The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-25 00:00:00

THAMES.

ROBBERY BY A SERVANT.—Maria Stevens, avery showily
dressed servant-of-all-work, was charged with robbing her
master.

Mr. Edward Collins Lindsay, a brewer, of No. 3, High-
street, Bromley, Middlesex, stated that the prisoner en-
tered into his service on Christmas-eve, 1864, and con-
tinued with him until Friday,the 20th of the present month,
when he left home for the day with Mrs. Lindsay. The
prisoner was in charge of the house, and he put confidence
in her care and integrity. At night, when he and his wife
returned, she could not be found. He then missed a cameo
brooch from a dining table in his bedroom. He also missed
a gold ring, a shawl, two sheets, and other things. The
prisoner had not given any notice and left without permis-
sion. She had been well-treated, and the food was abun
dant and of the best quality.

Benjamin Prior, a police-constable, No. 2 H, said the
prisoner was pointed out to him yesterday, and he took her
into custody. She said nothing. She was wearing her
master's brooch.

The prisoner made no defence, and was remanded for a
week.

THE DANGER OF BE COMING BAIL.-Mr. Charles Young,
solicitor, made an application to Mr. Partridge on behalf
of Mr. Thomas Thompson, licensed victualler, of High-
street, Shadwell, who bailed a man, named Martin Smith,
at this court in October last. Smith absconded, and the
recognisances entered into by Mr. Thompson were ordered
to be estreated.

Mr. Charles Young said that Mr. Thompson had done
all in his power to find Smith, and had offered a reward for
his apprehension. Smith was a Norwegian, and had been
smuggled away to sea. He now respectfully solicited that
the bail should not be estreated.

Mr. Partridge—What is the amount ?
Mr. Charles Young—X2l, sir. My client has expended
£lO over this matter, and has really done all in his power
to arrest the offender. .

Mr. Partridge—What was the nature of the charge
against Smith ?

Mr. Charles Young—Assaulting a woman, who would
not appear against Smith if he had surrendered. Mr.
Thompson has been here seven times on this matter.

Mr. Partridge—l wish it to be well understood that be-
coming security for people charged with offences is not to
be treated lightly. At present I will make no order.
Mr. Charles Young—Will you discharge my client from
all responsibility ?
Mr Partridge—No. Let it be entered in tho minute-
book, "No order made."

THE KING OF FASHION.—The most lasting and
powerful despotism the world has ever known, viz.,
Fashion, is about, report says, 'to organise in the Rue de
la Paix an imperial government, presided over by a
crowned autocrat of the Modes. The want of a supreme
central power has long been desired by the milliners and
those superior artistes, the fashion poets, who invent from
plain textile substances these rare conceits and fantaisies
which occupy so large share of the polite female's mental
occupation throughout the civilised world. In a preliminary
address one of the founders of the new empire of fashion, a
man of scissors, observes—" I believe if it were possible to
estimate the present position le toilette occupies throughout
the civilised world, it would be found the one great despot
of the human race. No mighty sovereign of the most
mighty empire dares question the toilette worn by the partner
of his throne. The most powerful statesmen bends meekly
to the inconvenience or absurdity of robes, which in his
heart he detests. Youth and age, all over the world, accept,
unquestioning, with a religious reverence, the manifestoes
of fashion which issue periodically from this great altar of
taste and refinement—Paris. We decree, for example cri-
noline ; and lo ! ere long, the very cook in the kitchens—
not only of France, but of Germany, Italy, Spain—but the
very servants of America, New Zealand, and Australia, are
wearing iron hoops anything but convenient for such occu-
pations as the composition of the complicated eritreesor the
familiar roast. That such a power should have remained
so long without a recognised and organised sovereignty
is a striking illustration of the imperfection of the human
mind." The orator afterwards adds some practical re-
marks, with a view of electing at once a sovereign
of the empire of fashion. But we have only got as
far as the creation of a " cabinet of consultation."
There will be foreign ambassadors and ambassadresses
at all the large cities of the world. It is further pro-
posed to adinit educated hairdressers and ladies' boot and
shoemakers into the imperial government of the Rue de la
Paix. There seems every probability this time of a real
modification of the map of Europe by the introduction of a
new empire of fashion.—Paris correspondent of the Morning
Post.

The Messageries Imperiales Company is at the
present moment founding in Cochin-China a large maritime
establishment on the right bank of the Donai. M. Domergue,
a retired lieutenant-colonel of engineers, and principal agent
of the company, has undertaken the direction of the works.
Buildings for the residence of the principal agent, for ware-
houses, and offices, with forges and workshops, for steam
engines, with coal and wood stores, have already been
erected, and cover a space of more than I,oooft. in length.
With the exception of some Europeans to direct the labours,
all the workmen are Chinese or Aunamites. Some details
of ornamentally sculpture have been entirely abandoned to
Chinese artists, whose original talent is really remarkable.

FRANCE AND THE MIDDLE STATES.

VIENNA, Feb. 21.
'The Neue Freie Presse of to-day contains the
following :

" The Dresden Journal has recently stated that
t negotiations had taken place between Saxony and
France upon the Schleswig-Holstein question, but
madded that no mention had been made of a New
Rhine Confederation, or anything of the kind. We
have received the following details as to the inter-
, view which took place upon this subject and the
French dispatch, which was its result :
" ' During the late negotiations between the
Courts of Vienna and Berlin, Herr Von Beust had
some conversation with M. Forth-Rouin, the Mi-
nister of France at Dresden, and expressed his
regret that the Cabinet of the Tuileries had not
made a more energetic use of its influence in favour
of the Duchies, or, to speak more correctly, of the
Middle States, to prove a counterpoise to the two
great German Powers.
c 4 ' The French envoy reported this interview to
M. Drouyn de Lhuys, who sent him in consequence
the dispatch referred to. Recalling the reserved
attitude France had been careful to maintain hitherto
in this question, the dispatch stated that the Cabinet
of the Tuileries had the less reason to adopt a course
entirely in agreement with that of the Middle States,
or to pursue a policy exclusively from their point of
view, because those States themselves had neither
hitherto stated the precise object they desired nor
the means by which they hoped to achieve it. Fur-
ther, the experience France had had up to the pre-
sent time of the Middle States, in no way tended to
induce her to oppose in their favour the two great
Powers from whom France had received in general,
as well as in many particular instances, more testi-
monies of sympathy than from the Middle States ;
remarks which were still further confirmed by the
attitude of the periodical press, and of the chambers
of those countries.'

" Such is very nearly the tenor of this dispatch,
which has probably also been communicated to the
Bavarian Government. M, Drouyn de Lhuys has
also made similar verbal statements to Baron See-
bach, the Saxon representative at Paris."—(Reuter's
Express.)

EXTRAORDINARYACCIDENT IN THE WESTMINSTER-
ROAD.—Yesterday, about noon, an accident occurred
in the Westminster-bridge-road, Lambeth, of a somewhat
singular character, which destroyed a great amount of pro-
perty and jeopardised the lives of several persons. From
the inquiries made it appeared that Messrs. Alderson and
Co., the great linen-drapers, of 83, 85, and 87, Westminster-
road, had been for some time past enlarging their ware-
houses, and were adding to the buildings another house.
In order to carry out the designs of the architect a heavy
scaffolding had been erected in front of the four storeys of
the buildings, and the men were actively engaged in run-
ning out the cornice work at the top of the building, when
just at 12 o'clock a strange rumbling noise was heard within
the middle shop of the three. One of the superintendents
seeing the ceiling of the shop cracking gave the alarm to
the assistants, who succeeded in making a safe retreat, and
they had no sooner done so than the front of the wall be-
tween the two houses fell, and the whole of the scaffolding
from the base to the roof of each structure parted asunder
and fell halfway across the wide thoroughfare. An Atlas
omnibus was passing at the moment, and it seems a miracle
that it had time .to get clear of the broken poles, as they
came rattling across the road. At first it was feared that
several of the workmen had perished, but we are happy to
state that such was not the fact, and those employed in
assorting the goods in the warehouses also escaped unin-
jured, but covered with dust. Towards the evening the
front of the three buildings were completely barricaded,
so as to prevent the public from getting into danger.
PLYMOUTH, -Feb. 25.—News has been received
here that the Ordnance screw steamer Balaclava,
from Woolwich for Liverpool, with Government stores is
ashore at Carnshoro Point, on the south-east coast of Wex-
ford. The crew have been saved. The Medusa has been
ordered to proceed hence to the scene of the accident, to
render assistance, but was not ready until late last night,
and will leave this at 9 a.m., with Commander Smith and
100 men from:the Prince Consort. A later telegram says :
—" It is believed that the Ordnance steamship ashore on
the Wexford coast is not the Balaclava, but the Lord Pan-
Inure, Commander Moore, which left Woolwich on Satur-
day last, with four 600-pounders, for the armament of the
Scorpion, fitting out at Birkenhead."—Reuter's Telegrams.
The skating club at St. Petersburg has given its
grand night ball on the Neva. To the usual splendour Of
this festival was added a magnificent pavilion, constructed
of blocks of ice four feet thick, which, being brilliantly
lighted up in the interior, produced the effect of a palace of
crystal.
The Moscow Gazette publishes the following let-
ter from Kiakhta, a Russian customs station on the
frontier of China :—" A destructive fire occurred on the
25th Dec. at Maiinatchone, a Chinese frontier town near
this place. Three warehouses containing 2,000 chests of
tea were entirely destroyed. The loss is estimated at
120,000 roubles. The Chinese were thrown into great con-
sternation by the disastu, for which they were altogether
unprepared, as no fire had happened there for above 24
years. They also have a superstitious notion that to ex-
tinguish fire is a sin, and they consequently had no fire-
men or engines : but they worked hard in carrying water
to the Russians, who did their utmost in mastering the
conflagration, and saved about 4,000 chests of tea.
A MASQUERADE IN PARIS.—A masked ball was
given at the hotel of the French Minister of Foreign
Affairs on Monday night. A Paris letter says :—Madame
Drouyn De Lhuys, decreed to the costume of Cleopatra
the success of the evening ; and it was certainly most
remarkable, the black hieroglyphics and massive gold, in
Egyptian device, on the white drap de velours train and silver
petticoat, being most characteristic, and having so striking
an effect that the dense crowd separated to make way for
the Egyptian queen. Lady Cowley wore a domino of white
lace, which was most becoming. Lady Feodora Wellesley
wore an English court dress of the time of Queen Anne.
Lord Cowley merely wore a Venetian cloak, as did also
Lord Albert Leveson Gower and Mr. Miles. Lady Edward
Thynne wore a black domino. There was one Indian
squaw, whose costume was entirely composed of feathers
which were not, however, transparent. Madame Drouyn
De Lhuys did the honours with her usual grace and fasci-
nation, and well recalled the traditions of the courtly epoch
which her gorgeous costume of the time of Lous XV. typi-
fied. Her coiffure consisted of a mass of diamonds. Mdme.
de Lima, as a winged Mercury, looked lovelier than ever ;
the red of her many-coloured wings was truly dazzling.
The mysterious black domino with the blue shoulder-
knot was walking about leaning on one of the equerries
of the Tuileries. A fair friend of mine to whom the
domino was introduced as an English lady compatriot whom
' she was requested to patronise, tapped this mysterious
personage on the shoulder, and, bent on discovezing her
identity, tried to elicit a reply to her questions in her native
language, and then had recourse to French, but was fain to
retire from the one-sided war of words, as the domino with
the blue shoulder-knot had taken the vow of silence for
the nonce. The domino was right, as that domino gene-
rally is, for his or her voice is well known in Europe
When I add that Princess Korsakow was disguised as a
Russian peasant, Mrs. Miles as Cleopatra, Madame Bartho-
lomi as a peacock, the lovely Pole, Madame de Schinskoff,
as Pallas, the classic waggon and horses forming a helmet
which was wonderful to behold, I shall have told you of
the prominent characters of the evening, with the excep-
tion of the Princess de Metternich, who shot her never-fail-
ing wit and ready repartees with unerring skill at the
passers-by."

Great alarm was caused at Stutgardt three days
since b y the sudden fall of a largo house in Essling-strasse,
inhabited by a great number of persons. So great was the
concussion caused by the fall that all the windows of the
adjacent houses were broken, and even the stained glass of
Ldonard. Measures were promply taken for extricating
the persons buried under the ruins, and most of them were
soon got out, either dead or seriously injured. Among the
former was Mme. Diez, the wife of the owner of the house.
Several persons who happened to be passing at the time of
the accident were much hurt. The accident is supposed to
have been caused by a violent explosion of gas in a shop
on the ground floor. The King and the burgomaster soon
came to the spot and superintended the work of removing
the rubbish, which had only been partially effected when
account was sent off, se that the number of sufferers is no
yet known.
WIFE MURDER IN LIVERPOOL. Yesterday be-
tween 12 and 1 o'clock, Thomas
.Andwell, a labourer,
employed at Messrs. Jacks' foundry, Liverpool, went home
to his dinner, and began quarrelling with his wife about a
pawn ticket. The quarrel ended in his striking her a heavy
blow on tho side of the head with his fist. She fey down,
and he, alarmed at what he had done, ran to the neyhbour-
ing dispensary and brought back a doctor, but on his arrival
the woman was dead. Andwell is in custody.
THE RAILWAY WHISTLE.
—Yesterday morning
Mr. mo g
Mr. Richards held an inquiry
re-
specting the death of William vrd
Police-constable R. Thinibleby, il9 K, said that on Thurs-
day he saw the deceased driving a cart used for the car-
riage of iron along the street close to the Blackwall Rail-
way viaduct at Limehouse. A train came up slowly and
the engine whistled once, and then a second timo with great
loudness. The horse the deceased was leading took fright
and dashed off. The deceased caught hold of the bit to
stop the horse, when the animal reared up and dashed him
down, his head striking the curbstone, and then the wheel
of tho cart went over and crushed his skull. He was killed
on the spot. The shriek of the railway whistle was the sole
cause of the accident, so far as he could see. The jury re-
turned &verdict of "Accidental death."

_.—„.
Funeral of the Duke of Northumberland.

The remains of his Grace the Duke of Northum-
berland were interred to-day in Westminster
Abbey. The bells of Gray's Inn tolled during the
Inn,
The as his Grace was a member of the
The Admiralty flag was also half-mast high.

LONDON GAZETTE—Last Eve:

WAR-OFFICE, FEE. 23.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to give orders
for the appointment of the following Officers of the Marina
of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French, and a.,
his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, to be "[ono
rary
Members of the Military Divisions of the Second and
Third Classes of the Most Honourable Order of -the
Bath, respectively ; viz. :—To be Knight Commander--
M. Jean Louis Charles Jaures, Vice-Admiral. To be
Companions—M. Antoine Marie le Couriault du Quilio,
Capitaine de Vaisseau ; Mr. Henry Maurice Pas-quier de
Francheu, Capitaine de Vaissseau ; and Captain Jacobus
Eliza do Man.

ADMIRALTY, FEB. 22.
The following promotions have been made:—Mr. John
Johnson to be Engineer in her Majesty's Fleet, with se-
niority of 9th May, 1864 ; Mr. James Charles Sanders to
be Engineer in her Majesty's Fleet, with seniority of 16th
February, 1865.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, FEB. 22.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. J: C.
Prost as Consul-General in New South Wales for his Ma-
jesty the Bing of the Netherlands.

FEE. 23.
The Queen has been pleased to.appoint Hugh
Esq., to be Secretary or Registrar to the Mixed Commis-
sion Courts established at the Cape of Good Hope, under
the treaties concluded by Great Britain on the 3d July,
1842, and 7th of April, 1862, with Portugal and the United
States respectively, for the suppression of the African slave
trade.