The Sun. — London, England, 1871-01-23 00:00:00

MONETARY REPORTS.-S ATURDAY. Pending some decisive news from Paris respecting the 1 renewal of the sorties, the stock markets to-day havebeen very quiet. Business has been on a limited scale in most securities, and in the railway market the leading stocks have experienced a reduction. The feature as re gards foreign bonds has been the inquiry for Mexicans resulting in an advance of Italian and Turkish have been easier.- In the Consol market a want of animation has been apparent, and prices have fallen i per cent., the quotations for money and the ac count being 921, 94 ; Reduced and New Three per Cents., 92, 92 2; Bank Stock, 235, 237 ; Exchequer Bills, 10s. to 15s. prem. ; India Five per Cents., no, noi ; and India Bonds, 225. to 375. prem. ; Colonial Government securi ties have been Sn linalaed.reqUest, but the quotations have ruled -firm. _ . The market for English railway stocks has been in a quiet Mate, and the quotations have ruled easier. Great Northern A, and Midland have fallen 4, Great Eastern and North-Eastern 1, and North-Western and Great Western 4. After official hours Caledonian was quoted at 874, 88 ; Great Eastern, 401, 401; Great Northern, 125, 126 ; ditto A, 1341, 1351; London and Brighton, 421, 431; North-Western, 1291, 1304 ; Midland, 1291, 1291; Great Western, 721, 622; Metropolitan, 66, 661 ; North- Eastern, 1461, 1461. For Indian railway stocks there has not been much in quiry. Bombay, Baroda, and Central India, 1101, 1 ; Great Indian Peninsula, 1051, 1061 ; Madras, 1031; Oude and Rohilkund, 1014, 1; and Scinde, 1001, 11. Canadian shares have been dealt in quietly. Grand Trunk, 121; and Great Westerns, 131, 4. Foreign shares have been quiet. Lemberg-Czernowitz,l6 ; Lombardo-Venetian, 15. In the foreign bond market the feature has been the inquiry for Mexican, resulting in an improvement of 1. per cent., the quotation being 141, 15. Italian (18611 have been 4 lower, at 54, 541; and Turkish (1869), 4, at 51, 514. Egyptian (1868) are quoted at 754, 4 ; Spanish, 291, 30; Turkish Five per Cents, 42, 421; United States Five- Twenty (1882) Bonds, 90 1 , 901 ; ditto (1885), 891, 691 French Scrip, 31 to 22 die.; and German, 14 to 14 prem. Bank shares have experienced but little nquiry. Alliance, 121, 121 ; Anglo - Egyp tian, 221 ; Imperial Otto man, 111, 111 ; London and County, 501, 51; London Joint Stock, 36 ; and London and Westminster, 64. In telegraph shares the transactions have heen limited. Anglo-American, 744 ; British Indian Submarine, 74 ; French Cables, 131 ; Hooper's 6, 61; and Constructionsf 241. Miscellaneous securities have sold slowly. Credit Fon cier of England, 21 ; Hudson's Bay, 81. There has been but little inquiry for accommodation to-day. Capital has been plentiful, and short bills have been taken at 2 per cent. For negotiating three months' paper 21 per cent. has been charged. The Algeria, from New York has brought £13,679 in specie. The Bangalore takes out £64,625 to the East. The sum of £56,000 has been withdrawn from the Bank of England to-day. The prospectus has appeared of the Brodeepe Creek Gold Mining Company (Limited), with a capital of £60,000 and shares of £4 each, with power to increase 10s. per share to be paid on application, 30s. on allotment, and the balance in six months. The company is formed for the purchase of mining properties in Nevada county, California. LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE.-SATURDAY, LATEST PRICES.-AFTER OFFICIAL HOUR>. The prices under the lines indicate the business done. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. three per Cent Consols 921 92/ DoApril &Oct 1883-85.. 112 113 922, 5 1121, 13 Do for Account 921 10 J 2i, 1 Three pei Centßeduced 921 929 Brazilian. 1865, 5p o .... 935 345 922. i. 5 931, i New 3 per Cent 925. 1 in) Rail Deben 7p o .. 9911005 Exchequer Bills, March 10 laran Italian, 1865, m Peruvian. 1865, 5p a .... 90 91 Do, Ju p ne 40 15oin 90 pm Portuguese 1869 .3 po .. 315 321 Bank Stock India 5 per Cents 1105, 1 85 India B011(lb —.— 110 Nicolas 4p c Pm 675, 1 Can6po.Tan&Julyll77-84 104 105 Spanish 1041 291, 30 Do March & Sept. 104 106 Turklsh.lBs4, 6p c 79 81 Po 5P a Jan & July .. 08 99 80 am 1. Do, 1865, 5p a Da Inscribed Stock .. 97 99 42, 1x cl Dom or Can 5p c 1903 .. 28 100 Do, 1865 6p c Ceylon 6 p o May and 592 November 1878 166 108 118.5-20 Bouds.4 0 a 1331 901 905 84m aitlus C. p oJan and 901. 5. 5 July 1873 122 105 Do do 1885 891 895 'Slew 6 Wales 5 y 0187146, 400 101 1005 tiolo-48tilnds,6Da1901 :: 885 New Zealand 0 p c 1891 4OB 110 885. 1 I)e6po , 99 101 ItrieSha, IrJdole,all paid Do 5p o Consolidated 695100 Illinois Central Shares .. 10951105 99i1001. 100 s d 110 a 4 Do 6 p ctlar&Sept 1891 109 111 Atlantic and 0W R Con Do June A 1)eo 1891 108 110 Mortgage Bonds — Viet 6po Jan &July 1: , I 113 114 RAILWAYS. Bristol and 'Crater 9l 93 1)o 2nd do Scrip .... 84 86 Caledonian 873 Grand Trunk of Canada Great B.tern 4Ol 41 2nd Pref Stook 40/ Do 3rd Pref Stock Great Northern 1251 4th Prat Stock Do A 13111351 171 1341, 53 Great Indian Pen g 5. , o 1051106] Great Western 72 721 1061, 51 723, 1 GreatWesteru ofeanada 151 151 Lancashire & Yorkshire 13511361 151, 4 1361, 53 Do 6p o Bonds, 1873.. 99 100 Lon, Brigh. and S Coast 421 433 Do 51 do. 1877-8 95 97 42/ Do 5 p c prof. Issued 80 parinin Lou.hat, an d Dover .. 131 1 4 Madras guar 5 p 0 Lon and North-Western 130 1301 1031 130/, 3, 11 N. Railway of Canada, Lon and South-Western 92 93 6p a let Prof Bonds 93. 21 Code and P„ohilkuud g Man, She 6 r, and Lincoln 45 1 161 5 D o 1011, 1 loollol] 4 Metropolitan 663 Delhi guar a p c Midland .... 1291130 1003, li 12 9 3, 8 Bahia and San Francisco North British ... 341 353 g 7 p c Vorth-EasteniConsols„ 1461117 B.elgiau B Junction 1461. 8, 1 Buenas Ayres oat Sthrn 26 26] South-Kasten' 76 761 Dunaburg and Witepak 181 181 Atlantic and St Lawrnce 76 77 Dutch-Rhenish. ,. 27 23 Sloinbay, Baroda, and Eastern of France — Central India, g 5 p c.. 103 104 Great Luxembourg 104 Lemberg Czernowitzgua Buff and Lake Huron „ 41 41 7po Do 51 po Bond .1872-3 - 4 79 81 16 80 Northern of France Cape guar 6p c Fast Bengal guar 5p c lO3 104 Recite and San Francisco _ 1031 (Limited) guar 7p 0 .. 151 151 East Indian, g 5 p c 1101, 3 South A us tn &Lom-Ven 1 4 1 153 Grand Trunk Canada 121 Southern of Frame .... -- -- Do Futtlp Mort Bud 1 eharge 6pa RANKING COMPANIES. pa Pd 1 Agra Bank (T 4 A S 63 10 Imperial Ottoman .. If 13pm 25 Allia»ce (L 1 132, 3 20 Lou Char of Austell& 23 24 10 Anglo-Austrian 20 Anglo-Egyptian ( L) 22 223 503, 1 223 15 London Joint-Stock 353 63 50 British N American 50 51 36 20 Ch of India, Anstrlia 135 145 20 Lon andWestmnster 631 643 25 Char Mere of India 21 23 64 21 10 Metropolitan B3 9 10 City 25 Colonial 4 Consolidated (T, gEn . cot. and Aus C 1 6 17 25 Union or Australia.. 40 41 17 15 Union of London .. 371 383 2) Imperial S L) TELEGR AP II COMPANIES. Pd Pd No A n glo- 41 American Ll 74 76 10 Great Northern .... 111 11/ 6 Great N. China, and 10 Anglo-Meditrn (L) llB 120 Japan Extension.. 81 81 100 Atlantic — 5 Indo-European (LI.. 10 12 100 Do 8p a — 10 Marseilles, Mgiera 13 Brit A us tralu (L) .. 4 31. d 10 Mediterrnit is and Maa (LI IA ..... 4 5h Ex ( .. 44 th 10 British Ind Erten (L). 61 7 21 Pnma and B. PcfciL 4 3 dis 10 British I n dian Sub- dis marine, (14 8 W Chinal Submarine (L) 5 4/031s 20 Soo Trans France (L) 13' 131 31. i 100 submarine 237 '212 Do Scrip 2} 2; 10 Falmouth, Gibraltar, and Malta (IA .... 93 93 10 W India& PauarualLl 54 5 MISCELLANEOUS SECURITIES Pd Pd Anglo-Austrianßud. Anglo-Austrian Bud. 5 intend Vinau SocIL) 2Ms holders' Certificate 3 5 20 It 'nig Can Cayour 3i 4 10 BerlinWaterworks(L) in 161 100 1)o 6p c Bonds. re deematle 1870 16/, 16 61 63 w- 'lll L on don Fin Assoc(L) lBll7ldis 30 Bolcko 100 Boston City (U.S. Vaughan Li 28 33pm 4 Lon Gen Omnib us • . 3 3 p c Sterling Loan 94 96 a 4 Brit k Fgn Marine Ll 441 pm 2 Lou I; Prov Marine L) 11 pm 25 Canada Company. 7O 72 100 Madras irrig. 4 Canal 70 g 5 D 0 by hid Gov. 100 102 10 Ceylon Company L 1 3 / 31di s 2 Mauritius Land (L)2 1 dis. 35 City Offices (L) 251241dis 5 Natal Disct and 11.1 121 20 Colonial (L) 5 Cora Union Assume() 4 4/pm Marc Agency IL) . t 1 I pm 10 Crdt Tone of Eng (L) 21 21 5 N Zealand Loan and 21 Trust (L) 100 Crystal Palace ans m r —Me IL) 14115 2811 pro 281 191 5 OceaoMarinu 100 Do Fret 100 Do 6p c Peru Deb.. 109 114 10 Do do New. 1867 3 2 die 271 Ebbw Vale Steel L).. 91 91dis 50 Rhyinney Iron New 3Bl 0 32 1 100 Viceroy of Egypt 7 9 0 Do 9 M or tgage Loan.... 78 80 93. 1 100 Egyp p cirroy Loan, 60 Royal Mall Steam guar by Egyp Gov— 97 98 12 Tel Con and Main L) 241 242 13 Fore-st Warehouse (L) 84 9.pin 241 100 Fin' and Colonial GoV 2 Thames and Mersey Trust 6p c Bonds.. 98 100 Marino Insur IL 981 71 Gen Credt &Mixt (Ii) }dig par Tobacco 6p c Loan. guar by Italian Gov 87 89 14 Gen stm Navigation 28 29 5 Trust and Loan Co of 7 Hoopefs Tel Works 1 idis Upper Canada lpm 61, 3-16, i 5 0 Marine, Lvpool (L 5 51pin 17 Hudsou's Bay Bl 81 20 Union Steamship (L) 23 25 81 6 ITnitedDis Corprn (L par (pm 45 ludrbbr,GutPer, and 5 UnivMarinelnsur IL% 66 71pm Tel Works L) KINAHAN'S LL WHISKY.—This celebrated and most delicious old mellow spirit is the very cream of Irish Whiskies, in quality unrivalled, perfectly pure, and more wholesome than the finest Cognac Brandy. Note the red seal, pink label, and cork branded " Kinahan's LL Whisky." New Wholesole Depot, 6A, Great Titchfield street, Oxford-street, W. MARKETS. METROPOLITAN HAY AND STRAW MARKET, SATUR DAY.-There were moderate supplies of hay and clover on sale at the market to-day. Sales in all descriptions progressed steadily, at about the rates previously current. Prime meadow hay. 130 s. to 140 s. ; inferior ditto, 110 s. to 120 s. ; prime fresh-cut clover, 1355. to 1455. ; inferior ditto, 115 s. to 1255. ; prime second-cut clover, 1265. to 1355. ; inferior ditto. 105 s. to 115 s. ; and straw, 335. to 425. per load. LONDON HIDE AND SKIN MARKET, SATURDAY.-Market hides-561b. to 641 b., 31d. to 3d.; 641 b. to 721 b., 3id. to 30.; 721 b. to 801 b., 31d. to 4d. ; 80Ib. to 881 b., 4d. to W.; 881 b. to 961 b., 4d. to 4d.; 961 b. to 1041 b., nil; 1041 b. to 1121 b., nil. Horse hides, 10s. 6d. to 12s. 6d. Calf skin-light, 2s to 45.: full, 7s. 6d. Sheepskins-polled, 7s. to 9s. ; half-breds, 6s. to 7s. ; Downs, 4s. 3d. to ss. 9d. LEEDS TRADE REPORT, SATURDAY.-The markets in the cloth halls this morning have been of a quiet order. The wea ther being murky, it operates against business, as it prevents the colours of goods being clearly ascertained. The parcels made up were of a miscellaneous eharacter, in which Melton coatings and ordinary plain clolh formed almost equal portions. A little only was done in tweeds, the general manufacture of which clam of goods is. now very slack. Several of the handloom weavers of tweeds., and.seme of those employing powerlooms, have obtained work from the Batley manufacturers, who keep very brisk for heavy woollens, for the French and Prussian armies. Generally speaking the woollen cloth trade, with the exception of the tweed department, is rather improving, and workmen are better employed than they were a month or two ago. The merchants, both home trade and shipping, are pur chasing a little more freely, and the same may be said as to London, Scotch, and other buyers, who have been here this week. Wools, woollens, yarns, and goods are all steady in prices- DONCASTER CATTLE MARKET, SATURDAY. -There was a large supply of cattle at this market to-day, bat there were no buyers, on account of the weather, even at ss. to 10s. reduction. Good calves realised fair prices, but there was nothing doing in sheep. Young pigs were better to sell, and older ones worse. GLOUCESTER CORN MARKET, SA RD this mar ket to-day there was a lib el al supply of English wheat, and it sold freely at last Saturday's rates. Foreign was not in much request, and without alteration. Maize I s, dear er ; oats and barley also tending upwards. DONCASTER CORN MARKET, SATURDAY. -At this market to-day there was a good supply of wheat, and a fair business was doing at late rates. The best realised 235. per load ; other sorts in poor demand. There was a fair show of barley ; good malting wo, th 405. ; others 335. to 355. per quarter. Oats had a large supply ; the best realised, 308. inferior sorts, 21s. to 245. per quarter. READING CORN MARKET, SATURDAY. - There was a moderate attendance at this market to-day. As the day advanced there was a good trade in wheat done at former rates. Beans and oats were unchanged. Best barley realised former quota tions, but inferior barley was in favour of buyers. The supply of wheat was moderate. NORWICH CORN MARKET, SATURDAY.-The supply of wheat was good at this market to-day. Business was dull, and in some cases a decline of ls. per qr. was submitted to. Barley was unchanged in value. NEWCASTLE CORN MARKEF, SATURDAY.-At this market to-day there were no corn deliveries from abroad, but a good supply from farmers and coastwise, and a fair demand at late rates, a little more being obtainable for good samples. Oats, peas, and barley were firm; flour at fully late quotations. LEITH CORN MARKET, SATURDAY.-Wheat continues firm, and rather upward, at this market to-day. Flour is also higher. Barley brings extreme rates. Oats Were scarce, and bring full prices. Peas and beans were steady. The arrivals for the week amount to 26,344 qrs. of wheat, 8 qrs. of barley, 10 qrs. of beans. KIRKCALDY CORN MARKET, SATURDAY.-At this market to-day there were fair supplies of all kinds of grain and wheat. Barley and oats sold at an advance of 6d. to ls. per quarter on last week's quotations. Prices per quarter ranged as follows :- Wheat, 50s. to 58s. ; barley, 835. to 395. 6d. ; oats, 225. to 285. 6d. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, SATURDAY. - Opening report ;-This market opens steady to-day with a moderate demand. Probable sales, 12,000 bales. Closing report : There has been a fair demand at this market, which was met freely by holders, and prices are qnotably unchanged, both on the spot and to arrive. Sales,l2,ooo bales, including 2,000 on specu lation and for export. CLYDE CRUSHED SUGAR MARKET, SATURDAY.-This market closes quietly to-day, with a small business done. Prices in some cases shew a slight further reduction from last week's extreme rates of about ls. on all kinds, but white's have altered CORK BUTTER MARKET, SATURDAY. —Ordinary firsts, 1465.; seconds, 1445. ; thirds, 1275. ; fourths, 1138. ; fifths, 975. ; sixths, 635. 220 firkins in the market. Mild' cured, no change. 6 firkins in the market. THE INDIANS IN AMERICA. President Grant's Administration is making at present a very interesting experiment with regard to the native Indians. It has assembled at Okmulgu, in the-Choctaw country, a grand couneil, composed of delegates from all the civilised Indian tribes but one, for the purpose of organising a Republican Government for them, and making them citizens of the United States. General Parker, the Indian Commissioner, himself an Indian, in address ing the council at its meeting, defined its object to be to form a confederation of all tribes resident in the Indian country—a confederation exclusively of Indians. Congress would annually Nnake appropriations to meet expenses, he said, and courts of justice would at once be set up by the Government. In a word, the Confederation would become a territory of the United States, with the ultimate object of being admitted as a State of the Union. THE CHINESE ENVOY. Chung-how, the Envoy sent by the Chinese Govern ment on a propitiatory mission to France, arrived at Alexandria a few days ago, and it is reported that he is likely to come on to England first before attempting to fulfil his mission in the present distracted state of the French nation.. We do not wonder that he should prefer England to France under existing circumstances, but it is to be hoped that he is not ac credited to the British Government. For, if not respon sible for the actual butchery of the French mission aries •and Sisters at Tientsin —in the sense of having actively plotted against them —he has not yet prtrged himself of a charge of com plicity or of a culpable supineness both before and after the tragedy. We should be careful how we welcome one tainted with the suspicion of abetting a massacre comparable in atrocity to that of Cawnpore. As a real mandarin, nevertheless—the first live specimen that has ever been seen in Europe—there is some danger of his being made a lion of, notwithstand ing the shadow that rests upon him;—perhaps all the more on account of that strikingly interestinc , circumstance. A word of caution may not therefore be' wholly superfluous. The Foreign Office must be too well informed of the facts to need any warning from us ; but we do not feel so sure of society.—Pall Mall Gazette. Movements in the Civil service are annpunced as follows :—Education Office—Mr. F. J. Shilton has been appointed Assistant Inspector ; Mr. J. White has been appointed Examiner. Parliamentary Council Office — Mr. S. W. Merry has been appointed Messenger. Factory Inspectors' Department—Mr. J. Joneshas been appointed Sub-Inspector. Civil Service Commission—Messrs. W. Bustard, H. M. Atchley, F. K. Oyns have been appointed Writers. Inland Revenue—Messrs. C. N. Calvert, J. T. Coombe, R. Dickinson, W. T. Jones, J. T. Durrant, C. W. Lavender, A. Goodall have been ap- pointed Assistants of Excise. THE FRENCH FLAG IN ST. ANDREW'S HALL, NORWICH.—INTERESTING INCIDENT.—We quote the fol lowing from the Eastern Counties Daily Press :—" Above the great west window of St, Andrew's Hall is hung in festoons the ensign of the French ship Gen4reux, one of the only two vessels which escaped the fate of the French fleet at the memorable battle of the Nile. We have now to record the death of an aged citizen who was not only present at the capture of the G6nereux, but afterwards of the other vessel referred to, the Gaillaume Tell. Mr. Christopher Bunting, who died last week at the advanced age of ninety-two, was in his early days a steward in the Royal Navy, and not on ly saw the ensign strike to the Foudroyantf then Nelson's flag-ship, but on the quarter-deck of that vessel saw it packel and addressed to Robert Harvey, Esq , then (1 800 ) May or of Norwich, little imagining that . he would subsequently reside in Norwich, and for more than half a century have the opportunity . of seeing the flag decorating the walls of its principal building'" THE CHTYACE OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS.—Mr. Ruskin addresses the following letter to a contemporary : --" Nearly every great church in France has some merit special to itself : in other countries, one style is common to many districts ; in Fraßee, nearly every province has its unique and precious rnonu ment. But of thirteenth century Gothic—the most perfect architectural style north of the Alps —there is, both in historical interest and in accomplished perfectness of art, one unique monument—the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. As examples of Gothic, ranging from the twelfth to the fourteenth century, the cathedrals of Chartres, Rouen, Amiens, Rheims, and Bourges form a kind a cinque-foil round Notre Dame of Paris of which it is impossible to say which is the more precious petal ; but any one of those leaves would be worth a complete rose of any other country's work except Italy's. Nothing else in art, on the surface of the round earth, could represent anyone of them, if destroyed,' or b e n a m e d as of an y equivalent value. Central among then, as in position, so in its school of sculpture ; unequalled in that speciality but by the porch of the north transept at Rouen, and, in a somewhat later school, by the Western porches of Bourges ; absolutely unreplaceable as a pure and lovely source of art-instructionby any future energy or ingenuity, stands—perhaps, this morning, I ought rather to write, stood—Notre Dame of Paris. OSTRICH FARMING.—On the ostrich farms in South Africa the birds are kept for the purpose of grow ing their feathers. They are placed in enclosures, which are from fifteen to twenty acres in size. There is a con stant demand for ostrich feathers, and their com mercial value depends greatly on they colour and quality. The finest feathers are the long white ones, which are taken from the wings. They are worth from £32 to £4O a pound. The finest white feathers are gene-: rally taken by Court plume makers. They are carefully washed with soap and water, and brushed with a soft brush, then shaken out to dry. The long black an d grey feathers are next in worth. The small ones only, fetch forty shillings a pound. The feathers of the wild birds are held in greater esteem than those of the farmed birds. The hunter singles out the finest adult male bird at the most favourable season for the feathers when the quills are not fully developed and hardened, and follows it at a sharp trot for a short time. He stops to rest, and the ostrich stops also. He then continues his course at a gallop, and by this time the ostrich is so wearied with the previous exertion that he does not go along very fast. The pursuer soon runs him down and kills him. An ostrich in good plumage is worth about sixteen pounds, and each bird has from two ounces and a half to three ounces of the finest white feathe Som e rs. hunters will obtain from fifty to eighty birds in a season CAN I AFFORD IT ?—Pay your Stationer 6d. for a reply. Map of the World gratis in all Letts's Office Diaries. Letts's 6d. and is. Diaries give most value for ,your money. Letts's Housekeepers' and Ladies' Diaries are much improved. Letts's Innsible Ink for Postal Cards, 6(1. per bottle. si.HE SON, LONDON MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1871. THE IRONCLAD SULTAN. 1 The departure of the great ironclad ship SultAn, from Chatham for Portsmouth, has been again postponed. She' was to have left the Medway on Saturday, but it is now understood that she cannot leave for a fortnight or three weeks in consequence of the work still to be completed. She has been taking coal on board, and has now received about 800 tons ; but this large supply would last only about five days if the engines were fully at work with all the fur naces alight. The size and number of the furnaces are in dicated by the fact that the ship will require about 60 stokers. The whole of the concrete ballast, packed in the compartments of the hull, and calculated to give the necessary stability to the ship, has now been stowed away, ACTIVITY AT WOOLWICH. In spite of the lamentations concerning the ruined state of Woolwich, and of the poverty which does undoubtedly exist, especially in the dockyard district, there are signs of increasing activity on all sides. Though the dockyard is for the present closed, measures are being taken to utilise its empty buildings by converting them into manu factories connected with the Arsenal or barracks, and it is stated in official quarters that the whole of the control stores at the grand depot, near the common, will shortly be removed to the dockyard, and the depot given to the Royal Artillery for the erection of additional barracks, stables and gun sheds. An order has been received at the Royal Gun Factories directing that in consequence of the successful trial of the 35-ton gun, twelve others of the same weight, are to be constructed during the present year, it being yet undecided whether the calibre of the bore shall not be increased by half an inch, and the outer coils strengthened so as to permit of the gunpowder , charge being increased from 1201 b. to 1501 b., an enlarge ment of the bore to that extent being necessary to insure the ignition of the maximum charge. There are also to be built at the gun factories, on the Woolwich principle, twenty 25-ton guns and twenty I*-ton guns, all of which are to be completed this year. The Royal Carriage De partment has received a requisition for 15 batteries of the new pattern iron field-gun carriages, which will make the department even busier than at present. Plans are being prepared at Woolwich for the erection of additional workshops at the gunpowder factory Waltham Abbey, owing principally to the demand for the newly approved pebble powder ; and the Royal Engineer department is fully engaged in new works at various Government establishments throughout the country. Notices have been posted at the Royal Arsenal gate stating that stokers are reqUired for the Royal Navy, and there are notices in divers tavern windows inviting lads who have been used to horses to join the Royal Artillery, and promising 10s. reward to anyone who shall bring an eligible recruit to the sergeants at the recruiting depot. On Friday two batteries of the let Division Depot Brigade Royal Artillery left Woolwich by rail for Shoeburyness and the Isle of Grain, and the rest of the division, includ ing the headquarters, will proceed to Sheerness next Tuesday, NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. The Army and Nary Gazette says :—There is no truth in the tumour that Captain Stanhope is about to resign the post of Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Ad miralty, and to be succeed ed by Captain Goodenough. —Captain John D. M`Cr ea (1862) will succeed Captain May in command of H.M.S. Northumberland, owing to the term of service of the latter officer having expired.— The depots of the 41st and 61st Regiments will remain at Fermoy for the present, pending the decision of the War Office with reference to the quartering of the depots of regimefits on foreign service.—Nothiug is decided with respect to the Indian Artillery reliefs for the season 1871- 72.—The Boxer cartridge cannot be made applicable to the Gatling gun, and there are some doubts of its being made applicable to the Martini-Henry rifle. According to the United Service Gazette, directions have been issued from the Admiralty to the effect that no foreign officers are to be permitted to attend the torpedo classes for instruction in the use .of that weapon of war fare.—" The torpedo net," invented by Staff Commander Kiddie, R.N., has been approved of by the authorities at Whitehall.—The Admiralty have, in consideration of the present aspect of European affairs, declined to grant per mission to six Turkish officers to study gunnery on board H. 31 S. Excellent. The Government plan for the Militia has not transpired, but as far as we (Broad Arrow) can learn, it will not include any scheme for compulsory enrolments by ballot, nor any " local conscription," such as that sketched out by Lord Derby a few days since. It will probably deprive the Lords-Lieutanant of their patronage, and will also take from the officer commanding all right to refuse the enlistment into the service of any Militiaman who has gone through one year's training. AFFAIRS AT TIIE ADMIRALTY. The following important statements appear in an article in the Pall Mall Gazette :—lt is not true that Mr. Childers has resigned ; or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his resignation has not been accepted. For though we know nothing of the facts of the case, we hardly doubt that Mr. Childers has offered to resign, thereby performing a manifest duty to himself and to the country whose laborious and pains taking servant he is. It is a time when he cannot work ; and a time when we cannot afford to have his work neglected. As long as he remains in office he will be tempted to do that which may completely overthrow him ; and to leave the duties of an office like his undone at a moment like the present would be so serious an inconvenience for the country, and so ut- terly disorganising to the department itself, that we feel compelled to object to the arrangement. Mr. Childers' illness is not only a great misfortune for himself, it is a misfortune for the country also. But unless he is allowed the perfect rest to be found in the difference between doing nothing and having nothing to do, the evil for him will be only aggravated ; while as .or the other consideration, it certainly will not be advai. tageous to continue for an indefinite number of weeks or months the present state of affairs at the Admiralty. Something must be done. The condition of things in that important office of State is far worse than the public has any knowledge of ; and since the natural conspiracy of official silence prevails there, as everywhere else, and since her Majesty's Secretaries have no difficulty in commanding the services of such facile apologists as he who wrote on this subject in the Daily Telegraph on Friday, we feel all the mote bound to speak plainly. At this moment the Admiralty, deprived of all governance, is falling into a very dangerous state of confusion. Bound by regulations issued . by a sick man from his bed, it is incapable, at a time when clear policies and prompt action are of extreme importance of making any decision what'ever. It is forbidden to assemble and consult. The members of the Board are prohibited from formally taking counsel together, or as suming any collective responsibility for the necessary pre parations and expenditure of the coming year ; and mean while—the condition of Mr. Childers being such that he has been obliged to forbid the reference of papers to him—not even remonstrance or expla nation or suggestion is possible. The department is at all points hampered and restrained by the will of an adminis trator incapacitated tor the study of a single paper, or always for recollecting at the end of an hour what he happened to say at the beginning of it. We know well what feelings of painful sympathy such a statement must awaken in every generous man who reads it. We who belong to the constantly increasing number of hard-worked men make the statement with more concern than the reador understands probably ; but it is too serious a matter fdr amiable eva sion. How serious it is may be sufficiently indicated by the fact that in the present suspension of all life and authority in the Admiralty, preparations are being made for the discharge of more than a thousand workmen from our dockyards, and for abandoning the prosecution of those works ordered in August last. It would heve afforded us much pleasure to have the report of Mr. Childers' retirement contradicted, had we not full assurance that the retirement is only delayed, and that for a very short time. That Mr. Childers is seriously ill, there is, we fear, no room to doubt—as little, indeed, as of the fact that there are good Cabinet reasons why the honourable gentleman should not meet Parliament, even if he could, and that any minute inquiry into the present condition of the Admiralty, answered by a bold and plain-speaking witness, would reveal matters to I show how infinitely more personal considerations operate in the Admiralty than those of duty or the interests of the country. Mr. Childers, we are sorry to believe, cannot attend, from personal inability ; but the reve lations which would inevitably result from his pre sence before Parliament would reveal something unparalleled even in the history of this illus. tri nis Board, and explain something of the reason of the reputation which it has so well earned to the bitter cost of the country. We exaggerate in no degree when we say that the present condition of the Admiralty is precisely that of the Kilkenny cats, and the business of the most important brimch of the public de fence is almost at a standstill in consequence. In fact, we have now before us an example of what a First Lord, who would do anything, has always had to contend with when any member of the Board happened to be dissatisfied and recalcitrant. The uttermost ingenuity is being exerted by the Government, in order to mystify the public, and every day affords a new rumour.--United Service 'Gazette? A "Boarclmen's Co-operative Society" is in process of organisation in the metropolis, and its prospec tus seems to offer very fair prospect of putting "the right man in the right place "—wherever that right place happens to be—between two advertising boards. We (Nature) rejoice to hear that there is at last a chance of a large amount of scientific knowledge being required at the hands of naval and military officers. This is as it should be, and we earnestly hope that the long needed reform will not stop here. Mr. Forster, C. 13., of the Financial Department of the Treasury, and Mr. Lack, of the Board of Trade, have re cently been engaged on and completed the revised Tariff. They are now inspecting the various departments of the Custom House establishment at Thames-street, assisted by .. the Surveyor - General , in order to effect a simplification of the work done, and also a reduction of the staff. SPA.—In a valley near the frontiers 'of Prussia lies, half hidden by foliage and hills, one of the prettiest little towns on the Continent ; and although it only boasts of some five thousand inhabitants, it is the gem of Belgium, and the fashion able resort of its notabilities; and not of them only, for when the season is at its height, titled and distinguished visitors crowd every avenue and every rendezvous. Not only Princes of petty States, ex-Potentates, or the Counts and Baroni which crop up so plentifully en a foreign Oil, but the'men of mark in society ; the statesmen, warriors, and leaders of "their respec tive countries. The great men of Great Britain are amongst the number, for they gladly braoe up their faculties and re-invigorate their systems at this health-re#oring spot, after the fatigues of Courts, Parliaments ? and Sessions. The reulette-table has its votaries, but the waters are more omnipotent still—strongly impregnated with iron, that needful 'auxiliary in renovating 'enfeebled constitutions ; and those who esteem the waters too nauseous are glad to meet with that delicious substitute—the Elixir de Spa." This holds high rank as 'a table liqueur, possesses a delicate perfume andexquisite flavour, and being distilled from the flowers and plants of the district, is at the same trine greatly prized for its tonic, digestive, and gently stiMulating ualities. The manufacture of this liueur forms the chief par q t of the staple trade of Spa, which may be said to consist of the important Distillery of Messrs. Schaltin, Pierry, and Cie, the inventors of the E lixir le` Spa, and the manufac turers of ornaments in the pretty Spa ood. A " petit verre" of the Elixir de Spa is the favourite prelude in Belgium to a "dejetiner 8. la fourchette," in order to give zest to the appetite, for which purpose it is equal in efficiency to the nauseous absinthe ; and the burly Flemish burgomaster's admirable , dinners are usually capped with a wee glass of this invigorating ; native cordial, which is universally pronounced to be the best of ; Table Liqueurs. It may be obtained through your wine mer- I chant.—Wholesale DepOt—SCOTT BROTHERS, 8, Duke-street, Adelphi, Lendon. A SHIP STRUCK BY LIGIITNING. American papers give an account of the rescue, on the 10th of December, of the captain and crew of the ship A. B. Wyman, bound for Liverpool, from Savannah, , with a cargo of cotton. Captain Lachere, of the ship Charles, of Antwerp, which arrived at Nex , York on the 2nd, states that when nearing the banks of Newfoundland he sighted the Wyman on fire, and went on board. Her captain stated that in the midst of a dreadful. storm two nights before the mainroyal musthead had been struck by lightning,. and that the electric fluid had - gone through the coat of the mainmast and passed down into the hold. At the time the casualty occurred but little notice was taken of it, and it was not until the smoke began to ascend that the thought of fire suggested itself. The captain immediately gave orders to make everything air tight below, stuffing up all places of ventilation, and, changing his course, hoped to reach land in time, or meet some friendly vessel on the way. She had been two days and nights in this condition when she was sighted by Captain Lachere. Arrived on board, after some difficulty, that gentleman found everything very much heated, the cabin suffocating, and the crew ready to take to the boats as the last resort. The fire was raging in the lower 'tween decks. Having tried her main pumps, he discovered that the water in the tanks, .which contained 10,000 gallons, was almost boiling —" hot enough to boil an egg." Captain Lachere readily surmised that the ship must be full of fire, and, considering it unsafe to remain much longer on board, generously invited the Captain and crew to the Charles. The main hatch was opened before finally quitting. The bales of cotton, partly released, burnt with terrible rapidity. The smoke bad full vent, and in about ten minutes after the last boat left the A. B. Wyman the fire had extended to every portion of her. The crackling of the burning timbers, the fury and noise of the conflagration, and the splashing of spars in the water as they tumbled down in quick succession are stated to have been terrible. The two vessels were not more than a couple of cables' lengths apart, and as soon as the rescued party scrambled on board the Charles that gallant ship squared away to the westward, the wind being about south-west, and the dis tance from New York about 900 miles. The Wyman belonged to Boston, was about 813 tons register, and was built in 1866 by Enoch Bonner, and at the time of the disaster had on board 2,700 bales of cotton. it is re , marked that, though lightning may have caused this fire, spontaneous combustion is not improbable when bales of cotton are greased in order to make them fit more com pactly into the vessel. The Manchester Examiner is informed that the Lilo President of the Board of Trade has received an autograph letter from the Queen, expressing her Majesty's regret on receiving his resignation as a member of the Government, and condoling with hint on the tardy pro- greys of recovery. GOVERNMENT SANITARY INQUIRIES.—Dr. Buell a. nan, one of her Majesty's inspectors, has just issued his reports upon the sanitary condition of Helstou and Newlyn, in Cornwall, the former being a borough return. ing one member to Parliament. He reports that Helston has been suffering from typhoid and scarlet fevers, and from diarrhoea of an epidemic character. The back streets of the town are ill constructed, ill-ventilated, and devoid of drainage. The oozings from filth-heaps and privy-pits flow into open channels on each side of the streets, which also receive the refuse from the houses. There is no sanitary authority. The Inspector recommends the prompt adoption of the Local Government Act, and of some system of drainage. The report on the condition of t he fishing town of Newlyn, near Penzance, is still more un satisfactory. There is neither water supply nor drainage, and the stenches in the streets are abominable. Dr. Buchanan gives advice similar to that given to HeMon, for the sanitary improvement of the place. WHITBY CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD. - The gravest apprehensions are now entertained for the safety of the graveyard at the top of the cliff overhanging Hagger lythe, where the recent extensive landslip and destruction of property occurred. The effects of the recent thaw have brought down several portions of cliff, and in one case a large stone was clashed against a house, and in another one of the houses damaged by the recent slip has fallen. The prospect that the dead may soon move down towards the harbour is not pleasant to contemplate, and with a view of preventing so dreadful a catastrophe, the church wardens have asked for a Government inspector, and Mr. Holland is expected down to inspect and advise in the course of a few days. It is thought that efficient drainage alone can save the cliff, and as this cannot be carried on among the graves in the usual way, it is proposed to form a tunnel lower down to act as a main drain. The sea has taken away the whole of the soil which blocked up the passage between the piers and destroyed the Spa ladder, but a greater fall is imminent. CHURCH REFORAL—A conference, called by the Chairman and Council of the Church Reform Union, has been held at the rooms of the Social Science Association, London, to discuss the giving of legal powers for the for mation of Church Councils in parishes. The chair was taken by the Right Hon.W. Cowper-Temple, M,P., chair man of the Union. The right hon. gentleman, in opening the proceedings, said it would be cruel to bind all con gregations to the same minute rigid rule and representa tion—such as Church Councils in parishes, elected an nually as churchwardens were — appeared to be the best way of meeting the difficulty, The powers of the council should deal with the services of the Church , 'regul atin g the kind . of ornaments to be used, &c., and the members might in other ways be useful to the incum bent. There were many objections, of course ; but they were not to be compared to the advantages which would accrue generally to the Church. At a time like this, when there was a general opinion amongst the laity that they ought to belong to a Church where they had some responsibility beyond mere submission, it was especially desirable to discuss this question. Papers were read by Mr. Salt, M.P., and the Rev. W. H. Freemantle, The first-named gentleman referred to the widespread dis satisfaction which existed between the clergy and the laity of the English Church. A rector, he said, was a corporation in himself, and in him was vested not only the parsonage-house and glebe, but the parish church and the churchyard ;. and in this position he was almost unassailable, even if guilty of the gravest offences. The theory upon which the clergy system was based was a false one, because it proceeded from the erro neous. idea that the clergy alone constituted the Church. Nothing ought to be done without the co-operation of the laity, • and the Christian Church, where there was nothing but • clergy, was an anomaly and almost misnomer. The hon. member advocated the giving of legal powers for the formation of Church Councils in every parish, Mr. Fremantle in an earnest paper argued the three main principles-Ist. The necessity of the powers of Councils being legally bestowed ; 2nd. The necessity of such Powers being as large as possible, the Church still being governed by general laws; and 3rd. The necessity of the restrictions upon the parishioners being as few as possible. Various ge nt l emen continued the discussion, and Sir Antonio Brady narrated the perfect success of the voluntary councils which already existed in the diocese of Rochester. Lord Ebury also spoke. [ADVERTISEMENT.) —Holloway's Ointment and Pills are unfeignedly the remedies upon which all may rely who are suffering from diseases of the skin, scrofula, scurvy, ulceration, and bad legs. When change of weather un duly determines to, or withdraws blood from the skin, all these complaints assume a worse appearance, and their symptoms become more harrassing unless Holloway's qint ment be applied to check increasing inflammation, and to soothe the excited nerves. No knowledge beyond that contained in the " directions for use" is required for using this cooling and healing unguent, which always acts bene ficially. Thousands afflictd with " bad legs," who were slowly sinking under their suffer in g s, have been rescued from their perilous position (after all curative means seemed pbwerless) by persevering with Holloway's inedi-, caments. T FIE WAR . THE SIEGE OF PARIS. BY BALLOON MAIL.-FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE CENTRAL PRESS.] Faris, Jan. 15. There has been something like another bread panic. The night before last the bakers closed their shops, having no more bread. This was owing, it was said, to the neglect of the officials in not having furnished the bakers with flour, but the fact is there is a scarcity of flour, and it is probable that after the 19th there will be no more bread. The flour is now mixed with rice and other ingredients to --- -- . , spin out the waning supply. There are, however, suffi cient horses to supply food for thirty days, so the failure of flour will not produce.a capitulation. Will France be represented at the Conference, and by Jules Favre? That question may be answered in the affirmative. He will proceed to London as soon as he gets his safe conduct, supposing the state of affairs in Paris will allow him to leave. The general impression is that he should nob have hesitated a moment in deciding to go, as his presence at the Con ference would be a recognition of the French Provisional Government by the other European nations. The excite ment produced by the whole affair is scarcely commensurate with its importance, but the fact is that the immediate issues of the war and the interests of the defence are the all engrossing subjects. Nevertheless, Herr von Bis marck has contrived to excite a considerable amount of indignation by his conduct in reference to Lord Granville's invitation to Favre to attend the Conference. The Government has published the correspondence, and it seems Lord Granville's letter was dated December 29, but Herr von Bismarck did not forward it to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs until the evening of the 10th instant, and then without sending at the same time the necessary pass for crossing the Prussian lines. Bismarck maintains that he cannot send a Prussian officer with it, because flags of truce have been fired on by the French, and until reparation has been made for this outrage, no communication can pass between the rival armies. Bismarck refers to the affair of Dec. 23rd, which was not proved by any witness, and cynics suggest that it would be difficult to prove it. On the other hand, the French complain that Admiral de la Ronciere's aide de camp, with a flag of truce, was fired on near St. Denis, though the Prussian officer in command apologised, and also that the Governor's aide-de-camp went on the 11th to the bridge at Sevres to protest against the bombardment of the hospitals, and was fired on. If these assertions be correct, Bismarck's complaint is cer tainly not well-grounded, and his virtuous indignation is somewhat out of place. The Corps Diplomatique, such of them at least as still linger in deserted Paris, have held three meetings at the residence of the Swiss Minister, and resolved upon despatching a joint protest to Bismarck, against the absence of notice prior to a bombardment, whose victims have included many belonging to neutral States, and by which the life and property of persons of every nationality are constantly endangered. The foreign representative s request the Chancellor to interpose with the military authorities, in order that measures should be taken to give their compatriots the opportunity of sheltering them selves and their property, To this note were appended the signatures of the Ministers of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, and Bolivia ; the Chargds d'Affaires of the Brazils, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Peru, the Central American States, and several smaller States, and the Consuls-General of Austria, Russia, Italy, Portugal, and Greece. England is con spicuous by her absence, which has caused considerable remark. There is no one to represent her interests in Paris but the hall porter at the Embassy. The results of the bombardment officially known from the sth of January, when it first reached the civil popula lation, until nightfall on the 13th, have been published. The names of the victims are given, but the returns are not yet complete. The total killed and wounded up to that date were 39 children, 57 women, and 93 men. The spirit of the people, however, is yet undaunted, and every effort is made to relieve the inevitable distress. Mr. Richard Wallace has, in consequence of " the ad mirable conduct of the population in the quarters of Paris so brutally bombarded," suggested that a patriotic subscription, be opened in favour of the unhappy families obliged to leave their lodgings, and he offered, should the Government adopt his suggestion, to subscribe 100,000 francs. M. Jules Faye accepts, in the name of the Government, " with gratitude," and personally subscribes 1,000 francs. From an early hour this morning the bombardment of the South has been more violent than on any preceding day since the opening. General Ducrot made a sortie during the night and destroyed the houses and walls still left in the park of Beauseigner, taking some prisoners. General. Vinoy's attempted sortie on the evening of the 13th against the Moulin de Pierre was received with such a murderous fire that the troops returned. It is evidently the intention to push on matters with vigour. The military authorities desire that all men capable of returning to their duty shall be sent out of the ambulances without delay. Soldiers not join ing their regiments within 48 hours after leaving hospital will be proceeded against according lo military law. A NOVELTY IN THE DEFENCE. The Kriegs-Zeitung, which has lately appeared again at Berlin, draws special attention to the correspondence from Versailles of the Kreuz-Zeitung, from which, says the editor, it is clear that the chief difficuly the Prussian batteries have to contend with is in the novel mode of defendingthe enceinte adopte d b y the garrison. There are, according to this writer, a vast number of temporary batteries in front of, between, and even behind the forts, connected with one another by breastworks, but not constantly armed with guns. The batteries employed in them are moveable, and can at any moment be transported from any one to the next ; so that as soon as the German gunners have discovered one to be fully armed and opened 4 heavy fire, the first shots that are found to be properly laid upon it are the signal for the battery to be off, and resume its dangerous work elsewhere. This ruse, often repeated, has led to a vast waste of German shells, fired in hopes of disarming bat teries which had in reality been dismantled long before. The editor adds that this is an actual and important novelty in the defence of fortresses. M. JULES FAVRE AND COUNT BISMARCK. The Times correspondent at Versailles says Count Bismarck is quite willing to let M. Jules Favre leave Paris. His pass is mode out, and is waiting for him ; but then he must ask for it. This he refuses to do. He prefers trying to obtain leave through the intervention of Mr. Washburne, and he will fail. M. Favre informs the Bordeaux Government he would die sooner than ask the favour of a sanf-conduit at the hands of the Prus sians. But he has already asked a favour ; M. Favre has sought for a pass from Paris for his family and some private friends. The Prussian Government only insist on it that he shall ask them directly for the pass, as they might be misunderstood if they were to offer or send one in. M. Favre might go out by any gate he pleased, and take what road he liked. There was no necessity for his coming to Versailles or seeing any official. If Mr. Washburne accompanies any proposal on M. Favre's part with " suggestions " no doubt he will meet a favourable reception should there be grounds in them for tangible negotiations. THE MATERIAL OF THE FRENCH ARMY, A correspondent of the standard, who writes after the defeat of Chanzy's army by Princa Frederick Charles and the Duke of Mecklenburg, makes some impressive re marks upon the composition of the French army :—I remembered that I had yesterday looked down from an advantageous height upon the broken woodland I was now traversing at my leisure, when it presented nothing but undulating clusters of trees, dotted with interspaces of snow, from which the rattle of rifle-firing never ceased, and I compelled myself to recall what were the forces, and what their strength—a strength so small I dare not name it—that had been sent to clear the ground of its innumerable occu pants. How had the former succeeded, and how had the latter been worsted ? There is nothing to be gained by the suppression of the truth. Only rank cowardice, or incapacity p,erfeetly childish, could have allowed the Germans to do what it was now quite clear they had done. Allow me to try to describe to you what seems to me the impregnable nature of the position, according to the style of fighting on which the French now seem to rely, and from which they were driven with a loss astoundingly heavy. As I have said, I must not venture to put a figure upon the strength of the Germans engaged ; but if it be borne in mind that the duke has only two divisions under his comnand, and that ' only a portion of one of these was actually engaged you may possibly approximate to the amazing truth. What numbers General Chanzy has had at his disposal you know too well ; and the killed, wounded, end cap tured of the last five days sufficiently attest whether they have been within hail. Take, then, these woods, such as I have described them, in themselves no contemptible resource to superior forces—i. e., to a superior nutnber of trigger-pulling fingers—acting o; defensive ; but even then you will have no conception of the natural advantages of the ground. I have already said that the fields are small and the lanes narrow, but now must be superadded this most important fact, that the fields are enclosed off from such lanes by what are literally natural trenches. In fact, I never saw artificial ones half so good or so complete. Not unoften it happened from this circumstance that a field was a ready-made redoubt, not to be won by any attacking force from resolute holders of it save at a terrific sacrifice of life on the part the former. That a thousand Kafirs or Maories, armed with weapons of precision, and led with ordinary savage intelligence, would have held any square mile of such territory for days, if not for ever, against such an attack as was yesterday directed against it, I cannot doubt. Why, then, did not the French ? I cannot say. True, the snow tells a tale very plainly, and before the day was over the conviction was forced upon my mind that thousands of human footsteps had fled, paniostricken, like creatures ferce naturce, and therefore not resolute, from wood to wood, from field to field, from lane to lane, firing without aim, or probably not firing at all. Yet twenty corpses, at most regular intervals, and in a straight line along the inside of a hedge, and not more than 250 yards in length, shewed demonstrably that some stout hearts had stuck to their posts and been killed holding them. And killed from in front they could not have been. The perfect character of their position made that impossible, They were under the most admirable cover conceivable ; and after slaughtering their hecatombs, if hundreds had persisted in coming on, they might have cut across the field at their backs when they found that the enemy was approaching, even faster than true arm and quick aim could slay them; and then, if slaughtered themselves, it would have been in said field, and in dots, just as they happened to fall. But these twenty fellows, all of the line, were despatched, every man of them, behind his natural trench. What is the inevitable con clusion? Surely that they had been surmised. outflanked, fired at point-blank from behind, before they were in the least aware that a hostile barrel was pointed at them. But this firm and fated twenty lay alone. I saw no other proofs of such wholesale steadfastness, if it is not to be spoken of as wholesale blindness. Where were their officers ? Who led them ? Who directed them? Again, I can only declare Ido not know and cannot guess. Only, taking in view the whole scene, such patent marks of faint feet and feeble heads were surely never before written on tell-tale snow. THE CAMPAIGN IN THE EAST. The Prussia Milita Wochenblatt says :—" The situation in the east of France begins to assume more definite pro portions, and much is being cleared up that was formerly obscure. After General Bourbaki had at first appeared inclined to push forward direct from Besancon towards Wsoul, he suddenly turned in a north-easterly direction' towards Belfort, the relief of which was his first task. General von Werder recognising this fact evacuated Vesoul to place himself between the enemy and Belfort. Upon his march he struck upon the enemy near Villersexel, where he repulsed him, and continued his march without loss of time in the direction of Belfort. Villersexcl, which had previously been taken by storm, was evacuated by our troops immediately after, the object of clearing the road having been attained ; and this circumstance was made use of by General Bourbaki as a proof of his having gained the victory at Villersexel. General von Werder reached the neighbourhood of Belfort, as it appears, without any further interrup tion having been attempted on the part of the enemy, and took up a favourable position with his troops about one-and-a-quarter (German) miles to the south-west of Belfort, behind the section of the Lisaine rivulet, with his front towards the west. In this position, which ex tended to the right as far as Chagey—one-and-a - half (German) miles to the north of Montbeliard —General von Werder was attacked on the 15th by apparently four French corps ; but all the attacks of the enemy were repulsed with comparatively little loss, not one of them having been successful." At Strasburg a sentence of imprisonment for life has heen passed upon a tailor, who was formerly a soldier. He was charged with having enrolled some young Alsatians in the service of the French armies. To all the questions which were addressed to him by the President of the Council of War, he only replied, " I thought I was doing my duty." - - The Times correspondent in Paris says there has been less misery in Paris this winter than usual, in consequeno o of the support they have received from public and private charity. They have suffered cruelly from the cold, owing to the extraordinary rigour of the season, and to official improvidence in not having stored a sufficient supply of wood. A correspondent in Paris. speaking of a visit to a restaurant, says :—" I had just eaten with much rel ish some fried potatoes—now rapidly becoming a rare delicaci —when a friend, till then mercifully reticent, asked me if I knew with what they had been cooked, or if I had noticed anything peculiar in the flavour. They had been cooked, he declared, with tallow. It was not by all means a pleasant announcement, but still I am bound to state that up to the moment of the discovery I though the dish very nice, and for the future shall have a better opinion of the Esquimaux." The " Besieged Resident," who contributes to the Daily News, says :—Bread is not rationed, but in the populous quarters the supply usually ceases before the demand. Dog is at 3f. 50c. per lb. ; cats have becom e curiosities ; the horses, too, will soon come to an end, 111 ' less we shut ourselves up, and eat all those affected to military purposes. Many persons imagined that they' would save their animals by lending them to the ambit' lances, but these are now being taken, and some o f the cavalry are being dismounted, and their chargers sent to the knackers. Some of the deaths from the bombardment in re' ri4 have taken place under circumstances exciting the Pr e : foundest symy a thy an d d ee p es t comm i sera ti on . In on instance a mother was killed with her child at her breas t ! in another the father of a large family crossing the street' was struck by the splinter of an exploded shell, and 115 ; only strength to crawl to his doorstep, on which he die t :, The blood that flowed from his wound, frozen by r t . intense cold, was 'isible next morning on the ground I° ' the length of thirty yards. In a romance published by Alexandre Dumas in 1 65° ',, called " The Thousand and One Phantoms," the followili' sfl curious passage occurs :—Hoffman7(one of the characters the story) bent his way to the Louvre, but he had the gr ie to be told at the gate that the French, now being f 1 , 1 6:: did not allow themselves to be degenerated and made e't minate by going to see the pictures of slaves, and t il l even supposing the Commune of Paris had not a lre n i i roasted them at their ammunition foundries, they kin, better than to feed those rats with the oil of the 1 13 ,, L/1 0 1 seeing that those rats might one day become the fu°u o patriots, if ever the Prussians should come and b es " Paris." Oa ° The other day the Uhlans were said to be at a. -1 distance from Bapaume, and the mayor directed to scouts to conceal the French arms which were foun d ; j r the field after the combats of the 2nd and 3rd of J an ice The quantity of arms found about conveyed a po or 11 . 10 . of the courage and force of resistance among the Me l) 4t It is said that those who threw away their weapons I; e 6 have been counted by thousands. Fortunately the 19 00 of those who fled was supplied by those on wile lli pie General could count. Some of the soldiers from Ante and Cherburg who came up were more used to vvv' and more accustomed to fatigue. THE VICTIMS OF SEDAN.—The Echo du L'a sB7 il; burg has heard that the immense number of corPs es eli terred in the environs of Sedan were not put deep en the' down in the earth, and that, in spite of the frosty sv ea ., 4 o , which has prevailed, the most dangerous stench has ar;,,ry' It will, it is believed, be rendered imperatively nec e ,;ptb that a second interment of the victims at a greater must take place. BIRTHS. Diel On the 19th inst., at 50, Hilldrop-road, Camden the wife of E. John Harry, of a son. _a e of 11. On the 20th ihst., at 96, New Bond - street, tha nr— C. Enthoven, Esq., of a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the 19th inst., at St. John's, Hackney, J. • Esq., ,of Ryde, Isle of Wight, to Alice, third of F. Austin, Esq., Pembroke Villa, Richra, Dalston. On the 18th inst., at the parish church, Bet Kent, Frank Hyne Davy, of 288, Devonshl Portland-place, London, W., to Elleu Wolfe bledon, Surrey. DEATHS On the 18th inst., at Mardon Vicarage, Henrie, Geary, widow of the late Sir William Gear" , Oxon Hoath, Kent, aged 91. On the 18th inst., at 238, Marylebone-road, Si Hater, Knt., K.S.L., Principal Painter ill to her Majesty, &c.,.a 4 ged 78. „ y' two o f London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND 1 3 °„ No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published P.' t of THE Sur: . Office, No. 1 12 , Strand , in the Preeine Savoy, in the County of Middlesex. Monday, January 23, 1871. I\7 kl Er~,Age• d o ,w, aoncl'f°X N ,yerf tesh3P'et, . • . s tre • °f BSli° ' t for" rg e ' ~j r 6 ° A ri Oa''' •