The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-24 00:00:00

ITALY.

In its sitting of the 18th, the Senate. of Turin
closed the general discussion on the Civil Marriage
Bill. The discussion of the articles was to commence
on the following day.
The Univers publishes a letter addressed by the
Pope to the King of Sardinia, on the subject of the
Civil Marriage Bill, and the charges brought by
some of the Piedmontese journals against a por-
tion of the clergy in that country. The letter is
dated as long ago as the 19th of Sept. last, but the
interest is not diminished by the date, the Civil
Marriage Bill being still under discussion in the
Piedmontese Senate. In the course of the letter,
His Holiness assures the King, in reply to the ob-
servations of his Majesty, that the Civil Marriage
Law exists in other Catholic countries, that he is
well aware of the fact, but that he has never ceased
to protest against it. He states that if the bill
14110111 d pasts in Piedmont, he will not on that ac-
count entertain less esteem for the Sovereign, or a
less charitable disposition towards his people, but
that he is bound to do everything in his power to
prevent consequences injurious to the Church.
A correspondent of Galignane s at Naples writes,
Dec. 18 :

" After four years of langour, Naples has resumed its
former gaiety. Strangers, however, are not so numerous
as in past times ; and, except among the Russians, there
are few of title. During Advent we have both routs and
assemblies, which, after Christmas, are to be soirees dan-
santes. M. de Barrot, the French minister, gives a
grand ball in honour of the re-establishment of the Em-
pire, at which the King and Queen, and all the court, are
expected to be present. Lady Holland opens Palazzo
Rocealla on Thursdays during the season, and the balls
of the Real Accademia ' begin on the 27th, and
continue every Monday till the end of the carnival.
The King's brother, the Count d'Aquila, hunts with his
fox-hounds at Carditollo once a week, and gives a splen-
did dinner afterwards to the party invited, usually from
24 to 30 guests. Upon the Corso di Chiago are to be
seen a hundred equipages, rivalling those of Hyde-park,
and several of them teams of four beautiful English
horses. Their R.H. Counts de Syracuse and Aquila
drive each teams of bays and chesnuts ; Lady Strachan
has a barouch e and four greys ; the Due de Forli, bays ;
Duc de Paganica, bays and chesnuts ; Marquis de Salsa,
bays ; and Count de Nociglia Treensa, roans. Whilst
parties regularly follow the dinners ; and the Amph y-
trions whose chefs are in most activity are Sir William
Temple, Count Creptowich, Baron Adolphe de Roths-
child, Lady Strachan, Prince Cimitala, Count de Mon-
tesantangelo, and Chev. Meuricoffe ; and though last,
not least, Lord Holland's, a veritable cordon bleu. To
this agreeable picture, the only drawback is the arrival
for the season, of 500 beggars, horrid objects, who dis-
tribute themselves daily along the several promenades
to annoy strangers more particularly. This nuisance
was bequeathed to us by the soi-disant liberal ministry
of 1848, and ought now to be reformed."

STATE OF THE WOOLLEN TRADE.

(From, the Leeds Mercury of this day.)

The wool market has been active for English samples,
and in colonial and foreign a fair business has been done.
The imports into London during the week to Thursday
last have been only 1,988 bales, of which 1,618 were
from Sydney, 188 from Germany, and 85 from Italy.
In the English wool market the demand for combing
and clothing wools still continues. Prices are without
any change of moment.
There has been a very fair business done in the Cloth-
halls this week- On Saturday the market was rather
brisk and animated, and on Tuesday about an average
quantity of go ods changed hands. Cloths of a middle
quality in true wool blacks were in demand, and found
ready purchasers. There is a fair amount of business
doing in the warehouses, both for the home trade and in
the shipping business, quite as much as usual at this
period of the year.

THE COLLIERY ACCIDENT AT SHORTWOOD.—The coro-
ner's inquest, which was postponed for the purpose of ena-
bling the Secretary of State to send down a. Government
inspector of collieries to watch the proceedings (for which
purpose Mr. Mackworth attended), was esnmed yesterday.
The inspector made a minute examination of the works,
particularly directing his attention to the point at which
the irruption of water from the old works took place.
After evidence had been given of the deaths, Mr. Mack-
worth proceeded. to give the result of his examination.
He pointed out -what he considered to be deficiencies in
the management of the pit, and the means that should
be adopted for their remedy. For this purpose he read the
third clause of the 13th and 15th Vic., cap. 100, which ren-
dered it necessary for the proprietors of collieries to have
maps of their workings, and he showed the great necessity
there was for such maps in pits, situated like the present,
near old workings, the approach to which required great
caution. The object of this act was to compel proprietors of
collieries to work more regularly, not only for their own ad-
vantage, but also for the greater safety of the men employed
in them. Mr. Mackworth considered the map in use at the
colliery exceedingly incorrect, and that the proprietors had
not complied with the terms of the act in this respect.
Mr. Cossham believed they had done all they could to com-
ply with the act.. The ground had been surveyed by Mr.
John Taylor, of Stafford, one of the first miners in the
West of England, and under whose general direction they
worked ; he should be most happy to adopt any improve-
ments the inspector could suggest, and as to the map, he
could only say that at the commencement of the year it
was the proprietor's intention to have a now survey and
the pitthoroughly mapped out. Mr. Ellis also observed that
lie had had great experience in mining accidents, and he
knew it was impossible at all times to prevent accidents
arising from the carelessness of the men. The room was
then cleared, and the jury, after about 20 minutes' consul-
tation, returned a verdict of " Accidental death."
CONTRABAND TOBACCO.—The Lords Commissioners of
her Majesty's Treasury having adverted to the inducement
to fraud which the sale of tobacco seized for non-payment
of duty appears to afford, as well as the injury to the honest
trader, by displacing in the market a corresponding quan-
tity of tobacco which would otherwise have been entered
for home consuMption, and to the small advantage gained
by the revenue from such sales, their lordships have ex-
pressed their opinion that all seized tobacco, whether
manufactured or unmanufactured, except cigars, should
henceforth be destroyed, and have desired the commission-
ers of Customs to give the necessary instructions for that
purpose.