The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-18 00:00:00

SHIPPING—This Day.

LONDON, Jan. 18.—Wind this day at noon—North-
East; moderate breeze, and cloudy weather.
PORTSMOUTH, Jan. 17.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—Mar-
garette, from Monte Video, and proceeded for London—Sea
Serpent, from Honduras—lnfanta, from Woodpoint for
Hull, short of provisions.
CARDIFF, Jan. 16.—Wind S.E.—Sailed—Alacrity, for
the Cape of Good Hope—William Jackson, for Monte Video
—Harriet, and Cazoni, for Bermuda—Constance, for Gib-
raltar.

GLOUCESTER, Jan. 16.—Wind N.E.—Arrived—Tweed,
from St. George's, N.B.
OFF PORTSMOUTH, Jan. 16.—Arrived—Victoria, frog
New York.

(BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Monday Morning.
Arrived, Jan. 17—Glendower, from St. Michael's; Hon-
fruen, from Korseor ; Rena, from Stockholm; Johanna
Wilhelmina and Astrouome, from New York; Lightning
and Jessie, from St. Michael's; Jane Garuener, from Ter-
ciera : First Fruit, from Figniera ; Union, from Baltimore;
Lavania and Hope, from Guernsey ; Agnes, fzorc Deme-
rara ; Clyde from Calcutta s Lord Raglan, from Colombo ;
Gem, from Pandermo ; Brownfield, from Guernsey ; War-
wickshire from Hongkong.
Sailed, Jan. 18—Millman, from Newcastle for Malta, and
again put back for London, leaky.

DEAL, Monday Morning.
Passed—John and Mary from Tarragona, for London.

FROM LONDON TO PEKIN IN A WEEK.—The
electric telegraph now extends by way of Russin, to within

200 miles of Kiatchka, frontier emporium close to the

Chinese empire, between which and Pekin, about 1,000

miles distant, there is a regular post established, so that new
it would be quite possible to communicate with Pekin from

London in a week,
FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday evening last
William Morrison, a lad of 16 years of age, em- •
ployed as a porter at theWhifilet station on the Caledonian
Railway, left his lodgings about 6 p.m. Nothing further
was seen of him until 20 minutes afterwards, when his
body, torn to fragments, some of the pieces lying 30 yards
apart, was found on the railway near Calder-bridge. It is
supposed that Morrison's death was caused by his stepping

off the " six-foot" while a mineral train was passing
towards Glasgow, and getting run over by the limited mail,
The engine-man of the later felt his engine give a jerk on
passing Whiffiet, and on reaching Carstairs he examined
his guards, upon one of which he found a piece of human
flush,--Scotsman, _ _

THE LATE ALFRED DE VlGNY.—According to
the Journal dos Debuts, Michel Levy is about to publish a
volume of the posthumous works of Alfred de Vigny. The
volume will consist of eleven poems, and will be entitled,
"Les Destinees, Poemes Philosophiques."
WHY THE EMPRESS ASSURED HER LIFE.--.
It is quite true, as of late stated in the newspapers,

that her Imperial Majesty has recently assured her life hi

five Engliali offices for £BO,OOO, involving an annual charge

in premiums of about £2,500; but the meritorious purpose

of the act has yet to be stated, It is well known that the
Empress was the foundress, and is, at this hour, the
sole supporter of the following noble charitable insti-
tutions :—" Maison Eugenie Napoleon," "Prets de l'En-
fame an Travail," (better known as " La Societe du Print;

Imperial,") and the " Caisse do Secours pour l'Armee da
Terre et de Mer." The Empress is very naturally appre-
hensive that these good works may materially suffer when-
ever death—that black camel, as the Arabs finely put it,
which kneels at every man's gate—may call her hence,
and, therefore, she has thus sought, through the in-
strumentality of life assurance, to permanently endow
them. the Empress has named the Prince Imperial
as her almoner, and at her demise it would become
his sacred duty to administer the large fund thus created,
and to take these merciful bodies under his fostering care.
It is said that thb Empress has also effected assurances
for the same good end with several Belgian and German
offices. On account of the greater risk to which the life of
the Empress is reckoned to be exposed as compared
with ordinary mortals—witness, for instance, the late
horrible plot to assassinate the Emperor—increased rates of
premium have been charged by the contracting office !
The London Mirror.

THE LAKE OF THRASYMENE, on the border of
which Hannibal gained one of his greatest victories, is about
to be dried up by a company, who purpose to utilise the
and. _ _ ....

--
THE MEMBERS FOR MARYLEBONE.—Lord Fermoy
and Mr. Harvey Lewis, the members for the borough of
Marylebone, will address their constituents on the evenings
of Monday, the 25th inst., at St. Pancras Vestry-hall, and
Wednesday, 27th, at the Marylebone Literary Institute,
Edward-street, Portman-square.—Mary/done Mercury.
THE PAMPERO.—The case of the Pampero, the
vessel recently seized in the Clyde by Government, on the
suspicion that she was intended for the service of the Con-
federate States, has now come into the Court of Session as
an Exchequer cause, and will shortly be debated before Lord
Ormidale.—Scotsman.
THE ROYAL PREROGATIVE OF MERCY.—Lord
Henry Lennox has sent the following notice for in-
sertion in the votes of the House of Commons :—" Lord
Henry Lennox, on an early day after the meeting of Par-
liament, will call the attention of the house to the present
mode of administering the laws which affect capital punish-
ment, and to the circumstances under which the Crown
has on various occasions been advised to exercise the Royal
prerogative of mercy."
ADDRESS FROM THE MANAGER OF A DUBLIN
THEATRE :—" Ladies and gentlemen, as there is no nobody
here, I will dismiss you all ; the performances of this night
will not be performed, but the performances of this night
will be repeated to-morrow evening,"
Mn BRIGHT,
M.P.—A sudden attack of illness
will prevent Mr. Bright from making a speech at Birming-
ham on Wednesday evening next. Arrangements had been
made for the holding of a great public meeting in the
Town-hall, at which both the members for Birmingham
should be present ; and also fors soiree on the Thursday,
to be held at the Royal Hotel, whioh both Mr. Scholefield
and Mr. Bright had promised to attend. Besides this,
there were some personal matters on which Mr. Bright was
expected to have something to say which would be listened
to with no small curiosity. Much disappointment was
therefore felt when it became known on Friday afternoon
that a telegram had been received by the committee ap-
pointed to make the arrangements for the meeting, stating
that, iu consequence of a sudden and very severe bronchial
attack, Mr. Bright would not be able to come to Birming-
ham next week. The meetings have been in consequence
postponed, but it is proposed, should Mr. Bright have re-
covered sufficiently to attend, to hold them in the course of
the week after next.
HAMBURG, Jan. 15.-. The cold is very severe.

The Elbe is sufficiently frozen over near Harburg
to bear carriages. The Hamburg Gazette states
that orders have been given to the Berlin and
Hamburg railway to be ready to transport consider-
able forces to the latter town.
FRANKFORT, Jan. 15.—After the vote of the Diet
Austria and Prussia have declared that they will
nevertheless occupy Schleswig. The majority bas
protested against the occupation by the two Powers
as acting for the Diet. Saxony protests against
the passage of the Austro-Prussian troops through
the Holstein territory to go to Sehleswg.