The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-07 00:00:00

Tho new work by M. Victor Hugo, Les Contenzpla-
tions, is announced to appear very shortly.
iyerpool letters announce tiro failure of Messrs. La:
We (Scotsman) are informed that arrangements are
making for building an iron steam-vessel of 1,000 tons
tthieasul ft, ,•
r r
7r30,t0110,,0r in the Buenos Ayres trade, with liabili-
ties
and 150 -tons horse power, to trade between this country
and Can 1a West, with Ruthven's improvements in pro-
pelling an d navigating steam-vessels.
MONSTER' MUSHROOM.—On Sunday a mushroom was
found in T#, tton Park, Cheshire, of enormous size. It'
was afterwards measured, and was upwards of 30 inches
in circumference. It was of great thickness, and
weighed rather more than 13 ounces.
BENLEDI STRUCK WITH LIGHTNING.—During the late
thunderstorm the earthen pinnacle, raised on the highest
peak of Benledi, was struck with lightning, when boti•
it and the ground at the bottom of it were torn -1.1
Fortunately no tourist happened to be there at the %lineP:
—Glasgow Daily Mail.
WnEtehKast.—thAe
nruetmubrner, poufbvleisshseeldsbwyrtetekSehd in ippinv Gazette,
shows
the month
of July amounted to 70. In the previous rAmnth of June
R 3 vessels were wrecked ; May, 98 ; 109 ; March,
149 ; Feb., 164 ; and in January, 238.
MILITIA EXPENSES.—The amount of expenses in-
curred in 1853 and 1854, in providing storerooms and
places for keeping arms and clothing for the Cheshire
Militia, is 2171. 18s. 7d. This includes the cost of fuel
for airing the said rooms.
AMERICAN LETTERS.—The mail bags of the ParJific
have brought from the United States a considerable
number of unpaid letters, addressed for the most part to
well-to-do people in England, and being neither more
nor less than invitations to " send one pound sterling to
the above address and you will hear something to your
advantage."

OPENING OF THE CITY BANC—Yesterday the City
Bank, of which Sir Robert Carden, tart., alderman, is
the chairman, commenced business at their temporary
offices, No. 2, Royal Exchange-buildings, Cornbill. All
transactions connected with the bank will be carried on
here for some time, as their extensive premises at the
corner of Finch-lane, Threadneedle-street, are not yet
corn pleted.

THE OFFICERS OF THE TlGER,—Stettin, July 31.
The 13 British naval officers and midshipmen of the
Tiger, who were not so lucky as their first lieutenant to
be set at liberty, but were detained prisoners of war,
have at length also been set at liberty, and arrived here
yesterday evening via Dantaic, on their way to Eng-
land. They have been exchanged against a similar num-
ber of Russian officers of equal grades, and were accom-
panied to the frontiers of Prussia, where they were set
tlt liberty, by a picket of Cossacks.

M. JULLIEN AT MANCHESTER.—On Saturday evening
M. Jullien's celebrated band, assisted by the band of the
2d Life Guards, performed in the open air, at the Belle
Vue Gardens, Manchester, before an audience of about
24,000 persons. The popular musician appeared to be
much struck at the sight of the immense concourse of
people surrounding the orchestra when he entered, and
he and his band were much cheered. The people ap-
peared to be highly gratified.
The course of the municipal elections in France dws
not uniformly run smooth. At Fecamp, on the coast of
Normandy, where there were 27 councillors to be elected,
only 7 candidates obtained a sufficient number of ve.'r,es
to validate the election ; but of this number only one
was chosen from the government list. At St. Benoit-
cur-Loire all the members of the council wh 0 were dis-
missed by Imperial decree in 1852 have been elected in
opposition to government candidates. At St. Just-en•
Chaussee (Oise), a similar event has occurred.
DECREASE OF PATJPERISIL—It is a pleasing circum-
stance that, notwithstanding the high price of provisions,
pauperism has to a great extent decreased throughout
the whole of South Wales, and that there is a gradual
decrease in the amount of crime. The various judicial
courts just held were not heavy, and in the various union
houses there are scarcely any able-bodied poor. This is
partly owing to the demand for labour, arising from the
active state of the staple productions of the districts,
and new works now opened and about to be opened.
' Were it not for the high rate of provisions the rates
would be much lower.

THE Inisn MILITIA.—The effectives (rank and file) of
the Irish militia regiments amounted, on the Ist, of July,
to 16,299, and the regimental and county quota and es-
tablishment to 31,349. The quota of volunteers into
the line required was 4,533 ; and the number of volun-
teers supplied is 3,457. The corps that ought to have
supplied volunteers and have not done so are the Ar-
magh Artillery, the Donegal Artillery, the North Mayo,
the Sligo, the Tyrone Artillery, and the Waterford Ar-
tillery.

TESTIIIONIAL OF ESTICEL—On Thursday, Aug. 2,
the servants of the South-Eqttern Railway Company,
together with the inhabitants of the town of Ashford,
Kent, presented to the Rev. John Pughe, chaplain to
the above company, and his wife, a handsome silver tea-
pot, of the value of 161 , and a purse of 87 sovereigns, as
a mark of esteem previous to his leaving the town, to
take possession of the Rectory of Newenden, Kent, con-
ferred on him by his grace the Archbishop of Canter.
bury.

ADELPHI THEATRE.—Last night Mr. Morton's melo-
drama, " The Writing on the Wall," was performed for
the first time at this theatre.. It is, nevertheless, a re-
gular Adelphi piece, and was acted by the Adelphi com-
pany when they were located; some two or three seasons
ago, at the Haymarket. It then bad some success;
and, now that it is revived " with new scenery, dresses,
appointments, and the original startling effects," will
probably help, with other things, to draw houses to the
Adelphi for some little time to come.

THE NEWSPAPER STAMP AND POSTAGE.—A. gentleman
of this town forwarded the following letter to the Secre-
tary of the General Post•office.—fo Sir, -,Would you
kindly oblige me with a reply to the following ques-
tion :—Can an unstamped newspaper or other printed
matter, be sent by post, enclosed in a stamped news-
paper to make up the weight allowed (4 oz), the im-
pressed stamp of the latter being duly exposed, or, in
other words, will the newspaper stamp, under these
circumstarkpes, serve a 3 a postage stamp ?" The Post-
office authorities, in reply, say : —"The newspaper
stomp is not available for the prepayment of any mat-
ter besides the publication upon which it is stamped."—
Huddersfield Examiner.

THE N. EW CANNON.—A letter from Turin, of the Ist,
says : --" Cannons of the invention of Colonel Cavalli,

of-the Artillery, of terrible power, have just been sent
to the Crimea. The cannon is rifled, and is of an un-
usually long range. The ball, which is of large calibre, is
of conical form, and has a point in steel ; it is, besides,
made hollow, in order to be filled with powder, and it

is supplied with a percussion cap to light the powder.
There are few obstacles which can resist the steel point
of this ball, and any object that it meets with causes the
percussion cap to go off, and the projectile to burst into
fragments."
Another Napoleon relic has just been added to the
numerous collection now exhibiting at Madame Tus-
sand's interesting establishment. It consists of a
volume of military maps, used for many years by the
late Emperor Napoleon. Several plans of battles are
also included, all of which were executed by the Empe-
ror himself. This volume was left at an inn during his
hasty retreat from his last fatal battle. The lighting of
the exhibition has been greatly improved, and now pro•-
duces an extraordinary effect on the figures compared to
the plan hitherto adopted. The exhibition has lately
been numerously attended.
BANKRUPTCY OF MESSRS. STRAHAN, PAUL, AND
BATES.—Yesterday the High Astairst Estate, the resi-
dence and property of Mr. Strahan, the bankrupt, was
offered at public auction, at the Auction Mart, by
Messrs. Davis and Johnstone, by direction of the assig-
nees with the concurrence of the mortgagees. The first
offer made was 15,0001., and it was knocked down at
27,000/. The lease of the Headley-heath Farm, corn-
Orising 171 acres, with the right of shooting over 1,062
acres of land in the manor of Headley, was taken by the
purchaser of the above-mentioned property, to which it
adjoins, at a price named by the vendors, and no sale
therefore took place. Yesterday the household furni-
ture of Mr. Bates was sold by auction at the residence
in Norfolk-street, Strand.
THE LATE SUICIDE OF A GIRL IN VICTORIA PARK.—
Yesterday Mr. Baker, the coroner, resumed the inquest
at the Hosford Arms Tavern, Old Ford-road, Bethnal-
green, respecting the death f Victoria Bacon, aged 14
years, who committed suicide in the ornamental water
of Victoria-park, through the alleged ill-treatment of her
mistress, a Mrs. Clewett, of No. 14, Wellington-street,
Bethnal-green. The jury, after being locked up for an
hour, returned the following verdict :—" That the de-
ceased, Victoria Bacon, was found dead in the orna-
mental water of "Victoria-park, but how or by what
means she came by her death there is no evidence to
show. The jury, however, cannot separate without ex-
pressing their strong disapprobation at the manner in
which the deceased was treated by her mistress (Mrs.
Clewett) ; and that the protracted ill-usuage she ex-
perienced in her service deserves severe censure."
ART-UNION EXHIBITION.—The pictures selected by
the prizebolders of the current year in the Art-Union of
London are now on view at the gallery of the Society of
British Artists, Pall-Mall East. These collections have
of late years formed very respectable exhibitions, and
the present certainly does not fall below the average.
The principal prizes have been laid out in the purchase
of the following pictures, which have all formed part of
the metropolitan exhibitions of the season just termi-
nated The Fortune-teller," by J. Sant, 2501, ;
"Autumn in the Highlands," a good representation of
a hilly landscape, with water, by S. Percy, 1501. ;
"An Autumnal Morning," by A. W. Williams, 100/. ;
" Skaters—a Scene on Duddingston Loch, near Edin-
burgh," by C. Lees, 1501. ; "Dante begging his
Bread," a very fine picture, by F. Y. Hurlstone, 1001. ;
" Evening—Lights and Shadows on the Conway," by
H. B. Willis, 100/. ; "Relenting," an interesting sub-
ject, painted in a masterly style by T. Brooks, 2001. ;
" Summer Hill," a kind of fete champgtre in the time
of Charles 11., by J. D. Wingfield, 100/. ; and a view
in Betchworth-park, by W. F. Witherington, R.A.,
1001. The following pictures, purchased with inferior
prizes, may also be mentioned as displaying commendable
qualities Free Sittings," part of the interior of a
church, with figures, by F. Underhill, 601. ; " Caddie
He-drigg and Jenny Dennison," a well-represented scene
from " Old Mortality," by D. W. Deane, 60/. ; " War-
grave, on the Thames," a very pretty view, brightly,
painted by Mrs. W. Oliver, 101. ; "The Rendezvous,
a figure of a warrior, displaying fine character, by J. D.
Wingfield, 20/. ; "A. Family at Sara4inesco," by R.
Buckner, 601. ; "The Village Carrier," a carefully
painted and well-coloured landscape, with figures, by G.
Chester, 351. ; "The Village Musicians," a characteristic
scene, by J. H. Haynes, 35/. ; "Showery Weather at
Lynmouth, North Devon," a fine coast view, with a
true effect, by E. Williams, 351. ;
and a lively scene
from "The Vicar of Wakefield," by J. Absolon, 751.
The whole collection consists of 187 works.