The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-20 00:00:00

FRANCE.

DECREE AGAINST THE BISHOPS' LETTERS,
PARIS, AUG. 20.

An Imperial decree has been published to-day
condemnatory of the Bishops' letters on the subject
of the elections, and declaring them an abuse of
ecclesiastical authority.
The preamble of the decree states that it is based
upon the articles of the Concordat and the Papal
Bull of December, 1801, the apostolic decree of 1802,
and the declaration of 1682, establishing as a funda-
mnntal maxim of French public law that the Chief
of the Church and the Church itself have control
solely over spiritual and not over temporal and
civil affairs. The last basis quoted in the decree
states that the bishops and archbishops are not
empowered to deliberate together or pass common
resolutions without the special permission of the
Government.

BOURSE, Aug. 19.—The arrival of Console with
a rise of 4-, has tended to maintain the firmness
before apparent in this market, but without causing
any further improvement in prices. Threes are
now unvaried at 67f. 65e. Little doing in Railway
Shares, and up to the present time the variations
have been but trifling. The market closed as
follows :

li per Cent 5....,.. 96 85 Italian Loan 72 85
Do. end month.... Do. end month 72 70
3 per Cents ...... 67 85 New ditto
Do. end month..,, 67 85 Do. end month
72 75
Credit Mobilier.... 1125 Russian
Do, end m0nth....1123 75 Austrian
Bank Shares 3385 Spanish Threes....
Credit k oneier l2bo , Rome Debt -
RAILWAYS.

Orleans
Northern ....
New ditto •
Lyons and Mediterranean 1031 25 .. 1030
Geneva 492 50 .. 492 50
Southern 712 50 .. 716 25
Western
Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa .. 680 .. 682 60
Ditto to Barcelona .... 355 •
• • 355

Cash. Account.
1020 .. 1020
990 .. 990

A RUSSIAN-AMERICAN ALLIANCE.—VIENNA,
Aug. 17.—The Prase says :—,. We hear that com-
munications have been received from an English source,
according to which we must prepare ourselves for the ap-
proaching ratification of an offensive and defensive alliance
between St. Petersburg and Washington. This eventuality,
should this somewhat speculative information be confirmed,
would principally affect the bearings of the Mexican and
Polish questions."
METROPOLITAN BENEFIT SOCIETIES ASYLUM.

—Toe Fancy Fair and Ball, arranged at this
Institution for Monday and Tuesday,was so successful that
the festivities were continued on 'Wednesday, and the efforts
of the ladies to swell the Endowment Fund were most un-
tiring. The chief feature of the soiree was the spirited
rendering, by Miss Emma Wallington. of several Poems
by Eliza Couk, and one on Poland, written by herself. An
excellent glee choir, sang at intervals ; and on the grounds
during the day, the bands of the Duchess of Kent Lodge.
Staleybridgo Odd Fellows, St. Bartholomew School, and
Finsbury Rifles, entertained the visitors, thoroughly
arousing the neighbourhood of Ball's-pond-road from its
d quiet. There are now six candidates for admission to
the Asylum, from whom one is to be elected at the half-
yearly meeting, fixed for the 28th inst., at Salter's Hotel,
Victoria-street.

HOPE DEFERRED MAKETH THE HEART SICK.

—At a recent examination of Mr. Logie, farmer,
Marrayshall, on his sister entering the box to be examined,
the following conversation took place between her and the
opposing agent :—Agent--" How old are you P" " Oh,
wee), sir, I am an unmarried woman, and I dinna think it
richt to answer that question." The Judge—" Oh, yes,
answer the gentleman how old you are." Miss Jane—.
" Weel a weel, I am fifty." Agent—" Are you not more ?"
" Weel, lam sixty." The inquisitive writer still farther
asked if she had hopes of getting married, to which Miss
Jane replied, " Weel, sir, I winna surely tell a lie—l hinna
lost hope yet ;" and she scornfully added, " but I Widna
marry you, for I am sick tired o' your palaver already."
The examination then proceeded.—Dun4c Courier.
A SLIGHT CONFUSION OF IDEAS.—Under the
head of Renter's Telegram, the Court Journal bewilder-
ingly announces that " the Archduke tlaximiliana (sic)
1a; accapteti the throne oY Ureeee (I) 4'l_

((iffurt
/rituyeA,„
141.

HER MAJESTY.

The Queen in Germany.

ROSENAU, COBURG, Aug. 16.
The Queen arrived at Rosenau at ten o'clock yeE•
terday morning.

Her Majesty was much fatigued by the intense
heat in the journey from Laeken, and has remained
in perfect quiet since her arrival.

The Duke of Coburg is absent at the Congress at
Frankfort, and the Duchess of Coburg received her
Majesty and the princes and princesses at Rosenau,
and visited her Majesty in the evening.

A communication from Lisbon, in announcing the
confinement of the Queen of Portugal for October, states
that King Fernando will be the godfather, and the Princess
Clotilda, sister of the Queen, godmother.—Galiqnani.
The Duke of Somerset, the First Lord of the
Admiralty, together with the Hon. Captain Drummond,
C. 8., Mr. Stansfeld, M.P., and Rear-Admiral Robinson,
returned to the Admiralty last evening from a tour of in-
spection of the westbrn ports. The duke and commis-
sioners closed their visit westward yesterday, after visiting
Pembroke Dockyard. Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Fred.
Grey and Rear-Admiral Eden, C. 8., had returned to town
the•day previous from Devonport and Falmouth.
The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland left
town yesterday for the north, for the season. The duke was
to stay at Newcastle last night, on his way to Alnwick
Castle, and the duchess was to pay a visit to Lord and Lady
Wenlock at Escrick Park, Yorkshire.

The Duke of Newcastle has left Thomas's Hotel,
Berkeley-square, for his seat, Clamber, Notts.
The Earl of Dunmore left Dunmore Castle, N. 8.,
at the end of last week, in order to embark for Canada, to•
resume his military duties with his regiment, the Scots
Fusilier Guards.

The Earl de Grey returned to town last evening
from a personal inspection of the fortifications in the
western district. The noble earl extended his progress of
inspection as far as Pembroke.

Lord Londesborough has returned to town from
attending the review of his volunteer rifle corps in York-
shire.

Lady Mordaunt and Alin Mordaunt have ar-
rived At the Alexandra Hotel (late Wallaco'k), Hyde-park-
corner.

Lord and Lady Chelmsford and the Hon. Miss
Thesiger and Lady Rolle have left Port Elliot for Pen-
earrow, on a visit to Lady Molesworth.
...

Lord Clarence Paget, M.P., after attending with
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in their inspec-
tion of the western ports, has gone to his seat in Wales, to
join Lady Clarence Paget and family.
Major-General Frederick W. Hamilton, CM,
Vice•• President of the Council of Military Education, left
town on Tuesday evening for Germany. The gallant
general intends to be present at the great military ma-
nceuvres of the Prussian army this autumn. General Ha-
milton is not expected to return home until the close of the
ensuing month.

DEATH OF SIR ANGUS CAMPBELL, BART.—We
have to record the death of Sir Angus Campbell,
Bart., who died on the 13th inst., at Dunstaffnage Castle,
Argyllshire. The late baronet was the eldest son of Sir
Donald Campbell, who obtained the baronetcy in 1836 for
his civil services. He succeeded his father, who was Lieu-
tenant-Governor of Prince Edward's Island from 1847 to
1850, in the latter year. The late baronet emered the navy,
and obtained the rank of lieutenant in 1849. He was un-
married, and is succeeded in the baronetcy and estates in
Argyllshire by his next brother, Donald. The Campbells
of this line are descended from Colin, first Earl of Argyll,
and from him his descendants hold the hereditary title of
Captains of the Royal Castle of Dunstaffnage,

SIR JAMES HUDSON has presented to Verdi a very
fine copy (by Poussin) of the Venus of Titian.
Several of the Paris journals mention that M.
Dubois de Saligny, the French Minister at Mexico, is about
to be recalled.
The Malta and Alexandria Telegraph Cable has
been repaired, and is now open to the public for messages
direct from London to SUEZ.
OLD SMITHFIELD is about to be turned into a
new poultry and meat market.
HEAVY CHARGES !—lt has been calculated that
nearly six tons of lead were shot into the Wimbledon butts,
in the form of bullets, during; the late competition I
DENISON'S REPLY TO LYELL I—Sir William
Denison, Governor of Madras, brother of the Speaker and
of Archdeacon Denison, is writing a reply to Sir Charles
Lyell's recent work on the "Antiquity of Man."
A CLASSICALLY SARCASTIC HINT.—If sensation
ropewalking continues, it has been suggested that every
tea-garden or circus where Blondins, either male or female,
perform, might, perhaps, be dedicated to the public, with
the appropriate and classical motto of " Morituri to salu-
tant."..

A monument to Captain Cook, the great navigator,
is to be erected in the Sandwich Islands.
THE "UNBLEACHED AMERICAN s."—The Eighth..
avenue Railroad Company have p ,sted the following notice
in their office and in, the several cars running on their
road :—" Coloured persons are not allowed to ride on the
cars of this company."—New York Times.
CURRENTE CALAMO! From an ingenious
answer to Dean Alford's recent attacks upon Jour-
nalists in reference to "The Queen's English," we extract
the following brief passage from our contemporary, the
Sheield Independent :—" The most obvious reason why
the writing in newspapers is, as a rule, more liable to mis-
takes than that in less ephemeral productions, is the haste
with which it is inevitably composed, and the hurried man-
ner in which it has to be corrected. Time, with newspapers.
and especially with daily newspapers, is of primary import-
ance. The matter must be ready by a certain hour, and
the time for its preparation is always short. This necessi-
tates off-hand writing. The editor has no time for care-
fully weighing every sentence, for labouring antitheses, and
for scrupulously choosing each word. He has to select his
subject, to ascertain its bearings, and to express his opinion.
thereupon in clear and forcible rather than elegant language.
And for the whole process he has probably about as much
time as the Dean of Canterbury IN ould take in making up
his mind what to write about."
REYNARD OUTWITTED BY A PlKE.—Whilst fish-
ing in the great pond, a large pike of 18 or 191 b.
weight was caught; this was to be brought at night to the
castle at Pyrbaum ; but it escaped—sprang out—as the
vessel in which it was placed was not properly watched, and
the persons who carried it came home empty ; so they were
sent back to seek for the pike. When they arrived at the
place where the pike was lost, they observed a fox in the
wheat, who even on their approaching him remained
standing still; whereupon they hurried nearer, and per-
ceived that the pike had hold of the fox by the snout, and
had so bitten into it that they could not release it. So the
fox was killed, and the living pike brought to the castle.--
Cholniondeley Pennell': Angler Naturalist.
MADAME Puss—A WORD IN HER FAVOUR
.--
The faults of puss, like those of women, are chiefly
due to the injudicious way in which she is ordinarily treated
by men. The faculties of the dog are developed by regular
food, freedom, kindness, and association in our daily amuse-
ments. The cat is restricted to the house. stoned if she
leaves it, fed scantily or not at all, despised as a household
drudge, a forlorn Cinderella—but for whom, however, we
should be overrun by vermin—abandoned to the caprices of
children, and made occasionally the subject of cruel scientific,
experiments. We ill-treat her and yet inveigh against her
want of affection ; we dine on mutton and reproach her with
her carnivorous instinct ; we frequently resent even a kind-
ness, and are shocked at her promptness to avenge a wrong.
I confess that I rejoice to hear the howl of lamentation
that follows the scratch she inflicted on the vicious child
whose daily amusement is tormenting her ; for it is not
well, because parents are injudicious, that cruelty and lack
of consideration for the sufferings of our fellow-creatures
should pass unpunished.—Once a Week,
GALLANT CONDUCT OF A CUSTOMS' BOATMAN.--"'
SUNDERLAND, Tuesday.—Last night about eight o'clock
pilot, in descending the quay in the North Dock Basin, fell
into the water. A man in a boat attempted to get to him,
but could not. The pilot had sunk, when George John-
ston, Customs' boatmen, leaped from the quay, caught kilm
by the hair, and held him up until beth were rescued from
their perilous position.
DESPATCH OF AMERICAN MAILS. —SOUTHAMP"
TON, August 19.—The North German Lloyds'
steam-ship, New York, Captain Wenke, sailed hence at 2
p.m. to day with the French and English mails for Nov
York direct. She took out 167 saloon, exclusive of keersga
passengers, also a large and valuable cargo, including
76,384 francs value in jewellery from Havre. Amongst the
Passengers by the New York were Mr. and Mrs. Ferrero
and family, Mr. Hillman, United States consul at Ronlo
Mr. Turner and family ; Colonel Morton and family, ke. ;
Captain von Boleslawaky, of the Austrian artillery (I'''"
goes out on a mission from his Government). The Ameri-
can families, who have spent the summer in Europe, are now
returning home, and many applications for passage in the
New York had to be refused.

A MIGHTY RUSH OF WATERS.—An unsuccessful
attempt was recently made to sound the Falls of Niagara;
An iron weight of ten pounds was let fall from a hoig4t 0:
225 feet. it struck the surface fairly withthe point, but
was not out of sight for a second, skipping like a chip on
the surface. The velocity of the iron, when striking, wust
have been equal to 124 feet per second, and its
5,000 pounds. This will give some idea of the strength of
the current bcacath the falls. ~,osentunt

In

it M.
about