The Sun. — London, England, 1868-06-19 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. The Times is very severe on the Ministry for having severed the Redistribution Clauses from the Irish Reform Bill. The most malignant demon, it says, could not have devised a greater humiliation than that which this unfortunate Ministry have voluntarily taken upon themselves. They fought with the greatest vehemence and with perfect justice against the Franchise Bill of Lord Russell's Administration, because it was impossible that Parliament could assent to a measure which dealt with only one-half, and that the less important half, of the pro• blem of Reform. They were successful. They brought in a bill of their own. It was framed with strict regard to constitutional principles. It was such A measure as a constitutional party could approve, and none but a constitutional party could frame. Its leading features which might have been care lessly forgotten by a nation not sufficiently alive to the strictly scientific and historical character of its construc tion, were pointed out with great care by Mr. Disraeli at Edinburgh last autumn, and reproduced with impru dent emphasis by the same great statesman at the com mencement of this session. Alas for his foresight ! Mr. Lisraeli must have known, when he penned his first lc S ter correcting Lord Russell, that every principle upon which he dwelt with so much satisfaction would be violated at his own instance before the session was over, yet he rushed into print as if his sole object were to impress on the nation the ease with which he could abandon his principles. The Scotch and Irish Reform Bills have scattered to the winds all the maxims he professed to hold as essential. Last night saw the last pretence of constitu tional consistency flung aside. "The franchise must be based on rating ;" the Scotch county franchise has, without a division, been settled on another basis. "No centre of representation should be abolished ;" seven English boroughs have entirely disappeared, and it was proposed that some five or six Irish boroughs should be similarly suppressed. " There must be a real Boundary Commis sion ;" the elaborate recommendations of the Boundary Commissioners have been rejected, and in the case of all the boroughs where the rectification of boundaries was material no alteration whatever has been sanctioned. But the settlement of the Irish Reform Bill has conclusively disposed not only of these glorious principles, but of much more. it was declared to be essential that the county mpresentation should be considerably increased ; no alteration in the county representation of Ireland has been adopted. The first and greatest principle of all upon which the educators of the Constitutional party insisted was that the measure of Reform sanctioned by Parliament must be complete. This was the gist of Lord Stanley's " unanswerable " speech. This was the secret of the accession of the present Government to power. Last night—on the anniversary of its success—it was contemptuously set aside. The Irish Reform Bill is now confessedly incomplete. The redistribution clause is postponed to a more fitting oppor tunity. The Government which obtained office because it had a just sense of the necessity of completeness in legis lation, the Government whose chief boasted on Wednesday that it had achieved the science of Reform much as the Alibd Si637s had achieved la science de la politique, has formally confessed its inability to overcome so small a diffi culty as the redistribution of the Irish seats, and has withdrawn its redistribution proposals because they were so inadequate that they gave satisfaction to nobody. The Irish Reform Bill is settled. The Scotch Reform Bill was last night read a third time. The Boundary Bill is settled. Nothing remains but the Corrupt Practices Bill to complete the work of Parlia mentary Reform so far as the present Parliament will ever complete it. The Conservative Ministry, having aban cloned every part of their cargo piecemeal, and at last cut away their masts, are getting into harbour, where their crazy vessel may be broken up. Everything has been lost, not excepting honour. It is impossible not to feel seine relief that the end is so near. The Chan cellor of the Exchequer declared the other day that the position of the occupants of the Trea sury Bench was not pleasant to themselves, and as this has been acknowledged, we may ask to whom is it pleasant ? Has any Ministry ever held a similar position The most charitable observer can discover no bond of union between them, except that they entered office at the same time and are content to draw their salaries together. This is a spectacle of unity which is instructive, but it is Purchased at a very high price. It is an " awful dispen• cation" that the Constitutional party should be Terre seated by a body of gentlemen who build up principles only to abandon them, and who repudiate with unruffled composure any professions, however loudly advanced, which may happen to become inconvenient. The Daily I,'cics asserts that a more singular revelation than was made to the House last night has seldom amused our languid legislators in the weariness of a summer debate. There did not appear to Ministers, Mr. Disraeli confessed, when the question of Irish Reform came before them, to be any urgent need for an alteration in_the distri• bution of political power in Ireland. But it was considered, to say the least of it, uncivil to neglect Irclend when redistribution favours were in fashion. Ministers perhaps were afraid that if no attention was paid to Ireland they should have another Irish grievance on their hands ; and accordingly Ireland was honoured with a redis tribution scheme so unjust, so unreasonable, so radically . bad, that on neither side of the House, not even on the Treasury bench, was there to be found a single member to say a word in its favour. The Standard notes that the changes the Government proposed would disfranchise some half-dozen boroughs, which, certainly, was applying the principle adopted with regard to English boroughs to be disfranchised ; but then their extinction as centres of representation, and the transfer of the seats to the counties, which alone, upon this same principle of numbers, could claim them, would have reduced the already comparatively small proportion of the Irish boroughs to the county representation, and created an active dissatisfaction not compensated for by any enthusiasm for the change. Certainly the Irish borough representation is not, as the right honourable gentleman said, of a robust character, and it seems a pity to allow a village like Portar lington to return a member to Parliament whilst the transfer of seats proposed by the Government would have given an increase of power to districts which, from their population, intelligence, and wealth were entitled to it. But then there was this patent difficulty—the reform was, indeed, a good one ; but nobody in Ireland, or, indeed, out of that country, cared for it ; whilst for different rea sons it. encountered a good deal of opposition. No doubt this repugnance of the House of Commons for its work cannot be justified, but it may certainly be excused. The member most anxious to do his duty may well have desired to be relieved from the temptation to shirk atten dance when that attendance implied sitting in this glorious weather in a hot, drafty, ill-ventilated room—no fault of Dr. Percy's—whilst floods of Irish eloquence sweep over him, and Irish disputes deny the ordinary refuge of sleep. There was evidently a great sense of relief through the House when Mr. Disraeli thus confirmed the hopes of hanoura!ile members. Mr. Disraeli, the Telegraph says, has removed the chief difficulty which stood in the way of the Irish Reform Bill, by giving notice that he would strike out the clauses respecting the distribution of seats. When the measure came before the House on Monday night, that part - met with emphatic condemnation from both sides of the House. Mr. Sandford, speaking as a Conservative, advised the Government in peremptory terms to have done with it ; the advice was echoed on the Liberal side ; and the Prime Minister has announced that he had listened to his counsellors. That intimation might have been expected to close the mouths of the dissentients ; but it did not. Mr. Pim and other Irish members had speeches in their pockets. They were determined to pour forth declamations on the " wrongs of Ireland ;" and they tried hard to do it. Mr. Pim wished to disfran chise the borough of Portarlington ; to take from Down- Patrick, Dungannon, Mallow, Kinsale, and Bandon their present privilege of each returning a member; and to make those towns part of a group of boroughs. Mr. Pim knew that his amendment would not be carried ; nay, after hear ing Mr. Disraeli's announcement, he said that he would withdraw it ; yet he persisted in wasting time with what was meant"to be a long and elaborate speech. Of course nobody listened. The cries of "Divide." were incessant. Every one of /qr. Pim's "points" was greeted, not with applause, but with derision. Nevertheless, he persisted in the futile task of talking in the air. Fortunately, f ew members followed his pernicious example, and the Irish Reform Bill was allowed to proceed through committee. Thus the House of Commons has nearly finished the work which had to be done before an appeal could be made 'to the new 'constituencies. With the Registration Bill and the Bribery Bill the House has still to grapple. When these measures shall be g. - of out of hand the i work of the Commons will be clone. That of the Lords is only begn ning ; hut, so far as the Reform Bills are concerned, it cannot last long. Tike Pod, commenting upon the excessive drought, raises the question 1; leAlter a system of irrigation might not be 4%-vi*sl which conbl seems) 113 against the effects of at l,a,A too fine a season. Practically regarded, the whole qnestion is merdy a quostion of umney. Would not the wo:I:s suggested cost less, in mere cash, in the 1.:1,;• run, thin the loss of the crops which they would ol)viste---not to mention the human sufferings and prive t ons which would he averted, and which cannot be measured in mere money at all? The means• Of bringing water in case of need' from the nearest Lriver, or canal, or well, through suitable channels and aqueducts (not to mention sinking wells and making canals where they at's- wantinc , , would be exceedingly simple - and reasonably and when once the works were complete they would La of a nature to endure.for an indefinite length of time; their cost, therefore; world be a vanishing quantity, con tinually growing. " small by degrees and beautifully less," while the loss incidental to the failure of the harvest through drought is a fixed quantity, the average 'varying hardly at a',l between one deeadc and a4other. THE POOR MAN'S MEAT. In an article on the proposed establishment of a Metro. politan Foreign Cattle Market, the Daily News furnishes some particulars of the animal food consumed by the poorer classes of the metropolis. The quantity of butcher's meat consumed by the humbler classes of London is, according to our contemporary, considerably greater than is usually supposed. It must not, however, be hastily assumed that this meat is eaten in the shape of beef, pork, or mutton ; on the contrary, large numbers of the poor have been flesh-eaters for years, without once enjoying, unless at rare intervals, the luxury of a bit of beef or mutton. The meat used by them is procured wholly from what is technically termed the " offal " of slaughtered animals, and which forms a most important feature of the metropolitan dead - meat trade, its sale generally constituting the principal source from whence the profits of the whole sale butcher are derived. The offal consists of the head, tail, kidneys, heart, tongue, liver, skirt, and similar por tions of the animal ; the feet generally going with the skin or hide. The estimated value of the offal per animal is about 50s. for a bullock, and from 10s. to 13s. for a sheep. The offal, when fresh, generally forms in poet neighbourhoods the most saleable portion of the animal. Ia Whitechapel a pair of milts can be purchased for a penny. As the two milts together weigh nearly is pound, this forms the cheapest kind of animal food within the reach of the poor, and as such is eagerly sought after. The oxtails are generally disposed of, at prices varying from is. 4d. to 25., to hotel and dining-room proprietors, as are many of the kidneys, which bring about is. 4d. Sheep kidneys are sold with the portions of the animal to which they are attached. The tripes of bullocks are purchased wholesale by the tripe-dressers, who, after properly preparing them, either retail the same themselves or else dispose of them among the tripe-shops in Clare-market and other poor neighbourhoods. The same class of dealers also purchase from the hide and sheepskin tradesmen the feet of sheep and oxen, which, after being duly cleansed and dressed, arc retailed under the desig nation of " trotters" and " cowheels," the latter being much in favour among the poor for making stew and soup. The feet of swine, similarly prepared, are sold principally Ly hawkers, who find their trade most brisk towards evening in the various public-houses—a pint of beer and a pig's foot or trotter often constituting the evening meal of many of the poorer class of labourers. The price of a sheep's foot or pig's foot thus dressed ranges from a halfpenny to three halfpence, one penny being the medium charge. A considerable portion of the livers and skirts arc purchased wholesale by retail dealers in low neighbourhoods. The general price of these is ls. Bd. In Whitechapel some of the Petticoat-lane Jews are good customers, the liver being retailed by them in the same manner as fish, namely, in a cooked state direct from the frying-pan, the purchasers generally being the poorest of the poor, who seldom have the means of procuring a fire. The hearts of oxen and sheep, in the majority of instances, constitute the Sunday dinner of the purchasers, who are generally working peopl e . Stuffed with a pennyworth of herbs, and baked with a few potatoes, they afford a cheap substitute for the rib of beef or shoulder of mutton which the poor so often find themselves, from want of means, unable to purchase. • A bullock's heart sells for about ls. 6d. Certain portions of the entrails of animals are also used as food. Calves' heads and sheep's heads are bought largely by a certain class of dealers, who retail the same readily in a baked state. They also find a quick sale among individual purchasers, especially among Scottish artisans, who are thus enabled to procure their favourite luxury at a lower rate than in Edinburgh or Glasgow, where the great demand, exceeding the supply, naturally leads to enhanced prices. The ox-heads are largely used in the making of soups, and form another staple article of food among the poor. They are bought wholesale by the tripe-dressers. An ox's tripe and head are valued at lls. Sheep's brains are retailed almost solely to the dealers in baked sheep's heads. The tongue, both of the ox and the sheep, is generally sold by the tripe-dresser to the curer, and forms, with the ox-tail, the dearest portions of the offal. Other parts of the offal, such as the tripes of sheep, are disposed of as food for cats and dogs. It is, however, a well-known fact that sheep's tripe is largely used as an article of food among the poor—necessity overcoming their natural dis taste. No part of the animal is lost. Even the blood is valuable, being used first for calico-printing, and then for manure. Other portions of animal matter find their way into the hands of bone-boilers and people of a similar class. ►'hen it is remembered that in 1868 no less than 20,751 head of oxen and 1,272,000 sheep, forming a total of 1,737,754 animals exclusive of calves and swine, were disposed of in the metropolitan market, some aclegnate islea may be formed of the magnitude which the trade in animal offal has attained, and the important position occupied by it in the domestic economy of the poor. EXPERIMENTS AT ,VIOEBURYNESS. The experiments, so far as the Plymouth Breakwater Fort target and the 15in. iron plates are concerned, closed on Thursday afternoon, and on Tuesday next others not a whit less important will be made. The . firing commenced with the Woolwich 12in. gun, from which a shell was fired with a 761 b. pellet charge On the portion of the target where the extra sin. plate was fixed. It struck fairly, penetrated more than sixteen inches, and, aided no doubt by the effect of shots fired on. Wednesday, created a series of cracks, extending altogether to a length of nine feet. Towards the edge the plates were much fractured—indeed, but for a firm nine inches at the top of the enormous piece of plate, would have been scaled completely off. Inside a holt was driven in 3 inches, the large horizontal . bar (161 in. by sin.), close to the roof, was broken completely through, and the- angle iron was much bent. The Rodman gun, still at a 200 yards range, was engaged with a full charge of 84A1b. The 4501 b. ball bit the top of a bolt in the upper plate, driving it in at least 7 inches, and crack ing the plate itself slightly. The indentation was but tei inches, and within very little damage was perceptible. Another shell was next discharged from the 12-inch gun with tremendous effect. Striking the curved plate that crowns the shield, it shattered it generally, and, detaching a fragment that would weigh a ton, whirled it round upon an obstinate bolt that acted as a pivot, and lodged it upon the top. The charge was ordered so as to make the actual range 1,000 yards. Viewed from the exterior this was one of the most telling shots fired, and from within the point of the shell could be seen amongst the wreck, while the daylight which it had let through revealed also s) broken bolt. Keeping to the long range, a shell war now fired from the 10-inch gun. It caught the corner of one of the plates on the curve, and smashed off a piece about a foot square, besides dislocating some iron washers at the back, and giving the arch over the porthole a scrim shaking. The same missile was - then fired at the 200 yard: range, but instead of striking the plate at which it was aimed, it cannoned against thegranite-work at the bottom, and glanced upon the ironwork only to star it. The shell was once more fired, but at 1,000 yards range ; full at the target, and the force loosened some joints and did considerable damage otherwise. Leaving the Plymouth target, the eommittee proceeded to test the granite basement upon which the costly fort is to be reared. The American gun faced it at 200 yards, and with full charge sent the ball into it where the test was good. The height of this granite work is 4 feet, its thick ness is 14 feet, and behind that there is a bed of concrete 22 feet through. The shot sent the granite flying in alj directions, pulverising heaps of it as fine flour, and it pene trated the granite and forced the concrete out into the inte rior. The Plymouth target, which has an area about as spacious as the side of the house, presented a melancholy appearance now. It was marked with eighteen missile.% two of which had gon, through ; others had wrought deep saucer-like indentations ; others had shivered the five-inch plates, and strewn the heath far and near with the frag ments, and the white powder from the destroyed granite base, to conclude the picture, had whitened the surface, as if for the express purpose of showing how ghastly were the cracks that radiated around several of the apertures. That laminated armour plating will not stand battering as the solid rolled slab does is evident, but whether solid armour will efficiently check missiles like the deadly shot and shell of the Woolwich gun can only be determined by experimeutalising upon a target similar to that whose con. demnation will assuredly be asked for. The trials yet to be made iiiebele an experimental structure faced with iron of different thicknesses, and a peculiar gun shield, "from which much is expected, manufactured by Mr. Hughes, of the lillnall Iron Company's works. e A NovEn WAG ER. few evenings ago a n umber of genllcmen a'. the Sllip Hotel; Greenwich, steed wa t c hing from the winds the 2arnbols of some boys, who dived into the river in search of c-ppers which the gentlemen threw into . the water, when a wagtr was made baween twO of them for Rzo and dinner for the lot that one of them, dressed as he was in tight-fitting-coat, could not swim to a certain point and back. The gentleman who undertook to perform the feat descended the stairs leading to the water's edge, and placing his gold watch, which was the only article he was permitted to divest him self of, in the hands of a friend, he deliberately walked into the water and swam to the point stipulated and back amid the plaudits of hundreds of persons, who quickly con• gregated to witness so novel a spectacle. The wo,rx wa4 won, and the 00 paid. When the dinner wet QQMO off he not been aunt4inich THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 19, 1868. TILE ADISSINLEV EXPEDITION. (From the Times' Special Correspondent.) SENAFE, May 27. Sir Robert Napier with the rear guard of the force arrived here on the 24th inst., and will pro bably leave on the 29th. It is expected that he will remain about a week at Zoulla, but his plans are not yet, I believe, positively settled, and will pro bably be regulated by the c )nilition in which he finds the arrangements at Annesley Bay for the embarkation of troops and stores, So far these arrangements have succeeded admirably. Before Magdala was taken—indeed, if I re member rightly, before the force had come within sight of it--the Commander-in-Chief, con sidering the rainy season a more formidable foe than Theodore, hal commenced provisional preparations for the speedy return of the troops, and his instructions were so well carried out by the Assistant Quartermaster-General that the pro gramme laid down fur their re-embarcation has been adhered to without a single miscarriage or the loss of a day. In my last letter I told you what troops had embarked up to the 21st instant. Since that date the following troops have left Annesley Bay :—The 10th Bengal Cavalry embarked on the 23d, the 2d Sainde Horse on the 24th, the 23d Pun jab Pioneers on the 24th and 25th, the 12th Bengal Cavalry and 21st Punjab Infantry on the 25th, the G 14, Armstrongs, and 5-25, mortars, with the ele phants, on the 26th ; the 3d Light Cavalry and the Head-quarter Wing 10th Native Infantry are to embark to-day. The last of the troops not wanted for baggage-guard or to assiat in the embarcation of stores will leave Annesley Bay on the Ist or 2d of June. Sir Charles S aveley will probably leave with them. The 3d Native Infantry and 25th Na tive Infantry, with the Madras and Bombay Sappers and Miners, are to be the last to quite the country, Brigadier-General Schneider remain ing with them in command. As regards the desti nation of the troops after leaving Abyssinia, the 3d Dragoon Guards, the 33.1 (Dake of Welling ton's), the 4th (King's Oivn), the 10th Company Royal Engineers, the A 31 and B 21 Batteries pro ceed to England ; the 45th (Sherwood Foresters), to Madras ; the . 26th (Cam eronians), to Calcutta ; G. 14 and 5-25 Batteries to Bombay. The Bombay, Bengal, and Madras native troops-return respec tively to their own Presidencies. The G 14, baying only a year or thereabouts left to complete their tour of foreign service, had fully counted on going to England ; but, much to their disappointment, a telegram came out from home ordering them back to India. The floods in the Senafe Pass have been very fre quent since I last wrote. Almost every other day a telegram is received at head quarters announcing the destruction of this or that part. of the road. With the exception, howeva, of one lamentable accident, in which seven native followers were suddenly over taken by the torrent, and swept helples.3ly away, nothing but the road has as yet suffered, and even the damage done to this is never greater than a few hours' hard work can repair—l mean 53 far as is necessary to make the road passable for men and baggage animals. The carts now at Senafe will pro bably, if the rains continue, either have to be abandoned as useless or else taken to pieces and carried on mules over those portions of the pais which have suffered most. The floods, though very violent while they last (in one case the water rose, it is said, to the height of 20 feet), are of very short duration, and usually affect but a comparatively small portion of the pass. They generally occur at about the same hour of the day, late in the afternoon, and give timely warning of their approach. It is not known how the unfortu nate natives whose fate I have mentioned could have failed to make good their escape. Hence little or no uneasiness is felt about the safety of the troops or stores that have still to be taken down the pass. Unless there ghoul I be a considerable charge for the worse in the present state of the weather, the task will not be dangerous or even difficult. It is not expected that the troops will be detained, or that anything worse will happen than the loss of labour involved in repairing the damage done to the road by these constantly recurring floods. A visit from Kassa, the Tigre chief, to Sir Robert Napier, has been, perhaps, the principal event of the week. Kassa's proceedings, however, not un naturally attract considerably less interest now than when his alliance and friendly aid in procuring supplies were of vital importance to the force, and the Durbar held in his honour yesterday, though graced with the usual display of handsome uniforms and expenditure of gunpowder, was rather a tame affair. It consisted almost entirely in the presenta tion of complimentary gifts—such a rifLes, pistols, cloths, &c., to the Tigre Chief and a few of his principal followers. More substantial gifts were at the same time promised, and Kassa will indeed have every reason to congratulate himself upon the cour tesy and good faith with which he has throughout treated his English allies. It is said that before the last Durbar at Adabaga, when Kassa was to all ap pearance hesitating whether he should meet Sir Robert Napier, some of his councillors toll him that these strangers coal I no doubt be pleasant and smooth-spoken enough when they were coming into Abyssinia and wanted his assistance, but that if he accepted their friendship and let them pass peace ably through his country, he would find them very different men when they were coming out of it. Happily, he himself thought otherwise, or at least resolved to act as if he thought otherwise (for it is not easy to believe that, as an Abyssinian diploma tist, he really put faith in the fair promises of a stranger), and he has had his reward. He has been treated more generously now that his alliance is of no use to us than when we were most anxious to secure it. Ile has been given already two mountain guns, about 850 muskets, about 400,000 rounds of am munition, and a large quantity of powder. If he comes to Zoulla, which he talks of doing, and would doubtless like to do if he were sure that the Sho hoes would ever let him come back, he will not im probably receive in addition two mortars and some more muskets and ammunition. A telegram has also been sent to Bombay for, I believe, six moun tain guns, so that he is likely to have, for Abys sinia, very formidable means of attack and defence. In yesterday's Durbar he tried in the usual Abyssi nian fashini to commit Sir Robert Napier to a pro mise that England would protect him against his enemies the Egyptians, but was told that with all these newly-acquired arms he might fairly'be ex pected. to hold his own. A review was held here in honour of her Ma jesty's birthday on the 25th (the 24th falling on a Sunday), and three hearty cheers, which must have rather astonished the Abyssinian lookers-on, were given for " the Queen," whose welcome message of congratulation is still fresh in the memory of the troops. Military discipline alone forbade a similar and no less hearty tribute being paid to the Commander-in-Chief, who, always popular with his soldiers,—not more from their confidence in his generalship than from his un ceasing thoughtfulness and considerate regard for their :interests,—is just now, of course, their idol. A few forcible words, in which, not with out emotion, he, thanked them for the way in which they had done their duty under him through out this campaign, and their cheerful soldier like endurance of the hardships which it had entailed upon them, went home to every heart. It is not often that pride is so keenly and so justly felt by a General in his soldiers, or by soldiers in their General, as was felt on this occasion, and for the moment, I believe, the troops actually forgot and forgave even the terrible want of a " butcher's bill"—they have, by the way, been materially con soled for this want by finding, from the unanimous expression of delight and applause on the part of the Eugl6l3 Press, that the country could scarcely have thought more highly of what they have done if they had been wounded by hui:dreds and killed by scores. " What will they say in England," has been, I believe, the one pre dominant thought ie the breast of every officer and solder since Magclala fell, and it se‘una now to be considered that England has said pretty nearly as much as she could say. " What will they do in England ?" is, perhaps, the prevailing thought now.A . By one of those mysterious arrangements which our Abyssinian post-office, in its inscrutable wisdom, vouchsafes, and to which experience has taught us its weak creatures meekly to bow, no English newspapers have been delivered by the last mail. The second great question, therefore, has had no light publicly thrown upon it. But privately letters have been re ceived of a very reassuring tone, and whereas. the debate in camp used to turn upon whether there would be auy Abyssinian medal and extra, pay, it now turns upon whether the medal will be: of a becoming pattern, and whether the extra payr is to be for six months or a year. The latter pr(,- blem receives, as a rule, the more favourable seitu tion, greater confidence being felt in the generosity of the country than in its good taste. Various de vices have, however, already been sent home, and it is hoped that for once there will not be the usual unnatural divorce between beauty and the emblem of valour. Theo lore himself recently created a very becoming order, from which (if it be considered scarcely dignified to copy altogether an Abyssinian device) at least a hint might be made, or St. George, as the patron saint both of England and of Abye.- sinia, might be made to do appropriate service with his dragon. Apropos of the notice taken of the Abyssinian campaign by the English press, I may mention that the cartoon in Punch representing Sir R. Napier's introduction to the Duke of Cambridge and un gracious reception, however cleverly it may hit off the relations ordinarily existing between the Horse Guards and the Indian service, is out here consi dered by no means fair or applicable in this parti cular instacce. Sir Robert Napier has not, indeed, been so fortunate as to escape all opposition, although, as you point out in your leading article of the 28th ult., he has been less fettered than the majority of distinguished English Generals. Intone or two influential quarters he has met with an op position which might have seriously hampered the plans of a less determined man. But it is only common justice to make it known that from the hake of Cambridge Sir Robert, so far from being thwarted or cold-shouldered, has invariably re ceived in all his suggestions throughout this cam paign the warmest encouragemeat and support. RA IL IVAY INT EL LIG CE. GRAND TRUNK OF CANADA. A meeting of stock and bond holders in this com pany was held yesterday at the London Tavern— Mr. A. Creak in the chair. There was a large at tendance of proprietors. The CHAIRMAN commenced the proceedings by reading the notice convening the meeting, which was held in consequence of the directors having re fused to furnish a list of the registered proprietors to Messrs. Marshall, Paine, and Co. ; and- also for the purpose of considering the position of the com pany, and as to whether they should ask for the re ' signation of the present Board. The advertisement was signed by Mr. Hartridge and himself. He had no wish to enter into the turmoils of, public life, but having proposed a resolution at the last meet ing for the purpose of bringing about a change in the management of their affairs, he had been requested by several gentlemen. who had sup ported his views at the half-yearly meeting to continue his exertions. Having incurred a certain amount of responsibility in proposing that resolu tion, and Mr. Hartridge having seconded it, they had now to stand the brunt of a very disagreeable affair. It was with a view to improve the position of the company and to bring about a more satisfac tory state of things in respect of their mismanaged property that he was induced to act in this matter. Much dissatisfaction had been expressed by the pro prietors at what they considered the mismanage ment of their affairs. At the last meeting several proprietors not only desired a change iu the manage , meut in Canada, but also in London. It was very hard that they had not received any satisfactory explanation of the matters complained of. The conduct of the gentleman in the chair, on the occa sien referred to with regard to the voting, was very unsatisfactory, although it was considered by some very clever for the chairman to declare that the proposition moved by him and seconded by Mr. Hartridge was not carried. Several share holders had expressed great dissatisfaction at the state of affairs, and Mr. Ritter felt that the time had cone when they should be informed as to who their partners were. Mr. Paine and others were desirous of having a list of the stockholders and a change iu the management. He then referred - to a circular letter that had been sent to Mr Hartridge and himself in consequence of their advertisement calling the present meeting. The letter informed them that if it should be the pleasure of the share holders at the next general meeting to instruct the Board to apply for further power in respect of grant ing a list of the bond and stock holders, such power would forthwith be applied for. They were asked to point out, specifically, any things, either as regarded the present or the future, which were considered wrong or undesirable in the management of the undertaking. It stated that this practical request the Board felt bound to urge, in the interest of the bond and stock holders generally ; and that the Board felt themselves personally entitled to insist upon this point, because of their stake in the undertaking, the actual hold ing of themselves and their firms being at this mo ment represented by £1,170,000 of ordinary and preference stocks (entirely irrespective of leased lines, equipment bonds, and postal bonds), which the board thought must incline them to seek for the means of promoting the wellbeing of the under taking. In justice to the board, he felt bound to read the letter, in which was enclosed a pamphlet by Mr. Brydges, their managing director in Canada, explaining how it was that the Great Western of Canada could obtain their wood fuel on better terms than the Grand Trunk could, and some other matters as to the general expenditure, but it was too long to read, and he thought it was not a satisfactory explanation. He had three resolutions to submit to the meeting. The first resolution was " That this meeting entirely disapproves the reso lution of the board not to supply the requisition ists with a list of the bond and stock holders." There was nothing whatever in the Com pany's Acts to prevent the directors giv ing a list, if they felt so inclined. He found that Mr. Watkin, at the Manchester Association meeting had advocated the issue of a printed list of shareholders in every English railway company, to be sold at 2s. Gd. each copy ; and therefore he could not understand how Mr. Watkin could refuse the proprietors a list of the stockholders, &c., in this case. He would call upon Mr. Handyside to se cond the motion, as he held £lOO,OO O stock in the company, and was greatly interested in the success of the concern. Mr. FILDES, M.P., contended that Mr. Brydges' letter should have been read to the meeting. (Cries of " No, no.") Mr. H. R. PRICE considered that it was the duty of the directors to give the proprietors the list of the bond and stockholders. He believed, if they per severed, the list would be granted. Mr. C. LEGG regretted that the directors should have refused the list of stockholders. He thought it a bad precedent; and it looked like a desire to put off the evil daj as long as possible. • Mr. CONEYBEARE hoped the proprietors would carry the resolution unanimously. The resolution was then put and carried unani mously. The CEIAIRMAN said the seconi resolution he had to submit was to the effect, that in the opinion of the meeting the time had arrived when the interests of the company would be best served by the retire ment of the present board. He meant the London Board. He then at considerable length argued that the retirement of those gentlemen wou'd be bene ficial to the undertaking. Most of the gentlemen on the board were of high standing, great ability, and were constantly engaged in most important affairs for themselves and others. Their business was so vast that it was impossible for them to atte-id sufficiently to the details of the Grand Trunk Rail way so as to make it a successful and remunerative undertaking. On comparing the traffic receipts of 1867 with those of 1865 he found they were £16,000 less and expenses £85,000 more than in . 1865; includ ing an increase in the train mileage of 07 ) 000 miles. On comparing this result with the Great Western of Cart ada he found that the latter had an increase in thei r receipts for 1867 of £95,000, and an increase in •the working expenses of £55,000, as compared wi th 1865, showing a profit on that increased traffic of £40,000. The reports of the_company appeared to him to have been drawn up so as to suit each occasion, and to tide over, as it were, each half yearly meeting, without apparently carrying out any general plan of operation. They were told in December, 1863, that £70,000 a year would be sufficient to renew the permanent way in five years and extinguish it out of revenue, but before that time expired their principal officer told them, at the end of 1866, that they would require to expend for the next three years £125,000 a year on those re newals. They were told that 788 miles had been renewed, leaving about 600 miles to renew. But, unfortunately, that was not all; they were told by Captain Tyler that 200 miles of rails so renewed would have to be taken up and renewed with bet ter rails. The expenditure on the renewal of the permanent way up to the end of last year had been £259,000 in four years, instead of £350,000 esti mated in 1863 for five years He then referred to the accurate manner in which the estimate by the engineer of ,the Great Western of Canada had been carried out. In 1861 he estimated that £361,000 would be required for renewals of the Great Western line in the course of the following 51 years. The chairman then went into several de tails respecting the management of the company's affairs, showing how inconsistent they appeared to him, and concluded by trusting that the affairs of the company would be placed in the hands of as honourable gentlemen as they now had on the board, who could afford to devote exclusively their time and attention to the interests of that great company. (Cheers.) - Mr. 11.[TTEtt seconded the motion, and in doing so entered into many points connected with the management of which he did ❑ot approve. lie had attended their meetings for 11 years without taking any part in the proceedings until it was proposed to level the priorities of the first and second pre ferences with the third and fourth preference, which was what he and others could not consent to, and he thought it ever since his duty to keep a strict look out for his property. Au amendment, to the effect that the resolution be not entertained until after the next half-yearly meeting of the company, was negatived, there being one hand in favour of it. The motion was then carried by the meeting, - which was a very large one, there being only one dissentient. On the motion of Mr. IIAnnuDGE, seconded by Mr. ELLIS, a resolution was unanimously carried to the effect that a committee be appointed (with power to add to their number) to communicate the resolutions of the meeting to the existing board, and to take such other steps as they might deem necessary to protect and promote the interests of the Company ; and that such committee consist of Mr. A. Creak, Mr. Hartridge, Mr. Ritter, Mr. Handy side, Mr. Staples, Mr. R. Haig, and Mr. L. Paine. Mr. ADAMS recommended the committee to get the best and most influential men in the company they could to assist them. The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman. PROGRESS 1N MEAT PRESERVA7ION. (From the Melbourne Argus). The loud complaints arising from the over-supply of meat in the eastern and southern peas of in habited Australia, and the under-supply of meat in the United Kingdom and the more thickly popu lated portions of the continent of Europe, have now fairly turned the general attention to the subject here, and hence we have to include a fresh item of news in our budget for home. We have to com municate, therefore, the following intelligence The first general meeting of the Melbourne Meat preserving Company has been held, and judging from the report of the proceedings there seems a likelihood of our surplus stock of meat being, by the agency of this association, turned to profit tole account. As we have already informed our English readers, the basis of this company is Mr. S. S. Ritchie's process, which has been successfully sub jected to numerous stringent trials. It is not quite a new one, having been known and tested for at least twenty years, and not the least experiment attempted is its keeping for two years, and then being found deliciously fresh on opening. The present enterprise is on an apparently thoroughly sound basis, and the capital required for the start has been freely subscribed. The company is for tunate in having secured the services of Mr. Ritchie, who, with Mr. M'Call, was formerly proprietor of a meat-preserving establishment in Great Britain, and has had much experience in the business. There have been unnumbered processes of bmeat preserving designed, but the advantage of Mr. Ritchie's is, that it is thoroughly practicable. The Contemporary Review for February, in an article on " The Food of the People," speaks highly of it, and quotes the opinion of the committee of the So ciety of Arts that it is " the only plan by which they h ave as yet found that unsalted meat i n a healthy, edible condition has been generally im ported." The process is no longer experimental, therefore, but as an absolute commercial fact com mends itself to business men. The British publi c may feel assured that they will have a fair .oppor tunity of ascertaining the merits of the article which it is proposed to produce. At the monthly meeting of the Royal Society, a paper written by Mr. Postle was read by Mr. Ellery On the Preservation of Meat by Freezing." The system proposed by Mr. Postle differs Materially frorn others now in operation, and notably from that of Mort. Instead of using ammonia or ether, he pro poses by the extraction of the heated air to reduce the atmosphere below freezing point, and to main tain it in this condition by supplying a stream of cold air. A good deal of discussion took place on the subject, and the opinion of the scientific gentle men present seemei generally to be that Mr. Postle's theory was accurate. Mr. Napier, a mem ber of the well•known ship-building firm on the Clyde, stated that Sir W. Thompson had adopted the sam e principle for a reverse purpose, namely, to create artificial heat in a cold room. Professor M'Coy seemed to think that the system would be more expensive than the freezing process by am monia or ether ; but Mr. Postle himself believed that it would b 3 less costly. There appears to be no doubt that the matter is worthy of further in vestigation and experiment. A new system of meat preservation has been in troduced to the public by a Mr. Sayce, who, when carrying on the business of a druggist in Mel bourne, occasionally distinguished himself by his local manufactures in his own line. A few days since several gentlemen met at the stores of sir. W. B. Jones, Collins-street, west, for the purpose of testing -the merit of the new plan. The process was found to consist in the injection of a fluid not hitherto used for the purpose, and it is said that joints can be cured this way as expeditiously and as cheaply as by the common mode of salting. A cask of mutton, killed in the hot weather two months ago, and subjected to Mr. Sayee's process, was opened on this occasion. The meat was found to be perfectly sweet, and portions which had been cooked were fresh and juicy ; but it remains to be proved whether meat so cured will pass successfully through the ordeal of long sea voyages. However, the plan. has been sufficiently successful to warrant the carrying out of experiments on a larger scale. From Sydney we learn that the project for ship ping a trial cargo to England of meat preserved by Mort's freezing process is likely to be carried out in a short time. The committee appointed report that the amount promised for the e purpose approximates to the sum of £5,000, a considerable proportion of which is from Queensland. Mr. Mort considers that the meat should be purchased so as to be in course of delivery during the months of July and August, and he entertains hopes of being able to send the ship from the colony with the meat during the month of September. EXCLUSIVE, VERY IMPORTANT, RARE, AND VALUABLE are the properties of Lamplough's Pyretic Saline, curing the worst headaches, sickness, skin, or biliary affections. Pleasant, Pailaable, and ittylpraing. Solkby all chenaists.—[Aclyt.] LAW AND POLICE. BREACH OF PROMISE AND ASSAULT.—In the Bail Court Caroline Hall, by her next friend, brought an action for damages against a young man, named Euthven, for breach of promise to marry, and assault. As an objection was made and sustained that the two counts could not be joined, the counsel for the plaintiff elected to proceed with the assault. The parties lived in Pimlico, and the girl's father was a decorator, while the defendant was a pastry-cook. The plaintiff in her evidence stated that she had been acquainted with the defendant for a long time. On the evening of Sunday, 29th September, she was coming out of church in company with two young ladies when she saw the defendant walking with a girl. After he had passed witness he left the girl and came back. On approaching witness he began . singing " Not for Joseph." (Laughter.) Witness asked what was the cause of his aggravating her in that manner. He thereupon made use of bad language, and struck her on the bosom with his fist. He said he bad got a proper girl now, and snapped his fingers in witness's face. After that he followed and again struck her. The defendant's version was that Miss Hall threw her arms round his neck, and asked him to kiss her, if only for the last time. He released himself from her embrace and went away. The evidence was exceedingly conflicting, and one point that told against the plaintiff was that her mother wrote to the defendant a few days after the alleged assault and upbraided him for his cruelty; but in this missive not one word was mentioned of the assault. The jury found for the defendant. ACTION FOR LIBEL .AGAUST A CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF G UARDIANS. —ln the Court of Exchequer the case of Parker v. Prescott and others was heard. This was an action of libel brought against the chairman and vice-chairman, &c., of the Marylebone Board of Guardians in respect of some proceedings of the guardians which appeared in two newspapers, called respectively the Marylebone Mercury and the Paddington Times. It appeared that the plaintiff's daughter applied for relief at the Union House, and had been received as an inmate under circumstances which, when they were mentioned to the board of guardians, called forth some strong rune: . and a summary of the remarks appeared iu the papers above mentioned, in the course of which remarks each. of the defendants had expressed an opinion that the facts were of such a character that the .press ought to notice them, and the reporters were called as witnesses to speak to the expres sions used by each defendant. It was admitted that the proceedings of the guardians were privileged, but it was contended on the part of the plaintiff that the expressions of the defendants rendered them responsible for the pub lication which afterwards appeared in the newspapers. Mr. Baron 'Martin was of opinion that the defendants were not responsible for the report, and directed a verdict to be returned to that effect. CHARGE AGAINST THE DEAN AND CHAPTER of WEST MINSTER ABBEY.—At the Westminster Police -court, Messrs. Poole and Mason appeared to receive judgment in a summons taken out by Mr. James Solly, the district surveyor of St. Margaret's and St. John's, Westminster. The defendants were really the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey. There were two summonses taken out by the surveyor, complaining that the defendants, respectively the builders engaged in doing certain work in Westminster Abbey, had neglected to give the complainant, two days before such work was commenced, due notice in writing, stating the situation, &c., of the building, &c., and the particulars of such proposed works, &e. These summonses were taken out under the 38th and 41st sections of the Metropolitan Building Act, which make it impera tive on a builder to give such a notice and impose a penalty not exceeding £2O for neglecting to do so. The question was, whether that building came within the operation of the Metropolitan Building Act. The defendants contended that the Abbey was, by the Gth section of the Act, exempt from its operation, as being either one of her Majesty's royal palaces or a building employed for her Majesty's use or service. In a long and elaborate judgment, Mr. Arnold was of opinion that the argument for the defence did not justify him in dismissing the case ; but, under the circumstances, all that was required was a nominal fine, which would be ls., and costs. Notice of appeal was given. Itain is much wanted in the South of England for almost everything but wheat. The crop of field peas will totally fail for want of rain. The green aphis have taken possession of and will destroy the crop, unless they are soon washed away by copious showers. THE SHOCKING CASE OF MATRICIDE IN SUSSEX. —The evidence adduced at the coroner's inquest on tho body of Sarah Backshall, who had been murdered by her son, substantially bore out the outline of the facts already given in these columns. The jury found a verdict of wilful murder against George Dackshall, and he was committed to Lewes prison, to await his trial at the Summer Assizes. THE ABYSSINIAN CAPTIVES. —A large crowd of persons assembled in the Southampton Docks on Thursday afternoon, when the mail steamer Massilia arrived, in the expectation that the Abyssinian captives were on board. The Massilia, however, left Alexandria, before the captive. had arrived there from Suez. It was conjectured that the Egyptian quarantine regulations detained them at Suez, and that they would leave Alexandria for England in a Government transport, or in the steamer that will be due at Southampton next week, with the heavy portion of the Bombay mail. ILLEGAL DRILLING. —At the Capel-street (Dublin) Police-court, Patrick Butterly, Edward Fitzpatrick, and Francis Hatton were charged with being engaged with others illegally drilling on the Glasnevin-road, between ten and eleven o'clock on the night of the 17th June. Police-sergeant Broderick, 5 D, deposed that he heard m;litary terms used : for instance, " Fall in—two deep— single file—quick march." There were about fourteen persons. He succeeded in arresting the prisoners, who said it was only a joke. They were remanded in custody. The Journal des Debats gives us some novel and original anecdotes " sur Lord Stamford, le propriaaire de Vale Royal." From one of them we learn that the late lord, in leaving his son an immense fortune, imposed upon him the condition that he should every year invest 1.0,C00 sterling in the purchase of silver plate. When the young lord had doubled and tripled his dinner and toilette sets, he caused a magnificent staircase in solid silver to be manufactured. At last, his powers of inven tion being exhausted, he sought the aid of the law, and by the payment of £20,000 down he obtained a judicial re lease from the necessity of further compliance with the onerous conditions of his legacy. GREAT FIRE AT THE DERBY RAILWAY STATION. —About half-past eight o'clock on Thursday night a most destructive fire broke out in the extensive cheese ware houses adjoining the Derby railway station, and which were occupied by Messrs. Smith, Cox, and Co., and Mr. Edward Etches. It commenced in the top storey, which is used by the Midland Company to store their lost lug gage. It spread with remarkable rapidity, and by eleven o'clock the pile of buildings was completely gutted. The telegraph was set to work, and the engines from Not tingham and other towns arrived during the evening. After the fire had raged for about three hours the flames were subdued, but the loss is very great. FUNERAL OF SIR JAMES BROOKE, K.C.B.—The mortal remains of Sir James Brooke, K.C.8., Rajah of Sarawak, were interred on Wednesday in the churchyard of the retired village of Sheepstor, Devon, in the spot chosen by himself. His choice could not have fallen upon a more beautiful and appropriate spot, and certainly that secluded churchyard never before received the remains of a man better entitled to the veneration of his country. men, or who will be more lamented now and honoured hereafter. He was followed to the -,grave not only by relatives and a numerous circle of friends from a distance, but also by the entire population of the neighbourhood, all vieing , in the desire to shew that respect with which the Rajah had inspired them. The operations of the hay harvest were entirely suspended for the day. The service was most impressively performed by the Rev. W. Daykin, assisted by Archdeacon Sinclair, who attended as the representative of Miss Burdett Coutts, for many years an attached friend of the Rajah. We have authority to mention that the sovereignty of Sarawak has been given by the. late Rajah to his nephew, Mr. Charles Johnson Brooke.—Western Morning Acts. A NEW ExPLOSiVE AGENT. —Dynamite is the name of a new explosive agent, consisting of porous silica, saturated with nitro-glycerine, which is just now attracting the attention of those who are interested in quarrying and mining operations. A series of experiments which took place the other day in Lanarkshire is said to have proved that the force of exploding dynamite is about three times greater then that of gun-cotton, or some twelve times greater than that of gunpowder. A coaple of tablespoonfuls laid quite loose on a thick beam proved sufficient, when fired, to break the timber right across, and project one of the fragments to a considerable distance. A charge of six pounds ex. ploded in a horizontal bore brought down about 4,000 cubic feet of whinstone rock. In another experiment a block of wrought-iron, measuring nine inches by eight, was placed vertically in the ground, and a quantity of dynamite, covered only with loose rubbish, exploded on its upper surface. The result was to convert what had been a convex surface into a concave one, the mass of iron being .at the same time split in several places. Although dynamite contains 76 per cent. of nitro-glyce rine, it a is said be 04 safe snyoWig . 0 . 1 . 440 . psly• stgaj . AMERICA AA'D 771 E CHINESE. The Chinese Embassy, which had arrived at NO York on its mission to the Powers of Christendo w ' were entertained before leaving San Francisco at a grand banquet by the Governor and leading w en of California on Tuesday, April 28, in the dining hall of the Lick House. The Hon. Anson Balla' game and Chili Tajen, of the Embassy, spoke. W e are not informed what the Chinaman said, but 311% Burlingame announced that though he could not give at length the objects of the mission, he vio la say, "It means progress. It means that China de' sires to come into warmer and more intimate relit' tions with the West. It means that she desires to come under the obligations of international law, to the end that she may enjoy the advantages of that law. It means that China, conscious of lief own integrity, wishes to have her questions stated—that she is willing to submit her (Pe:: tions to the general judgment of mankind. It means that she intends to come into the brother' hood of nations. It means commerce ;it mew ls peace ; it means a unification in its own interests of the whole human race." The Chinese have t a sympathy with America, and a pp rec i a t e ver y 'lig° the American character. Of course every year the intimacy increases, but we speak of a date wh erl , California was but little kno wn i n th e Celestia l Empire, and the Chinese formed their notions ° f Americans by the energy and enterprise of thei r traders, and the individuals who found their waY t° the shores of Cathay. it was remarkable even then to note, although British influence was paramount' English and French soldiers garrisoning some of th e ports, and the fleets of both navies cruising along the coast, the admiration given to Americans, though withheld from French and English. M r ' Burlingame spoke of the co-operation PHI among the treaty Powers, and respect for Chinese rights as having borne rich fruits, which he in stanced by the increase in the foreign trade o f China, having risen from 82 million dollars to 3° o ~ million dollars in a short period. " &:eamboats,' he sitid, " have been multiplied ; arsenals lar.ve bee° built ; lighthouses have been erected, hundreds of foreigners have been taken into the civil s ervie 6 under the leadership of one of the ablest men in th e world. This flag which is above us (the lalPe rial flag of China) has been adopted as the first nr tional flag of China. Wheaton's International Lasv has become and is taken as a text-book for that grea t empire. The influence of Christian missions 11 ° been advanced from the Yellow Sea even to th e great plains of Mongolia." The feeling to which We have alluded is shows in the selection, by t he Chinese, of Mr. Burlingame for the head of th ls embassy. It is not now surprising that America n influence should be growing dominant in the Cc" lestial Empire when the vast increase in trade Wi th California is considered. The Pacific Mail Steam ship Company commenced their monthly seryl , e j e between San Francisco and Hongkong on the °- June. It is proved how efficient and well esta' Wished the line is by an accident to the Great Il e ' public, which left San Francisco on the 4th ,hatc h ' but became partially disabled when about 2, 00 miles from Yokohama. Under sail, and aided bl one wheel, she made her way to Japan, whey she found the Company's steamer New I°' .l ll which completed the voyage to Hongkong, a ° o returned to San Francisco, arriving in the American port only two days behind contract time. An Int, mense amount of silver is now shipped direct ir oni c the mines of the Pacific States to China, and number of passengers is so great that, large thong the steamers be, the difficulty is rather to find a c, commodation than to fill them. This main link to the East is now in full working order, and will . crease in utility to Europe and the Atlantic se a• board of North America in proportion to the pr o• of the Union Pacific Railroads. it is e v ` -i, now by far the best route to Japan and Shang hai : Indeed, a man bound from London to Yokoham a show a singular ignorance of the travel ling facilities developed on the Pacific side of Ame rica who sought to reach Japan by travelling East 10: stead of 'West. The Embassy reached New Yo rk May 22, and the baggage amused the bystander s ' The New York Express thus describes the party " Chili Tagen is sixty years of age, has served W e country in various responsible ,capacities, is of 10 ‘ v stature, and wears a pair of spectacles as large II frying pans. Sun Tagen is forty-five years 01 age, burly build, and very Milesian cast of fea . tures. The students attached to the ou r bassy are quite intelligent. Two of them, re joicing in the names of Funck and Shan, 01 5 English with considerable fluency. The (Pet of all are exceedingly long, trailing quite to tn , ground. When they were descending the gang way from the steamer those in the rear stepped ° h ,e the queues of the preceding ones, causing for t moment quite a commotion. An indignity 1 the beard of a noble Roman would scarc ely have occasioned more commotion, and all ha n g , chattered away in a manner not unlike sP of rows. Neither of the mandarins nor any their attendants wore swords; the reason g ives is that they are on a civil mission. J. Mc1 ,031.., Browne, the first Secretary of the Legation, is °,O th e lrishman —he has served seven years with British Legation in China. When leaving t pier for the hotel the two mandarins rode in ti ll open carriage. The attaches followed in W I close carriages. The servants and nine thous 3nu ' pounds of luggage followed in large coun bes The dress of all is similar in cut, but very d ig, similar in colour ; the majority affect blue. 113), , e , t all wear black skull caps, a loose over-all of l l g e ' material descending to the knees. Their lo vr extremities are encased in top boots. The 1113 a, it darius wear beautiful stilettos, ivory hilted , st their boots. As a body these Chinese cont r° very favourably with the specimens of their Reif o bours, the Japanese. The heads are shaved al ike ' general garb is the same, but the Chi nes wear no swords, and the excruciating oh l t ter . ll made by the Japanese in walking is also haPP l ie absent. Both mandarins and inferiors interull n .g rf , and converse with great freedom an d familia ri p 'o There is less of hauteur a n d reserve between tb - cl is discernible in the rel a ti on s o f our em ployer ' a ll employed. The members of the mission are are of the 'Tartar-Chinese family. All of them t he armed with umbrellas, hideous in make, 01 , ar s, worst quality and of the most violent o° l° ,if , magenta and crimson predominating. At i ," To t , past two o'clock the Orientals arrived at the minster, where a considerable crowd had C. 4.. gregated to receive them. Some over hasty inclllos. duals rushed forward to embrace the mand.arinn, .r they thought, but subsequently ascertained, to t — liel t4 disgust, that they had been embracing the COolcliy fine venerable old fellow of 66 summers, the tv oo . man of the lot who has a beard. The legat l° . „ ll b ere cupies thirty rooms on the second floor, 00 nobles and servants all domicile. No Chinese . " 3 „ to accompany the party. They had left New 1 1-° r ' pay their respects to the officials at Washingt°ll_,,' Births. BROWN—On the 16th inst., at The Firs, Alburgh,l" eat , the wife of G. Brown, Esq., of 42, L ans down-cr esc Kensington-park, W., of a son and daughter. o f- COODE—On the 14th inst., at St. Androw's-terrtice'lo*l mouth, the wife of Ca,Ltain Trevenen P. Goode , IL 4LS. Terrible, of a son. o f LETTS—On the 17th inst., at Upper Clapton, the woof Captain A. B. Botts, late 3d Regiment (the Bu daughter. Marriages. 0 0 AREamisur —VAUGHAN—On the 17th inst., at then v ott church of Harpenden, Herts, the Rev. Arb l?01: 01 8.A., curate of Kitnpton, forts, third eon a 6ir i . ter K. Arbuthnot, Bart., to Mary Agnes, eldest dauccoa- e a' the Rev. Edward T. Vaughan, M.A., rector a P" den WRIGHT rural dean. , 1 ,, ar' and LI—AYNES—On the 17th inst at the par's' r -b tr i, a' Wandsworth, Henry W. Wright, of" t h e Middle i i- r e- v ocei Esq., to Caroline Thirza, second Wright, of A• Esq., of Wandsworth, in the county of Surrey. Deaths. „ V' BROWNE —On the 15th. inst., at Boulogne-stir -31e" Browne, aged GO. Cor CORBETT —On the 15th inst., at Old Windsor, Jame; belt, Esq., aged 66. S tree t, PEARSON—On the 17th inst., at Upper Barns N., John Pearson, Esq., aged 81. tre 4 RUTHERFORD—On the 17th inst., at 23, Devonshire-5.1,,i Portland-place, Cleorge S. Rutherford, Esq., W. V. ' aged 82. Sol S3IITH—On the 21th inst., at Southsea, Major IL ''' 13,3-al Marines, aged 83. _.....•%. NI),--- London : Printed and Published by WILLL9. II A — 14 .' il 9 f of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TsiS SUN o. ll ''''„,, ° lti Strand, in the Precinct of the BP Toy, i n the Li' - Middlesex.—Friday, Am 19, 1868. j( INA Tlii~ ce'.c Prize Me I u It i, F»re G Oly.s?,rwB. r , 4aa'S NIUTI A, • RI, s - 0 4 or L a ble w Fo rms free ROY,I 'TI MisB NINO T, 1 S r lt IT if tib)y are I Aid his ' 41r •ILL1 44 c 1 11r. J Pr vat. The C Ll oy d w .' the --Gret s Mdlle.a Ca With nv banieal grand L E a nd Mess Corps Stv • Dc " Jui 1 1 E It tADA. f A r j 1310, 1 ; 61;'opi Thi s ua v i nc , bY or the Solo Cor Ifs 5 - 1 1 , 1 wl Strand PU [ Ir n b , , r p 4r unfit' 1 1 , 0 01 i ni 81,1 are. l OU iP bourn, ior 60 Chenii ll' eqrl4 T Sol I a 41 11 li Ci r it colou r fe(!tly Chem . And tit y , D u rt nd has be et pess n v 18 4 11, 1 13 4,r Plat rai I moves ;.1 hitho. Dl. \t N ,, .10,Btg li h Wb Cii; th, liy an WI su