The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-15 00:00:00

AMERICA

LIVERPOOL, AUG. 14.

The City of Washington, already reported at
Queenstown, with telegraphic advices from New
York to the evening of the sth, via Cape Race, has
arrived.

Her war advices have been superseded by the late
telegram.
The New York Shipping and Comtnercial List of
the 2d says, in reference to the position of commer-
cial affairs :
" The favourable advices from Europe received per
steamer Australasian, on Wednesday last, created a much
better feeling in financial and commercial circles than pre-
viously obtained—owing to the fact that many people were
led by the reiterations of the sensation press on both sides
of the Atlantic, to consider a rupture of the existing friendly
relations between the United States and the mother coun-
try as imminent—and could not be persuaded that the
danger was chimerical, while the 'mediation motion' was
pending in the British Parliament. The agreeable news
that it had been offered, opposed, and finally withdrawn,
at the request of Lord Palmerston, therefore, was most
agreeably received, and a more cheerful feeling was at once
apparent. There was a total absence of unfavourable war ru-
mours, and with the belief that everything was going right
in Virginia and elsewhere, business men and capitalists
were alike confident that a favourable current would soon set
in, which should render the speedy return of prosperity a
matter of certainty. The stock-market ruled firm, and
though business was moderate, yet there was a good feeling
everywhere manifest. Confidence was shaken yesterday by
various rumours of more fighting on the James River, with
more reverses to the Federal army, however, and though
nothing definite could be ascertained, yet the mere rumour
that General M'Clellan's army bad been again defeated was
sufficient to cause a decline in all kinds of stocks, while gold
Iruled temporarily higher. The rumour was not generally
credited, but there was a general indisposition to deal very
largely in stocks during the rest of the day."
The Journal of Commerce reports the markets
less animated in consequence of the inauguration of
the tariff having pressed business in advance. The
money market remained very quiet, and the rates
were nominally unchanged. There was scarcely
anything doing, but what little movement there was
was on the basis of 5 to 6 per cent. for call loans.
Prime endorsed bills, 60 to 90 days, 4 to 5 per cent.;
ditto, 4 to 6 months, 6 to 7 per cent.; first-class
single signatures, 5 to 6 per cent.; other good bills,
6to 7 per cent. per annum. In exchange, a fut ther
reduction in the premium on gold; the sales were
nominally lower. Business bad been light, at our
quotations below—the market at the close being
unsettled. Bills on London, 125 to 127 per cent.;
Paris, 4f. 45c. to 4f. 521 c.; Bremen, 90 to 91; and
tbalers, 82 to 83.
The crops are reported as being in a most favour-
able condition, and promise a large yield.

SOUTHAMPTON, AUG. 15.

The North. German Lloyd's steamship New York,
with dates from America to the 2d instant, has
arrived. She brings 212 passengers, 110,322 dols.
in specie for England, 11,000 dols. for France, and
700 dole. for Bremen.

FRAN CE.
BOURSE, Aug. 14. The market closed as

bllows

41 per Cents. 9B
Do. end
3 per Cents
Do. end month 6B 95
New 3 per Cents'
Do. end month —
Credit Mobilie- 852 50
Do. end month 852 50

Bank Shares 3190
Credit li oncier 1232 50
Piedmontesc Fives 71
Italian Loan 7l 05
Roman —
Austrian
Spanish Threes 5O 75
Home Debt .. 4B

Cash. Account.
Orleans
Northern
New ditto
Lyons and Mediterranean 1097 50 .. 1096 25
GPn.va
Southern 835 .. 838 75
Western
Eastern ... . . 538 75 .. 537 50
Sardinian — .. 362 50
Austrian
Lozrbard ...... 606 25 .. 606 25

DREADFUL FIRE AND Loss OF THREE LIVES

This morning, between 1 and 2 o'clock, a fire broke out in
the lofty mansion belonging to S. W. Barrett, Esq., in
Cumberland-street, near the Marble Arch, which, we re-
gret to state, has been attended with the sacrifice of three
human beings, and almost fatal consequences to nine others,
who were fortunately saved by the Royal Society's fire-

escapes.
FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE.—At an early hour
yesterday morning, as a man named John Kent, employed
on the premises of Messrs. Butler and Edwards, soap
boilers, Grange-road, Bermondsey, was engaged in prepar-
ing a quantity of bleaching lye (a composition of ashes and
other materials used in the manufacture of soap), while
walking along a plank placed on the side of the copper, he
fell into the boiling liquid, and was so fearfully scalded

that his recovery is despaired of.
THE ISLEWORTH MURDERER.—The Secretary
of State offers a reward of £lOO for the apprehension of
Robert Cooper, alias Baker, alias Copeland, alias Baily,
alias George Barnham, who is charged with the murder of
Annie Barnham, at Isleworth, near Brentford, on the 7th
inst. He is described as being a deserter from the 15th
Hussars, from the 52d Foot, and from the Royal Marines,
and as bearing the brand of the letter " D" on his shoulder.
ACCIDENT ON THE EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW
RAILWAY.—Last (Wednesday) night the 8.45 train from
Edinburgh to Glasgow ran off the rails shortly after pass-
ing Ratho Station, and completely blocked up both lines,
obstructing the whole traffic between north and south for
nearly three hours. Both lines of rails have been torn up
for several yards—the train having run diagonally across
them, ploughing up the ground, and loosening the rails.
Fortunately, the accident was not attended with any se-
rious results—the passengers having escaped with no
greater injury than a rather violent shaking, with the ex-
ception of one man, who, in a paroxysm of alarm, jumped
out of the carriage in which he was travelling, and sus-
tained a few trifling bruises or scratches. The train from
the north, which joins the London train leaving Waverley
Bridge Station at 10.15, had to be brought to a stand on
approaching the scene of disaster, and the passengers
changed carriages—the train from the north being sent on
with the Glasgow passengers, while a telegraphic message
was forwarded to Edinburgh for carriages to enable the
others to proceed on their journey. Owing to the distance
between the broken-down train and the nearest station on
either side, a considerable delay took place before the mes-
sage could be despatched—and the result was that the first
instalment of passengers were only brought on to Edin-
burgh about a quarter of an hour before midnight, and
fresh carriages were thereafter despatched to convey the re-
mainder. At midnight about 50 passengers bound for Lon-
don found themselves on the platform at Waverley -bridge
station, upwards of an hour and a half after the London
train had been despatched, and they had no alternative but
to seek accommodation in hotels for the night. It is sup-
posed that the accident was caused by the recent heavy
rains having saturated the embankment, and caused a
quantity of earth and stones to slip, covering the rails
with rubbish. Thew t instalment t f the passengers ar-
rived in Edinburgabout one o'clock this morning,—
Scotsman.
AN EDUCATIONAL RETROSPECT.—After the
fear of the great Napoleon died out, an enthusiasm
for " education " burst forth. Little children, from
the time they could speak, were to be made, by a new
method, wiser than ever little children were before. They
were puzzled with questions ; they were crammed with
knowledge; Dissenters' schools expanded and multiplied;
and rural labourers' children were taken from the field and
the dairy, and the cottage cradle and oven, to be shut up
in a sceool for nine years together, " getting learning," as
their parents supposed, but coming out as little able
to read anything but a "chapter," or to keep the weekly
accounts, as to trim a hedge or make a cheese. The young
gentry were not much better off. Boys in our public schools
bad their races, and games, and fights ; and they kept up
the repute of English pluck and activity ; but it was a dull
time for the others. It was piteous to see home-bred chil-
dren
take their daily constitutional walk. Happy those in
the towns who knew of a place where timber was lying,
where they might at least get some jumping I Happy those
who knew of a green slope where they might roll, or who
dared to trespass into a hayfield where they might get a
tumble once a year I Happy those who could reach a heath
where they might play hide-and-seek among the furze! But
for one such, there were hundreds of children who balked
two-and-two along the high road, too many with lessen-
books, moving their lips as they walked ; and the rest driven
to gossip, in the absence of any other interest. They were
as unfortunate as so many Quakers, or nearly. They were
not in infancy set on high stools for an hour at a time, to
fit them for silent meetings; they were not kept quite so
tame in their boisterous years ; but we saw in a whole gene.
ration of middle-class people the same tendency to inane
play that we see in Quaker children, and incipient monks
and premature evangelicals, and Shakers, and Tankers, and
bookworms, and all thereat of the body-despisers—the same
helplessness in all emergencies, the same clumsiness of gait
and sheepishness of manner.—Once a Week..
GUNPOWDER AND FIREWORKS.--.Among the acts
of parliament just printed is one to amend the Gunpowder
Act of the previous session. The powers of the recited act
are now extended as to the issuing of warrants for gun-
Powder, and special powers are given to the Conservators
of the River Thames to search for gunpowder. The powers
are new extended as to include loaded percussion caps, am-
munition, fireworks, fulminating mercury. and to any other
preparation or composition of an explosive nature,