The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-27 00:00:00

A Strange Fish.

Mr Francis, piscienitural director of the Acclimatisation
r Society, writes to the Times, intimating the arrival of that
remarkable and valuable fish the silurus glanis in England
as a fact worthy of being made known to the public :
" It is more than 100 years (he says) since any new fish
has been acclimatised in England, and a very much longer
period since any fish of equal value has been brought into
this country to be acclimatised; indeed, it is a question
whether any animal since perhaps the introduction of the
turkey has been brought here likely to equal the silurus in
importance. One of the greatest wants hitherto felt in this
country has been a good lake fish that might be turned to
account, in order that the huge waste of water with which
our islands abound might be properly stocked and employ, d,
This want the silurus seems likely to meet; indeed it is almost
the only fish we could have procured which could meet it.
Growing to an enormous size, even to 200113. or 2001 b. in
weight, where space and food are plentiful, it neverthless ip
ponds preserves its fine flavour. It feeds ravenously upon
the coarser kinds of fish, but of all food prefers frogs. We
have undoubtedly vast quantities of frogs in this country,
which are not used by us in any way as a medium either
of food or of producing food, and so rapid is the growth of
the silurus that it has been known to reach the enormous
weight c f 54 b. in four years.
"Its flesh somewhat resembles veal in appearance, and
partakes of the rich flavour of the eel. All Englishmen who
have partaken of it unite in averring that it is superior even
to our own noble salmon. The above facts I have from Sir
Stephen Lakeman, to whose enterprise, energy, and deter-
mination the introduction of the silurus is duo. It need
not be pointed out that if we can replaoe the worthless carp
and roach with which our large sheets of water are infested
with a fish of this character, the gain to us will be very
great. Sir Stephen Lakeman brought these fish from Ko •
pacheni, where he has an estate on the banks of the Argisch,
which is a tributary of the Danube, and is about ten miles
from Bucharest—a distance of 1,800 miles. Tho labour of
transporting them hither was enormous. He started from
Kophcheni on the 23d of Angus', and brought these fish
by Bucharest to Girgevo, a distance of 50 miles; thence by
steamer to Basias (in Transylvania), and by rail to Pesth,
Vienna, Nuremberg, Cologne, Brussels, and Boulogne to
London, and thence to Twickenham. Many times his charge
was upon the point of being shipwrecked, but was saved by
his indomitatle energy and perseverance. To combat the
carelessness, and in some places even the positive disfavour
of railway officials, incessant attention was required. He
started with 36 silurus and some tiger eels—a remarkable
and valuable fish peculiar to the Danube. Some of the
siluruses were of large size, up to 61bs ; they were conveyed
in casks about the size of quarter-casks placed upon rockers;
these, by keeping the casks constantly in motion, plashed
and aerated the water. The larger fish were suspected, no
doubt with justice, of having eaten the smaller ones, and
with them the tiger eels. They all died, however, but 14,
which arrived here safely on the night of Thursday, the

15th, in the charge of Sir Stephen and thy friend Mr Lowe,
one of the secretaries of the Acclimatisation Society. The
little strangers varied from one t) two OZ3. in weight; they
were perfectly healthy and lively, and after their long fast
of 23 days they made good use of their time when enlarged,
as on the next day, when I examined them, their stomachs
were distended with food.

"They have now been in my charge a week, and are ex-
ceedingly healthy and vigorous. They are a peculiar fibh,
resembling in their habits the burbot, which I have also hal
charge of here, They hide themselves by day and roam
about for food at night. I have no doubt that the attempt
to introduce them will be thoroughly successful.

VIVA TL PAPA-RE I—lt appears certain, says the
Saturday _Review, that, after so many delays, after
so many shiftings backwards and forwards, the Emperor
has determined to take a decisive step towards withdrawing
the French troops from Rome. A Convention is stated to
have been actually signed between him and the King of
Italy. The Constitutionnel, which is said in Paris to be
not so ranch a journal as a Pythoness. has delivered an
oracular utterance, and its utterance happens to be perfectly
intelligible. The terms of the agreement are made known,
The I'ope is to retain his present territory, and the Italian
Government undertakes, not only not to invade it, but to
oppose any force that may seek to invade it. It gives, in
fact, a guarantee against the action of the revolutionary
party in Italy, and it pledges itself that, even if Garibaldi is
at the head of the invading forces, there shall be another
Aspromonte. Further, Italy engages to become responsible
for a portion of the debt of the Papal States, answering to
the value of the Papal territory which has fallen into her
hands. The Pope is to be allowed to raise as large an
army as he pleases, and devout Frenchmen are to be per-
mitted like the rest of the faithful, to rush to the defence of
the head of their religion. Lastly, the Italian Government
undertakes to fix the capital of united Italy at Florence,
and thus to abandon, in principle, that selection of Rome
as the only pos,ible capital which Cavour brought his
countrymen to accept as a political axiom. These can
be no doubt that this is a compromise which hard necessity
has gradually induced the Italians to listen to. It is very
different from the programme held out a year or two ago.
Then the Italian Parliament was to meet under the shadow
of the Capitol, the reign of priests was to be over, and the
Pope was to wander in his luxurious gardens, surveying
with a gentle and wondering patience the ruins, not
only of Imperial, but of Pontifical Rome. It was sup-
posed that the Popo would be, in the Vatican, very much
what the Archbishop of Canterbury is at Lambeth. The
English Primate has a fine old house, and a good library,
and shady antique gardens ; he is honoured by his
servants and the clergy; he is welcomed in the palace of his
Sovereign, he heads the proclamations of religious societies;
but if he wants to know where real power lies, he must look
across the river to the gilded towers of the Houses of Parlia-
ment. This was the dream of Italian patriots, perhaps of
Cavour, possibly even of the Emperor himself. But Catho -
licism has been too strong fur the accomplishment of such a
schem'. The great world of Roman faith will not tolerate
that its head should sink into the position of the Archbishop
of Canterbury. It insists that the Pope shall not be merely
a spiritual chits', but shall have a visible and temporal
sovereignty.

DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND—AT WHIST. The
late Cabinet of Lord Derby contained some good
players, Two of the Secretaries of State were actually fine
players, and ono of them adds whist to accomplishments
which would have made their possessor an Admirable
Crichton, if genius had not elevated him into a far loftier
category than Crichton belongs to. Rechberg playsl well,
and likes his game ; but he is in whist, as are all Germans,.
a. thorough pedant. I remember an incident ofa his. whist-
life sufficiently amusing in its way, though, in relation, the
reader loses what to myself is certainly then wholet pungency
of the story : I mean the character and
whoure of
per-
son who imparted the anecdote to me, endaboutethe
most perfect specimen of that self-possession, ishich we call
coolness,. the age we live in can boast of. lown that, in a
very varied and somewhat extensive exp. erience of men in
many countries, I never met one who so completely fulfilled
all the requisites of temper, manner, face, courage, and
self-reliance, which make of a human being the most un-
abashable and unemotional creature that walks the earth. I
tell the story as nearly as I can he related it to me. " I
used to play a good deal with Rechberg," said he, " end
took pleasure in worrying him, for ho was a great purist in
his play, and was outraged with anything that could not be
sustained by an authority. In fact, each game was followed
by a discussion of full half an hour, to the intense mortifi-
cation of the other players, though very amusing to me, and
offering me large opportunity to irritate and plague the
Austrian. One evening, after a number of these discussions,
in which Rechberg had displayed an even unusual warmth
and irritability, I found myself opposed to him in a game,
the interest of which had drawn around us a large assem-
bly of spectators—what the French designate as la galarie
Towards the conclusion of the game it was my turn to lead,
and I played a card which so astounded the Austrian Mini-
ster, that he laid down h s cards upon the table and stared
fixedly at me. "In all my experience of whist," said he de-
liberately, " I never saw the equal of that." "Of what ?"
asked I. "Of the card you have just played," rejoined he.
"It is not merely that such play violates every principle of
the game, but it actually stultifies your own combinations."
"I think differently, Count," said I. "I maintain that it is
good play, and I abide by it," " Let us decide it by a
wager," said he. "In what way ?" " Thus—we shall leave
the question to the g alerie. You shall allege what you deem
to be the reasons for your play, and they shall decide if they
accept them as valid." " I agree. What will you bet ?"
" Ton napoleons—twenty, fifty, five hundred if you like I"
cried he, warmly. "I shall say ten. You don't like losing,
and I don't want to punish you too heavily." "There is
the jury, sir," said he, haughtily, "make your case."
" The wager is this," said I, " that, to win, I shall satisfy
these gentlemen that for the card I played I had a suffi-
cient and good reason." " Yes." "My reason was this,
then—l looked into your hand 1" I pocketed his ten nape.
Icons, but they were the last I won of him, Indeed, it took
a month before he got over the shock.—Cornelius 0' Dowd
CANNIBALISM IN AUSTRALIA.—ABrisbine paper,
the North Australian, says—Sergeant Hill, who has
just arrived on escort from Maryborough, has made some
strange revelations to us, which illustrate the amiable pro-
pensities of the aborigines of this country. He happened
to visit a paddock on the outskirts of Maryborough some
short time since, in company with Mr Carrington, clerk of
petty sessions. Some 400 of the natives had enc,untered a
party of the Miall tribe in their customary mode of warfare
Our informant states that on the occasion of his visit they
were celebrating tho victory of the day before by broiling
the carcase of a defunct Mien, who had met with the severe
misfortune of having a native spear driven through his heart.
The cannibals like their meat underdone. They are dainty
epicures. The deceased wretch was disembowelled in the
first place and his entrails placed in a dilly bag, which was
immediately shouldered by a native hag. A fire was then
kindled, and the body was thrown thereon. After frizzling
for a few minutes a common descent was made upon it—a
cannibal scramble in fact. The carcase was severed into 50
, parts, and in its raw condition was devoured without the
slightest affectation or sympathy, nausea, shame, or indig-
, nation. The bones were picked very clean, and the result
was a splendid skeleton.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE,

TATTERSA_LL'S—LAST EVENING.
GREAT EASTERN HANDICAP.
10 to 1 agat WOldga (taken)
10 to 1 agat Hersh.), filly (taken)
12 to 1 agat Myrtle (token)
CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
20 to 1 on the field (offered)
50 to 1 agst Orphelin;(taken)
CESAREWITCH STAKES.
11 to 1 agst Calista colt (taken)
100 to 7 agst Gratitude (taken)
15 to 1 agst Suspicion (taken)
100 to 6 agst Mail Train (taken)
25 to 1 agst Tattoo (offered)
23 to 1 agst Thalestais (taken)
33 to 1 agst Searcandcr (taken)
33 to 1 agat Planet (tai,9,9
100 to 1 agst Catch 'em A:lve (taken)
THE DERBY.
20 to 1 agst Christmas Carol (taken)
20 to 1 agst Longdown (taken)
33 ti 1 agst Oppressor (taken)
33 to 1 agst Wizard's dam colt (taken)
50 to 1 agst Puck (taken)

PARIS AUTUMN RACES.-SUNDAY.

A cloudy morning yesterday was succeeded by a most
lovely afternoon, gladdened by the genial warmth of a
delightful autumn sun; and a considerable number of
persons were on the ground, the Emperor and Prince
Imperial being among the company.

With the exception of the Prix du Prince Imperial,
which gave Vermouth and Fille de l'Air an opportunity
of once more meeting on equal terms, the business of the
day was without interest and the fields small. The first
event on the card was the Prix Principal, which brought
out only three runners, Guillaume le Taciturne being made
favourite at evens. Beatrix, however, with an advantage
of 271 b for one year in age, had the race to herself, and
ran over the two miles and a half in front, and won easily.
The selling race which came next was decided in fav,ur of
M. Aumont's Dame Blanche by a neck, after a good contest
over the last quarter of a mile with Mdlle. Duchesnois. The
winner was taken by M. Desvigncs for 4,625 E, being 1,625 f.
over the price at which she might have been had. The Prix
de Madrid, for horses which had not run on any of the prin-
cipal courses in France during the present year, was an
easy victory for M. Lupin's Bartavelle, who in this race
made her first appearance in public. The Prix du Prince
Imperial followed, for which Vermouth found plenty of
backers at 7to 4. The crack was, however, bowled over
by the Oaks' winner, who took up the running just when
she pleased, and won with pounds in hand. The two have
now ran together four times, each having scored two vic-
tories. The business terminated with the Prix d'Automne,
for which four came to the post, and which fell to the lot of
Count de Lagrange with la Reine Berthe, being the third
prize carried off by his stable during the day. The follow-
ing are details of the proceedings :
_ . _ _ _

The Prix Principal of 4,000 f, for horses 3-yrs-old and
upwards. Entry, ;200f, h f; the second to receive half
the entries. Distance 4,000 metres (two turd a half
miles). Four subs.

Count de Lagrange's Beatrix, 3 yrs., 103.bs .. (C. Pratt) 1
M. Sehickler's Guillaume-le•Taclturne, 4 yrs,, 1301bs
(Mortimer) 2
Mr T. Carter's Civility, 3 yrs., 1031bs (W. Carter) 3
Betting—even agst Guillaume, 5 to 4 agst Beatrix, 5 to 1
agst Civility.
- - -

Beatrix made the running, and won easily by two lengths.
Civility did not pass the post.
The Prix de la Prairie of 2,000 f, for horses three years old

and upwards. Entry, 50f, the winner liable to be claimed
for 3,000 f. The distance about 3,000 metres. 7 subs.
M. Aumont's Dame Blanche, 4 yrs., 1171bs (Spreoty) 1
Prince de Beauvau's Mlle. Duchesnois, 3 yrb., 10310 s
(A. 'Watkins) 2
Count de Lagrange's Antinous, 3 yrs., 1061bs (C. Pratt) 0
M. de Granville's Va-Toujours, 5 yrs., 1241bs (Gadney) 0
Betting-2 to 1 agat Dame Blanche, 5 t 3 2 agst Mlle.
Duchesnois, 3 to 1 agst Antinous.
Antinous ran in front until passing Baron de Botha..
child's villa, when he ran against the cord, breaking it, and
bolted out of the course. Dame Blanche and Mdlle.
Duchesnois then ran abreast to the stands, where Dame
Blanche got her head in front and won by a neck, Va-
Toujoura was pulled up early in the race.
The Prix de Madrid of 3,000 f for horses which have not run

this year at Paris, Chantilly, Versailles, or in England•

Entry, 50f. Distance about 2,4.0 metres. Seven subs.
M. Lupin's Bartavelle, 3 yrs, 1071bs (Kitchener) 1
Count de Lagrange's Bon Espoir, 3 yrs, 1101os (C. Pratt) 2
M. du Garreau's Baccarat, 2 yrs, lthibs (Edward) 3

The following also ran :—Saint Contest, Marino, and
Salammbo.

Betting-3 to 2 agst Bon Espoir, 2to 1 agst Bartavelle, 4
to 1 agst Baccarat, 5 to 1 agst Saint Contest.
Salamtabo was the first off, closely followed by Baccarat
and Bon-Espoir, Bartavelle coming last. Ater passing the
Windmill, M. Lupin's filly went to the front, and led to
the finish, winning easily by four lengths; the same dis-
tance separated Bon-Espoir and Baccarat.

Grand Prix du Prince Imperial of 10,000 fr., for 3-yr•olds.
Entry, 300 fr, h f; the second to receive half the entries.

Distance about 3,200 metres. Eight subs.
Count de Lagrange's Fille de l'Air, 109Ibs (C. Pratt) 1
M. Delamarre's Vermouth, 1121bs (Flatman) 2
Betting-7 to 4on Vermouth.
M. Delamarre's horse made the running two lengths a-
head until coming on to the straight for the run home—
Fills de l'Air then went forward, deprived Vermouth of
the lead at the distance, and won easily by a good length.
The Prix d'Automne of 2,000 f., for 3-yr-Jlds and
upwards. Entry, 501'; the second to receive 200 f from
the entries. Distance about 4,000 metres. Four subs.
Count de Lagrange's La Reine-Berthe, 4 yrs, 1231bs

(C. Pratt) 1
Mr Carter's Obligation, 3 yrs, 1111bs (NV. Castor) 2
M. Aumont's Scoavala, 3 yis, 'Nibs (Spreoty) 3
Duke do Morny's Miss Margot, 4 yrs, 117Ibs

—(A:. Watkins) 0
Betting-2 to 1 each Reins-Berths and Obligation, 3to
1 agst Sccevola.
Miss Margot made the running for two-thirds of the dis-
tance, and being then beaten fell to the rear. The three
others ran abreast to the corner, where Scosvola parted
company, and Reine-Bertbe and Obligation raced home
together, the former winning by a short length.

THE NOSES OF BROUGHAM, NAPIER, CRIIIR
SHANKS, DICKENS, AND THACKERAY. Lard
Brougham's eminent nose is perhaps the best known of any
in this generation. Innumerable caricatures have made it
celebrated everywhere. It is slightly bent upwards, and has
a defiant and combative expression ; tut its end is decidedly
cogitative, its nostrils wide and full of character. To its
partly turned up style no doubt his lordship owes that in-
satiable industry and curiosity which has made him explore
all science, and has rendered him eminent in law, politics,
and literature; to its cogitative character, that boldness of
thought, and noble defiance of oppression and wrong, and
that far-seeing depth, which ho has every exercised happily
for the benefit of humanity. It is a nose far above par.
Perhaps the most obtrusively aquiline nose that ever was
seen was that of the conqueror of Scinde, the late Sir Chas.
Napier. The organ itself was prodigious; it was a Squire-
of-the-Wood's nose, one not really seen in a life time else-
where, and the energy which accompanied it was as prodi-
gious. But the nose was far from Jewish. It was aquiline,
not pendulous, thin at the end, and fine and thin in the nt
tril. George Cruikshank, the artist, who bore some simila-
rity to the general, has also a fin© aquiline nose ; and it is
curious that in the Indian army Napier used to bear the
sobriquet of " 011 Fagin," whilst Cruikshank, who illus-
trated Dickens's fiction so admirably, copied the face of the
Jew from his own, sitting before a glass for the first study
of those etchings which, embodying the idea of the author.
made the first issue of " Oliver Twist" so popular and so
highly prized. Charles Dickens', when young, may be cited
as the possessor of an aquiline nose. Dickens's has grown
to be somewhat more than it was in Maclise's portrait, and
is now to be classed as cogitative. Of his late rival's nose
we would say little : it has been the causa tcterrima Belli.
—About in the World.

ATTEMPT TO MURDER A POLICE SERGEANT.—
On Sunday morning last an atrocious attempt to murder
Police-sergeant Danby, of the Lincoln county constabulary,
was made by a man named Wm. Wilson, a shoemaker. It
appears that at an early hour in the morning Danby was
on duty in the village of Saxilby, near Lincoln, and when
near the house of a man named Harrison thought he saw a
man in the garden lying down. lie went to the spot and
found it was Wilson, an unusually powerful fellow. The
officer, suspecting all was not right, at once seized him, and
they had a tremendous scuffl3, both of them falling to the
ground ; but Wilson, being the strongest, was uppermost.
The fellow then battered the officer about the head, and
struck him violently several times with his fist until he was
nearly choked with his own blood. Wilson then put his
hand in his pocket and took out an ordinary clasp knife,
which he deliberately opened, Denby being so exhausted
that he had no power to prevent it. Danby, however,
said, " Pray, don't use that ; for God's sake put it by." And
after some hesitation ho shut the knife again and put it in
his pocket. A short time afterwards, however, ho again
took the knife out and commenced to cut and slash at the
officer, saying he would do fcr him. Ho cut completely
through the great coat and stock, making altogether five
wounds, one of which was an inch deep and an inch and a
half wide, the jugular vein being just missed. When the
prisoner inflicted this wound he actually wriggled the knife
about, causing excruciating pain. Wilson then got up and
made off, but Danby follows i and caught him, and another
struggle took place. The noise, however, aroused Mr Har-
rison, who opened his hereon] window and saw what was
taking place, and shouted out to the fellow to desist. when
ho at once ran away. Tho officer went home, and two me-
dical men were soon in attendance—they dressed the
wounds, and expressed an opinion that, providing erysipelas
does not set in, Danby will recover. The same morning
Wilson was apprehended, and it was ascertained that he
and two other men also in custody had during tho night
stolen some fowls belonging to Mr Drury, farmer. On
Monday they were taken before Colonel Ellison—Wilson on
the charges of attempted murder and fowl stealing, and the
other two for fowl stealing alone, and were remanded until
Friday next.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

NEWMARKET RACES—Tats DAY.
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
FIFTEENTH TRIENNIAL.

Thalestris
Tams ..
Five ran.