The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-15 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TH•E SUN.

3', Bisbopsgate-street Without, London,
November 14, 1864.
SIR, —I have much pleasure in sending the following
letter, just received from Co:onel Chambers, the respected
English secretary to General Garibaldi ; it may interest
your readers.—l am sir, yours respectfully,

JOHN RICHARDSON,
Treasurer to Garibaldi Yacht Fund.
(Copy.) _ .

Caprera, 7th November, 1864.

My dear Mr Richardson,—l have much pleasure in
writing, by the General's directions to inform you that he
accepts the yacht gratefully, and himself and the whole of
the household anxiously expect her arrival. I will in-
form you of the arrival of the yacht, and give you all nows
that I think may interest you in England. The General is
looking very well and in excellent spirits, busy as usual all
day gardening, but I am sorry to say as lame as ever, still
using his walking stick. His two grandchildren are with
him, and they give him much amusement by their talk and
gambols—the eldest is a remarkably intelligent lad. I find
Mrs Chambers is writing to Mrs Richardson. With kind
regards from the General to you and Mrs Richardson,
believe me, dear Mr Richardson, most sincerely yours,
(Signed) J. H. CluottnEßs,

YORKSHIRE STATUTE FAIRS.—The Martinmas
Statute Fairs for the hiring of farm and domestic

servants commenced at Mahon on Saturday last, when some

hundreds of boys and girls presented themselves for hire,
The statutes will not cease till the Monday after Martinmas
at Thirsk. Following the example of the two past years
the clergy of the district again opened the Corn Exchange,
Melton, for the use of the female servants, free of charge,
in order to separate them from the lads and the immorality
of the open market place and the beershops. The success
of the past year was still more so this, every respectable girl
being found in the Exchange, where all comforts were gra-
tuitously provided. Some of the roughest of the sex still
resorted to the open market, and seemed only too happy
among the boisterous coarseness of the lads. It was note*
worthy that both masters and mistresses preferred making
engagements with those who did not " stand the market,"
and the efforts of the society for promoting the respectability
of the female servants may be deemed very satisfactory,
The farm lads attended in great numbers, but it is said that
wages asked were so high that farmers made very few en-
gagements. During the day several well-dressed men—
flash tradesmen—erected their stands in the market, These
fellows reaped a rich harvest by selling to the unsuspecting
lads "gold" watches, Fee., at "ruinous prices." One of
these fellows had made a wager that he would give XlO,OOO
away in halfcrowns, but he had to sell some article with
every halfcrown given, About once in every dozen sales he
forced a halfcrown in a purse which sold for ls,'and every
time he apparently placed a halfcrown in the purse, but by
dexterity of hand merely dropped in a halfpenny. Another
fellow was engaged by the United Kingdom Alliance to
draw young men from the publichouse and to prevent them
investing their money on the "living skeleton," by selling
them really useful articles (worth 2d) for the small sum of
6d, and so on. At length one powerful farmer's servant
also gave is for a purse and a halfpenny (expecting he was
1 receiving half-a-crown), made a rush at the swindler, and
quickly demolished his stock in trade. Scores of dupes fol-
lowed the example, and the result was two of the principal
"philanthropists" took to their heels, taking different direo-
tions, but pursued at foxhunting speed through the streets
by some hundreds of lads, yelling like wild Indians, One
fugitive very soon was minus hat and coat, and was bleed-
ing from more than one wound, but the appearance of Mr
Superintendent Harper caused a check to the pursuers, and
the fugitive bolted down the yard of Messrs. Russell, which
Unfortunately for him, seine of
only led to the cover.
his pursuers were after the fugitive by another entrance,
and got him into a passage where, but for the interference
of Messrs Russell's men, they would have taken vengeance
by putting him into the river. The crowd dispersed very
unwillingly, most of them loitering about for an hour or
more. The other man soon took refuge in an ironmonger's
shop, where he was let out at the back, but he was soon
espied by his tormentors, and had to submit to be locked
up in an ashpit for upwards of an hour, until his pursuers
dispersed. The party, it appears, had a rendezvous at an
hotel at
Thirsklatlcor statutes,whence,ton„and h
afterte
otherda dark,
to the,they Driffi
departeeida, one lot
to the liii
ings,
to ply their nefarious trade.
A SPIRITUAL JOKES—A captain of a militia
company, encamped at Camp Hall, discovered a
canteen of whisky in the possession ct one of his men, a
night or two ago, and at once confiscated the fluid. lie
placed it in his tent, and went out to invite some of his
brother officers to partake of the spiritual comfort. Re-
turning with his shoulder-strap friends, who smacked their
lips in anticipation of the treat, the canteen was reversed
over the tin cups, and the health of the gallant Capt. C--
was proposed. The captain was the first to taste, but he
quickly spurted the fluid from his mouth, and exclaimed,
" By thunder, some one has changed the whisky to water."
There was a laugh among the privates, but the captain did
not join in it,—American paper.