petty sessions, on Saturday, William Phillips, a respectable-looking lad, sixteen years of age, employed as a letter carrier in the Welwyn postal district, was charged with stealing several letters the pro perty of the Postmaster-General. The evidence offered re ferred to one particular letter, posted at Tottenham on October 21, and addressed to a lady residing at Welch's Farm, near Welwyn. The letter was never delivered, and the same thing having happened before, complaint was made at the Welwyn Post Office. The lady to whom the letter was addressed questioned the prisoner, who at first denied that he had had a letter for her; but afterwards said that ho had put one in his pocket, and could not find it when he looked for it. The lady thereupon told him that she had a letter in her pocket, which she was going to send to the Post Office authorities in Lon don; but that she would not send it if he told the truth. It also appeared that the local postmistress told him it would be better for him if he told the truth. Upon this the prisoner said that he had destroyed the letter, and he afterwards made a similar admission to the policeman who took him into custody, saying that he destroyed the letter because he must have gone a long way round to deliver it. It was stated that Welch's farm was about two miles out of the way the Prisoner had to go with his other letters, and it came out in the course of the inquiries that his salary was Cs. a week, and his daily round (Sundays included) about ten miles. He was committed for trial. A medical correspondent of the Glasgow Herald reports the death at Govan of an old woman who com pleted her 103 d year on the " shortest day," and till with in a few days of her death, which took place on Friday, was able to go about as hale and hearty as man/ who have not lived half her years. She was twice married, but sur vived all her family. MICA FOIt SPECTACLES.—Mica, for spectacles, is rapidly coming into use in America, for workmen exposed to the heat and glare of iron furnaces. Complete masks of this material, and even cylinders surrounding the entire head, have been made so as to form a more perfect defence. It has been attempted to give a blue tinge to the spec tacles, by applying the colouring matter directly to the surface of the mica, but this expedient failed. Another plan has been more successful ; this plan consists in inter posing a plate of transparent blue gelatine between two layers of the mica. AIIINZINGEII.—We earnestly trust that the Government will not neglect an appeal which the Cologne Gazette has just made to it, on behalf M. Munzinger, late British Consul at Massowah. All who know anything about the Abyssinian Expedition know how invaluable were the services he rendered to it. It would not be easy to name any one subordinate officer in Lord Napier's force to whom a greater share in its success could justly be ass!gned than to M. Mun zinger. Ile is now lying, wounded and seriously ill, at Keren, and the Cologne Gazette declares that, in con sequence of the insufficiency of the reward which the English Government made him for his services in Abyssinia, and which consisted partly in depriving him of his Consulship, he has hardly money enough io procure food for the next three months. A vast deal has been said and written about the prestige which our management of the Abyssinian Expedition acquired for us in the eyes of foreigners, and which has been declared "cheap at ten millions." Will not this prestige somewhat s uffer if such an appeal by the foreign press on behalf of a foreigner is made to, the British Government ir vain? A PEETTY STOnY.—A.German paper gives an account of a strange incident which occurred lately on the occasion of a marriage before the civil authorities in Al g e r i a , The efficial required the consent of the mother, sad asked if she were present. A loudbass voice answered, "Yes." The mayor looked up and saw a tall soldier be tore him. " That is well," he said, "let the mother come here—her consent and signature aro necessary." To the astonishment' of all present, the soldier approached the mayor with long strides, saluted in military fashion, and said—" You ask for the mother of the bride, she stands sir," replied the may el. before you." Very well, • " then stand back, I can take no proxy; I , must see the mother, the mother, I tell you "And I repeat," rejoined the soldier, "that she stands you. My name is Maria 17—, I have been thirty-six years in the service ; I have beenthrough igns, and obtained the rank of serge ant u.s, the permission to wear uniform, and sergeant-major." The mayor carefully iuments and found them perfectly correct, e marriage of the bridal pair, the mother :ervoutly with her deep bass MO t 44) 411 0411194 thita lOWA - , - a several campaigns here are my paper my nomination as .ta'..sd the doou eted the em sof4 7, ran lIARROWLNG SCENE AT A. 14 ICE ACCIDENT. At the inquest held at Wallaton, near Nottingham, on the bodies of George, aged 13, and Benjamin, aged'll, sons of Mr. John Matthews, park-keeper to Mr. Akroyd, of Wollaton Hall, who were drowned while sliding on a pond near that place ,on Thursday, the fol lowing thrilling narrative of the occurrence was given by a boy named John Clark. After speaking of their going upon the ice and sliding, he proceeded :—"Just as I got off the ice into the field I heard some one calling. I saw one of them in the water, and directly after, when I got near to them, I saw both striking their arms about. I got a rail which was lying close to me, and pushed it to' them; one end rested on the ice, and the other was in my hands. George got hold of it first, and then Benjamin cried out 'Oh, dear,' and I said to him, Lay hold of George,' and he did so. George let go of the rail several times, but lie came up again with Benjamin holding him, and he . got hold of the rail again. This lasted a quarter of an hour. Twice I pulled George partly on the ice, all his body being out of the water and one leg, but Benjamin having hold of him pulled him in again. At last . Georg,e said, I can bold on no longer, and wish you good-1 - re.' They both then went down, but came up again,' and George caught hold of the rail. Benjamin then said, Can yofi save us?' I replied, I don't think I can.' Benjamin then said, Good bye; I shall have to go.' (The witness here burst into tears, as did several of the jury men.) Both of them began to pray, and they went down. They rose again, but were unable to take hold of the rail, and they were drowned. I was calling for help all the time, but no one came." Tho jury returned a verdict of accidental death. OBJECTING TO A .MINISTER IN SCOTLAND, The Presbytery of Stirling met on Tuesday in the parish church of Alloa for the purpose of examining witnesses in connection with the diiputed settlement of Mr.Gunn,Dol lar, in the parish of Alloa. It may not he without interest (says the Globe) to the Sothron parsons, who, on pre sentation, enter securely into possession of their snug benefices, to hear the ordeal to which their North ern fellow-workers are exposed ere they enter into enjoyment of the loaves and fishes presented them. Sup pose a patron of a belefice north of the Tweed present a minister with such benefice who is for any reason obnoxious to the congregation, an investigation of the reasons for such unpopularity is commonly made before the Presbytery assembled under the presidency of a moderator. If they ratify the objections, the patron usually rescinds his presentation. It is obvious that when it is open to any of the congregation to lodge, an objection against a preacher, it is woo to the preacher if ho be not merely omniscient and all-powerful in the expression of his omni science, but also if he fail to convince the congregation of these capacities. Apparently the first lesson taught us by Mr. Gunn's case is to avoid all technicalities in your sermon, and to keep to theology. The first ob jection made against the preacher by one witness was the following sentence :—" Open any single vein in your body and you will bleed to death." The surgeon to the parish flock objected_that this sentence which occurred in Mr. Gunn's trial sermon was incorrect, though it might have been true, he candidly added, if asserted of an artery. This was the only point in the sermon which the rising man of science could remember. The next objector stated that Mr. Gunn's discourses were " cold, barren, and unattractive." He had difficulty in " following" the minister, added to which he thought that Mr. Gunn was very dogmatic and self-conceited in his manner. The next objector, the brewer of the flock, deposed that he objected to Mr. Gann's pronunciation, the like of which he had only heard upon the stage, and there only in what he would call the " walking gentleman " part. The worthy brewer was followed . by a weaver, who objected that Mr. Gunn's words were, in a manner, " thrown at him," and that ho would actually sooner walk in the fields than listen to Mr. Gunn. Perhaps the funniest eaten of objections stated was that by Mr. John Page, commission agent, who could scarcely trust himself to look Mr. Gunn in the face, because it (Mr. Gunn's face) appeared to him to undergo such changes. It was " contorted," and he did not like to look at it. Mr. Page was sorry to say he did not get any edifi cation from Mr. Gunn's trial discourses. He even thought that Mr. Gunn acted an unmanly part in preaching there at all. Mr. Baillie, boot and shoe maker, objected that Mr. Gunn, instead of "making a run" up the step of the pulpit, crept up "twofold" almost, and there was a law in nature against a minister's approaching a pulpit in any way he liked. It is difficult to know whether one's feelings of pity should be the most sincere for the congregation that is doomed to " sit under" such a minister as Mr. Gunn, or for the minister who has the pastoral charge over such critical souls as these! THE DANGEROUS CLASSES IN NEW YORK, -We-have heard a good deal respecting the insecurity of life ane property in New York, and it now appears that the citizens of the Empire City are determined to find a remedy for its proverbial lawlessness. The 2 leto York Herald, of the 23rd ult., gives an account of the formation of a vigilance committee. The originators of the scheme were encouraged to remember that in San Francisco 3,500 determined citizens effectively combined and finally rid that onco lawless city of all the thieves and vagabonds by whom it was governed. The first intimation the public had of such a measure being in contemplation was through a card in the Herald from Mr. Charles Van Dusen, offer ing the sum of 50,000 dollars to establish a vigilance committee in Now York. Secrecy being essen tially necessary to a successful organisation of the proposed illegal society, it was determined by those gentlemen who first moved in the matter to begin by forming an organisation on the model of the Knights of the Golden Circle, with grips and passwords, and a name of sufficient ambiguityto hide its character from the uninitiated. The Herald, however, contrived, through the indiscretion of one of the conspirators to obtain a report of what took place at the first meeting. There were about fifty people in the room, all masked and all dressed alike. There were no writing materials on the table nor anywhere in the room. The first business in order was the calling of the roll by the secretary, who checked off as each gentleman present made answer. No names were mentioned, each member being known and recognised by his number on the roll. The preliminary business having been disposed of, the chairman, a tall military man name unknown, rose and said there could be no doubt of the necessity of their organisation. "Every effort has been made by honest Republicans and honest Democrats alike to rescue the city from the control of the villains who now tax us, rob us, and, when they please, murder us with impunity, but without effect. The suffrage has become a farce; elections are determined by fraud; justice, as represented by judges, throws her mantle over crime ; laws are inoperative against the worst enemies of society; thieves and vagabonds rule this great commercial city of New York. We shall soon be forced into open revolt against the so-called law of the State, or sink lower than the negroes of the South under military rule if we don't make some signal examples of the leading malefactors. There may be a temporary disorganisation and tumult in conse quence of our contemplated action, but the result will be beneficial. No possible disorganisation, however, could be worse than the order' that prevails now. When certain officials of the city-government and a few of the judges, whose names will be given to the proper members at the proper moment, are executed for their crimes, a new era will dawn upon New York. The first duty you will be called upon to perform will be to see that the convicted murderers, robbers and penal thieves in the City Prison get the punishment merited by their crimes. The L 0 11 is strong in numbers and in money, and has the hearty support of thousands of respectable citizens. All that is required is " Silence to the death," unceasing vigilance, and firm determination." In conclusion, a hope was ex pressed that by the ensuing week all would be ready for the commencement of their work. A. Roman correspondent notes the exploit of two Eng'ish " misses," who, mounted on the benches above the kneeling multitude, surveyed with their opera-glasses the Pope as he pronounced the benediction in the Council. The Pope, with a mild smile, pointed them out to some of the cardinals, but no alarming consequences have overtaken them. AN EXTRAVAGANT PAIR,—An extraordinary ron 7 berg was investigated at Oldham on Saturday. CaiiiPear son and Martha Bracegirdle were .charged with stealing £241 from William Shaun, a butcher and cattle dealer. About eighteen years ago tho female prisoner wont to live with the prosecutor as his mistress, and continued to do so until very recently, when she eloped with the male prisoner, who is a deserter from the Bth Hussars. The prosecutor ascertained that £241 in gold was musing. The female prisoner and her inamorato proceeded first to Manchester, and thence to Glasgow, where they were apprehended on Friday at one of the temperance hotels. Both prisoners were dressed in complete new suits, and the male prisoner, when searched, was found to be wearing a new watch and chain, and the female prisoner a new gold ring. Only about £l4O of the money which the prisoner had stolen was found - in their possession, so that in a week they had managed to make away 71#. 12 Xlo°. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4, 1870. .311SCELLANEOUS NEWS. to *drily such trivial &Welt. It will bd Attu% tbo.ll the charge on the community of advancing duty upon all stocks would be heavy, but this might be met by allowing the importer to pay 50 per cent. in cash down on landing, and 50 per cent. in a three months' bankers' bill. The risk of loss to the revenue would be next to nothing with such security, and nothing in proportion to the saving. In addition to this change the Review recommends that the duties be levied on larcrer quantities, and that no account be taken of a few quarters or pounds more or less. At present the sub divisions are infinite, and the cost involved in reckon ing them is proportionate. THE MERCHANT SHIPPING RILL, 1869. Mr. W. S. Lindsay, the large shipowner , and late member for Tynemouth, writes to the aily .A'ews touching the operation of this bill ; and in calling attention to the various objections raised to it, says: "The chief ground of complaint on the part of steam ship owners is the introduction, at the end of clause 393, of words whereby their responsibility will be increased from £l5 per registered, as at present, to per ton of the gross tonnage, without deduc tion on account of engine room. To a chancre of this :character it is natural to suppose chancre so important and influential a body, of which I am myself a humble member, will offer the most strenuous opposition." After advocating the amendment of the law on the ground that while it limits the liability of the owners of steam vessels, it makes the owner of sailing vessels responsible for an amount above the value of their property, the writer adds : "But I am not sure that the Legis lature has not hitherto leaned too much in favour of the owners of steam-ships in allowing as it has done for ' all other purposes' so large a space for the propelling power of the ship. In his competition with the owners of sailing vessels, whom he is fast superseding, he has had, even in this respect, an advantage ; for though the engine room and coal bunkers materially curtail the capacity of his vessel for cargo, they enable him to obtain greatly enhanced rates of and to perform his voyages in much less time. The Legislature cannot forget the interests of sailing vessels, and if they are, in the course of events, to be driven from the carrying trade, the State must rot overweight them in their great °cum race." port it when proposed. The proposal seems now ceitain, amt . -only a matter of time; and although nothing is known of what passes in the congregations, a long delay does not appear probable. That any decree will appear at the sitting of the Epiphany I scarcely believe, as there has been much and very urgent business to transact as to the reform and reorganisation of the religious orders, which is one of the great pre-occupations of the bishops, and the first decrees will, it is thought, regard the commission of monastic orders. Mgr. Dupanloup calculates on a very strong Gallican opposition, but as his German supporters are falling off, it is scarcely likely that eighteen or twenty bishops can exercise any influence on the decisions of the rest." ILLNESS OP hilt. DimAril. Ur. Disraeli seems treading in the steps of the late Earl of Derby. That inexorable enemy of our states. men—the gout—has seized upon him, and h e i s now lying in London, suffering from a severe attack. Neither of our party leaders—the Premier or Mr. Disraeli—seem to be in very first-rate health. It is to be hoped that both will recover their wonted strength before the meeting of Parliament. THE TORY LEADERSHIP IN THE LORDS, The Daily News cannot be very sanguine of the prospects of finding a suitable leader for the Con servative party in the House of Lords, for it pro nounces that Mr. Disraeli's elevation to the peerage is the only way by which the difficulty could be per fectly got rid of. " The Conservative leader ought to be at the head of the main body of the Con servative strength. That lies indisputably in the House of Lords; and during the period of active public life on which Mr. Disraeli may reasonably reckon, it is not likely to lie anywhere else. The present Parliament promises to complete its full term of existence ; and before that has run out Mr. Dis raeli will have counted his threescore years and ten." But surely these changes ought not to go on the principle of "that which is weak let it be weaker still." How could the hard-pressed Conservative party in the Commons spare their chief? THE WHIPS IN THE UPPER HOUSE: The Telegraph denies the truth of the rumours that Lord Bessborough has resigned his office of Lord High Steward of the Household. He will continuo to hold his position as head whip, and the rumours of his defection from the party on the sub ject of the Land Bill are therefore false. A. change is, however, to take place in the " whipping " arrangements of the House of Lords. His lordship will have the assistance of the Earl of Cork and of the Duke of St. Albans as under whips. O'DONOVAN POSSA. What will be done in the case of O'Donovan Rossa, M.P. for Tipperary ? It may be presumed that the Government will look upon his return as impossible of ratification. Privilege would exempt Al.P.'s from sitting and associating with a convict. Is it, however, enough simply to exclude the Fenian prisoner from the House ? Ought not, in fact, the constituency to be punished as well as the representative. The Globe urges that nothing less than suspension of the writ for the return of a new member for the county can adequately express the sentiment of the House. "Suspension of the writ will be an act of just retri bution, and it is required to assert the dignity of the House, and to express its abhorrence of disloyalty." ANOTHER IRISH MAGISTRATE REMOVED. The Government has reduced a second Irish jus tice of the peace to the ranks. This time the offender is Mr. M'Swiney, a ma g istrate of the county of Cork, and the offence is that of swearing and using offensive language towards a Protestant cler gyman and the Macroom Board of Guardians. Here, at all events, there can be no doubt that justice has been done. A magistrate who so far degrades him self as to swear at a minister of religion can hardly administer the law with dignity. TUE ORANGEMEN. The dispute still continues in the Orange ranks respecting the expulsion of Mr. Dalway, the member for Carrickfergus, by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. A. large meeting has just been held at Lame, in Antrim, at which resolutions were passed condemning the action of the Grand Lodge as unconstitutional, and expressing confidence in Mr. Dalway. Carrick fergus is the county town of Antrim, and it there fore naturally follows that Mr. Dalway finds the greatest sympathy in the district which he repre sents in Parliament. • WORKING-CLASS BOROUGHS, It appears from certain calculations by Mr. A.cland, which seem trustworthy, for they are based upon parliamentary returns, that of the 197 cities and boroughs in England and Wales, the working-classes can command a majority in 178, as againSt 19 minorities. But Sir ydnoy Waterlow claims that Southwark is one of the latter class, for there the probable constituency in 1869 was estimated at 10,150 artisans, and 12,134 voters of other classes. Sir Sydney asks why Mr. Odger, who perseveres in his candidature for South wark, did not go to the poll at Stafford, where the workmen have A majority of more than 60 per cent. TIIE ALABAMA CLAIMS. The New York Times announces two very startling facts—i£ facts they be—in relation to the Alabama claims. The English Government, according to our American contemporary, has made and ,re important concessions; so that the history of the new negotiations, like those between• Lord Stanley and Mr. Roverdy Johnson, promise to be another story of diplomatic victory for the - United States. Mr. Motley has got Lord Clarendon's consent to the reopening of negocia tions at Washington, instead of in London; and has also obtained our Foreign Secretary's agreement to the submission to future arbitration of the question of the " neutrality of the seas or international man- time law." The New York. Times is very elate. "The public (it says) will not overlook the importance of the new point which is to be included for settle.. ment hereafter, and which has been substantially ignored heretofore. Under it England will be obliged to concede that the arming of the Alabama upon the high seas was as much a violation of neutrality as though it had occurred in her own ports." SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS. The question, what is a "suffragan bishop P" seems not altogether easy to answer. In earlier times the title was given to all provincial bishops who gave their suffrages in the synod summoned by their metropolitan. The Pall Mall Gazette, however, after observing that such a title as at present applied is somewhat of a misnomer, statea that, "By the. Act of 26 Henry VIII. c. 14, the title of suffragan bishops was conferred upon a class of persons who have been styled Chorepis copi, or country bishops, in the Ancient Church. The preamble of this Act recites that (in the Reformation) 'good laws had been made for electing and consecrating archbishops and bishops, but no provision had been made for suffragans which had been accustomed here for the more speedy administra tion of the sacraments and other devout things, &c.'" It was therefore enacted that certain places men tioned should be the sees of bishops suffragan, but this Act was repealed by 1 and 2 Philip and Mary, c. 8, and was revised by Ist Elizabeth, during whose reign there was a suffragan (to the Archbishop of Canterbury) at Dover and elsewhere. Our contem porary adds :—" The last of the suffragans was Dr. Sterne, of Colchester, about the year 1606 ; since his time the law has fallen into desuetude, but has never been again repealed. As by the terms of the Act the suffragan is, in effect, apsointed by the bishop, there is some reason to fear that by this means a large por tion of the government of the Church will be trans ferred from the State to less responsible hands. So far as we can see, there is no duty to be performed by the suffragans which could not as readily be done by the archdeacons, except the rite of confirmation, for which episcopal orders are not, in some other churches, regarded as essential." THE BISHOP OF LICHFIELD ON THE SURPLICE. Dr. Selwyn has decided the case referred to him arising out of the late ritual dissensions at St. George's Church, Wolverhampton. The vicar—Mr. Prior— was charged with introducing innovations into the ritual of his church. Amongst other things men tioned against the rev. gentleman were two, to the effect that he wore the surplice in the pulpit, and had arranged a choral service. On both these points Bishop Selwyn has given his opinion in favour of the vicar : on the first unreservedly, for the surplice is the proper dress of a clergyman, and the Bishop recommends its adoption throughout his diocese ; on the second matter with an admonition against sudden changes. It was better in the first instance to use the musical service only on the occasions of festivals. Another m a tt e r submitted to the Bishop was a complaint that afternoon services were held, and that at these the people were put into pews appropriated to worshippers at the morning and evening services only. Dr. Selwyn does not seem to have got indignant with this complaint ; but he did declare most strenuously that after noon services wore 66 especially necessary," and notwithstanding pew rents, the church wardens had a right to fill the untenanted seats in the church. Lastly, the aggrieved parishoners wanted Mr. Prior to promise the bishop he would make no change in the n.:ode of conducting, service. The bishop refused to a ;1i for any such engagement. "He should considered any clergyman a fool who, coming into a new cure, should promise not to make any alteration in the xt 10 ol 15 years as the case might be." CUSTOM HOUSE MANAGEMENT. The Produce Markets' Review has heard rumours to the effect that very considerable alterations are contemplated in the Customs' Department. Thi: news, or semi -news, leads our contemporary once mora to consider the reforms which would secure the greatest economy and efficiency. The abolition of the establishment altogether would best please the Review, but short of th a t great consummation, the next best thin.. is to simplify the levying of the duties. The collection' of customs' duties, it says, would be comparatively inexpensive, if the payment of duty were compulsory at the time of landing. The payments would then be made on large quantities, and not in detail on each trifling delivery spread over an indefinite time. This is the main consideration in any reform—goods once landed and warehoused itja.easontial to lock._l2olt. and. bar._ GREENWICH TIME Lord Kinnaird has obtained a triumph for correct time. He has made representations to the autho rities in the telegraph department of the Govern ment, and it has been resolved, at his lordship's instance, that Greenwich time shall be telegraphed daily to all telegraph stations in - England, Scotland, and Wales. All the Post Office clocks will be regulated by Greenwich every morning, so that when persons go to post their letters they can set their watches according to the correct time of day at Greenwich Observatory. In Ireland, in the same, way, Dublin time will be telegraphed all over the country. This arrangement will be a boon to many out-of-the-way districts. THE ACCIDENT ON THE CALEDONIAN RAILWAY, It is worth while inquiring what caused the acci dent at Forgadenny, on the Caledonian Railway, reported yesterday, which caused the death of two men and seriously injured seven others. The record of the disaster is a repetition of the old story of negligence—" a train two hours late, a station master away and his duties transferred to a pointsman, no block system, no telegraph warn ings." It appears that the two trains which came into collision generally meet at Larbert junction. The one is a Glasgow, the other an Edinburgh train. The two are joined and go on their journey together. On this occasion both were very late. The one from Edinburgh came up first, and it was dispatched alone. It ought to have displayed a green light; but did not. The station-master was away at a " dance," and the pointsman, who was left in charge, not seeing the usual sign, thought • both trains were together, put out the lights, shut up the station, and went home. An hour afterwards the other train from Glasgow came up, and had to dis charge its passengers in the dark. Further delay was caused by the breaking of a coupling chain; and while that was being set right the day mail from London to the north of Scotland, travelling at the rate of fifty miles an hour, came in view. The driver seeing the lights of the slow train before him, did all he could to stop his train, and reduced the speed to fifteen miles an hour. At that rate, however, it rushed into the standing carriages, smashing the van to pieces. SOLICITORS' CLERKS The magistrates at Worship-street Police-court, London, have determined to abolish the practice of allowing solicitors' clerks to represent their employers before the Court. This permission has been found to exceed its legitimate purpose. It encouraged the 4 ‘ touting " system—that is, the p r actic e o f c l er k s hang ing about the court and importuning the persons concerned in impending cases to give them fees to appear. It has been discovered, too, that several of these touters are, or profess to be, employed by one solicitor, and that others are enrolled to practise as properly-qualified legal practitioners. Henceforth none but articled clerks will be tolerated, and those only with 0, written permission from their principals. EMIGRATION TO TASMANIA. A correspondent thinks there is little prospect of stemming the tide of emigration from the shores of Ireland at present, and considers that Tasmania would have a fair chance of competing, even with America, as a tempting home to the intending emigrant, thus preventing the complete loss to the mother country of so consi derable a portion of her population as is annually ab sorbed by the American continent. The writer, in support of his suggestion, pictures "a climate ever bright, genial, and exhilarating," a high rate of wives, low price of food, and splendid opportunities of ac quiring property in the future. KIDNAPPING IN THE SOUTH SEAS. Mr. Chesson t Secretary of the Aborigines Protection Society, takes issue with Mr. Douglas, Agent-General for the colony of Queensland. The latter wrote the other day that the colonists and their Legislature were not responsible for the dis graceful slave trade practised in the South Seas; they passed an Act against it, but they could not be answerable for what happened at the islands hundreds of miles from the colony. But Mr. Chesson main tains that the Queensland Government is not blame less in respect of this kidnapping of islanders for labour in the plantations. "At the outset Polynesians were openly sold in Queensland for £6 or £8 a-piece, a fact which is authenticated by advertisements in the public journals of the colony. There was virtually no protection against the kidnapping or enslavement of the natives. Their language, for lack of proper interpreters, could not be understood ; and on the ground that they were heathen, their evidence, even when it could be translated, was rejected in the courts of law, although Christian kidnappers laboured under no such disability." It is all very well to pass a Polynesian Labourers' Act, but that measure, Mr. Chesson adds, was a grossly defective piece of VOLUNTARY STARVATION. Of all modes of suicide, that of voluntary starva tion is in least general favour. It is not often that slow torture is chosen as a means of felo-de-se. But an instance of the kind has occurred in London. An inquest was held on Saturday on the body of a man who suffered • from pecuniary difficulties, and who was so much depressed a fortnight ago by the sight of a tradesman's bill that he vowed he would never eat again. He kept his word. All efforts to induce him to take food were in vain. The doctor ordered that he should never be left aloni; but though an attendant was engaged, his services proved of no avail. Liquids were ordered, and a tooth of the patient was knocked out. Still the man persevered in his resolution to starve, and not even the treatment of a lunatic asylum to which he was removed could affect him. He died. THE. WEATHER OP 1869. The weather statistics for the past year whew that from January 12 to September 30 an abnormal eleva tion of temperature prevailed, the excess, computed from a point of time extending over nearly a century, being in the aggregate 32.0' degrees, thus yielding a mean for the first nine months of nearly 4 degrees. In October and November the temperature decined to 1.3 degrees below the mean, and on December 2 rose again and attained an excess of 0.9 degrees. FOREIGN NOTES. AFFAIRS IN THE ROMAN COUNCIL. Our Rome correspondent, writing on the 27th December, refers to the meeting of the Council then being held, and says that several speakers were registered for it besides those who may wish to reply, as the matter is con ducted almost on the plan of the French Senate, where each speaker ascends the tribune in the order in which he has previously put down his name. " Very important results are looked for from to-day's sitting, but, of course, the greatest secrecy is observed as to the proceedings, and what outsiders hear is very un reliable matter. A report is current that we are to have a definition' on the Epiphany, but for this I can only give the current rumour, as I doubt all the business neces sary for such a resul being got through to-day and on Monday, when another sitting will take place. In any case the question will be decided soon, for the dispute has run so high that a decision is a matter of absolute neces sity, and it is more than probable that it is now the principal matter before the Commission of Faith. A strong impression exists that a very early step will be taken in the definition of the Papal Infallibility. The opposition, though strong, is diminishing, and many of the Ch , tinatakilltiln especially. have come to a declaim Wm- THE NATIONAL PARTY IN GERMANY. The deputies of the South-German Legislative Chambers belonging to the national Liberal party, are to meet at Carlsruhe on the Bth of January, to organise the party, and to devise some means of bringing it en rapport with the same party in North Germany. - A grand as •semby of the Liberals of North Germany is also, it is said to bo held at Berlin next summer. IN"rRRNATIONAL FAIR AT PESRAWDU. On the Ist of December the International Fair 'at Peshawur commenced, and, in spite of the sickness which had prevailed.in the district, a large attendance was pro mised. The traders who have become familiar with the _English merchanti have spread good reports, which will induce the western caravans to make their way to Peshawur. The Yarkandi traders appreciate English commercial manners, and a correspondent, writing from the Rangra Valley, states that a party of Yarkandis took a quantity of his friend's tea in part payment of the goods purchased from them, and were quite content with a cheque on his Bombay agent for the balance of the account—a bill they could not read, drawn by a man of whom they knew no more than that he was an English man. BEATING A NATIVE TO DEATH. A sad occurrence has taken place at Delhi. An officer of the 79th Highlanders has caused the death of a native by beating him, and has been placed in custody until an inquiry be made into the affair. It appears that the deceased was a mason, and while in the act of whitewash ing a building in the fort, he accidentally sprinkled the officer, who was passing under the scaffolding. This so incensed the latter that he beat the mason with great vio lence, and the unfortunate man died in consequence of the injuries he received. AD3fINISTItATION. The Indian Daily lifetrs discusses the possibility of retrenchment, and points out that three sub-committees of the Stud Department are all on leave to Europe. It is argued that if an officiating sub-assistant can work the department in their absence, a reduction might be made. It would be interesting to compare the cost of a breeding establishment in Australia, and one of the Bengal establishments, and the knowledge thus gained would be useful in a time of deficit and financial reform. THE CHINESE IN CALIFORNIA. The . ratification of the Burlinghame treaty by the Government of China, which has just been announced, will, it is asserted, nullify the laws in California in refe rence to Chinese labourers. The t reaty provides that "Chinese subjects visiting or residing in , the United States shall enjoy the same privileges, immunities, and exemptions in respect to travel or residence as may there be enjoyed by the citizens or subjects of the most favoured nation." The same document provides that all treaties made under the authority of the United States shall be the supreme law of the land, and binding on all judges. The Anti-coolie Association of San Francisco are not satisfied with the present severe acts against Chinese immigrants, but wish to increase their stringency. They ask that a tax of 500 dollars be imposed on every coolie imported, whether direct from China or from any part of the United States, and also a fine of 1000 dollars for removing the body of a deceased Chinaman out of the State ; and that any twelve persons living in any township of the State, owning property to the value of 500 dollars, on going before a magistrate, be allowed to have the Chinese residents removed three miles outside of the township, and if they fail to remove within sixty days, the sheriff shall be empowered to demolish their buildings. CENTRAL AMERICA. According to the Panama Star and Herald of Dec. 2, matters appear to be slightly improved in Central America. In Costa Rica the fears of revolution had ceased, and the Government had disarmed the militia. In Nicaragua, at the close of November, the army of the Republic was still at Leon, engaged in the pacification of the western departments. In some parts of the State the war continued, but its end was speedily looked for. General Fernando Guzman intended to re assume his functions as President of the Republic. The losses and accidents caused by the revolution are calcu lated at 185 killed, 370 wounded, and one million of dollars. In Honduras public works are being pushed forward, and after February 6,000 labourers will be employed on the railroad. Treaties had been ratified with Salvador and Guatemala, so that commercial interests appear to be in the ascendant. THE DECLINE .OF AMERICAN COMMERCE, A Washington despatch of the 15th of December states that a delegation of New York gentlemen have arrived there for the purpose of presenting their views on the causes of the decline of American commerce, and the remedy for them to the Congressional Committee ap pointed to investigate the subject. A special meeting was held in order that the delegates mightpresent their views and a paper was read setting forth the opinions of the New York Association for the Restoration of American Shipping Interests. Great stress was laid upon the abso lute necessity of some action being immediately taken to prevent the total destruction of American international commerce, and also to set forth the principle that the true policy of the Government was to foster and encou rage American shipbuilding, as they believe that a nation's prosperity is reflected in the prosperity of its commercial marine. It was further proposed that Congress should legislate to allow the American shipbuilder an equivalent on all American material used by him in the construction of the finished ship, equal to the amount of duty which the Government would receive should such raw material be of foreign production. After the reading of the paper a discussion took place as to the proper remedy for the evils existing. It was declared that if American mechanics were given the same opportunity enjoyed by foreign mechanics to shew their skill, no doubt in a short time a now class of American steamers would appear which would rccomplish the run to Europe in seven days, REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON CITY, Nov 20, 1869. Mr. President—l have the honour to submit my report as Secretary of War, together with the report of the General of the Army, and the different bureaus of the de partment made since the last annual report. I took charge of the office on November 1, 1869, relievicg the General of the Army, who had, with marked zeal and ability, per formed its duties since the death of Secretary John A. Rawlins, on September 6, 1869. Of General Rawlins it can with truth be said that the virtues of true manhood characterized his life as soldier, citizen, and statesman, while on the records of the department will ever remain the evidences of his high honour, his patriotism, and his saga •ions judgment. During the month of October the Gene ral of the Army was acting as Secretary of War, and the annual reports, which were by his direction addressed to the Adjutant General of the Army, have been, with his own report, transmitted to me. As the duties of the office were assumed but a few days prior to the date of this re port, few recommendations will be made at length, but the material matters of the reports presented will be referred to as concisely as possible. The report of the General of the Army gives a clear view of the administration of the army, and is very full, both in the statement of its present condition and recom mendations for its future organization. Its importance is such that a synopsis cannot justly be given, and it is sub mitted with the following remarks: —There are twelve de partments and three districts, each under the command of a general officer, and the departments aro formed into four military divisions, commanded by the four generals next in rank to the General of the Army. The regular army consists of five regiments of artillery, ten of cavalry, twenty-five of infantry, the battalion of engineers, and the corps of cadets, the latter undergoing instruction at the Military Academy. All the regiments are on duty. After the consolidation made in accordance with the Act of March 3, 1869, there remained, on November 1, 509 unattached officers. All of these have been assigned to duty excepting 156, who are " awaiting orders." It seems equitable and just, should a reduction be made, that officers awaiting orders by their own request, and preferring that to active duty, should have less claim for retention than those who applied for assignment. Of this class there are 139 officers. Some of them, however, bad special reasons for asking to be placed on the "awaiting orders" list, which the Department recognized, and which should be regarded. It, is certainly fair that the conse quences of reduction el officers should fall proportionately on cavalry, artillery, and infantry, and, should Congress act in the matter, •,t is proper that this consideration should not be overlooked. In reference to the question of reduction, I co . .icur with the report in recommending that authority be given to retire a greater number of officers for cause than is now allowed by law-7 per cent. of the officers of the whole army. This present maximum of the army is 52,`13 t enlisted men. Relying on two-thirds for actual service, the number of men is 34,822. By the plan of organ' nation submitted in the report there would be 42,650 men.. Two-thirds for actual service would be 29,750 men, l• elow which it would not be prudent to go, as the neeessi':ies of the country and the great extent of territory to to protected will require every man of that number. The expense s of the Quartermaster's Department dur ing the fiscal -year ending June 30, 1869, were $21,963,484 08, a roductio a of fourteen and a half millions below those of the precod ing fiscal year. lu February, 1869, the num ber of civil fans hired by this department exceeded ten thousand, T which has since been reduced to four thousand. Five bund• ed line officers have done duty in the Quarter master's I )opartruent, in addition to the officers of that estaloliale went, 84 in number. The report states that the clerical :force of this office has been reduced so low by late l e g iBlo 4o la Ile to fivrioway retard the public buainesa, and to provide for the settlement of the accounts some increase in the force is necessary. A building capable of accom modating all the bureaus of the War Department, fire proof and secure, is much needed. Military records of great value are exposed to destruction, and are so scat tered as to impede and delay the public businehs. The monthly rental of buildings in Washington and lots occu pied by buildings owned by the United States amounted to $4,264 19, being a yearly rental of $50,954 28. The railway companies, to which the military railroad material of the Quartermaster's Department wai sold on credit at the end of the year, incurred a debt originally of $7,591,406. interest has increased this amount to $9,000,000, about one-half of which has been paid ; but some railroads being in default, and showing no disposition to meet their obligations, suit has bean lately ordered to be brought against them. But few vessels have been owned by this department during the year. The railroads of the country, having declined to adhere to the war rates of transportation, have been paid during the fiscal year upon their general tariffs, with a classification of military supplies settled in conference at a convention of general freight agents. There have boon paid for water trans portation. during the year $1,424,222 82, and for rail road transportation, $?,253,304 30. Of this amount $933,166 21 was paid •to the Pacific railroads, one-halt being paid in cash, and the other half retained in the Trea sury to meet the interest on the bonds guaranteed by the United States. During the year 96,000 persons, 3,700 animals, and 62,000 tons of stores have been moved by water, and 60,000 persons, 14,000 animals ; and 40,000 t ons of stores by railroad. 27,000 tons , of stores have been moved by contractors for waggon transportation. Tho Pacific Railroad has occupied some of the principal routes of former waggon transportatioe, and has saved the Cio vernment much money in supplying the posts along its line. By arrangement between the Departments of War and the Interior, supplies, for the Indian service are now transported by the Quartermaster's Department on routes in tlif, Indian Territory —the actual cost, under the con tracts, being refunded to the War Department out of the appropriation of $2,000,000 for the pacification of the Indians, granted April 10, 1869. Although the amount of clothing and equipage on hand at the end of the war has been reduced by sales and issues, there still remains a stock valued at over $42,000,000. The general depots have been reduced to four, and at only two of them is there any large collection of material, viz., at the Schuylkill Arsenal on the Schuylkill, and at Jeffersonville, on the Ohio. This latter is being drawn upon constantly, but it still contains over fourteen million dollars' worth of war material. There are seventy-two national cemeteries and three hundred and thirteen local, post, or private ceme teries in which soldiers lie buried. The titles of seventy one of the national cemeteries have been approved as per fect by the Attorney-General. Three hundred and twenty-two thousand six hundred and seven interments are reported, of which 171,946 have beet identified. The expenditure on this work has been nearly three millions of dollars. During the year 5,835 animals were purchased and 3,492 were sold. These latter produced the sum of $223,238 28. _ _ _ The current expenditures of the Medical Department doting the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869, were 8933,561 21; total expenditure of that department, in cluding " war debts" and " refunduients," was $708,305 36, and the available balance on hand at the close of the year was $1,792,050 73. The health of the troops has been good. Yellow fever has appeared at Key West only, and at this point there were forty-three cases and twenty-one deaths ; but by the prompt removal of the troops to a new station the ravages of the disease were at once stopped. The total number of cases on the sick list during the year was 104,235 The average number constantly on sick re port was 2,367, or about 5.5 per cent. The number of deaths was 548, of discharges for disability, 1,128. The number of commissioned medical officers for duty on June 30, 1869, was 161, being an average of one medical officer to 204 men. The experience of the past three years has shown that the present organization .of the medical staff is satis factory. PAY DEPARTMENT. The Paymaster-General presents the following sum mary exhibi: Balance in hands of paymasters at the beginning of the fiscal year July 1, 1868 5;,981,578 14 Received.from the Treasury during the fiscal year Received by paymasters from other sources, exclusive of sums transferred among themselves 5238,192 06 Total to be accounted for Accounted for as follows : Disbursements to the regular army Disbursements to the Military Academy 185,258 78 Disbursements to volunteers (back pay and bounties) 19,918,635 43 Total disbursements 38,782,144 82 Amount refunded to Treasury Balance in bands of paymasters, July 30, 1869 Total 42,464,770 20 The Paymaster-General states that he is confirmed in the opinion that no system can be devised which, equal to the present one, can be made to combine the advan tages of prompt payment to the troops, the safety of the public money, an accurate and immediate accountability, with the slightest possible liability to embezzlement or defalcation, and with the least cost to the Government. The disbursements for reconstruction purposes are $2,613,293 46, and the balance in hands of paymasters October 2, 1869, are $110,643 79. In accordance with the requirements of law, all claims for the additional bounties granted by the Act of July 28, remaining in tho Paymaster- General's offic3 unsettled on the let of May last, were transferred to the Second Auditor of the Treasury for settlement. Of the total number-441,959—received, there were examined and settled by the Pay Department 440,608, leavin g for transfer to the Auditor but 1,351 cases, of which the major part had been examined and determined, but not yet paid, for want of receipted vouchers from the claimants. The total amount dis bursed by the Pay Department for additional bounties, including those settled by.the Second Auditor and paid by the department on Treasury certificates, from the beginning to the 30th June last, is $57,220,150. ENGINEER DEPARTMENT. The Report or the Chief of Engiucera gives a detailed account of the operations of the Engineer Department, and of the means requit el to execute the duties devolved upon it. The officers of the Corps of Engineers, aided by de tails from oiler arms of the service and a number of civil engineers, have been engaged upon the permanent national defences, survey of the lakes, river and harbour improve ments, explorations and surveys, command and instruc tion of engineer troops, and in charge cf public buildings, grounds and works in the District of Columbia. T wenty two officers of the corps have been doing duty in the seve ral military divisions, departments, and districts, in the lighthouse establishment, and as instructors in the Military Academy. Work has been continued on the permanent defences to the extent permitted by the small balances re maining of old appropriations. These have been exhausted for the most part during the year, and the works have con sequently been c'osed up. Experiments and trials have been made with iron and other materials with a view to their application in the defences, and trial has been made of a descending gun carriage for use in barbette batteries. Methods of modifying and improving our existing do fences have been determined on, the introduction of im portant auxiliary elements of defence is proposed, and Congress will be called upon to make appropriations, mo derate in amount compared .to the importance of the ob ject,for the purpose of applying these changes, as soon as practicable, to the defensive works of several of our large seaport cities. The battalion of engineers maintains its efficiency in drill and discipline, and in the duties of its special arm. The engineer depots, for the collection and storage of pontoon trains and other engineer equipments, have been well advanced towards completion. The river and harbour works have progressed as rapidly as the means appropriated for their execution allowed. The appropria tion in April last of $2,000,000 for these works was distri buted in accordance with the law so as best to subserve the interests of commerce. The information respecting these improvements, which the Secretary of War is re quired by the several acts upon the subject to submit to Congress, will be found in the accompanying report of the Chief of Engineers. The survey of northern and north-western lakes has progressed commensurately with the amounts appropriated for conducting it. The Lake Superior survey is drawing to completion. It has deve loped many new harbours of refuge, and made known dangers to navigation highly important to the commer cial interests of the States dependent upon this water line of communication for the transportation of cereals and ores. ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT. The fiscal affairs of the Ordnance Department during the year ending June 30, 1869, were as follows: amount available from all sources Expenditures since June 30, 1868 0,787,324 97 Turned into surplus fund ... In Treasury, not credited to appropria tions 701,751 91 .. Iu depositories, to credit of disbursing officers, June 330,1869 In Treasury on June 30, 1869 The enlisted force of the department has been reduced from fifteen hundred to seven hundred and fifty. There aro sixty-one officers and fourteen ordnance storekeepers. in the department, and of these officers six are on detached duty. The operations at Springfield Armory have been confined to the preparation of machinery and tools for converting the Springfield rifled muskets into breech loaders upon the plan recommended by the ordnance board of 1868 ; to the conversion of a small number under the orders of the Secretary of War for fifty thousand ; and to cleaning Enfield muskets for sale. The cavalry have been supplied with Spencer carbines altered to use the musket metallic ammunition. The infantry, heavy artillery, and engiceers have been armed with the Spring field breech-loadine• rifled musket. All these arms have given great satisfaction. Instruction in Signal service has continued in the several military departments during the year, the purpose being so to diffuse a knowledge of the service and distribute apparatus that every officer may have such information of the duty as may suffice, in case of emergency, to save life in or prevent disaster to his com mand. The Signal service has been brought into active use in operations against Indians on the plains. The operations of the Freedmen's Bureau have been closed, except the educational and bounty divisions, and two hospitals for freedmen. The number of officers, agents, and clerks has been reduced from nine hundred and one to one hundred and fifty-eight. No further reduction is practicable so long as the present operations shall continue. The bureau has bad under its care, up to Juno 30, 1869, 581.178 persons. All the hospitals but two have now been closed or transferred to the civil authorities, and one of the remaining two is about being closed. There will then remain but one, which is located in the District of Colum bia, and cannot be dispensed with at present. The gene ral average during the whole period of the existence of the bureau shows that about ono in two hundred, or one-half of one per cent. of the freed people have been supported by the Government. The freedmen were advised to make written contracts with their employers, and have the same explained and approved by a bureau officer. In a single State more than fifty thousand such contracts were made. The labour of the freedmen has produced nearly all the food consumed in the South, besides large amounts of rice, sugar, and tobacco for exportation, and about two million tales of cotton per year, on which were paid into the United States Treasury, Burin the ear s 1866 and 1867, y taxes amounting to more than forty m illions of d ollars. Much disappointment and ill-feeling was caused bthe failure of the original plan to lease or sell the abandoned lands in small tracts to refugees and freedmen. Informa tion has been published respecting lands under the Home stead Act of June 21, 1.866, and some aid g iven to those who desired to en t er them- Attention is beginning to turn in that direction, •and about four thousand families have already made entries and obtained homes of their own. In a few instances freedmen have united in the purchase of farms under cultivation. They are very anxious to become land-owners, and the possession of lands and homes is ono of the chief means of their elevation. DLit the mat urgent went it 3 oducatio, and Dl9reatton tion has been paid to this than to any other subject-. each State at least one normal school'has been organ s : Several chartered co ll eges f or f ree d peop l e are i n oiler tion ; also a university ;in the district of Columbia. the 2,118 schools under the care of the bureau, and ° eially support e d, th e num b er o f teachers employed is 2, 1 ; and the number of pupils is 114,522. Adding those O. mated in private and Sabbath schools, the number unil instruction of some kind during the last year is not 1e , than 250,000. The f ree d p eop l e are d o i ng wha t th e y ' for their own education, having, during the last Y.°' paid for tuition and the construction of buildt 2 about $200,000. The expenses of the bureau have 0 $13,524,816 82. The estimates for the support of the. West Point , V demy during the coming fiscal year amount to $332,2 64: P" of which $212,019 20 i s f or p a y an d a ll owances o f in , tors and cadets. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSOURI. 2 , This division, commanded by Li eu t.-G enera l Shery: embraces the departments of Dakota, the Platte, and ' Missouri, commanded respectively by M a j or -Gen. IV' Hancock , Brevet Major-Gen. Augur. and Brevet Alar Gen. Schofield. These three departments cover a territ" of great extent, in which most of the civilised, g el; civilised, and wild Indians abide, and include the Stat O Illinois, lowa, Missouri, K ansas , Nebraska, and /di, ° seta, and the Territories of Colorado, Now Mexico, W ming, Utah, Dakota, M on t ana , and the Indian. Tho ministration of these departments has been ably and e ` nomically- conducted, but the number of troops now, duty in them is deemed insufficient, with the present; duced strength of companies, t o mee t th e wan t s o f the!' vice. Although there have been numerous depredat to in this division th e con diti on o f I n di an a ff a i rs i s very 01 better than last year. Th e p o li c y o f reservations adol' , , by the Indian Department is, in the judgment of Gal . Sheridan, the only policy th a t w ill p u t an en d t o JO, murders and depredations. Ew.ry effort is made to 31 ,' the necessity of punishi n g th e savages, w ith th e str,,' hope that they may settl e d own on t h e i r roterva ti o ny adopt a more peaceful and civilised life. The system of supplying the wild bands under the if sent Indian management is working well ; the Indian; ceives all that the Government intends he should, end' have no plea of bad faith to urge as an excuse for a 110 to his former habits. A detailed report of the mill! operations in the department of the Missouri accomPa P t i the annual report of Ge nera l Sh er id an , an d cove rs , operations of troops up to th e 15th o f O c t o b er , em brao many combats, in which the number of Indians killed!, ninety-two, number wounded un k nown; ° number of diers killed six, and wound e d t en ; num b r of civilian men, women, and children—murdered by the Ind . was seventy-nine, and nine wound e d. i MILITARY DIVISION OF THE SOUTH. This division, under the command of Major-Gen llalleck since the 17th Juno last, is composed of the partments of the Cumberland, of Louisiana, of Al„, sippi. and of the South, commanded respectively by 9 vet Major-General Cooke, Brevet Major-General MO' Brevet Major-General Ames, and Brevet Major-Gen el Terry, and includes the States of Kentucky, Tenneel West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, barns, Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolt t The principal occupation of the troops in this division ' been in assisting revenue officers to execute the revel; laws; assisting United States marshals in executing `, process of the United States courts ; in enforcing the 1 ° relative to the civil rights of freedmen, and all laws for protection of life and property. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE ATLANTIC. .ZThis division formerly consisted of the departmeat 9 the East, the Lakes, and of W as hi ng t on , un d er comma of Major General Peacock. Subsequently Major-Gon e :, Meade was placed in command, the department of WIP, ington broken up and attached to the department of " East, and the first military district incorporated in division, which now embraces the States of Ohio, Mie, gen, Indiana, and Wisconsin. the N e w England SW: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, ware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In the department of the East and the Lakes the do t have been, principally, the charge and care of the sea-ce: and lake frontier defences, and the prevention of ani tempt to violate the neutrality laws, and in one inste p in sustaining the United States civil authorities in math pending before the courts. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE PACIFIC. This division, which has been commanded by Ale) General Thomas since the Ist June last, comprises departments of California, Columbia, and of Alaska, 64 mended respectively by Brevet Major-General Ord, l 3 r el Major-General Crook, and Brevet Major-General Darts FIRST MILITARY DISTRICT. This district comprises the State of Virginia, and i t at the date of the last annual re pO r t comman d e d by v; Stoneman, who was succeeded by Brevet Major-Gon e ' Canby. On the first of October the number of trooP 9 , this district was one hundred and fi v e officers and thousand four hundred and seventy-eight enlisted rn e the present effective strength of the comma n d is nine t ep nine officers and one thousand and seventy-seven listed men. The total number of civil officers in 1 , State affected by the joint resolution of February 1369, was six thousand and sixty-one, and of this Dunk only eight hundred and eighty--five were found in 0 ; who could qualify under the law of July 2, 1862, 160 0 five thousand one hundred and seventy-six appointrae, to be made. To the Ist of October last, three thons s ,4 and seventy appointments have been made, and of seven hundred and eight. have declined, resigned, removed, or have failed to quali:y ; leaving two thott' o , three hundred and sixty-two now in office, and two O l io sand eight hundred and fourteen vacancies. It difficult to find suitable persons willing to lie`C c , offices the duties of which yielded no conspense t t and interfered with their ordinary business, and erns rasament was occasioned by the social and political pi t sure brought to bear upon Virginians who were sugge s 4 or recommended for an office that involved the necos,', 6; of taking the oath prescribed by the law of July 2, However, with but few exceptions, the county organ l tion is so far completed as to be in working condition' FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT. This distric'z, has been commanded by Brevet 31 8 10 General Ames, since March 17, 1869, and comprises of State of Mississippi. The Sixteenth Infantry Regi o o is the only military organization on d u ty th ere . 't employment of troops beyond the ordinary routin e duty has been confined to expeditions for the purp oo ,o arresting lawless characters guilty of murder or °`,l serious offences. Supported by public opinion, a feign', in defiance of the law, commit murders and orttrages, ft i , civil officers aro unequal to the task of bringing there o f justice. Guarded and protected by their neighb ° their arrest becomes very difficult, and the assistanc l/ 0 troops is demanded. The parties injured o r th e ir frig e rarely undertake to aid the civil or military autl ties, and if so, hesitatingly and secretly. The cases 0 . 0 not numerous where violence has been offered the rer4 larly constituted authorities, and in those instances the e ( l3 were committed generally by individuals who, nevort' less, were secreted and shielded by the people. 00%. the most deliberate and cold-blooded cases of the, was the murder, in the streets of Jackson, of Brevet Li e ,so Colonel J. G. Crane, chief commissary of the district. 0 report states that at the present timo, on the eve n' o tl election, the disturbances are increasing in number, if possible, more serious in character. On the 27t,,, April last, General Ames, by General Order, authorieen4 persons, without respect to race, colour, or previous ditions of servitude, who possessed the qualificationSV,o scribed by the laws then in force in that State, to &e m s jurors. This action he believes will finally result in bearance on the part of the whites towards the coley, population, and prove a security to them and their 1 1 ` v perty. FIFTH MILITARY DISTRICT. itr This district, on the 28th July, 1868, was reduced OS elude only the State of Texas, and is commanded by 131. f e 0 Major-General Reynolds, whose report is for the ending Sept. 30, 1809. The length of frontier line in p ci! district to be protected against Indian incursions elt c e d from the Red river to the Rio Grande, about 490 mile. , ? along the Rio Grande for about 816 miles—a total a % I li miles. Indian raids during the year have been unus il bold, and, it is believed, commanded in most instance g ol white men. Heavy damages to the c iti zens i n live 5 ,0 and property have resulted, but the l oss o f lif e has " small, amounting to about twenty-six persons. is It will be impossible to prevent Indian raids as lour r ir there aro wild Indians not assigned to any defined t e ii) tory, and protection to the frontier cannot be afforded eif the force in the district, owing to the numerous deord made upon it in the execution of the reconstruction P o i Voluntary county organisations of citizens have in t„ o c0 cases been authorized, and proved effective in some w itlt lities ; but in others the arrangement has not met, cordial response from the people. The ordinary chinery of the State has been in operation, aided, WPit i o ever necessary and practicable, by the military force (4100 United States. Improvement is apparent in the dispotg` zd of juries to punish for murder and other high ori ° o Military aid has been furnished civil authorities to l i be press bands of desperadoes who infest the State. „ 10 number of murders i n th e St a t e f rom J anuary 1, 18°V Sept. 30, 1869, was three hundred and eighty-four; ,011, the number of cri mes o f thi s nature i s s t ea dily diutiw ng. APPROPRIATIONS, EXPENDITTJRES, AND EszimAO S • There was carried to the surplus fund June 30, 1869, the sum of 558,239, 174 0 The actual expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869, were (including 1 6 the Freedmen's Bureau) 56,761 ,7- To which must be added, for old war debts ° 60 paid, the sum of llaking the total expenditures $ 2 80 3, ,6 8 4 82 1:0 3 4 A Of the above there was expended for recon 18 - s t ru ction purposes 406,419 There was appropriated for the service of the War Department for the fiscal year , 2 0 9 en ding June 30, 1870 The estimated deficiencies are ,940, 000 The total estimate of military appropria tions for the year endin g J une 30 , 1871 , a t 6° is In the foregoing estimate the amounts originalll re , sented by the heads of bureaus have been material l 9,ol duced, and any app ropr i at i on sma ller in a mount than "0 1 0 asked for would fail to meet the necessary w a nts ei department. 3 The followi ng es ti ma t es ar e submitted s e p ara telf,l l3 o 3 are given for the consideration of Congress, as presa by the Chief of Engineers: — For fortifications-- $4,194,400 00 For rivers and harbours..." 7,961,900 00 12,158,300 00 ue a As to the fortifications, I urge the appropriations c o' ,ll t ot T0ta1...... : for the forts near the larger cities named in the reP°.!i e e , New Orleans, and San Francisco• 0 0 rfor the year, upon which the recl ue ,. o l? the General of the Army, to wit :—Portland, Boston, 1 for the next fiscal year is based, is 'jai ofY o T r t ic il , eoeexstpipninadtiet: Philadelphia , able evidence of the economical management of the partment• W5l. W. BELKNAP, ~.i . ~ Secretary of Yv l''' BIRTHS. BURROW—On the 28th Dcc the wife of R. F. Bu rro A d, Esq., Mana ger o f London Suburban Bank, Fulham -r° of a daught er . 4 9, HARBERTON—On the 31 s t Dec., at 12. Beaufort-gar -ell S. W., Vis coun t ess Ifarberton, of a son. DEATHS A t RONALD - On the 26th Dec., after a few hours' illnes%lci, his residence, 5, M anc h es t er - square, R owan d E°° - Esq., in his 81th25t year. s" SMITII —On the h Dec., at his residence, 1 3 , O B A',:ty crescent, William Jam es Smith, Esq., Editor Of '-""' e villa Papers," aged 69. London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM AND R ct — scif of No. 112, Strand, Printer, a t T HE SuN Office, O. 112,:-.0,0! in the Precinct of th e Savoy, I n t h e C oun ty of Mitleue"- Tuesday, January 4,1570. 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