The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-17 00:00:00

SWITZERLAND.

The Grand Council of Switzerland assembled at
Berne on the 12th, and-adopted a proposition for a
very extensive political amnesty, extending as far back
as the events of 1846. This measure of clemency
was regarded at Berne as a clear indication of the
force of the Conservative party. The Radical party
in the -Grand Council was becoming more and more
weak. Some of the members bad given in their re-
signation.

ITALY.
The Grand flukes of Russu were remaining at
Rome on the Bth. The Russian envoy, M. BOUTE.
NIEFF, on --the 7tb, gave a splendid file in their
honour, at which the cardinals, the prelates, and the
French officers were present.
In the sitting of the 11th of the Chamber of
Deputies of Turin, the _ Bill on the tax on per-
sonal property was passed by 85 votes to 37. The
Chamber then proceeded to elect a new president.
The contest was obstinate ; Ikl. Ratazzi, the leader of
the Left Centre, and candidate of the fusienists of the
Right a.KI Left, Dbtairied at first 56 votes ; Chevalkr
cßeunnter°esm2P3 ; agnib the , candidate of the non-fusionist
Count Revel, the candidate of the ex-
treme Right, 20 ; and M. Tecchio, supported by the
extreme left, 22. No one having obtained the abso-
lute ror.jority of 65, a new ballot commenced, in
which tto numbers were :--Ratazzi 58, Boncompagni
32, Tecchio 23, -Rtvel 13. The ballot between the two
candidates who had obtained the largest number of
~tee; last decided in favour of Ratazzi, who ob-
taiced 74 votes against 52 given to Boncompagni, who
nevertheless was afterwards elected vice•president by
77 votes against 36, given to Tecchio.

C 11A SSEU RIFLE AN 0 SWORD.

NVOOLVICEE, MAY 15.—Messrs. Pritchett and Son,
who have for many years supplied the Board of Ord-
nancearms, attended in the Marshes heriwiiicpnnegrnitnnhtnee early e
and the Hon. East India Company with small
,hiple ohere thearprer:
pracf
-
tice lttiih;cbe:awwteeadeskrrijaituohrf:tahnbe:Cwg'aroajosfidse:;utsriaismedifi!):Vlo
t
of the firing:-The target flied at was 18 feetbhigh by 12
broad, and of the first 16 rounds fired 14 hit the target
at 700 yards': range, and two only did not hit.
The range Was next extended to 800 yards, and of 17
rounds fired at that distance 14 hit the target, and
three did not hit. Fifteen rounds' were fired at 900
yards range, and cut of that number 12 hit the target,
one entering the bull's eye, and the other three did not
hit. Tho trial was completed' by firing the last 15
fot rounds'
thhei. balls n
ta. ~11.1000e0et:eif:di the
t ag
anddiatn!enYaOligtme,rayabe
at that distance 13
o
t' and
consideredon ly two
a w o
verydd
t
fair test of the Chasseur rifle,, as the wea-
ther was bad, with oecasiunally a Scotch mist or driz-
zling rain. The Chasseur rifle is 2 feet 10 inches long
in the barrel, or five inches shorter than the barrel of
the itiiine rifle, the latter being 3 feet 3 inches in
length. To place the Chasseur rifle in an equally ad-
vautag. ous position for close quarter defence, a sword
of the saute description as these used by the
French Chasseurs and artillery is fitted to the muzzle
in a strong but similar manner as the bayonet,
and the sword being 1 foot 11 inches in
length, the Chasseur rifle and sword is exactly equal in
length to the Min' c rifle, or common musket and bayonet.
The weight of the Chasseur rifla is 81b. 7ez , and the
mcde of taking the sight when firing exactly on the
wise plan as has been adopted in. the Dlini6 rifle. The
Bali used is on. the same principle as those used in the
hild6 and each bill weighs , and the charge
si
gh
he
tct endu.
ve of the
heir r rifle,
of powder is two -drachms. The C'hasseur sword is a
altstepionwgelrhfualrplvoenaP°onnewsidhee,nwl.th
fixed on
a
iannfldi cittedmbayy
sitiswoobueldubs
eedof a
withmtohst
dproelintrtu' ctthiveewnature,
ffect, the blade being 1 foot 101 inches
in length exclusive of the handle. The following com-
parative statement of the result of the experiments with
the Chasseur rifle and the Min 6 lib will exhibit their
respective merits. Out of 200 rounds fired from the Mine
rifle at 900 yards 28 bit the target 6 feet high and 36 feet
long. (hit of 15 rounds from the Chasseur rifle, at 900
bull's-
tul7l'oso-
nyya
er. d. s ,
012 n
th int` hf
e get,
rr
ng
ne tn,d os nfier
fired
df
froth t
ein
yards range 37 halls hit the target, and out of 16 rounds
1s
clt
he en th
ri
ga
rifle
fired from the Chasseur rifle 14 hit the target. The great
majority f the balls from the Chasseur rifle hit the
target in,n, straight line with the bull's eye, but mostly
above it'. The weight of the Mieie rifle is 91b. 10c z..
and the cherge of powder 2i drachms. The weight of
the Chasseitr rifle, is 81b. 7tz and the charge of powder
2 drachms. Tho weight of the old musket is 111 b. 7cz,
end the charge of powder 4i draehra4

SURREY T EATRE.
Miss Glyn is performing at this well-managed theatre
wtth great eclat, and supported very efFiciently. Te-
night she is to rippEar as Constance in King John. The
pert of Hobart, in wbieh Mr. Ryder has achieved such
a signal triumph at the Princess's, will be, we doubt not,o
ab!y sustained by Mr. T. Mead, a careful, judicious, r.n
impre:i%ive actor. On Wednesday the School for Scandal
will be played for the hencfit of Mr. Shepherd, who de-
serves the most cordial support of the public for the ex-
ellli:Tit management which has signalised his possession
of the Surrey Theatre, and enabled it to compete fairly
tLe:plost,favottred (.is-Tareisian houses.

•
ROYAL ITALIXN OPERii.—liiS Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge honoured the performances at the Royal
Italian Opet'a with his presence on• Saturday evening. The
Queelf3 box was occupied by Colonel the lion. C. B.
Phipps, Lady Caroline Barrington and Miss Barrington, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Bidelulph. Among the fashionable com-
pany.petsent in theibeatre we remarked the Duke and Du-
chess of Norfolk and Lady,Adeliza Fitzalan Howard, the
Duchess of Montrose and - the Ladies Graham, the Marquis
of Douro, the Earl and Countess of Beauchamp, the Earl of
Cardigan, the Marchesa Brancaleone and Mdlle. de Branca.
caleone, he Count and Countess de Morella, Viscount and
Viscountess Torrington, Viscountess Villiers and Misa Doyle,
7VisCOtitit Eitmoutb, Lady William Powlett, Lord and Lady
Carington and the Hon. Miss Carington, Lord and Lady
Foley and the lion. Adelaide Foley, Lord 10(1,1 Churchl.
Viscount Lascelies Lady Jane Repton and Mr. Repton,
M.P., Lady 'Macfarlane and Miss Macfarlane, Lady Lynd-
hurst and the lion. Miss Copley, Lady Elizabeth Bulteel and
the Misses Bulteel, Lady Virginia Sandars and Mr. Sandars,
M.P., Lord John Hay, Lady Peel and Miss Peel, Sir Henry
Webb, Sir John Campbell,K.T.S., and Lady Campbell, Sir
Thomas Hare, Sir William de Bathe lion. aohn Fortescue,
M.P.,,,1i0n E. V. 'Russell, M.P., Sir Geo. Armytage, Mr.
H. Greville, Mr. St. Leger Glyn, Captain Meyrick, Captain
de Bathe, Mr. Lloyd Clayton, Captain Grant, Captain Mey-
nell, R.N., the Right • lion. Sidney Herbert, M.P., and Mrs.
11 drbert, Mr. Mitchell, M.P., Mr. .W. F. Baring, Captain
Stanley, Mrs. Hatton and the Misses Hatton, Major the
lion. James Alaedonald, &c.
... .
:- INtu.s .LonjSA. PYNE'S Bk.'NFFIT.—The English
' - nightingale tales her benefit at Drury-lane Theatre on Wed-
. • nesday evening next, and unless taste and appreciation of
vocal excellence be utterly departed from the metropolis the
house will be crowded to overflowing.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following
gentlenien, having undergone the necessary examinations
for the I diploma, were admitted members of the college at
the meeting of the Court of Examiners on the 14th in-
stant :4-MessrS; Richard Clarke, Beccles, Suffolk; William
Ashton i Shepherd,--Hon. East India Company's Service;
Henry Septimus2Beddome, Hudson's Bay ; Godfrey Bingley
YYdswPrth. Warwick7street, Regent-street ; Thomas
,eoyferbv, Lc-ugh-borough ; George Prowd Lambert, En-
field ;lis
tiol.lna ri r
Nisvoetu
tibiaanin n, aE, s
sex Belfast;ja;rn
eGseporrgatechTehttomparsinWkwilalitaemr,
Shrewsbury; James Graham Hildige, Dublin; Richard An-
thony F'rederickGurpey, Lilburn, Northamptonshire; and
Robert 'Lucas, Battisham, Cambridgeshire At the same
inecrinii of the:ourt Messrs. Augustus Richard Richard
navald Richard 'J
J. Squire
3,p,ass2e: theiriB
6,
ail
dJuly examinationsi7,
for surgeons. ('-'l''' he;se gentlemen had previously
respectively
of the college, their diplomas
el)* February tb)eiettLagclanalitteterdeip
1846.
~

Ott t Ts uattt
A.—At about five
Saturday afternoon, IrefrEnoConA BLUE'
Cambria, Captain_ ,Stone, left ,thee Royal Mail steam-ship
o'clDocElrP
Boston, with the inails, for the United States,
for Halifax and
foundland, &c., a fair average freight,States, Canada, New-
seugers. On leav_ipg the river, theCamalV about 60 pas-
rut met the Asia,
inward.bound, and exchanged salutes on rounding the Rock
lighthouse.
PoW,DEVMAGaziNEB.--In consequence of the m-
hulemls, explosions of the magazines at Turin, and the ')aBr-
roW -ocape front a—similar accident last week at Waltham
Abbey, a" p If-lie" seems to have been creatEd at Liverpool,
Where ah imrainse-- quantity of gunpowder has been just
ordered to be moored within three or four miles of that-
town, and a considerably shorter distance from the densely-
populated south -suburbs of the town. Llolbree Island,
about eight miles from Liverpool, is now strongly recom-
mended for sofety-.:--Naai and Military Gazette 9f the 15th
instant., , -