The Sun.
London, England, 1839-12-23 00:00:00

BRUSSET S, DEC. 19.—At the sitting yesterday, the I
Chamber proceeded to the discussion of the report
of the budget of the foreign department. Several r rti-
cles were adopted without a debate, but a long d,:cus-
sion arose on the 3d chapter allowing 100,000 fl arcs
for the salaries of the Consular Agents, which, how-
ever was at length agreed to. A very long and animated
debate ensued on the sth chapter, with respect to abuses
pointed out by M. Brouckere in the employment of the
funds allowed for the travelling expenses of the agents of
the Foreign Department. The debate on this article was
adjourned.
BRUSSELS, DEC. °O.—The Minister of War has
presented a project of law to the Chamber, by which
the amount of the levy for 1840 is fixed at 10,000 men.
Prince and Princess Albert of Prussia left the Hague
on the 17th to return to Berlin. •
VIENNA, DEC. 11.—A Vienna correspondent of the
Lcipsic Allgemeine Zcitutv, regrets to see that the
Grand Prince Metternich has not recovered his activity
and energy of mind since his late illness ; in reply to
which I can assure you that persons who see him almost
every day and at all hours declare that he is perfectly
well, and his mental faculties as vigorous as ever. If he
does not prolong his Sunday evening practices till mid-
night or even later, as formerly, but closes them at
half-past ten, he probably follo;is the advice of his phy-
sician.
Universal regret is excited by the death of Baron Von
' Jacquin, who has been carried off by an apopleptic fit
at the age of 74. His celebrated father attained the
age of 90. The loss to the learned world will be the more
severely felt, as his house was for a long series of years
the rendezvous of all the most eminent characters in
literature and science. He was in every respect a
highly accomplished and most honourable man.
COPENHAGEN, DEC. I:3.—Couriers have been des-
patched to the Ambassadors of Denmark at foreign
Courts, with letters announcing the death of King Fre-
derick VI.

Our journals continue to be filled with numerous
addresses to the King on his Majesty's accession.
It is a great pity that we have no Government paper.
The want of one is much felt at this moment, for we
may ascribe to it the great number of reports of all
kinds, and at variance with each other, which are neither
contradicted nor confirmed.
Bay NSWICK, DEC. 11.—The Assembly of the Estates
of the Duchy was opened to-day with the usual forma-
lities by the Privy Councillor, Count Von Wiliheim.—
Hamburg Papers, Dec. 17.
ST. PETERSBURGII, DEC. 7.—Lieutenant-General
Rajewesky, commanding the troops on the coast of the
Black Sea, one of the bravest of the generals who have
latterly operated against the rebellious mountaineers,
has again highly distinguished himself in the campaign
of the last summer, for which he has received a most
gracious reception from the Emperor, with the Grand
Cross of the second class of the order of St. Vladimar.

ST. PETERSBURGII, DEC. 10.—The navigation at
Cronstadt was finally closed on the 3d. 1,378 ships
have arrived during the season. At Riga the river
Dwina was free from ice ; up to 21st November, 1,724
ships have arrived, and 1,790 sailed.

ALLEGED ATTACK ON A FEMALE.-At
the Wellington Barracks on Friday afternoon, a woman
was found in the dust-hole, covered with straw, and
apparently in a dying state. She was speedily carried
to Westminster Hospital, and on recovering a little she
stated that she had been attacked in a most brutal
manner and severely injured by two soldiers, who struck
her, and jumped upon her, when she became insensible.
On Saturday mornio, Inspector Martin of the A. divi-
sion, with Mr. Archer, the house surgeon at Westmin-
ster Hospital, waited upon Mr. Gregorie, at Queen-
square police-office, to make him acquainted with the
circumstances above detailed. After a full recapitula-
tion of the affair, Mr. Gregorie asked Mr. Archer if the
woman was in imminent danger? Mr. Archer said
she certainly was so ; she was in a sinking state, and lie
could not say she would surrive many hours. Mr. Gre-
gorie inquiried of the inspector if the woman was able to
identify the soldier that had first ill-used her ? The In-
spector said that she had declared her ability to do so,
and had to him described every article of dress accu-
rately, but there was one circumstance that would tend
o make the affair one of such a nature as to causet
much difficulty in elucidating it. The woman had four
or five times asserted that the soldier wore a white hat-
band. Now, the soldiers who were quartered at the
Wellington Barracks belonged to the First Regiment
of Grenadier Guards, and the band worn by them was
red. The white belonged to the Coldstream Guards,
who were new quartered at the Tower. Mr. Gregorie
iequired of a sergeaw, who had come from the Bar-
racks to hear the case, if any other soldiers but those be-
longing to the regiment were allowed to enter barracks ?
The sergeant said that men from all regiments were al-
lowed to come to the Canteen. The woman who was
now in the hospital had on Monday last decoyed
away his child, but being stopped in Hyde-park by a
constable and brought back to the barracks, she was
detained in the Canteen until witness could be found,
but she then contrived to escape, and, though search
was made throughout the premises, she could not be
found. Some further conversation then took place be-
tween Mr. Gregorie and Mr. Archer, the surgeon,
which resulted in the former gentleman repairing to the
hospital to take the woman's dying deposition. The re-
sult of the Magistrate's visit was that the woman, al-
though in a (lying state, yet not being in immediate
dread of death, the Magistrate could not in law examine
her as any deciaraion she might make would not be
considered evidence. The Magistrate afterwards gave
some directions to the police respecting the case, and
made some inquiries into the woman's character, which
was ascertained to be abandoned.

EXPLOSION OF A POWDER MILL ON
HOUNSLOW-HFATIL—On Wednesday last, an explo-
sion, which has, unfortunately, been attended with
fatal consequences, occurred on the extensive premises
for the manufacture of gunpowder, on Hounslow-
heath, belonging to Messrs. Harvey, Curtis, and Co.
Two of the men, named East and Jacobs, had been
most severely scorched and burned, so as to afford
scarcely any hope of their surviving. The surgeons, on
examining their injuries, directed the unfortunate men
to be taken to their respective residences, whither they
were conveyed in one.of the covered powder-vans, the
medical gentlemen accompanying it. We regret to
state that East expired on Friday evening, and there is
very little probability of Jacobs recovering. The acci-
dent is stated to have occurred under the following cir-
cumstances :—The two men in question were the only
ones in the building that has been blown up, which was
used as a corning-house, and were, at the time of the
explosion, engaged in clearing it out. East, contrary
to his instructions, did it in a manner never before at-
tempted, at the same time using a wrong instrument.
By the force of the explosion the unfortunate man
was blown clean through the door-way, and was found,
i❑ a dreadfully mutilated state, in the yard, his com-
panion being afterwards found at the contrary end of the
building,.

CURIOUS DiscovErtY.—A strange lesson has
just been read to antiquaries and virtuosi, by a remark-
able discovery in the British Museum. The famous
Portland Vase, the pride of ancient, and wonder of mo-
dern art—the theme of many an essay, and many a
panegyric, has let in a new light upon the fictile repre-
sentations of antiquity. A few weeks ago it was
deemed necessary to wash this noble relic, in order to
remove the accumulated dust of ages ; when, lo! almost
every figure was found to be designated by an inscrip-
tion, and the purport and procession of the whole vase

(we believe) to be thereby explained ! We have not
yet had an opportunity of examininc, this memorable
revelation, but can state that the theories of the late
Mr. Payne Knight and Mr. Christie are utterly over-
turned by the facts now ascertained. When we con-
sider how admirably these theories were made out, and
how satisfactory they appeared to be, need we repeat
that this a strange lesson to antiquaries and virtuosi ?
Literary Garcitc.