The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-22 00:00:00

MILITARY GOSSIP.

A correspondent draws our attention to a report
that Sir William Codrington is to be Commander.
in-Chief. Under existing circumstances the story
is so incredible that we are disposed to place more
reliance on a statement which has reached us from
high authority, that it was decided on Wednesday
last neither to recal nor supersede General Simp-
son. Common sense mould, indeed, suggest the
imprudence of changing the Commander-in-Chief
during the very short time that must elapse before
the close of the year's campaign. To appoint a new
one at the present moment would be in effect to
render any further operations before winter impos-
sible. At the same time it is but right to state,
that the outrageous attack of the Times upon
General Simpson is understood to have contributed
materially to the decision to retain him at the head
of the army. _ _

Changes-in the Quartermaster-General's depart-
ment are also freely spoken of. We believe that
Major-General Freeth is desirous to retire, having
been actively engaged in the department since 1813.
We are also informed that the office has been of-
fered to Sir Richard Eyre, and that Major-General
Freeth's retirement is contingent upon Sir Rich-
ard's acceptance. Of the appointment of Colonel
Gordon—son of Lord Aberdeen—to the post of
Deputy Quartermaster-General we fear there can
be no doubt ; but the report that he is spoken of
for Quartermaster-General is too monstrous for be-
lisf.—Morning Paper.

NEWSPAPERS IN THII WORLD.—The following is sup-
posed by the American Pub Halter's Circular to be the
number of newspapers in the world :-10 in Austria, 14
in Africa, 24 in Spain, 26 in Portugal, 30 in Asia, 65 in
Belgium, 85 in Denmark, 50 in Russia and Poland, 350
in other Germanic States, 500 in Great Britain and Ire-
land, and 2,000 in the United States, or nearly twice as
many as in all other nations. •

AFFAIRS OF Mn. OLIVER.—It appears that the efforts
at Liverpool to prevent Mr. Olirer's affairs from being
brought before the public through the Court of Bank-
ruptcy have at length terminated successfully. A com-
promise has been effected by the trustees with the agent
of the Bank of Quebec, who lately arrived as the repre-
sentative of Canadian claims, said to amount to 40,000 t,
and the adjudication obtained at his instance has conse-
quently been annulled. A year having elapsed since the
deed of assignment was executed, no further proceedings
in bankruptcy can now be taken. The ultimate realisa-
tion of the estate will be kept as quiet as possible, but it
has long been known that it will be bad, and the heavy
compromise just effected, in addition to the previous
ones, may be presumed to have necessitated some con-
siderable sacrifices.
Miciico.—According to advices from Mexico of the
19th of September, the danger of the country being
split up by a variety of factions, predominant in their
separate localities, was still imminent. In San Luis
Potosi, Haro y Tamarez, under the name of "Chief of
the Revolution," was upholding the church and the
army; while Vidaurri, in Monterey and the north, was
fur doing away with the army altogether. La Llave,
who commands at Vera Cruz, had ordered the seques-
tration of the estates of Santa Anna, which extend a
great distance between that city and Talapa, and are
very valuable. Whatever may be their worth, how-
ever, they are likely to form but a poor compensation
for the wealth with which he has absconded. The atti-
tude of the United States' Minister in watching the pro-
gress of the national disorganisation continued to cause
a variety of reports to be circulated, many of them in-
herently preposterous, One was that he had offered the
Provisional Government 6,000,0001. on the security of
the church property, and 10,000,000/. to form a Banco
de Foments, to encourage railroads and other internal
improvements, under the conditions of an American
protectorate, the admission of European immigration,
and the removal of all prohibitions and internal duties ;
the allegation being that General Comonfort, who was
lately in the United States, came to an understanding
to that effect at Washington. However eager the
Southern party in America may be for the junction of
Mexico and her conversion into a slave-holding State, a
large advance of money for the purpose is at the present
moment highly improbable. The report in this case
seems as idle as that which has been lately spread of
America being ready with a loan of 5,000,0001. for Rus-
sia. The rate of discount at New York ranges from 9
to 11 per cent., and an export of 5,000,0001. would carry
it to a point that would speedily bring about a convul-
sion.

HANDWRITING OF DIFFERENT NATIONS.—It is a re-
markable fact that no man can ever get rid of the style
of handwriting peculiar to his country. If he be Eng-
lish, he always writes in English style ; if French, in
French style ; if German, Italian, or Spanish, in the
style peculiar to his nation. Professor B states :
—" I am acquainted with a Frenchman, who has passed
all his life in England, who speaks English like one of
our own countrymen, and writes it with ten times the
correctness of ninety-nine in a hundred of us ; but yet
who cannot, for the life of him, imitate our mode of
writing. I knew a Scotch youth, who was educated
entirely in France, and resided 18 years in that coun-
try, mixing exclusively with French people—but who,
although he had a French writing-master, and, per-
haps, never saw anything but French writing in his
1 fe, yet wrote exactly in the English style ; it was really
national instinct. In Paris, all the writing-masters profess
to teach the English style of writing ; but, with all their
professions, and all their exertions, they can never get
their pupils to adopt any but the cramped hand of the
French. Some pretend to be able to tell the charac-
teristics of individuals from their handwriting. I know
not how this may be, but certainly the nation to which
an individual belongs can be instantly determined by his
handwriting. The difference between the American or
English and the French handwriting is immense—a
schoolboy would distinguish it at a glance. Mix toge-
ther a hundred sheets of manuscript written by a hun
dred Frenchmen, and another hundred written by
Englishmen or Ainericans, and no one could fail to dis-
tinguish every one of them, though all should be written
in the same language and with the same pens and paper.
The difference between Italian, Spanish, and German
handwritings is equally decided. In fact, there is about
as great a difference in the handwritings of different na-
tims as in their languages. And it is a singular truth,
:hat, though a man may shake off national habits,
iac-
cents, manner of thinking, style of dress—though he
n,
nation,
and become perfectly identified with another
aud speak its language well, perhaps better than ..s
own—yet never can he succeed in changing his
hand-
writing to a foreign style,';