The Sun. — London, England, 1864-09-03 00:00:00

DANISiI DESPATCHES. Th:3 following is the continuation of the series 0: despatches recently laid by the Danish Governoaeni before the Rigsrac,d DESP.ITCU FROM THE DANISH AMBASSADOR IN BERLIN. _ _ _ " Nov. 3, 1563. " observation was aail;esad to me yes terday by Sir Augustus Pdget, is reference to my despatch to you (No. 25), which, as it appears, was qTgested to him by M. do Balan, in whose presence Sir Augustus had read the despatch. The remark VMS upon the following subject _ _ " You will observe that when I speak in that despatch or tho complete and unlimited budget which would eventually be submitted to the deliberative vote of the Estates, I express my idea by availing m:‘„ self of these terms—the budget of the ensuing year. I remember that in taking cognisance of this document—which he did the day following its de plrture, manifesting much satisfaction, and his entire approval--the Minister raised no objection to the manner in which I had understood Herr von Bismarck's demand with reference to the time when the enlarged financial competence s hould come into operation. Now, after his conversation with M. de Balan, he foresaw a difficulty relating to the current year, and asked me whether the Government did not intend to apply the new principle to the present year. " My reply was that we feared the misunder standings which eonld not fail to result from such a promise. For it was evident the Holstein Estates could not meet until after the imminent danger of an execution should be removed, and that negotia tions with the Estates upon the new budget could at soonest take place in the first month of the en suing year. This term would suffice for next year's budget; but the wish to submit to the Estates to wards the end of the year a budget for that same year would appear rather too much like mystifica tion, as there would be no means of checking outlay already made. The vote of the Estates would con• sequently be of no possible effect. "I added that I did not conceive interest could attach to a proceeding which all the world must know could be nothing but a mere form. For, apart from the misunderstandings which this step would certainly not fail to call forth, the principle would be sufficiently established by the appreciation of it we were ready to make. Further, sir, as you are aware, the budget for the current year has already been once laid before the Estates without their having thought proper to discuss and vote upon it. " Sir Augustus Paget entirely appreciated these observations of mine, and told me he would write in this sense to his Government and to Sir Andrew Buchanan.—l have the honour, &0., " QUAADE." DESPATCH FRCFM THE DANISH AMBASSADOR TO BERLIN. " Nov. 3, 1863. " M. le Ministre,—The despatch, No. 25, your excellency has been good enough to address to me, under date of the 31st inst., arrived yesterday even. ing, and I have communicated it to-day to the Min is ter-President. "I have already informed your excellency by te. legraph that, as to principle, M. de Bismarck in general agrees with the King's Government. That is to say, the Minister admits the condition relative to the national debt, but he did not abandon his objections with regard to the other reserves con tained in the despatch until after I had pointed out to him that a distinction was to be drown between the above-mentioned condition and that which the King's Govern ment had reserved to itself with regard to the part of the normal budget based upon the re• quirements of Government and of interior adminis tration. As to the national debt, the King's Government was responsible to the creditors of the State, and it:could only withdraw itself from a por tion of that responsibility upon condition of such portion being assumed by another ; but as to the reserve relating to the civil list, to outlay in favour of the confederation, and to expenses necessitated by the interior administration of the country, it was evident that the King's Government dii not con template, in granting the Estates the eight of voting the items of the budget bearing tliA - Lupon, prevent• ing thorn from making these different items the ob. Led, of their deliberation and rocolutions. I added thit I, for my part, had only understood by the in troductions of the reserves in question that the King's Government desired to guard expressly against the eventuality of a refusal of supplies (" Stenervorweigerung ') upon the part of the Estates. "The impression made upon me by the interview I have had with M. de Bismarck confirms mein the opinion I have already made known to your excel lency, i.e., that the abandonment by the King's Government of the Holstein normal budget in favour of the vote of the Estates would deprive the Diet of every ground for carrying out the execution, and that the condition relating to Holstein's portion of the national debt would be accepted by the Prussian Government. "But the great difficulty which still remains to be solved is that of the form for giving effect to the eventual intentions of the King's Government. "Until to-day Sir A. Buchanan and I, with per haps M. de Bismarck, have thought it would be possible, analogous to the precedent furnished in 1861 by the international negotiation, to obtain by way of the united committee the decree or Federal dc wand tneoet which the King's Government makes the execution of its decision depend ; but when I presented myself to day to the Minister of Foreign Affeire, he had just received from Frankfort pre liminary notice that M. do Sydow had encountered sentiments in the committee which caused him to foresee that the majority of his colleagues would decline to bring in a serviceable form before the Diet a communication made by the Prussian Go vernment as to the intentions of that of the King. " The method of proceeding previously concerted between M. de Bismark and the English Ambas• sador would, therefore, probably be ineffectual; and under the circumstances, M. de Bismarck is the less inclined to have recourse to that method, 48 it does not appear to him desirable that Denmark and Prussia should find themselves together in a minority in opposition to the other members of the Diet at the present conjuncture. " I asked M. de Bismtirk if he could not point out to me some other form which I could propose to the King's Go vernment , b ut he repl i ed the only farm in his opi n i on now available wad that the ini tiative should bo taken by the Cabinet of Copen hagen, either by a decree to be issued in Holstein —and under this head he did not see why prefe rence should not be given to the decree which, more than any other, would d epr i ve the Diet ofevery motive for execution, i e., the withdrawal of the patent of 3oth March—or by a declaration to be made at Frankfort. I asked the Minister, further, if it would not suffice that I should be authorised to convoy the eventual intention of the King's Go vernment officially to his knowledge, especially re questing him to communicate that intention to the Di e t. Bat he told me this was impossible. Towards the Diet the Prussian Government was in the present question exactly in the same position as the King's Government, and as for i n t erven ti on with the united committee without goodwill, upon the part of " 1 members, the organisation an d rou t ine o f the Diet offered ab solutely no means of action to the Prussian Govern ment. "M. de Bismarck above all strongly recom mended the withdrawal of th e patent o f M arc h 30; and in reply to the objections 1 brought forward, having regard to the dignity of the King's Govern ment, to considerations of internal policy, and even with the contents of the document in question, the Minister pointed out that in the main there was no difference between what he proposed and what the Copenhagen Cabinet was disposed to do. We were willing to admit the Federal competence for Hol stein, casting aside material objections by which we had hitherto allowed ourselves to be guided, and why not make the admission in the form pointed out by the Diet itself ? Time pressed. The Diet could not delay in taking its resolution. What this resolution should be the Federal decree left only two alternatives—acceptance or non-acceptance of the DAnish declaration. In the latter case the King's Government would probably have a last delay, but in the meantime the e . gecuion troops; would he cn the march, and the point of military honour wou:d be joined to the o` her considerations w►hich rendered it day by day mere difficult for Germany to rec-,de. " In addition to the two forms cited above as capable, according to M. de Bismarck, of being adopted by the King's Government, the Minister aiso proposed a third, in stating that perhaps the Britannic Government would be willing to addre: , ,s itself to the Diet, ec.mmunicating to that body the disposition of the Kin 'e Government ; but be im• mcdintely aferwards himself started the objection that, if this overture of the Britannic Government related, as was reasonable to suppose it would, ex exclusively to the Federal question, the Diet would be unable to receive it. "I cannot conceal from your excellency that, par taking of de Bismarck's views of the necessity of acting with promptness, I also think that there is no occasion for the King's Government to place form above reality, especially in its relations with a political assembly organised as is the Federal Diet. After the distinction laid down by M. de Bismarck, in full conformity with the views of the I King's Government, between the Federal part and the international part of the Dano-German ques tioa—a distinction which the English Cabicut has equally adopted, and will well understand how to carry through at Frankfort—it appears to me that this question now presents itself in an entirely dif ferent point of view to formerly, and offers to the Government facilities it did not possess some weeks ago. " Sir A. Buchanan has told me Lord Russell had supposed the vote upon the normal budget would be already granted to the Estates by the declaration of October 29, and. at the same time he suggested to me the idea of submitting to your excellency's exa mination whether it would not be possible for the King's Government itself to make the declaration to the Diet, taking the above supposition of the English Minister as a point of departure. "In the course of conversation M. de Bismarck several times alluded to the necessity of Prussia to take all possible care not to be able to be accused of private negotiations with Denmark in opposition to her allies, and this is the reason, I have no doubt, for much of the reserve maintained by the Minister. I am sure, however, that he would mos: willingly undertake to realise the intentions of the King's', Government if he only saw how to do so without exposing himself to a check. " Requesting your excellency to consider this re port as perfectly confidential, I have the honour, &c. (Signed) " QUAADE." DESPATCH FROM TIIE DANISH AMBASSADOR IN BERLIN, "Nov. 3, 1863. (Private and confidential.) "Your Excellency,—lti connection with what I have stated in my despatch of to.day's data as to the various forms the King's Government, in Herr von Bismark's opinion, might select to bring into operation its eventual intention with regard to the Holstein normal budget, I permit myself to submit to your excellency a further proposition of th© above• named Minister. " After he had stated his other proposals, Herr von Bismark remarked that he thought he knew another way which the King's Government could noose. You are aware,' he said, 'that I have always been of opinion that everything of a Fede• ral character must first be detached from the entire question in dispute. Its contents should be reduced to the smallest possible proportions, by taking from it, and connecting with the international portion, everything which could be reckoned to belong to the latter; as, for instance, matters referring to the position of Holstein in the monarchy, and to the other portions of the country. Nothing would then remain but what the Danish Government could well leave to the Diet, and, provided this took place, execution would be impossible as objectless. In connection herewith the Danish Government could never—referring to the resolution of the Diet, in which that body, when stating its causes of corn plaint against the Danish Government, has included several non-Federal objects—issue an act expressing what portions of the question in dispute, so far as these are hitherto laid down by the Diet, lie outside the competence of the Confederation. The act should state it was self-evident the demands of the Diet could not be met with regard to these objects. The Diet would then be compelled, if determined to carry out its will, to adopt a different ccurse to that it had hitherto taken. With reference to that part of the question in dispute which remained, the act should observe willingness existed to give the Diet everything that could be obtained by an execution, so long as its demands were limited to full legislative competence for the Estates.' " It seems to me that although a formal reason for a new declaration at Frankfort may not be easily discoverable from the present stand-point of the Federal question, the general political situation yet offers a motive for an act like that suggested; and it seems to me further that nothing would prevent the act being, attached to a reservation respecting the share of Holstein in the national debt, which latter is also an international matter. "The chief reason fur hesitation in adopting an act of this character appears to mo to consist in its solemnity ; and it is therefore my personal opinion, provided I may be permitted to give it expression, that it would be far better if the King's Government could determine to depart from form and give in a further declaration at Frankfort,—l have the honor, (Signed) " QUAADE." DESPATCH FROM THE DANISH AMBASSADOR IN BERLIN. "Nov. 5, 1863. "M. le Ministre,—The English Ambassador has received a communication from Sir A Paget upon the question treated in despatch N 0.27, and M. de Thile mentioned the same point to him yesterday, but neither the UndersSecretary of State, whom I also saw yesterday, nor M. de Bismarck have made any observation to Imo upon the subject. Sir A. chacan, to whom M. de Bismarck has not spoken any more upon the point in question, told M. de Th;lo that he thought it better not to touch upon the past. The Under. Secretary of State did not insist, and I think with Sir Andrew that there is no room for us to engage in any discussion in this respeet. " I have just received information from Copen• hagen which suggests to me some observations I venture to submit to your excellency. I understand from this source that your excel lency still entertains the idea of awaiting a Fede ral decree to realise the intentions mentioned in despatch No. 25, and Sir A. Buchanan tells me that according to his information, your excellency has spoken of eventually communicating the said inten tions through the united committees. A 3 I under stand the Federal ect, and according to what has been told me here in the most authentic and positive manner of the routine of the Diet, this assembly has but one resolution to take in the phase at which the Holstein affair has now arrived. It can only pronounce for one or the other of two alternatives, i. e., tertium non datur. Consequently as soon as the decree now in question shall have been pro nounced, the opportune moment for making a sup ' plementary declaration to the Diet shall have passed. The declaration can be made, it is true, at the final summons of the States carrying out the execution ; but while waiting, many things may have changed, and the opportu n ity wou ld pro b ably not be the same. " Just as I thus con:dder that it would be very desirable for the King's Government to decide upon setting aside form, and making the final declaration to the Diet without delay, although no formal ma. tine offers itself for this step at the present moment —and so long as the said Assembly has not expressed itself upon the declaration of October 29—so I will not conceal from your excellency that I, for my part, do not see the slightest probability that the Government could succeed in bringing its eventual intentions to the knowledge of the Diet by means of the united committees, as neither the King's Go vernment nor the King's Minister are in official or direct relations with the said committees. The lat ter being thus not strictly compelled to give effect to an overture on the part of the King's Govern. ment, and the majority of their members being no toriously less well disposed, it is to be foreseen that a step token towards these committees would not officially come to the knowledge of the Diet,—l have the honour, &c., (Signed) cc QUAADE." Naval and Military Intelligence. TLe Hornet, 17, acre ie sleep, of 736 toe erel 100 horse power, Commander the Hon. T. Hare, arrived at Spithead yes'erdsy on her return to England from foreign service, to dismantle and pay out of commission. She sailed from Trincomalee on the 22d of May, the Cape of Good Hop e on th e 12th of July, and St. Helena on the 25th. Her news from the two latter ports has been antici. pattel. V2ry fine weather was experienced from the Cape of Good Hope to the Channel. The naval cadets belonging to the Imperial French training corvettes Le Bougainville and Le Chasseur, now lying at Spithead, were engaged der:ng yesterday and Thursday in visiting Ports mouth dockyard and other public establishments of the port. An intimation had been given that the cadets would visit the Excellent gunnery ship at 1 p.m. yesterday, in order to witness the usual Friday afternoon's drill and firing on board that ship, but the visit was postponed at the lest mo ment, owing to the boisterous state of the weather- For the same cause the afternoon's drill and prac tice on board the ship was confined to the lower deck battery. The gun ports were all closed, and the guns all secured in-board as they would be at sea in a heavy gale of wind. A roll on the drum and the grins were instantly swarmed round by the seamen from the mess-deck, conspicuous among whom could be seen the white flannel guernseys and trousers of the young officers training for gun• nery lieutenants. In a few minutes every gun had been cast loose and two rounds each of the tube firing gone through. To this succeeded two broad sides with shot at 1,000 yards, and two with shell at 1,250 yards. The practice closed with a:converg• ing broadside of shot and shell, the ship being sup posed to be so surrounded by smoke or tne darkness of night that the enemy could not be seen from the gun deck, and the order to fire being given to the officer in charge of the battery from the upper deck througlia voice tube. The ease with which the guns were handled, and the perfect discipline and cat like agility of the men were extraordinary, even for the Excellent. It is significant to notice the feeling entertained, without a known exception, by the officers and trained seamen of the Excellent with regard to the different guns on board. Thus, while no confidence whatever is placed in any de• soription of casteiron or homogeneous made gun, every possible confidence is placed in a coil-built gun, from the fact that if the one gives way it breaks itself up, and would destroy the men work• iog it, while if the other, the coil-built, goes it merely opens its coils and lets the gases escape without further damage. Our best smooth-bore cast-iron gun—the 95 cwt. OS-pounder —rarely re mains serviceable after firing 200 rounds, while there are coil-built guns which have fired their thousands of rounds. One of Sir W. Arm strong's 70-pounder wedge-loading guns now on board the Excellent has fired 300 trial rounds, and 100 of these continuously by having a double crew relieving each other every 25 rounds. This is considered on board the Excellent to be the most perfect breech-loading gun that has yet been produced. Among other trial guns now on board are two 04-pounders, one rifled after the French cannon raye, and the other on Sir W. Armstrong's shunt principle. These two guns are to undergo a competitive trial as , : soon as their ammunition can be provided. Her Majesty's iron steamship Oberon, built at Deptford in 1847 by Messrs. Rennie of half-inch ' plates, is now undergoing a thorough overhaul at Woolwich. The under part of her bilge has been repaired, and some few of the plates have been re• placed by new ones. Her interior, which was payed down with Day's and other patent marine cements, in order to test the superiority of the compcsiticns for preserving the rivet•heads, from rust has been recoated throughout with Day's composition, which was proved superior, and is now introduced generally in the service. Her sides are being experimentally coated with Hay's protective and anti-fouling varnishes. The hired transport Swan yesterday wont down to 'Woolwich and shipped a number of 110-pounder Armstrong guns and other war stores for Halifax. I❑ consequence of repeated suggestions made by Mr Turner, the master-shipbuilder at Woolwich, fur an immediate augmentation of the establishment of the dockyard, as well as for the important increase of skilled ironworkers, the Lords of the Admiralty yesterday despatched an order to Woolwich sanc tioning the proposal that the number be raised to 1,120 men of all trades, to constitute the pGrmancnt establishment. About 100 additional men of various trades will likewise be taken on as " permanent men." The paddlewheel steamer Salamis, 4, 853 tons, 250-horse power, Commander F. G. Luttie, in ac cordance with orders to that tffeet telegraphed to Chatham, has taken her departure from the Med way for the eastern coast of Scotland, to attend upon the Osborne, 2, paddlewheel steam yacht, Staff-Commander G. H.K. Bo wer, which conveys the Prince and Princess of 'Yates and suite to Denmark Since the Salamis was last at Chatham she has been employed principally on particular service. and on the breaking out of hostilities between Denmark and the German Powers she was despatched to cruise off the island of Heliogoland to watch the Prussian and Danish squadrons. She subsequently conveyed the members of tho Fishery Commission on a tour of inspection to various parts of the coast. During the time the Salamis was employed in these duties her performance, both under sail and steam, more than realised the expectations formed of her by her designers and builders at Chatham Dock yard, the vessol making from two to three knots per hour more than ou the occasion of her official trial of speed at the Aliplin Sands; while on some occa sions she attained a speed of 18 knots, and even 20 knots per hour. Some inconvenience has arisen ow. ins to her boilers having originally been covered with felt ; and on two or three occasions fire has actually broken out on board from this C. 11190, necessitating the cutting away of some portion of the decks and funnel casings to get at the seat of the fire. Since the Salamis has bean in harbour, however, this has been altered, and the boilers covered with firebricks and clay, which will prevent any similar occur rence. Tha Mis:etoe, 2,60• horse power, attached to the second division of the Chatham Steam reserve, having, upon being surveyed by the Admiralty and dockyard officials, been found in an exceedingly rot ten state, orders have been received directing her to be broken up, and she will accordingly be taken to pieces at Sheerness dockyard. The Midetoe was built for the Admiralty during the late war, and has seen very little service, while for the last few years she has been lying idle in the Medway. It is pro bable that many others of the gunboats attached to the Chatham Steam Reserve will, upon examination, be found in an equally rotten condition, and fit only to be broken up. The ironclad frigate Research, 4,200 horse power, Capt. A. Wilmshurst, which sailed from the Nore on Wednesday to join the Channel squadron, steamed through Spithead yesterday, and continued her course to the westward, through the Needles channel. The fine frigate Arethusa, 35, 3,141 tons, 500 horse power, attached to the first division of the Steam Reserve in the Medway, will not, according to present arrangements, be commissioned until the sister steam frigates Octavia, 39, 3,161 tons, 500 horse power, and the Constance, 39, 3,213 tons, 500 horse power, are ready for the pennant, when they will proceed together on an experimental cruise to test their sailing and steaming qualities. The Are thusa would belready for sea in a few days, but from an announcement received at Chatham from Ports mouth and Davenport, where the other frigates are fitting, neither of these vessels will be ready for sea for at least a couple of mouths to come. According to annual custom the returns have been forwarded from the Admiralty to Chatham dock yard of the intended alterations in the number of mechanics and other workmen employed at that establishment for the ensuing year. From the cir cumstance of Chatham having become almost exclus sively an iron shipbuilding yard, a considerable in crease will take place in the number of mechanics employed at that establishment. Accordingly the order directs that about 50 of the hired mechanics are to be established, and there will also be a rather THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVEPONG. SEPTEMBER 3, 1864. considerable it,crease is the numiKr of smiths, joiners, painters, and apprentices. Oa the other hand, 8 great number cf the ropemakers will be (lib charged, the new spinning and other machinery re. cently introduced into the dockyard, dispensing to a great extent with this kind of manual labour. A number of the workmen now employed as sawyers will fall back as labou rers, and some of the additional hands taken on as coppersmiths will be established. The order also directs a new appointment to he made at Chatham Dockyard—that of " assayer of metals, paints, oils, lead," &c. The Prince Albert cutter, Master Commanding Bones, which has been for some time engaged in surveying service on the north west coast of Scot. land, under Capt. Otter, late of her Majesty's ship Porcupine, has returned to the Clyde. A D luish ironclad frigate, built by Messrs Thomson, Govan, wid shortly leave the Clyde for Denmark, Yesterday a detachment of noncommissioned officers and men of the Royal Engineers, selected from the companies at headquarters, Chatham, left the garrison and proceeded to Gravesend, fur the purpose of undergoing a course of ball practice under the direction of Capt. Drake, the newly ap pointed rifle instructor to the Royal Engineers. The following appintment has been made in the Royal Naval Reserve :—William Henry Ellis, to be Honorary Lieutenant. Barry F. Domoile, and not B. T. Doraville, was appointed to the Artillery, as notified in the last Gazette bat one. The following appointments were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—Commander G. A. W.-Welch, to be an inspecting Commander of the Coastguard, vice Commander Maunsell, whose period of service has expired ; - W. J. Lewis, surgeon, additional, to the Duncan ; Harry T. Nettleton, paymaster, to the Brilliant; A. C. Archdeacon, assist.-paymaster, to Irresistible ; and F. Hyndman, assist.-paymaster, to the Duncan. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE, GREAT WESTERN. The following is the report of the directors of this com pany to be submitted at the general meeting on Wednesday next : " The accounts presented to the shareholders with this report embrace a period of six months, terminating on the 31st of July last, whereas those submitted to the proprie tors in September, 1563, included a period of seven months commencing on the Ist of January, and terminating on the 31st of July in that year. The usual comparison between the two half years cannot, therefore, be deduced from the printed accounts, but the following analysis may be taken as exhibiting a fair comparative statement of the receipts and expenses during the six months ending the 31st of July, 1863, and the aix months ending the 31st of July, 1864: REVENUE. 1863. 180. Increase. From passengers, mails, £765,460 1.803;291 £43,814 From merchandise, coal, 705,525 78' 1 ,521 74,9.5 From parcels, warehouse rent, 51,945 E 4,641 2,896 £!,`,2 ',021 £1,643,656 £121,7;15 EXPENDITURE. Maintenance of way £152,192 £153,172 £9BO Locomotive expenditure • 186,435 195,753 9,318 Traffic expenditure All other expenses £731,326 £763,742 £20,416 After providing for all and fixed preference charges the lance of revenue will admit of the payment of the follow ing dividends :—At the rate of 3 per cent. per annum on Great Western Consolidated Stock; 21 per cent, on West Midland (Oxford) Consolidated Stock ; per cent on West Midland (Newport) Consolidated Stock; 5 per cent, on West Midland (Hereford) Stock ; and 31 per cent, on South Wales Consolidir ed Stock—leaving a balance of £3,904 Os 5d to be carried forward to the credit of the current half-year, It will be observed that a sum of ;£2,590 has been charged to revenue in respect of ' accidents.' The directors propcse to continue to charge a similar sum half yearly until a fund not exceeding £20,000 has been created. Mr. Gooch has resigned his office of locomotive engineer to the company, after a service extending over a period of 28 years; and Mr Gibson, who for a period of 18 years held the appointment of head of the carriage and waggon depart ment, has also retired during the past half-year, Mr 'Wilson has relinquished the superintendence of the locomotive and carriage establishments and of the permanent way on the West Midland section of the line, but he continues in the service of the company as constructing engineer for works in that district. Mr J. Armstrong, the chief of the com pany's locomotive works at Wolverhampton, has been. ap pointed by the Board as superintendent of the locomotive establishments of the whole line, and the carriage and waggon stock has also been placed under his Oharge. The permanent way of the West Midland district has been apportioned between Mr Lane and Mr Owen. The atten tion of the Board has been occupied during the past session in the consideration of the numerous bills before Parlia ment promoted by other parties, but affecting this com pany's interests. Several of these bills have been thrown out or withdrawn ; and of those that have received the sanc tion of the Legislature many have been so recently sub mitted to the proprietors that it is unnecessary to refer to them again in this report. Among the measures which have passed through Parliament may be mentioned the act obtained by the East Glocestershire Company for the construction of a line from Cheltenham to Faringdon, with a branch to Witney. The Board, believing that the line was badly and expensively laid out, especially at the Chel tenham end, unnecessarily duplicating station accommo dation there, and suljecting the traffic to the inconveni ences and delays of a branch service, took such measures as were within their power to defeat the bill. Notwith standing, however, the opposition of this company and of other parties, the act for the construction of the line has been obtained ; but provisions have been inserted in it as to the construction of the works and the laying down of the broad gauge, and for the user by this company of the main portion of the line between Cheltenham and Faring don. The Bourton - on-the-Water Railway Company pro moted an extension of their railway into Cheltenham, and the bill for this object was referred to the same committees in Parliament as the East Gloucestershire scheme. This bill received the support of the Great Western Railway Company, and wad sanctioned by Parliament for a line be tween Bourton and Andover sford, with running powers over the East Glocestershire Railway into Cheltenham. It will provide, when constructed, in connection with the Great Western system, the shortest narrow gauge communication between Cheltenham, Oxford, and London. The bill pro moted by this company has received the sanction of Parlia ment. The directors propose at once to put in force the powers contained in it, by which they will be ena bled to widen the line between the Hammersmith Junc tion and Paddington—and they will submit to the proprieto rs a re solution authorizing them to take such measures as may be necessary to give effect to the provisions in reference to the establishment of a superannuation fund contained in the same act. During the half year the Hammersmith and City Junction Railway has been opened for passenger traffic, and it is now worked by this company with a thorough ser vice of trains direct from Hammersmith an d Kensin g ton to the Pa rr i ng d ou - s treet Termi nus of the M e tropolitan Rail way, under arrangements with the Metropolitan Company. Contemporaneously with the opening o f this line, a service of trains has been established for the accommodation of the Great Western district from Windsor eastwards to all the stations en the Metropolitan RailwaY. The Faringdon and Marlborough Branch Railways have also been opened during the last half year, and are worked by this company under traffic arrangements which have been approved by the shareholders. The revenue of the Cornwall Railway having hitherto been insufficien t to meet the whole of the interest upon deb en t ures and lion of which'ttais company', preface cc shares (for a por in conjunction with the Bris tol and Eieter and South Devon Companies, is liable), o f that company have made a and it being now necess ar y that the amount of capital of the Cornwall Railw a y , which has hitherto been appropriated to meet the def iciency in the revenue should be replaced, the directors proposal to the three assoc iated companies with ,the view to o f erenpaabylinaglothauemoftose,ffoe,ocotothbiys the ob associated compa n i es (ofject, and at the same ti me which £20,000 was advanc ed by the Great have power, under the Act o f 'Western) on the security of Cornwall 6 pe r cent. preference shares. The s tock to the extent of £149 , 6 00 C lB o G r for the redemption of the above 6 per cent, stock, an d also t a o l i l s ß su a e il n w e a w y s C h o a m re p s a o n r y to issue debentures to the extent of £82,980, on both of which sums,,the associated companies are empowered to gua rantee the the interest or dividend. To enable the faeces sary arrangements to be carried out, it is proposed that the associated companies should guarantee interest on the £149,600 redemption shares, at a rate not exceeding 41 per cent, per annum, and on the debenture capital of £82,980. The directors of the Cornwall Company also believe that they may be able to effect a saving of interest on £lOO,OOO 5 per cent. preference shares, already guaranteed by the associated companies, by issuing in lie-a of them, redemp tion shares, similarly guaranteed, at a lower rate cf inte rest. These questions have received the careful conside ration of the directors of the associated companies. The course recommended has been adopted by the Bristol and Exeter and South De von companies • and , in the belief that, under all the circumstances, the arrangement suggested is the most beneficial that can be made, the directors recom mend the proprietors to agree to its adoption, and with that object a resolution will be submitted to the meeting. The usual reports from the officers of the company in charge of the locomotive, carriage, and permanent way departments, are annexed," CAMBRIAN. Yesterday a special meeting of this company was held at Bridge-street, 'Westminster—Captain J. W. Johns in the chair. Tho CILIIII3IAN explaihod that tho first business was to cairy out the powers of their Act, so far as it related to the number of directors. Ho therefore moved that the number of directors be reduced to six, which number had already been elected at the half-yearly meeting. This was carried unanimously. The CHAIRMAN then propoacd that the powers of the Oswestry and Newton Railway Act, 1881, be put into ope ration for the purpose of creating new preference shares or stock of the company, to which no voting powers were at tached, and it was adopted. A resolution relating to the powers of the Oswestry, Ellesmere, and Wkitchurch Rail way Act, 1861, was adopted ; and it was resolved that the shares of the Newtown and . Machynlleth be consolidated into stock. The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman. Railway Traffic Returns for the Week. Miles Opened. Receipts. Railways.. _.......,-...._ -._.........--...,„ -.e -1864. 1803. 1864. 1803. £ .6 Belfast and N, Counties 136 136 2,452 2. 3 76 Belfast and County Down 49 49 759 678 Blyth and Tyne 2B 28 2,336 1,609 Bristol and Exeter 1215 1211 7,669 7,268 Caledonian 2625 •, - 42 20,178 18.038 Cambrian Coekermouth .1t Workington B5 85 301 :11:1 Cork and Bandon 2O 20 403 346 Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 6l 61 321 251 Cork and You g -hal Cornwall 65 535 2,2',7 1.834 Deeside . 17 17 311 421 Dublin & Belfast Junction . 63 63 1,6 ,3 1.521 Dublin and Drogheda 75 75 1,784 1,811 Dublin and Meath Dub. &Wicklow and Wextd 9ll 51 8,189 2,772 Furness, &c 5O 5u 3,333 3,001 Glasgow & South-Western Gt. Eastena,Nrik.,&E.Union 663 663 31,661 30,437 Great Northern 387 351 33,965 31,891 Great North of Scotland Gt. Northn. & Westn. (Irel.) 715 715 518 4 7 9t.Southn. & Westn.(lrlnd.) 3875 3541 9,533 9,752 Great Western 10555 10561 69,389 65,185 Hull and Hornsea l3 - - - Inverness & Aberdeen June 1065 1065 1,941 1,816 Inverness & Perth Junction 1195 - 2,922 - Irish North-Western 145 145 1,818 1,747 Kent Coast 27 10 3,830 13.5 Lancashire & Yorkshire 403 395% 45,247 39,036 Limerick and Ennis... 241 245 191 153 Limerick and Foynes 26 265 328 140 Llanelly 465 465 811 833 London & North-Western London and Blackwall 155 55 2,029 2,061 London & South-Western Loud. Brighton, &S. Coast 2675 2504 23,732 21,601 London, Chatham, & Dover 725 725 8,001 6.813 Do. Metropolitan Extension 114 105 2,510 1,410 Man.,Sheflield,& Lincolnsh Manch. S.Jun.& Altrincham 95 95 1,473 1,343 Maryport and Carlisle 2B 28 1,373 1.184 Metropolitan .. 35 35 2,118 1,518 Midland (incL N.-Western).. 641 641 50,444 46,553 Midland Gt.Westn. of Irind... 282 2595 4,702 4,338 Monkland 715 715 1,699 1.612 Monmouthsh. Rail. & Canal 44 44 2,852 2,731 North British, Edin., Perth and Dundee N-Eastern and Stock. & DarL 1095 1095 67,370 60,673 North London 9 9 3,294 3, 65 North Staffordshire 254 252 8,744 8.339 Rhymney Scottish Central . ... Scottish North-Eastern l3B 1325 6,450 6.124 Somerset and Dorset 66 391 935 406 South Devon 795 751 4.712 4,449 South-Eastern..... 306 308 28,376 27,500 Taff Yale ....... 57 57 5,781 5,638 Ulster Vale of C1wyd..._.... Vale of Neath 435 431 3,009 2.334 Waterford and Kilkenny 3l 31 403 670 Waterford and Limerick 77 77 3,059 1,396 West Cornwall 271 271 1,608 902 W. Hartlepool If arbr.&RaiL W'haven,Cleator,& Egrmnt lO 7 703 585 Whitehaven Junction l3 13 990 745 Whitehaven & Furness Jun 35 35 967 777 FOREIGN AND COLONIAL. Austrian B2B 828 36,676 30,569 Bahia and San Francisco Belgian Eastern Junction 2 26i 313 294 Bombay, Baroda, & Cen. India 185 1851 2,227 1,342 Buffalo and Lake Huron l6l 1611 Detroit anti Milwaukie lB5 185 5,198 3,364 Dutch Rhenish lOBl 1061 7,074 6,218 Eastern Bengal Eastern of France. ...... East Indian Grand Trunk of Canada 1335 1335 20,657 16,7,.4 Great Central of Belgium lBO 5,877 Great Indian Peninsula 553 495 6,766 4,882 Ghat Luxembourg 134 134 4,821 4,810 Great Southern of India Great Western of Canada 345 315 10,573 8,058 Madras 31adrid. Sara,goss a daiicant G5O 400 18,12 a 19,557 Northern of Canada 94 91 2,035 1,141 Northern of France 697 697 61,711 59,857 Norwegian Trunk Ottoman ... 409 368 .... Paris, Lyons, & Mediterrn 1805 1713 145,769 133,044 Paris and Orleans 1614 1494 71,823 65,943 Pernambuco .. .. 77j 77} 569 482 Royal Danish 69 69 Seinde. . lO5 105 South Austrian Southern of France ..... 770 680 3!,051 31,347 Victorian 196 196 8,4.7 6.191 Welland West Flanders 75 75 1,416 1,2 t 7 W. and N. W. of France. 960 960 71,611 63,933 The Fire and Loss of Life at Newington. Mr Win. Carter, the coroner for East Surrey, yesterday opened an inquest at the Royal Albert Tavern, East-street, Newington, on the body of Clara Mary Ann Watkins, aged one year and five months, who perished in the fire that took place in the premises belonging to Mr John Watkins, a newsvender and tobacconist, carrying on business at No. 26, is Eaat•atreet. The inquiry created a painful amount of interest. Mr Inspector Dann attended cfficially to watch the case. The jury having beer; sworn, the following evidence was taken : James H. Weedon, an oil and colourman, said that he resided at 29, East-street. On Wednesday morning last he was in his shop when he heard a cry of "Fire." He at once ran across the road and saw Mrs Watkins at the door, who sail, " the room upstairs is on fire, and my baby is in bed." He knew that Mrs Watkins was the occupier, and he went upstairs to the front room and found it in one mass of flame, in fact the bed and everything appeared on fire. Witness entered the room but could not find the child. On account of the heat and smoke he was forced to come out, but he re-entered and found the child lying on the floor. lle then ran across and procured some water, and he, with the assistance of others, got the flames extinguished. He had not entered the room since, and was therefore unable to tell how the fire was caused. The child was frightfully burned over the whole of the body. The first time he entered the room he crawled on his hands and knees to get to the bed, but was unable. Mrs Mary Ann Watkins said her husband was a clerk at Mr Bo wering's, Blackfriars-road, and also kept the house and shop in which the fire occurred. Witness carried on the business of a tobacconist and newsvender during her him - band's absence. He used to leave home at 5 o'clock in the morning, and remained out all day. He went out at that time on Wednesday last, leaving witness and her infant in bed. Her sister and her husband lodged in her house. Wit ness got up at half-past 7, leaving her baby at the edge of tho bed, having previously put a pillow at its side. Her peepers were brought to the shop, and she went round with them to serve her customers. She returned in a quarter of an hour and folded some more papers, and whilst at the door a neighbour came and said the place was on fire. She went upstairs and found the door ajar as she left it. She pushed the door open and saw the room fall of red smoke and flame. She gave an alarm, and assistance arrived. The whole of the furniture, bedding, and clothing have been destroyed. No fire had been lighted in the house. There was a box of lucifers in the room, but where she could not say. When she last saw them they were on a high table at the foot of the bedstead on the top of some books. The father of the deceased said that last Wednesday morning he left home, leaving his wife and child in bed, as before described. His wife's brother came to him about ten o'clock, and told hi m w h at had happened. He returned homeimmediately, and found that the room was nearly burnt out. He looked fcr the cause, but could not find any. He was in the habit of smoking a pipe when he wont out of a morning, He always lighted his pipe at the shop door when he opened it. Tho deceased could not have get to the box of lucifers, as it stood upon a high table. He had no doubt but the fire began in the bedroom. By the Coroner —Ha had no charge to make against any ono. Mary M'Laren, wife of a master butcher, said the mother of the deceased was her daughter. She saw the child that morning for the first time. Nothing had come to her knowledge to lead her to suspect anyone with having wil fully sot the premises on fire. The witness Weedon recalled—When he took up the child it was so hot that he could not hold it, without wrapping it in the pillow and a piece of carpet. The mother of the child recalled—She kept a kitten, but she did not know where it was on that morning. She believed the child must have got possession of some lucifer matches, and these igniting, set firs to the bedding. The learned Coroner summed up, and remarked upon the great mystery attached to the case as to the origin of the fire, and The jury, after consulting, returned a verdict " That the deceased died from the effects of burns and suffocation, through a fire breaking out, and which said fire was the result of accident." The proceedings, which lasted some hours, then termi nated. A BOMBSHELL IN A MAGAZINE.—A few days ago one of our ordinary light-draught gunboats belonging to Admiral Lee's fleet, on the James River, was fired at from a rebel shore battery. One V the shells struck and entered the magazine, but did not explode. Upon a search being made for the rebel missile, it was discovered that it had passed through two barrels of powder and lodged in a third, from which it was removed. At the time this kindly shell made its grand entree into the magazine there were about 100 souls—officers and men—on board of the gun boat, every ono of whom would undoubtedly have been blown to atoms had it exploded. It should be remembered that in constructing our light-draught gunboats it is impos sible to sink the magazine, machinery, and boilers below water.-4merican Paper. . _ [ADVERTISEMENT.] - Holloway's Pills—Enjoyment of Lite.—When the blood is pure, its circulation perfect, and the nerves in good order, we are well. These pills possess a marvellous p >wer in securing these great secrets of health by puritying, regulating, and strengthening fluids and solids. Holloway's pills can be confidently recom mended to all persons suffering from disordered digestion or nervous fancies or neuralgic pains. They correct acidity and heartburn, dispel sick headache, quicken the action of the liver and act as alteratives and gentle aperients. The weak and delicate may take them without fear. Holloway's pills are eminently serviceable to invalids of irritable con stitutions, as they raise the action of every organ to its natural standard, and universally exercise a c3kaiug and sedative influence, SPIXIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNAL'S - - TIMES.---It is bat a few weeks ago that the whole country was resounding with lamentations over the decline of England's Mfluenee. Not only foreign critics bat native statesmen declared ihat the moral weight of this country in the affairs of the world was absolutely lost, and that in turning our back upon the Danes we had taken farewell of our national greatness, Mr. Roebuck, however, is by no means of that opinion, and hie estimate of the case is all the more valuable because it comes from a hostile witness. He, as he has told us, would rather, for his own part, have gone to war, He would have token up the cause of the Danes; but, though that Gustation was decided against his views, he thinks not only that it was decided conformably with the general opinion of the public, but that the decision did us no harm whatever. So far is he from regarding our "influence" as lost that he is overpowered with the contemplation of its present magnitude and extent. He thinks it almost " teme rity" in a man to seek a seat in an Assembly so powerful as the English House of Commons—an Assembly which, by its political teaching and all pervading influence, affects the destinies of mankind and the civilisation of the world. Looking back at his own career, he is astonished at his presumption in entering Parliament; and be certainly seems to believe that Parliament was never greater, or, upon the whole, wiser than it is now, He regards it as a body intrusted with a deposit of inestimable price, and therefore necessarily circumspect and even timid in its measures ; but he claims for it the credit of impressing the world by its principles and its action. We may take it for granted, then, that Mr. Roebuck is not dissatisfied with the results of our pacific policy ; but the speeches at Sheffield on Thursday evening did present a fresh illustration of the feeling which that policy excited, It is curious to see how earnestly even now people are reasoning with themselves about the European duties of England, and how they ask each other whether we have not been apathetic or pusillani mous in declining the other day to go to war, as we should have done in past times. Mr Roebuck him• self remarked that as far as domestic politics went we were all of one mind. There may be two parties, but there is practically only one policy between them. "We are all Liberals," says Mr Roebuck, "every man of us." But, nevertheless, there is not a public meeting in any part of the country at which the Danish question or the American ques tion is not brought up and debated over again. It was so at Sheffield, and it is so everywhere. Fight ing has been so much our habit, and seems so truly our nature, that we cannot easily reconcile ourselves to sitting out while the war is going on. Yet the Americans themselves are giving us a pretty ime pressive lesson at this moment. After three years of the bloodiest and most costly war ever known they are gradually resolving to do what they might have done at the beginning se about any war at all. They talk of ceasing to fight, and coming to terms by negotiation and parley. That is the meaning of the " armistice and convention," which it is now thought even Mr Lincoln will be induced to approve. Yet, if it would have been true wisdom in the Ame ricans not to go to war, was it not wisdom in us to keep out of the quarrel ? There is really something very singular in this popular fear that we may hav e been too peaceful, and wanting in public spirit. Why, it is but ten years since we went to war with Russia on a purely European question. It is only seven years since we put forth our whole strength to preserve a great dependency more than 10,000 miles off. It is only two years since we actually drew the sword in defence of an international right, and only sheathed it again when that right was ac knowledged and respected. How often is it ex pected that we should go to war to keep our credit up ? We were fighting up to the year 1861. Could not we, without losing character, decline to fight i n 1864 ? Do three years make so long and enervating a period of peace ? It seems to us that these popular misgivings indicate as genuine and vital a war spirit in the country as anybody need desire. Sir F. Crossley Approved our non-intervention, and his own areach gave evidence of the difficulty, not to say impossibility, of interference as far as America is concerned. In the Danish question we had at least this facility of action, that if we went to war we should know on which side to fight. Nobody desired to help the Prussians. Bat in the American case there was a party which would rather have helped the North than the South, and would have struck in for the Federals if we were to strike it at all. How was that difficulty to be overcome? Here, at this Sheffield banquet, was one eminent speaker ad for the North, while another was well known to be all for the South. How could such views have been reconciled ? As it turns out, we have not been ruined by the loss of American cotton, and if neither Federals nor Confederates are exactly satisfied with our neutrality we must look for a more favourable estimate of our conduct by and by. At any rate we have escaped the difficulty, and done neither ourselves nor anybody else any harm. We do not Suppose that Mr. Roebuck's views will pass unchallenged. Optimists ere always few in number, and it requires, indeed, a philosophical, if not a partial, eye to ace things es Mr. Roebuck sees them. Not but what there is truth in his views, only it is a truth which will not satisfy everybody. lie has now told us that he—a known Liberal, an old Reformer, and a politician of advanced opinions —is so impressed, and, as it were, overborne by what he thinks the grandeur, prosperity, power, and in. fluence of this country, that he is almost ready to accept inaction for the future rather than run the risk of injuring so magnificent a fabric. The House of Commons he looks at as commanding such respect and exercising such power that a man who enters it may well be awed at the responsibilities he accepts. But how, then, could Reform improve such a state of things as this ? Have we not, as a nation, arrived at such a pitch of greatness and happiness that our duty is now not so much to go on as to hold fast ; not so much to get more as to keep what we have got ? That is the kind of question which arises out of Mr. Roebuck's reflections, and it is a view of things which may be curiously contrasted with the views of Mr. Bright. That gentleman told us can didly, in one of his speeches last autumn, that if he had nothing to find fault with we should not hear him speak at all. He is all for looking forward, without troubling himself to look back. He thinks not of what is done, but of what there remains to do, and busies himself exclusively with that. Mr. Roebuck's gaze is in the opposite direction. "Take care of what you have got," says he; " no nation ever had such a treasure of prosperity and gran. deur." That is very true, and it is quite as well that we should be now and then reminded of it. We are always more mat/ to think of what we want than of what we have, and Mr. Roebuck does his countrymen good service by telling them occasion allp how much they have really got to lose. DAILY NEWS.—Caution in the adoption of new armaments was as marked a charactenstic in the Duke of Wellington's method as a statesman as it was in his generalship. When he filled the office of MastereGeneral of the Ordnance he saw so much of immature invention in the arms and appliances of the soldier that his prejudices in favour of the rough old weapon with whit he and his steadfast troops won Waterloo was rather confirmed then weakened, and we find him opposing the introduc tion of the rifle long after its powers were being made available in tho French army. And yet that old " brown Bess," generally of Brummagem ex traction, was well known to fire away the weight of a man's body in bullets for every soldier killed ; so bad an arm was it that it could not be better de scribed than by the name " gaspipe," which the Yankees, in their humorous phraseology, gave to the same useless weapon they were obliged to begin to fight with. The duke, no doubt, carried his aver• sion to changes too far in refusing his sanction till 1852, when the Crimean war was threatening on the horizon ; and perhaps if the Enfield rifle had been the sole weapon of our army then, Lord Raglan would not have had to resort to the almost lucky chance of getting a couple of guns to bear upon the dense columns of Russian infantry at the Alma, However, the French army was no better armed than our own, although they had the advantage of all the knowledge acquired by those officers who had been experimenting for ten years and more. It was the Chasseurs only who carried the combine a tige, and this wis a rifle soon found so defective as to be superseded by the Minie now in use. So that this cautious acceptance of a new arm by the two beat equipped armies of Europe was recommended by soldiers of experience in the field; and that it was necessary was afterwards shown when, the Enfield rifle having been made the universal arm of the ser vice, it was found that on one important occasion in India the ammunition could not be used in conse quence of some irregularity in the size of the cart ridges. This was precisely the kind of fault which was suspected in supplanting a rude but never failing weapon with one so nice in all its require ments as the modern rifle. All practical soldiers look with a certain amount of distrust upon the set experiments of the practice ground, where every thing is arranged deliberately and with every ad. vantage in favour of the weapon, and where the arm is handled not by a rough soldier, but by an expert. Now, all these facts have a bearing upon the important change from muzzle-loading rifles to breech-loaders, which has now been decided upon by the War Department upon the advice of a spe cial committee, who have taken all the evidence to be obtained in refere ice to the use of breech-loading rifles in actual service, as in the American war and in the late Dano-German campaign. It must be remarked, however, of the evidence given by diffe rent officers, that it was by no means so decidedly in favour of the breech-loader as the sole firearm of the service as to warrant the immediate and general adoption of the arm which Earl de Grey is said to have deierrnired e nor Colonel Gell wey, i E., and C ptain Aelereon, 8,. A., specially sent to ob serve tlee armamezet employed in the Amer icen war, report great difference of opinion as to the value of the breech-loader, and that it is but scantily used in the armies, the American officers rather recommend ing that it should be only partially employed by flank companies in a regiment. The Prussian needle-rifle, so much spoken of in connection with the taking of Dybbol, is certainly not much eulo gised by those who saw it in use, though it is ad. witted to bo lees liable to be put out of order than the muzzle-loader; but the Austrians had tried and discarded it. Tried in our own cavalry and in fantry the breech-loaders of Mr. Westley Richards, of Mr: Sharpe, of Mr. Terry, have all been favour ably reported of, and in some cases commanding officers have ventured to recommend the general adoption of a breechloader. On the other hand, wc have officers stating that it would be attended with great waste of ammunition, from the facility with which the soldier could load and fire ; and this, of course, would mean that little execution would be done, because aiming with the breech-loader is quite as necessary as with the muzzle-loader. On review• in;; the different opinions, however, we arrive at cer tain evident advantages which inherently belong te the breech-loader. These are, greatly increased rapidity of fire, easy loading without a ramrod — which is a point of very great value, as a man might often be in such a position that to use the ramrod would be simply impossible—and the capability of firing without the use of percussion caps. This last gives another great advantage, and, although it might not belong to every method of breech loading yet it seems to be one which should not be lost sight of in selecting the kind to be adopted into the sere vice. A man may lose his supply of caps when he has a pouch full of cartridges, and would, ofcoarse, then be a very useless rifleman. The abolition of the ramrod and the percussion cap not only sirrpli• flea the use of the weapon to a most important ex. tent but in point of economy it would be a onside• ration, and no doubt would go far towards meeting the cost of converting the present Enfields into efficient breech-loaders, as proposed to the gun. making trade in competition, and which we have already seen can be readily accomplished by the Mont Storm and some other methods. There can be no question as to the necessity for a breech-loader rifle to put our army on equal terms with others, and the feasibility of converting the Enfields into efficient breech loaders ; the chief difficulty hitherto has ebeen to obtain a cartridge suitable in every respect for military purposes. The Ordnance Select Committee will have to exercise the closest scrutiny upon this point. In the French service we hear the Cent Gerdes are armed with a breech-loader using a metallic cartridge that carries its own igniting material, which the Emperor Napoleon, himself no bad judge in such matters, has pronounced the solution of the problem of a military breech-loader. The result of Earl de Grey's invitation to the gunmakers of England will, we have not the least doubt, be that more than one will be found to an swer all the requisites. But having got our breech loader, the far more important question to be decided is, whether it should be made the only arm of the infantry ? It must not be overlooked that in adopt ing the breech-loader we sacrifice one great power of the rifle—long range, which is only to be got by the muzzle loader. That is to say, according to all the breech-loaders made as yet; if they can be per fected up to the standard of the Whitworth large bore, for example, then the defect would be sup plied. The value of a modern rifle is, that it can kill at 2,000 yards or more; and with telescopic sights, in the hands of first-rate marksmen, a single company armed with it would be able to silence battery of artillery. The same advantage of range would enable troops armed with such rifles to strike the first blow, and in a very effective manner. It is perfectly true that the tendency of modern war. fare is to return to the old method of close quarters as a consequence of the use of long range weapons but the converse of this tendency is that the range of both artillery and small arms will be increased, so as to give an advantage to that side which can first commence the work of destruction. The breech loader would undoubtedly be an admirable weapon at close quarters, as well as at from 1,000 to 500 yards; but while a column was getting within this distance of the enemy it might be very severely dealt with by riflemen armed with heavy, long range rifles. With all submission to the profess sional authorities, we think that, so far from dimi. nishing the range of our rifles, we should increase it, and arm a certain proportion of a regiment with weapons of much greater power than the Enfield, or any yet employed. This—with probably the employment of small and extremely light artillery, one-pounders or even less—would seem to be one of the innovations we have to contemplate in addition to breechloaders. COUNTRY MARKETS. LIVERPOOL —FRIDAY. There was a fair attendance of buyers to-day, but they acted with extreme caution, and we call wheat a shade lower to sell than on Friday last. Flour still in fair de. wand and prices unchanged. Oats and oatmeal steady. Indian corn offered freely. Beans, peas, and barley not quite so saleable. WAKEFIELD-FRIDAY. The demand for wheat was fair to-day, and the prices of last week fully maintained ttir old sorts. New more plenti ful, and rather dearer. New barley in fair request. Averages for the week : Wheat 712 qrs., at 458 ' 9d Oats 8ar1ey......... IGO Pea• Beans GO LINCOLN—FRIDAY. There was a fair show of wheat at market today, and the demand was steady at quite recent currencies. Barley in tolerable supply, and sales were effec.ed at recent rates. Oats held for the extreme rates of last week. The demand for beans was improved, and rather dearer. White wheat new, 44s to°4Bs I Barley, grinding..27s to 298 Red do. 4os to 44s i Oats,:old, .. 24 s t o 269 Old white 46 s t o 60 s I New do 20s to 230 Red do.. 41s to 45s f Beans.. 37 s t o 410 Barley, malting....33s t0,36s 1 Beans, new 36s to 410 STAMFORD—FRIDAY. The supply of wheat at to-day's market was middliq't and sales took place at about last week's prices. In this neighbourhood there will be an average yield of wheat. —White wheat, 42s to 458:; red, 41s to 43s per 36 stone , Barley, malting, --s to —s ; grinding, 33s to 36s per qr. Oats, 22s to 28s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 401 to --a per qr.; new, 36s to 425. CORK—Tnunsim.Y. The following were the quotations this morninn. :—Red wheat, 8s Od to 8s 6d; white, 8s 3d to Os Od , barley, 7 0 Id to Os Od ; oats, 68 10d to 63 31; black do., tia 6(1 to 63 Od; bere, 63 10d. BRISTOL SUGAR—FRIDAY. Our sugar market has become very quiet, grocers buying very cautiously, and refiners mainly supplying themselves from cargoes bought afloat, which are now coming to hand pretty freely. Refiners' produce has experienced a more active demand. In rums there has been scarcely anything doing. Foreign Mail Packet List. Ka MAILS DUB. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton Sept. lg. via Marseilles Sept. 12. brazil and Cape Yards, by British packet. Sept. 4. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena Sept. ,'S. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton: Sept. 1. via Marseilles Sept. 12. Falkland Islands •• .... Gibraltar, via Southampton Sept. 1. India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Sept. 1. via Marseilles Sept, 12. India (Bombay), via Southampton ...... Sept. 10. via Marseilles Sept. 4. Portuga1.... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Sept. 1. Newfoundland via Marseilles, Sept. 4. ............. Sept. 14. Oporto and Yigo ............ U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet Sept. 8. by U.S. packet by Canadian packet. Sept. 2. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, I Aug. 29 . California. and Briti s h Columbia. Births. FULLEII.—On the 2d inst., at Woodside, Maidenhead, the Vita of John Fuller, Esq., of a daughte r . Ltacurr.—On the Ist inst., at Eastry, Kent, the wifo of Richard S. Leggatt, Esq., of a son. PAODEN. —On the 31st ult., at Epsom, the wife of Mr. $' Pagden, of a son, Marriages. CAREY—TurPER.--On the 31st ult. at Guernsey, Major Charles Le Mesurier C arey, late ult., Regiment, son 0 i Commissary-General Carey, Summerland, Guernsey, t ° Amelia Brock, third c aughter of Henry T upper, E s q.' The Cotits, Guern se y, SAUNDERS —GLYNN.—On the ht inst., at St. Andrew's,' Newcastle-on-Tyne, Th omas Saunrere, Egg, of 1 4 1, South. square, Gray's-inn to Emily, y oungest d aug hter of the late Joseph Glynn, b.E., F.R.S. Deaths. GODLEY.—On the 3ist ult., in London. Wm. IL Godley', only son of the late Lieut.-Col. Godley, of Lansdowirr . crescent, Bath, aged 19. - - MATTIIEWS.—On the 31st ult.. at Upper Barnsb ur y- s treet Wm. Matthew s , sen . , aged 81. MUNDY —Oh the 2st inst., the Rev. Matthew Mundff vicar of Rockbeare, aged 67. RATCLIPFE.—On the Ist inst., at Wyddrington, Edgba7 . ton, Birmingham, Alderman Sir J o h n R atc liff e, aged 66. STAcY.--On the 2d inst., at his residence, Tottenham, Smyth Stacy, of Shoreditch, aged 64, London: Printed and Prbilalied by WILLIAM ANDIO , of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at ThE SUN Office N°• /of Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy. - in the County OLtddleges.-..fsittuAloh gePtcuiDer 3, .1864.