The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-28 00:00:00

JAPAN.

No definitive information respecting Admiral
Kuper's movements has been received, but it was
reported at Shanghae just before the departure of
the mail, that he had sent in his ultimatum, and
that every hope was entertained of a pacific solu-
tion. The China Mail says :
There are not wanting indications of a desire to temporise
on the part of the Japanese, but nothing is known suffi-
ciently definite to allay the general anxiety as to what atti-
tude they mean to adopt, and what securities for their future
good behaviour our minister means to require, in the event
of their showing a desire to treat with us peacefully. In
the meantime everything is quiet. The secession of nobles
from Yedo still continues, and it cannot be concealed that
some grave design is shrouded under that extraordinary
proceeding. Two documents, purporting to be translations
of native papers, were published in our last issue ; they are
believed to be genuine productions, and the opinions to be
formed from perusing them are unfavourable to the position
of American political agents in this portion of the East, The
steamer Fiery Cross, recently purchased by the Japanese
Government from a foreign firm here, has been lost in a
typhoon in the Inland Sea.

A crowded meeting of factory operatives was held
at the Town-hall, Macclesfield, on Monday night, when it
was resolved that a committee be appointed to raise a fund
to enable silk weavers and their families resident in the
town and neighbourhood to emigrate to the colonies.
SCIENCE EXAMINATIONS AT THE SOUTH KEN-
SINGTON MUSEUM.—The annual May examina-
thens Departmentfand the
the the pupils of science schools and classes by
h
of Science and Art have just
resultter-
minated, shows a very satisfactory
increase in the number
of centres of examination
and the number of pupils who have
to
ec
decrease
seexamined,as
toa
although on some subjects the has beenom e up
a d
com-
pared with last year. in geometrical drawing the number e rcome
of pupils examined in 1862 was 119, but this year they had
drawing the number has in-
increased to 289. In machine
ildi
nO. construction there
creased from 70 to 194 ; and in bu
has been an increase from 45 to 107. In theoretical me-
chanics there has been a falling off from 52 pupils to 35
47 to 52.
and in applied mechanics the decrease is
from
The experimental sciences appear the most popular. In
acoustics, light, and heat there is an increase from 47 to
121—and in magnetism and electricity the increase is
from 105 to 207. Inorganic chemistry shows an increase
from 558 to 679 ; and organic chemistry an increase from
105 to 157. It is rather remarkable that there should be a
falling off in some of the natural sciences. The number of
pupils in geology has decreased from 189 to 129, and in
mineralogy from 81 to 4E. There is a slight decrease in
mineral phfryom 84 to siology
41. from 349 to 343; but in zoology the de-
In vegetable physiology there is an
increase from 66 to 126, and in systematic botany from 26
to 84. In mining and metallurgy, which has been lately
added to the list of subjects, there were 29 pupils in the for-
mer, and 63 in the latter. The centres of examinations
have increased from 54, in 1862, to 71, in 1863 ; and the
Lumber of pupils examined in the different sub-
jects has increased from 1,943 to 2,672. These figures
only give an approximate estimate of the number
- of pupils receiving instruction in elementary science, because
a considerable proportion are not sufficiently advanced to
attend the examinations.

CRYSTAL PALACE,—ONE SHILLING DAY.—
Wednesday, May 27.—Admission on payment, 4924; ditto
by season tickets, 1,036; total visitors, 5,960,