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

Tar, SUN, LONDON, MONIAY EVENING, DECEMBER 15, 1862.

ruptcy amendment; which was to consolidate, in
one act, all enactments on the subject not intended
to be repealed, together with the new enactments.
The Legislature, however, prefured leaving very
many of the old enactments unrepealed, and hence
the necessity for most, if not all, of the amend-
ments,

HALL v. SEMPLE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sln,—My attention has been called to an error
of some consequence in your report of the case of
Hall v. Semple. Your reporter has attributed a
considerable Portion of the evidence given by Mr.
Guy to myself. Will you allow me to correct the
blunder by stating that my evidence was entirely
confined to the medical aspects of the case, and to
the professional interview I had with the plaintiff
on the 27th of September.
_ .

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
FRANCIS C. WEBB,
M.D., M.R.C.P., Physician to the Great
Northern Hospital.

Dee. 13, 1862.

ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—I do not desire to encumber your columns
with any reply to the transparent absurdities of
your anonymous correspondent " Geographer," but
I wish, in accordance with your usual fairness, to
to be allowed to ask of him two favours, which will
at once put him and the company upon a proper
footing wherever to ascertain truth.
Firstly, that he will sign his communication with
his own name, as I do, in order that we may know
with what rival interest we are contending; and,
secondly, to make good (which I thus publicly
challenge him to do) his statement that the first
electricians of the day are at variance with the fol-
lowing fact, founded on experience, namely, that a
cable from Ireland to Newfoundland can easily be
worked at the rate of ten words per minute. I
challenge him to produce the signature of any emi-
nent, or even respectable, electrician in contradic-
tion of this great and important truth.
GEORGE SAWARD, Secretary.
Atlantic Telegraph Company, 22, Old Broad-
street, London, 13th Dec., 1862.

Mr. William Henry Gladstone, eldest son of the
Chancellor of Exchequer, took his degree at Oxford on
Thursday, having obtained, after leaving Eton, a student-
ship of Christ Church, a first class in moderations; and for
his degree, a second in classics, and a third in law and mo-
dern history. His father took a double first as a student of
Christ Church.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY, EXETER-HALL.—
The usual annual Christmas performance of Hande►'s
" Messiah" takes place on Friday evening next, the 19th

instant.

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.—Mr. Benedic

the conductor of this festival, has had a conference with
the committee, and will produce an original cantata for one
of the evenings. Efforts are also being made to secure the
production of an oratorio or some other original work from
another eminent composer. The performances will include
selections from the works of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Che-
rubini, Mendelssohn, &c. The guarantee list is being
satisfactorily filled up.

r. Kennedy, the talented
SONGS OF SCOTLAND:NI
vocalist, and exponent of Scottish lore and Scottish song,
who recently obtained so great a success at the Hanover-
square Rooms, is about to give a short series of his enter-
ment, on the melodies of Scotland, at the Dudldy Gallery,
Egyptian Hall, under the auspices of Mr. Mitchell, Mr.
Land, the coadjutor of the late celebrated Mr. Wilson, will
be also Mr. Kennedy's accompanyist.
TIIE TUSCARORA AT FUNCHAL.—A letter from
Madeira, dated the 30th ult., statts that for some days pre-
viously the island had been kept in an agreeable state of ex-
citement by the movements of the Confederate and Yankee
steamers. About a week before, the Giraffe, a double fun-

nelled, dirty white steamer, with a roughish lot of me
chanics, came in, and it was rumoured that she had guns
as her cargo,and intended to run the blockade and to manu-
facture notes for the Southerners. She remained two or
three days, took in a large supply of coals, and got safely
away. Then another fast little steamer, the Thistle, with
English colours, made her appearance. She was also said
to be laden with munitions of war, and to be a Southerner.
She was getting her coal on board, thinking to get quietly
away, when the notorious Tuscarora anchored in these
waters close by her. At the same time the English man-
of-war Leopard was also lying near. On Friday the offi-
cers of the Tuscarora were on shore, and talked openly of
their hopes of securing the Thistle as a prize. The little
Thistle all this time was getting her steam up, and all
thought she would be off as soon as the moon went down at
night. No movement, however, took place then ; but
very early on Saturday morning she got under way. The
Tuscarora immediately slipped her cable, and proceeded
after her like a shot. She fired an Armstrong gun and
brought her to, and sent a boat with some 30 or 40 men in
it on board. On the return of the boat to the Tuscarora, the
Thistle steamed away as fast as her engines could carry her.
Of course, no one could tell what had happened. The cap-
tain of the Leopard did not feel satisfied, and set off in pur-
suit of the Thistle, the Tuscarora having now returned, and
being quietly at anchor again. But the Tkistle proved too
fast for the Leopard, and though the latter thundered forth
the order to bring to, the latter got clean away. The
Yankees say they have not taken her, but if that be really
so, why, it is asked, does she run away from a British man-
s& war ? On the 30th ult. the Tuscarora steamed out of
these waters to return, it is said, in a few days, and perhaps
play the same game over again with some other vessel. It
remains to be seen whether the Portuguese Government
will allow hor to overhaul a second time a ship of another
nation within gunshot of the Loo Rock Fort.
THE CIVIL SERVlCE.—Copyhold Inclosure and
Tithe Commission.—A commissionership has become
vacant by the death of Mr. H. C. Mules; salary £1,500.
War-office.—Mr. W. W. Browning has been appointed a
temporary clerk, London ; and Mr. W. Yates a second-class.
viewer, Tower. The Board of Trade.—Mr. T. J. Hare
and Mr. C. S. Parkin have been appointed third-class clerks.
Mr. C. H. Chandler has been appointed a clerk at the post-
office, Reading ; and Mr. G. H. Walpole a temporary clerk
in the India-office, London, Customs.—Mr. W. Fraser
and Mr. W. H. rope have been appointed out-door officers
London ; Mr. J. Furlong, an outdoor officer, Wexford
and Mr. J. Strickland an out-door officer, Preston. Mr.
C. Goldsmith has been promoted from fourth to third class,
Mr. T. Shipstone from fifth to fourth class, and Mr. W.
Backhouse from sixth to fifth class examining
officer at Hull. Inland Revenue Department.—Mr. J. W.
G. Andras, Mr. B. Tall, Mr. T. Blackwell, and Mr. H. J.
Brewer have been appointed assistant surveyors of taxes.
Excise Branch.—Mr. J. Mitchell, examiner, has been ap-
pointed supervisor of Ciainsborough district ; Mr. J. Chad-
wick, Glasgow eighth division, to Liverpool eleventh divi-
sion ; Mr. P. Egan, Auchtermuchty first division, to Glas-
gow eighth division ; Mr. J. Thompson, Alloa ninth divi-
sion, to Aushtermuchty first division; Mr. H. Wilkinson,
Alloa fifth division, to Alloa ninth division ; and Mr. J.
Woodhead, officer, Haddington first division, to Alloa fifth
division. Mr. J. R. Clonting has been appointed a tem-
porary clerk, Census •office; Dublin. Mr. J. J. Costello has
been promotod to a third-class clerkship in the Registrar of
Deeds-office, Dublin.—Civil Service Gazette.
APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS.—The Queen
has presented the Rev. William Forsyth to the church and
parish of New Lull, in the presbytery of Stranraer, vacant
by the transportation of the Rev. William Ker to the church
and parish of Stair. Mr. Francis Edward Guise, of the
Oxford Circuit, has been appointed Recorder of Hereford,
in the room of Mr. Sergeant Pigott, resigned. Mr. Henry
Byerley Thomson has been appointed puisne judge of the
Supreme Court of the Island of Ceylon. Mr. Richard F.
Morgan has been appointed her Majesty's Advocate far the
Island of Ceylon. Mr. John Comber Brown has been ap-
pointed superintendent:of Government schools and orga-
nising master for the island of Nlauritius. Mr. Robert
William Gifford Watson has been appointed chief magis-
trate for the settlement of Lagos. Mr. Churchill, consul at
Jassy, is appointed consul-general at Beyrout. Mr. Dalzell,
consul at Erzeroum, is to be consul at Jassy. Mr. Eldridge,
consul at Kertch, to be consul at Erzeroum. Captain Clip-
perton, vice-consul at Theodosia, to be consul at Kertch.
Mr. Barker, consul at Samsoun, will be vice-consul at
Theodosia. The consulate of Samsoun will not be filled up.
Mr. Itaby, vice consul at Alexandretta, to be vice-consul at
Toultcha. The vice-consularship of Alexandretta not to b.)
filled up. Mr. Barker, vice.consul at Toultcba, to be vice-
consul at Provesa. Mr. Black to be vice-consul at Mis o-
longhi, and Mr. Wrench to be vice-consul at Beyrout.—
Observer,
THE WEATHER AT PAU.—A correspondent at
Pau writes :—" After a short snap of very cold weather, we
are again luxuriating in an unclouded sun and a tempera •
tun-) of 56 deg. of Fahrenheit. Our foreign colony is more
numerous this season than even last year, the English
being, as usual, greatly in the ascendant, and taking the
lead in hospitable entertainments of every description, while
their kinsmen, tha Americans, are obliged, in
consequence
of the sad civil war afflicting their native land, to keep
somewhat aloof. Our railway, a new theatre, and a circus
will, it is officially announced, be inaugurated in the course
of another month. Four deer lytve just been presented
by the Earl of H. to his countrymen of the Pau Drag
run.' These animals are doubly valuable at this moment
nested."
when foxes for rawly miles round are quite extermi-