The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-04 00:00:00

r The intimation in the American news that a bill
has been introduced into the Confederate Congress
for imposing an export duty of 20 per cent. on
cotton demonstrates further the hopelessness of ex-
pecting an supply of the article from that quarter
until after the termination of the civil war.
The usual monthly biddings for the billsonlndia
took place at the Bank of England yesterday, and
the amount offered on this occasion was £450,000, in
stead of £300,000, consequent on the sums pre-
viously left over. The minimum rates declared
were the same as those of last month—namely, ls.
per rupee on Calcutta, and ls. 111 d. on Bom-
bay and Madras, and owing to the great demand
for remittances to India to pay for cotton, the ten-
ders within these limits reached an aggregate of
£1,500,000. Those on Calcutta above ls. 11 td.
will be accepted in full, while those at ls. 114 d.
will receive only about 55 per cent. Those on Bom •
bay at 2s. 0k d. will receive in full, and at 2s. about
41 per cent., and those on Madras at 26. will re-
ceive in full, and at ls. 11d. about 70 per cent.
ECLIPSES FOR THE YEAR 1863.—Next year there
will be only four eclipses—two of the sun, and two of the
moon. The first will be that of the sun on the Ist of May,
partial and visible, beginning at 5.43, and ending at 7.12.
The second takes place on the 2d of June, that of the
moon, total and visible, beginning at 9.46, and ending 1.6.
The third will be that of the sun, November 11, invisible.
And the fourth that of the moon, partly visible, begins at
7.16, and ends at 7.32.
A WORD ABOUT LEMONS.--The lemons from the
Lake of Garda are considered the best in Italy for purposes
of exportation, as they can bear even the longest voyage
without injury. The best are sent to Germany and Russia,
and are sold from 7f. to Bf. a hundred; the second class
lemons are sold in Lombardy and Venetia; and the third
class (those which fall from the tree) have always been re-
garded as the lawful property of the women of the families,
who sell them at the low price of 50 or 60 centerimi a hun-
dred, and consider the profits their pin-money. The
lemons that are packed for exportation are wrapped one by
one in clean paper, before being put in the cases prepared
to receive them. It is a pretty sight to see the women doing
this : sometimes 20 or 30 together, sitting on low chairs
in large rooms with myriads of low na forming a golden
carpetall round them. They wrap them completely and
effectually with a clever twist of the soft paper in an in•
stant, and sing in chorus as they sit at work. Garibaldi's
Hymn was always the favourite tune; one heard it from
every house when packing was going on. I used to wonder
how they could sing for the smell of the fresh km, ns, so
delightful in a small quantity, is dreadfully oppressive
when they are gathered together by thousands in hot
weather. Each case, packed for exportation, generally con-
tains about 4,500 ; they are sent across the lake to the Tyrol,
to proceed, via Austria, to their destination.—Once a Week.

Our food department, though more important
than those of clothing, convenience and luxury, is always
in the dark—voluntarily and needlessly. Our farmers
have surmounted many prejudices in their generation, and
their art of food-manufacture has advanced most strikingly
since the repeal of the Corn Laws : but they have not yet
got over the mischief and unreasonable prejudice which
makes them refuse to allow returns to be made of the
use and productiveness of their land. To the rest of
the world this looks very strange, because their industry is
pursued in the open air, and under the broad sky, so that
it is not in their power to conceal the state of any one field
or any one farm, from end to end of the kingdom.—Once a
Week,. •

A WORD OF COMFORT AS TO OUR FOOD.—On the
whole there can be no fear of our being disappointed of any
supply of corn that we may be able and willing to pay for,
at the price that the circumstances of the year, will deter-
mine. Since the corn trade of the world has been thrown
open, there has been an end of all apprehension of famine in
a country like England. There is always enough to be had
by those who have ports to receive it, roads for its transit,
and money to pay the price that it may bear.—Once a Week.

A consulting committee, charged with the exa-
mination of all questions relative to the public health and
the medical service of the hospitals, has just been established
by de&ree, under the presidency of the Minister of the
Interior.

OYSTERS AT SOUTHAMPTON.—The first cargo of
Jersey oysters for the season has just been bedded at South-
ampton. Oyster dredging has commenced in Southampton •
water. Enormous quantities of oysters are found there,
and the beds extend down to the coast of Osborne, her
Majesty's residence in the Isle of Wight,• These oysters
are small, of superior flavour, and conveyed long distances
to be laid down, naturalised, andatterwards sold as natives.
The shell of the Southampton oyster is much darker
than that of oysters on the Sussex coast. Whitstable in
Kent produces the finest oysters. The oyster dredge used
at Southampton is made of steel, and dreding is hard work,
on account of the tenacity with which oysters cling to
substances on which they have grown. The Jersey oysters
are of immense size, and it is believed of great age. Some
of their shells are perfectly honeycombed, like aged timber.
They have a remarkably saline flavour when first brought
over from the Channel Islands, which goes off after they
have been for some time bedded at Southampton. Dogfish
are now singularly plentiful in Southampton-water,

TOBACCO STATISTICS.—In Cuba there are 10,000
tobacco plantations, occupying 414 square miles, and culti-
vated by 15,000 negro slaves. The capital employed is
nearly three millions sterling, and the average quantity of
tobacco produced yearly is about 17,000 tons. One-fourth
of this i 3 consumed in Cuba. It is estimated that the to-
bacco plants in the island number four thousand millions,
each plant having eight to ten suitable leaves. There are
in Cuba 600 cigar manufacturers ; 20,000 workmen are em-
ployed there in making cigars. One man can make nearly
1,000 a week, for which the pay is 30s. The number of
cigars exported from Cuba is worth from 200 to 250 millions.
In the Phillippine Islands 1,200,000,000 cigarettes, or
paper-covered cigarettes, are made annually. A workman
can make 3,750 a day, for which he gets Is. 7d. The annual
consumption of tobacco is, in the United States, 321bs. per
head ; in England, 161 oz. ; in France, 174 oz. ; and in
Germany, 32 oz.

The performances of the members of the Savage
Club at Manchester, on Tuesday night, for the benefit of
the fund for the relief of the distress in Lancashire, were
perfectly successful. It is stated that over £5OO would be
realised for the fund.

THE PENNY-A-LINER'S BEST FRIEND.—Frem
the number of accidents that are continually occurring we
should say that the very best friend the penny-a-liner ever
had is crinoline. The mere fires alone that have resulted
from wearing that fatal garment must have cooked him
many and many a dinner. In fact we suspect that on seve-
ral occasions, when at a loss for a genuine accident, it
has also fired his imagination, since it is almost impossible
to believe that the innumerable casualties recorded nearly
every day in the papers can all have been founded on fact.
Considering the number of persons it has consumed
alive, crinoline seems to have inherited the secret of the
patent of Nessus' shirt—a secret that we always thought
had been for ever extinguished with the life of i• s first Her-
culean wearer. It is a cruel fashion, that, judging from the
number of its unfortunate victims, must have had Moloch
for its original inventor. However, though it may have
been death to hundreds of ladies, still to many a struggling
historian of the hebdomadal press it has proved a positive
life-preserver. In fact, our old friend Jenkins declares
that he is reconciled to the fashion, out of gratitude to the
large profit he has derived from it, and candidly confesses
that, if crinoline only continues in existence anotheriheyheaas
fortune.—Punch.
or two, he shall be able to retire from the pr..f essen
so long adorned, with a very handsome
A SCHOOLMASTER COMMITTED FOR BIGAMY.—
Samuel Russell, alias Simeon Grisdale, a schoolmaster and
a "Wesleyan local preacher, was brought up on Monday last
before the Tonbridge bench of magistrates, charged with
marrying a female named Fanny Kingwood, in April last,
his former wife being then alive. Fanny Kingwood stated
that in April, 1862, she was living at Reigate Heath, and the
prisoner was living at Redhill, about three miles distant.
She became acquainted with him by his coming to see her
master for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions. She
understood he was a single man, and he went by the name
of Samuel Russell. After several months' courtship, he in-
duced her on the sth of April, to go to London with him,
and the ceremony of marriage was gone through at York-
street Chapel, Walworth. Ann Clarke, the wife of Thomas
Clarke, carpenter, of Harefield, Middlesex, said she had
known the prisoner ten years. He went to Harefield and
opened a school, and shortly afteiwards became acquainted
with her daughter Mary Ann Clarke, to whom she was
married, at the Registrar's office, at Uxbridge, nearly ten
years ago. He was married in the name of Simeon Grisdale.
Her daughter was now alive. The prisoner, on being cau-
tioned in the usual way, said, "All that I have to say is, I
am truly sorry for it." He was committed for trial atthe
ensuing assizes at Maidstone.

SPECULATORS AND THE COTTON CRISIS.—The
Manchester market yesterday (says the _Livel pool Post) was
more excited thin ordinarily, prices, as compared with the
previous week, going up very considerably. It would ap-
pear that everybody is prone to speculate, no matter what
may be the price quoted and the quality and kind of goods
offered. Yams, mule and water, are higher by from 4d. to
6d. per lb. than they were last week; while goods and
shirtings have gone up in a corresponding degree. Never
was there a time when such a speculative business was done
as now. Everybody seems to have gone mad with ex-
citement, and the contagion spreads daily.
M. Richard Wagner, the composer, was recently
bitten by a dog which took off a part of the thumb of his
right hand. Fears were at first entertained that amputa-
tion would be necessary, but happily his medical attendant
has been able to check the inflammation.
The Paris Savings Bank during t he last fortnight
received 733,0921., and reimbursed 652,265 f. The receipts
of the Caisse de ...uerraites for the aged during the same
period amounted to 652,265 E
Paris at the preaont time consumes 12,000,600
cubic metres of gas per day. The consumption in the winter
months is almost double that quantity,