The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-28 00:00:00

V, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 28, 1862.

It is the formation, and bringing into active service,
the' Gardes d'Afrique" in that city. They consist of
free coloured people, whom Gen. MooRE had called
out, but whomPeneral BUTLER first put in the field.
When seen by the correspondent of the New York
paper they were marching proudly along a street
with their bayonets fixed, being in charge of some
prisoners of their own colour. He justly comments
on the style in which any prediction of such a
result from Secession would have been met in New
Orleans two years ago.
Another kindred fact corroborates the statements
lately made from Port Philip, near New Orleans, that
slavery had practically ceased around New Orleans.
A delegation of si ives, from an old and wealthy
planter, waited on General SHEPLEY, and asked to
be received as citizens. Their request was granted.
They told the General they had come in
search of freedom. They and their fellow
servants were all leaving their masters, and
they wished to improve their condition.
How were they to do so ? They had no desire to
go on working without remuneration. General
SHEPLEY consulted with BUTLER, and the result
was that they and their old master agreed on the
wages he should pay them. A good deal of interest
is felt as to the working of the experiment. It is
thus that the residence of the Federal arms on the
confines of Slavedom, will teach the South that their
slaves are like other human beings, and will sap
the institution by proving its uselessness.

In consequence of the vacancy of the Metropo-
litan See of Canterbury the sittings of the Convocation of
the Prelates and Clergy of that province could not be con-
tinued in the ordinary manner to the day named in the
Royal Writ of Prorogation, inasmuch as the Royal Writ is
addressed to the Archbishop himself. It is usual, upon
the appointment of a new Metropolitan, for a Royal Writ
to issue authorising him to revive the sittings of the Con-
vocation.

THE CHANCERY VACATION.—The Chancery
vacation ends this day, when causes will be entered for
hearing. The arrears are very trifling. The lists will be
now increased, and as usual Vice Chancellor Wood is ex-
pected to have the largest number, and when the list is too
heavy a transfer is made to the other courts. Printed
affidavits will be used next term for the first time.

CHANCERY REFORM—On Saturday, the Ist
November, a new act of Parliament respecting the prac-
tice of the Court of Chancery will take effect. It gives the
court power to postpone or refuse the application of reme-
dies within its jurisdiction until questions of law and fact
on which the title to such remedies depended had been
ascertained in one of the courts of common law. It is now
enacted that the Court of Chancery may itself determine
every question of law and fact incident to the relief sought.
That court may, however, when such matters can more
conveniently be heard at the assizes or in London or Mid-
dlesex, direct an issue on the subject. Nothing in the act
is to alter or affect the power of the judges of the Court of
Chancery to sit with the assistance of a judge of one of the
common law courts. The procedure of the Court of Chan-
cery of the County Palatine of Lancaster is now assimilated
to that of the High Court of Chancery.
SCULLERS' RACE FOR £5O.—A 'cullers' race came
off yesterday which had been looked forward to as much
more interesting than it proved, inasmuch as Edward May,
late of the Times Unity Rowing Club, who has been before
the public some years, was matched to row Thomas Royal,
a waterman, of Westminster, who has only competed twice
before. Royal won as he liked.
William Smith O'Brien is on the point of leaving
Ireland for an indefinite period to seek in foreign travel
some relaxation from cares and annoyances that have of
late pressed heavily upon him.
The Dhaka Prakasha translated by the Indian
Reformer says that a Brahmucharya, who pretends to pre-
diet the issue of cases in the civil and criminal courts, is
thriving on the success of his imposition at Burrisaul. He
is a great favourite with litigious old gentlemen. Some of
the Zemindars pay him a fixed salary every month fir pre-
dicting the results of cases.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES.—This morning, about 3
o'clock, the premises of Mr. Weeks, stationer, 43, Queen's-
road, Bayswater, were discovered to be on fire. On the
inmates being aroused they found the staircase in flames,
but the building being low they were rescued, although in
almost a state of nudity. The engines attended, but the
fire was not got under till the house and its contents were
completely destroyed, and two houses adjoining damaged.
The premises of Mr. Garner, trimming manufacturer, 28,
Hart's lane, Bethnal-green, and those of Mr. Mills, haber-
dasher, 2, Robertson-place, Stockwell, were considerably
injured by fire during the night. On Sunday the house of
Mr. Fox, hatter, 26, Widegate-street, Bishopsgate, was also
much damaged by fire. By an escape of gas at the General
Post •office on the same night about 12 o'clock, that build
was set on fire, but the fireman being prftent, the fire was
quickly extinguished, the damage done being trifling.
THE LATE WILL FORGERIES.—Luther Yeates,
who, it will be remembered, forged a number of wills in
which the property of the late Admiral West was con-
cerned, was yesterday sentenced, at the Central Criminal
Court, to penal servitude for 20 years,

THE MANCHESTER BANK.—Yester day Andrews,
the manager, who stands charged with frauds to an im-
mense extent, was placed before the magistrates at Man-
chester, and remanded. He was admitted to bail.
A PRUSSIAN DUMOLLARD.—A Pomeranean work-
man, named Maaseh, has lately been detected, by accident,
in the course of a murderous career closely resembling that
of the notorious Frenchman Dumollard. He has, together
with his accomplices, of whom his mother is one, committed
13 murders. On one occasion he murdered at Cursdorf a
miller and his family, consisting in all of six persons. He
baffled all the researches of the police, and was detected at
last by mere chance. A Berlin correspondent. describing
the facts revealed on the trial, says :—" Two farm labour-
ers of the village of Warsin, near Stargardt, were one
morning walking together on their way to their work in
the fields, when it came on to rain. For the sake of
greater shelter against the wet, one of them proposed
that they should proceed to their destination for the
rest of the way by a path leasing through the woods. This
being agreed on, the peasants had not been long in the
forest when one of them espied at some distance through
the trees the upper half of the body of a man sticking up
out of the ground. Their hearts leaped to their mouths.
One started off wi' h all the speed he could put forth, while
the other, more self possessed, retreated more slowly, keep •
ing his eye fixed on the object in question, which gra-
dually sank into the earth. The peasants instantly made
known to the owner of the estate the strange thing they
had witnessed. The police were sent for, and a number of
persons, with all despatch, proceeded to the mysterious spot
which was pointed out by the labourers. At first it seemed
as though the men must have deceived themselves, or were
carrying on a practical joke; for at the spot indicated there
appeared to be nothing like a hole in the earth, as the grass
covered the ground all round about. On closer investiga-
tion, however, a slit was found in the grass in the form of
a square. It was but the work of an instant to discover
that this was the top of a trap-door, covered with turf. On
forcing this open and descending, a large cavity was disco-
vered, from which, however, the late occupiers had already
fled. This cave was found to be the home of the wretch
Maasch, who has been condemned to death, together with
four others.

ACCIDENTALLY HANGED.—A little boy, 12 years
of age, the son of a farmer in the neighbourhood of Merthyr,
was found hanging in the stable on Friday morning, and
quite dead. Several suicides having occurred in Merthyr
of late, affording subject for much conversation and discus-
sion, it is supposed that the lad suspended himself from one
rung of Th—e—ladder to see what the sensation was like, his
foot slipped, he was unable to regain the step or call, and
so insensibility came and then death. No motive can be
given that he should commit suicide.
FEES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—An alte-
ration is about to be made in respect to the payment of fees
in the House of Commons on what may be termed "Pri-
vate Bill legislation." A recently issued report of the house
on standing orders revealed a state of things, hitherto a
mystery to the public, with regard to the enormous fees
paid on private and local bills. It seems that an unopposed
bill will cost £3OO, of which about £lOO is expended in fees,
and when a bill is opposed, which is generally the case in
railway matters, the fees are large. Such an impression did
the evidence make on the select committee that they strongly
recommended a reduction in the fees, and that it should
take effect as early as possible. It is probable that at the
commencement of the next session the recommendation will
be acted upon. Before the committee Mr. Jones, the clerk
of the fees, gave evidence and disclosed how a certain
Chancellor of the Exchequer very adroitly " put his hands
upon" some £170,000 to make up a good budget. In the
last two years there had been an overplus in the fees com-
pared with the expenses, but for six years there had been a
deficiency of somewhere about LIO,OOO a yesr. Last year the
expenses of the House of Commons amounted to £51,000,
and the fees to L 76,000 giving a surplus of £25,000, whilst in
the year before the expenses were the same, and the fees
£57,000; so in the words of Mr. Jones there was no great
surplus, we paid our way. The officers of the house were
transferred to the consolidated fund in 1845, and in the opi-
nion of Mr. Jones the fees for the last six years, with the
exception of the last two years, had not paid the expenses of
the establishment. Another question was raised before the
committee as to the printing of all the documents connected
with the Private Bill Department. Hitherto such matters
have been written for the committees, such as short-hand
writers' notes; but the evidence given was in favour of
printing, and the matter will no doubt be brought before
the House of Commons and decided by the Speaker. It
would appear that printing will shortly supersede in a great
measure writing,