The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

FEBRUARY.
Lincoln spring .... 21 1 Nottingham Spring .... 28
MARCH.

Derby Spring . 2
Liverpool Spring
Shrewsbury Spring

Doncaster Spring .. 14
Warwick Spring ...... 21
Chelmsford Spring .... 28
IL.

AP.
Northampton 4
Croxton Park 7
Durham l7
Newmarket Craven
Newmarket Ist Spring l'
Chester
York Spring ...

Catterick Bridge ...... 19
Thirsk ................ 21
Epsom Spring ..... 25

Salisbury
Bath ....... . 18
23
Epsom 6ummer
30

Epsom Summer (con.) 1
Manchester......., 7
Ascot
Alexandra Park 2O

i Hampton
Newton
Newcastle
Worcester Summer
'LY.

Newmarket July
Carlisle
Pontefract

Nottingham Summer . • 18
Chesterfield 2l
Good wood . 2,5

AUG

Huntingdon
Reading
Egham
Oxford
York August 22
SEPTI

Weymouth (continued) 1
Leicester 7
Doncaster
Brecon

IPlymouth .......... .. 24
Lichfie:d
I
Devon and Exeter, .... '„0
Derby Summer ....... .. 30
Weymouth
•.•.•., 731
:MBER.

OCT,

Northallerton 5
Newmarket Second Oct 9

Richmond
Monmouth .... • • ...... 21
Manchester Autrmin .. 22
Newmarket Ist 'October.. 26
'OBER

Newmarket Boughton.. !13
Worcester Autumn .... 31

NOVEMBER.
Worcester Autumn (continued) 1

Now ready, G. SHELTON'S Derby Guide, is. G. It.
Glenie, Sporting Library, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park ;
Sunday Times Office,' Fleet-street; and all agents.

Locx.ET's Derby Analysis at a glance shows what tl',o
field for the Blue Riband will be selected from ; and
tains also selections for all the great three-year-old contests,
selections fcr Manchester meeting, Waterloo Cup, 8,7,e,
Price one shilling; had from Sunday Times office, and all
the usual agents, or from E. Locket, Box L 2, Manchester,
and G. H. Glenie, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park.

MARKETS—This Day.

HAY MARKETS.
The hay markets are closed to-day.

COLONIAL,
The markets are closed for the Christmas holidays, but
business will be resumed on Tuesday, 3d January, 1E65,

The Question of the Duchies,

The Constitutionnel publishes the following letter,
dated Frankfort, 25th December :

According to the best informed German journals, the
substance of the actual position of the affairs of the Duchiee
is as follows :—On the sth of November the Vienna Cabinet
proposed to the Berlin Cabinet to take as a starting point of
the negotiation in the question of the Duchies the text of
the declaration of the 28th of May at the London Confe,
rence—the Duchies separated from Denmark, and united
under the sovereignty of the hereditary Prince of Augus-
tenburg. The Cabinet of Berlin replied, on the 17th of this
month, proposing the following conditions to the Vienna
Cabinet : Incorporation of Lauenburg with Prussia ; estab-
lishment of a sort of Prussian suzaainty in the Duchies;
a military and maritime convention ; in other terms, aban-
donment to Prussia of the naval ports of the Duchies and of
the superior command of the fleet and of the army of
Schleswig-Holstein; right of protection over the Baltic
Canal to the North Sea ; in short, reserve in her favour of
everything which would assure to her the high hand in the
direction of the affairs of the Duchies•

At the commencement of the negotiations the Duke of
Augustenberg intimated that he was willing to accept the
propositions which Austria and Prussia might deem it ad-
visable to submit to him. The agents of the Prince did
not hesitate to declare that they counted upon Austria to
prevent M. de Bismarck from making too hard conditions.
If it was simply the wish of Austria to prevent the
incorporation pure a simple:with Prussia, it is probabl
that she has already succeeded. But it remains to be seen
how far she is disposed to admit an indirect annexation of
the Duchies to that State, and to allow the Duke of Augus-
tenburg to be made simply a Prussian Governor.
Prussia is endeavouring as hard as she can to assume in
the North of Germany a position which Austria with agree-
meat with the Secondary States, has always opposed. In
this state:of affairs it may be asked what benefits are to
fall to Austria for her campaign in Schleswig-Holstein.

Letters for the United States of Colombia, or
Central America; altered scale or weight.—
On the Ist of January next, and thenceforward, the scale
of progression for charging letters addressed to the United
States of Colombia, or to any of the States of Central
America, via Panama, sent by packet, will be modified by
substituting for the existing scale a scale of weight having
half-an-ounce as a unit; the postage advancing by single
ratea for each additional half-ounce or fraction of half-an,
ounce.—By command of the Postmaster-General,—
General Post-office, Deo. 26, 1864.

THE SHERIFF OF SOUTHAMPTON IN A FIX,
The Hampshire Independent states that Sheriff Emanuel,
of Southampton, had determined this year to go beyond
the generosity usual on the occasion among the holders of
that office in Southampton—the provision of abundant
good cheer for the debtors in the prison. He had deter-
mined to pay the debts for which they were imprisoned,
thus setting them tree. Unfortunately his intentions too
soon became known, and an amusing result was the con-
sequence. The custom prevails in the county court,
where the greater proportion of the business tran-
sacted consists of plaints preferred by tallymen, of granting
warrants of commitment of defendants for limited periods on
the hearing of summons after judgment, but to suspend their
execution during the pleasure of the plaintiffs, in order to
give the poor debtors an opportunity of meeting the demands
upon them. Mr Emanuel's generous offer at once presented
to this large class of plaintiffs a capital opportunity for col-
' lection of hitherto considered bad debts, whilst to those who
did not reel disposed from thefr own resources to discharge
their liabilities as easy method was thus provided by which
they may be relieved from future claims. The county court
bailiffs found that they were all at once called upon to do a
thriving and unexpected trade, and on Friday the arrivals
in the debtors' ward of the prison were so numerous as to
call the attention el the officials to the circumstance, and.
Mr Emanuel was at once communicated with, in order to
prevent his being victimised in the way which was intended
by the abuse of his good intentions in such a cunning but
scandalous manner. The worthy sheriff proceeded to
the gaol, and there a numerous group of county court
debtors met his view. " And who put you here ?" he said
to one. The answer was, " A tallyman." "And who
you ?" he asked a second. The same reply, " A tallyman."
o a third he addressed himself in a similar manner, and
was once more told, tallyman." The trick was now
tully exposed, but Mr Emanuel nevertheless determined
that, though his original intentions must be abandoned,
they should have a good dinner, and inquired for how
many he should provide. " Oh," said the official, " the
county-court bailiff told us there would be at least another
dozen to-morrow," and a female could not help venting
her wrath at the detection of the trick by exclaiming,
"Why, I shouldn't have come here but that I thought you
were going to pay the debt for me, and I should get out
free." 'We need hardly add that the sheriff departed with
his mind a little enlightened as to the frailities of human
nature, but notwithstanding the imposition attempted to be
practised upon him he does not forget that it is Christmas
time, and he charitably ordered a bountiful dinner for as
many who, under such extraordinary circumstances, hap*
pened to be in the debtors' ward to partake of it.
The French Minister of Public Instruction has
just addressed to the rectors under his authority a
circular in which he suggests that great advantages
may be derived, and the public wealth increased,
by the introduction of additional fruit trees, vege•
tables, and plants into the plots of ground which
are attached to the 27,000 normal schools of France
for the instruction of the pupils in gardening and
the moat improved methods of agricultural cultiva.
tion. The Minister announces that with that view
he has concerted with the Minister of Agriculture,
who has ordered the inspectors in this department
to visit such schools as may be on their way and gil
to the masters whatever counsels may be necessary,
sending in a report on the general situation.
A man named Pillar, the keeper of a cafe in
the Rue Aumaire, was tried on Saturday by the
Tribunal of Correctional Police on a charge of allowing
gaming in his establishment. The defendant's house being
in a populous quarter, was frequented by great numbers
of artizans, merchants' clerks, and shopmen, many of
whom frequently lost their whole weekly earnings there,
and his customers had greatly increasedwithin the last year
atter the police bad enclosed two other houses in the same
neigbourhood. Numerous witnesse were examined,
who deposed that they had lost considerable sums in
dc:gfuernadaendt's house; one of them as much en 7,000 f. at dif-
ferent times, It was clearly proved that the defendant en-
gambling, and often head tho stakes, which some-
tiems were S 9 high as 500 f. It appeared' however, that his
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imprisonment with 1001. fine, and also ordered the confie!
cation of the furniture and articles seized by the police.