The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-19 00:00:00

is the watchword, and streets are closed, houses I
demolished, and oldest inhabitants sent marching
forth in quest of new parishes, responsive to the
bidding of the despot. Moving is all very well
when locomotion is the object, but when people
wish to sit still its advantages are not so apparent.
We shall begin to think that railways, like fires,
make good servants but bad masters, and to con-
sider that it is time to put a few constitutional
checks upon the actions of King Steam. At present
he seems bent upon tearing up and pulling down
to an unlimited extent, and we would humbly sub-
mit to him that he should confine his royal progrsss
as much as possible to the suburbs, where he will
have more room for his antics and do less mischief
than in the mighty thoroughfares of the city. Only
lust session Lord DERBY interfered with the humane
intention of smothering up one of the few green
spaces in the city with bricks and mortar. But,
since then, a myriad new schemes have sprung up
hydra-headed where the one was struck down, and
his lordship is wanted to do battle with them singly
and collectively. Unless he bestir himself actively
in the matter, he will probably have, in the course
of a session or two, to pass through the Peer's entry
in a special train ; and may yet be destined to be-
hold some Piccadilly and Pimlico branch line send-
ing its locomotives whirring across the classic
solitudes of St. James's-square arid shooting up the
narrow aperture, which, in these days, is all that
divides the Conservative from the Reformer.

Another shake of the political kaleidoscope in
Spain has led to another Ministerial combination.
Senor ARAZOLA, as President of the Council
and Minister of State, has gathered about
him as his colleagues, in the capacity of
Minister of Justice Senor ALVAREZ ; as Minister
of Finance Senor TRUPITA; as Minister of the In-
terior Senor BENAVIDES ; as Minister of War
General LERSUNDI; as Minister of the Colonies
Senor CASTRO ; as Minister of Public Works
Senor MOYANO. It is significantly added
by the telegram announcing this change of Cabinet
at Madrid, that the newly-formed Administration
is hardly expected to be long-lived. Nor,
when the names of the new administrators
come to be scrutinized, can we seriously arrive at
any other conclusion in their regard than that the 3
are scarcely likely to be long held together by
ARAZoLA. as a Government. Stability in power is
not to be predicated for them collectively upon
any, even the most casual or cursory scrutiny, of
their respective antecedents.

The War in America,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—ln your to-day's number is a letter on the
horrors of the American war, and speculating on
its indefinite continuance.

I venture to think that we Englishmen do not
sufficiently realise the horrors of this fearful war
nor our responsibilities in respect of it. Is it not
quite clear that the North cannot succeed in its
attempt to subjugate the South ? And does not our
refusal to recognise encourage the North in its
hopeless and insane career ?

But one sentiment--a determination to be free—
evidently pervades the whole Southern people,
men, women, and children. England thus appears
to me to have no excuse for refusing recognition of
the South, which, being done conjointly with France,
would be the verdict of Europe, and would no doubt
materially tend to open the eyes of the North, and
bring the fearful struggle to a close,—Yours,
Gresham Club, Jan. 18. stir•

FATAL AFFRAt.—On Saturday evening Mr. C.
J. Carttar, coroner for West Kent, concluded an
adjourned inquiry at the Druid's Arms publichouse, Green-
wich, on the body of George Carter, aged 32, who, it was
alleged, met his death by being knocked from a barge into
the river by Thomas Perkins Syms, a Thames lighterman.
It appeared that the deceased and others were engaged in
loading the barge Fanny with pig lead from the steamer
Wansbeck, belonging to the General Steam Navigation
Company, The loading was completed about 11 o'clock at

night, at which time Syms, who was proved to be greatly
under the influence of liquor, was brought to the barge,

with another lighterman, named Loggon, to take the
barge to the East India Docks. Just before reaching the
barge Syms asked if the latter was the Fanny, and re-

ceived in reply an offensive answer from some person
either on board the barge or the steamer. On entering the
head sheets of the barge the deceased was the first person
met by Syms, and he accused him of being the person
who had given the answer referred to. A dispute aroao
between them. Syms pushed the deceased two or three
times in the ribs, and wanted him to fight, but the deceased
said he would have nothing to do with him. On a man
coming from another part of the barge and telling Syms
that it was not the deceased who had given him the offen-
sive answer, but some one on board the steamer, SynaB
replied, " All right." Almost immediately afterwards Carter
put on his coat and was about to get on board the steamer
from the barge—he had, indeed, laid hold of the rope by
the steamer's side for this purpose—when Syms, who had
taken off his boots, ran across the barge and grappled with
him, They closed together, and both fell over the side of
the barge into the river, the deceased on falling into the
water being heard to exclaim, " Oh dear, oh dear, my poor
wife and children I" Syms was saved, but Carter was un-
fortunately carried away by the tide, and drowned. Syms,
having been duly cautioned by the coroner, volunteered a
statement, in which he alleged that on telling deceased he
might have given him a civil answer, the deceased shoved
him, and that they then closed together and fell overboard.
The learned coroner went through the evidence very care-
fully, and the jury, after a short deliberation, returned an
unanimous verdict of " Manslaughter against Thomas Per-
kins Syms," who was thereupon committed upon the coro-
ner's warrant to take his trial at the next Old Bailey
Sessions, substantial bail being accepted for his appearance.
The deceased has left a widow and three children, the
eldest four years and the youngest six months old.
A NEEDLE IN THE HUMAN BODY FOR THREE
YEARS —A singular instance of this kind occurred
at Inverury some time ago, of which the following are the
particulars :—About three years ago, Mr. John Dawson,
sheriff's-officer, was at times antoyel, when turning his body
into a certain position, by a sharp pricking oa his back, below
the right shoulder ; and he often looked in his vest, expect-
ing to find a pin or other sharp point sticking into his flesh ;
but as nothing could be found, he rubbed the place with
his hand, and no more was felt of it for some time. It
continued to annoy him in this way for several months,
and then ceased to give him any further trouble ; and
no notico was taken of it until the month of April last,
when the same sort of pricking pain commenced imme-
diately above the elbow of the right arm, and on examining
it an apparently hard body appeared to be lying across the
arm; but, as on the former occasions, it was soon forgotten,
and continued to be so until the month of September, when
the hard substance had made its way to the top of the
shoulder, where it could not go further without cutting
,he skin, and then the pain became incessant. At that
ime Mr. Dawson came to the conclusion that it was

a needle, as he had heard of such cases occurring, and he
_ _

resolved to have it cut out; tut, in attempting todo so, it
broke, and as the pain ceased the attempt was abandoned
for a time. After the lapse of a week, Mr. Munroe,
druggist, extracted part of it ; but in the course of the
week which elapsed after the first attempt to extract it,
the longest part of it had travelled upwards of an inch
from its former position. Ultimately the other half of the
needle was extracted ; and when put together, the pieces
measured lj of an inch, And what is equally strange, a
small fragment of thread was in the eye when extracted.
Mr. Dawson is not aware by what means it had got into
his body ; but it is remarkable how any sharp-
pointed instrument could have remained and traversed
through the human body for three years (and :perhaps
double that time) without causing more pain. This, together
with the fact that, instead of the needle moving after the
end, as would hava been expected, it was clearly shown,
from its position in the arm, that it moved upwards nearly
at a right angle to it, makes the occurrence, which we state
on the best authority, altogether a singular one.—"lbercleen
Free Press.

MORE HASTE WORSE SPEED.—As the master of
a merchant vessel at Teignmouth, named Hill, was assisting
his wife, at the Taunton station, to return to her carriage
when in motion, ho was thrown under the train and killed.
A porter who ran to his aid nearly shared the same fate,
and Mrs. Hill was only saved by being dragged into the
carriage by her hair. Previous,y to leaving London the
deceased and his wife took insurance tickets for £2OO each.
PRIVATE BILLS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—
Yesterdo y tb e examiners of private bills commenced
the examinatio a of the petitions in order to ascertain whether
the standing orders of the house have been complied with.
A large sum has been paid into the Court of Chancery
on account of the bills, and a report will be made on
the opening oof the session.