The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-15 00:00:00

RACING FIXTU:
FERRI

Lincoln ...
MA:

Nottingham Spring
Derby Spring 5
Liverpool Spring lO
Shrewsbury l2

AP.
Newmarket Craven 6
Durham
Catterick Bridge 8
Thirsk l4

Chester
Bath . ................ 5
. ...............
Harpenden ............12
15
A5c0t.,.,., Ju
............ 2
Newton
.... 10
Hampton
Odiham 10
Bibury Club..

Jr
Worcester
Newmarket July ** 7
Abingolon 14
Hungerford l6

Brightcn
4
Brighton Club
Lewes

Derby •ummer
1
Liehfipld
Leicester
Doncaster ..15

Brecon
Monmouth 24
Manchester Autumn 25
Newmarket Ist Oct. 29

Newmarket S. 0 ..12

,BER.
Newmarket Houghton ..26
SIBER.
1 Shrewsbury Autumn....l7

Worcester 3

SPEEPLECHASING FIXTURES FOR 1863.

JANUAILY.
Manchester

FEBRUARY.
Carmarthenshire Hunt .. 2 Aberyatwith Hunt 16
Scarborough 11 Birmingham .. .23
Reading l2 Lincoln 25

MARcu.
Grand National Hunt (Market Harborough ...26

Kildare Hunt l5

THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.—An official in-
spection of the Metropolitan Railway will take place to-
day, the requisite notices haying been duly given by
the company that the line was ready for the visit of
the inspector. In a few days, therefore, the railway
may be expected to be opened for traffic. As the directors
have had opportunities for knowing the requirements
which, with a view to the public safety, the railway
department of the Board of Trade would insist upon, and
have had ample time for complying with these wishes, it is
probable that the certificate for the opening will be given
without much delay. The signals, about which so much has
been said as_being the_cause of the repeated postponements,
are now in working order ; the difficulty as to the width of
the carriages has been got over, as well as the mechanical
arrangements necessary for the working of the engines that
will consume their smoke and condense their steam ; and
the lighting of the carriages by gas, which involved some
careful consideration of details, has been satisfactorily
accomplished. At King's-cross there is a rather sharp
curve, and in running the trains through it has been found
that the rails on the up and down lines have too much
"cant," and it has been necessary to relay the rails at this
point. This has led to much considerable delay, and has
probably had as much, if not more, to do with retarding
the opening than the perfecting of the mechanical arrange-
ments of the signals or the alterations of the doors of the
carriages.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND THE

ITINERANT DEALER IN GAME.-A rather curious incident
happened to the Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday on
his return journey to London. He left Canterbury by the
afternoon train which runs to Ashford, and there leaves the
passengers to be taken to London by the Dover express.
The archbishop, who it may be stated had charmed every
one he had mec by his genial affectionate manner, was
standing on the platform at Ashford, and conversing with a
legal gentleman,when a man in a blouse, who turned out to
be an itinerant dealer in game, marched up to him and with
small ceremony requested him to have a brace of wild ducks
for 4s. 6d. The archbishop did not show any desire to
accept the bargain, whereupon the hawker fastened on the
archbishop's companion, and with much volubility expa•
tiated on the qualities of the ducks. Now the legal gen-

tleman is a very able writer on the laws of nations and of
commerce, and he of the blouse found that he had met
his match at the settling of a bargain, Eventually the
eminent lawyer became the purchaser of two brace of
ducks, but whether at the price first asked by the seller is
a matter on which our informant expressed his doubts. His
Grace was amused at the incident, and the hawker again
importuned him to buy a brace of birds, whereupon ho fell
in with the humour of the thing and made the purchase,
but without any haggling whatever. The hawker then
made the politest b Av of which he was capable and retired,
in utter ignorance of the distinguished position of the gen-
tleman with whom he had done this little stroke of business.
The Baron de Budberg, who has succeeded Count
Kisseleff as Russian Ambassador to the Court of the Tuile-
ries, is not yet 44 years of age, although he has passed more
than 20 years in the diplomatic service. He belongs to one of
the most ancient German families in the Russian empire.
The grandfather of the Baron filled the post of Minis-
ter of Foreign Affairs to the Emperor Alexander I. for
many years. The Baron was appointed Secretary to the
Russian Legation at Frankfort, in the year 1846. Ho was
raised to the rank of Charge d'Affaires at Frankfort, in
1819, and he quitted it in 1851, to perform the functions of
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Ber-
lin. He remained there until 1856, when he was sent to
Vienna. He shortly afterwards returned to Berlin, where
he remained until his appointment to Paris.
One of the most remarkable buildings a present
in progress of construction in Paris is the new terminus of
the Northern Railway. The buildings cover a superficies
of about 120,000 ft. The facade is 540 ft. long, and in the
centre is the great entrance-hall, 210 ft. wide. The facade
is to be ornamented with 23 statues representing the cities
of Paris, Brussels, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, Frankfort,
London, Vienna, Berlin, Cologne, Amiens, Lille, Btauvais,
Cambrai, St. Quentin, Boulogne, Compiegne, Arras, Laon,
Calais, Valenciennes, Dunkirk, Douai, and Rouen. On the
key of the principal arch is to be placed the head of Mercury,
symbolical of commerce, with two medallions right and left
representing Jupiter and Neptune. Thunderbolts and dol-
phins attached to the medallions are meant to represent fire
and water, the bases of steam locomotion. Sculptors are at
present decorating the side entrances with medallions repre-
senting Papin and Watt.

DAMP IN CATHEDRALS AND CHURCHES.—The ill-
effect of damp in all descriptions o buildings is well-known,
and damp is also injurious to the:persons who occupy them.
The extent of damp in many churches would surprise those
who have not carefully observed it. In London and through-
out the country there are several old churches round
which the ground has risen to a considerable height above
the pavement of the interiors. One of these—Old St. Pancras
—was described in the Builder some time age, when, soon_
after a restoration, the wood became rotten, and a sort of
leprosy seemed to pervade the chief part of the structure.
Then it was found that, while the building had been adorned,
the drainage had not been made sufficient. The ground
was saturated with moisture, and, surrounding and inside,
the church vaults were found completely filled with water.
St. Bartholomew's, the Great, Smithfield, is another London
church which is awkwardly, troubled by the growth of
very unwholesome soil around it. In Westminster Abbey
persons may have noted that, where they have stood for a
few minutes on a part not covered with wood or matting,
the impression of the feet distinctly visible. The same
appearance may be noted in cathedrals and churches, where
persons have stood at funeral and other services ; and
many will remember the fatal illness4bvhich has been caught
by attendance at funerals, or by visits to damp places of
worship.--Builder.
Letters from Naples give the text of another
Muratist manifesto. It purposes to be dated from
the Chateau of Buzenva), and to have been written

in November, under the form of a letter addressed
to a prince, whose name is not given. In the docu-
ment, Prince Murat congratulates himself on the
progress which his party has made in public opi-
nion ; he is the more gratified that the preponder-
ance which he acquires is a moral victory over the
fortunate" but sanguinary excesses of the Bourbon
hands (otherwise brigands), and over Piedmontese
despotism. It is, therefore, necessary to fortify and
develope that moral influence everywhere, from the
smallest commune up to Parliament itself, without
seeking to advance too rapidly, like " the Bourbon
faction" and " the Piedmontese sect." The Prince
desires to enjoy the " benefits of the moment," to
rally all parties to Muratism, and to let Piedmon-
tese violence and the efforts of him who from Rome

" fans the flame of civil war" to wear themselves
out. The whole paper looks very like a clumsy
piece of forgery.